North garden gate: Ninnaji Temple (Kyoto)

 

A gate into autumnal tints: Jochi-ji

Being aware of the ending of late autumn, living things begin to hastily prepare for enduring the harsh winter.

Like the setting sun which shines flamingly just before sinking in the sea, the declined leaves of trees are turning into the blazing colors of fire, waiting for the time to flutter down in the chilly wind.

The subtle and exquisite chemistry of nature causes the dazzling flood of autumnal tints, which makes me find the wonders of life appearing stealthily in the passage of the seasons.

The gate to the spring garden: Kaizo-ji

The gate fittings of the Buddha hall: Kencho-ji

With the quiet passage of time, that which comes into being must fade and decay in its own beautiful way.

The stone pavement to the gate of Koto-in of Daitoku-ji (Kyoto)

The deep green of the moss and bamboo is filling the rainy passage to the gate. 

The pale autumnal tints of maple leaves inside the gate are adding a subtle touch of charm to this place of stillness.

The Kara-mon (Chinese-style gate) of Kencho-ji

The glassy black lacquer and the gilt bronze ornaments of the Kara-mon were magnificently shining before my eyes in the slightly declined sun of the late afternoon.

This Kara-mon (Chinese-style gate) was recently restored as it was when built in the 17th century to reestablish the ancient glory of this old temple.

The gate to the Zen-do of Engaku-ji

In May, a maple tree bears a great number of tiny red flowers.

In front of the forbidden gate to the Zen-do (the hall for practicing Zen meditation), the vivid color combination of the fresh green leaves and the small red flowers of the maple tree suddenly dazzled my eyes.

Just at that moment, the deep sutra-chanting voices of the trainee monks solemnly sounded through this forbidden gate as if to awaken and guide me to the eternal truth.

A garden gate in Tokei-ji

Fresh leaves of maple in Tokei-ji temple

Under the clear and bright sky, just after a weeklong heavy rainfall, I visited the garden of this serene temple.

The brilliant fresh green of maple cleansed by the harsh rain dazzled me with its splendor and silent rapture.

I had a feeling that all the plants and trees in this garden were heartily rejoicing in the precious deep blue sky in the similar way to me.