Great Zen Meditation Experience at Ryōsokuin in Kyoto, Japan

Zazen(座禅) — a particular kind of meditation and part of Zen Buddhism. I love doing it every morning to get a mindfulness and to concentrate on my work. In Japan, there are a lot of place to experience Zazen. Today I went to Ryōsokuin Temple where is a sub-temple within Kenninji Temple, located in Gion in Kyoto. And joined a Zen meditation experience which the temple holds every weekend.

It was a rainy day — but very beautiful. I’d like to show you some photos here.

When I arrived at the temple, about 20 people was waiting for a Buddhist priest to come.

It was so quiet. People was seeing a view of the garden and listening to sounds of birds singing, raindrops falling, and trees swaying…

We sat down on a large tatami-floored room. A priest started to talk slowly about what is Zazen and how to do it step by step. He told that Zen is not to remove everything from your head but to realize everything you can feel.

We tend to focus too much on what you see and what you think. But we have 5 senses always working through our life. Zazen is time to get back feelings from each of them, for example, your blood flowing in your arm.

In my daily life working as a programmer, basically I only use my hands and eyes. This experience helped me realize how stressful it was. I’d like to be more conscious of my 5 senses.

It was a great experience.

• Website: 建仁寺塔頭 両足院 | 京都の祇園の中で坐禅体験
• Duration: 60 minutes
• Fee: 1,000 yen
• See also: Experience Zen Meditation at Ryōsokuin Temple, Kyoto | MATCHA — JAPAN TRAVEL WEB MAGAZINE