There's no way I'm going to become a part of Japanese society
until I figure out it's two religions:
Buddhism and Shinto.
So I'm heading to Mount Koya
the monastic headquarters of Shingon Buddhism.
It's quite a popular destination.
There's even a cable car to take tourists to the top.
But a few of us choose to enter Koyasan as pilgrims
passing through the gates protected by the Kongo Rikshi
guardians of the temple.
and we enter into another world
where little has changed since the Saint Kobo Daishi first built this place
1200 years ago.
Here the monks are taught secret formulas
in order to escape the endless cycle of reincarnation
and one day themselves become Buddhas.
But it's not an easy path to take.
Life in the monastery is simple
and austere.
They tell me that it's meant to rid the monks of their desire for worldly pleasures and possessions.
All meals are vegetarian.
Clear miso soup for breakfast.
A single bowl of rice
and as a special treat - a piece of pickle.
We don't have much time to enjoy the food.
The meal lasts just five minutes
so I eat as fast as I can.
When we're finished
every grain of sacred rice is hunted down
and green tea used to scrub out the empty bowls.
Even that doesn't go to waste.
Everyone takes a moment to give thanks and tidy up
and then it's back to prayers.
Unless...
you're on kitchen patrol.
The monastery can host over 300 pilgrims at a time
a daunting task, given the Japanese fondness for tiny bowls.
But the chief task of the acolytes
is to keep the temple clean.
That means wiping every foot of every corridor
by hand
before the sun comes up each day.
It takes hours
even when we all pitch in to help.
A little innovation goes a long way.
There's only one way out of daily chores.
These two monks are in the middle of a special training.
They get up at 4 a.m. each day to chant sutras.
At noon they make the rounds of all the temples
rain or shine.
For 105 days they do little else but pray and walk
and take lessons.
All those sutras don't just happen by themselves.
It's not enough to just say the sutras
you have to sing them.
The book tells you how to pronounce each phrase
and how to chant it properly.
Everything, in fact, except what each passage means.
But this may be the most important task of all.
Both a privilege and an enormous responsibility.
Especially today.
We have an assembly scheduled for this afternoon.
That kind of concentration only comes with years of training.
It's time.
Buddhism began in India
and was first introduced to Japan about 1,400 years ago.
Back then it was profoundly pessimistic
preaching that all life is suffering
that we must rid ourselves of all desire and ego
in order to merge with the world
as though a drop in the ocean.
The saint Kobo Daishi helped bring Buddhism to the masses
and changed it into a more hopeful religion.
Kobo preached that we can become Buddha in a single lifetime
provided we follow the correct path
which in this case leads to Kobo Daishi's tomb.
It goes straight through Koyasan's famous cemetery.
To be buried here means you go directly to the Western Shore
to paradise.
We've reached the founder's resting place.
But Saint Kobo Daishi didn't exactly die.
In 835 AD he went into a state of permanent meditation.
He still gets fed each day
and once a year his clothes are changed
because they get worn out from the spiritual wanderings.
But life at Koyasan isn't all meditation and prayers.
Even within the monastery's sacred halls
the modern world has managed to sneak in.
And all those hours of concentration pay off in unexpected ways.
Despite some unusual choices
they're still just ordinary kids.
Until the 5:00 a.m. bell.
We all gather for the Fire Ceremony.
The Goma is one of the most sacred rituals at Koyasan.
They believe the fire opens up a portal between the monk and the universal mind of Buddha.
But first he must burn a hundred and eight sticks
to purify himself of all Buddhist sins.
Then he adds a bit of oil,
salt,
and other herbs.
If he does it exactly right then he will be given the power to work miracles.
To cure the sick,
and keep travelers safe from harm.
Which is a good thing
because not all pilgrims come here just to see Koyasan's famous architecture.
For some this is the beginning of a 900-mile pilgrimage.
They're going for all sorts of reasons:
To cure an illness,
to find spiritual comfort,
or sometimes just to have an adventure with friends.
But for all of us Koyasan is the starting point
for a journey to enlightenment.
It's a journey that I too am about to begin.