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No liquors and meats can enter
Photograph at: Eiheiji town, Fukui Pref., Japan In front of "Eiheiji-temple"'s gate Eiheiji-temple locates among the mountains where it snows much in winter, and is one of the most famous place where many Buddhists practice asceticism of "Zen". They practice it all day long whenever they wake up, sit to meditate ("Zazen"), have a meal, take a bath and sleep. They have no meats and fishes, and drink no liquors what is restricted by the rules of practice. So the letters of "No liquors and meat can enter the gate" is described on the stone statue in front of the gate of temple. Although, Mr. Mineo Hashimoto (who was the chief priest of "Hounen-in temple" in Kyoto and a famous professor of philosophy of Kobe Univ.) said that the letters have another mean. that means "Even if the rules restrict, meats and liquors enter the gate"...