I remember when I saw Julia Roberts in Eat, Pray, Love, my immediate thought was, ‘I must experience at least one night stay in a Buddhist temple!’ I finally got my wish by spending a night at Eko-in Temple on Mount Koya aka Koyasan.
On arrival, I was freezing due to the snow while in a state of euphoria. I wondered if the snow ever thawed enough for me to use my wakeboard on the beach there. When they showed me my traditional Japanese room, a Ryokan, I kept pinching myself to awaken. Sugoi, was not enough to explain how amazed I was by the room and the view that came with it.
A couple of hours after checking in, I was served dinner in my room by the monks and it was vegetarian as expected. I had eaten quite a bit of Japanese meals before getting here, but this one took it to another level of traditional.
The next morning, with 3 alarms clocks strategically positioned in different corners of my room, I woke up at 7:00 am in order to experience a proper Buddhist prayer session at 7:30am. I am not a limber person, so staying in the prayer position was tres uncomfortable. #justSaying
After prayers, we went into another temple to witness the fire ritual where all of our written prayer wishes were prayed upon and then burnt to ashes. The whole experience and the chants, was beautiful.
Once I was done with breakfast and got some extra snooze in, I figured I was done experiencing Koyasan as planned until one of the monks implored that I visit Okunoin. And gratefully, I did…
Okunoin is the site of the mausoleum of Kobo Daishi (also known as Kukai), the founder of Shingon Buddhism and one of the most revered persons in the religious history of Japan. Instead of having died, Kobo Daishi is believed to rest in eternal meditation as he awaits Miroku Nyorai (Maihreya), the Buddha of the Future, and provides relief to those who ask for salvation in the meantime. Okunoin is one of the most sacred places in Japan and a popular pilgrimage spot. – from Japan-Guide.com
Once I got to see a bit of Koyasan, it was time to head down to Kyoto!
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