I recently changed my name officially to Bhante Bhikkhu Subhuti. I have been wanting to do this for a very long time but, unfortunately, I was unable to do it because the name change process has to be done in the probate court where one has residency. Since I had spent most of my time in Myanmar and Sri Lanka, it was just not possible, until recently. After being in Hawaii for a while, I committed to staying for at least three months longer to complete the name change process. Today was a landmark, with the arrival of my new passport.

In Hawaii, the name change system is a little different than the rest of America and one does not need to go through the court system. Instead, it is handled by the Lieutenant Governor’s office and it can be done entirely through the mail. I would assume this system was chosen because the state is made up of a chain of islands and flying to Honolulu would be expensive.

Today, I have finally finished most of the process and I am very happy about this. I have my new passport, State ID, and I just need to change my Social Security Card. It has always felt uncomfortable for me in the past when I needed to fill out official forms related to my passport, like tickets and visas. My old name was Jeremy Glick and it was a name that I have not identified with in over 18 years. It feels really cool to tell people that my birth name was Jeremy Glick. Before, I felt bad about saying that name, but not now when I speak in the past tense! It feels really good and I still respect my Parents with a capital P. Now I am not only Bhante Bhikkhu Subhūti in the flesh, but also legally Bhante Bhikkhu Subhuti. It feels so right to have my passport match who I identify with and I am very happy to have this day finally come.

Aloha,

Bhante Bhikkhu Subhūti

Just about anyone can change their name for nearly any reason in Kauai. All one needs to do is fill out a form located at https://namechange.ehawaii.gov/public/welcome.html and then print and notarize it and send in the form. Afterwards, one needs to place a (useless $189 USD) legal ad in the newspaper and then finally register with the conveyance department. Then one needs to get new IDs including a new passport. The total cost of the name change is about $300. The IDs and passport can cost another $200. A video on how it is done is located below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0UN7g-n9tE

• bhante-bhikkhu-subhuti
• name-change-kauai
• new-passport