Our
guest was a British gentleman from Manchester, UK.
In front of Biwa-taki Fudo-do Hall
One
of his plans on his 12-day trip to Japan was to experience a waterfall
meditation practice at Mt. Takao that has long been revered as a sacred
mountain of Shugendo.
Shugendo
emphasizes the denial of physical and psychological desires to attain the
spiritual ideal through rigorous physical and mental training in nature
confining oneself in mountains.
It
was a sunny day with the peak temperature of 30 degrees Celsius, which should
be helpful for the waterfall meditation practitioner.
Looks
like this is his 7th or 8th visit to Japan.
He
claimed that he has some understanding of Shugendo as he believes that it has
some links to the martial arts he practices.
Key
practices of Shugendo include long distance trekking on mountain trails, waterfall
meditation, Goma fire ritual, cliff-hanging meditation, etc.
While
cliff-hanging is a traditional, extreme practice for overcoming fear, Mt. Takao
focuses specifically on waterfall meditation at sites like Biwa-taki Fudo-do
Hall and Ja-taki Seiryu-do Hall.
We
met up just outside the ticket gate of Takaosanguchi Station around 10:00 am so
that we can have enough time to be in time for the waterfall meditation
practice staring at 11:00 am at Biwa-taki Fudo-do Hall.
On
the way, I gave him a rough picture of Shugendo practices, the history of Mt.
Takao, etc.
We
arrived at the temple office of Yakuo-in Temple adjacent to the Biwa-taki
Fudo-do Hall before 11:00 am.
Our
guest paid JPY3,000 in cash as an instruction for the waterfall meditation
practice.
After
he borrowed training robe (including a sash) in his size, he changed into it
waiting for the Shugendo master in the break room.
The
number of his ascetic fellows on that day was 25 out of which over two-thirds
were female.
The
master’s speech (Buddhist sermon) started at 11:00 am and lasted for 30
minutes. He admitted that he had got carried away and talked longer than usual.
For
my guest, I summarized the master’s message that the practitioner should not
work too hard not to die so that he can survive to realize that experiencing the
extraordinary helps him appreciate his everyday life.
Then,
after the 10 minute’s break, a waterfall meditation practice started which involved
a complicated flow of actions.
So,
practitioners need to follow the instructions of an experienced instructor
(i.e., the master) to get through the complicated process.
That
is, before entering the waterfall, practitioners purify the surroundings and
themselves with salt and water. They pay respect to Fudo Myo-o (Immovable
Wisdom King) enshrined at Biwa-taki Fudo-do Hall, offer incense sticks, candles
and, form three (3) different mudras (hand gestures) depending on different
occasions, and chant mantras before facing the waterfall.
Pray for safety and success in the waterfall
meditation
Overall,
our guest did a great job which may be partly thanks to his own preparation in
advance.
Ready to sit under the waterfall
He
finished his waterfall meditation practice around 1:00 pm.
We
came back to the cable car “Kiyotaki Station” area at 1:30 pm, which was the
end of the tour.
I
hope that he has realized that experiencing the extraordinary (waterfall
meditation) helps him appreciate his everyday life.
Dated:
20 May 2026
Written
by: Shiro
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