Akiko Masuda of Akiko’s Buddhist Bed and Breakfast in Wailea will be the keynote speaker at the annual Buddhist Education Seminar scheduled for Saturday, June 9, at Puna Hongwanji Mission in Keaau.
Akiko Masuda of Akiko’s Buddhist Bed and Breakfast in Wailea will be the keynote speaker at the annual Buddhist Education Seminar scheduled for Saturday, June 9, at Puna Hongwanji Mission in Keaau.
Alan Parker of the Hawaii County Office of Aging also will be a guest speaker.
Masuda is a third-generation Japanese Hawaiian born in Honolulu. She authors children’s books, is a student of tai chi and hula, practices Zen meditation, and loves using her weed whacker and leaf blower to maintain the garden and orchard in the backyard. She serves as president of the Wailea Village Historic Preservation Community.
She graduated from Farrington High School in 1962 and credits “surviving the girls’ bathroom cigarette smoke and tough girls” as the best training for living in the world.
Masuda went on to Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis., where she received a B.A. in religion and philosophy. She received her MFA in dance from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She has lived on the Big Island since 1985.
Parker has more than 40 years of experience in eldercare programs, planning and administration. He will be a guest speaker at the Buddhist Education Seminar in the afternoon session. He serves as the county executive for the Hawaii County Office of Aging and his focus is on grassroots, community health care planning.
Puna and Naalehu Hongwanji Missions Buddhist Women’s Associations are the hosts of this year’s event. Early registration is required for the luncheon. For information and to register, contact Chairwoman Kiyoko Imada at 966-9624.