NIHON NO BUKKYŌ: A SECOND LOOK

Credits to Club25Japan

Sensōji of Asakusa

Four years ago, I was in Tokyo for a student exchange program in Waseda University. I stayed for three weeks there. During the stay, I spent one of the weekends exploring Buddhist temples around Tokyo, including Sensōji of Asakusa, Kannonji of Ōfuna, Hasedera and Kōtokuin of Kamakura. To my surprise, the Buddhism culture in Japan was different from those in Malaysia. To go into a temple, one has to pay an entrance fee between ¥300 to ¥500. Not only that, instead of Buddhist monks, the abbot here are addressed as Buddhist priest. My curiosity intensified when I get to know that the Buddhist priests here are allowed to get married. It was unacceptable for me back then. As my time there was insufficient and with limitations in my Japanese proficiency, I did not get to know more about their culture background and details.

Kannonji of Ōfuna

Hasedera of Kamakura

Kōtokuin of Kamakura

Zōjōji of Tokyo

Four years later, thanks to the opportunity given by YBAM, I got the chance to develop more understanding towards Buddhism practices and cultures in Japan. This time, I revisited Tokyo as a participant of the Malaysia-Japan Buddhist Youth Exchange Program. Our first stop was the Zōjōji of Tokyo. Zōjōji is a Japanese Buddhist temple under the Jōdoshū sect. There, we met the committees of Japanese Youth Buddhist Association (JYBA), the president of World Fellowship of Buddhist Youth (WFBY), Rev. Hakuga Murayama and other participants of the program residing in Japan. During the briefing by Rev. Yoshiharu Tomatsu, I finally clear of my doubts about the eligibility of Buddhist priests to get married back then. It all started during the Kamakura period (1192 – 1333 A.D.) when Shinran of the Jōdo Shinshū, where he totally abandoned the monks precepts and get himself married, calling himself the most wicked man in the world, with the intention to make himself identified as no difference with ordinary people in order to save his wretched self and pave way to relieve other peoples’ suffering (Matsunami, 2008). We were given an informative booklet of “A Guide to Japanese Buddhism” that explores in-depth the cultures of Japanese Buddhism. Beside Zōjōji, we also visited Tsukiji Honganji in Tsukiji, Kuhonji Kodomoen, Sensyōji and Iōhji in Iwaki, Fukushima. Despite their significant difference in culture compared to Buddhism in Malaysia, there are some values and practices there which I really admired and appreciated.

Tsukiji Honganji

Group photo at Iōhji in Iwaki

Meticulous

Many find that being meticulous is troublesome and inconvenient. To them, being meticulous is something habitual and has been embedded in them since childhood. In fact, being meticulous in doing things trains them to be much more patient, attentive and mindful, hence minimizing unnecessary flaws and mistakes which might be more troublesome, time-wasting and painstaking if done. It would be good if such attitude were implied while organising Buddhist activities.

Respect

During our trip in Japan, we were being treated as guests more than as exchange program participants. Fortunately, we did not take things granted. At many times, we tried our best to minimize their troubles in treating us. We also noticed that how they respect their elders through speech and actions. This had made me recall on how some Buddhist youths nowadays are being so ignorant and disrespectful while speaking to the elders and even unappreciative while inviting speakers to give Dhamma sharing in their respective premises. I felt that more education needs to be done to instil the attitude of respect in them.

Responsible

There was one accident where the van that carried us slipped due to the slippery slanting road and the tyre’s bad thread condition. Our luggage was inside the van. Instead of delaying our program schedule, they made quick response by assigning us to other cars and proceed with the next program, guaranteeing that our luggage will be delivered to us or else they will compensate for the loss. Fortunately, the van was saved and resume its operation. Another occasion that touches me is during our bus trip from Iwaki back to Tokyo. One of the program committee, Honda-san, tirelessly go through and review his script and translations repeatedly to ensure that the messages are conveyed effectively. I even personally praised him for his hard work and thank him for his tireless effort.

Rev. Murakami patiently preparing for kōdō

Besides just visiting, we also have the opportunity to experience the Jōdo Shinshū’s morning chanting in Tsukiji Honganji; oryōki (mindful eating), ancestor service, lantern service, zazen (seating meditation), shodō (Japanese calligraphy), chadō (tea ceremony) and kōdō (art of appreciating incense) in Iōhji. It was indeed an extraordinary experience, especially kōdō, where the abbot of Iōhji, Rev. Tokue Murakami conduct it as a game.

Here, I would like to express my gratitude to YBAM, WFBY and JYBA for making this exchange program possible, especially Kikuchi-san and Honda-san who had constantly took care of us. Not to mentioned, our Japanese counterparts: Masashi-san, Shinjo-san, Moeka-san, Yusei-san, Fumiya-san, Ryushin-san and Mei Mei for making this experience a memorable one. If there’s chance, we shall welcome you to Malaysia.