Spirit of Place

Our second "sashimi" style show from Hawaii. Coming to you from the magnificent "Byodo In" Temple in the Valley of the Temples on Oahu. This show's also coming to you raw and unedited (sorry for the wind noise) - from the island of Oahu in the state of Hawaii. Today we visit the Byodo In Temple which is located at the foot of the 2,000 foot Ko'olau Mountains in the Valley of the Temples.The Temple was built in the 1960's to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the first Japanese immigrant workers to Hawaii. It's a recreation of the 950-year-old Byodoin Templ in Uji, Japan. The jewel of the temple is the golden "Lotus Buddha" (because he sits upon a lotus flower). This is the largest wooden Buddha carved in the last 900 years. It is decorated with gold leaf. Like its sister in Japan, the main building is called the "Hoodo" or "Hall of the Chinese Phoenix." The floor plan models that of the Phoenix bird. Next to the Hoodo is a smaller bell-house which holds the 5-foot, 3-ton brass "peace bell