Tōrin-in (東林院), a sub-temple of Myōshin-ji (妙心寺), is named after Donglin Temple (東林寺) in China.

Thanks to a famed sal tree (now sadly dead) that once grew in the grounds, Tōrin-in is commonly known as 'Sarasōju-no-tera' (沙羅双樹の寺 the 'Sal Tree Temple').

#Kyoto #Japan #saltree #saltreetemple #京都 #zen

When is a sal tree not a sal tree?🤔

Early Buddhists discovered they could not grow sal trees in Japan's climate, and so scrambled for a solution...
They bestowed on the abundant 'natsu-tsubaki' (夏椿 the 'Japanese stewartia') the honorary title 'sal tree' (沙羅)🤫

#Kyoto #夏椿 #saltree

The white flowers of the sala tree (沙羅) bloom at the arrival of the Rainy Season in June.

Because they open in the morning and fall by evening, they have become associated with transience. They are 1 of 3 sacred Buddhist trees (the others being the linden and pipal/bodhi tree).

#Buddhism #saltree #lindentree #bodhitree

👶THE SAL TREE💀

"The sound of the Gion Shōja bells echoes the impermanence of all things; the color of the sāla flowers reveals the truth that the prosperous must decline. The proud do not endure, they are like a dream on a spring night..."
-The Tale of the Heike (平家物語).

#HeikeMonogatari #平家物語 #saltree #Buddha #Buddhism #zen #Myoshinji #Torinin