Where: Whistle Binkies Olde World Pub
When: November 28, 2017 from 1830-2000
Who: Spooky Cachers
What: A celebration of beer, caching, and Hōonkō
Why: To enjoy a pint of beer and swap geocaching stories
How: Foot, Horseback, Rickshaw, or Palanquin
Hōonkō (報恩講) is a holiday in the tradition of Japanese Jodo Shinshu Buddhism that observes the memorial of its founder, Shinran Shonin. Depending on whether the old Japanese lunar calendar is used, or the western Gregorian calendar, typically this holiday is observed either in around November 28 (as in the Higashi Honganji) or early January from the 9th to the 16th (as in the Nishi Honganji) respectively. This holiday is among the most important observed in the Jodo Shinshu tradition. The observance began after Shinran's daughter, Kakushinni carried on administration of Shinran's mausoleum, as did her descendants, who ultimately became the Monshu of Jodo Shinshu. In the word hōonkō; 'hōon' means "return of gratitude" and 'ko' means "to clarify the meaning of" or "gathering"'.