Imagine the marriage of a huge rave party in a warehouse (all the rage in some parts of the world) and a Buddhist temple. Now imagine a Buddhist monk dressed in traditional robes, sporting headphones, and handling a DJ console.
That’s Gyosen Asakura’s “techno memorial services” for you. Twice a year, Fukui’s Shoonji Temple is transformed into a “techno temple” of sorts. The 49-year-old DJ-turned priest metamorphoses the Buddhist services into an unorthodox Buddhist-rave service with music and lighting.
The aim is to attract the younger generations to Buddhism, and not let the religion fade away.
Asakura believes music is a way to introduce the Buddhist “pure land” to the public. The electronic music he plays – which varies from IDM (Intelligent Dance Music) to breakbeats – is interspersed with Buddhist scriptures. “The sacred scripture describes the Buddhist “pure land” as a beautiful world filled with amazing lights. In the old days when electricity didn’t exist people tried to recreate atmosphere by lacing sculptures with gold-leaf to reflect candle light. I want to recreate this atmosphere with electronic technology,” says Akura, in the video above.
Watch his stunning memorial service, which tries to “represent paradise with contemporary light” below:
Buy an annual Scroll Membership to support independent journalism and get special benefits.
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!