I am trying to get as much rest as possible. This is the busiest time of the year: it is San Luis Obispo Buddhist Church’s Obon. It is an important observance for Buddhists around the world. Although some countries still observe Obon according to the lunar calendar, the purpose is still the same. It is a time when families gather in memory of departed loved ones, no matter how long ago they have passed from this earthly realm.

According to Wikipedia, the first Obon was observed under the reign of Empress Suiko (592-628 AD). She was the 33rd monarch of Japan and the country’s first and longest-reigning empress. She was the first officially recognized female monarch of Japan. Along with her nephew Prince Shotoku who first introduced Buddhism to Japan, her achievement was the recognition of Buddhism by the assurance of the Three Treasures. Traditionally during the Obon season, some families would clean and dust the house, go to the cemetery to clean the grave site of their ancestors and “await and greet the return of their spirit”. In Jodo Shinshu, we do not look to “inviting the spirit of the departed loved ones to visit the living”. Their contributions are always in our hearts and minds. During this time and always, we share our appreciation, thankfulness and gratitude to our loved ones for the many opportunities and experiences that have been shared. We put our palms together in Gassho in sharing our Nembutsu/Namu Amida Butsu.

If not for our ancestors, we would not have the Three Treasures:the Buddha, Dharma (teachings) or Sangha (listeners, followers, disciple, etc.) Our departed loved ones understood that without the compassion and wisdom of the Buddha, there would be no Dharma and without Dharma, there would be no Sangha. It goes the opposite for the Sangha. If there is no Sangha to hear and learn, the Dharma would not exist and without the existence of the Dharma, there is no Buddha. Their foresight was for the sake of future generations.

An added feature of Obon is folk dancing (odori). These dances may depict various occupations of our ancestors. Many of our ancestors were fishermen, coal miners or railroad workers. Some dances may depict long lost love, yet always in gratitude for their hard work, determination, and support. Like all things, dances have changed to illustrate ecology, our wastefulness and diversity of society. These dances do tell a story of our past and present. Dancing is two-fold. We dance to honor and to thank our departed loved ones. Yet it is also a time when we can be free of our “façade” self and our ego. By dancing we can begin to see and understand “who we truly are”. With each misstep, we can laugh at ourselves without embarrassment and come to realize that we are imperfect beings. Odori has many lessons, however the most important is that it forces us to know right from the left.

Obon is a time of honor, gratitude and respect for all that our ancestors shared for us. It is a time of self-examination, making new Dharma friends, family unions, learning and maybe some fun! This is a time to be our true self, filled with missteps and imperfections. We can “let our hair down”, laugh and get in 10,000 steps.

Gassho,
Rev. Seijo Naomi Nakano