Out of the mud grows the lotus: Reflections from a Peaceful Presence

On January 11, 2025, our Peaceful Presence was hosted by the Palo Alto Buddhist Temple. Sydney Shiroyama, the Minister's Assistant and one of the leaders, later wrote an inspiring reflection on that gathering in light the Day of Remembrance and the ongoing political situation today. Click here to download and read her full article. Excerpts are included here, and the picture is from the service.

We post this with deep gratitude for Sydney's insights and for the wisdom and hope shared with us from the Palo Alto Buddhist Temple community - on January 11 and ongoing through our friendships. We need one another!

Excerpts from article by Sydney Shiroyama:

The theme of the January event was "Out of the mountain of despair - a stone of hope; Out of the mud grows the lotus." The phrase, “Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope,” is engraved in the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington D.C., and it is a famous line in his “I Have a Dream” speech. It serves as a reminder that even during times of great difficulty, the possibility of hope still exists. Rev. Koyama added a Buddhist metaphor with a similar meaning: “Out of the mud grows the lotus.” The lotus flower's emergence from muddy waters symbolizes transformation, enlightenment, and the power of perseverance.

After contributions from Buddhist, Muslim and Christian leaders, I shared some history about taiko drumming.

Taiko, which means “large drum” in Japanese has existed for thousands of years in Japan, but the ensemble style of playing and performing is a relatively new art form. 

Taiko here in the US has a special significance for the Japanese American community. Prior to the 1970s, many Japanese American families were pressured to conceal their cultural identity. Most of the families who attend this temple have a history of incarceration during WWII. Some of our sangha members even remember their childhood in camp. After the war, many stopped speaking Japanese and tried to fit in as much as possible. 

It was the third generation Japanese Americans … who craved a cultural connection and wanted to reclaim it—loudly and proudly. It was too expensive to buy taiko from Japan, so they worked together to figure out how to build them out of wine barrels. They wanted to play songs that made them feel happy and strong, so they wrote them. … The booming drums and overlapping rhythms are the sound of our culture and community. It’s the sound of resilience and empowerment. This beautiful artform is a lotus that grew out of the mud. 

I’m a fourth generation Japanese American. My grandparents, who were born and raised in CA, spent the second half of their teen years incarcerated in Arizona and Arkansas. My mom never learned Japanese. But against all odds, my family was able to practice Jodo Shinshu Buddhism throughout their lives, and I grew up proudly playing these loud Japanese drums here as a Dharma School student.  

Taiko isn’t a religious practice for everyone who plays, but for me, it’s always been connected to the temple and this community. Rev. Abiko taught us that the taiko represents the Buddha-Dharma, the ideal world of harmony. The drummer represents us living in this actual world of delusion. The drumsticks are the connecting link between the two worlds. The conch shell is also used in Buddhist music to help us wake up from our long sleep of ignorance and listen for the voice of Wisdom-Compassion calling us. 

This taiko was built by Rev. Abiko and played by many in our community. As we strike it in this space tonight, I invite you to listen with peaceful intention. May every vibration send ripples of peace of hope into this space and connect us to a world of harmony and oneness. 

…I left the event with a renewed sense of resilience, gratitude, and hope. The community consisted of people of various backgrounds and faith traditions, yet we had so much in common. As each person’s drumstick connected with the drum, the vibrations of their hit rippled through each of us. Perhaps this was a peek into to the ideal world of harmony.

I am writing this piece just a few days before Day of Remembrance, which is on February 19^th. The Day of Remembrance commemorates the incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII. While it’s crucially important to reflect on the consequences of Executive Order 9066, it’s also important to recognize the incredible resilience of generations of Japanese Americans. The art and culture that grew out of the mud and despair proves that hope and beauty prevail.

Jodo Shinshu reminds us that every life is equally valued, cherished, and embraced within Amida Buddha’s Wisdom and Compassion. In the “world of harmony and oneness,” our culture is one of many. Recently, when I listen to the news, I often feel that we are in a “mountain of despair.” In times like these, I think it’s especially important to look to, support, protect, and amplify the art, music, and faith traditions that make up the beautiful diversity of our community.

Out of the mud, grows the lotus.

Gassho,

Sydney

CLICK HERE to read the full article.