linked to carpe diem haiku kai
This is a picture of the main gate to Honen-in, a temple of the Pure Land Buddhist sect. It is found in the Northeast corner of Kyoto, just off the Path of Philosophy. Its precincts are relatively small, but a precious, tranquil oasis.
pure land gateless gate
Nirvana on either side
hiding in the mist
Oh how beautiful to see the entrance to Honen-in again – this little temple was my favourite refuge on The Philosophers’ Way. I remember watching the monks for hours as they shaped and tended the sand platforms to the right and left of the inside of the gate. (I wish WordPress would make it possible to include an image in a comment… I have a stunner.)
And your haiku is so apropos – Nirvana hiding – yet in plain sight!
Thank you John.
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Isn’t this a wonderful place, Miriam Louisa? I always felt a deep tranquility when I enter through that wonderful thatched gate and saw the sand platforms. A dear friend of mine’s parent are buried in the graveyard there, and we would go together to wash the stone and light incense and say a prayer. I once asked her if the Kami understood English. She just shrugged.
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This is just precious. The picture, the words, the bold uncapitalised form. Love it!
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Thank you, Pia. I look forward to following your thoughts on your blog as well. I think it is cool, in a way, that you are I were born 60 years apart, and still share the wonder of being alive.
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Very true and very cool indeed! WordPress really expands my horizons as a writer and a person as I get to stumble upon different and wonderful people like you
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A really wonderful image, perfectly complemented by ‘Nirvana.. hiding in the mist’.
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Isn’t it interesting, Sue, that nirvana is hiding in plain sight. Someone once said that the secret of life is that there is really no secret. The mists are in the mind.
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Very true! Ah but how thickly those mists swirl about 🙂
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