The Reclining Buddha in Sasaguri
We made a family day trip over the weekend to visit the sacred town of Sasaguri in Fukuoka prefecture.
The center of attraction was this giant bronze reclining Buddha. It was constructed in recent times, funded greatly in part by a lottery winner wanting to give back to his community. It may not have the history that the Great Buddhas of Kamakura and Nara do, but it surpassed them in size to become the largest bronze Buddha in the world.
Other Great Buddhas have a look of inner contemplation, but this one looks more relaxed than meditating.
For the sum of 500 yen, you could write a wish on a wooden strip and enter the Buddha, where the wish would later be prayed for by a priest and then burned.
Sasagari has a famous pilgrimage circuit of 88 temples, a journey that lasts 3 days. Inside the Buddha there are 88 stepping stones--1 taken from each temple on the circuit. If you step on these stones one by one, you will receive the same blessings as someone who completes the temple expedition. (I bet you can't guess which way I chose to receive the blessings.)
The Buddha's bare feet were no treat for the nose (kidding, of course).
Hundreds of these little statues were scattered around the base of the Buddha and its grounds.
There were also 365 of the cylinders in front of the giant bronze statue--1 for each day of the year.
Now that's what I call curly hair!
This is a replica of one of the Buddha's curls. Jared pointed out that it looks like how piles of poo are depicted in Japan.
What do you think?
There were plenty of waterfalls, koi, and caves nearby.
If Buddha isn't your thing, you can also see statues of other Japanese dieties. This one, En no Gyouja, I recognized from when I visited Nara. He is a holy mountain ascetic with magical powers. You can identify him by his hood, staff, scroll, single-support geta (wooden sandals), seated position, and the two flanking oni (demons).
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Yes, this is my finger. By now, you know why that creature is on it. But do you know what that creature is? Go to you-know-where (HERE) to find out!
The center of attraction was this giant bronze reclining Buddha. It was constructed in recent times, funded greatly in part by a lottery winner wanting to give back to his community. It may not have the history that the Great Buddhas of Kamakura and Nara do, but it surpassed them in size to become the largest bronze Buddha in the world.
Other Great Buddhas have a look of inner contemplation, but this one looks more relaxed than meditating.For the sum of 500 yen, you could write a wish on a wooden strip and enter the Buddha, where the wish would later be prayed for by a priest and then burned.
Sasagari has a famous pilgrimage circuit of 88 temples, a journey that lasts 3 days. Inside the Buddha there are 88 stepping stones--1 taken from each temple on the circuit. If you step on these stones one by one, you will receive the same blessings as someone who completes the temple expedition. (I bet you can't guess which way I chose to receive the blessings.)
The Buddha's bare feet were no treat for the nose (kidding, of course).
Hundreds of these little statues were scattered around the base of the Buddha and its grounds.
There were also 365 of the cylinders in front of the giant bronze statue--1 for each day of the year.
Now that's what I call curly hair!
This is a replica of one of the Buddha's curls. Jared pointed out that it looks like how piles of poo are depicted in Japan.
What do you think?
There were plenty of waterfalls, koi, and caves nearby.
If Buddha isn't your thing, you can also see statues of other Japanese dieties. This one, En no Gyouja, I recognized from when I visited Nara. He is a holy mountain ascetic with magical powers. You can identify him by his hood, staff, scroll, single-support geta (wooden sandals), seated position, and the two flanking oni (demons).-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yes, this is my finger. By now, you know why that creature is on it. But do you know what that creature is? Go to you-know-where (HERE) to find out!
:
looks awesome i love buddhas... how do i get there??
Thats one big buddha!
You actually found a picture depicting a pile of poo?
Beck: I drove, so I'm not sure how to get there by train. It's east of Fukuoka city, and I believe there's a Sasaguri JR station. Maybe you can walk from there?
Speaka: Yep.
Killdeer: Surely you saw an abundance of depictions of poo while you were in Japan!
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