The monastery cherishes its role in serving the people of Kauai, always striving to foster amity, cooperation, and good-neighborliness across the island. One such effort took shape recently when we were invited to restore a Peace Pole we originally crafted and installed at Lydgate Park in 2009. That same year, we also created a Peace Pole for the SPARK M. MATSUNAGA INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN’S GARDEN FOR PEACE in Hanapepe—each a quiet testament to the aloha spirit and global unity (a famous one is at the Gandhi Smriti in New Delhi where Gandhi was martyred.
The International Peace Pole Project was launched in post-war Japan by Masahisa Goi, who envisioned a world united under the prayerful message, “May Peace Prevail on Earth.” From that humble beginning, over 250,000 Peace Poles have since been planted around the world, standing silently as beacons of harmony across nations, faiths, and generations.
Upon inspection of the Lydgate pole, we found it better to create a new one. Just days ago, we milled a Eucalyptus robusta log into a beautiful six-sided sculpture. In just four hours, the raw log, still clad in bark, was transformed into a smooth, golden-reddish Peace Pole. The slideshow captures the story of this transformation.
Next, the original wooden language panels will be restored and carefully mortised into the new pole. Stay tuned as this symbol of island peace and unity continues its journey.
