News

Mon. Nov. 13. 2023Sutra Copying Experience

Sutra Copying Experience on November 8, 2023

Comment from Eva Xiaoyi Lu (KCJS35 Fall, Tufts University) :

“Last Wednesday at Chion-ji Temple was my first experience of sutra copying. Before we started, the abbot gave us a brief introduction to the Chion-ji Temple as well as the text we’d be transcribing. The text we copied was the One-Sheet Document (一枚起請文), written by the founder of the Japanese Jōdo Shū Buddhism school, Hōnen, two days before his passing. In the quiet temple, we could hear nothing besides the sound of the rustling of the wind in the yard. In such a serene space, we settled our minds, held the brush, and meticulously transcribed the sutra stroke by stroke, immersing our entire being in the act. Upon completion, everyone felt a sense of spiritual purification. I’m really glad to have such an invaluable experience.”