Obon celebrations in Bay Area

By Ron Kitagawa, Mercury News, July 12, 2007

Obon celebrations include Taiko Drumming and flower arranging

Bay Area, CA (USA) -- Each summer, Buddhist temples across the Bay Area celebrate Obon - a religious and cultural event commemorating one's ancestors. The festivals and bazaars, many of which have been held for more than 50 years, are also a time to make new acquaintances and reconnect with friends and family.

The two largest events in the area are the San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin (this weekend) and the Mountain View Buddhist Temple (next weekend).

There will be cultural exhibits, including martial arts and taiko drum exhibitions, bonsai and suiseki (the art of rock arrangement), ikebana (flower arrangements) and Bon Odori (folk dancing). And there are games and food - lots of food: From chicken and beef teriyaki to sushi, udon and, yes, hot dogs.

Here's a roundup of some of the upcoming events:

Alameda
Buddhist Temple of Alameda
2325 Pacific Ave.
(510) 522-5243
Bazaar: 4-9 p.m. July 28
(Bon Odori at 7 p.m.)

Mountain View
Mountain View Buddhist Temple
575 N. Shoreline Blvd.
(650) 964-9426, www.mvbuddhisttemple.org/home
Bazaar: 4-10 p.m. July 21; noon-9 p.m.
July 22 (Bon Odori at 7 p.m.)

Oakland
Buddhist Church of Oakland
825 Jackson St.
(510) 832-5988, www.buddhistchurchofoakland.org
Bazaar: 3-9 p.m. Aug. 4
(Bon Odori at 7:30 p.m.)


Palo Alto Buddhist Temple
2751 Louis Road
(650) 856-0123, www.pabt.org
Bazaar: 5-10 p.m. Aug. 4; noon-9:30 p.m. Aug. 5 (Bon Odori at 7:30 p.m.)

Salinas
Buddhist Temple of Salinas
14 California Street
(831) 424-4105, http://worknotes.com/CA/Salinas/BTS/index.html
Bazaar: noon-9 p.m. July 29 (Bon Odori at 6 p.m.)

San Jose
San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin
650 N. Fifth St.
(408) 293-9292, www.sjbetsuin.com
Bazaar: noon-10 p.m. Saturday
(Bon Odori at 7:45 p.m.) and noon-8 p.m. Sunday (Bon Odori at 6 p.m.)

San Mateo
San Mateo Buddhist Temple
2 S. Claremont St.
(650) 342-2541; www.sanmateobuddhisttemple.org
(Bazaar was held June 23-24.)
Bon Odori: 7 p.m.
Union City

Southern Alameda County
Buddhist Church
32975 Alvarado-Niles Road
(510) 471-2581, www.sacbc.org
(Bazaar was held last weekend)
Bon Odori: 7 p.m. Aug. 11

Watsonville
Watsonville Buddhist Temple
423 Bridge St.
(831) 724-7860, www.wbtemple.org
Bazaar: 2:30 p.m. July 22
(Bon Odori at 6:30 p.m.)

We Need Your Help to Train the
Buddhist AI Chat Bot
NORBU!
(Neural Operator for Responsible Buddhist Understanding)



For Malaysians and Singaporeans, please make your donation to the following account:

Account Name: Bodhi Vision
Account No:. 2122 00000 44661
Bank: RHB

The SWIFT/BIC code for RHB Bank Berhad is: RHBBMYKLXXX
Address: 11-15, Jalan SS 24/11, Taman Megah, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Phone: 603-9206 8118

Note: Please indicate your name in the payment slip. Thank you.


Dear Friends in the Dharma,

We seek your generous support to help us train NORBU, the word's first Buddhist AI Chat Bot.

Here are some ways you can contribute to this noble cause:

One-time Donation or Loan: A single contribution, regardless of its size, will go a long way in helping us reach our goal and make the Buddhist LLM a beacon of wisdom for all.

How will your donation / loan be used? Download the NORBU White Paper for details.



For Malaysians and Singaporeans, please make your donation to the following account:

Account Name: Bodhi Vision
Account No:. 2122 00000 44661
Bank: RHB

The SWIFT/BIC code for RHB Bank Berhad is: RHBBMYKLXXX
Address: 11-15, Jalan SS 24/11, Taman Megah, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Phone: 603-9206 8118

Note: Please indicate your purpose of payment (loan or donation) in the payment slip. Thank you.

Once payment is banked in, please send the payment slip via email to: editor@buddhistchannel.tv. Your donation/loan will be published and publicly acknowledged on the Buddhist Channel.

Spread the Word: Share this initiative with your friends, family and fellow Dharma enthusiasts. Join "Friends of Norbu" at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/norbuchatbot. Together, we can build a stronger community and create a positive impact on a global scale.

Volunteer: If you possess expertise in AI, natural language processing, Dharma knowledge in terms of Buddhist sutras in various languages or related fields, and wish to lend your skills, please contact us. Your knowledge and passion could be invaluable to our project's success.

Your support is part of a collective effort to preserve and disseminate the profound teachings of Buddhism. By contributing to the NORBU, you become a "virtual Bodhisattva" to make Buddhist wisdom more accessible to seekers worldwide.

Thank you for helping to make NORBU a wise and compassionate Buddhist Chatbot!

May you be blessed with inner peace and wisdom,

With deepest gratitude,

Kooi F. Lim
On behalf of The Buddhist Channel Team


Note: To date, we have received the following contributions for NORBU:
US$ 75 from Gary Gach (Loan)
US$ 50 from Chong Sim Keong
MYR 300 from Wilson Tee
MYR 500 from Lim Yan Pok
MYR 50 from Oon Yeoh
MYR 200 from Ooi Poh Tin
MYR 300 from Lai Swee Pin
MYR 100 from Ong Hooi Sian
MYR 1,000 from Fam Sin Nin
MYR 500 from Oh teik Bin
MYR 300 from Yeoh Ai Guat
MYR 300 from Yong Lily
MYR 50 from Bandar Utama Buddhist Society
MYR 1,000 from Chiam Swee Ann
MYR 1,000 from Lye Veei Chiew
MYR 1,000 from Por Yong Tong
MYR 80 from Lee Wai Yee
MYR 500 from Pek Chee Hen
MYR 300 from Hor Tuck Loon
MYR 1,000 from Wise Payments Malaysia Sdn Bhd
MYR 200 from Teo Yen Hua
MYR 500 from Ng Wee Keat
MYR 10,000 from Chang Quai Hung, Jackie (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from K. C. Lim & Agnes (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from Juin & Jooky Tan (Loan)
MYR 100 from Poh Boon Fong (on behalf of SXI Buddhist Students Society)
MYR 10,000 from Fam Shan-Shan (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from John Fam (Loan)
MYR 500 from Phang Cheng Kar
MYR 100 from Lee Suat Yee
MYR 500 from Teo Chwee Hoon (on behalf of Lai Siow Kee)
MYR 200 from Mak Yuen Chau

We express our deep gratitude for the support and generosity.

If you have any enquiries, please write to: editor@buddhistchannel.tv


TOP