EIKAN-DO ZENRIN-JI TEMPLE
Eikan-do Zenrin-ji Temple Kyoto - Eikan-do
Zenrin-ji Temple is famous for its fall (autumn) foliage and for its
prominence in the past as a center of learning.
Eikan-do Zenrin-ji Temple (永観堂禅林寺) is the head temple for
Japan's Jōdo shū (Pure Land) Buddhist sect, located in the town of Eikandō,
in Kyoto's Sakyō-ku. It was founded by Shinshō, a
pupil of Kūkai. Eikan-do Zenrin-ji Temple is not formally one of the temples
along Kyoto's Philosopher's Walk,
it is part of the extended path on the way to
Nanzenji Temple.
The temple is commonly referred to as either just "Eikan-dō" (永観堂, "View of
Eternity Hall" or "Hall of Yōkan") or "Zenrin-ji" (禅林寺, "Temple of Forest of
Zen"). However, it also has two other names. "Shōju-raigō-san" (聖衆来迎山)
translates roughly to "Mountain of going across to the saints", while "Muryōsu-in"
(無量寿院) means roughly "Temple of Immeasurable Fortune".
Eikan-do Zenrin-ji Temple
Zenrin-ji Temple Grounds
The Zenrin-ji compound is nestled in Kyoto's Eastern
Mountain (Higashiyama), and its buildings, most of them connected by covered
walkways and staircases, are scattered among a range of heights.
Main gate - the Kōrai-mon (高麗門) is named after the ancient Korean kingdom of
Goguryeo (Kōrai in Japanese). The current structure dates from the late Edo
period (mid-19th c.).
Inner gate - the Yakui-mon (薬医門), along with the Kōrai-mon, derive from the
fortress gates that would have surrounded the aristocratic mansion before it
became a temple. Their placement and architecture are said to still reflect
these origins today. The current structure dates to 1744.
Founder's Hall (御影堂, Goedō) - enshrines and honors Hōnen, the founder of
Jōdo shū. The current structure was completed in 1912, and is larger than
the Amida Hall.
Amida Hall (阿弥陀堂, Amida-dō) - the famous Amida statue which is the central
object of worship for the temple, is enshrined here. The hall is seated
higher on the mountain than the Founder's Hall; the current structure was
built at the beginning of the 17th century.
Treasure Tower/Pagoda (多宝塔, Tahōtō) - the temple's pagoda is situated at the
highest point in the compound, and offers the greatest view of the scenery.
The current structure was completed in 1928.
Zen Chief Priests' Chamber (方丈, Hōjō) - despite Zenrin-ji's name, it is not
a temple of Zen Buddhism; nevertheless, the compound includes this priests'
chamber in the Zen style. Its construction is said to have been ordered by
Emperor Go-Kashiwabara (r. 1500-1526), but was not built until the Edo
period.
Eikan-do Zenrin-ji Temple
Zenrin-ji Temple Treasures
In addition to the famous Amida statue, which is
designated an Important Cultural Property by the Japanese government, there
are a great many cultural treasures stored in Zenrin-ji's Tahōtō. These
primary consist of paintings of a variety of Buddhist subjects, including
images of Amida, Shakyamuni, Yakushi nyōrai, and the Parinirvana of the
Buddha. Paintings by Kanō Motonobu, Tosa Mitsunobu, and Hasegawa Tōhaku are
also kept by the temple.
The wooden Amida statue is 77 cm in height, and though for a long time
believed to date from the Kamakura period (1185-1333), is now thought to
have been carved somewhat earlier in the 12th century (Heian period,
794-1185). This change in dating came about with the comparison to Song
dynasty (960-1279) sculptures in Sichuan Province which show strong
similarities in style. Zenrin-ji's Amida statue was formally named an
Important Cultural Property in 1999.
Eikan-do Zenrin-ji Temple
Zenrin-ji Temple History
The temple got its start when Kūkai's pupil, the monk
Shinshō, aspired to found a temple for the worship of the Gochi Nyōrai, or
Five Wisdom Buddhas. In 853, he purchased the mansion of Fujiwara no Sekio
for this purpose. The construction of temples was forbidden in Kyoto at the
time, however, and so it was not until ten years later, when formal Imperial
approval was granted by Emperor Seiwa, that the Zenrin-ji was formally
founded.
Though originally devoted to the Shingon sect, beginning in the time of
Yōkan (永観, 1033-1111), the seventh head monk, the temple began to shift
towards Jōdo shū, a sect formally established roughly a century later in
1175. Yōkan had trained in a number of temples of different discplines in
Nara, and was a passionate devotee of the Amida Buddha. In 1072, he
established a Yakuō-in (薬王院) on the grounds, which organized giving to the
needy and caring for the ill. He also introduced the practice of Nenbutsu, a
Chinese practice which was quite new in Japan, into the temple, and
cultivated its observance among the monks and devotees.
Zenrin-ji has grown famous for its unusual statue of the Amida Buddha, which
looks over its shoulder, rather than straight ahead. According to tradition,
at one point in 1082, when Yōkan was fifty, he and a number of monks were
practicing a ritual, walking around the statue and reciting sutras when the
statue of Amida came to life and stepped down from its dais. Yōkan halted
the ritual in surprise; the Buddha looked over its shoulder at the monk, and
said something to him. Ever since then, goes the story, the posture of this
statue has remained in that position. Alternate versions of the story
involve the Buddha joining the monks in a ritual dance.
The twelfth head of the temple, Jōhen (1166-1224), originally a Shingon monk
like the rest at Zenrin-ji, was a disciple of Hōnen, one of the founders of
Jōdo shū; Jōhen was thus the first head of Zenrin-ji to be a formal devotee
of this emerging sect. He was succeeded as head monk by Shōkū (1177-1247),
and it was under Shōkū's successor, Shōon (1201-1271), that the temple
formally became devoted to Jōdo shū.
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(Article based on
Wikipedia article and used under the
GNU Free Documentation License)
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