Pure Land – Susan Spann, Adventure, Mystery, and Mountains

The Eikan-do Garden and Shinbutsu Bunri (Eikan-do, Part 3)

Susan Spann Blog April 6, 2018April 6, 2018Buddhism, Eikan-do, Eikan-dō Zenrin-ji, Pure Land, shinbutsu bunri, Shinto

Kyoto’s Eikan-do Zenrin-ji is the head temple of the Seizan branch of Pure Land Buddhism in Japan. The temple sits near the southern end of the famous Philosopher’s Path, and although it’s famous for autumn foliage, the temple gardens are spectacular year-round. The photo above shows the path that leads from the gardens (and pagoda hill) down to the temple’s beautiful lake.

A Visit to Kyoto’s Nishi Honganji

Admin Uncategorized June 6, 2016Buddhism, Buddhist temples, Japan, Kyoto, Nishi Honganji, Pure Land

Kyoto’s Nishi Honganji is one of Japan’s most important Buddhist temples. The Jōdo Shinshū, or “True essence of pure land,” school of Buddhism was founded by a monk named Shinran Shonin (1173–1263), whose teachings focused on a return to a more pure form of Buddhist understanding and enlightenment through verse. Originally known simply as “Honganji,” the temple now called Nishi (“Western”) Honganji was constructed in 1602 on land granted to the sect by Tokugawa Ieyasu. A second temple, known as Higashi (“Eastern”) Honganji sits several blocks away (not surprisingly, to the east). Nishi Honganji remains an active Buddhist temple (with services open