February 5, 2004
Lecture explains Japanese memorial custom
Japanese Obon: Dancing with the Dead, a lecture by the Rev. Donald Castro, will be presented at 6:30 p.m. tonight at the Burke Museum.
In Japan, following the death of a loved one, memorial services, or Obon, are held. These services affirm a spiritual bond between the living and the dead. Obon is a special kind of memorial service embracing the seemingly contrary emotions of joy and sadness.
Castro will describe these events and explore their history and meaning with a slide presentation. Castro has been a minister with the Buddhist Churches of America for 27 years, 18 of them spent with the Seattle Buddhist Church. He earned a bachelor’s in anthropology from San Jose State University and a master’s in Buddhist studies from the Institute of Buddhist Studies in Berkeley, Calif. Castro later received ordinations in Japan and began his ministry in San Francisco in 1977.
This lecture is presented as part of the Reverent Remembrance: Honoring the Dead exhibit, on view now at the Burke Museum through Feb. 22.
