Sights and Insights

A few weeks ago, we visited a Buddhist temple with a friend who has lived in Japan for a long time, speaks English, and who is well acquainted with the priests at this temple.  He and his family do service here at least once a month, and consequently, he has learned a lot about the temple.  He took us places that people like us don't ordinarily get to go, and he shared things with us that I'm not sure if we could have learned except by study or earning the trust and friendship of these people ourselves.  We felt it a privilege to see what we saw and meet the people we met.  

We have noticed a smaller white, beautifully kept building at nearly every
Buddhist temple we've been to.  This, we learned, is the strong house.
It houses all the wealth of the temple.  

The whole area was once owned by a powerful war lord.  This temple was given to one of his sons, and as the family is now all spread out, they still pay some to maintain the temple.  These “religious” groups don’t pay taxes in Japan, and people give money, too.  But this temple/religion (there are many different kinds of Buddhism) is a warrior/merchant temple and religion.  So the priest is expected to be wealthy, to deal in stocks and manage things well, and he has a couple of Mercedes in his garage.  He likes to talk about stock and other business matters with people who may be able to help him make better decisions.  

Hard to see much, but when we were looking at it, we could pick out the towers of the Nagoya Eki
(train station), the largest train station in the world.  They look light three white dots in the center distance.

The main part of the temple buildings are up the hill from the entrance area, and out of sight from ordinary visitors.  It was a pleasant walk up there, and we were able to look over to an area where you could see the city of Nagoya off in the distance.  It was getting dark, but we could see the three towers near the eki and quite a bit of the city.  It was a beautiful view.  Then we walked up and into the temple grounds where we met the head priest.  He is older and has recently lost his wife and a son.  He has another son who will become the head priest after him, I think.  This son is married.

Main shrine near entrance.  Notice the red hat and scarf on the statue.  These are seen often at shrines and cemeteries.  I don't yet understand why they are "dressed."

Closer view of some of the figures.

This was off to the right of the main shrine.  We walked to
the door on the far right and were allowed to go through that door
and back into the main part of the shrine.

We didn’t talk long with the priest, and then our friend took us over to the main shrine building.  We were not able to take pictures from the front, but we were able to walk around to the side and into a door behind where there was more worship area.  Lee was allowed to take pictures there.  One thing I remember was some carved pieces of wood, about an inch wide and 6 inches long, each representing a person or saint.  They were all lined up high around the inside of the building on a ledge just under the roof.  People had carved them to each represent a different person.  I don’t recall the story behind it, but there were hundreds of them. 

We also went through a series of gates or guard houses.  I'm not sure what to call them.

We walked back out from there, then up some wide steps (that were used for important people to be carried by four or more porters, in litters, though I don't know the Japanese word for it. but they put their shoulder under the post and carry the people).  It was rather a steep climb to be carrying these heavy things with a person in them.  

The trees were well cared for and the leaves were beautiful fall colors.  At the top was a large building for honoring the great original owner.  I don’t know if his remains are buried inside the building, or a little further up the hill where there was a large gravestone monument in a cemetery.  But next to this building for this great and famous warrior was a smaller building where his wife's remains were buried, and beyond that we went through a heavy gate to see 9 smaller (but still large) markers, each on its own little mound, where each of his 9 most important concubines' remains were buried.  He had many others, apparently, but they didn’t have important names, so I'm not sure what happened to their ashes.

On left is part of the cemetery wall, and on right is the building
housing the remains of the son of the great warrior.

Through a window we could see this urn, which may hold his ashes.
Or it could be some kind of shrine to him.  We weren't sure.

And these are the markers for his other "wives"
(except for his main wife.)

This temple is on many acres.  It is a huge area.  We came back down, and it was dark.  There was another priest there, probably in his 30’s.  We visited at length, and President Baird was very interested, so he explained some things.  Some of it didn’t get translated, but some did. One of the most fascinating things to me is the holdover philosophy from the old warrior/merchant times.  One can go do about anything they like outside the temple, and then come back and wash away ones sins.

Just outside a large gate from where apparently most warriors returned, there was an upside down, cone-shaped concrete thing, about three feet high, and about four feet across at the base.  He explained that it represented what used to be a pile of sand kept in that shape, and that was where the warriors would remove their swords.  The sand would take off the blood as they stuck it in to the sand.  Removing the blood was part of the cleansing process in coming to the temple, and it also prevented more bloodshed within the temple between warriors.

 

On the steps that go up into the cemetery.

Here we are with the priest.  This is the one who is
also a fortune teller.  He was very kind.

Then they would come through the gate and walk about 30 feet to the water.  At most temples, the washing area is usually wide, allowing several people to stand in front of it at a time.  There are two levels that have water in them.  There are several cups with long handles.  You pick up a cup and dip it in the water.  Then you pour the water over your left hand first, then switch hands and pour it over your right hand. The dirty water off your hands should only go in the lower water area.  The handle of the cup is long and straight, but the handle itself is U-shaped, so that when you lift up the cup part, the water runs down the handle and into the lower level of water.  Now, the left hand represents fire, and the right hand represents water, so you wash the left hand first to put out the fire, then the left, and then you pour the leftover water down the handle to rinse where you have touched, so that none of your sins get passed on to the next person. 

Our friend explained that the philosophy is that it is OK to do anything at all, anything you want to do, while outside the temple area. You can drink and get drunk.  You can do what is necessary to get money.  You can go vacation and visit places of ill repute.  You can treat your wife  and others however you want, and so on.  But then you can come back to the temple, do the above-described hand washing, and be clean.  While at the temple, you must remain clean.  But it seems fine to do those other things while away from the temple.  This is my own thought, but it seems that, like the warriors and merchants of old, one can do anything to get the job done, and then come back and wash away any fault.  The mafia even come to this temple and wash.

Before we left the temple, the younger priest said a chant-like prayer. It was quite beautiful. I don’t know if he was blessing us or not, but it lasted about three minutes and we thanked him.  President Baird thanked him sincerely and respectfully and asked permission to give him a hug (which he likes to do).  He received permission and gave him a great big two-arm hug.  I wondered how long it had been since that had happened to that priest, if ever.  This priest used to be the temple fortune teller.  That is a part of their religion, too.  But they needed another priest, so they made him one.  I think he may still work sometimes as a fortune teller.  

There were also three younger people around, probably in their late teens or early 20’s.  All temples have beads and strips of paper or fabric you tie on to things as you worship, and other things you can buy, and I wondered if at least one of these young people worked at the store.  I don’t know.