Great Buddha Oh How I Love You (aka Nudey Magazine Day)

Sept. 7

Tōdaiji day! Tōdaiji day! I was as excited as Billy Madison was to receive his nudie magazines when sensei changed the schedule (to accommodate the injured ones and stay closer to home) around and decided we would go to Tōdaiji on this day. It is one of the most important early Buddhist sites, and home to mind-boggling architecture, statuary, bronze cast images, etc. – truly a scholar-nerd’s dream! We set out early, and Cynthea remarked that with my floppy hat and flowy dress I looked like I was heading out for a Phish concert (a compliment, I do believe). 

We toured the ordination hall first, and then navigated the back section of the huge complex, past a lovely pond where a deer was taking a morning dip, and by the Shōsōin (treasure storehouse) where countless artifacts stood the test of time relatively unscathed. 

Next we arrived at the Nigatsudō (Second Month Hall) and ascended the stone steps where once a year, in the second lunar month, monks run up with fiery lanterns after training intensely for twelve days. It is the vestige of an ancient penitence rite enacted in the eighth century to ensure the protection of the state. The stairs led to a huge veranda from which one could look out over all of Nara. Breathtaking, I thought. We enjoyed tea from the free rest station before walking to the adjacent Third Month Hall (aka Hokkedō), an incredible eighth century building that houses a solemn Nyoirin Kannon with an unbelievable jeweled crown and an entire retinue of accompanying deities in clay and lacquer.

Midday break: cold udon noodles, green tea soft cream, deer watching, marveling at how many guided trips of middle school students bombard this sacred place hourly (and relatively orderly somehow).

The afternoon was appropriately devoted to the Daibutsuden (Great Buddha Hall) and its massive bronze Buddha (which, incredibly, was originally a third larger when it was first cast in the eighth century). The place buzzes with historical electricity. It is undeniable. I love it. 

I finally was able to see in person the lotus pedestal upon which the image sits and its petal engravings (which I gave a talk on at Columbia University this past February). I put on my teacher hat and explained the basics to my fellow travelers. Somehow the overwhelming pull of this colossal hall (largest wooden structure in the world, I’ll have you know) was able to mute the white noise of literally hundreds of parading youngsters who bopped about with attention spans the size of deer droppings.

Dinner was even more of a treat than the previous nights of food magic. While perusing magazines that featured his restaurant the evening before, Master had remembered my pointing out of a roasted pork dish I had seen a picture of and wanted and was so thoughtful that he prepared it for me. He also finished the meal with nashi (pears) for us, a treat he normally does not serve, all because he had heard us talking about loving fruit. 

This man is so wonderful, so kind, and so spectacular. I seriously am considering dropping all other life plans and becoming his helper at the restaurant. I told him of my plan and he approved.