CONTEXT: Trekking barefoot through a Japanese jungle to get to an abandoned temple, which just happens to be Japans largest Kannon… before we get into the juicy bits (a raw, written journal entry of an encounter with God), here’s some context & background on what this carved deity is all about…
KANNON - The Goddess of Mercy
This 50-meter high sitting statue of the Kannon was constructed in 1982. Located in the tiny seaside town of Usami. The Kannon sits up on a hill, overlooking the town. The temple grounds hold a broad array of statues, including those from Tibet and Nepal, numerous mandala, and statues of the Seven Lucky Gods…
‘All agree that to understand far Eastern culture, one must know Buddhism; Japanese Buddhists make clear that to understand Buddhism, one must know Kannon. Kannon is regarded by Japanese Buddhists as the representative saviour of the world, the incarnation of mercy for the past two thousand years. Though crystallized from the depths of Buddhist philosophy, devotion to the Kannon is mostly a popular cult, offering help to all. Despite the common inclination to regard Kannon as merely a dispenser of material gifts, this deity also represents wisdom, strength & spiritual activity. In Orthodox Buddhism, Kannon is masculine, however Japanese popular devotion has preferred to consider the deity as female, the Goddess of Mercy.’
Notice how this goddess of mercy has been called ‘the saviour of the world’… that he / she forfeits entering Buddhahood (a state of enlightenment or nirvana) until all can be saved… sounds a little bit familiar doesn’t it.
Isn’t Jesus Christ the saviour of the world? Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” The devil cannot create anything new, because he is not God… BUT, he can & does use what God has created & mimics him; slightly twisting the truth & thus producing a counterfeit- deceiving people to believe in false gods, a false saviour, a false narrative, and hence, people are unknowingly actually bowing down to the devil himself. Because if it’s not God- it’s Satan. It took my a long time before coming to accept Jesus to understand this- of God or not of God. But as we break down these narratives & compare it to the Bible, the original story & authority- which has proven to be more historically and archaeologically accurate than any other ancient book- we can start to see the bigger picture.
If you are still questioning the authority / legitimacy / accuracy of the Bible please watch this film: The Case for Christ // A true story of avowed atheist & renowned journalist, Lee Strobel, who sets out to disprove the crucifixion of Christ & his wife who’s just become Christian... Let’s just say he comes to unexpected, life-altering results.
2 Timothy 1:10 “but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Saviour Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel”
Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
1 Corinthians 1:3-4 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”
Japanese Goddess of Mercy.
‘ORIGIN OF KANNON: India. Kannon personifies compassion and is one of the most widely worshipped divinities in Asia and Japan in both ancient and modern times. Kannon’s origins are unclear, but most scholars agree that Kannon worship began in India around the 1st or 2nd century AD and then spread to Southeast Asia, China, Korea, and most other Asian nations. Veneration of Kannon in Japan began in the late 6th century, soon after Buddhism reached Japan by way of Korea and China. In Japan, Kannon’s paradise is known as Fudarakusen: an island located at the southern tip of India (which supports theories of Kannon’s Indian origin). Many Kannon statues from Japan’s Asuka Era (538 to 710) are still standing. Originally male in form, Kannon is now often portrayed as female in China, Japan, and other East Asian countries. Each of these nations dressed Kannon in different forms to suit their own temperaments and spiritual concepts.
TRANSLATION. Avalokitêśvara is a Sanskrit term, masculine in gender, that translates as Lord Who Regards All (avalokita = observe, iśvara = unimpeded). Īśvara, another name for Śiva, Mahêśvara, or Īśvaradeva (the king of the deva), is a likely component of the name Avalokitêśvara. The Sino-Japanese term Kannon 観音 (Chinese = Guānyīn) literally means watchful listening, and is often translated as “one who sees / hears all.” This is indeed the task of the compassionate Kannon — to witness and listen to the prayers and cries of those in difficulty in the earthly realm, and to help them achieve salvation. Another Japanese name for Kannon is Kanzeon 観世音, the one who constantly surveys (kan 観) the world (ze 世) listening for the sounds (on 音) of suffering. It was later shortened to Kannon. Kannon is a Bodhisattva (Jp. = Bosatsu), one who achieves enlightenment but postpones Buddhahood until all can be saved. Kannon is mentioned in numerous Mahayana sutra (religious texts), especially the Lotus Sutra 法華経 (Hokekyō).
‘Lord who regards all’…’one who sees / hears all’…’witnessing & listening to the prayers & cries of those in difficulty & helping them to achieve salvation’… wowwww, talk about taking the words out of my mouth! Straight from the word of God.
1 Corinthians 1:3-4 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”
Deuteronomy 31:8 “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Psalm 91:4 “His massive arms are wrapped around you, protecting you. You can run under his covering of majesty and hide. His arms of faithfulness are a shield keeping you from harm.”
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believe in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
Colossians 1:20 “And by the blood of his cross, everything in heaven and earth is brought back to himself—back to its original intent, restored to innocence again!”
He came down to rescue us from sin and restore us to the final joy for which we were made: to know and enjoy him. He came to reconcile us “to himself”. It’s just choosing to accept that love that he has for us, & the free gift of salvation that comes with it…
To the left: THE HAND OF GOD. OIL PAINTING BY YONGSUNG KIM.
Above: A VIDEO TAKEN FROM THE KANNON TEMPLE SITE
JOURNAL ENTRY (the juicy bit)…
“Okay um WOW. Yahwehhh.
That was something ELSE.
Lord holyyy.
I just bare-foot trekked through a Japanese jungle.
Saw a big thick red & yellow striped / spotted snake on the path. It slithered slowly away, but my heart was thumping.
Prayed a big fat prayer of protection & guidance- of both the animals in the forest, & the spiritual warfare happening in the heavenly realms. Decided to trek on, definitely scared me, but I was like nup let’s do this.
Such a beautiful forest, full of tall, elegant trees, with almost no undergrowth. It started pitter-pattering. Beautifully refreshing & slightly romantic.
I got to a fork in the road. Maps was telling me to go right but there was no right path (I’m on an old, faded 4wd track that fades into a slim single file walking track, which fades into nothing). I thought, ooo, I could turn back as there IS actually a road that goes up to the temple. Or I could bush bash & re-find the path…
I bush-bashed it HA! I am very proud of that decision. Thank you Lord for giving me the courage to trust & go on.
Okay, so I refind the path, there’s these old shacks & abandoned huts / maybe old stores. The path is literally a 4wd track. But no-one has been up there for years. Kind of super eery vibes.
I see the base of the temple through the trees, and come out to the clearing. It’s really raining now.
As I walk in, there’s thousands of small stone buddhas that line the hill in rows. They all have numbers & most of them have beaded necklaces on. The massive kannon buddha statue looms over, hands in prayer, sitting above a lotus flower.
I just start praying hey. As I’m walking up through these thousands of carved stone buddhas towards the large Kannon…
Proclaiming the name of Jesus over that site, over the nation of Japan. That there was a reason this temple was abandoned & shut down, because you Lord, are the one true living God. The King of Kings. Lord of Lords. Creator of the UNIVERSE, of the heavens & the earth. The Lord Almighty. Jesus is His name. I was praying that every people, every nation, language & tongue will bow down to you Lord. Psalm 22:27 “All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him...”
That the people of this place, this temple of worship need to repent & turn to you; the one true living God. That people can turn away from burning incense to carved idols in their gardens & instead come to know that Jesus is their God & their saviour. That Jesus is the way, the truth & the life, and that no one can get to the father except through Him. Proclaiming God’s power, His glory, His majesty, His might, re-stating His rightful place as King and that all shall come to know Him.
It was REALLY bucketing down now, as I made steps up towards the giant Kannon I got out my phone to try & take a photo…
BOOM!!
LIGHTNING & the loudest crack of THUNDER hit the sky!
Directly overhead the statue…
I would have taken a photo at that moment too ha, but it was too wet for the phone!!
I was saturated. And completely & utterly in awe…
I was on top of a mountain, on top of Japans biggest Kannon statue- their ‘saviour’, proclaiming the name of Jesus (the real saviour) over the site & the nation & the Lord SPOKE, sending thunder & lightning directly above.. stating YES, I am King of Kings, Lord of Lords. I am that I am. I am your God & I love you…
Pouring out his tears & his love; his deep love & desire for the people of this nation to know him, to accept his love for them, and to turn away from false idols and gods carved from the hands of man. The torrential rain was the torrential love he has for us all… Not going to lie it was pretty incredible. At the top a mountain; Japan’s biggest carved deity, proclaiming the name of Jesus & praying for his Spirit to be poured out, and the Lord sends thunder & lightning right above… phenomenal. And get this, the next morning after writing this out on here, the Psalm I was up to read “the voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning.” Psalm 29:8 Thank you Jesus…”
THANKS FOR READING :)
ATAMI. Next stop Usami… 75km from the start of the bicycle journey.
