Farewell Party for Rev. & Mrs. Ryo Imamura

The Buddhist Church of Florin will be hosting a farewell gathering for resident minister Rev. Ryo Imamura and his wife Tery on August 30 (Sunday).  Rev. Imamura will give his farewell Dharma talk at the 11 AM service, which will be followed by a luncheon party at the church.  If you would like to attend, please respond to Sheryl Tokunaga by August 15 at (916) 427-8746 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  

Florin Obon Dance Workshop

Shall We Dance?

 

  

 

Florin Obon Dance Workshop July 14th

Have some fun plus learn about a key social, cultural and religious institution in the Japanese American community at the Florin Obon Dance Workshop on July 14th  5:30pm refreshments / 6:00 workshop. Check it out at the Buddhist Church of Florin at 7235 Pritchard Road (off Florin Road & Hwy 99) in Sacramento.

• Learn the meaning of Obon Odori (Obon folk dancing) 

• Pick up some tips for new (and not so new) dancers

• Meet other families and students involved in the community.

• Explore obi (sash) tying on kimono or yukata traditional Japanese clothing.

• Join in the Buddhist Church of Florin’s Obon practice at 7pm - learn some new moves

• Check out Obon Festival schedules for Northern California

• Experience a great introduction for families, students, young adults, and those newer to Obon.

* All religions and backgrounds encouraged to attend.

•  Enjoy refreshments

•  Donations Welcome.

Workshop led by Cheryl Miles and Michelle Takeda, natori professional dancers (Hanayagi School of Classical Dance).  Obon background by Rev. Ryo Imamura.

Obon is the popular Buddhist festival that celebrates, through music and dance, peoples’ gratitude for those family and friends who have passed before.  The summer Obon Festivals, held in dozens of cities across America, plays a vital role in strengthening the Japanese American community and raising awareness of the broader public. 

The July 14th workshop is a great opportunity to learn about this meaningful and fun community tradition. It leads up to the Saturday, July 18th 5:30 pm marks Florin’s 56th annual Obon Festival!

Workshop sponsored by the Florin Dharma School & Florin JACL Family & Youth Project. Please RSVP by July 12th.  Contact Andy Noguchi at (916) 978-6121 This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  

 

Upcoming Services/Events

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LADY OHTANI MEMORIAL SERVICE

 The Buddhist Women’s Association or Fujinkai was founded in Japan in the early 1900s by Takeko Kujo (1887-1928), a daughter of Koson Ohtani, the 21st monshu (head abbot) of the Nishi Hongwanji-ha. Takeko Kujo was in her early twenties at the time she founded the Fujinkai. She also founded Asoka Hospital, one of Japan's first modern medical centers. She died in Tokyo, Japan after contracting an illness during her charitable work in the city's slums following the Great Kanto Earthquake. Soon, BWA chapters were established in every Jodo Shinshu temple in Japan, and later in the United States and other overseas areas as many Japanese began emigrating in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

 

After World War II, Lady Yoshiko Ohtani (1918-2000) the spouse of the 23rd Monshu, Kosho Ohtani, revitalized the Buddhist Women's Association by visiting many temples in Japan and overseas. She was the first to institute Japan-wide and worldwide conferences so that diverse BWA chapters could better communicate and learn about the various cultural traditions of each region where BWA chapters are active. Many BWA chapters observe an annual memorial service in her memory to commemorate her dedication to Buddhism.

 

Our observance of the Lady Yoshiko Ohtani Memorial Service will take place on August 16 at 10 am.  Our guest speaker will be the Rev. Dr. Shoyo Taniguchi of the Southern Alameda Buddhist Church.  Rev. Taniguchi received Master’s degrees from Nanzan University in English Literature and from the Institute of Buddhist Studies and a doctorate degree from the Graduate Theological Union in Buddhist Medical Ethics.  She is married to Rev. Zuikei Taniguchi of the Alameda Buddhist Temple and has two grown sons.   She is a very interesting and dynamic speaker, whom you will surely enjoy listening to. 

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OBON SERVICE & FESTIVAL

The annual Obon service and Obon festival are observed between July 15 and August 15 at all the BCA temples.  The origin of Obon is the Ullambana Sutra in which Mogallana, one of the Gautama Buddha’s closest disciples, is horrified to discover that his deceased mother has been reborn in the realm of hungry ghosts or pretas where food bursts into flame as soon as it touches her mouth.   Finding it impossible to save his mother through his own power, Mogallana is advised by the Buddha to offer food as an act of dana to the monks and nuns after they have finished their rainy season retreat in mid-July.  In this manner, not only will his mother be saved, but countless generations of parents would also be saved.  Through his act of dana, Mogallana was able to save his mother from the realm of hungry ghosts.  Mogallana was so overjoyed that he began to spontaneously dance.  This story describes the origin of the Obon festival.

At the Obon service and festival, we rededicate ourselves to the Buddhist practice of gratitude for the love, affection and support we received from our parents and ancestors.  We reflect upon the hardships and sacrifices they made for our sake and thereby come to a clearly understanding of the interdependency of all life, past, present and future. 

We will hold our Obon and Hatsubon service and festival on July 18 (Saturday).  Our guest speaker for the 3 pm service will be the Rev. Dr. David Matsumoto, the resident minister at the Berkeley Buddhist Church and Professor at the Institute of Buddhist Studies.  He received his BA and JD from the University of Minnesota, MAs from the Institute of Buddhist Studies and Ryukoku University, and a PhD from Ryukoku University in addition to his tokudo and kaikyoshi ministerial ordinations.  He has served as a Buddhist minister in BCA since 1989 at Stockton and Berkeley.  We are very fortunate to have such a distinguished and excellent teacher for our Obon service.  The service will be followed immediately by a short memorial service in our columbarium.

Our colorful and festive Obon dance, which begins at 7:30 pm, will be preceded by a Japanese food bazaar and cultural demonstrations such as kendo sword-fighting by the Sacramento Kendo Club and Taiko drums by the Sacramento Taiko Dan.  Everyone is welcome to enjoy and participate in all of the Obon festival activities.