Buddha's Army — Part Two: Shirahige Shrine at Lake Biwa

There has always been an instinct in East Asia to clone objects of Buddhist veneration for the purpose of acquiring merit -- for example the endless reproduction of mani stones in Tibet, the ritual copying of the Heart Sutra with ink and brush, the countless stone-carved Buddhas and Bodhisattvas that adorn the temples and cemeteries.

Stonecarved Buddha statues are ubiquitous in Japan, found not only on holy ground but in also quite unexpected places: one can go for a hike in the mountains and stumble upon a little stone shrine next to the trail, a propos apparently of nothing at all.

The little statues can be centuries old, and more often than not the tourist will encounter them in small assemblies, where they have been collected to make use of the land where they were first erected.

There is a particularly nice congregation gathered at the Shirahige Shrine at Lake Biwa. The statues are considerably larger than normal, and the little park integrates a traditional Shinto shrine as well, which is somewhat unusual in Japan since Buddhist and Shinto sites generally maintain a respectful distance.

Each figure retains its own individual personality, in contra-distinction to Southeast Asia,
where standard canonic forms are conventionally reproduced. 

The famous tori-i stands directly opposite the Shirahige Shrine.

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Earthships

We drove out one day across the mesa at Taos, crossing the high bridge over the Rio Grande gorge to arrive at the Earthships visitor center. Here we were given a tour of an earthship demonstration home, watched some instructional videos and took a few photos of some houses under construction.

Detail of wall construction.

Earthships are made (actually sculpted) from recycled materials, notably soda cans and used rubber tires mixed in with adobe (mud and straw) for stability and insulation. Through an ingenious system of solar panels, water recycling methods and heat-regulating thermal columns bored into the ground, earthships are practically self-sustaining and self-insulating in all climates.

The Earthships website provides relevant details and much technical information.

Taos Pueblo

I spent most of last month visiting friends in Albuquerque and Taos. The most memorable event was a visit to the Taos Pueblo, which has been in existence for about a thousand years, making it perhaps the oldest continuously inhabited community in the United States.

Taos Pueblo with Red Willow Creek in foreground.

Most New Mexico Indians are Catholics since the Spanish occupation.

Doors and windows were introduced after the Spanish intervention. Originally the rooms were entered via a system of ladders on the rooftops dropping into holes in the ceiling. The entire complex thus functioned as a fortress against raids from other tribes. Today the pueblo is, as we were told, inhabited mainly by young men who must spend a year of residence there in the interest of tribal solidarity.

Taos Pueblo lies at the base of a holy mountain entered by the cleft in the center of this picture. Red Willow Creek flows through it down to the Pueblo.


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The Zugspitze

The Zugspitze is Germany's highest mountain and provides some spectacular Alpine views. There are three different aerial lifts that bring visitors to the summit, and you can easily make it a day trip out of Munich.

The summit at 9,718 ft.

Telecom, weather and research facilities look like an art installation.

Tram station and restaurant.

The Austrian border runs exactly across the top of the mountain.

So in pre-EU days you had to show your passport to enter Austria.

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Lübeck — Part Three

Lübeck Cathedral (Lübecker Dom) was the first of the red-brick churches built in North Germany in the cities bordering the Baltic Sea. It was dedicated in 1247 and constructed without buttresses, so that the side aisles are much narrower than inside the larger Marienkirche, and they shoot upward at steep angles.

The Cathedral was badly damaged in World War II, and the Arp Schniter organ of 1699 was replaced with a modern Wacker organ.

The "Triumph-Kreuz" and clock date from 1477.

 

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Lübeck — Part Two

The Holy Ghost Hospital (Heiligen-Geist-Hospital) in Lübeck was built in 1286 and looks today much as it did then. It housed a monastic foundation that rendered charity to the sick and needy.

Eventually the Hospital was converted into an old age home. These wooden cubicles were built in 1820 and inhabited by older persons living on charity up till 1970. Note the fine medieval roof.

Inside the nearby St Jakobi-Kirche, whose war-battered tower is seen as it was around 1980, are found two of Germany's most interesting organs.

In these badly faded pictures you can see first the Friedrich Stellwagen transept organ from 1636-37. It incorporates Gothic pipes from the 15th century, making it one of the oldest instruments in Germany.

An excellent sound sample of the Stellwagen organ can be heard here.

The Great Organ in the Jakobi-Kirche appeared in different versions between 1466 and 1740.

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Lübeck — Part One

An hour's train ride from Hamburg, the Baltic seaport town of Lübeck was the most important city in the Hanseatic League. The city was largely destroyed in the bombings of World War Two. This Merian map of 1641 shows it in its glory days.

I took dozens of photos from my visits there, mostly inside the ancient redbrick Gothic churches which have been well-restored.

The Holsten Tor, gate to the city.

The Marienkirche, built between 1250 and 1350.

Plaque commemorating Bach's apprenticeship with Buxtehude here.

Eternal Gothic

Front door handles

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