佛光寺本廟 Stele

“A ray of light from the southeast,” the Emperor declared, his voice echoing in the grand hall. “That’s what I saw in my dream.” That dream, filled with celestial light, would forever change the fate of the Bukkoji Buddhist Temple. Right now, you might be wondering how a simple dream could have such power. Let me explain. We stand before the Bukkoji-hombyo Stele. This stele, a silent sentinel of stone, marks the final resting place of a family deeply connected to the Bukkoji Temple. The story of the stele, however, begins long before its inscription in 1929. It begins with the very founding of the Bukkoji Buddhist Temple. Legend has it that jealous rivals stole sacred treasures from the temple, including an image of Amida Buddha. These rivals tossed them into a bamboo grove, hoping to diminish the temple’s influence. But the Emperor’s dream led his men to the discarded image, its presence illuminated by an ethereal light. Touched by this event, the Emperor bestowed a new name upon the temple: “Amida Bukkoji,” meaning “the light of Amida.” The tale serves as a powerful reminder of the resilience of faith, a theme woven into the very fabric of the Bukkoji Temple.