Learn About Byodoji
How to Use This Guide
Where to begin, depending on what you want to know.
To follow the temple's story, begin with "History of Byodoji Temple." To learn about the heart of its devotion, begin with "Yakushi Nyorai, Principal Image of the Main Hall." To read the record of a father and the son who could no longer walk, begin with "A Hakoguruma for a Parent and Child."
If you are thinking of a prayer for recovery from illness or a memorial service for a child lost before birth (mizuko kuyō), the pages on Yakushi Nyorai and Jizō Bodhisattva will guide you to the monthly goma services and how to apply.
You can start with any page. Begin wherever your interest leads.
Main Reading Paths
The central readings for coming to know Byodoji.
History of Byodoji Temple
How devotion to Yakushi Nyorai has been handed down at Byodoji, from the founding legend to the present day.
ReadYakushi Nyorai, Principal Image of the Main Hall
The origins and vows of Yakushi Nyorai, the Buddha at the heart of devotion at Byodoji.
ReadThe Eleven-Faced Kannon of the Jibutsudo
The Eleven-Faced Kannon enshrined in the jibutsudo, and the founding legend behind Byodoji's two temple titles, Iō-in and Nikkō-in.
ReadA Hakoguruma for a Parent and Child
The record of a father who carried his son, who could no longer walk, in a hakoguruma around Shikoku, and dedicated the cart at Byodoji after the son recovered.
ReadBishamonten at Byodoji
The Bishamonten goma performed on the 1st of each month, and prayers for good fortune and success.
ReadJizō at Byodoji
The Jizō goma performed on the 24th of each month, and prayers to Jizō for children and for the departed.
ReadFudō Myōō at Byodoji
Devotion to Fudō Myōō at Byodoji, and the Fudō goma performed on the 28th of each month.
ReadBuddhism and Spiritual Scams
Do spirit paths, bad karma, and unattained spirits come from Buddhism? Drawing on what the Buddha and Kōbō Daishi taught about the soul, we look at schemes that sell fear.
Read
Read from the Source
Records handed down at the temple, in modern translation alongside the original text.