December 15, 2024: Bodhi Day (Jodo-e 成道会) Family Service at 9:30am; Adult Service at 10:15am
December 31, 2024: New Year’s Eve (Joya-e 除夜会) Combined Service at 7:00pm
Bodhi Day (Jodo-e 成道会)
Bodhi is the Sanskrit word for ‘enlightenment’. This service commemorates the day when Prince Siddhartha attained enlightenment and became Shakyamuni Buddha. Having spent most of his life in the opulence of his palace, Siddhartha wanted to know what more was out in the world. He eventually left the palace and set out to find the Truth. After many years of seeking and extreme practices, he found that he wished to find a middle way between the opulence of the palace and the extreme denial of certain practices. He sat down beneath a Bodhi tree and did not move until he had come to be fully awakened, which he did on the early morning of Dec. 8th. We express gratitude on this day for the understanding that we all have potential for enlightenment.
New Year’s Eve (Joya-e 除夜会)
The last day of the year is an opportunity to reflect upon the past year in preparation for the year to come. It is a time to reflect on the interdependence of all life and those causes and conditions that have enabled our lives. On this night, we ring the large bell (bonsho) 108 times to represent the 108 blind passions that we carry with us throughout our lives. It is a reminder of the need to free ourselves from these entanglements as we face the new year.