Kyoto, Japan – Spring Higan (equinox) observances at Hongwanji and Otani Mausoleum were conducted March 17 – 23.  Higan, which is translated as ‘The other shore’, is defined as the other shore of the stream of transmigration, i.e. Nirvana.* In conjunction with the observances, a flower arrangement in the formation of the characters ‘Jushin Bucchi’ was on display in front of the Meichodo (main hall) at Otani Mausoleum.  The characters are taken from the Kyogyoshinsho (The True Teaching, Practice and Realization of the Pure Land Way) expressing the meaning “my heart and mind being rooted in the Buddha-ground of the universal Vow.”
*Inagaki, Hisao. A Dictionary of Japanese Buddhist Terms. Nagata Bunshodo, 2003.