Living Buddhism

Living Buddhism

Visitors to Kyoto quickly realize how crowded the city’s famous temples are. This tour is unique in offering the opportunity to visit a major yet quiet, uncrowded Buddhist temple complex, featuring the largest wooden building in the world. The temple is popularly known as Higashi Honganji and is located within easy walking distance of Kyoto Station. Your guide, a twenty-five year resident of Japan, is American-born Buddhist priest and scholar Rev. Dr. Brian Victoria. Dr. Victoria will introduce you to the fascinating history of this temple together with the doctrines and iconography of the True Pure Land sect of Buddhism with which it is affiliated. Following your visit to Higashi Honganji, the tour moves to nearby Shosei-en, a large, temple-affiliated, traditional Japanese garden, complete with ponds and tea houses. Dr. Victoria will explain the history of Japanese gardens and tea houses as well as answer any questions you may have about Buddhist beliefs and practices in general.

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Higashi Hongan-ji Temple, Karasumadori Shichijo-agaru, Shimogyo, Kyoto 600-8505 Kyoto Prefecture

This tour offers a unique opportunity to visit a quiet, uncrowded, major Buddhist temple complex, popularly known as Higashi Honganji, located within easy walking distance of Kyoto Station. Your guide, a twenty-five year resident of Japan, is American-born Buddhist priest and scholar Rev. Dr. Brian Victoria. Dr. Victoria will introduce you to the fascinating history of this temple together with the doctrines and iconography of the True Pure Land sect of Buddhism with which it is affiliated. Higashi Honganji has no entrance fee since it remains what it has been for more than four centuries, a place of pilgrimage for practicing Buddhists from throughout Japan.

Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes

Stop At: Shosei-en Garden, Higashitamamizucho Shimojuzuyamachidori Ainomachi Higashi Iru, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto 600-8190 Kyoto Prefecture

Following your visit to Higashi Honganji, the tour moves to nearby Shosei-en, a large, temple-affiliated, traditional garden, complete with ponds and traditional tea houses. Dr. Victoria will explain the history of Japanese gardens and tea houses as well as answer any questions you may have about Buddhist beliefs and practices in general.

Duration: 1 hour 10 minutes