NL: Silent Temples: A Journey Into Koyasan’s Morning Mist

High in the cedar-covered mountains of Wakayama Prefecture sits Mount Koya (Koyasan), the headquarters of Shingon Buddhism. It is a sacred sanctuary shrouded in towering 500-year-old trees and quiet stone lanterns.

Staying at a Shukubo (temple lodging), we woke up at 5:00 AM in the freezing morning mist. The only sound was the deep, resonant ring of the bronze temple bell calling us to the Okunoin cemetery morning service.

“Waking up at 5:00 AM with Buddhist monks in Japan's sacred mountain to experience forest silence and fire rituals.”

We sat on tatami mats as the monks began their low, rhythmic chanting. The crackle of the sacred fire ceremony, Goma, was the only heat in the dark hall, casting dancing shadows across golden altars.

Walking back through the towering cedar forests in the crisp morning air, we felt a deep sense of peace that only sacred, silent spaces can provide.

About The Author

Emma Collins

Emma Collins is schrijver en een enthousiaste voorstander van een leven lang leren, met een passie voor het verkennen van ideeën, trends en verhalen die nieuwsgierigheid opwekken. In haar artikelen deelt Emma praktische inzichten, doordacht advies en frisse perspectieven om lezers te informeren, te inspireren en hen te helpen met vertrouwen beslissingen te nemen in het dagelijks leve

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