Photography | “Site or Sight” | Sandi’s October Prompt
Unsightly Burial Sites Cited in Scripture
October Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Site or Sight”
Imagine the sight of Buddhist monks and followers practicing nenbutsu (nen-boo-tsu), a ritual recitation, a form of prayer for one’s rebirth in paradise — which this site may be trying to emulate. Adashino Nenbutsuji is an ancient temple located in the mountains of Okusaga, near my home in Saga-Arashiyama in western Kyoto.
The place has served as a burial and memorial site since ancient times, and the name of the area itself carries the meaning of transience. Kukai (774–835), the founder of the Shingon school of Buddhism, established a temple in the area about 1,200 years ago to pray for the souls of the people buried there.
Sai no Kawara, a dedicated space of approximately 8,000 stone graves, is adjacent to prayer halls and statues, a grand Indian-style stupa (Sanskrit word for burial mound). Among the various annual rites held at the temple is a ceremony in late August when thousands of candles are lit among the grave markers.
Source: Japan Tourism Agency website