August Reflection: Passing on a Heart of Compassion to the Future

2025.08.20.

Passing on a Heart of Compassion to the Future

By Daikō Iizuka, Head Priest

Hello everyone. I’m Daikō Iizuka, the head priest of this temple. It is now August, and the summer heat continues. This year marks 80 years since the end of World War II.

In June, we joined the shrines and temples of the Izumo Shinbutsu Pilgrimage in praying for world peace. Across Japan, Buddhist communities continue to offer prayers for peace and remembrance.
Since the war, we have kept asking ourselves what true peace means.

Yet even today, conflicts and wars continue around the world. We are shocked by acts of aggression that try to change the world by force. I believed such things were part of the past—but they still happen.
Why do people fight? Often, it begins with the belief that “our people are superior,” or a refusal to forgive others. Sometimes, leaders are filled with anger and resentment. Each side believes they are right, and peaceful dialogue seems powerless.

In the Dhammapada, a collection of the Buddha’s teachings, there is a well-known verse:
“Hatred is never ended by hatred. Hatred is ended by compassion.
This is an eternal truth.”
To stop the cycle of hatred, we must let go of hatred itself.
This teaching is simple—but very deep.

Perhaps it is the only real way. The opposite of hatred is compassion. In Buddhism, compassion means feeling the pain of others as if it were your own, and acting with kindness. It is not weakness. It is a quiet strength—the strength to let go of anger and resentment. I believe that when each of us nurtures compassion in our hearts, little by little, the world can begin to change.

This August, during Obon, many people in Japan light lanterns and pray for their ancestors and departed loved ones. (Obon is a traditional Japanese period of remembrance in mid-August, when families honor those who have passed away.)
As we join our hands in prayer and reflect in the soft light of the lanterns, may we also take time to quietly look into our own hearts. Each person’s compassion may be small, but I truly believe that it connects the past to the present—and will continue into the future and out into the world.
May you stay safe and healthy through this hot summer.