Three Wheels Temple

In today's world, Three Wheels Temple has become a topic of great relevance and interest to a wide spectrum of society. Since its emergence, Three Wheels Temple has captured the attention of academics, experts, professionals and the general public, generating intense debate and endless discussions around its implications, applications and consequences. Whether due to its impact on technology, the economy, culture or politics, Three Wheels Temple continues to be the object of study and analysis, arousing growing interest and attracting the attention of different actors and sectors. In this article, we will explore the various facets of Three Wheels Temple, its challenges, opportunities and possible repercussions, with the aim of shedding light on its importance and contributing to the understanding of its scope and meaning today.

Three Wheels
Zen garden at Three Wheels Temple, London, UK
Religion
AffiliationShin Buddhism
SectHigashi Hongan-ji
Year consecrated1994
StatusActive
Location
LocationActon, London
CountryEngland
Map
Geographic coordinates51°30′13″N 0°17′07″W / 51.503704°N 0.285351°W / 51.503704; -0.285351
Website
https://threewheels.org.uk/

Three Wheels is a Shin Buddhist temple in London, England, founded in 1994.[1] It is the London branch of Shogyōji (正行寺), a temple in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, which has affiliations with the larger Higashi Hongan-ji (Ōtani-ha) branch of Shin Buddhism.[2]: 286 

The temple was founded by Kemmyō Taira Sato, a former pupil of D. T. Suzuki,[1]: 10 [2]: 291  supporting both the local Japanese diaspora and non-Japanese attendees. The temple is spread across three buildings, with a main building holding the primary altar and two separate buildings used for events and hosting guests, alongside a Zen garden. The Zen garden was designed by John White, art historian and professor at University College London,[3]: 15–16  and it opened in 1997.[2]: 290 [4]

Three Wheels conducts daily services, meditation sessions, twice-yearly shokai retreats (a term coined from two characters meaning "to flow" and "to open") involving communal meals, dharma talks, and chanting,[2]: 297  and services such as funerals and weddings. The temple also hosts bi-monthly eza gatherings, which feature dharma talks in English.[2]: 289  The term "eza" means "to meet and sit"[2]: 296  and is a distinctive practice within the Shogyōji lineage of temples, compared with wider the Shin Buddhist movement.[2]: 289 

Since 1997, Three Wheels has conducted a yearly Annual Ceremony to Pray for World Peace and Reconciliation between British and Japanese War Veterans.[5][1]: 11 

Notes

  1. ^ a b c Matsunaga, Louella (14 July 2021). "Jōdo Shinshū in the UK: Impermanence, Precarity, and Change". Journal of Religion in Japan. 10 (1): 1–27. doi:10.1163/22118349-01002007. S2CID 237745705.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Kolata, Paulina (27 May 2023). "Navigating inclusion: 'home-making' in the UK Shin Buddhist community". Religion, State and Society. 51 (3): 283–299. doi:10.1080/09637494.2023.2212578.
  3. ^ Watson, Sophie; Zanetti, Oliver (2016). "Religion as practices of attachment and materiality: the making of Buddhism in contemporary London" (PDF). Culture and Religion. 17 (3): 257–278. doi:10.1080/14755610.2016.1211544. S2CID 152187733.
  4. ^ "The Zen Garden" (PDF). Three Wheels. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-08-11. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  5. ^ "2013 Foreign Minister's Commendation - Reverend Professor Kemmyo Taira Sato and Mr Keisaku Sano". Embassy of Japan in the UK. Retrieved 11 February 2024.

References