Honoring Loved Ones, Honoring the Dharma
Día de los Muertos—the Day of the Dead—arises from Mexican tradition as a time when the veil between the world of the living and the world of the ancestors grows thin. It is a day of remembrance, gratitude, and celebration of the lives that came before us.
At the San Francisco Dharma Collective, it has become a beloved annual practice to create a community altar at the Día de los Muertos festival in Potrero del Sol Park. Each year, volunteers lovingly design and build an altar where friends and neighbors bring photographs, offerings, flowers, sweet treats, and mementos to honor those who have passed.
In the Buddhist tradition, we are reminded of impermanence—that all beings arise and pass away—and of the deep interconnection we share with those who walked before us. Honoring our ancestors and loved ones is a way of remembering that our lives are part of a vast web of causes and conditions. Their kindness, struggles, and wisdom continue to ripple into the present moment.
We are excited to once again join the Día de los Muertos celebration this year on Sunday, November 2, 2025, and to create a beautiful altar of remembrance together.
As a volunteer-run community, the San Francisco Dharma Collective relies entirely on generosity. To bring the altar to life, we need support for flowers, candles, and materials that will help create a space of beauty, remembrance, and love.
Your contribution is not only a gift toward this altar but a continuation of the practice of generosity (dāna)—the heart of the Buddhist path. Together, we keep alive the spirit of remembrance, compassion, and community.
We invite you to support this offering with a donation of any amount, helping us create an altar that honors both our ancestors and the living community gathered in their memory.
