Yokusitsu

�@According to the normal rule, priests shave their heads and bathe every fifth day (every time the date contains a 4 or 9). In the morning, trainees shave each other's heads, and in the afternoon they enjoy a bath. Before the bath, each priest makes three bows while reciting "We bathe vowing to benefit all beings; may our bodies and minds be purified both inwardly and outwardly." The altar for this vow holds an image of Baddabara Bosatsu, also called Kengo Daishi. It is said that Baddabara Bosatsu reached enlightenment through the medium of the bath water, so this bodhisattva is traditionally associated with the bath. The statue here reflects the hope of the trainees to receive the Buddhist teachings of all entities in this universe.