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Shrine of Patriarchs (Soshido 祖師堂), Manpukuji (萬福寺)

From the Ground Up: Buddhism & East Asian Religions (FROGBEAR Project)

The Shrine of Patriarchs (Soshido 祖師堂), in Manpuku-ji Temple (萬福寺), an Ōbaku 黄檗 Zen temple in Uji 宇治, Kyoto prefecture 京都府, Japan. It is part of the complex north to the central axis, next to the Hall of Drums (Tsuzumiro 鼓樓). Right to the front door is a board of the temple patriarch lineage (Image 11, Image 12, Image 13, and Image 14 ). Photos show the central plaque and the couplet at the gate (Image 01 and Image 05). The right side of the couplet reads, "The young one's reputation endures, with thousands of branches vying for excellence (少室流芳奕葉千枝競秀 shaoshi liufang yiye qianzhi jingxiu)" (Image 03). The left side of the couplet reads, "The lamp of wisdom continues to burn, illuminating the ancestral hall for eternity (慧燈續燄祖庭萬古騰輝 huideng xuyan zuting wangu tenghui)" (Image 04 and Image 06). The hall east to it is the Buddha-Selection Hall (Xuan fo chang 選佛場) (Image 15). This is the practional hall for the temple. Photos of the gate show the plaque (Image 17, Image 18 and Image 19) and the couplet. The right side of the couplet reads, "Choosing the Buddhist path, opening up to the madness of men (選佛門開直接風癲漢子 xuan fomen kai zhijie fengdian hanzi)" (Image 22). The left side of the couplet reads "Brightly discerning the demon's eye, realizing the transcendent state of the supreme person (辯魔眼正頓超無位真人 bianmo yanzheng dunchao wuwei zhenren)" (Image 16). The inner hall of the Buddha-Selection Hall enshrines a statue of Avalokitesvara (jp. Kannon, ch. Guanyin 觀音) (Image 28). The set of couplet surrounding the statues reads "The precious throne reigns for a thousand autumns, marvelous indeed, and every gate manifests its great significance (寶座鎮千秋妙矣門門彰大用 baozuo zhen qianqiu miaoyi menmen zhang dayong)" (Image 31) and "With a compassionate countenance, dignified and full of blessings, how wondrous it is to completely realize perfect enlightenment at every moment (慈容嚴萬福奇哉剎剎盡圓通 cirong yanwanfu qizai chacha jinyuantong)" (Image 32). The couplet in front of the practional platform reads "The ignorant protagonist awakens his eyes to discern the sun and the moon (懵懂主人翁喚醒眼睛明日月 mengdong zhurenwen huanxing yanjing riyue)" (Image 30) and "With a belt on the head, he overturns the nostrils, roaring like wind and thunder (頭頂皮帶子打翻鼻孔吼風雷 touding pidaizi dafan bikong houfenglei)" (Image 29).

Uji-shi (Japan); Kyoto (Japan); 34.9141799; 135.8071877

chi; jpn

Cluster 1.5: Extended Textual Communities

Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library

10.14288/1.0438449

Non UBC

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