<p>Koyasan, Mount Koya, is a Shingon Buddhist temple town and one of the holiest places in Japan. This UNESCO World Heritage site, home to 117 temples, is located in a valley south of Osaka surrounded by eight mountain peaks resembling a lotus with eight petals.</p>.<p>Every year millions of pilgrims visit Koyasan to pay their respect to master and scholar Kukai (Kobo Daishi, 774 – 835 AD), the founder of the Shingon school of esoteric Buddhism (mikkyo in Japanese). Kukai is the eighth patriarch of esoteric Buddhism following Nagarjuna, Nagabodhi, Vajrabodhi, Pukung, Subhakarasimha, I-hsing and Hui-ko. Others visit Koyasan to experience the serenity of this extraordinary site and the mystic practices cultivated over 1200 years. A temple lodging (shukubo) also offers travellers the opportunity to view the daily life of Buddhist monks, learn about the basics of meditation techniques and Shingon religious practices that help one to achieve enlightenment. The ultimate message of Shingon faith is the possibility of becoming a Buddha in this very life. Major sacred destinations in Koyasan are Konpon Daito Pagoda (the great pagoda) in Danjo Garan temple complex used for training monks, headquarters of Shingon Buddhism Kongobuji (Vajra Peak) temple and the home to Kukai’s mausoleum Okuno-in cemetery.</p>.<p>I travelled to Koyasan from Nara using trains and the local cable car. On arrival at the shukubo, an early vegetarian dinner (shojin ryori) was served in my room by two young monks. They reminded me of the early morning prayer service which typically includes consecrated fire ritual goma (homa in Sanskrit). Esoteric Buddhism developed by Nagarjuna in the 3rd century AD in ancient India spread to China. Buddhist Sanskrit texts written in Siddham script were taken from India to China along the Silk Road. In India, the Siddham script was used to formalise northern Brahmi script of the late Gupta period using Indian ink and square-nibbed bamboo pen on palm leaves and birch bark. While Kukai was being trained in China, Sanskrit and Siddham script were introduced to him by Indian masters Prajna and Munishri. Inspired by the Sanskrit phonetics, Kukai created a, i, u, e, o syllabary of Japanese Kana writing systems. Later in 841 AD, Japanese monk Annen wrote a full treatise on the Siddham scripts called shittanzo. The form and sound of the individual seed Sanskrit syllable, bija (pronounced as beej), is believed to have special spiritual significance. This is reflected in the representation of 13 deities of Shingon tradition using bija in Siddham script.</p>
<p>Koyasan, Mount Koya, is a Shingon Buddhist temple town and one of the holiest places in Japan. This UNESCO World Heritage site, home to 117 temples, is located in a valley south of Osaka surrounded by eight mountain peaks resembling a lotus with eight petals.</p>.<p>Every year millions of pilgrims visit Koyasan to pay their respect to master and scholar Kukai (Kobo Daishi, 774 – 835 AD), the founder of the Shingon school of esoteric Buddhism (mikkyo in Japanese). Kukai is the eighth patriarch of esoteric Buddhism following Nagarjuna, Nagabodhi, Vajrabodhi, Pukung, Subhakarasimha, I-hsing and Hui-ko. Others visit Koyasan to experience the serenity of this extraordinary site and the mystic practices cultivated over 1200 years. A temple lodging (shukubo) also offers travellers the opportunity to view the daily life of Buddhist monks, learn about the basics of meditation techniques and Shingon religious practices that help one to achieve enlightenment. The ultimate message of Shingon faith is the possibility of becoming a Buddha in this very life. Major sacred destinations in Koyasan are Konpon Daito Pagoda (the great pagoda) in Danjo Garan temple complex used for training monks, headquarters of Shingon Buddhism Kongobuji (Vajra Peak) temple and the home to Kukai’s mausoleum Okuno-in cemetery.</p>.<p>I travelled to Koyasan from Nara using trains and the local cable car. On arrival at the shukubo, an early vegetarian dinner (shojin ryori) was served in my room by two young monks. They reminded me of the early morning prayer service which typically includes consecrated fire ritual goma (homa in Sanskrit). Esoteric Buddhism developed by Nagarjuna in the 3rd century AD in ancient India spread to China. Buddhist Sanskrit texts written in Siddham script were taken from India to China along the Silk Road. In India, the Siddham script was used to formalise northern Brahmi script of the late Gupta period using Indian ink and square-nibbed bamboo pen on palm leaves and birch bark. While Kukai was being trained in China, Sanskrit and Siddham script were introduced to him by Indian masters Prajna and Munishri. Inspired by the Sanskrit phonetics, Kukai created a, i, u, e, o syllabary of Japanese Kana writing systems. Later in 841 AD, Japanese monk Annen wrote a full treatise on the Siddham scripts called shittanzo. The form and sound of the individual seed Sanskrit syllable, bija (pronounced as beej), is believed to have special spiritual significance. This is reflected in the representation of 13 deities of Shingon tradition using bija in Siddham script.</p>