A Night to Remember

On Saturday, November 1, Urban Dharma celebrated our first Remembering & Renewing evening, held in conjunction with the observance of Allhallowtide (“Every Holy Season”—All Hallows Eve, All Saints Day, and All Souls Day) in the Christian calendar. That evening, Dr. Lye led a short service in remembrance of all our dearly departed in front of a beautiful altar to welcome and make offerings to our spiritual and temporal ancestors. He also spoke on ancestral healing and reconciliation, relating it to the East Asian Buddhist tradition of the Ullambana Festival (or “Ghost Festival”), when familial ancestors are remembered and celebrated, and the non-familial, or “foreign,” dead are cared for during the month-long season (usually around August/September).

For Urban Dharma, this marks another step in our slowly evolving way of “being Buddhist” in a new social and cultural context. In Remembering & Renewing, we draw from a rich field of traditions—Allhallowtide (and its Mexican expression, Día de los Muertos), Ullambana, Samhain, and others—to create a heartfelt annual gathering during this season of lengthening nights and falling temperatures.

Beyond the service, as with celebrations of Halloween, Día de los Muertos, and the Ghost Festival, our event was also festive and fun. We hosted a night market with a live band. About 15 local vendors offered handmade crafts and snacks, and a silent auction helped raise funds for UD.

Members of the UD Board also ran a sustaining membership drive to encourage intentional commitment and investment in Urban Dharma and the programs we offer freely to all.

Want to add a petal to the lotus?

Throughout the years, Dr. Lye has constantly reminded us of the difference between the Dharma the Buddha taught—the Buddhadharma transmitted in all forms of Buddhism—and the many Buddhist traditions that arose as different societies interpreted and internalized those teachings. In that same spirit, we here at Urban Dharma, in Western North Carolina, are discovering our own ways of bringing the Buddhadharma into our lives and, in doing so, birthing new, hybrid traditions!

May the diversity of Buddhist traditions flourish!

May the oneness of Buddhadharma endure!