The Buddhist ceremony of floating lanterns on water to light the way for ancestral spirits journeying to the afterlife is well known by Hawaii residents. Less familiar is the ritual that greets these spirits for the start of obon season.
The monthlong Japanese celebration starts Monday, and Jodo Mission of Hawaii has laid out the welcome mat in the form of tall memorial sticks, which act like temporary altars where families bring flowers, incense and favorite foods for their deceased relatives. Each wooden stick, or "o-toba," is "like a hotel room for our ancestors" during the reunion, according to Jodo’s handbook.
Each o-toba is about 10 feet long, and many have been weathered by the elements over decades. The Rev. Yubun Narashiba, the Makiki temple’s head minister, said there are 556 o-toba lined up vertically in rows on its front lawn, many colorfully bedecked with the offerings of family members. On each the name of the deceased is inscribed in English and in kanji — Japanese characters. The o-toba’s sponsor is also noted.
Other temples use much smaller versions of these sticks. In his 28 years at the temple, Narashiba said, he has never seen sticks the size Jodo uses on Oahu.
Family members stand in front of their o-toba to "say prayers to show appreciation to their ancestors because they worked hard" for succeeding generations, he said. "Also, this is the time to reconfirm our commitments that we will live honestly and diligently to promote the peace of the world and realize the wonderful future for our own children, grandchildren and generations to come."
Short private services requested by families began Friday and will continue until Sunday in front of the o-toba. Within the temple — painted a blush pink, symbolic of Japanese cherry blossoms — congregational obon services also continue today at 10 a.m. for Hatsubon (first anniversary of death) families, 2 and 7 p.m.
On Sunday there will be a 10 a.m. service, followed by the traditional release of rainbow-dyed pigeons in lieu of floating lanterns to guide the spirits back to the Pure Land (nirvana). Buddhists allow for the differences between Asian lunar and Western solar calendars in making the obon season a month long, as some believe it begins July 15 and others Aug. 15, Narashiba explained.
Each temple has its own schedule of events. That’s why the Haleiwa Jodo Mission, a sister temple on Oahu, will hold a floating lantern ceremony at 9 p.m. July 27. That floating lantern ceremony is dependent on the height of the tides.
(Most Hawaii residents are familiar with floating lanterns, known as "toro nagashi," through a hugely popular Memorial Day tradition started by the Shinnyo-en sect some 15 years ago at Ala Moana Beach. In recent years more than 30,000 people of various faiths have turned out to watch the shoreline launching of candlelit lanterns, many carrying handwritten messages of peace and love to departed relatives.)
Of Jodo’s 625 members, it’s the older generation that faithfully observes the o-toba tradition, though younger family members are usually brought in to help. The younger generation learns the ritual and carries it forward, Narashiba said.
"I’ve been here for 28 years, and during those years many people have passed away, but the number of o-tobas are not decreasing. As you can see, it’s full," he said, nodding toward the front lawn.
Explaining the meaning of "o-toba," Narashiba said "o" means "big" in Japanese, and the "toba" evolved from the Sanskrit word "stupa," a structure put over Buddha’s grave to honor him in India. Chinese Buddhists later built pagodas to honor the dead, and from that custom, the Japanese started decorating long sticks of wood with pointed tops and notched sides to resemble pagodas, he said.
The basis of the obon festival — popular across Hawaii for festive bon dances — is tied to the tale of Buddha’s disciple Mokuren (known also by other spellings), according to Narashiba. He was desperate to free his mother from the hell of hungry ghosts, but when he tried feeding her, the food would turn into ash. Buddha instructed him to serve monks a feast and make offerings of food and drink to his ancestors and family. After Mokuren followed Buddha’s instructions, his mother and all his ancestors and future generations were given salvation.
There are 13 Jodo branches statewide that belong to the Pure Land Buddhism school, founded in 1175 by Honen Shonin, Narashiba said. Explaining the essence of the faith, he said, "The promise is when we call his name — Namu Amida Butsu — 10 times in a sincere way, he will save us to the Pure Land."
A similar branch of the Pure Land school is the Shin Buddhist sect (the largest in the state, based at Honpa Hongwanji Hawaii Betsuin), which believes "you are already saved, so thank Amida Buddha," Narashiba said. With Jodo "you have to ask, and then, thank you."
