#buddist

TOKYO, JAPAN

Nessuno può venire a dirci come dovremmo viverla.

Ciò che ci si può attendere, se si permette di essere sviati da quello che altri dicono o fanno, è l’infelicità.

Byodo-in (平等院), Uji, Kyoto

I visited Byodo-in Temple in Uji, a charming town just a short hop from Kyoto. My adventure began at Kyoto Station on the brown Nara Line—a 20-minute ride that felt longer than it should have, probably because I was crammed into a train that seemed to double as a mobile sardine can. After arriving at Uji, it was a pleasant 12-minute walk to the temple, where the scenery was as inviting as the thought of finally stretching my legs.

Byodo-in, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is a masterpiece of Heian Period architecture, originally built in 1052 as a villa for a Fujiwara noble. The iconic Phoenix Hall, reflected perfectly in the serene pond, looked so majestic that I half expected it to flap its wings and take off. Every breath I took on that sunny, crisp day felt like it revitalised my soul—a much-needed detox after the morning train chaos. There’s also a fantastic museum filled with artefacts and treasures, though no photos are allowed. Not being able to take snaps? A small price to pay for feeling like I’d wandered into a painting. Plus, let’s face it—my phone wouldn’t have done it justice anyway.

P3: 俞樾書《楓橋夜泊》詩碑

月落烏啼霜滿天，江楓漁火對愁眠。 姑蘇城外寒山寺，夜半鐘聲到客船。 ——（唐）張繼《楓橋夜泊》

P14: 唐寅《游楓橋有感》詩碑

金閶門外楓橋路，萬家月色迷煙霧。 譙閣更殘角韻悲，客船夜半鐘聲度。 樹色高低混有無，山光遠近成模糊。 霜華滿天人怯冷，江城欲曙聞啼烏。 ——（明）唐寅《姑蘇八詠·其六：寒山寺》

📍Hanshan Temple (Hán Shān Sì 寒山寺) & Maple Bridge (Fēng Qiáo 楓橋)

P3: Poem Stele of “Mooring by Maple Bridge at Night 楓橋夜泊” in Handwriting by Yú Yuè 俞樾

At moonset cry the crows, streaking the frosty sky; Dimly lit fishing boats’ neath maples sadly lie. Beyond the city wall, from Temple of Cold Hill; Bells break the ship-borne roamer’s dream and midnight still. –Zhāng Jì 張繼 “Mooring by Maple Bridge at Night 楓橋夜泊” (Tang Dynasty), translated by Xǔ Yuān-chōng 許淵衝

P14: Stele of Táng Yín 唐寅’s Poem “Thoughts on visiting Maple Bridge 游楓橋有感”

Outside the Jīn and Chāng gates (“Jīn and Chāng gates” here refers to “Suzhou”), on the Maple Bridge Road; the lights of myriad homes shimmer faintly with the moonlit mist. In the lingering sound of the watchtower's night watchman’s drum, the mournful bugles echoes in the ears; the ship-borne roamer hears the midnight tolling bells from Cold Mountain Temple. The outlines of trees are staggered high and low, indistinct; the mountain scenery in near and far distance, becomes blurred. Frost covers the sky, chilling people to the bone; as dawn approaches the River City (“River City” here refers to “Suzhou”), the distant cawing of crows can be heard. –Táng Yín 唐寅 “Eight Poetic Odes to Gusu - Part Six: Cold Mountain Temple 姑蘇八詠·其六：寒山寺” (Ming Dynasty), translated by Copilot, Gemini and YongZS永值生

Layers

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1530717478/buddha-hand-pose-pair-door-handle-solid

I would recommend documentaries as I have found that to always be a great way to find and consume information, but honestly, you have to remember that there are different schools of Buddhism and there have been changes over the years so if you see different answers, it could be that you were looking at two different groups.

Buddhists generally classify themselves as either Theravāda or Mahāyāna. An alternative scheme used by some scholars divides Buddhism into the following three traditions or geographical or cultural areas: Theravāda (or "Southern Buddhism", "South Asian Buddhism"), East Asian Buddhism (or just "Eastern Buddhism") and Indo-Tibetan Buddhism (or "Northern Buddhism). Hinayana (literally "lesser or inferior vehicle") is a derogatory term to name the family of early philosophical schools and traditions from which contemporary Theravāda emerged, so a variety of other terms are used instead, including: Śrāvakayāna, Nikaya Buddhism, early Buddhist schools, sectarian Buddhism and conservative Buddhism.

Not all traditions of Buddhism share the same philosophical outlook or treat the same concepts as central. Each tradition, however, does have its own core concepts, and some comparisons can be drawn between them.