Lahaina minister shares his sorrow and gratitude following the wildfire

A minister who lost his temple, his home, and all of his family's belongings in last summer's devastating Lahaina wildfire came to Sacramento to thank the people of Northern California for their generous support.

"Humble appreciation...I bow my head," said Reverend Ai Hironaka in an interview at the Buddhist Church of Sacramento following his Dharma message on March 17, in which he shared stories of sorrow and gratitude with the Sangha. It was his first time away from Maui since the fire in August that killed more than 100 people.

Rev. Hironaka, resident minister of the Lahaina Hongwanji Mission, admitted feeling guilty over his inability to save precious temple artifacts – but post-devastation pictures that he displayed suggest he and his family were lucky to escape the inferno with their lives.

The minister said the burden of being a spiritual leader as well as a fire victim occasionally was too much to bear. Little things would bring him sadness – like seeing the key to a home that no longer exists.

“If I visit your house and you have pictures on the wall– high school graduation, school pictures from first grade to high school graduation. I see that and then (I realize) well, I lost that one. So there was a time that it was hard for me to go to other people’s houses.”

Rev. Hironaka said the compassion of Amida Buddha ultimately brought him comfort.

“Once, dropping off my kids at the high school, tears I had been holding back just started flowing. I couldn’t stop,” he told the Sacramento Sangha. At that moment, Rev. Hironaka said he felt a comforting message.

“It was like Amida Buddha was telling me it’s okay to cry. It’s not a bad thing. Let me be your tears.’”

Sacramento Betsuin Rimban Yuki Sugahara, a longtime friend, arranged the visit by Rev. Hironaka, his wife, and four children. Knowing they lost all their family photos, Rev. Yuki wanted the visit to create new memories for them filled with joy and optimism.

“(We were) able to bring the Hironaka family to Sacramento and show how the followers of the Nembutsu path are connected throughout the world,” Rev. Yuki said. 

Reflecting on the visit, Rev. Hironaka said he and the people of Lahaina greatly appreciate the outpouring of support they’ve received from around the world.

“The Lahaina rebuilding process takes so long, it seems like. So I humbly ask the Sacramento Sangha and the people of Sacramento to continue watching over us.”

By Sharon Ito and George Warren