Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Developing Economies, Japan
B. Philosophy and Religion
Human Activities for Deepening Thought and Faith
Buddhism: The Mahabodhi Temple, one of the holiest sites in Buddhism, located in Bodh Gaya, India (2024). Gautama Siddhartha attained enlightenment under the tree in the center (it is a descendant of the original tree) and became the Buddha around 2,500 years ago.(Cont’d) The temple as seen from Sujata village (2024). Before meditating under the tree, he took a ritual bath in this river (which is dried in the photo) and restored his exhausted body with a milk-rice pudding given by Sujata.(Cont’d) Before meeting Sujata, he practiced asceticism for six years in this cave (located inside the entrance on the left), about 10 km northeast of the village, in Mahakala Mountain, India (2024).Buddhism: Phra Pathom Chedi, believed in Thailand to be the oldest chedi in Indochina, located in Nakhon Pathom (2020). Theravada Buddhism, one of the two major schools, spread to Sri Lanka, the Indochinese Peninsula excluding Vietnam, and beyond.Buddhism: White Horse Temple (白馬寺), which, according to legend, was the first Chinese temple built in 68 CE following the introduction of Buddhism via the Silk Road, located in Luoyang (2006). Later, Mahayana Buddhism, the other of the two major schools, spread to China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, and beyond.Buddhism: Potala Palace in Lhasa (2007). Vajrayana Buddhism, a major extension of Mahayana, spread to Tibet, other Himalayan regions, Mongolia, and beyong.Buddhism: The Nalanda Mahavihara, a Buddhist academy that existed from the 5th to the 12th century, located in Nalanda, India (2024).Buddhism: Shoden’an at Engakuji Temple in Kamakura, Japan (2022). D. T. Suzuki, who wrote many books in English introducing the concept of Zen Buddhism, practiced at this temple and stayed here for some time.Buddhism: Wat Paknam Phasi Charoen in Bangkok (2019).Hinduism → Buddhism: Angkor Wat, originally founded as a Hindu temple in the 12th century and later converted to a Buddhist temple, located in Siem Reap (2009).Hinduism and Buddhism: Ganesha, a Hindu deity, at Wat Saman Rattanaram, a Buddhist temple in Chachoengsao, Thailand (2021).Christianity: The Chapel of the Holy Cross, a cross that rises straight from the curves of nature in Sedona (2015).Christianity: “Wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times” (Isaiah 33:6 NKJV), a Bible verse that speaks to the busy people of New York, displayed at Rockefeller Center (2015).Islam: A “qibla” sign for Muslims, indicating the direction of prayer towards the Kaaba in Mecca, found in a hotel room in Dubai (2008).Shinto: Amano Yasukawara, a site of the myth of the loss and return of sunlight in Japan, located in Takachiho (2023).(Cont’d) The town is home to many other mythological sites. One such myth, from Takachiho Gorge, holds that water was brought here by a god (2023).Shinto: Benten Island, a site of myths related to the unification process of Japan, located in Izumo (2019).Shinto: The original site of Kumano Hongu Taisha, which was relocated to higher ground nearby after a flood in 1889, located in Tanabe, Japan (2018). It features the tallest “torii” gate (about 34 m). Since ancient times, many people have made pilgrimages to the three major Kumano shrines, including Hongu, in the hope of spiritual rebirth.Shinto: One of the 16 sacred pillars, “onbashira” (御柱), standing at the four corners of each of the four composite Suwa Taisha shrines in Chino, Japan (2021). The pillars have been rebuilt every seven years since ancient times. Their origin is unknown, but some believe they mark sacred boundaries.(Cont’d) Two of the four shrines are located on the north side of Lake Suwa, while the other two are on the south side. The lake, a tectonic lake, lies in the Suwa Basin, where Japan’s two major tectonic lines intersect. In Suwa (2021).(Cont’d) An outcrop of one of the two tectonic lines, about 120 km north of Lake Suwa, in Itoigawa (2023). It reveals the Itoigawa-Shizuoka tectonic line, which runs north-south across the main island of Japan, geologically dividing the country into east and west.Philosophy: A post-meal proverb by Herbert Spencer, found on a fortune cookie slip at a Chinese restaurant in Columbus, USA (2013).
