The famed Hau Tree Grove is situated in the patio of Honolulu’s Kaimana Hotel with its expansive views of Waikiki Beach.
A scene in volume 1 of The New Human Revolution describes how Ikeda Sensei and his delegation arrived at the hotel late into the night on Oct. 2, 1960, after waiting at the airport for someone who never arrived.
Sitting in the patio, Sensei took out some dried seaweed to give to his hungry and dejected party, saying cheerfully: “Our eating nori together like this will be our precious memory in the future. Isn’t it exciting to think that this night will remain in the history of our lives as part of the opening act of a grand drama?” (NHR-1, revised edition, p. 12).
And indeed, the drama unfolded, with Sensei opening the way for the spread of Nichiren Buddhism to 192 countries and territories.
The Kaimana Hotel property was originally the residence of the McInerny family, whose prominent visitors included Robert Louis Stevenson, author of Treasure Island, who was known to lounge and write for many hours beneath the Hau Tree Grove.
When Sensei traveled to Honolulu to attend the 1985 Hawaii Convention, he visited the patio briefly for a respite, during which Fife and Drum Corps members noticed him and came over and waved.
He encouraged these young women to develop deep roots of faith, just like the “Hau tree” so that no matter the obstacle, they could bend with the wind but not break. For those present, his words became a source of enduring strength.
The Hau Tree Grove has grown considerably in the past 65 years since Sensei’s first visit there, and the members of America have grown along with it. Deep faith has taken root in the hearts of Sensei’s disciples in the U.S., who today can dance, unbowed, in even the fiercest of winds.
—Prepared by the World Tribune staff
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