Heart Lotus
Interfaith International
Heart Lotus Interfaith International is a Tzu Chi Hawaii initiative to bring people of all backgrounds together to promote love, peace, and joy.
In a recent teaching, Master Cheng Yen spoke of transcending religion as we fulfill our mission of purifying the human heart and bringing harmony to society and peace to this world.
Hearth Lotus Interfaith International confirms that message. By joining us, participants can retain their own faith while using Tzu Chi principles to expand their spiritual growth.
Our Program
Our first activity was a prayer session, and future events will include various ways to study, practice, and give back to the community.
Ohana is the Hawaiian word for family, and the spirit of ohana is embraced by our local community. Our team already includes many Christian bodhisattva practitioners. With their involvement, we aim to build a compassionate community, a Tzu Chi ohana.
Our Advisors
Ally Smith
A board-certified Buddhist minister of religion, Ally holds 10 precepts in Korean Zen Buddhism, and is an experienced chaplain in university and end-of-life care. She served with the Military Funeral Honors teams in the U.S. Marine Corps and Navy Reserve. Ally specializes in spiritual care, mortuary affairs, and as a funeral clergy.
Lekshe Tsomo
Lekshe is a professor of Buddhist Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and the University of San Diego, where she teaches classes on Death and Dying. Her doctoral dissertation focused on death and identity in China and Tibet.
Lopa Basu
A doctor of internal medicine at Hawaii Pacific Health, Lopa has focused her clinical work in urban and international humanitarian disaster settings. She has over 10 years of global public health experience focusing on HIV, tuberculosis, and health system strengthening. She has also worked with the World Health Organization and USAID.
Alan Gamble
Alan has a master’s degree in social work and is a licensed clinical social worker with over 45 years of experience. His spiritual background is in Christianity and Tibetan Buddhism. After working and studying with the Rev. Mitsuo Aoki for more than 35 years, Alan continues the reverend’s work with individuals and families facing serious illnesses and death through the Mits Aoki Legacy Foundation. He is also a lecturer for the Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health.
Yoo Soo Kim
Sister Yoo Soo began her career in 1975 as a public school art teacher in Seoul, South Korea, and also worked on the diocesan team of the Better World Movement. In 1985, she took her first vows as a Maryknoll Sister and was assigned to the Central Pacific Region based in Hawaii. Along with carrying on the work of the 1991 Seminar on Peace in Asia and Women’s Role, Sister Yoo Soo has taught Sacred Dance in Honolulu, and maintains her interests in photography, painting, and traditional Korean art forms.
Tim Serban
A Catholic chaplain, Tim is National Volunteer Lead for Disaster Spiritual Care with the American Red Cross. He is also System Executive Director of Spiritual Health in Home & Community Care with Providence Health on the West Coast, supporting over 100 chaplains serving in hospice, palliative care, and other continuing care services. Tim is the author of “Attending to the Care of the Dead in Disaster Spiritual Care” and has led numerous Red Cross Disaster Spiritual Care relief operations over more than 20 years.
To receive information about future events