Enjoy the harvest moon with Buddha

When we see the moon, we feel romantic and associate it with the story of a beautiful princess "Kaguya" who came to the earth and went back to the moon. Children imagine the rabbits are pounding rice cake in the moon. How about you? Do you feel romantic or lunatic? Do you associate the moon with beautiful stories or the stories of werewolves and Dracula?

Every year in autumn we enjoy the harvest moon, the most beautiful moon of the year. "Moon Viewing Festival" is held all over Japan. This year it was held on September 12th.

I went to Toshodai-ji Temple in Nara for Moon Viewing, which was built as a private temple and school by one Chinese high priest, Jian Zhen(鑑真) in the 8th century.  The ritual was held solemnly before the Moon Viewing". What a gorgeous ceremony it was!!  Buddhas and Kannon were enjoying the harvest moon with us.

Two Buddhas and one Kannon, the deity of mercy and compassion were lit up. Gold leaf on them was partially fading away, but I felt more shining and glory because of it. 

The Vairocana Buddha is the main object of worship.

Merciful eyes,  the blessing hand and a  number of small Buddhas on the halo.

One-thousand-handed Kannon who has one eye on each palm.

One thousand savings hands. I wonder how many hands are needed to save us.

One of the hands is holding even a skull. What does it mean?

Healing Buddha with a halo in the shape of a medicine pot.

When the harvest moon appeared from the clouds,

the excitement quietly rippled among the people.

Since ancient days, we have admired the moon and written poems about it. Every phase of the moon has been appreciated, but particularly the harvest moon has been most loved. In autumn, praying for an abundant harvest and gazing at the full moon must have evoked the very special sentiment in farmers since agriculture had been done based on the lunar calendar.

Visit the temple on a rainy day, and you can almost monopolize it.

The temple has the very lovely gardens and serene paths.

The temple is famous for a large collection of lotus flowers.

The pond where lotus flowers grow.

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