From Trinity to Trident

Dear Friends,

Trinity, understood by most of Christianity as the union of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, in one God, was co-opted on July 12, 1945 when the United States government exploded the first nuclear weapon over the desert sands of New Mexico in what scientists called the Trinity test. Thus (officially) began the atomic age, and this unholy Trinity was its ungodly offspring. Sixty four years later the world is seeing a resurgence of the movement towards the abolition of nuclear weapons, and people who previously would never have even uttered the words "nuclear weapons" are getting involved in the movement.

There are so many ways in which people can work for peace and nuclear weapons abolition. The TRINITY TO TRIDENT INTERFAITH PEACE WALK is an opportunity for people to come together in a spiritual pilgrimage where the act of walking (each step) is a prayer towards world peace and a future free of nuclear weapons.

Nichidatsu Fujii, founder of the Nipponzan Myohoji Buddhist order, practiced a path to peace based upon Buddhist ideals. Today, the Nipponzan Myohoji carries on this work through walks, construction of pagodas dedicated to peace, and their constant practice of prayer.

The first leg of the walk will (beginning July 4) go from Albuquerque, New Mexico, to Los Alamos, continuing on to the Trinity site for the memorial day of the world's first nuclear test. Walkers will travel through Livermore, California, site of Lawrence Livermore Laboratories, on to Hanford, Washington, and arrive on August 6 at Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action in Washington where they will commemorate the anniversaries of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki .

You are welcome to join the walk for any amount of time. Peace walkers will average about 17 miles per day. This is a Spiritual Walk. No Drugs or alcohol are allowed. Please bring your own dishes and cups for eating, and drinking water. I have listed the most recent walk schedule at the end of this post, but be sure to check with Senji Kanaeda or Gilberto Perez (contact info below) before trying to meet up with the group.

Sponsors so far include Indian People Organizing for Change, Vallejo intertribal/SSP&RIT (CA), Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action, Tacoma Catholic Worker, Lake Forest Park for Peace, Nipponzan Myohoji Buddhist Order, Veterans for Peace (WA), and Foot Print for Peace.

For further information, contact: Nipponzan Myohoji Bainbridge Island Dojo, 6154 Lynwood Ctr. Rd. NE. Bainbridge Island, WA 98110, 206-780-6739 ~ 206-419-7262 (cell) ~ 206-419-2591 (cell), senji@nipponzan.net, gzperez@juno.com

"EACH STEP WILL BE A PRAYER TOWARDS WORLD PEACE, A NUCLEAR FREE FUTURE."

Peace,

Leonard

Read regular blog entries about the walk at: http://pacificlifecommunitydesert.wordpress.com/

Photo: Participants in the 2008 Interfaith Peace Walk approaching Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action on August 9, 2008.

Read about previous peace walks:
Peace Walkers march on Poulsbo’s Waterfront, from the North Kitsap Herald,2007
Monks to pray for peace at Hanford, from the Tri-City Herald, 2007
Buddhist monks march for peace, from the Gazette Times, 2007

Walk Schedule:

Jul. 4 Sat. Albuquerque to Los Alamos (gathering & driving)
5 Sun. Los Alamos
6 Mon. Cochiti
7 Tue. Pena Blanca
8 Wed. Bernalillo
9 Thu. Albuquerque
10 Fri. South Valley
11 Sat. Adelino
12 Sun. Polvadera
13 Mon. Socorro
14 Tue. San Antonio
15 Wed. Rosary Camp
16 Thu. Trinity Site (the memorial day of the 1st test.). NM.
17 Fri. (driving to CA.)
18 Sat. Arrival to Oakland CA.
19 Sun. Berkeley-Oakland-Alameda
20 Mon. Hayward
21 Tue. Livermore
22 Wed. San Jose (or Fremont)
23 Thu. walk to San Francisco
24 Fri. San Francisco
25 Sat. Move to Portland OR
26 Sun. Portland OR.
27 Mon. Drive to Hanford(Richland) WA]
28 Tue. Hanford(Richland)
29 Wed. Chehalis
30 Thu. Olympia
31 Fri. Olympia(walk to Lacey)
Aug. 1 Sat. Tacoma
2 Sun. Tacoma
3 Mon. Auburn
4 Tue. Renton
5 Wed. Seattle
6 Thu. Lake Forest Park & Bothel
7 Fri. Bainbridge Is.- Suquamish (include Bremerton’s Vigil)
8 Sat. Poulsbo- Ground Zero
9 Sun. Ground Zero
10 Mon. GZ & Bangor