A stone sculpture (dragonfly) of Mushi-zuka (mourning mound for dead insects): Kencho-ji

This Mushi-zuka (the mourning mound for dead insects) was founded by entomologist and anatomist Takeshi Yoro in the bamboo grove of Kencho-ji Temple.

This memorial is built for honoring the dead insects that Dr. Yoro preserved as his insect specimens and serves as a place for visitors to reflect on the preciousness of all living things on the earth.

This insect mound embodies the Buddhist principle of non-killing.

Since the founding of Kencho-ji in the 13th century by Rankei Doryu who was a Zen priest from the Southern Sung Dynasty, this old Zen temple has cherished the teaching to respect all living things, and this insect mound stands as a symbol of this philosophy.

As a Zen temple, Kenchō-ji has a particular history of admonishing against the unjustified killing of any living things during the practice and works (garden cleaning, working in the fields, and so on).

This insect mound is the place of memorial service that embodies the infinite compassionate heart of Buddha.

 

A stone sculpture (stag beetle) of Mushi-zuka (mourning mound for dead insects): Kencho-ji

 

In schools of Zen Buddhism such as Kencho-ji temple (particularly the Rinzai school), the prohibition of killing lives is emphasized as an essential ascetic practice within daily life.

For example, when sweeping the garden or weeding, one does not kill insects needlessly. The monks who are practicing meditation are cautious not to swat mosquitoes flying around them.

Buddhism teaches that all living beings possess “Bussho” (Buddha-nature). That is to say, humans, animals, insects, and plants are all fundamentally precious beings that possess the same potential to become Buddha, who has achieved a state of perfect enlightenment.

Even the smallest life is considered to have the sacred heart of Buddha, while simultaneously being ignorant about its own divine nature without being spiritually awakened.

For this reason, the prohibition of killing is not merely a prohibition of action,

but also the practice for cultivating the compassionate heart of Buddha, while cherishing the lives of all living things around us.