The Story of the Buddha on Shao Shan
Temple’s Altar
By Rev. Taihaku Priest
Our Buddha was gifted to Shao Shan Temple for the Opening
Ceremony in the year 2000. It was gifted by my teacher, Shinkai Tanaka Roshi
(Dochosan). At that time, he had a temple in the outskirts of Kyoto, Japan. There
was a temple member from the small hamlet which was clustered below on the
terraced hillside who heard that my teacher would be leading the opening
ceremony in America for Shao Shan Temple. This person was deeply affected by
the significance of Buddhism being transmitted to America and wished to make an
offering to Shao Shan. It was suggested that he could sponsor the commission to
have a Buddha statue carved. And so it happened.
The sculptor and I had known each other for many years and he
was my teacher’s friend. I sent the sculptor the measurements of the altar and of
the space within which the Buddha would sit. With this information, he designed
a statue of perfect proportions for its current location. The wood of the
statue is the heartwood of a cherry tree which had been immersed and cured in a
river for 50 years. When I was sent the initial sketch of the Buddha, I was
concerned because the features of the face appeared stern. It would be a
predicament for me if I did not like the face of the finished Buddha.
On the day that the
Buddha arrived in a large wooden crate, I was full of anticipation. Coincidentally,
on this day, Jun-san, a Buddhist nun, had come to visit. Together we knelt down
and uncrated the Buddha. When the face was revealed, I was completely delighted
and exclaimed, “She is beautiful” And she/he is. The face of our Buddha, which
reigns throughout Shao Shan, is gentle and accessible. We prepared wildflowers
and offerings of incense and water and had a spontaneous welcome ceremony for
our new Buddha. It was still sparkling with the gold dust of the newly born
Buddha. Jun-san brought from her car a stainless steel serving dish, which she
had just received from an Indian restaurant. We placed the water offering on
top of this pedestal. And to this day, we still place the water offering bowl
on this Indian restaurant serving dish.
During our very first meditation retreat in our new temple (Rohatsu
Sesshin in December, 2000), the woodstove was slowly crackling away. This was
the temple’s first winter. The rafter timbers were green. From time to time,
the air would split with a CRACK! as the timbers dried and twisted in the heat.
Out of concern for the statue, I called the sculptor and asked how to protect the
statue with the wood heat. He assured me that this wood was absolutely stable and
there was no chance of fracture. But, during that very first sesshin a
tremendous thundering crack resounded, shocking our afternoon zazen. The Buddha
had burst. It exploded as if in a thundering admonishment to us all - “Wake up!
Wake up NOW!” I’m here. You’re here. In the dry winter air, you can see this
crack across the chest, but in the summer it closes with the moist air.
This particular
statue is a representation of Shakyamuni Buddha (the historical Buddha that
lived in India 2500+ years ago). A statue of Shakyamuni Buddha on the altar is
traditional in Soto Zen Monasteries in Japan. Around the base of the statue, there
are carved Japanese characters which refer to the Wondrous True Dharma Eye.
The Buddha’s hands are in zazen position and there is a
crystal globe resting in the hand mudra. This is the traditional “wish
fulfilling” Buddha representation. And this wish, at Shao Shan Temple, is tied
to peace on our planet. And so, this crystal globe is our wish for global
peace. So our lovely Buddha is our companion in practice and reminds us that by
our effort and practice goodwill radiates to all the world.
