With hearts filled with deep gratitude, we welcome you to our temple today as we gather to celebrate Obon, a tradition of profound beauty and significance. To see you all gathered here, in this distant land we now call home, keeping the memory and love for your ancestors alive in your hearts, fills me with deep emotion.

It is truly moving to witness how the bond with our roots remains unbroken, even so many miles away from Japan. Over the centuries, guided by the solemn and touching verses of the Amida Sutra chanted with such reverence today, Obon has served as a beacon of hope and comfort for our people. It offers us a precious opportunity to celebrate the lives of those who have passed, to recall their unique stories and teachings, and to honor the love that has bound our families across generations. Today, we write another beautiful page of this shared history here in Brazil—a page that does not merely look back at the past, but one that illuminates our path toward the future.

Some might wonder: why must we remember the past? Why is this connection to those who have departed so vital for us today? My dear friends, just as a plant requires deep and strong roots to blossom, we too must nourish our history and origins so that we may grow and flourish as complete, compassionate human beings.

It is easy to view our ancestors and our descendants as separate, distant lives. Yet, the truth is that we are all part of a grand, endless current—a river of life that flows from the past into the future, carrying the collective history of humanity, of our families, and of our people. Within this continuous flow, honoring our ancestors is an act of deep love and hope for future generations. It teaches them the enduring value of family, gratitude, and respect for those who walked before us.

While Obon is celebrated during the warm summer months in Japan, we gather here today in the quiet chill of winter. Yet, despite the differences in climate and geography, the warm atmosphere surrounding this temple remains identical: the familiar aroma of incense, the bittersweet nostalgia that gently warms the heart, and the absolute certainty that neither distance nor time can ever dim the love and gratitude we hold for our departed loved ones.

In our Pure Land faith, we trust that those we love who have passed on have been born anew in the Pure Land, embraced by the compassionate light of Amida Buddha. Sustained by this comforting thought, we assemble today not to lament their absence, but to joyfully celebrate their lives and cherish their memories. As we remember them, feelings of longing or even regret may naturally arise in our hearts—thoughts of wishing we had spent more time together or expressed our love more clearly. But please do not let these feelings become a burden of guilt. They are simply natural reflections of the deep love you carry. Let us transform these emotions into a source of strength, inspiring us to live each day with greater vitality, compassion, and gratitude.

May the memory of our departed loved ones inspire us to become kinder, more understanding, and more present in the lives of those we cherish. Look around this room; each of you carries the legacy and love of someone who has passed. Even in unfamiliar faces, we can perceive the shared presence of loving memories and hope. No one is ever truly alone in this world; we are all interconnected by invisible bonds of love and compassion. May this Obon ceremony bring a profound connection to our roots, family harmony, and a renewal of our shared faith. May the light of Amida Buddha illuminate our hearts and guide our steps on the path of peace and true happiness.