Harmony in Bloom: Oil on Canvas 67" x 28"

The wake-up gong had sounded. It was four o’clock in the morning. Time for prayers.

I slept poorly on the rolled-out tatami mat with the small bean bag for pillow. They weren’t kidding when they said ‘authentic’ experience in a Buddhist temple.

I shuffled my feet inside the provided house slippers and headed straight to the prayer room filled with ornate carvings depicting Buddhist deities and symbols. Monks facing an altar adorned with offerings of fresh flowers and fruits, were bowing and chanting. The air was filled with the scent of burning incense and the rhythmic ringing of bells. The soft glow of candles and the flickering light of butter lamps illuminated the space, casting a warm and inviting ambiance.

Some visitors had already taken their seats. I found a quiet corner and closed my eyes, trying to inhale the tranquil, meditative, experience through all my senses.

We had traveled by cable car up Mount Koya. Known as Koyasan in Japanese, it is a sacred mountain, and a popular pilgrimage destination. Koyasan is remote, covered in dense forest, and interspersed with numerous Buddhist temples and shrines dedicated to Kobo-Daishi, the founder of the Shingon school of Buddhism. Kobo-Daishi, aka Kukai, shared a deep connection with nature and built his first monastery on Mount Koya. This was his home.

Harmony in Bloom is dedicated to Kobo-Daishi and Koyasan Mountain. Superimposed with plum blossoms, a Buddhist monk is depicted with small prayer beads wrapped around the wrist. Kobo-Daishi composed numerous poems throughout his life in which the plum blossom appeared as a symbol of resilience, purity, endurance, and perseverance given that the plum blossom blooms even in the cold winter.

Meditations reveal that harmony exists in all aspects of life. The monk, the prayer beads, and the plum blossoms, exist in unity to depict the timeless teachings of Kobo-Daishi, and the serenity of Mount Koya.