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Eihei-ji

Coordinates:36°3′11″N136°21′20″E/ 36.05306°N 136.35556°E/36.05306; 136.35556
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"Eiheiji" redirects here. For the town, seeEiheiji, Fukui.
Eihei-ji
Vĩnh bình tự
Religion
AffiliationEihei-jiSōtō
DeityShaka Nyorai(Śākyamuni)
Miroku Butsu(Maitreya)
Amida Nyorai(Amitābha)
StatusHead Temple
Location
Location5-15 Shihi,Eiheiji-chō,Yoshida District,Fukui Prefecture
CountryJapan
Eihei-ji is located in Japan
Eihei-ji
Shown within Japan
Geographic coordinates36°3′11″N136°21′20″E/ 36.05306°N 136.35556°E/36.05306; 136.35556
Architecture
FounderDōgenandHatano Yoshishige
Completed1244

Eihei-ji(Vĩnh bình tự)is one of two main temples of theSōtōschool ofZenBuddhism,the largest single religious denomination in Japan (by number of temples in a single legal entity).[1]Eihei-ji is located about 15 km (9 mi) east ofFukuiinFukui Prefecture,Japan. In English, its name means "temple of eternal peace" (in Japanese, 'ei' means "eternal", 'hei' means "peaceful", and 'ji' means "Buddhist temple" ).[2][3]

Its founder wasEihei Dōgenwho brought Sōtō Zen from China to Japan during the 13th century. The ashes of Dōgen and a memorial to him are in theJōyōden(the Founder's Hall) at Eihei-ji.William BodifordofUCLAwrites that, "The rural monastery Eiheiji in particular aggrandized Dōgen to bolster its own authorityvis-à-visits institutional rivals within the Sōtō denomination. "[1]

Eihei-ji is a training monastery with more than two hundred monks and nuns in residence. As of 2003, Eihei-ji had 800,000 visitors per year, less than half the number of tourists who came ten years before. Visitors with Zen experience may participate after making prior arrangements and all visitors are treated as religious trainees.

In keeping with Zen'sMahayanatradition, the iconography in various buildings is an array of potential confusion for newcomers:[4]at theSanmonare four kings standing guard namedShitenno;the Buddha hall's main altar has three statues of Buddhaspast,presentandfuture;theHattodisplaysKannonthebodhisattvaof compassion, and four white lions (called thea-un noshishi); theYokushitsuhasBaddabara;theSanshokakuhas a statue ofHotei;and theTosudisplaysUcchusma.[5]

History

[edit]
Dōgenfounded the temple in 1244.

Dōgen founded Eihei-ji in 1244 with the nameSanshoho Daibutsujiin the woods of rural Japan, quite far from the distractions ofKamakura periodurban life. He appointed a successor, but sometime after his death the abbacy of Eihei-ji became hotly disputed, a schism now called thesandai sōron.Until 1468, Eihei-ji was not held by the currentKeizanline of Sōtō, but by the line of Dōgen's Chinese discipleJakuen.[6]After 1468, when the Keizan line took ownership of Eihei-ji in addition to its major templeSōji-jiand others, Jakuen's line and other alternate lines became less prominent.

As Eihei-ji and Sōji-ji became rivals over the centuries, Eihei-ji made claims based on the fact of Dōgen's original residence there. William Bodiford of UCLA wrote:

"Dōgen's memory has helped keep Eihei-ji financially secure, in good repair, and filled with monks and lay pilgrims who look to Dōgen for religious inspiration. Eiheiji has become Dōgen's place, the temple where Dōgen is remembered, where Dōgen's Zen is practiced, where Dōgen'sShōbōgenzōis published, where it is read, and where one goes to learn Dōgen's Buddhism. As we remember Dōgen, we should also remember that remembrance is not value neutral.... "[1]

The entire temple was destroyed by fire several times. During the late 16th century, disciples ofIkkō-shūattacked and burned the temple and surrounding buildings.[7]Its oldest standing structure dates from 1794.

Physical layout

[edit]
The original of this map of Eihei-ji took a priest in Aichi Prefecture 4.5 years to paint.

Today the temple grounds cover about 330,000 m2(0.13 sq mi).[8]TheButsuden(Buddha hall) main altar carries statues of the Buddhas of the Three Times: right to left,AmidaButsu (past),ShakyamuniButsu (present), andMirokuBosatsu (future).[9]

Among the temple's 70 structures[8]are theSanmon(gate),Hatto(lecture hall),Sōdo(Priest's or meditation hall),Daiku-in(kitchen, three stories and a basement),[9]Yokushitsu(bath) andTosu(toilet, Dōgen'sShōbōgenzōincludes a chapter on manners appropriate for the toilet. Most of his rules are still followed today[9]).[10]TheShōrō(belfry) holds theobon sho,the great brahman bell. TheShidoden(Memorial Hall) contains thousands of tablets for deceased laypersons. TheJoyoden(Founders hall) contains the ashes of Dōgen and his successors.[9]Here, images of the deceased are served food daily like they are living teachers. TheKichijokaku(visitor's center) is a large four-story modern building for lay persons, with kitchen, bath, sleeping rooms and a hall for zazen.[9]

The bronze temple bell dates to 1327 and is anImportant Cultural Property.[11][12]TheSanmonandCentral Gatedate from the 1794 rebuilding and arePrefectural Cultural Properties.[13][14]A number of important manuscripts belong to the temple, including theNational TreasureUniversally Recommended Instructions forZazen,by temple founderDōgen(1233);[15]teachings he brought back fromSongChina (1227);[16]and a record of a subsidy for the earlier Sanmon in the hand ofEmperor Go-En'yū(1372).[17]

Spread over a hillside, the complex is surrounded bycedartrees, some 100 feet (30 m) tall and as old as the temple.[18]It is surrounded by bright greenmoss-covered boulders, andJapanese maplesthat turn red and gold during autumn.[19]

Training

[edit]
Universally Recommended Instructions forZazen,byDōgen,founder of Eihei-ji; 1233;National Treasure

Today, Eihei-ji is the main training temple of Sōtō Zen. The standard training for a priest in Eihei-ji is from three months to a two-year period of practice. It is in communion with all Japanese Soto Zen temples, and some temples in America, including theSan Francisco Zen Center.

Fukuyama TaihoZenjiis the head priest or abbot, who oversees trainees at Eihei-ji, and also serves as the head priest of Sotoshu (the Sōtō school of Zen) for two years beginning late January 2012. Head priests at Eihei-ji and Sōji-ji alternate terms leading Sotoshu. Fukuyama Zenji is serving his second term (his first term was from January 2008 to January 2010).[20]

About two hundred or two hundred fifty[8]priests and nuns[18]in training are in residence.[3]A singletatami,a 1 metre (3.3 ft) by 2 metres (6.6 ft) mat laid in rows on a raised platform called atanin a common room, is provided for each trainee to eat, sleep, and meditate on.[18]

The monks start their day at 3:30 a.m., or one hour later during winter, when they dozazenand read and chantsutras.Breakfast is a bowl ofrice gruelwithpickles.[21]Then they do chores: clean, weed and, if needed, shovel snow. The floors and corridors have been polished smooth by daily cleaning for hundreds of years.[21]Then they read and chant again. Dinner at 5 p.m. is meagre and ritualized: the position of the bowl and utensils is observed. Zazen or a lecture follows before bed at 9 p.m.[18]The trainees shave each other's heads and take a bath every five days[19](every time the date contains a 4 or 9).[9]

Monk afterzuise,abbot for a day:. The monk isDennis Merzel.

Eihei-ji has sought, since medieval times, a source of income by soliciting monks to purchase honorary titles.[1]Monks may progress through fourhōkai(dharma ranks) with some time requirements of months or years between ranks. The final step in becoming a priest iszuisewhich means becomingichiya-no-jūshoku(abbot for one night) at both head temples (Eihei-ji and Sōji-ji).Zuiseentails paying each temple 50,000 yen (about $605 as of April 2012) for the ceremony (and about $50 to the official photographer). A monk receives an honorary meal and a bag of souvenirs at Eihei-ji and then, within one month, repeats the ceremony at Sōji-ji. The monk is then considered anoshō(priest and teacher).[22]

Tourism

[edit]
Ichijōdani Asakura Family Historic Ruins

Visitors must dress modestly and keep silent. They may attend one to three day meditation retreats for a fee.[18]Each visitor receives a list of rules, for example photography of the priests-in-training is prohibited.[2]More than one million visitors used to pass through the gates of Eihei-ji,[8]but as of 2003 only 800,000 came, a period in which the train service from Fukui to nearbyEiheijiguchi Stationwas temporarily halted.[19]

A memorial service, a major source of revenue for Eihei-ji,[1]has been held every fifty years since the 16th century on the anniversary of DōgenZenji's entering nirvana. For example, in 1752 about 23,700 monks attended, which raised enough money to rebuild the main gate.[1]Groups from all over the world including a group from San Francisco formed to make a pilgrimage to Eihei-ji for the 750th anniversary in 2002.[23]

In 1905, Eihei-ji held its first conference calledGenzō eon DōgenZenji'sShōbōgenzō.It succeeded in attracting so many interested parties that it became an annual event. Monks and laypersons, along with academic and popular writers can attend workshops each year.[1]

TheIchijōdani Asakura Family Historic Ruinsand museum are about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from Fukui and are reachable from the temple. Five generations of theAsakuradaimyōclan lived there until 1573, when the town was razed byOda Nobunagaloyalists.[8]

Denuclearization

[edit]

Following the2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami,according toReligious Dispatchesmagazine, Eihei-ji "mobilized clergy to accompany members of its volunteer organization Shanti International Association who will travel to northeastern Japan to aid in relief efforts".[24]

Then in November 2011, priests at Eihei-ji held a symposium for 300 people calledCherish Our Lives: The Way of Living that We don't Choose Nuclear Power Generationon the subject ofdenuclearization.Two reactors in Fukui Prefecture were given the names of bodhisattvas:Monju Nuclear Power PlantandFugen Nuclear Power Plant.The chairman of thePower Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporationhad apparently misunderstood upon visiting the temple. When he told the abbot the proposed names, theZenjihad replied, "That's nice." After the symposium, a priest explained, "We have realized that the nuclear power generation goes against life on the earth."[25]

[edit]
  • Hatto (Dharma hall)
    Hatto(Dharma hall)
  • Shidoden (Memorial Hall)
    Shidoden(Memorial Hall)
  • Yokushitsu (bath)
    Yokushitsu(bath)
  • One of the covered corridors
    One of the covered corridors
  • The main entrance
    The main entrance
  • Sakamon Gate
    Sakamon Gate
  • A stream flowing beside Eiheiji
    A stream flowing beside Eiheiji

Branches

[edit]
Japan
  • Chōkoku-ji ( trường cốc tự ), also known as the Eihei-ji Tokyo Betsuin ( vĩnh bình tự đông kinh biệt viện ), inTokyo.
  • Chuō-ji ( trung ương tự ), also known as the Eihei-ji Sapporo Betsuin ( vĩnh bình tự trát hoảng biệt viện ), inSapporo.
  • Taianden-gokoku-in ( thái an điện hộ quốc viện ), also known as the Eihei-ji Nagoya Betsuin ( vĩnh bình tự danh cổ ốc biệt viện ), inNagoya.
  • Shōryū-ji ( thiệu long tự ), also known as the Eihei-ji Kagoshima Shutchōjo ( vĩnh bình tự lộc nhi đảo xuất trương sở ), inKagoshima.
U.S.A

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^abcdefgBodiford, William M. (2006)."Remembering Dogen: Eiheiji and Dogen Hagiography".The Journal of Japanese Studies.32(1). Society for Japanese Studies, University of Washington: 1–21.doi:10.1353/jjs.2006.0003.S2CID144431743.
  2. ^ab"Eiheiji".EiheijiKankoubussankyoukai.RetrievedMarch 29,2012.
  3. ^ab"Head Temple Eiheiji".SotoZen-Net.RetrievedMarch 29,2012.
  4. ^Confusion explained in:Sjoquist, Douglas P. (Winter 1999)."Identifying Buddhist Images in Japanese Painting and Sculpture".Education About Asia.4(3). Association for Asian Studies.
  5. ^Sanmon,Butsuden,Hatto,Sodo,Yokusitsu,SanshokakuandTosuin:Greve, Gabi (February 1, 2005)."Daruma Pilgrims in Japan".Blogspot.RetrievedApril 1,2012.
  6. ^William M. Bodiford.Sōtō Zen in Medieval Japan.University of Hawaii Press, 1993.
  7. ^"Eiheiji Temple".Japan Travel Online.Kintetsu International.RetrievedMarch 29,2012.
  8. ^abcde"Japan Heritage Eiheiji: For a few bucks, you too can try for enlightenment".The Asahi Shimbun. Archived fromthe originalon October 20, 2012.RetrievedMarch 29,2012.
  9. ^abcdefGreve, Gabi (February 1, 2005)."Daruma Pilgrims in Japan".Blogspot.RetrievedMarch 30,2012.
  10. ^"Eiheiji Temple".Japan-i. Archived fromthe originalon November 19, 2011.RetrievedMarch 30,2012.
  11. ^Đồng chung[Bronze bell] (in Japanese).Fukui Prefecture.Retrieved4 April2012.
  12. ^Đồng chung[Bronze bell] (in Japanese).Agency for Cultural Affairs.Retrieved4 April2012.
  13. ^Vĩnh bình tự sơn môn[Eiheiji Sanmon] (in Japanese).Fukui Prefecture.Retrieved4 April2012.
  14. ^Vĩnh bình tự trung tước môn[Eiheiji Central Gate] (in Japanese).Fukui Prefecture.Retrieved4 April2012.
  15. ^Phổ khuyên tọa thiền nghi[Universally Recommended Instructions for Zazen] (in Japanese).Fukui Prefecture.Retrieved4 April2012.
  16. ^Chỉ bổn mặc thư cao tổ tự thư[Writing in black ink on paper - certificated by the master] (in Japanese).Fukui Prefecture.Retrieved4 April2012.
  17. ^Chỉ bổn mặc thư hậu viên dung viện thần hàn[Writing in black ink on paper - in the hand of Emperor Go-En'yū] (in Japanese).Fukui Prefecture.Retrieved4 April2012.
  18. ^abcde"Eihei-ji".Fodor's.Random House.RetrievedMarch 30,2012.
  19. ^abcWillis. Bill (February 23, 2003)."Austere monks in a lavish monastery".The Japan Times.RetrievedMarch 31,2012.
  20. ^"Fukuyama Taiho Zenji, Head Priest of Daihonzan Eiheiji, Appointed Head Priest of Sotoshu".SotoZen-Net. Archived fromthe originalon July 11, 2012.RetrievedMarch 31,2012.
  21. ^abZumwalt, James P., Deputy Chief of Mission (January 21, 2011)."Copying Sutras at Eiheiji Temple".US Department of State.RetrievedMarch 30,2012.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  22. ^"What does it take to become a full-fledged Soto-shu priest and is it really worth the whole deal?".Antaiji.RetrievedMarch 30,2012.
  23. ^"Soto Zen Education Center Activity Schedule".Dharma Eye(10). SotoZen-Net. May 2002.RetrievedMarch 30,2012.
  24. ^McLaughlin, Levi (March 17, 2011)."Tokyo Governor Says Tsunami is Divine Punishment—Religious Groups Ignore Him".Religion Dispatches.RetrievedMarch 31,2012.
  25. ^Moshimoshimo."Buddhist Monks at Eiheiji Temple Raise an Alarm over Nuclear Power: Cherish Our Lives – The way of living that we don't choose nuclear power generation".Wordpress.RetrievedMarch 31,2012.
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