Buddhist temples are usually large compounds and are
found throughout Japan. When you approach, you will notice a stone lantern before
the main building. In earlier times, only priests and nobility could proceed
beyond the lantern. Often an admission is charged but can include superb gardens
and museums. Unlike Shinto shrines, temples include intricately carved rafters
and panels which are painted in bright red, blue, green and gold. Highly stylized
rituals go on day and night accompanied by the striking of resonant gongs, beating
of drums, and repetitive chanting.
Incense
sticks, purchased on entering, burn in large pots at the feet of Buddha. There
is also a cylindrical box that you rattle until a stick with a number attached
pops through a hole in the top. The number corresponds to an omikuji (prayer
paper) which is often written in the form of a fortune. You will see thousands
of omikuji tied to the trees and bushes surrounding the temple. This is a way
of offering prayers to ensure that good fortunes are granted; bad fortunes remain
at the temple, where they are harmless.
The main building, library, bell tower and other buildings of a temple complex
can be quite exquisite architectural creations. The most easily admired is the
pagoda. The Japanese form evolved from the dome-shaped stupa in which the bones
of the Buddha and Buddhist saints were buried in India. Pagodas can range from
one to 13 stories. The most common is a five-storied pagoda with the floors
representing earth, water, wind, fire and air. The next most common pagoda is
three stories, representing past, present and future. Pagodas are always capped
by a nine-ringed spire which represents the Nine Paths of Buddha. Inside the
pagoda is a large beam suspended from the ceiling that almost touches the ground.
Ancient records hold that this beam was a grave marker.
Among the various statues you will see many Buddhist deities. Common manifestations
include Hotei, a jolly Buddha with a huge naked belly who is the god of satisfaction
and natural pleasures; Nyorai, a Buddha with a lump on the forehead as a sign
of wisdom who seeks to assist others to realize the truth; and Maitreya or "Future
Buddha," who can be distinguished by a pose with one leg crossed over the
other.
Traditional
Arts in Japan
Shinto
Defined
The
"Middle Way" of Buddhism
Experiencing
a Buddhist Temple
Japanese
Cheat Sheet
