Shingon Buddhism

Monks in a Shingon Buddhist monastery polish floors obsessively and practice ceremonies such as the lighting of a fire. They're all part of the process of meditation necessary to dissolve the self, leading to inner tranquility and ultimately Nirvana.

Pete finds young monks perform a Buddhist ritual to Fudo, the Shinto fire spirit and statues of Shinto spirits in the temple grounds.

Pete was curious to find out how animist Shinto co-exists with non-animist Buddhism.

This sequence was filmed in Daigo-Ji Temple, Kyoto, Japan but wasn't used in the broadcast version of the series.