While researching the Hilo area before my departure, I discovered the Hilo Zen Circle [check them out at hilozencircle.org ], and they have a Sunday morning program, from 9 – 12. I found my way there this morning, arriving just before 9 AM. They meet in an unpainted wooden house in a residential neighborhood in Hilo. When I got there there were 8 or 9 other people present. We did a short bowing and chanting service, and then proceeded to sit for about 2 hours. There were periods of walking meditation every half hour or so. After meditation there was a potluck lunch. Even though I didn’t bring any snacks, they let me stay. Everyone was so friendly and kind! One woman gave me her own bus schedule so I could take the bus around town in if I wanted to, and another woman gave me her phone number, just in case I needed anything while I was visiting the Big Island. I also learned a lot about the history of Japanese Buddhism on the Big Island. It was great fun.
Then I set off to look for the Aloha Sunday celebration at the East Hawaiian Cultural Center. It was scheduled to run from 10 AM to 4 PM. I arrived around 2 PM and quickly found the center, but alas! It had finished early, due to low attendance. There is a lovely gallery at the center, however, so I looked at the current show, which had some great pieces. I really liked the prints by Evelyn Klein, who is apparently based in Carmel, California. If I had a spare $600, I would have certainly thrown it down for one of her prints! Maybe I’ll go find her studio when I’m rich. I also talked with the woman who was supervising the gallery, who told me a lot about how hard it is to find places for Hawaiian artists to perform or exhibit their work. If you ever come to the Big Island, you should definitely check out what is happening at the East Hawaiian Cultural Center. Their website is www.ehcc.org.
Finally, to cap the day off, I went lava viewing in the evening! Only about 9 miles from the house I am renting is a spot where lava is flowing into the ocean! When it is safe, there is a viewing area open. It is somewhat intimidating because the closer you get to the viewing area (and, thus, the flowing lava) the more you see signs that say “Danger! Continue at your own risk! blah blah blah …” I’ll put my photos of these signs up, as well, when I get a chance. For up to the minute information on the ongoing eruption, you can check out www.lavainfo.us. The final stage of the journey to watch the lava is a long walk (well, ¾ of a mile) over an old lava flow to the viewing location. It was totally worth it, though! I stayed and watched the lava flowing for almost an hour. It is bright red where it hits the ocean, and ever-changing. Sometimes big chunks of the cooled lava go plummeting into the ocean, sometimes the lava creates a “fire hose” and sprays energetically into the air. Other times showers of sparks fly 20 or 30 feet into the air. I just sat there thinking “This is how the earth was formed, at least partly! This is how this whole island got formed. A new island is forming right now, this way, to our south.” The new island is forming from a different flow deep in the ocean, to the south of the Big Island, in the very same way that all the other Hawaiian Islands formed. The only annoying thing was all the people taking flash photos of the lava from where we were, which was at least a mile away. Those will come out great, folks! Not.
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