Kokedera – Moss temple of Kyoto

Flashback to 30 years ago: A 10 year old Auroville child comes across a haiku in a book of poems that describes the moss temple of Japan. It sounds so beautiful and the little girl imagines that this must be a place in a fairytale where everything is possible …

Fast-forward to March 2018: Aurovilian Monna Maier presents her first photo exhibition at the Pitanga Cultural Centre on ‘Kokedera – Moss temple of Kyoto’, with twenty six photographs, capturing the beauty and mystery of this temple.

Monna is not new to photography and has been a serious amateur for years. But this is the first time she has chosen to share her works in public. “There was never the time, but more importantly, I never found a subject that felt right. But then I realized this is what I wanted to share with my fellow Aurovilians.”

Two years ago Monna had the opportunity to travel to Japan with her husband, Japanese Aurovilian Jyoti. Through the internet, they were able to find out more about the Kokedera temple. The procedure for visiting is complicated. Potential visitors have to write by post requesting permission to visit, and the temple will allot the date and time.

Monna explains how all visitors are made to perform some form of service to the temple before being allowed to “encounter the moss garden”. On the day they visited, instead of meditation or chanting, it was to copy Japanese sutras with a calligraphy quill, with the inks to be personally ground by each participant.

The visit to the garden was an unforgettable experience. Monna reminisces.

“We were given two hours to be in the garden. There are dedicated pathways, and you can really just enjoy and take your time. There is no one watching and there are a few places to sit.

“What stands out is an immense stillness and an incredible embracing of Nature. You experience the power of nature at its strongest. It has been nourished because these monks put all their energy into it, and you feel that. This place has been a holy site for a thousand years. Monks have walked in this garden praying. In terms of density of energy it is like the Chamber. It is something that takes your breath away.

“People come day after day to concentrate and find this inner peace.

“Then you realize that you don’t need a concrete structure or a crystal; any place can become charged. This is a moss garden, with moss, water, rocks and trees. And it is so refreshing, incredibly refreshing.”