Howdydoo!
Well, once again, it's time for something NEW!
Temple Tales, by the Temple Guy, is going to start concentrating on--TEMPLES!
That's right! From now on, pretty much every Episode will be about the temples I've visited in Japan and China.
Oh, I'll still occasionally throw in an "extra" Episode about
churches and missions, in the U.S. and the Philippines;
the Buddha's life and teachings; or
the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Arhats, Kings and Generals, and historical figures found in temples.
But for the most part, each Episode will focus on one temple in Japan or China, or sometimes a small cluster of them.
Furthermore, I'm going to be more systematic in my coverage.
For the 132 out of 142 Key Temples I saw in China (with a few thrown in along the way)--to be sent out on Tuesdays--I'll be writing in the order in which I visited them. I've already started, with Episode 072, about my first "official" temple visit in China, to Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou. Next Tuesday I'll continue with the small temple I saw that afternoon.
Meanwhile, Fridays will be for the 188 Temples of Japan, an official list comprised of 100 temples dedicated to Kannon (Avalokiteshvara), the Bodhisattva of Compassion, plus the 88 Temples on Shikoku. These will be in "temple list" order, starting with the 33 temples of the Saigoku circuit of western Japan; then the Bando 33 in eastern Japan (not summarized--yet); next, the 34 temples of Chichibu, in a mountain valley outside of Tokyo; and finally, the 88 temples of Shikoku.
I have already written about a few of the temples on these lists, for both China and Japan, and will nod toward those pieces as I skip over a "finished" temple for the next one.
So, look for a "Japan temple" this Friday; then a "China temple" on Tuesday, and so on.
And yes, I'm cutting back to two Newsletters a week. I'm told some of you are having a hard time keeping up!
Meanwhile, did you know I have a new project? Check out "A Humanist Looks at the Bible," a weekly message on a passage from the Jewish and Christian scriptures, from a humanist/rationalist point of view. And please subscribe! Seeing you all signed up for my first Lesson--going out on my 65th birthday this Friday--would be the best present ever!
That's about that! Hope you're all keeping safe and well in these difficult times.
Adios, Amigos!
James