Buddhist Temples In Japan
Along with Shinto shrines, Buddhist temples are the most numerous, famous and important religious buildings in Japan. The Japanese word for a Buddhist temple is tera (寺?), and the same kanji also has the pronunciation ji, so temple names often end with -ji or -dera. There is also another ending, -in (院?, normally used for minor temples). Famous temples as Enryaku-ji, Kiyomizu-dera, and Kōtoku-in illustrate the naming patterns.
As in the case of a Shinto shrine, a Buddhist temple is not primarily a place of worship: its most important buildings are used for the safekeeping of sacred objects, and are not accessible to worshipers. There are specialized buildings for certain rites, but these are usually open only to a limited number of participants. Religious mass gatherings in the style of Christian churches do not take place with regularity and are not held inside the temple. If many people are involved in a ceremony, it will assume a festive character and will be held outdoors.
Read more about Buddhist Temples In Japan: Buddhist and Shinto Structures, Common Temple Features, Temple Names, Gallery
Famous quotes containing the words temples and/or japan:
“This city now doth, like a garment, wear
The beauty of the morning; silent bare,
Ships, towers, domes, theatres and temples lie
Open unto the fields and to the sky;
All bright and glittering in the smokeless air.”
—William Wordsworth (1770–1850)
“I do not know that the United States can save civilization but at least by our example we can make people think and give them the opportunity of saving themselves. The trouble is that the people of Germany, Italy and Japan are not given the privilege of thinking.”
—Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945)