Wednesday, October 21, 2009

25 Bodhisattva Prayer Ritual at Sokujo-In Temple






I didn't know about this annual event (held on the 3rd Sunday of October) until recently.

It's a dramatized event of Buddhism; Amitabha descends to this world accompanied by 25 bodhisattvas, led by the Kannon Bodhisattva and Jizo Bodhisattva, to save the worshippers and lead them to the Paradise.

The main hall of the temple represents the Paradise, while the Jizo Hall represents this world. In this moving ritual, the 25 bodhisattvas walk quietly over the bridge between these two realms.

In the meantime, the length of the bridge is about 50 meters long, and the 25 bodhisattvas with gorgeous brocade costumes and masks are children. The event lasted about 1 + 1/2 hours.