Temple grounds are places for contemplation and peace, said Elder Garth Rasmussen, who visited temples in Japan and Hawaii both as a young and senior missionary. They also serve as teachings to overcome ignorance and pride, says the Mu-Ryang-Sa Buddhist Temple’s website.
Elder Rasmussen said he has not studied the purposes of temples in Japan, but explained the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint’s temples function as places of learning and sacred ordinances essential for ancestors to receive passage rights in the afterlife. “I suspect these [Buddhist] temples were probably anciently established with similar purposes. … They are beautiful and peaceful.”
Mu-Ryang-Sa Buddhist Temple, located in Honolulu, means “Broken Ridge Temple,” according to the temple’s website. The name comes from the broken top ridge of the temple.
The temple’s website explains, “What appears as a flaw of the temple has both a story and a significant Buddhist teaching. The construction of the first temple building began in 1980, but during the temple’s construction, it was discovered that the roof of the main hall exceeded city and county height limitations. As a result, the roof was lowered.”
Buddha teaches that individuals should strive to overcome ignorance, greed and craving, the website explains. It says, achieving such a feat can be done through seeking wisdom. The end goal is “the attainment of liberation or nirvana,” the Mu-Ryang-Sa website says. “As with the enlightenment of the Buddha, may the shattering of our own inner-roofs remind us of the structures of ignorance that can be let go to reach the true heights of our inner liberation.”
There are 70 Buddhist temples on Oahu, according to Yelp. Three of these temples include the Byodo-In Temple, a Japanese-styled temple in Kaneohe; Mu-Ryang-Sa Temple, a Korean-styled temple in Honolulu; and Mo’ili’ili Hongwanji Mission, a Shin Buddhist worship house in Honolulu.
While COVID-19 has affected the offerings of classes and services at all three temples, visitors to the grounds are still welcome.
Byodo-In Temple
Elder Rasmussen said the Byodo-In Temple has “a very special, peaceful, sacred feel about it. So it’s very fun to be there and ring the gong, and know the tradition of being blessed for doing so.”
He said it is “a very peaceful place, a nice place to visit. We’ve only been here three months and I’ve been there three times.”
Byodo-In is a popular tourist spot with more than 1,800 reviews and a 4.5-star rating on TripAdvisor. According to the Byodo-In Temple’s website, it was established in 1968 to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of Japanese immigrants making their way to Hawaii. Its name and look are based-off of the Byodo-In Temple in Uji, Japan, the website says, a 950-year-old temple and United Nations World Heritage site.
The Byodo-In Temple also hosts a 900-year-old bell that supposedly originated in India, called the Bon-sho, or Sacred Bell, the website explains. It is a “five-foot high, three-ton brass bell ... cast in Osaka, Japan, from a mixture of bronze and tin, by permission of the government of Japan. It closely resembles the bell hanging in an identical Bell House at the Uji Byodo-In,” according to the website.
It’s a non-practicing Buddhist temple, the website explains, which means it invites people of every religion to worship there non-denominationally. However, it is often used for weddings and funerals.
The website said the temple grounds are home to the Amida Buddha, a 9-foot-tall sculpture by Japanese artist Masuzo Inui, which is regarded as the largest Buddha statue outside of Japan. It is surrounded by “52 smaller sculptures depicting Boddhisattvas, or enlightened beings, floating on clouds, dancing and playing musical instruments. The hall and all the artistry it reflects are regarded as representing the essence of the culture of the Fujiwara aristocracy.”Mu-Ryang-Sa Temple
The Mu-Ryang-Sa Temple has a gate packed with symbolism, called the Gate of the Four Heavenly Kings. “This gate represents one of the many levels of the Buddhist spiritual plane. On this level of the spiritual plane, four kings, or heavenly generals, stand guard over the four directions, east, west, south and north,” the website says.
It further explains, “The four kings are responsible for keeping out ‘evil influences’ we all find within ourselves: greed, lust, the will to do violence and self-destroying pride.”
At this temple, these four evil influences are shown as “little imps, which the kings crush under their feet.” The website says this depiction symbolizes seeking enlightenment that comes from overcoming these influences and living a life more in line with the “true nature” of humans.
The gate is painted in a special style known as tanchong, which is made with brightly-colored powdered pigments in a fish-glue base, the temple’s website explains. Tanchong originated in Korea, where it is traditionally found on temples, palaces and other royal buildings.
According to the website, other attractions at the Mu-Ryang-Sa Temple include the World Peace and Lotus Pond Pagoda, the Budhisattva Garden with 1,080 stone statues, the a bell tower, a memorial hall and So Gak Dae, which is a tower used to burn the possessions of the deceased during memorial services.
The temple hosts the surrounding community in worship and meditation services as well as Korean dance and drum classes, Korean language classes, painting, yoga and Korean tea ceremonies.
Visitors are requested to remove their shoes before entering the hall where the Amida Buddha stands, which is known as the Hoo-do, or Phoenix Hall. It is considered sacred grounds.
Mo’ili’ili Hongwanji Mission
Mo’ili’ili Hongwanji Mission follows the Shin Buddhist, or True Pure Land Buddhism sect and is headed up by Rev. Toshiyuki Umitani, the website explains. This temple is “the center of Shin Buddhist spiritual growth, learning and compassionate service in our community,” the temple’s website says.
It is part of the larger community of the Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii. The Honpa Hongwanji Mission website describes Shin Buddhist services as such, “Attendees wear shoes into the temple, sit in pews or chairs, sing hymns (gathas), listen to a sermon (or dharma talk), and the congregation (sangha) shares fellowship over coffee and refreshments after the service.”
The mission also hosts festivals, such as the summer celebration of Bon Odori, a “festival of dancing where [celebrants] remember and celebrate our departed ancestors and express our gratitude for their continued guidance in our lives.” In addition to dancing, visitors for Bon Odori can also get food such as shaved ice and yakisoba.