The Great Buddha and I
Text by student Lindsey Robison
Buddhism has been intertwined with the religious culture in Japan since 6th century CE, according to Wikipedia. Originating from India, Japan’s adoption and
incorporation of Buddhism with the indigenous religion of Shintoism has been nothing short of remarkable. I appreciate the Japanese and their ability, at the time, to make Buddhism part of the cultural landscape without completely disregarding Shintoism.
On Wednesday, June 26th, we toured the ancient Japanese capital of Kamakura. We spent the day visiting both Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, trying the local cuisine, and attempting to soak in as much as we could in less than 12 hours. Our last stop was The Great Buddha of Kamakura, or known in Japan as, “Kamakura Daibutsu.” The Great Buddha of Kamakura is a bronze statue that was built in the 1250s. Originally enshrined in a large temple hall, that kept being rebuilt after multiple natural disasters, Kamakura Daibutsu has sat proudly out in the elements for around 700 years.
Knowing all of this and knowing that this statue is one of the biggest depictions of the Great Buddha, I was not prepared for the sheer awe I felt. Looking back at the pictures I took of the entrance, with the gods of lightning and thunder (Fujin and Raijin), the winding path to the steps, and the beautiful greenery surrounding the entrance, I barely remember experiencing any of it. That’s just how powerful the experience of being in the presence of such a sacred and important religious icon was. Standing there, even though it had turned the turquoise color of time, I couldn’t help but think about how the statue had been cast in bronze and stood the test of time; that I was seeing the same statue that peasants and nobles alike from the late 1200s, 1300s, 1400s, and so on had seen. For the especially devout practitioners, how much more powerful would this sight have been? I can imagine someone spending their whole life saving up, maybe with little to no knowledge of the outside world, and traveling to Kamakura just to witness the same sight I was seeing in the modern day. I would imagine that some would have broken down in tears of joy or some may have had epiphanies about life itself. Who knows? I know I was mesmerized, and I’m not even a Buddhist.
Ever since leaving Kamakura, I have found myself trying to recall what else we did. Nothing could have prepared me for how much that one experience was going to take over the memory of our day trip. I can’t help but wonder about the experiences of the people in the past at the same holy site.
