Tag: Honen
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Anyoji Temple (安養寺)
Only a few tourists visit Anyoji Temple, located on the eastern slope of Yasaka Jinja Shrine and Maruyama Park. Even most of Japanese tourists do not know about this temple. Although there is not much to see here, the temple has a long history. It was built by Saicho during the Enryaku era (782 –…
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Yoshimizu-benzaitennyo-do Temple (吉水辨財天女堂)
Yoshimizu-Benzaitennyo-do (Yoshimizu Benzaitennyo Hall) is located on the east side of Maruyama Park. This area used to be the precincts of Anyoji Temple. But when the temple moved in Meiji era, only this hall remained here. The name “Yoshimizu” comes from the fact that a sacred spring of “good water” has been springing in this…
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Chionji Temple (知恩寺)
Chionji Temple, also known as Hyakumanben Chionji, is a temple of the Jodo sect. Although the name is similar to the famous Chion-in Temple, it is a different temple of the same sect. Honen, the founder of the Jodo sect, lived in 1175 at Jinguji Temple in Kamo, the predecessor of Chionji temple. In 1212,…
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The Kyoto Trail: Anrakuji Temple, Roumon Waterfall, Daimonji Mountain, Himukai Daijingu Shrine
This course is a part of the Higashiyama Course of the Kyoto Trail. Starting from the Shinnyodo-mae bus stop, we will visit Anrakuji Temple. The trail climbs along the valley, passes the waterfall at Roumon, climbs Mt. Daimonji, and descends to Himukai Daijingu Shrine. The nearest station to the crossroads is Keage Station on the…
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Shorinin Temple (勝林院) in Ohara
Jakugen founded the Shorinin Temple in 1013 as a place to practice Nembutsu (Buddhist chanting) through Shomyo (Buddhist chanting). After the construction of nearby Raigoin Temple about 90 years later, many monks’ quarters surounded the two temples. These temples became a center for many monks to study and practice shomyo (Buddhist chanting). Thus, the temple…
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Chion-in Temple (知恩院)
Chion-in Temple is the head temple of the Jodo sect. Chion-in Temple is where Honen, the founder of the Jodo sect, established a hermitage in 1175 and began to propagate Nembutsu (the recitation of the Nembutsu prayer). In the Edo period, Tokugawa Ieyasu, Hidetada, and Iemitsu built the present main hall, Sanmon gate, and other…
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Honen-in Temple (法然院)
Leaving the Philosopher’s Path before reaching Ginkakuji Temple, visitors will find Honen-in Temple on the east side of the mountain. This temple was founded in 1680, in the early Edo period. The origin of the temple is as follows. Emperor Go-Toba was the one who later caused the Jokyu Rebellion and was exiled to Oki.…
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Philosopher’s Path (哲学の道)
Philosopher’s Path is a beautiful 2-kilometer walkway that connects Ginkakuji Temple and Nanzenji Temple. The name “Philosopher’s Path is not official one. The name is familiar because the surrounding scenery and serene atmosphere make it an ideal place for philosophical contemplation; it is named after the early 20th century philosopher, Kitaro Nishida, a professor at…
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Konkai Komyoji Temple (金戒光明寺)
Konkai Komyoji Temple is one of the seven head temples of the Jodo sect of Buddhism, and is said to have been built by Honen in 1175. At the end of the Edo period, this temple became the headquarters of the Aizu han (feudal domain), which was appointed as the guardian of Kyoto, and the…
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Adashino Nenbutsuji Temple (あだし野念仏寺)
Adashino Nenbutsuji Temple may be a very scarely temple. The Adashino Nenbutsuji Temple cemetery is a collection of about 8,000 unmarked small Buddha statues (graves) found in this area. They which line the path leading to the main hall. The area of Torii-moto, where the old streets still remain, was once called Adashino, one of…
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Anrakuji Temple (安楽寺)
Anrakuji Temple is a temple of the Jodo sect of Buddhism. In the Kamakura period (1185-1333) Two of Honen’s disciples, Juren and Anraku, built a hermitage as a place to practice Nembutsu (the recitation of the Lotus Sutra). Honen-in Temple near Ginkakuji Temple is said to have been built on the site of this hermitage.…