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Honen-in Review

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Honen-in

Fodor's Review:

Bamboo surrounds this tranquil temple and thatched-roof gate set against a mountain backdrop. Two long mounds of sand flanking the path are raked daily; the patterns on the left indicate the seasons, whereas the right mound is usually raked to represent waves (water symbolizes impermanence). The temple was built in 1680 on a site that in the 13th century simply consisted of an open-air Amida Buddha statue. Honen-in honors the priest Honen (1133-1212), the founder of the Jodo sect, who brought Buddhism down from its lofty peak to the common folk by making the radical claim that all were equal in the eyes of Buddha. His ideas threatened other sects, especially the Tendai. The established Buddhist powers pressured then-emperor Gotoba to diminish Honen's influence over the masses. At about the same time, two of the emperor's concubines became nuns after hearing some of Honen's disciples, including Junsai, reputedly the handsomest monk in Japan, preaching. The incident provided Gotoba with an excuse to decry the Jodo sect as immoral, with the charge that its priests were seducing noblewomen. Emperor Gotoba had Junsai and three other Honen disciples publicly beheaded and sent Honen into exile. Eventually, in 1211, Honen was pardoned and permitted to return to Kyoto, where a year later, at Chion-in, he fasted to death at the age of 79.

In the first week of April and all of November, the Hon-do (Main Hall) is open, since this is a training monastery. Every morning, here, in front of the Amida statue, monks place 25 flowers, representing the 25 bodhisattvas who accompany the Amida Buddha to receive the souls of the newly deceased. From the Path of Philosophy, at the first large bridge as you walk south, turn off the path and take the road east.

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