Daitoku-ji,+Kyoto+(general+discussion)

= = ==**Daitokuji Temple 大徳寺 (Laura Thomas) **== = = Daitoku-ji is the head temple of the Daitoku school of the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism. It was founded in 1319, but was destroyed by a fire and was rebuilt in the 16th century. This vast temple complex has 24 subtemples forming what resembles a small village. It is one of the largest Zen temples in Japan.

**History**
Daitoku-ji was established in 1319 by Shohomyocho, also known as Daitokokushi (1282 -1337). After its construction in the 14th century, the temple was frequented by Emperor Go-Daigo and its mountain was counted as one of the five sacred mountains. After the Ashikaga shogunate was established, however, it was removed from the list and the shogunate chose to ignore it in favor of temples that had not openly opposed them.

The monks of Daitoku-ji accordingly decided to stay away from meddling in politics and to focus on Zen practices. But during the Onin War (civil war in the central Kyōto region of Japan 1467-1477) some of its temples were burned down. The temple was subsequently rebuilt by rich merchants of Sakai, Osaka. After the Ashikaga shogunate fell, many daimyo (Japanese feudal lords who dominated Japan from the 12th to the 19th century) donated and supported Daitokuji. Many of Daitokuji's temples were constructed before and in the early Edo period. The first of the three gates was constructed in 1526.

Ikkyu and Sen no Rikyu are two of many famous people who had been influenced by Daitokuji. Ikkyu (1394-1481) is one of the most significant (and eccentric) figures in Zen history. A Zen monk-poet-calligrapher-musician, he dared to write about the joys of erotic love, along with more traditional Zen themes. He was an eccentric and genius who dared to defy authority and despised corruption. Although he lived during times plagued by war, famine, rioting, and religious upheaval, his writing and music prevailed, influencing Japanese culture to this day. In fact, there is an animated TV show in Japan based on his life.

Sen no Rikyū is considered the historical figure with the most profound influence on chanoyu, the Japanese "Way of Tea", particularly the tradition of [|wabi-cha] which emphasizes simplicity. Legend has it that Sen no Rikyu completed two of Daitokuji's three gates in 1589 and this was his undoing. He placed a statue of himself on top of the second gate, and Hideyoshi Toyotomi realized that he and everyone else who passed through the gate to enter would be looked down on by the statue. According to the legend, he ordered that the offending statue be removed and that Sen no Rikyu commit seppuku [ either voluntary (to expiate serious failure) or obligatory suicide (instead of execution) to regain one's honor in death. A privilege reserved for the samurai class. Commonly referred to as hara-kiri. ] While history does record that Sen no Rikyu committed seppuku, the reason is not known for certain.

**Tea Ceremony**
Good website on the tea ceremony []

When the Zen monk Eisai brought tea seeds from China to Japan in the twelfth century, he also imported the following ten virtues of tea. 1. It has the blessing of all deities. 2. It promotes filial piety. 3. It drives away evil spirits. 4. It banishes drowsiness. 5. It keeps the five internal organs in harmony. 6. It wards off disease. 7. It strengthens friendship. 8. It disciplines body and mind. 9. It destroys all passions. 10. It gives a peaceful death.
 * The Ten Virtues of Tea**

1. Arrange the flowers as they are in the fields. 2. Lay the charcoal so it boils the water. 3. Create a cool feeling in summer. 4. Make sure the guests are warm in winter. 5. Be sure everything is ready ahead of time and do not fall behind. 6. Be prepared for rain even if it is not raining. 7. Always be mindful of the guests. They're your first, your last, your everything.
 * Sen no Rikyu's Seven Rules of Tea**

**Overview of Zen Buddhism**
Zen is the Japanese form of the Sanskrit word dhyana, "meditation," and is a school of Buddhism which has had significant impact in Japan and Europe and America. Founded in China in the 6th century CE as the Ch'an school of Mahayana Buddhism, it was exported to Japan in the 12th century CE and gradually developed its own unique, indigenous character. The Indian scholar/monk Siddhartha Gautama is traditionally attributed with transferring the tradition from India to China. The essence of Gautama’s teachings is that one does not need to study sacred texts, worship deities, or do elaborate religious rituals to achieve enlightenment. Rather, one needs to break through the boundaries of conventional thought using meditation and experience the world as it truly is in the moment. Zen maintains that this was the way the Buddha himself attained enlightenment. Zen teaches that all humans have the capacity to attain enlightenment because we all have an inherent Buddha-nature; indeed, we are all already enlightened beings, but our true potential has been clouded by ignorance. According to some Zen traditions, this ignorance is overcome through a sudden breakthrough - called satori - during mediation in which the true nature of reality, and our experience of it, is revealed.

**Schools within Zen Buddhism (Rinzai and Soto)**
Several schools of Zen developed in China in the 9th century. The Rinzai sect of Zen was introduced to Japan by the Chinese priest Ensai in 1191. Rinzai Buddhism emphasizes the use of koans, paradoxical puzzles or questions that help the practitioner to overcome the normal boundaries of logic. Koans are often accompanied by shouts or slaps from the master, intended to provoke anxiety leading to instant realization of the truth. Unlike the Ch'an schools in China, Ensai also taught that Zen should defend the state and could offer prayers and incantations. "These teachings influenced the warrior class and led to a Zen influence over the martial arts of archery and swordsmanship."

Soto Buddhism is another Zen sect that was transmitted from China to Japan. It arrived in Japan in 1227 upon the teacher Dogen's return from China. Soto emphasizes zazen, or sitting meditation, as the means to attain enlightenment. The Soto practitioner is encouraged to clear the mind of all thoughts and concepts, without making any effort towards enlightenment, until enlightenment occurs.

**Zen Temples Layout in General**
Japanese Zen temple layout is typically based on Chinese Sung-dynasty temples. Essentially rectilinear and symmetrical (in contrast to native Japanese asymmetry), Zen temples have the main buildings in a straight line on behind another, on a roughly north-south axis. The main buildings comprise the Sanmon (main gate), Butsuden (Buddha Hall), Hatto lecture hall, sometimes a meditation or study hall, and the abbot's and monks' quarters. In practice, sub-temples often crowd around the main buildings and may obscure the basic layout. The temple compound is entered by a bridge over a pond or stream, symbolically crossing from the earthly world to that of Buddha. Buildings are beautiful but natural looking, often of unpainted wood; they are intended to be conducive to emptying the mind of worldly illusions, facilitating enlightenment.

**Daitokuji Temple Layout**
Daitokuji has a classical Zen monastic layout, with a Sanmon (Mountain Gate), Butsuden (Buddha Hall), Hatto (Dharma Hall), Hojo (Abbot’s Quarters), Yokushitsu (Bath House), and Kyozo (Sutra Library). The Hojo is a National Treasure, as is the Karamon (Chinese Gate), which was moved from Hideyoshi’s castle in Fushimi, south of Kyoto. The Chokushimon (Imperial Messenger Gate) was originally located on the imperial palace grounds. The second story of the Sanmon, renovated by Sen no Rikyu, contains images of Shakyamuni, [ Buddhism originates in the teachings of Shakyamuni (Gautama Siddartha), the historical founder of Buddhism who was born in what is now Nepal some 2,500 years ago], Mahakashyapa (Buddha's successor), Ananda (one of many principal disciples and a devout attendant of the Buddha) , and the Sixteen Arhats. A well-known story associated with the Sanmon is that Rikyu’s installation there of a statue of himself so angered Hideyoshi that the latter ordered Rikyu to commit ritual suicide in 1481. Daitoku-ji also possesses numberless cultural treasures in the form of landscape gardens, calligraphy, sliding screen paintings, hanging scrolls, tea houses, and many implements associated with the tea ceremony. Many of the finest of these treasures are located in Daitoku-ji’s twenty-two subtemples, among the most important of which are Daisen-in, famous for its stone garden; Shinju-an, the temple of Ikkyu Sojun; and Juko-in, the temple most deeply associated with Sen no Rikyu.

**Chokushi-Mon (Gateway of the Imperial Messenger)**
Chokushi-mon, the gate of imperial messenger. This kara-mon style gate was rebuilt sometime between 1848-1854. A stone bridge in front of Chokus hi-mon

Hojo (Superior's Quarters)


=**__Daitoku-ji, Kyoto Photo Gallery__**=