The rainstorm beating Mt. Koya had turned the trail to Shimbessho, the venue for the annual Precepts Ceremony, into a gushing stream of mud. A priest ahead of me splashed his way along the brook in toothed sandals called geta , while I found myself regretting my decision to come in sneakers, which were soaked. In spite of the rain, someone had taken the trouble to come and light a thick candle before a stone statue of Jizo, seated on a lotus.  After a slippery climb, the clus

Bishamonten (Sanskrit"Vaiśravaṇa") has been one of Japan's most popular deities since Buddhism's arrival in the 6th century. Dressed in a warrior's armor, he holds a spear in his right hand and a Stupa or "Treasure Tower" in his left.

An image of Kannon from the Chichibu Kannon Pilgrimage Route Kanzeon (more commonly Kannon), the Bodhisattva of Compassion, is the most-represented Buddha on the Henro, enshrined as the main deity at 29 of the pilgrimage's 88 main temples (over a third!). The Bodhisattva's name as rendered into Sino-Japanese means "The Perceiver of the World's Sounds," referring to the way the Bodhisattva lends a compassionate ear to us suffering in samsara. Whenever I hear this, I think of

The first deity we encounter on the pilgrimage is the one who started it all.

Last year, I put together an English shidai, a liturgical manual, and accompanying video to help non-Japanese people get a handle on the...

It'll be no secret to you that we live in tough economic times. So much of the discourse surrounding dāna or generosity centers on money,...

You walk through the gate and approach the main hall of a temple or shrine. Standing between you and the Buddha or Kami you see the...

"Guan-yin of the Southern Seas" at the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City Miracle Tales of Kannon (観音--”Sound Perceiver”), the Bodhisattva of Compassion, have been a constant feature of Japanese Buddhism since its first introduction to Japan from the Korean Peninsula and China. The Nihon Ryōiki , a 9th Century collection of Buddhist tales of karmic reward and retribution, features several Kannon stories. These always follow a familiar framework: someone in trouble ask