Having become fascinated with the notion of infinite Buddhas, I couldn’t resist suggesting an outing to one of the great bronze Buddha statues in Japan. Located in Takaoka, a mere 20 minute train ride from Toyama station, this giant 16 meter high bronze statue of Amithaba Buddha was quite a sight.
The statue originated in 1745 in wood but went the way of many wood structures. Fire. Rebuilt several times in wood until the early 1900s when, because of Takaoka’s expertise in metal casting, the Buddha was revitalized in bronze.
We first ran into the Amida, aka Amithaba) Buddha in Kyoto at the Pure Land Buddhist Eikan-dō Temple (the one with the statue of Amida looking back).
Here is Google AI’s explanation of the Amithaba Buddha:
“Amitabha (also known as Amida in Japanese and Āmítuó in Chinese) is a central figure in Mahayana Buddhism, particularly in Pure Land Buddhism. He is known as the “Buddha of Infinite Light” or “Buddha of Infinite Life”. Amitabha resides in Sukhavati, a pure land or paradise, and is believed to be a source of compassion and guidance for beings seeking liberation.”
Marvelous! In our own backyard, relatively speaking, one can visit the Great Stupa of Dharmakaya which houses a beautiful golden Buddha (15 ft tall). https://www.dralamountain.org/campus/great-stupa/
Wow, that’s quite some stupa in Colorado. Which led me down another rabbit hole because here in Japan, Buddhist temples are pagodas (architecturally speaking). And the pagoda form is also used for castles here. Which befuddled me at first because I expected a castle to look like…well, a castle with turrets and towers and huge gates.