The Spirit of Aloha, the Courage of Friendship

Following a warm welcome from Pacific Zone youth leaders Moeko Teter and Enoa Reid, a graceful hula performance reflected Hawaii’s rich cultural heritage while setting the tone for an evening centered on hope, gratitude and the bonds of community.

Building on those themes, Gerald Oda, the Pacific Zone’s men’s leader, expressed deep appreciation for everything members had accomplished during the first half of the year while pointing everyone toward an even greater challenge ahead. The world today, he said, is filled with division, loneliness and uncertainty, leaving many young people searching for hope. Yet history has repeatedly shown that it is precisely during such times that disciples stand up to fulfill their mentor’s vision.

“As disciples of Ikeda Sensei, we are the ones now entrusted with fulfilling his vision for Hawaii to become the role model of kosen-rufu,” he said. The foundation for realizing that vision, he explained, is districts where members and guests can naturally experience joy, warmth and hope. Friendship, he emphasized, is the true foundation of sharing Buddhism. 

Following leadership announcements, Gohonzon conferrals and new member recognitions led by Alex Marcos, the SoCal-Pacific Territory leader, Rena Takushi, Pacific Zone’s women’s leader, reflected on the remarkable momentum members had built over the previous year. “Since last year,” she said, “we began to move the wheels of shakubuku forward.” From January 2025 through June of this year, Pacific Zone’s 131 districts welcomed 174 new members, the result of members throughout Hawaii embracing the determination to introduce one youth in every district.

Throughout the zone, members had been praying together, engaging friends in heartfelt dialogue, visiting people at their homes, hosting introductory meetings and creating welcoming environments where people could experience Buddhism for themselves. Those quiet, often unseen efforts had blossomed into hundreds of new friendships and scores of people beginning their own Buddhist practice.

Treasured Islands Region reported welcoming 12 new members during the first half of 2026 after introducing 18 the previous year. One member shared the joy of seeing the young man he introduced to Buddhism in 2025 go on to introduce his brother and encourage other family members.

Diamond Head Region reported that since March, monthly youth gatherings have welcomed 14 guests, three of whom have become new members. Members are also expanding campus club activities, strengthening introduction-to-Buddhism meetings and raising new youth leaders, all grounded in the conviction that everything begins with prayer.

Koʻolau Region emphasized that its greatest victories have been achieved through building personal relationships. Members spoke of countless heart-to-heart conversations that have resulted in welcoming 19 new members during 2026. Looking ahead, youth leaders shared their determination to continue creating friendship-centered gatherings where every young person feels welcomed, valued and inspired.

Hawaii Region likewise celebrated welcoming 21 new members in 2026, including 10 youth. Members shared experiences of introducing co-workers to Buddhism, seeing friends progress from receiving the Gohonzon to taking on leadership responsibilities and watching seeds planted many years earlier finally blossom into faith. 

Those regional victories naturally set the stage for the evening’s featured faith experience by David DeMotto and Keenan Lau.

While working together at a preschool, DeMotto introduced Lau, his young co-worker, to Buddhism by sharing a copy of the World Tribune. Although Keenan wasn’t ready to attend a meeting, the conversation planted a seed.

Weeks later, David was diagnosed with Stage 4 chronic kidney disease. Encouraged by fellow members, he resolved to deepen his faith and support others. Keenan came to mind, and David invited him to a meeting. The invitation arrived at the perfect time. Overwhelmed by the demands of teaching full time while completing graduate school, Keenan had been searching for greater meaning in life.

Moved by the warmth and encouragement of the SGI community, Keenan began chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. The practice gave him clarity, confidence and the courage to make major life decisions, including moving to California to pursue a long-held dream of starting a tutoring business. That spring, he received the Gohonzon, calling it the most significant milestone of his life.

Witnessing Keenan’s transformation also changed David. Though continuing his battle with kidney disease, he found that encouraging others strengthened his own life. Together, their experience showed that genuine friendship awakens hope, inspires courage and expands an ever-growing network of encouragement.

That same spirit resonated in the closing encouragement of Adin Strauss, the SGI-USA’s general director. He noted the growing recognition of the SGI’s contributions to peace and dialogue while reminding the members that Hawaii possesses something today’s young people are searching for even more deeply—its spirit of ʻohana.^[1] He encouraged members to use their imagination to create places where young people can simply enjoy one another’s company, build lasting friendships and discover people they can rely on when life’s challenges arise. “Use your imagination,” he urged. “Use that warmth and unique energy that only exists in Hawaii.”

Strauss reminded the members that this moment in history is not something to wait for, but something to create. “We definitely were not born in these troubled and confusing times by some accident,” he said. Quoting Sensei, he added, “The ‘time’ is not simply an objective condition; it is carved, in essence, by a firm will. In other words, a sound age is created by the will to fight and win, day after day, steadily and surely, no matter whether anyone is watching our efforts” (January 2011 Living Buddhism, p. 86). The courage to create that time, he explained, arises from earnest daimoku united with an unwavering vow for kosen-rufu. When those two are united, ordinary people reveal extraordinary courage.

As members rose to end the meeting by singing “Forever Sensei,” the lesson of aloha came full circle. What began as a reflection on a single Hawaiian word ended as a vision for the future of kosen-rufu in Hawaii.
—Prepared by the World Tribune staff

August 14, 2026 World Tribune, pp. 6–7