Summer 2023 Newsletter: Chozen-ji Community Outreach

Eddie Kamae Songbook Project Launch

On July 17, Chadwick Kamei convened band directors and individuals from the University of Hawaii (West Oahu and Manoa) to meet with Myrna Kamae, widow and longtime collaborator of the Hawaiian singer-songwriter Eddie Kamae.

Connecting with Eddie's own relationship to the Dojo and how the Aloha Spirit campaign began here, the group launched an initiative to create a songbook of Kamae's works and integrate it into the Music curricula at local schools. The songbook will be a way to keep Eddie Kamae's contribution to Hawaiian music, history, and culture alive for coming generations.

Youth Outreach

In April, Chozen-ji hosted a group of high school students from the Punahou School for a half-day introduction to Zen training. They did zazen, saw a demonstration of the Hojo, and participated in a Chado demonstration. In August, students from the Hawaii Technology Academy learned how to sit zazen, saw the Hojo, and toured the Dojo as part of a program in collaboration with the University of Hawaii called Finding Why.