Two Nights in a Monastery - Koyasan

Two of the more memorable nights in Japan were at Regenjo-in.  This is a Shingon Buddhist Monastery in a place called Koyasan, southwest of Nara.  The town of Koyasan was founded in 816 by a monk named Kobo Daishi who had gone to China in 804 or spent two years learning Buddhist teachings.  So let's just say that this town has a lot of history to it.  It is small, 4000 citizens, and can be compared to what the Vatican is for Christianity - the headquarters of Shingon Buddhism.

It really is an amazing place to stay in and to get to.  To get there you can drive or take the train.  I took the train from Hashimoto to the terminal station of Gokurakubashi.  From there you transfer to a cable car that brings you up the mountain to Koyasan.  Finally a bus trip into the centre of town on an extremely windy road (cars and pedestrians prohibited).  The temple I stayed at is near the entrance to the town at the second bus stop.

Regenjo-in is a beautiful establishment.  I was greeted by two monks who checked me in (cash payments only, prepaid on check-in) and asked to come back at 3pm when the rooms would be ready.  I came back and was walked to room 17.  It had an ante-room with two cushioned lawn chairs over looking one of the Japanese rock gardens.  The main room was an 8 tatami room (big) and beautifully appointed with a low table with incorporated heater and wrap around blanket to keep you feet warm, floor chairs with backrest and a futon with duvet and blanket.

As a guest of the temple you are invited to join in on two ceremonies every day.  One at 6am, the other at 5:30pm.  The first ceremony of the day, at 6am, is called the Otsutone.  Just in case you are not awake yet a bell is rung that reverberates through the temple's buildings and will wake you - not too loudly.  Through the exterior, covered hallways you walk to the ceremonial hall.  

It is a dark room, with red carpet and many ornate, golden lanterns, candle holders, and other smaller objects dangling from various parts.  The light is very dim and it is a cool 10 degrees Celsius.  The gas powered heaters are on and by the time the ceremony is over the room temperature is only 12 Celsius.  The Abbott sits front and centre, not facing the guests but rather facing the statues and starts the ceremony by ringing a bell.  Now the chanting begins.  I wish I could have understood what he and the other monks were chanting.  Partly way through we are invited to add incense to burn on the red embers burning.  We each do, one after another, in a slow, methodical way.  The chanting continues and at 6:40 or so it is over.  Back to our rooms to await the call for breakfast.

The evening ceremony, the Ajikan, is a meditation session that lasts about 35 to 40 minutes from 5:30pm.  Again it is led by the Abbott and he explained to us that it would, for those of us not used to it, probably be very uncomfortable.  However, if we continue to do this on a daily basis, he says that 40 minutes a day is enough to calm you and to give clarity to your day.  To realize the insignificance of one life and yet the importance of the whole.  "The purpose of meditation is purposeless", he said.  If you have a purpose it will distract you.  Interesting thoughts.  I must say that after about 15 minutes my inner thighs were hurting me and my feet were as well.  It would take me sometime to get comfortable sitting in a Lotus position for 40 minutes without movement.

The food we were served, breakfast and dinner, was absolutely delicious.  It is cooked in the strict vegetarian ways of the monks, a style called shojin-ryori.  I was a little concerned as tofu is not my favourite ingredient around.  Boy was I ever pleasantly surprised.  The food was not only beautiful but scrumptious.  Vegetables prepared in a dark, sweet sauce.  Thick miso soup, very hot and rich.  Rice.  More vegetables, wrapped in a string of some other kind of plant, all edible.  Balls of some white substance with tastes of almonds, or mushrooms or.... not sure.  It was all so good and very filling.

This will be one of my many lasting memories of Japan.

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