My Love Affair with the Bon Dance
Ellen Godbey Carson
Isn’t synchronicity in life amazing? Sometimes things that happen by entire coincidence can end up having a giant impact in our lives. A lucky moment can bring with it a great gift of fortune. Isn’t life like that sometimes?
My first experience with a Bon dance was totally unexpected and downright magical. My husband and I were SCUBA diving at night in the Haleiwa trench. We had been in the dark murky depths for about an hour when it was time to come up. But the ocean surface appeared to be on fire and flames were flickering all around! When we carefully surfaced a short distance away, we found ourselves in the midst of a flotilla of paper lanterns with flaming candle and a small guide boat taking them out to sea. The melodic sounds of a cacophony of drums, flutes and voices wafted over the waves. It was a magical and other-worldly feeling, as if passing into an after-life. When we swam to shore, we saw our first Bon Dance (occurring at Haleiwa Jodo Mission), and learned we had inadvertently surfaced into its Lantern Ceremony. For years thereafter, we went to Haleiwa to enjoy the Bon Dance, and then began discovering the magic of Bon Dances all around our island.
When I learned that the beautiful Honpa Hongwanji temple on Pali Highway was offering Bon dance practices every Wednesday nights, I was hooked. My being Christian and from Tennessee, with no theological or cultural history to understand Bon dancing, did not make me an outcast; the temple community was instead welcoming, loving and encouraging. People showed me the steps, whispered helpful hints when a dance got tricky, and translated motions to give them meaning. I learned that each dance tells a story. I was in awe of the “regulars,” many in their 70’s, 80’s and even 90’s, who came each week with vigor, engaging smiles, and often culinary treats in hand to share for the much-beloved “Snack Break.” I only wish my Bon dance skills could match their hospitality. I often felt like an uncoordinated octopus as I tried to get all my arm and leg motions to mimic the graceful motions of the other dancers. Thankfully, compassion and forgiveness seem to be central tenets of Buddhism.
What impressed me even more than the beauty of these dances was the warmth and inclusivity of temple members who welcome the broader community into these celebrations. What a generous attitude. I’ve felt embraced by the Hongwanji community and other temples around Oahu. I’ve learned so much that I treasure about the values of this community, Buddhism and Japanese culture. My husband (Bob Godbey) has developed a deep interest in Buddhism, and we enjoy learning together about Buddhism and our local temples. We’ve also met so many new and old friends when we attend these dances and worship services. Summer quickly became my favorite season in Hawaii because, in addition to mangoes and lychee, there are Bon dances galore!
We are blessed here in Hawaii to have a host of temples offering bon dances, each with their own special culture and personality, dances and festival foods. Some, like Honpa Hongwanji, even have a beloved Bon Boutique of fun Japanese treasures. My other special Bon dance memories include colorful Okinawan Bon dances at Jikoen temple, the Hilo Hongwanji Bon dance, the Byodo-in Temple Bon Dance in Valley of the Temples (one of the most gorgeous spots on earth), a Bon dance at the Zozoji Temple in downtown Tokyo, and lovely Obon lantern floating ceremonies in Kyoto and in the Tokyo Imperial Palace moat (no SCUBA diving permitted there…).
The Bon dance has also helped me come full circle from my early legal experiences with the Japanese American community. Now retired as an attorney, the greatest honor of my legal career was representing Japanese Americans in a class action lawsuit to the US Supreme Court, seeking redress for the tragic violations of rights inflicted on our Japanese American community during World War II. Attending the Bon dances reminds me of their remarkable courage and resilience that I admire so much. I continually look for ways to “pay it forward” with the hope these violations will never occur in America.
So that’s how one brief and unexpected encounter led us to a wondrous journey filled with amazing sights, sounds and tastes. It was meant to be!
Ellen Godbey Carson, Honolulu - Friends of BWA, guest submission
