Mt. Koya

Mt. Koya

We had only been in Osaka for a night. It almost seemed like we ordered room service, took a long nighttime nap, packed our bags and left. And when we left, we were leaving to Mt. Koya, for an experience of a lifetime.

DAY ONE- MT. KOYA EXPERIENCE

To arrive at Mt. Koya, we took a train (a very nice one with lots of vending machines) to a funicular –a steeply tilted tram- to a bus that dropped us off at the Echō-in. We were staying there for a unique experience—it is a temple that doubles as a hotel. We removed our shoes and walked into the majestic building before us. Tatami mats lined the floors. Statues of Buddha were scattered into every room. There was no escape from the amazing culture and I loved that. After checking in, we headed to our room before afternoon meditation. Our room was a mini of the main building: tatami mats, small potted plants, views ofnature and tranquility. There was no air conditioning, but we decided that we could manage with a few fans. There were also public baths- a big bath that everyone can hop into naked to soak- I didn’t plan to use them, yet they looked very nice and… um… very public. The facilities were clean, but I didn’t like the idea of getting in a pool full of naked women. It’s just not my style. We had a room with a private bathroom, so I was covered if I wanted to dip. When it was time, we went off to afternoon meditation.

A monk informed us about what we would be doing to meditate. We would practice Ajikan meditation. We would count our breaths and concentrate on the universe (a.k.a. the Supreme Cosmic Buddha) and ourselves. Then the monk left us to fend for ourselves in the treacherous world of… meditation. There were two things that set me off. Thing number one: focusing. Okay, that sentence isn’t entirely true. I mean, I was focusing… I’m just pretty sure that I wasn’t supposed to be focused on that ant climbing up someone’s back in front of me. The next thing that set me off: keeping my eyes half closed. This concept comes from seeing into yourself and seeing into the Supreme Cosmic Buddha at the same time. I can squint, if that’s what you’re supposed to do. I did make some progress, though. I could hear all of the sounds around me like the chirps of birds and the hum of the fan. I was more aware of the thoughts going through my head and I was more aware of my breathing. It was super peaceful.

Finally, after ten minutes of trial and error, the monk returned and ended the meditation. We spent some time in the room and then headed over to the dining hall. We had a private dining hall that was closed off by rice paper screens.

We ate tapas style, taking bites of tofu and vegetable soups. Everything was vegan. It was delicious, but it didn’t outrun the Gora Kadan. After dinner, we headed to the meeting point for the tour of the Okunoin cemetery, which was two steps away. One great thing about staying at the Echō-in is that you are staying right near the main attraction. We met up with the tour, sprayed ourselves with bug spray and then we set off!!! Before entering the cemetery, we bowed to show respect. We ventured through the never ending paths and then we reached our final destination, the resting place of Kobo Daishi, the first Buddha to reach enlightenment in his first life. Before we entered this area, we washed a Buddha statue that was supposed to be our inner Buddha. My outer Buddha got a bit wet, but we carried on to Kobo Daishi. He is still in that mausoleum, meditating to his heart’s content since 835. The monk told us that he reached enlightenment and wanted to find a quiet place to continue his teachings and continue meditating and praying. He thought that the moon could teach us, because it starts out like a slim semi circle, and gets bigger and clearer. This is what we can make our minds do if we use meditation. We can make our minds clear and full like the moon. It is an important concept in Buddhism and he is an important figure in Buddhism. The monks still carry food to him in his mausoleum because they believe that he is still alive and meditating. The lanterns are beautiful at night here, so we were glad that we took the tour. Though the guide offers a ride back, we chose to make our way back alone. Something landed on my hand, and I’m not sure I want to know what. Sure, its pretty to see hundreds of lit lanterns all in one spot at night. But, to be honest, a cemetery is always creepy. Especially when you spot snakes and bugs who probably live off – okay, I’ll stop there. Anyway, we arrived safely (thank god) back at our hotel. We drifted off to sleep, and a few dreams about the cemetery might have slipped in.

DAY TWO- MT. KOYA EXPIRIENCE

We woke up bright and early to catch the morning meditation. There was a bunch of chanting in a dimly lit room with golden statues and fixtures. I was absolutely astounded by the monk’s ability to say so many words, so rhythmically, and without even taking more than 5 breaths. That sounds like a low bar, but seriously, these guys must do some vocal cord workout. It was impressive to hear their voices harmonizing and working together to pull off a sound that will never get forgotten in the minds of the listeners. The temple is also amazing. Tilted ceilings with gold lanterns hanging here and there. An adorned Buddha statue sat in the center, looking as I’d imagine I would if I had just reached enlightenment. After they finished, a monk led us to the fire ritual. We all crammed into this tiny temple and watched as a monk set fire to sticks with wishes written on them. It is said that by burning your wishes, they will come true. There was less chanting this time, but still- just as astonishing. There was rhythmic drumming and chanting and then… BAM! The fire got higher than I was. It danced along to the pulse of the drum. Fire could cause so much suffering, but still. The fire before me was everything except suffering. There are many different sides to fire, I thought, and this is a magnificent one. It was a sight that surprised us all. Even I didn’t think that a fire could be that high and striking. Once these prayers were over, we went for breakfast. Interestingly, the breakfast was based around the same thing as the Gora Kadan: rice and seaweed. This seaweed was poorly spiced, so it wasn’t amazing, but still. I just love some DIY sushi. After a relaxing breakfast, we decided to wander the cemetery in the daytime, which is only slightly less frightening. We were soon at ease, though, because we saw sights that werecognized from the nighttime tour.

We didn’t stray from the path, just in case we got lost. We saw the storage of all the other lanterns, which is a lot. A family donates one each time a person dies. A lot of lanterns, a lot of dead people. I suddenly got a sinking feeling in my gut. So many dead people. I wanted to weep onto each grave, but I hold back as we make our way to the entrance. Once back at the hotel, we packed our bags and said goodbye. It was sad to leave. Before we left, we had one more stop to make. On the Cemetery Tour, we met some women from San Francisco. They recommended that we go to the sandwich shop right across the way from our hotel. We stopped in and got the best egg salad sandwiches. It had that perfect texture. There was a creaminess to the sauce and a smoothness to the whites of the eggs. Yum! We took our sandwiches, caught the bus back to the funicular, then headed to the train, and then sped back to Osaka. I could just feel that Mt. Koya had many more secrets. We did a pretty good sweep, but I can never say that I did it all.

PARENT CORNER

An overnight visit to Koyasan, as the Japanese call it, is a truly unique experience. It starts immediately with the scenic train ride. Then the view gets even more beautiful – as long as you don’t have a fear of heights- when you transfer to the funicular and it makes the steep climb up, up, up, above the tree tops.

After reading about the Ekoin in a New York Times article we were excited to spend the night there in an actual Buddhist temple complex. And while we definitely recommend spending a night on Mt. Koya, we think it might be worth doing some price/review comparing of some of the other temples. We have no complaints about the Ekoin and enjoyed our time there, but the price seemed a bit high for the experience. Perhaps it’s because we paid extra for a private bathroom. It was a must for us since three fourths of this four person family refuses to get naked and shower/bathe with strangers. Also for the price we expected the meals to knock our socks off but unfortunately our socks stayed firmly in place. Still we highly recommend the night cemetery tour and staying in a temple where you can experience some elements of the life of a monk without having to shave your head.😀

STAY TUNED FOR MY ADVENTURES IN OSAKA!!!

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Dora