sanmaidō 三昧堂

Also called nenbutsu sanmaidō 念仏三昧堂. Nenbutsu 念仏 prayers are recited, to obtain unity with *Amida 阿弥陀.

1　Buddhist halls used for meditation and circumambulation while contemplating physical, metaphysical or transcendental existence. It is particularly associated with the Tendai 天台 sect. The hokke zanmai 法華三昧 and the jōgyō zanmai 常行三昧 are the main types of sanmai meditation. The *Fugen 普賢 is enshrined in the hokke sanmaidō 法華三昧堂 hall and the Amida is enshrined in the jōgyō sanmaidō 常行三昧堂 hall. The buildings are usually either 3 × 3 bays or 5 × 5 bays square. Many Amida halls *amidadō 阿弥陀堂 have been influenced by sanmaidō.
2　A funeral hall at a cemetery.