question on chinese or japanese writing

[kfrance0]

Can anyone read this? I'm afraid I can't even identify what language it is.

http://www.dharma.net/monstore/images/p ... kur-pb.jpg

[Jundo]

Re: question on chinese or japanese writing

Can anyone read this? I'm afraid I can't even identify what language it is.

http://www.dharma.net/monstore/images/p ... kur-pb.jpg

Hi Kevin ... it says "Amida Nyorai" ... "Amida Buddha" ... the Buddha depicted in the carving.

http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/amida.shtml

Amida Buddha is the central Buddha of "Pure Land" Buddhism, and is a figure with amazing similarities to Jesus in his role as a kind of "Buddhist savior". For example, that flavor of Buddhism tends to emphasize that those who have faith in Amida Buddha will be reborn in the "Pure Land" when they die, a Buddhist heaven. In China and Vietnam, Zen and Pure Land pretty much merged hundreds of years ago (I don't want to get into the various philosophical perspectives that allowed for that but, in a nutshell ... since we drop all thought of "inside" and "outside" in Zazen, finding Wisdom and Compassion within us ... or outside us ... is not really different perhaps). In Japan, "Pure Land" Buddhism has not had a major influence on the Soto and Rinzai schools (except for one small branch of Rinzai ... originally its own sect which came to Japan from China after the merger of Pure Land and Zen/Chan there ... called "Obaku Zen").

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%8Cbaku

Gassho, J

[kfrance0]

Re: question on chinese or japanese writing

Thanks for the clarification, Jundo!