Dr. George Tanabe
Guest Speaker: Dr. George Tanabe
Nirvana Day is an annual Buddhist festival that remembers the death of the Buddha when he reached Nirvana at the age of 80. Nirvana is believed to be the end of the cycle of death and rebirth. Buddhism teaches that Nirvana is reached when all want and suffering is gone.
On Nirvana Day, Buddhists think about their lives and how they can gain the perfect peace of Nirvana. They remember friends and relations who have recently died. They reflect on the fact that death is a part of life for everyone.
The idea that nothing stays the same is important to Buddhism. Buddhists believe that loss and change are things to be accepted rather than causes of sadness.
About Our Guest Speaker
Dr. George Tanabe is our guest speaker for our Nirvana Day service. Dr. Tanabe was born and raised in Waialua. He graduated from University High School, Willamette University (B.A.), Union Theological Seminary (M.Div.), and Columbia University (M.A. and Ph.D.). From 1977 to 2006 he taught in the UH Department of Religion and is currently Professor Emeritus. He is President of BDK Hawaii and Chairman of BDK America. He is a specialist on the religions of Japan, especially Buddhism, his books have been published by university presses of Columbia, Harvard, Princeton, and UH. In 2007 he received the Foreign Minister’s Award from the Japanese government, and in 2012 he was honored with the Imperial Order of the Rising Sun. George and his wife Willa (Professor Emerita of Japanese Art History) published Japanese Buddhist Temples of Hawai`i: An Illustrated Guide (UH Press). He still lives in Waialua.