Cary Okano, while traveling in India, had an inspiration for our logo. She used a leaf shape based on an actual leaf from a descendant of the original Bodhi tree that Siddartha Gautama sat under when he realized Enlightenment over 2,500 years ago. Cary then added the rays of a dawning sun in the middle of the leaf shape. The color yellow was chosen because it can represent the sunrise and also was the color of Gautama Buddha's followers' robes during his time.
What
are the meanings of the Bodhi leaf and bright dawn themes in our logo?
Bodhi
means wisdom or enlightenment. Enlightenment is the central theme in Buddhism.
The sun symbolizes the light of the Dharma Teachings which enables us
to see life clearly. The themes of the Bodhi leaf and of bright dawn are
particularly relevant for our organization. The translation of the Chinese
calligraphy for Gyomay (GYO MEI) is "bright dawn."
Rev.
Gyomay Kubose lived each day as a new day. His way of living was always
so fresh and full of joy. He did not hold grudges or stay attached to
negative past events. With humility and gratitude, he shone like the sun
on people and things unconditionally. It can be said that Bright Dawn
means the same thing as to keep one's "Beginner's Mind" (i.e.
the Buddha's Mind).The Bodhi leaf theme fits in with Rev. Gyomay Kubose's
closeness with nature. Rev. Kubose really loved plants and gardening.
Just as nature is about naturalness and the reality of life, Rev. Kubose
lived such a natural life with no artificial pretensions. For the family
of the late Rev. Gyomay Kubose, the bright dawn Bodhi leaf logo elicits
a potent emotional response with deep spiritual meaning. We want to share
this with others.