Pray

Feel gratitude and pray

There are no specific rules of visiting Kongoji Zen Temple. In what way you visit the temple and in which order you visit the different buildings is up to each person. As long as the visit is made by heart, there is no specific rule to follow. Even if there are no rules there are a few simple manners  which can be followed if one decides to.

Temple Etiquette
When entering or leaving the temple ground, visitors put the hands together and bow once, facing the main sanctuary. This can be done at the temple gate or in front of the entrance to the main hall.
Temple Etiquette
Donations which are made on the temple ground are used to support the temple. Putting a donation inside the boxes or baskets is up to everybody and no must.

Visiting the main sanctuary

Visit a Buddhist Temple
1. Bow slightly once before starting.
Visit a Buddhist Temple
2. Receive a stick of incense as an offering which can be bought at the temple reception for 50 yen. Take one stick of incense.
Visit a Buddhist Temple
3. Light it from a candle.
Visit a Buddhist Temple
4. Place it in an incense burner to make your offering.
Visit a Buddhist Temple
5. Put your hands calmly together in front of your chest and reflect on yourself with gratitude of your daily life. (Do not clap your hands)
Visit a Buddhist Temple
6. Fan the fire of the candle with your hand to put out the fire. (Do not blow it out.) And bow again slightly.

Visiting the side sanctuaries

How to visit a temple in Japan
1. Ring the so called waniguchi, a round instrument which is used as a bell. (If you have incense sticks with you, you may light it up and put it inside the incense holder in front of you.)
How to visit a temple in Japan
2. Put your hands together in front of the sanctuary.

Visiting the ancestors

How to visit a temple in Japan
1. Clean a grave by scraping stains off with a brush or by pulling weeds around the gravestone. Wash flower vase and sweep up around.
How to visit a temple in Japan
2. When finishing cleaning, put flowers in a vase in front of the gravestone and offer food or drinks which the deceased person liked.
How to visit a temple in Japan
3. Light a bundle of incense sticks and put them inside the incense holder. Matches or lighters can be borrowed at the temple reception.
How to visit a temple in Japan
4. Put the hands together in prayer. One can pray and give gratitude to once ancestors.

Visiting the temple bell

Temple bell Japan manner
1. Before ringing the temple bell, put the hands together and bow slightly.
Temple bell Japan manner
2. Ringing the temple bell at Kongoji Zen Temple can be done before or after visiting the cemetery..
There are different explanations why people ring the temple bell:
  • It sound will clear once mind for those who hit the bell and those who heard the sound of it. 
  • With the sound of the temple bell once feelings will reach the ancestors.
  • The sound of the bell will reach to different parts of the world and will make people aware of the truth of existence.
Feel free to ring the Temple bell at any time if you wish to do so.
Temple bell Japan manner
3. After ringing the temple bell, put the hands together.
Temple bell Japan manner
4. At the end bow slightly.

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