Buddhist monk sings of peace

A Buddhist monk in the ancient Japanese capital of Kyoto sings before a live audience on weekends. Calling herself "singer song-monk," Suzuki Kimiyo uses music as a medium for sending messages of peace.

"At this crucial moment, I want to tell everyone in the world not to let your loved ones go to battlefields," Suzuki says before an audience after singing a song about Okinawans suffering from the massive presence of U.S. bases.

After graduating from Otani University in Kyoto, Suzuki got a job as an office clerk in Higashi-honganji Temple. She later got a license to be a monk. Now she works for the temple as a tour guide, while continuing musical activities she started at college.

Suzuki's call for "No War" began when she visited Okinawa nine years ago to attend a peace assembly organized by her temple in Okinawa. "As I listened to Okinawans talk of their war experiences and visited the old battlefields, I faced the truth of their tragedy, and this strengthened my desire for peace,"said Suzuki.

Suzuki decided to become a monk when she was in the sixth grade. She joined a summer school held at a temple and met a young monk there. "His words, 'Grass, insects, human beings, all have equal life,' changed my life," recalled Suzuki. At that time, she was suffering from mental stress. Being shunned by her friends after her parents divorced, she came to believe that her life was inferior to others.

"Everybody has an equal life, no matter if they are Americans or Iraqis. Arrogant U.S. President Bush doesn't understand that," Suzuki stressed.

Suzuki is determined to keep singing the importance of peace and life. "A word of a monk could change someone's life. So I want to meet as many people as possible." "Let flowers of life bloom in a world without war!" (end)