buddhism

I was visiting Nagoya and decided to drop in on Victor aka Gimmeabreakman aka Givemeaflakeman. He gave me a quick tour of Osu Kannon temple and its nearby shopping market during his break between classes.

Osu Kannon is quiet contemplative spot right in the middle of hectic downtown Nagoya.

Every seven years, at the temple of Zenko-ji in Nagano City they reveal a statue that is normally kept hidden. The statue is a 13th Century replica of a Buddhist statue which supposedly was the first Buddhist statue to officially come to Japan in the 6th Century.

There’s a saying, 'Every Japanese is a Shinto when he’s born, a Christian when he marries, and a Buddhist once he dies'. I've learned that Japanese people, most of the times, refrain from talking about two things: politics and religion. Probably that's why it took more than half of a century for the Japanese to seriously think of replacing the Liberal Democrats to lead Japan..

An interesting connection between Shinto and Buddhism, at the Toshougu Shrine, Nikko.

Like many others, I'm a big fan of Lost. Unfortunately my wife has gotten into it, too, which means I have to translate the difficult international accents for her, since the show seems to be tailor-made to torture Japanese ESL learners.

Shidaoxin has become a global star after singing tunes based on religious lyrics.

Today was Asakusa's Birthday. Over 1300 years ago Asakusa got its start when two fishermen found a small gold buddhist statue in their nets when fishing in the Sumida River. A temple was built for the statue and Asakusa became a major temple town from then on.

This video which I posted last year shows history of the event and the legend of the Golden Dragon which appeared.

Soon after arriving in Japan, I walked to a Seven Eleven to buy some onigiri, those triangle-shaped rice balls that are similar to sandwiches in the U.S. While I enjoyed my lunch, I wandered behind the convenience store and was surprised to see a beautiful Buddhist temple nestled in between a beauty shop and CD rental store.

Setagaya Art Museum, 1-2 Kinuta-koen, Setagaya-ku
Tokyo
14 March - 19 April 2009

Hiraizumi, the "capital of the far north", was ruled by a northern branch of the Fujiwara family for four generations during a hundred year period beginning in the late 11th century.

KOYA, Wakayama Pref. (Kyodo) In a dimly lit hall in the sacred Koyasan temple complex, a Swiss-born Buddhist priest joins other monks in reciting sutras in the early morning as foreign tourists watch the solemn 90-minute ceremony with intense interest.

An annual two-day Buddhist ceremony to cook about 10,000 meals using 5,000 "daikon" started Sunday at a temple in Jokyo Ward, Kyoto, as thousands of pieces of the Japanese radishes were kept simmering in huge caldrons.

Thoughts on Buddhism, especially why Japanese Buddhist priests drive expensive cars instead of wearing orange robes and training themselves to attain enlightenment. Also, what's up with Greek statues in Nara?

Thieves have stolen at least 30 Buddhist statues from temples in Shizuoka Prefecture this year, fueling fears of a rampant trade in religious artifacts through established antiques auctions and flea markets.