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A few months ago, an ALT brought me to a beautiful living Buddhist temple. I say “living” because of all the temples I drive by everyday I never see any life among them. They all just sit, seemingly unused, unwanted and ignored. For example, the Aoki Temple by my house had dancers, drums, and loud festivities for a week last fall, but I haven’t seen or heard anything since. No one 
visits the grounds or the deity from what I can tell. It just sits in silence, like a forgotten tombstone in an aging graveyard.But this temple is ALIVE! The temple isn’t in the guidebooks, it’s not on a major highway, and it’s not in a big city. It is in the foothills of the mountains, hidden away behind some buildings and up a step set of
stairs. It spreads out over the hill and is even built into the hill. There are several little alcoves and buildings that make up the entire temple, each probably added on or built to signify a different phase of in the life of the temple. Some of the buildings and deity installations are obviously newer and have been added and built around several older cave shrines. The temple is unique in my mind for several reasons: the main hall houses a large deity that has been carved into the side of the mountain, the cave temple is reminiscent of living temples I have visited in India, and fresh mountain spring water cascades from the 
mouths of dragons.Near the mouth of the dragons, the small cave temple can be seen through some trees and across a koi pond. As you walk across the bridge, up the steps and duck your head to enter the dark cave space, the scent of incense is overwhelming and extremely calming at the same time. The small cave shrine houses 20-30 individual deities or saints all clothed in different colored apron-like dresses. Inside, your eyes have to adjust to the dark and the haze left by the burning candles and incense. The cave is damp, cool and alive! On the three inner walls of the cave, the deities are lined up, each one probably with a different story, a different name and a different face. And in the dark, I felt their presence in this sacred space. Food and flower offerings had been left at the foot of the central deity and there is a large box in the middle of the floor for monetary offerings.
Outside the sound of water is thunderous as it falls from the mouths of the dragons. Temple visitors can stand under an awning or sit on a bench to watch and listen in deafening silence. Many people bring their own water jugs to fill with fresh mountain spring water.
But it isn’t just the temple and its deities that make it so unique. Situated at the base of mountains amongst cedar trees and flowering plants, the air is also alive and vibrant. It’s filled with the smell of blooming flowers, cedar trees, incense and the mountain breeze. In addition, the view of the valley and the ocean are spectacular from up there. It isn’t overrun with devotees, but there are a handful of people walking around visiting each area of the temple, saying their prayers, collecting fresh water, offering gifts, and making their way up the hill. Everything about the temple and the atmosphere is alive….the air, the trees, the plants, the water, the deities, and the devotees.This last weekend, a friend and I, accidentally (very happily so) came across this temple again. During my first visit I commented on how alive I felt after visiting the temple. And the same feelings overwhelmed me when I entered the cave space and took a deep breath. I felt life pouring into my lungs and my soul. It’s a space full of energy! It’s a hidden treasure in the mountains of Toyama. It’s a little secret that feeds my soul. And I want to go back for more. I need to go back for more!
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