[Travel Log] A Kyoto Trip of Zazen and Sutra Copying to Clear the Mind

A 2-day, 1-night trip to Kyoto.

The theme was "facing myself" (lol).

On this Kyoto trip, I experienced Zazen, sutra copying, and visited shrines and temples.
I visited Shorin-ji, a sub-temple of Tofuku-ji.

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[Zazen Experience]

Sitting in a tatami room with a beautiful Japanese garden in front of me.
In that silence, the Zazen experience began.

Two sets of 15 minutes.

What I heard was the sound of cicadas, the footsteps of the head priest, and my own breathing.
I tried counting "1, 2..." in my mind, but before I even reached 10, all sorts of thoughts would pop up.

"Oh, I really am thinking about something all the time," I thought, and it became amusing (lol).

Amidst that, the words the head priest shared left an impression on me.

Even if various thoughts arise, don't try to force them away; just let them flow like the scenery passing by a train window. After all, we ourselves are not beings that remain in a single thought or state forever.

Don't stop your thoughts, let them flow.
I felt like I understood that sensation a little bit.

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[Sutra Copying]

The next morning, I experienced sutra copying in the clear air.
Since it was first thing in the morning, it was just my husband and me there.

In the silence, it was a time to simply face each character one by one.

The more I tried to write carefully, the more various thoughts would pop up again.
I felt like that was showing directly in my handwriting, so I was desperate not to lose my concentration (lol).

Before I knew it, an hour and a half had passed.

During that time, my consciousness naturally turned inward.

And the answer that suddenly emerged was very simple.

"I am so happy right now. I want to meet my husband again in the next life."

That was my feeling at that moment.


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[Conclusion]

This might have been the first time I spent time just quietly facing myself like this.

Both Zazen and sutra copying focus on the "now."
But as a result, I was able to properly face my own heart.

Spending time in the silence, listening to the sound of cicadas.
It was a very luxurious feeling, and it felt like my heart was being cleared.

Anyway, summer in Kyoto was way too hot, it was crazy (lol) ☀️

I think I'll write about Tofuku-ji and how we really enjoyed the Aeon mall even though we came to Kyoto in my next note 🌱