Koyosan and Nara

Hellooooo,

It has been a while since I have posted anything because A) they have kept us very busy and B) I don't know how to possibly narrow down everything into one post at a time. Instead, I have been posting pictures every few days and waiting to write about specific topics or themes as they build up in my head. We had our midterm review on Friday, which means we were in the temple for four days working to put together our presentation, but then we got the weekend off so I caught up on some water coloring, sleep and Karaoke!

Last week our professors and the head monk at Daishen-In took us to Nara for 3 days. On the way we were privileged to a night in Koyosan which is the headquarters of the Shingon sect of Buddhism. Koyosan is a town of only about 4000, 2/3rds of which are monks in training. The head monk, Osho, trained here as a child before changing sects. We left Myoshin-ji at 6 in the morning in order to get to Okunoin by mid morning. Okunoin is the largest cemetery in Japan, and it surrounds the mausoleum of the founder of Koyosan, Kukai. 

This was truly one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen in my life. The trail leading up to the mausoleum is 2 km long and dates back over a thousand years.  Yes, the scale was impressive, the textures and colors were intense and the sense of history was overwhelming but the timing was the most powerful part of the morning. We were so lucky to see this place in the most dramatic setting imaginable. Fog had moved in and deepened as we progressed to the mausoleum so that each grave, tree, fountain and offering was more emotional than the one before it. On any given day this place would be beautiful, but that day was a once in a lifetime experience. Every person I talked to that night felt emotions they had never felt before. 

Here are some pictures from the morning:

The beginning of the trail, before the fog really moved in. The trees in this cemetery were some of the largest and oldest I have ever seen.

The bibs are used in prayer of children who have died, or to protect the living 

This might be the best picture i have ever taken. 

towards the end of the trail

When we reached the Mausoleum we walked into the main temple where a monk was leading a chant, then gathered with Osho in back of the temple where he led us in a chant of prayer and thanks in front of Kukai's tomb. I was not allowed to take pictures back here, but it was a moving experience that made several people on the trip lose it. At this point I was more in shock than anything else or I'm sure I would have done the same. I watched a sparrow fly down from above, right through the Torii gates leading to Kukai's tomb.  It was the first time I have ever been so moved by a piece of architecture. Had the gate not been there it would have just been another bird following a seemingly random path. Thanks to her route from directly above us, through the middle of these gates to the other side (a side forbidden to all of us), she represented something much more meaningful and put the final touches on an experience I will never forget. The emotional response to architecture is something I have yet to really understand, but it is the primary reason I want to study it. I know happiness can be created by architecture, but it can never just be about the building. The context in which the building is experienced has to be valued just as much if not more than the building itself. Or maybe there should be no differentiation between the two? The minute the two words are separated they become isolated elements. Anyway, This guy has a nice write up about Koyosan, including some great pictures. I don't know him but he has some good info about Buddhism and the town. 

After we loaded back onto the bus we headed to Nara for the next two nights. Nara was really fun but I will save the writing for tomorrow after we have our final review for media. We need to have 14 water colors done, and 40 by the end of the trip, so I will probably start posting some pictures of that stuff. 

I Just want to leave you with some highlights of Nara:

Freakishly small deer 

The largest wooden structure in the world

More cute Japanese kids (mostly for Kaitlin :0) )

Tea ceremony with a view of the city in the background and the garden in the foreground

Ok I'm off to bed, but I hope people are enjoying these pictures. If you really like any of them, or want me to explain any of the ones in my albums, email me!

 Love you all and Happy 4th of July!