July is here and with it, Obon Festivals held throughout the world, especially in California and Hawaii. This Buddhist celebration is a joyous event that cannot be missed. SLO Buddhist Church will hold its Obon Festival on August 2nd from 12-4 pm on the temple grounds. Guadalupe Buddhist Church, our sister temple, will hold theirs on July 27th at the Veteran’s Hall in Santa Maria.

Our Obon will be adding two new activities this year: Ikebana displays and Kendo demonstration, a Japanese martial art. We will also be adding two additional food items for sales. Please pass on our attached Obon flyer to your friends and families.

During July, we will be hosting 3 youth groups at out retreat facilities. Saishin Dojo has been coming up from Los Angeles for the past 33 years, interrupted only by the Covid-19 pandemic. These 6th graders and their advisors/adult chaperones, enjoy the weather, natural surroundings and outdoor activities offered here. Camping in the Sierras, high school students from the Fresno area will be having its retreat later in July. This summer will be their 4th visit here and being teens, they bring a lot of food with them. Sandwiched between these two groups will be a Scout Troop from the Los Angeles area who will be with us for just a weekend.

Successful events like our Obon Festival require a lot of volunteer help like setting up, preparing the food, and selling and distributing the food. You can still enjoy the activities and feel like you helped in a small but important way. Contact me via the email address: slobuddhistchurch@gmail.com if you can help. Setup will be on Friday, the 1st starting at 9 am and Saturday at the same time. Food preparation will be on Friday evening at 6 pm and Saturday from 7 am.

On a final note, if you are interested in learning more about Buddhism especially how its teachings affect us in our daily lives, visit affiliate@everydaybuddhist.org a program that was launched many years ago by the Orange County Buddhist Church. Don’t forget too, the Dharma Messages produced weekly by our Rev. Nakano and posted on our YouTube channel.

Gassho
Gary Hongo