We're taking a stroll on the Philosophers
Path.
It's just about 1 mile long and very pleasant.
You go along this canal and there are gardens,
there are private homes, there's a beautiful
hillside and more of these lingering fall
colors.
There are little benches scattered here and
there where you could sit down if you wish.
But really it just takes about a half an hour
to have a leisurely stroll along the Philosophers
Path.
And it's a very good way to start the day
because obviously this is open from sunrise,
if you want to come out here early in the
day.
It’s a delightful one-mile trail along a
tiny canal with lush vegetation, especially
tranquil at the beginning or end of day.
Nice gravel walkway, and there's some paved
sections of the walkway.
A few locals out.
Now during the summer season, during the middle
of the day, this is going to be a very crowded
area and it won't be very philosophical, but
in this time it certainly was.
This was filmed during the first week of December
which had really pleasant weather.
It was cool but not cold.
Here's a cat on a leash, so well-trained he
even knows where to go -- look at him lead
the master across this little footbridge.
That's a most unusual site, cat on a leash.
It's a perfect place to walk your dog or play
with them, especially a frisky dog like this
one, and his elderly owner who is acting like
a little kid, playing with his happy dog.
Walking along the Philosophers Path towards
another temple is a good time to consider
briefly on Buddhism.
After all so much of Japan and the temples
of Kyoto are Buddhist.
Most Japanese people are not very religious.
When they go to the temples in the gardens
it's really not so much on a religious or
a philosophical pilgrimage – it's to see
the beauties.
And they'll do some praying, some of them,
while they are there, but it's really kind
of secondary in Japan culture.
They say that Japanese are born Shinto, they
might have a Shinto wedding, and they're buried
with the Buddhist ceremony, and that's about
it for the major religious events of their
life.
But Buddhist philosophy is really an interesting
and appealing one.
And as we walk through this series of gardens
here in the next few minutes of the program
I'll be describing the gardens and mixing
in a little description of some of the basic
principles of Buddhism too.
This is Honen-in which is a good spot to visit
early in the morning because it opens at 7
am and it’s free, so you don't have to worry
about the gates being closed when you arrive
here at Honen, with images of the Buddha.
The Buddha, the enlightened one, who lived
in India around 500 BC.
He established a philosophy of life which
has evolved into one of the world's great
religions – in fact has taken on a life
of its own and gone quite far beyond what
the Buddha had envisioned.
But the basic Buddhist beliefs come down to
the four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold
Path and the Five Precepts.
As we stroll around let's consider these Buddhist
principles in this Buddhist temple garden.
The Four Noble Truths start with the idea
that life involves suffering, and there is
a cause of the suffering which is ignorant
craving, an attachment, and there's a way
out of the suffering to Nirvana and liberation
by following the Noble Eightfold Path.
So Buddhism's Noble Eightfold Path is basically
a way towards liberation and Nirvana, and
peace and true happiness, and true understanding
of the way things really work.
And it could be lumped together in three broad
categories of developing your wisdom, your
morality, and meditating.
Specifically, the Noble Eightfold Path of
Buddha gives you some guidance as to how you
should live.
Following right understanding, right thought,
right speech, right action, right livelihood,
right effort, right mindfulness, and finally
right concentration.
Basically doing the right thing.
This is part of our series on the temples
and gardens of Eastern Kyoto, the Higashiyama
district, and also we’ll take you downtown
in some of our other videos.
Be sure to look for them on our YouTube channel.
