The Ven. Kanshin Ikeda, a Buddhist monk from Japan, undertook a Walk for Peace from Toronto to Montreal this past summer. Along his way, he was the guest of the Rev. Mark Lewis, rector of St. James Anglican Church in the Parish of South Dundas on the night of July 31.
Ikeda’s pilgrimage began in Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto on July 15, with the route to Montreal to head north at Morrisburg, allowing a prayer for peace at the Canadian Parliament Buildings in Ottawa before heading eastward to Montreal.
Ikeda is a monk in the Nipponzan Myōhōji, a Japanese Buddhist movement known for its commitment to pacificism and social action, which was founded in 1917 by monk Nichidatsu Fujii. Nipponzan Myōhōji members embark on walks for human rights, nuclear disarmament and peace internationally.
Lewis explained he received an email from one of the supporters of the Walk for Peace in Canada, requesting accommodation for the monk in Morrisburg on July 31. After explaining to the organizer that it was not possible for Ikeda to spend the night in church, Lewis invited him to overnight at his home in Iroquois, Ont.
Following Ikeda’s arrival in Iroquois, the evening was spent with Lewis, his wife Wendy and some invited guests, before walking to Morrisburg along Lakeshore Drive on Aug. 1. Along this route, he met and spoke with some people and after arriving in this small South Dundas community was met at St. James by Lewis, toured the church, and they had lunch together.
Ikeda spent the night of Aug. 1 in Winchester and continued on to Vernon, Ontario where he stopped at the Ottawa Amitabha Buddhist Society of Canada’s temple on his way into the city. On Aug. 5, he prayed for peace on Parliament Hill. He also attended a Remembrance Lantern Ceremony on Aug. 6, the date in 1945 when the first atomic weapon was detonated over Hiroshima, Japan. He then continued his pilgrimage eastward and arrived in Montreal on August 14. After spending some time in Montreal, he planned to fly to Tokyo to visit family before returning to his monastery in India.
In an interview after Ikeda’s visit, Lewis described him as being very kind, humble and helpful. He observed that there seems to be an aura of peace and joy surrounding the monk.
While on the pilgrimage, Ikeda carries what he owns in a knapsack on his back as well as a drum which he beats with a stick as well as a paper and pen to record his experiences. While walking the monk drums and chants, and he described it to Lewis as walking in a meditative state. It is the wish of Ikeda to meet people in their “natural” state, and this is why he does not make arrangements for accommodation or other necessities in advance of his arrival in a specific location, although he does have assistance from friends supporting his walk who find contacts as they did with Lewis.
Arlene Armstrong, a resident of Iroquois and member of the Anglican Parish of North Dundas at St. Clare’s, met Ikeda at the home of Reverend Lewis. She described him as a very humble and peaceful man. “It was an honour to meet Ikeda,” she said. “He is a kind person and an ambassador for peace.”
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