Rondom Thoughs In Idleness

My mother said I must not go to shinto shrines for 50 days from the day my grandmother died. This was first time to hear such custom. So I didn't go to Shinto shrine on New years day. However, it seems I can go to temples because we held a funeral in Buddhism. In Japan, it is often said Gods and Buddhas often fight withy each other. It is interesting and funny tradition.



Gods will get angry but Buddha never get angry. So to speak, Shinto is a paternal religion and Buddhism is a maternal religion. Shinto is strict about people's behave and Buddha regard people with gentle tolerance. However, punishment from Buddha is believed by people. There are many people don't believe Buddhism, at least on a superficial level, but I never seen people kick Buddha statue and rip amulets. Therefore I think everyone feels fear transcendental power.



I know people denied Buddha's supernatural power and burned Buddha statues. They regarded that Buddha statues are just materials. They were Zen monks. In Zen buddhism they thought attaching a great deal of importance to Buddha statues and other materials is obsession. In fact, the main Buddha statue of temple is enshrined at second most important place in the temple. The most important one is the president of resident priests. The greatest monk who got enlightenment in the temple is regarded as greater one than ideological Buddha.



I intend to visit to Kitain temple in Kawagoe city in this month. These years I undergo a purification ceremony in the temple. That is, I visit there to get Buddha's protection. Basically Buddhism is religion to get enlightenment, but we can pray to get protection because many other traditional cultures brought into Buddhism. Hinduism, Shintoism and so on. In Kitain, 不動明王(Fudoumyouou ) is. He scowlingly glares down people in order to chastise people's foul passion. People wish for traffic safety, safety of their family, safe delivery, better fortune and so on. I don't know how Fudoumyouou protects us. He just burn our foul passions. However, it is interesting because I don't know the why. Fudoumyouou was a God of War in India. He was bring into Buddhism and became a guardian of Buddhism, as I recall.



By the way, these days I read a book called "Epochs of Chinese and Japanese art". Anyone has read it? The English is not hard to understand. Anyway it is an interesting book. And It is a good sleeping drug. Sometimes the book fall onto my face.



I am in Osaka now. On friday, I will back to Tokorozawa. Because I couldn't do house cleaning end of last year, I have to do it. Main problem is Books. Although I could put music CDs in closet thanks to iPod and Mac, There is no room to install a bookshelf in my room anymore. Hmm.



Well, I want to eat broiled meat. But I have to sleep.



I took the photo at Hakodate.