One citizen's view of Longmont, Colorado, USA.
"We want to keep people reminded that we always need compassion. Without it, we just can't be happy." - Jim Kanemoto, 1980
The Tower of Compassion is a 60-foot high Japanese pagoda that sits along Lefthand Creek, in Longmont's Kanemoto Park. Picture below is from Memorial Day, 2008.
Each of its five stories symbolizes different facets of compasson: love, empathy, understanding, gratitude, and giving of one's self.
The Kanemoto family grew sugar beets south of Longmont's beet factory, along the St. Vrain River, from 1919 to 1937 and eventually expanded to 350 acres in the south Main Street area. As Longmont's Southmoor Park was built out in this same area, the Kanemotos made a number of real estate donations, including the land for the St. Vrain Valley School Administration building, Longmont's Fire Station One, Burlington Elementary School, a Buddhist Temple, and a few churches.
Their namesake contribution, Kanemoto Park, was an additional donation of six acres, adjacent to the Burlington School. Jim and George Kanemoto, along with their mother Mrs. Setsuno Kanemoto, wanted to construct something unique in the park as a gift to the people of Longmont.
Built in 1973, the pagoda was that present.
"Compassion is the basis of all religion and should be the foundation of all people to live happily." - Jim Kanemoto
Picture above from December 2006, the year Jim Kanemoto passed away.
George was in the news this year, at getting his high school diploma at age 88!
[Edit on July 8, 2013: Use corrected links Longmont Buddhist Temple (as requested) and Burlington Elementary, remove bad Time-Call link for George Kanemoto article]
4 comments:
Thank you very much for your article about the Pagoda of Compassion. I noticed that the Buddhist Temple link in your article redirects to the Buddhist church of Denver. If you have time or interest, this is the correct link:
http://longmontbuddhism.org/
Thank you very much for your article about the Pagoda of Compassion. I noticed that the Buddhist Temple link in your article redirects to the Buddhist church of Denver. If you have time or interest, this is the correct link:
http://longmontbuddhism.org/
Fixed, thanks. I've been to the Temple a few times and actually got to meet and talk with Jim Kanemoto there. Very pleasant place.
Thank you for taking the time to update the link. We invite you to visit us at the Temple on the first and third Sunday of the month. We will hold our Pagoda picnic at the pagoda on Sunday, Aug. 18th if you are interested in attending. It is a potluck, but there is always plenty of food.
Cheers!
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