Being in the land of Zen, one would think it would be easy to find places to practise and to meditate - and it is pretty easy. Deciding to finally stop being lazy, I did a search (at yahoo.co.jp) and I found a temple not far from where we live that has zazen kai every Saturday and Sunday morning. I called the temple to confirm the times and let the monk know that I'd drop in.
The following Sunday morning I got an early start to the temple and I arrived as another person was just entering. This was useful because I was pretty much lost about where to go. He showed me to the zendo, where meditation had already begun, and showed me where to get my zabuton (floor cushion). We then quietly sat, joining two other people and the monk. Shortly afterwards, we began to do some chants, then did some walking zen, walking around the zendo.
At six-thirty, about six more people came and we took a break from meditating in order to...do some stretching exercises which are called "rajio (Radio) taiso" because the are generally done following instructions from the radio (or CD, or even TV). Here is a video from You Tube if you'd like to get a clearer picture:
Radio taiso is very commonly done in offices every morning throughout Japan, but I did not expect to find it at the Zen temple! Of course, I joined in although, not ever having actually done taiso before, I was always a step behind.
Like so many things in Japan, the zazen kai is really a chance to be social and show a sense of community, and so after our meditating and chanting, we all helped clean the temple – sweeping, dusting, and vacuuming – before congregating in the “tea room” for some o-kayu (soupy rice), tea, and watermelon. Again, all the participants helped set the table, cut the watermelon and clean the dishes. There were eight of us in total. Oh - this temple is rather small and caters to the local people, so naturally I was the only foreigner. However, I was made to feel very welcome, and the monk even sent me an English "How to Do Zazen" pamphlet in the mail.
I think I would have gone back last weekend, but the fine summer weather and easy access to a nice sandy beach kept me away. However, I do plan to go again.
If you want to find a temple that has English help/guidance, check out this page:
http://www.sotozen-net.or.jp/kokusai/list.htm
If you're comfortable in Japanese and want to find something a bit closer to you, check out this page:
http://www.sotozen-net.or.jp/
The following Sunday morning I got an early start to the temple and I arrived as another person was just entering. This was useful because I was pretty much lost about where to go. He showed me to the zendo, where meditation had already begun, and showed me where to get my zabuton (floor cushion). We then quietly sat, joining two other people and the monk. Shortly afterwards, we began to do some chants, then did some walking zen, walking around the zendo.
At six-thirty, about six more people came and we took a break from meditating in order to...do some stretching exercises which are called "rajio (Radio) taiso" because the are generally done following instructions from the radio (or CD, or even TV). Here is a video from You Tube if you'd like to get a clearer picture:
Radio taiso is very commonly done in offices every morning throughout Japan, but I did not expect to find it at the Zen temple! Of course, I joined in although, not ever having actually done taiso before, I was always a step behind.
Like so many things in Japan, the zazen kai is really a chance to be social and show a sense of community, and so after our meditating and chanting, we all helped clean the temple – sweeping, dusting, and vacuuming – before congregating in the “tea room” for some o-kayu (soupy rice), tea, and watermelon. Again, all the participants helped set the table, cut the watermelon and clean the dishes. There were eight of us in total. Oh - this temple is rather small and caters to the local people, so naturally I was the only foreigner. However, I was made to feel very welcome, and the monk even sent me an English "How to Do Zazen" pamphlet in the mail.
I think I would have gone back last weekend, but the fine summer weather and easy access to a nice sandy beach kept me away. However, I do plan to go again.
If you want to find a temple that has English help/guidance, check out this page:
http://www.sotozen-net.or.jp/kokusai/list.htm
If you're comfortable in Japanese and want to find something a bit closer to you, check out this page:
http://www.sotozen-net.or.jp/
1 comment:
I read a book called Living and Dying in Zazen. It was about a Zen temple called Antaiji. It is listed on that website you provided about temples that accept foreigners.
It was a really interesting book and I highly recommend it.
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