Zazen and Purple Chains

The title of this post makes one wonder - what can possibly connect zazen meditation and a purple chain? Allow me to ramble and perhaps the connection will become clear.

On Saturday, me and a few friends and colleagues ventured to my nihongo sensei's home, near Daiba station in Mishima. She lives on the grounds of Denshuji, a zen temple, which is overseen by the monk Kiku-san.

On Saturday, Kiku-san conducted a small zazen-kai (sitting meditation) for we visitors to his temple. As we assumed our seats on the zabuton (floor cushions), Kiku-san told a story (which I translate from the Japanese); the story went like this:

Long ago, in ancient Rome, there was a beautiful woman. A young man was in love with her, and proposed over and over, but she always rejected his proposals. Finally, one day as they were watching the lions in the lions' den at the Colosseum, he proposed yet again, and this time, the woman tossed her handkerchief into the ring and said, "if you bring that back to me, I'll marry you." The young man bravely leapt into the ring and returned with lady's handkerchief. Impressed with the young man's courage, the woman said she would marry him, that she was his. But the young man replied, "I'm sorry. But I can't marry you. I've found something that is more important to me now." Sitting quietly in the temple, about to begin our meditation, that was our task - to search, inside ourselves, for that which was more important than anything else.

Kiku-san and we meditators. Interesting to note: the monk must always be to the furthest left.




After the session, Kiku-san, who hails from Kyoto and has been the Denshuji monk for 20 years, admitted that he still hasn't found that "most important" thing yet. And so, the search for enlightenment continues.



After meditating, we (without the monk) proceeded to have a few glasses of wine and a fine lunch at my teacher's house before heading home - none the more enlightened.

So why, then, the reference to purple chains? That is a reference to my Rig and single-speeding.

Single-speeding is the embodiment of simplicity in mountain biking. The sheer absence of clutter, the clean design, make the single-speed ride the ride of Zen. At least, that's my take on it. And, while I was away trying to find the greater meaning of life, Brian generously put my new purple chain on my purple Rig!





All in all, it made for a great weekend!