Kyoto, Japan
The secret of existence is to have no fear.
—Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha (563–483 B.C.), father of Buddhism
This twelfth-century Heian temple with vermilion columns, emerald roof, and serene gardens epitomizes Japanese court life in this bustling city from A.D. 794 to 1869. The spacious terrace offers stunning vistas of Sanjusangendo Hall with its 6-foot-tall statue of Kannon, goddess of mercy, who has eleven faces and a thousand arms. Flanking the large statue are 1,001 smaller Kannons, each having forty arms that each have the power to save twenty-five worlds.
If you desire to be a force of good in the world, visit Sanjusangendo Temple. Located in the Higashiyama District of Kyoto, the temple is open 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in summer, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in winter (November to March). From the Kyoto train station, Sanjusangendo is a fifteen- to twenty-minute walk; you can also take a city bus. No photography is allowed within the temple.
In the hall of the Kannons, drop some money in a donation box, then strike the gong three times and say a prayer for the courage and conviction to do God’s work. Light three sticks of incense: for the Buddha (the Divine one), the dharma (the law and discipline that guides one’s life), and the sangha (the community).
The hall housing the Kannons is made in the Wayo Japanese style, long and large enough to house the statues and allow thirty-three spaces (a number sacred to Buddha) between the columns.