Located on the island of Oahu, at the Valley of the Temples, The Byodo-In Temple is a shrine dedicated in August 1968 to commemorate 100-year anniversary of the first Japanese immigrants to Hawaii. The temple is a replica of a 900-year-old Buddhist temple at Uji in Kyoto prefecture of Japan. Contrary to popular belief, it is not a functioning Buddhist temple in the proper sense as it does not host a resident monastic community nor an active congregation.
Inside the Byodo-In Temple is a 5.5m statue of the Lotus Buddha, a wooden image depicting Amitabha. Outside is a three-ton, brass peace bell. Surrounding the temple are large koi ponds. Around those ponds are lush Japanese gardens set against a backdrop of towering cliffs of the Ko'olau mountains. Sparrows are often seen fluttering about and playing in the garden trees while peacocks strut about displaying their beautiful feathers.
About the stamps
The first stamp is part of the definitives series American Design (2002-2007), about which I wrote here. The second stamp, showing the countryside of Lancaster County (Pennsylvania), is part of the Scenic American Landscapes series, about which I wrote here.
References
Byodo-In Temple - Wikipedia
Sender: Marius Vasilescu
Sent from Honolulu (Hawaii / United States), on 08.02.2013
Photo: Tom Yin
No comments:
Post a Comment