The Spiritual Element

Holy Mountains

Mount Sinai

In Egypt

Maybe Saudi Arabia?

Book of Exodus

Important to both Jews and Christians

God gives laws on the mountain

Ten Commandments

Arc of the Covenant

Indie Jones

Disney Sea

Message from God

40 days on the mountain

Mount Sinai also important in Islam

Jabal Al-nour

Important in the story of Mohammed

Sacred cave on the mountain

Mount Olympus

Greece

Twelve Olympian Gods

Zeus/Jupiter

Mount Etna also important in Greek mythology

Hara Berezaiti -- Zoroastrianism

Legendary (not real) mountain

Mount Kailash in Tibet

Mount Kailash – never been climbed!

Too sacred to climb!

The home of Shiva – the Hindu God

Mount Kailash – also sacred to Buddhists

Mount Taranaki in New Zealand

Mount Tabor – important in the story of Jesus

Navajo regard mountains in general as sacred

Why mountains?

• High up• Close to Gods and Goddesses• Easy to see (and worship)• Also provide water (rivers etc)

かぐや姫

And they are important to cultural identity

And volcanoes?

Volcanoes are extra special

For a very obvious reason!

Volcanoes

• Provide cultural identity• Mythology• Provide water (rivers)• Also we are grateful• Because they don’t blow up and kill us• We hope!

Mount Vesuvius AD 79

Destroyed Pompeii

And Herculaneum

Vesuvius

• Gas, rocks, and ash up to a height of 30 kilometers!

Like this

Plinian eruption

Pliny (Roman author) witnessed the eruption

Over 1000 bodies recovered

How many died altogether?

• We don’t know• Most people died indoors• Roof collapses• Maybe heat

Krakatoa 1883

Between Sumatra and Java

Krakatoa

• Huge eruption• Tsunami• 36,000 people killed

Lake Toba

Supervolcano

About 70,000 years ago

Biggest eruption ever!

Killed nearly everyone on earth!!

About 3,000 people survived!

Followed by volcanic winter

Temperatures dropped everywhere

Mount Tambora – Indonesia again

Killed over 100,000 in 1815

Mount Unzen, Japan

15,000 people killed -- 1792

Huge tsunami

Japanese earthquakes

• Mount Asama (1783) – 1,151• Mount Torishima (1902) – 150• Mount Unzen (1991) – 43• Mount Ontake (2014) -- 57

Volcanoes as Fire Gods

Or Goddesses

Holy Fire

May be helpful

May be terrifying

Deep connection: God and Fire

Don’t forget

Thin outer crust

Basically a ball of fire

Mostly firey rock

Solid in the center

Because of the pressure

And don’t forget

Mount Fuji is at a triple intersection!

Triple intersection

Fuji = Fire God

Goes back a long way

We hope it will be peaceful

Bringing great benefits

But who knows?

One of Japan’s three Holy Mountains

Sacred to Shinto

And Buddhism

• Shinto – reverence for nature• Mount Fuji is a powerful symbol of nature

• Buddhism• Meditation• Gateway to another world

Shugendo – 修験道

• Meditation• Enlightenment• Transformation• Magic• Magical creatures

En no Gyoja

Born 634 AD

役行者

Shinto

Sengen Shrine

Name comes from Asama Mountain

But most Sengen Shrines …

… dedicated to the worship of …

This

Associated with a Fuji Goddess

Connected with cherry blossoms

Continues today

Purifying fire

The great goddess is carried through the town of Fujiyoshida

末代 ( 富士 ) 上人まつだい　しょうにん• Matsudai, the Saint of Mount Fuji• Born 1103• First historic person known to climb Mount

Fuji

Matsudai: important to Fuji worship

Buddhist temple on TOP of Mount Fuji!

1149

Matsudai climbed Mount Fuji hundreds of times!

Permanent religious headquarters

Became a mummy!

Became a Buddha

Matsudai was puzzled

The Sun Buddha

Appeared on Mount Fuji

But in FEMALE form!

The Great Goddess Asama

浅間大明神

Fuji deity is BOTH male and female!

Kami and Buddha are the same!

The start of Fuji spirituality

By the end of the Kamakura period …

Around 1330

A new tradition

Climb Mount Fuji yourself!

Get magical powers

And Buddhist merit

Climb … get power … go back to the ordinary world

Murayama Shugen

村山修験

Based in Shizuoka

More people climbing

Warriors and other powerful people …

… attracted by this philosophy

Deep understanding

Magical power

Warring states period

Violence, uncertainty, loss of control

Serenity, certainty, and personal power

角行 (Kakugyou)

Kakugyou (1541-1646)

Promoted large-scale pilgrimage

Advised by En no Gyouja!

Mount Fuji as the savior of Japan!

Solving the problem of war and turmoil

Kakugyou entered a cave

Locals said “Don’t do it”

It’s sacred!

Everyone dies!!

In Shizuoka

You can visit

Mud water and bats!!

Kakugyou had amazing experiences

In this hole!

In tune with the universe

He unified Fuji worship

Fuji: A Cosmic Mountain

The actual cosmos!!!

Climbing + ascetic practices = power to change the country

Symbolism changes

Fire becomes enlightenment

Water becomes purification

Kakugyou: unity of Buddha and kami

Became a great healer

The government was afraid of him

Thought he might be Christian

But he survived

Lived to be over 100 years old