Making Peace a Way of Life: Arcadia International Day of Peace Spreads Warmth and Hope

Fo Guang Shan Hsi Lai Temple

In observance of the United Nations’ International Day of Peace, an interfaith gathering dedicated to peace and reflection was held September 21 at Santa Anita Church in Arcadia, California. The event brought together religious leaders and community members from seven faith traditions—including Christianity, Catholicism, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism and the Bahá’í Faith—to explore how small acts of kindness in everyday life can help realize the vision of “investing in peace.”

Representing Buddhism, Venerable Hui Ze of Hsi Lai Temple Social Education and Outreach Department joined by Buddha’s Light International Association (BLIA) Los Angeles Chapter President Echo Tsai, Chief Elder Advisor Linda Lai and other BLIA members. About 50 people attended the gathering.

Rev. Gina Milligan, pastor of the Santa Anita Church emphasized at the opening that the gathering was intended to transcend the boundaries of individual religions and awaken the transformative power within each person. Participants were invited to set aside titles and labels and embrace a shared identity as citizens committed to harmony, joining together in prayer for world peace.

To encourage participants to focus more deeply on the stillness and reflection of the present moment, organizers introduced a unique “Ritual of Silence.” Rather than responding with applause, participants were invited to listen to music and poetry in silence, allowing the words and melodies to resonate within. In the quiet, organizers hoped, the seeds of peace could take root.

Throughout the evening, religious leaders explored the meaning of peace through poetry, literature and personal stories. The poem Kindness reminded participants that after experiencing grief and loss, kindness can become a bridge connecting human hearts. Reflections on The Empty Chair called on people to leave room in decision-making for voices that have not been heard and communities that have not been invited to the table. True peace, the reflection suggested, cannot be built upon anyone’s invisibility or silence.

Venerable Hui Ze of Hsi Lai Temple shared excerpts from the poem Until Everyone Belongs, encouraging participants to make peace an everyday practice that crosses boundaries and challenges prejudice. In the face of differences and injustice, he called for curiosity, courage and compassion instead of exclusion. By continually expanding the boundaries of inclusion, people can help build a world without strangers—one in which everyone has a place to belong.

Participants agreed that peace is not a distant destination but a “practice,” an idea that closely reflects the spirit of Humanistic Buddhism. As emphasized throughout the gathering, “Peace does not belong to a particular department; it belongs to everyone, every day.”

At the close of the event, participants carried candles, symbolizing their intention to bring the peace they had experienced and reflected upon inside the church back into their everyday lives. Organizers hoped the gathering would help transform peace from something merely prayed for into something practiced through small acts of kindness and every sincere effort to listen.

The event became not only an opportunity for personal reflection and renewal, but also a collective exercise in learning how to become peacemakers. As the candles illuminated the evening, participants departed with renewed commitments to peace, carrying that warmth and hope into their communities.