Fresh green leaves: Engaku-ji

San-mon (moutain gate): Kencho-ji

The five-colored hangings, which are suspended from the eaves of the mountain gate for a celebration day, are slowly swaying in the gentle breeze of late summer.

These five colors are symbolic of the five kinds of wisdom of Buddha.

Red is the blood color of Buddha and represents his profound compassion on all living things in this painful world.

Gold (or yellow) is his body color and represents his ultimate power which destroys all earthly evil passions and darkness.

Green (or blue) is his hair color and symbolizes his absolute tranquility of wisdom which can reveal the eternal truth of everything.

Purple is his robe (Kesa) color and represents his supreme endurance which overcomes every persecution, temptation and insult.

White is his tooth color and symbolizes his pure heart which cleanses every evil and agony of this land of the living.

The San-mon (three gates) of Engaku-ji temple

"San-mon" (three gates) means "the three gates for spiritual salvation" through which we are allowed to be released from our earthly delusions and desires and enter into "Butsuden" (a Buddhist sanctum).

The first gate is "Ku-gedatsu-mon" or "the salvation gate of nothingness" which preaches the emptiness of the entity of all things. The second gate is "Muso-gedatsu-mon" or "the salvation gate of formlessness" which preaches the mental state of being perfectly delivered from earthly and material existence. The third gate is "Mugan-gedatsu-mon" or "the salvation gate of desirelessness" which preaches the perfect freedom from the attachment to the phenomenal world.

The San-mon usually has no door, which represents the ultimate mercy of Buddha who compassionately allowed all living things to embrace the Buddhist faith.

Fresh green leaves are growing vigorously and luxuriantly on the Sakura trees which were once in full bloom in last spring.