About Shinnyo Lantern Floating Hawai‘i
Shinnyo Lantern Floating Hawaiʻi 2025
Address by Her Holiness Shinso Ito
Aloha! Welcome to Shinnyo Lantern Floating Hawaiʻi. I offer my wholehearted thanks to our invited guests, to our volunteers and staff, and to all who are attending here at Ala Moana Beach and remotely from around the world.
On this Memorial Day, we honor and remember the military fallen of Hawaii and the United States. We offer prayers to all we have lost to conflict and catastrophe, with a wish that our positive actions reach those we love and miss.
The founder of Shinnyo-en, Master Shinjo Ito, taught us to never underestimate the power of prayer. Our prayers are an expression of all that is naturally good within us, and our collective prayer is intangible yet impactful. As we offer our thanks and honor those who came before us, we reaffirm the connection of our lives to theirs. Uniting in our positive wish that peace and harmony will be realized for those in the present, our efforts will pave the way for a better future for all.
I feel very grateful for having learned of the wisdom of aloha through having its warmth shared with me over the years.
Aloha comes from within, encouraging us to unveil our light to illuminate the world around us.
It helps us set aside differences to engage in dialogue and act with sincerity and care. This allows each of us to see, hear, and value the other.
With the wisdom of aloha, I see a world where all people can live in peace and express their care for each other without limits.
The inner light revealed through expressing aloha is what we call shinnyo. Each lantern, unique and beautiful, graces the surface of the ocean. Swayed by the gentle rhythm of the waves, they illuminate the darkness of the night safely in spite of facing the unpredictable waters and wind. Fire and water, inherently opposing elements, neither consume the lanterns nor drown them, but together create something beautiful, glowing with their harmonious presence.
We each carry within us something unique and beautiful, just like that light. We must not lose sight of our light in the face of hardship or despair. With all the pain and confusion in the world, we must be unfailing in our determination to reveal our hope-filled light.
I will now conduct a rite so that the countless lights of shinnyo kindled here in Hawaii will be carried across oceans throughout the world to bring warmth, healing, and happiness to all lives and souls.
About Her Holiness Shinso Ito
Her Holiness Shinso Ito is the current head of Shinnyo-en. She is one of the few women to become a Buddhist master and attain the highest priestly rank of Daisojo.
When the founder of Shinnyo-en, Master Shinjo Ito, visited Hawaiʻi in 1970, he paid respects at Punchbowl and the Arizona Memorial. Profoundly moved by this experience, he was inspired with the wish to hold a lantern floating where people could share their hopes for peace.
Recognized as Master Shinjo Ito’s most accomplished disciple, Her Holiness Shinso Ito succeeded him as the head of Shinnyo Buddhism after his passing in 1989, and carried out his wish in the form of Shinnyo Lantern Floating Hawaiʻi on Memorial Day, 1999.
Profoundly aware that a spiritual path must be meaningful for people living today, Her Holiness teaches an engaged form of Buddhism where practitioners see their daily surroundings as their training ground for cultivating their innate “buddha nature” – the seed of enlightenment that can blossom through giving joy to others.
We hope that her message inspires you to share aloha with those around you.