Friday, July 17, 2015

Obon Festival: Pasadena (July 18-19)

Wisdom Quarterly; PasadenaBuddhistTemple.org
One Hundred Ghost Stories by Hokusai, 1831, Japanese Buddhism (Theravada Buddhists see Petavatthu). The pre-Buddhist Shinto kami cults had to appease and deal with shapeshifting "hungry ghosts" and wild spirits.
Los Angeles and Orange Country are hotbeds of pro-Zen sentiment as is much of the US.
Obon really means celebrating all things Japanese (lifetourist79)

 
It's that time of year again when we honor the ancestors and appease the hungry ghost. A lot of filial piety for the pious who wish to have grateful dead and a small dose of Halloween who everyone who loves Asian culture, particularly that of mysterious Japan with its Zen, Shinto, and strange-strange Kami-worship. But this is the U.S. There are no ghosts, shapeshifting freaks, or monsters here. Or are there? Obon is an international celebration, biggest in Japan and San Francisco, but celebrated everywhere Japanese culture has reached. More

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