{"id":370,"date":"2020-04-20T18:45:34","date_gmt":"2020-04-20T18:45:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/?p=370"},"modified":"2020-07-15T05:46:15","modified_gmt":"2020-07-15T05:46:15","slug":"sacred-fire-goma-ceremony","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/sacred-fire-goma-ceremony\/","title":{"rendered":"The Sacred Fire Goma Ceremony"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id='full_slider_1'  class='avia-fullwidth-slider main_color avia-shadow   avia-builder-el-0  el_before_av_section  avia-builder-el-first   container_wrap sidebar_right' style=' '  ><div   data-size='featured'  data-lightbox_size='large'  data-animation='slide'  data-conditional_play=''  data-ids='371'  data-video_counter='0'  data-autoplay='false'  data-bg_slider='false'  data-slide_height=''  data-handle='av_slideshow_full'  data-interval='5'  data-class=' '  data-el_id=''  data-css_id=''  data-scroll_down=''  data-control_layout='av-control-hidden'  data-custom_markup=''  data-perma_caption=''  data-autoplay_stopper=''  data-image_attachment=''  data-min_height='0px'  data-src=''  data-position='top left'  data-repeat='no-repeat'  data-attach='scroll'  data-stretch=''  data-default-height='28.666666666667'  class='avia-slideshow avia-slideshow-1  av-control-hidden av-default-height-applied avia-slideshow-featured av_slideshow_full   avia-slide-slider '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><ul class='avia-slideshow-inner ' style='padding-bottom: 28.666666666667%;' ><li  class=' av-single-slide slide-1 ' ><div data-rel='slideshow-1' class='avia-slide-wrap '   ><img src='https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/sacred-fire-goma-ceremony-japan-top-pic-1500x430.jpg' width='1500' height='430' title='' alt='sacred fire goma ceremony japan'  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\"   \/><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n<div id='av_section_1'  class='avia-section main_color avia-section-small avia-no-border-styling  avia-bg-style-scroll  avia-builder-el-1  el_after_av_slideshow_full  el_before_av_section   container_wrap sidebar_right' style='background-color: rgba(10,90,130,0.19);  '  ><div class='container' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-small alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-370'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'>\n<div  style='padding-bottom:0px; margin:0 0 0 0; ' class='av-special-heading av-special-heading-h1  blockquote modern-quote modern-centered  avia-builder-el-2  avia-builder-el-no-sibling  '><h1 class='av-special-heading-tag '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >The Sacred Fire Goma Ceremony<\/h1><div class='special-heading-border'><div class='special-heading-inner-border' ><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><!-- close content main div --><\/div><\/div><div id='av_section_2'  class='avia-section main_color avia-section-small avia-no-border-styling  avia-bg-style-scroll  avia-builder-el-3  el_after_av_section  avia-builder-el-last   container_wrap sidebar_right' style=' '  ><div class='container' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-small alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-370'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fourth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-4  el_before_av_one_fourth  avia-builder-el-first  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><p><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><p>READING TIME: 3 MINUTES.<\/p>\n<p>The <em>Goma<\/em> Ritual of consecrated fire is unique to Esoteric Buddhism and is the most recognizable ritual of the esoteric Shingon sect in Japan. The ceremony is performed with the purpose of destroying negative energies and detrimental thoughts and desires. In the ceremony, a priest burns wooden sticks in the scared fire. The fire symbolizes the wisdom of the Buddha and the wood sticks symbolize what is to be cleansed and released. The constant beating of the taiko drums and chanting together with the visuals of the ceremony can create a trance-like state and have a deep and profound effect on the participants.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/sacred-goma-fire-article.jpg\"><img alt=\"sacred goma fire article\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-375 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/sacred-goma-fire-article-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/sacred-goma-fire-article-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/sacred-goma-fire-article-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/sacred-goma-fire-article.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>The Shingon lineage is a form of the esoteric Buddhism teachings that originated in India and China and were brought to Japan at the beginning of the 9th century by the monk Kukai. According to the Shingon doctrine, enlightenment is not a distant, foreign reality that can take millennia to achieve but a real possibility within this very life. It recognizes the spiritual potential of every living being, or its Buddha-nature and states that when cultivated, this luminous nature can manifest as innate wisdom. With the help of a genuine teacher and through proper training of the body, speech, and mind, we can reclaim this enlightened capacity for the benefit of ourselves and others.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_373\" style=\"width: 390px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/mt.-koya-5.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-373\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-373\" src=\"https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/mt.-koya-5.jpg\" alt=\"Mt. Koya, Kongobuji Temple\" width=\"380\" height=\"254\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/mt.-koya-5.jpg 640w, https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/mt.-koya-5-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/mt.-koya-5-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 380px) 100vw, 380px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-373\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mt. Koya, Kongobuji Temple<\/p><\/div>\n<p>For centuries the esoteric teachings of Shingon were a closely guarded secret. There were no written texts to follow but the teachings were passed orally from masters to their apprentices. The original monastery of the sect on Mt. Koya in Wakayama prefecture was founded by Kukai himself and through the centuries grew into a huge temple settlement spread over a high mountain plane surrounded by eight peaks. The structure of this town of mystics is based on one of the sect\u2019s sacred mandalas that has a pagoda in its center and is said to cover all of Japan.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_376\" style=\"width: 390px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Mt-Koya-monks.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-376\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-376\" src=\"https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Mt-Koya-monks.jpg\" alt=\"Mt Koya monks\" width=\"380\" height=\"220\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Mt-Koya-monks.jpg 700w, https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Mt-Koya-monks-300x174.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Mt-Koya-monks-600x348.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 380px) 100vw, 380px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-376\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shingon Buddhist monks, Mt. Koya<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Mount Koya is one of the holiest places for pilgrimage in Japan. Many of the temples there offer lodgings to pilgrims and in present days are open to visitors who want to experience temple life and the esoteric rituals of Shingon. It is there that the Fire ceremony can be observed, usually very early in the morning. Yesterday however, I was fortunate to witness it without having to go to far away Mt. Koya. The Takahata Fudo temple in Hino, Tokyo is one of the biggest Shingon temples in the area and has the Fire Purification ritual performed 4 times daily. It is an enthralling ritual to observe that is even more powerful if you are a participant. The Youtube link below is to a short video I took so you can hear the drums and the chanting. Enjoy their magic!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n<div  style='height:20px' class='hr hr-invisible   avia-builder-el-6  el_after_av_textblock  el_before_av_video '><span class='hr-inner ' ><span class='hr-inner-style'><\/span><\/span><\/div><br \/>\n<div  class='avia-video avia-video-16-9   av-lazyload-immediate  av-lazyload-video-embed  '   itemprop=\"video\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/VideoObject\"  data-original_url='https:\/\/youtu.be\/4DnQJrlM3GA' ><script type='text\/html' class='av-video-tmpl'><div class='avia-iframe-wrap'><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Off The Beaten Path Tokyo Series: Goma Fire Ceremony\" width=\"1500\" height=\"844\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4DnQJrlM3GA?feature=oembed&autoplay=0&loop=0&controls=1&mute=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><\/script><div class='av-click-to-play-overlay'><div class=\"avia_playpause_icon\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/p><\/div><div class=\"flex_column av_one_fourth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-8  el_after_av_three_fourth  avia-builder-el-last  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><div  class='avia-builder-widget-area clearfix  avia-builder-el-9  avia-builder-el-no-sibling '><section id=\"archives-3\" class=\"widget clearfix widget_archive\"><h3 class=\"widgettitle\">Archives<\/h3>\n\t\t\t<ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t<li><a href='https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/2025\/05\/'>May 2025<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li><a href='https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/2024\/08\/'>August 2024<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li><a href='https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/2023\/05\/'>May 2023<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li><a href='https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/2022\/07\/'>July 2022<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li><a href='https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/2021\/09\/'>September 2021<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li><a href='https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/2021\/03\/'>March 2021<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li><a href='https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/2021\/02\/'>February 2021<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li><a href='https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/2021\/01\/'>January 2021<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li><a href='https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/2020\/09\/'>September 2020<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li><a href='https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/2020\/08\/'>August 2020<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li><a href='https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/2020\/07\/'>July 2020<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li><a href='https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/2020\/06\/'>June 2020<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li><a href='https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/2020\/05\/'>May 2020<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li><a href='https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/2020\/04\/'>April 2020<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\n\t\t\t<span class=\"seperator extralight-border\"><\/span><\/section><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><!-- close content main div --><\/div><\/div><div id='after_section_2'  class='main_color av_default_container_wrap container_wrap sidebar_right' style=' '  ><div class='container' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-small alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-370'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Goma Ritual of consecrated fire is unique to Esoteric Buddhism and is the most recognizable ritual of the esoteric Shingon sect in Japan. The ceremony is performed with the purpose of destroying negative energies and detrimental thoughts and desires. In the ceremony, a priest burns wooden sticks in the scared fire&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":375,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-370","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/370","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=370"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/370\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":387,"href":"https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/370\/revisions\/387"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/375"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=370"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=370"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=370"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}