A cascade of copper ribbons ripple across this meditative stature and, as though with conscious action, leave from each arced finger to coiled hair knots unperturbed. He is of a name, yet bears no identity; its presence spoken in hushed chiming and wide eyed awe. Here footprints both foreign and native to these cobbled grounds pause in momentary silence, capturing his image through artificial and natural lenses. The casting lines of their burning incense weaving across the vast blue and reeling minds to a central calm. It is here where I stand, before this majestic being, that I feel centered. Overlooking the trees and Sagami Bay from beyond the shrine his eyes remain grounded on me. In the afterglow, the yellow jade hue of his skin from years of oxidation becomes a celestial beacon against the onset of night.
Within such serenity, I am transported for a moment to the electronic nerves and awakening hum of the aircraft which brought me here. The eggshell tap of an intercom echoed our departure to Tokyo and suspended the tears that brimmed in my eyes. I breathed in deeply, held the air and attempted to settle the vessel pounding drums in my head as the plane ushered towards an awaiting sky. Upon arrival, I am welcomed by friends with smiles and warm conversation to an open home which skirted the slumbering city. I drank the hot broth of a new year and mapped mental itineraries for the days ahead. Speaking in broken languages, we connected the pieces through laughter and global gestures. Their sights leaned favorably towards the historically compelling city known as Kamakura. My jet lagged mind was unaware to these remarkable wonders and what I had yet to behold in the sacred temple of Kotoku-in.
The deafening realization of it all returns me from reverie by a Buddha cast in bronze. A humble reminder in the ever changing world that time progresses, as we all do. Every incense’s dimming ember setting sail to the wind an untraceable mark, a passing spectator against the universal clock. Averting my gaze one final time, bearing witness to the huddled mass of generations and those yet to come, I find comfort in it.
