Even though the corona crisis has subsided, you still feel stressed in a world where you are forced to live with inconvenience.

Sutra copying is quietly becoming popular

Copying sutras is becoming more and more popular year by year as it is perfect for unifying people's minds and helping to relieve stress.

Shakyo is copying Buddhist scriptures onto sutra paper. This was done as part of monk training. It can be said that copying sutras, which is said to dispel evil thoughts, allows you to unify your mind and take time to face your own heart.

You can easily experience sutra copying at many temples

Did you know that many temples offer a sutra copying experience? (By the way, there are many Japanese people who have never copied sutras.)

At Rozanji, you can experience sutra copying for 1,000 yen (even if you can't write kanji)

Today, I went to Rozanji Temple in Kyoto City, where you can copy sutras while looking at the garden.

Since you will be copying sutras inside the temple, you will have to pay an admission fee of 500 yen and a sutra copying fee of 500 yen. At some temples, ink is polished from scratch and written with a brush, but here I used a brush pen. Underneath the paper on which the sutras are copied, there is a model paper of the Heart Sutra, so even those who are not confident in their handwriting can hang it neatly. Of course, tourists who have never written kanji can do it if they have patience!

If you go to a small temple, you can often copy sutras on a charter.

There were no other worshipers on that day, so I was able to copy the sutras in a private state.

The completed copy of the sutra can be seen in the photo below. When you have finished writing the Heart Sutra, select from the list on the left in the photo above and write down why you copied the sutra. (It seems that you don't have to write it unless there is a particular reason.) Finally, I put the paper of Heart Sutra that I wrote in the box on the desk in front of me.

It took about 30 minutes in all.

Nowadays, we use computers and smartphones a lot, but being able to empty our minds and write letters like this, after finishing writing, I feel refreshed as if all the heavy things in my head and heart were gone. was. If you would like to visit Rozanji Temple, please contact the temple directly or email us.