Buddhism is one of the oldest religions on Earth, and there are several Buddhist temples in various parts of the world. And now, a team of Japanese Buddhist monks is planning to build a temple in space to protect the cosmos.
Daigoji Temple in Kyoto to be Built in Space
The Daigoji Temple in Kyoto is one of the oldest Buddhist temples on Earth, and it was built around 1,100 years ago. The temple is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, and it attracts thousands of tourists every year.
To protect the universe and to proclaim the glory of Buddhism, Japanese monks are now planning to build it in space as well. According to a report published in the Daily Star, Japanese monks have already teamed up with Terra Space, a Kyoto-based satellite research and development company to create a worshipping place in space.
The ambitious space temple will be set up in a communication satellite, and its shape will be very similar to that of the Buddhist temples here on Earth. Japanese monks have named this temple Jōten'in Gō'unji, and they believe that this holy place in space will protect Earth and the entire universe from devastating events.
Human Prayers will be Sent to Space
Mandalas and a Vairocana, which Buddhists consider sacred, will be placed inside this temple. If Japanese monks and Terra Space succeed in building this temple in space, it will orbit Earth once every 90 minutes at an altitude of around 278 miles.
After the installation of this Buddhist temple in space, special worshipping programs will be carried out, and people can send their prayers to this holy place. Once the prayer is conveyed to the monks in Kyoto, they will send it as data to the temple in space. These prayers will be stored in devices equipped in the temple and will be retained forever in space.
According to the developers of this Buddhist temple, its life is expected to be somewhere between five to ten years. After the lifespan, the temple will enter Earth's atmosphere and will burn out, which means all the prayers will become a part of the universe.
The development of this artificial satellite is currently in progress. If everything goes well, this space temple will be launched into Earth's orbit in 2023 from India, Japan, Russia, or China.
Risks Posed by Space Debris
However, the move of Japanese monks to create a Buddhist temple in space has not gone well with a section of space scientists. According to these space scientists, Earth's orbit is already crowded due to space debris from satellites, and launching unwanted satellites like the Buddhist temple could make the orbit more polluted.
