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.