From Here to Eternity: Travelling the World to Find the Good Death

by Caitlin Doughty

When Koukokuji Temple reached capacity, the priest Yajima could have invested in an old-fashioned cemetery space. Instead, seven years ago he built the Ruriden columbarium. (Columbaria are separate buildings for storing cremated remains.) “Buddhism has always been state-of-the-art,” he explained. “It is quite natural to use technology alongside Buddhism. I see no conflict at all.” With that, he showed us through the doors of the complex’s newest hexagonal building. We stood in the darkness while Yajima punched something into a keypad at the entrance. Moments later, two thousand floor-to-ceiling Buddhas began to glow and pulse a vivid blue. “Woooaahhh,” Sato-san and I bleated in unison, stunned and delighted. I had seen photographs of Ruriden, but to be surrounded, 360 degrees, by the luminous Buddhas was overwhelming.