In his plea for peace, the Rev. Senji Kanaeda walks his talk.
Draped in an orange robe and wearing reliable rubber-soled shoes, the Buddhist monk beat his drum as his supporters passed through Auburn along the West Valley Highway on Tuesday morning.
The exercise was part of the “Puget Sound Interfaith Peace Walk Toward a Nuclear-Free Future” – a spiritually motivated and non-violent show of heart for a safer world.
“We’re praying for peace and praying for a nuclear-free future. That is our purpose,” said Kanaeda, 49. “Actually, we are not criticizing anyone. … It is our hope there are no nuclear arms or weapons on this Earth. It is that simple.”
The nine-day peace walk officially began from Suquamish on the Kitsap Peninsula last Sunday and ends Monday at the Trident submarine base at Bangor, which is not far from Kanaeda’s home, the Nipponzan Myohoji Japanese Buddhist Temple on Bainbridge Island.
The temple, established in 1918 by Nichidatsu Fujii, is dedicated to promoting peace through prayer, chanting and the visible testimony of walking.
A small group of supporters walked through Auburn on Tuesday. They expected to pick up more supporters as the march continued through parts of Tacoma, Olympia and Bremerton.
The peace walkers are averaging 16 miles a day and will have covered approximately 130 miles when finished.
The Bainbridge Island monks participate in many peace walks throughout the year. They even had a peace walk in Japan last year in support of Article 9 of the Japanese constitution, the so-called “no war” clause that forbids Japan from maintaining an army, navy or air force. Because the clause is not followed in practice, it should be removed, some in Japan say.
The call for peace continues to be heard in the Puget Sound.
“We’re getting the message out, and hopefully people will see it and want to learn more about it,” said peace walker Ryan Judge, of Paulsbo.
The Nipponzan Myohoji Dojo, Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action, Tacoma Catholic Workers, and Lake Forest Park for Peace are sponsoring the peace walk.
