San Luis Obispo Buddhist Church

Panda in the Community! Let’s dine out! SLOBC is holding a fundraiser on July 16th that will free you from cooking a meal for you and your family. The event is sponsored by... Panda Express and enables you to order and pick- up food from any of its restaurants nationwide. Simply go online and click on the following link: https://community.pandaexpress.com/virtual- fundraiser/events/promotions/19071eb8-7193- 73b9-4dff-bf74d75cf51a/en/landing Apply code 904267 in the Coupon Code box just prior to checkout. 28% of all sales using this code will go to SLOBC. Please keep in mind that this fundraiser applies only to online orders. Pass on this information to your family mem- bers and friends. More participants results in more income for the church which will help cover some of its operating expenses during these times of re- duced donations. Let’s make this a smashing suc- cess.

Please join us for Odori folk dance sessions. Days and times listed on the Obon Festival flyer.Please join us for Odori folk dance sessions. Days and times listed on the Obon Festival flyer.

Happy Obon season! Though our Obon Festival will be on a much smaller scale, we will be holding it this year on the San Luis Obispo Buddhist Temple grounds. Please join us for dancing, food and drink and taiko performance. Hope to see you there.

Obon is a time to remember those who have passed away and were instrumental in influencing our lives to make us the person we are today. This is a way to show tribute and gratitude to our loved ones.

Some of the crab feed pick up line workers want to thank you all so much for your support! Until next crab feed 2022!

Annual temple crab feed. Crab cooking crew in full motion! Thank you everyone for working so hard and for Brian's excellent team leadership skills!

Cleaning crab for the dinners.

PLEASE SHARE! If you have some extra non-perishable food items or can pick up extras on your next grocery trip, the San Luis Obispo Buddhist Temple will be holding a collection day for the local food banks on Saturday Jan 2nd from 10am to 2pm. Please drive up the long driveway (the entrance is across from the Bob Jones trailhead parking lot) to the church where masked volunteers will be there to help unload your car. Thank you for helping our local community during these challenging times.

During the pandemic, the San Luis Obispo Buddhist Temple has been recording regular dharma messages for viewing on our Youtube channel. We hope you will enjoy these videos from our Rev Naomi Nakano.

Here is Rev Naomi Nakano's dharma message about ringing our temple's bell in remembrance of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings.

Please enjoy a brief dharma message from our Rev. Naomi Nakamo.

Please enjoy this weekend's message on practicing the Six Perfections during this pandemic. In gassho.

Here is this weekend's message from Reverend Naomi Nakano. Even in these challenging time, please don't forget to say "Itadakimasu"!

We hope you enjoy this latest message from our Rev. Nakano.

Happy 4th of July to everyone. Please enjoy this message on loving to "Monku".

A message from Rev. Naomi Seijo Nakano on the importance to "Listen" to the world around us...

Please enjoy today's message from Rev. Naomi Seijo Nakano entitled "A Good Life" or "Did you forget your pants today?"...

For those who are missing the weekly services from the San Luis Obispo Buddhist Church, we miss you too! Here is a video from our Rev. Naomi Seijo Nakano.

This list is being shared as a guide to food giving during the month of December. Each day, place the items listed in a box at home. You may bring the boxed food to the temple or take your donations directly to the San Luis Obispo Food Bank. Thinking of those who are in need of healthy nutrition and being mindful that the need is there truly is an act of kindness and compassion.

Our annual taiko workshop is coming up soon. Let us know if you're interested in participating!

Special Message: "Imagine a country lying in absolute darkness..." With deep sorrow, I would like to express my deepest sympathy to the victims, including famil...ies and friends, of the latest mass shootings that occurred over the past week in California, Texas and Ohio. These events have reminded me of the words of Shakyamuni Buddha that describe the condition that we are all living in. He said, Imagine a country lying in absolute darkness with many living beings blindly rushing around. Naturally they will be frightened and lonely as they run about without recognizing one another. Just as he described, we are living our lives without knowing the true world because of our lack of wisdom. Out of fear and mistrust caused by the spiritual darkness that we live in, we act foolishly and harm each other. Shakyamuni Buddha also taught us about Amida Buddha, the manifestation of Absolute Wisdom and Compassion, who is calling to us from the True and Real world, working to help us realize that we are all constantly living in this dark state. Namo Amida Butsu is the Amida Buddha’s compassionate calling that is urging us to redirect ourselves towards the guidance of the Light of the True and Real world, instead of solely relying on ourselves who reside in darkness. By encountering this caring and loving heart from the realm of Nirvana, we are able to overcome our inner fear and anxiety, and realize that we are not alone. Let us pause and reflect on our activities under the light of Absolute Compassionate Wisdom known as Amida Buddha and wish for the world peace and harmony. Namo Amida Butsu with Gassho, Kodo Umezu Bishop of the Buddhist Churches of America

We hope you enjoyed the 2019 Obon Festival. Here are some highlights from the day.