Seattle Betsuin’s 75th Annual Bon Odori Festival

On July 21 and 22, the 75th annual Bon Odori Festival took place at the Seattle Betsuin Buddhist Temple. Dark clouds and rain failed to dampen the spirits of the hundreds of attendees at this official Seafair event as they danced in the streets in front of the temple and enjoyed traditional Japanese foods and crafts, as well taiko drumming performances and martial arts demonstrations.

The Bon Odori festival derives from the story of the Buddha’s disciple Mogallana, as told in the Ullambana Sutra (whose Japanese pronunciation is Urabon, shortened to Bon.)

Traditional costumes, Bon Odori Festival.

Mogallana, while in meditation, saw his deceased mother suffering from starvation in the Hell of Hungry Ghosts, where any food she touched burst into flames. Shocked to find his mother, who had been devoted to him throughout his life, in such a place, Mogallana appealed to the Buddha.

Shakyamuni explained that while Mogallana’s mother had indeed spent her life in single-minded devotion to her son, she had done so at the expense of all other beings. The Buddha instructed Mogallana that in order to overcome his mother's selfish past life karma, he should make generous and selfless offerings of food to his fellow monks at the end of the annual Rains Retreat. After doing so, Mogallana saw that his mother had been freed from hell, and he danced in joy at her redemption.

From this story comes the Bon Odori festival, a time both solemn and joyful, as participants remember their ancestors and pay tribute to them, while expressing joy for the gift of life they have bestowed. A national holiday in Japan, Bon Odori is celebrated at virtually all of the 60-plus Jodo Shinshu temples of the Buddhist Churches of America.