Obon Revisited

Recent events and issues have made it clear to me that even though we have been recounting the legend of Obon on an annual basis we have not been doing a sufficient job. I am not talking about just here, but throughout the world. There seem to be too many people who seem to be missing the important aspects of the message in the legend and fixating on the mystical, mysterious aspects. This is a reflection on the ministers and other leaders failing to explain and emphasize the truly important points.

The legend of Obon is the story of Mogallana, a disciple of the Sakyamuni Buddha. Mogallana was said to have the supernatural ability to look into the other realms of existence, the hells, hungry ghosts, beasts, fighting spirits and heavenly beings as well as the realm of human beings. Using his ability, he looked for his recently departed mother. He first looked through the more pleasant states because she had been such a good mother to him, but he could not find her. He went through each of the realms until he found her in the state of the hungry ghosts.

There are many different descriptions as to this state and one of the most popular is that this is where there is plenty of food and drink there, but it all turns into flames when the beings there try to eat or drink it. Another description is that people have to eat with chopsticks that are 3 feet long so that they cannot get the food into their mouths. Unless they use the chopsticks the food turns into flames. This is describing a state of unfulfilled material desires. (This view of the state of hungry ghosts has a parallel in that the Pure Land is described as having the identical situation, but people there cooperate and feed each other.)

The reason his mother was in that state was because, in the normal sense, she was a good mother to him. She wanted the best for her son and did what she needed to do to get the best for him. He was the reason she was in that state.

If we look at the various states of existence as being something other than physical locales, each of us can also develop the ability to see beings in the other realms of existence. We can see when people are suffering in hells, we can see people being beasts, we can see people being and enjoying heavenly bliss and so on. To develop that ability is not supernatural and not something that is beyond our potential. It is something that we can all do if we simply look at the people and world around us.

Another important aspect of this legend is that he was able to free her from that state by offering a feast to his fellow disciples. However, as important as the act of giving was, the more important point is that he started dancing in joy after seeing his mother released from the state of hungry ghosts into a more pleasant state and the fellow disciples joined him in dancing because they shared in his joy. The dancing was a manifestation of the joy experienced by Mogallana and shared by the other disciples. It was not a show, but a natural expression of the joy experienced and shared.

The Bon Odori is an extension of this legend and is also to express the shared joy of being able to be alive and among friends and family. As such, it is not intended to be a show, but something to be done. There can be joy in watching, but that same joy does not exist in the act of being watched. Being watched is the ego at work and the antithesis of sharing the joy and doing it together.

As such, it should not matter how people are dressed and how well the steps are learned. What does matter is taking part in the spirit of sharing the joy of the moment and occasion. This is the reason that we call this the Gathering of Joy in our Jodo Shin tradition, to share in the joy of living and in the gratitude experienced for being able to have that life.