When you enter the Valley of the Temples, you’ll find a couple of mausoleums (see photo below). One of these mausoleums is said to be where the body of ex-President Ferdinand Marcos was placed before it was allowed to be flown to the Philippines.
When I go to cemeteries, it always makes me happy to see tombs with flowers. At Valley of Temples, there are even windmills and flags!
The Byodo-In Temple is a scale replica of a temple at Uji Japan built 900 years ago. The temple was established in 1968 to commemorate the first Japanese immigrants to Hawaii and it was constructed without the use of nails! Amazing Japanese architecture.
According to its website, “the TV series Hawaii Five-O and Magnum, P.I. featured several episodes where the temple is incorporated into the plot. The temple and its gardens also appeared in an episode of Lost”.
On the left side of the temple, there’s a sacred bell. It’s said to bring good luck to ring the bell before entering the temple. The inscription says: “An offering and ringing of this sacred bell brings happiness, the blessings of Buddha, and a long life of the ringer of the bell. It is customarily rung before one enters the temple to spread the eternal teachings of Buddha.”
The sacred bell also called “bon-sho” is a 5ft high, 3 ton brass bell. You just have to pull the string away from the bell, then release the string so the wooden log (called “shu-moku”) would strike the bell.
The tone of the bell sounds a message of deep calm and peace said to cleanse the mind of evil and temptation.
Inside the temple is a carving of Buddha. At 18 feet high, it is believed to be the largest figure carved since ancient times , an original artwork of a famous Japanese sculptor named Masuzo Inui.
While in the temple, don’t forget to stop by and check out the koi fish pond too.
Incidentally, when we were there, a wedding just ended. We chanced upon the pictorial in the grounds. Apparently, the temple grounds are often used for wedding ceremonies by Hawaiians or Japanese visitors.
Entrance fee at the Byodo-In Temple is USD3 per pax. The temple is open from 9:00am to 5:00pm daily. For directions, you can check out http://www.byodo-in.com/location.htm.
