32768suns

It’s commonly known that Kyoto is the old capital of Japan and home to Japanese Zen. Centuries ago, Zen Buddhism was founded by monks who’d developed rigorous meditation traditions and built the city’s temples on their return from training abroad. The dry garden, tea ceremony, and ink painting were all major developments of the disciplined monastic life led by the monks who strove to attain enlightenment. That changed under the Edo shogunate, which forced every household to register at a buddhist temple. They monopolized funerals, and stable income from funeral rites turned many temples into hereditary institutions rather than centers of practice. The monk became a role passed down through families just like any other profession. The aftermath of this shift was given the name sōshiki bukkyō 葬式仏教 or “funeral buddhism”. Most modern interactions with Buddhism in japan now amount to civic obligation. It’s overwhelmingly associated with funerals and memorial rites rather than the meditation practice and pursuit of enlightenment it was built on. But people in Kyoto are as varied in belief and character as anywhere else, and the essential spirit of Zen Buddhism remains intact here through countless historical sites, traditions, and monasteries kept alive by those who have dedicated themselves to it. Found this to be interesting, particularly because it feels like a new layer of complexity added to this city that has been so renowned as one with a distinctive, easily-defined personality.