April 2012

Youth Members from Thailand Hold Memorial Service for Disaster Victims

Ten youth members of Rissho Kosei-kai's Thai Rissho Friendship Foundation in Bangkok visited the port of Otsu in the city of Kitaibaraki, Ibaraki Prefecture, on April 11. Otsu was devastated by the earthquake and tsunami that hit northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011. The Thai and Ibaraki Dharma Center members held a joint memorial service for those who perished in the disaster.

At the Ibaraki Dharma Center, the Thai members heard about the aftermath of the disaster and the damage to the city. Then at Otsu, with about 50 members of the Dharma center, they recited the sutra in memory of the the disaster victims and prayed for the recovery of the survivors and the city. The sutra recitation was led by Ms. Amonrada Kaewphannarai, head of the foundation's Youth Group. After that, the Thai members planted some 180 gerbera plants in a flowerbed where houses had been washed away by the tsunami.

In his greetings at the Ibaraki Dharma Center, the minister, Rev. Akihiro Kikuchi, thanked the Thai members for joining in the memorial service and said local residents would do their best to rebuild their lives and their city. In conclusion he said, "Let us unite the world in one spirit with ties of friendship, though we live in different places."

After the memorial service, a Thai member said, "When I visited the place where the tsunami actually struck, I felt the victims' grief and hardships. I was able to learn the importance of the saying 'Many in body, but one in spirit' through today's memorial service. I will share my precious experience here with my colleagues in Bangkok and continue to pray together with them for the survivors' recovery."

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