Hijiki with Gen san (vegetarian cooking with a Buddhist priest)

As part of our third Buddhism class this past Thursday, one of the priests, Gen san, wanted to tell us about his time spent as the kitchen manager of his monastery. "Tenzo" is the word for the chef at a Buddhist monastery, and when he was in this role, he said there were three rules:

1. Do not waste.
2. Do not use instant seasoning.
3. Do not eat meat or fish.

In addition, all cooking is done over a wood fire. These rules and stove are used to preserve the way of the ancient monks - a tradition followed for the last 1,000 years - and as a way to be prepared in case of emergencies like the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. 

At a previous class, Gen san brought a delicious dish to share with everyone and I asked him for the recipe. So at the next class, Gen san came prepared with more hijiki to share, as well as large pictures to illustrate how to prepare the sea vegetable dish. 

Hijiki is a brown sea vegetable growing wild on the coastlines of Japan, Korea and China. Hijiki can be sautéed with other root vegetables, tofu, and/or legumes for a delicious side dish. 

For your hijiki dish, you'll need:

• 1 package of hijiki
• 1 package of kelp
• 3-4 dried shiitake mushrooms (soak overnight prior to use)
• 2-3 carrots
• 1 package of abura age - pronounced "AH-geh" (seasoned deep-fried tofu pouches)
• 2-3 tbsp of olive oil
• sake
• soy sauce

Hijiki package

Soak your hijiki for 1 hour prior to cooking.

Kelp package

 Also soak your kelp and mushrooms.

Dried shiitake mushrooms

Gen san said the dried mushrooms are better, so you'll need to soak them overnight. 

After the mushrooms have soaked all night, cut off the stems and set aside (you'll use them later), and save the water in which the mushrooms were soaking. Cut the mushroom tops into slices.

Package of age ("AH geh")

Cut the age into pieces and set aside.

Cut your carrots into fourths and cut off the peels to form cubes. 

Slice the peels.

Now slice the cubes. 

After you have prepared your other ingredients, you should have your mushroom stems, kelp (soaked), hijiki (soaked), age, mushroom tops, and mushroom water. These are the ingredients we'll add to the carrots after they have cooked.

Grab your olive oil and sake.

Heat some olive oil on high heat. 

Add all of your carrots.

After the carrots have cooked for a few minutes and begin to soften, add your mushroom stems.

Add the sake. When we asked how much to add, Gen san made a pouring motion. So add a lot!

Add your kelp and some of the mushroom water. You'll want to add enough so that your carrots will boil and soften.

When the carrots are very soft, turn the heat back down to low. Now, go grab your hijiki that was soaking.

Wash it a couple of times, rinsing with clean water each time. Then strain.

Add your hijiki to the carrots.

Then add your mushroom tops.

And now the age.

Turn off the heat and let it cool off a bit before adding your soy sauce. I didn't know this, but high heat changes the taste of the soy sauce. Add as much or as little as you like. 

That's it! You're ready to serve your hijiki. In temples, it is typically served with white rice and miso soup. And it will keep in your refrigerator for 2-3 days if you'd like to serve it later.

I will be attempting to fix hijiki for the first time tonight, though I'll be using only carrots. Maybe next time I'll try it with some of the age. 

Thanks, Gen san!

Learning about Buddhism: It's like rock and roll.

I had the privilege and honor to help host another class on Buddhism for interested people from the military community. The last class we held had a less-than-stellar turnout, so I was overjoyed when we packed the house er... temple... this time around. Going to the temple is rejuvenating for my soul - especially on days like today. Having people from all different backgrounds, religions, countries, and languages coming together out of a genuine interest to learn more about each other gives my soul such energy, peace, and hope for the world. 

The priest at the temple where the class is held, Dokuonji, always invites other priests from Zen Buddhism, as well as a priest from Pureland (Jodo) Buddism. The priests are always so incredibly friendly, helpful, and excited to answer questions. They always prepare something for us as well. This time they had coffee, green tea, pastries, and chocolates waiting for us. 

They started off our class by telling us about a beautiful 300-year-old (!!) Japanese painting that they had hanging at the front of the room. They said that even though Feb. 14th has become a bit more popular with the young crowd in Japan, Feb. 15th has long been a special day for Buddhists because it is the day Buddha died roughly 2600 years ago. The painting was a depiction of the Buddha's death, and everyone wept - including all the humans, animals, insects, and plants. 

Each priest gave us a small presentation about an aspect of Buddhism. One of the most meaningful discussions, in my opinion, was from a priest who likened religion to "rock 'n roll." He said that many people ask him things like, "What is the true belief of Buddhism?" or "What is the right way?" and he believes it is like asking someone, "What is true rock n' roll?"

"I may like the Beatles. Another person may like the Rolling Stones. We may argue about which is better. But there are a variety of styles that contribute to the music of 'rock 'n roll.' And in just the same way, there are a variety of styles with regards to religion. Therefore, I believe that there should be no arguing in religion. We Buddhists pay respect to all religions, and all the differences." - Sen San

This was such a good metaphor for me, and fits well with my view of the world's religions. We have SO MANY ideas and values that are the same and it is ridiculous that we all fight against each other as much as we do. The worlds religions believe in compassion, honesty, loving your neighbor, respect for life... and they all try to provide their followers with a way to lead a happy, meaningful life in this short span of time we spend on earth.

It was truly refreshing to be in the presence of a large group of people who are committed to respecting and learning more about those who are different from them.

It was also quite moving to hear one priest talk about his experiences with followers who have had "near-death experiences" during a discussion on Buddhist beliefs of life-after-death. It doesn't matter what language you speak, where you are born and raised, or what religion you belong to.... Near-death experiences are always the same. We heard about many different Japanese individuals who had these experiences and they all described the same images and feelings - beautiful nature, peace, tranquility and often, visits from family who had already passed away.

How incredibly comforting that was for me... a reminder that whatever ideas we might have about heaven, our ideas do not create that place. That place is a place of Truth, and beauty, and love, and reunion. Across the world and through all time, people have had glimpses of that place, and it is unchanged.

It also stresses the point that the details, in the end, don't really matter. We don't have to know all the answers, and there isn't one religion that's got everything right.

"Our lives may look long, but in reality, they are very short. Focus on what you have to do. " - Un San 

"Change yourself before you can change the world." - Fujio san

That is the point of religion: to help us change ourselves and make the best of this short life we have. The nature of our beings will ultimately matter more than what we were able to understand about the Universe with our limited, human minds. Experience and live your religion, don't try to figure out all the unknowable answers. And certainly don't assume you know it all. 

We ended our day with a casual lunch, around low Japanese tables, exchanging ideas and asking questions. Days like today remind that humanity is going to be alright. 

Oh, and I forgot to mention that my kids went with me today! As a homeschooler, I have to find day-time babysitters if I want to do something without the girls. And because finding a sitter during the day is extremely difficult, I just decided to take the girls with me. My oldest swore she was going to be shy around the monks, so I brought their iPad and LeapPad and told them they could just hang out in the adjoining room while all the adults talked for a while. Both of my girls had fabulous behavior, and at the end of the day, my oldest asked if she could come back to the temple with me EVERY time from now on! I feel so lucky to be able to provide these kinds of experiences to my children - ya know... just hanging around the local Japanese Buddhist temple.

The girls also enjoyed exploring the temple and temple grounds, and were particularly interested in learning about all the family altars (burial places) surrounding the temple. 

My daughter enjoyed looking at all the different altars - especially the ones with flowers. 

I cannot express enough gratitude to Fujio san and the other priests for taking time out of their busy schedules to meet with us. And I am even more appreciative of their willingness to try and explain such abstract, difficult concepts in a foreign language. Living in Japan has been great, but the truly wonderful experiences come out of the generosity and friendliness of the Japanese people.

So... you like the Beatles, and I'll like the Rolling Stones. There's no need to argue about which is better.

Learning about Buddhism with Fujio san

Many of you know that I have been participating in Zazen (sitting meditation) at a local temple for a few months now, and that this was made possible by the friendship I developed with a local Buddhist priest, Fujio san. When you go to a special "Zazen for Foreigners" on a whim, and one of the monks says you can find him on Facebook, who wouldn't friend him?! So that's what I did. And months later, I've been to his temple many times, learned a lot, and have grown eager to share these experiences with others. 

So a month or so ago, I talked to Fujio san about hosting an "Introduction to Buddhism" class for people in our military community who would like to learn more about this religion while living in Japan. This was not necessarily a class for people interested in practicing Buddhism or becoming a Buddhist, but was intended to be an opportunity for people to learn about another religion that they might not otherwise have come in contact with. 

We had about 10 women (anyone else find it interesting that only women came to this?) show up, most of whom hadn't been inside temples before, hadn't met monks, and knew relatively little about Buddhism. Fujio san was also nice enough to invite two other Zen Buddhism monks, and a priest of Pure Land Buddhism so that we would have some other perspectives during our discussion. When the other monks arrived, we learned that at lunchtime, they would be fixing us radish rice, hikiji (stir-fried seaweed), and miso soup. They wanted us to have a taste of a traditional temple meal.

We started out our day talking a bit about Buddhism's background - how it was started, who the Buddha, what are important Buddhist teachings and texts, etc. - and even though I had already learned much of this, it was wonderful to have it explained from the perspective of the monks. It helped to clear up some of my own misunderstandings about Buddhism that are difficult to learn from reading books alone. Towards the middle of our time together, we took a break for lunch, and it was such a blessing to have food prepared for us. The food was DELICIOUS. I would have thought that being a monk would have meant bland food for some reason, but it was amazing. And as I sat there making conversation with Fujio san, I just couldn't help but be thankful for all of the opportunities I have been given. 

I was afraid that maybe I was going to be the only one who really enjoyed all the discussion about Buddhism and Japanese culture, but most of the other women who came thanked me for putting it together and asked to come again. We learned so much but had so many questions develop that we will have to schedule a second class to learn more. I am so thankful to Fujio san and the other monks for taking time out of their day to talk with us and cook for us. These are the reasons I love living in Japan.

Zazen with Mom

I was so blessed to be able to attend Zazen for Foreigners at Kenchoji Temple in Kamakura a couple of months ago. And I was even more blessed to make contact with one of the monks who led the session. He invited me to his own temple, and a couple of weeks later, myself and a friend were sitting with him and chatting about Buddhism over green tea.

Soon after that, I set up a group trip to his temple for a smaller Zazen session. Several women signed up and I am currently in the process of setting up a second trip. He said we were welcome to come anytime, and that any Zazen sessions or visits to his temple would be absolutely free (the larger temple, Kenchoji, charges a small fee - about $10 - for their sessions). We all had such a lovely time, and frequently found ourselves getting off topic because we were all so interested in asking him questions about Buddhism, his life, and his practice.

His temple - Dokuon-ji.

 

One of the best things about this particular Zazen session was the fact that I was able to bring my mother! She was visiting from the US and was very excited about the chance to do something so traditionally Japanese. I'm very proud of her. Sitting for 3 different 15-minute sessions of Zazen is tough!

Fujio-san, our wonderful new friend.

I never imagined the life I would be living, and I feel so blessed to have all of these opportunities. If you are visiting Japan, check around for a Zazen session that you could attend. They are a wonderful way to experience a bit of Japanese culture, and to learn more about Japan and Zen Buddhism.