The Dalai Lama came to Kualoa Park for an emotional ceremony on Monday where he blessed the Hokule’a, the storied Hawaiian canoe that has sailed throughout the Pacific. 

There were about 200 invited guests waiting at the eastern end of Kualoa Park where the Hokulea had pulled up to shore. The traditional canoe bounced gently on Kaneohe Bay, tethered to the shore. Security officers on Zodiacs patrolling the area. 

An emcee explained to the crowd, which included families who live in the area, that the area is a puuhonua and the birthplace of chiefs. At one point the emcee explained how the Dalai Lama would be escorted to his “resting place,” but soon enough he corrected that to say “resting area,” The crowd tittered.

When the Dalai Lama arrived, he was met with a chorus of conch shells by men wearing only black malo. Holding the hands of John DeFries and Nainoa Thompson, the Dalai Lama was escorted to a tent near the Hokulea surrounded by ironwood trees.

The Dalai Lama was greeted by several different chants. Cy Bridges, the cultural director of the Polynesian Cultural Center, said in to him English, “Your blood is our blood, your bones are our bones, our stories are intertwined forever.”

The Dalai Lama would remark later at a press conference that that was very moving to hear an echoed his belief of the oneness of humanity.

The blessing and consecration involved the throwing of what looked like rice, but it was hard to tell, as the media were cordoned off some distance away. Flowers were also thrown into the water. The Dalai Lama intoned what appeared to be a chant of his own in Tibetan, and rhythmic and repetitive sermon of sorts.

He presented the crew with a Tibetan scarf which they tied to the mast. He rose and walked toward the boat and boarded the craft with his entourage. The public couldn’t hear what the Dalai Lama was saying, but his laughter carried across the water. He was clearly having fun.

They stayed on the boat a couple of minutes, had a photo opportunity with the crew members and then walked to a press conference, his only media conference of the visit.

Throughout the visit, there were six law enforcement water craft hovering around the boat: four jetskis and two small craft. They had closed the very far end of the park where the canoes are kept.

Here’s a video from outside the security zone shot when the Dalai Lama boarded the Hokule’a.

Guests were allowed to visit the boat after the Dalai Lama had left. 

— Chad Blair and John Temple