Program to teach anger management
Practical exercises that can turn peace from a lofty global goal into a personal way of life will be taught next weekend in a program featuring visiting experts on anger management and nonviolent communication."Choosing compassion and peace over anger and violence" will be the topic of a free lecture at 7 p.m. Friday at Honpa Hongwanji Hawaii Betsuin, 1727 Pali Highway, sponsored by Buddhist, Christian, Bahai and community organizations. Participants will be led to identify sources of anger and resentment, experience the healing power of empathy and forgiveness, and practice communication tools.
The speakers are Hemlata Pokharna, a University of Chicago researcher and director of Journeys of Life, and Dr. Mandakini Pokharna, a Chicago physician. Both women received training at the Center for Nonviolent Communication and present trainings and lectures around the world.
Registration is required for all-day workshops May 1-2 offering self-awareness exercises, meditation and role-playing. The cost is $30 per person, with students eligible to pay only the $10 cost of meals provided each day. To register, call Jerry Chang at 373-3654 or e-mail jrchang@hawaii.rr.com.
Humanity United Globally is the sponsor, with co-sponsors including Central Union Church Adult Education, Hawaii Conference of the United Church of Christ, Hawaii Association of International Buddhists, Hawaii Bahai Community, Honpa Hongwanji Hawaii Betsuin, Matsunaga Peace Institute, Samaritan Counseling Center of Hawaii, Hawaii Center for Attitudinal Healing, Open Table and Season for Peace.
Events to open center for Tibetan Buddhism
A Windward Oahu center offering study and practices based in Tibetan Buddhism will open next weekend.The Kailua Shambhala Meditation Center in Aikahi Shopping Center will be opened at 9 a.m. May 2 with a Lhasang blessing. The day's events, including free meditation instruction at 9:30 a.m. and an 11:30 a.m. introductory talk on Shambhala Buddhism, are open to the public.
The second-floor office above Aikahi Twins will be one of 165 branches worldwide affiliated with Shambhala International, which is based in Nova Scotia, Canada.
Dean and Jaynine Nelson, of Kailua, organized the local group of about 30 members who have met in homes and at the Nelsons' WindHorse Health Care in Kailua for about eight years. They hosted a public lecture last year by Jamgon Mipham Rinpoche, whom members of the sect identify as the Sakyong, an incarnation of a great 19th-century Tibetan Buddhist teacher Mipham Rinpoche.
A four-week class on Shambhala Buddhism starts 9 a.m. May 9 and continues on successive Sundays. Cost is $20. For information, call 254-5577.
New music series will focus on Bach
A new music series called "A Bach Pilgrimage" will be launched May 2 by the Lutheran Church of Honolulu.Work from the early years of composer Johann Sebastian Bach will be performed at the 7:30 p.m. concert at the church, 1730 Punahou St. Compositions by Georg Christoph Bach and Dietrich Buxtehude will also be presented. Carl Crosier will direct the concert by the Lutheran Church of Honolulu Choir, the Bach Chamber Orchestra and organist Katherine Crosier.
Tickets are $15, with reduced price for seniors and students. They may be reserved by calling 941-2566.
The concert will benefit the Institute for Human Services, a shelter for homeless people.
Religion Calendar