Eiheiji

“Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God”. -Col 2:18-19

 

People praying to Buddha for blessings.

People praying to Buddha for blessings.

I often think on how Buddhism is the “perfect” outward religion. It teaches a person selflessness, kindness, about the inherently evil nature that we are all born with, and that we need cleansed of it. We even get to see the fruits of Buddhism all around us in Japan. The streets are clean (both literally and figuratively), people are extremely respectful, and it is one of the safest countries in the entire world. Many of this is thanks to Buddhism. What Buddhism does not do, however, is show a person how to actually be rid of that evil nature (the flesh), nor does it show a man the way to the eternal relationship that we all need with God. Francis Xavier once said, “In my opinion no people superior to the Japanese will be found among unbelievers”. Soon later, he left Japan, saying that Buddhism was “an invention of the devil”.

A common demon statue about 10 feet tall.

A common demon statue about 10 feet tall.

 

“And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light”. -II Cor 11:14

 

Today, Mia, Hannah, and I, got to see a strong example of how the devil is a great counterfeiter, and uses things that are so close to God’s beauty and truth, and yet deceives many away from the Lord. We went to the Eiheiji temple today – a long anticipated trip, though only about a fifteen-minute drive from where we live. 時 (ji) is the word for Temple, of which the town we live in is named – the town of Eihei-ji. It is revered as one of the largest Buddhist temples in the country. It is especially sacred to the local people. Eiheiji includes a vast landscape along the mountainside. It is filled with gorgeous examples of God’s creation, but not the creation’s God.

 

A family starting to make an incense offering.

A family starting to make an incense offering.

The monks appear busy all day, doing their daily tasks and up-keeping the grounds. You will not see any of them in the pictures, however, as photography of them is prohibited. You can smell the aroma of incense nearly everywhere you go, as offerings are made throughout. You can hear the monks’ incantations at times. We even saw a monk performing a ritual who appeared to be an American (or a foreigner, at the least). Many areas of worship are filled with gold and other precious materials as a form of expressing gratitude to Buddha in the highest way they can. The particular sect of 座禅 Buddhism (zazen) that is in this temple believe in giving their entire life for the pursuit of spiritual perfection. If all Christians did the same, I wonder the impact that we would have!

 

Inside one of Eiheiji's ritual rooms.

Inside one of Eiheiji’s ritual rooms.

Eiheiji is particularly busy right now, as this week marks the beginning of お盆 (obon), a major Buddhist holiday. This is a time that people return to their home lands to pay sacrilege to their ancestors. They visit their families’ grave sites, offer incense, leave offerings at shrines and temples, and light candles for the dead. It is a daily burden to see countless people go by us that are following their lives on the devil’s path of destruction. Hannah got the attention of a shop girl today, and then another, and then another, but we could not tell them about Christ. We met the family of two little twin girls, and they are also spiritually without hope. Just like in America, it is hard to imagine a majority of people around you will one day be in hell – just here it is more of an extreme and more apparent.

 

It seems that our burden and ministries continue to grow, and we know that to “unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required”. Please continue to pray for Japan. Please continue to pray for wisdom for us on God’s intended purpose for us here. Please also pray, as Mia has been burdened with some particular thoughts lately (she may say more on it at a later time), and pray for God to continue to use simple people like us (including Hannah), for the lost and for his glory!