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Japan Day 12 & 13: Buddhist temple

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Japan Day 12 & 13: Buddhist temple

On June 11, 2012, Posted by , In Travel, By , , With No Comments

We had the opportunity to stay overnight at a Buddhist temple on Mount Koya. The tradition of having guests stay at the temple started with emperors and nobles back around 1000. So, our accommodations and meals were much more stately than what the monks would have and eat. But, they were still pretty modest, and vegan.

The temple is devoted to a sect of esoteric Buddhism whose primary belief is that monk from about 900 AD is still meditating in a nearby cave. Obviously, it is more complex than that, but that is one of the tenants that sets them apart from other sects. This monk, Kobo Daishi, is often referred to as the father of modern Japanese culture. He was a scholar, poet, artist, historian, inventor of katana Japanese “alphabet”, and brought esoteric Buddhism to Japan from China.

One of the monks spoke excellent English and served as our translator for the daily meditation and tour guide through the cemetery. 1000 year old cedar tears mingle in a nearby cemetery with countless graves of the devote as well as famous warlords, emperors, and major corporation founders. The monk as guide was unexpectedly forthcoming about their practices and took us as far and the resting place of Kobo Daishi during the evening tour.

A pair of ceremonies where monks pray for ancestors whose families have enshrined them in the temple rounded out our experience. The fire ceremony was especially interesting since it involved, well, fire. The remainder of the day was spent wet – the one day so far where it rained – and wandering among some of the other holy sights on the mountain.

A super fast train whisked us to Hiroshima in just about 2 hours. We grabbed some quick local fair before heading to bed. There’s not much to say aside from: octopus bruschetta.

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