Walking party at Myoshinji Temple

Thank you for your hard work!

This is Umino.

The weather is still hot, but how are you?

I usually work from home, so I tend to spend a lot of time at home in an air-conditioned room, and when I go outside sometimes, I am immediately struck by the intense heat (at the level of a zombie enemy in an RPG)

Although I felt the need to go outside once in a while, I ended up staying in my room where it was cooler.

Yesterday, however, I went out for a long time after a long absence.

The setting was Myoshinji Temple in Ukyo district in Kyoto.

There is a group of people with developmental disabilities who get together for walks at this location, and I went to this one.

The meeting place is Hanazono Station on the JR Sanin Line.

At first before walking, we decided to have lunch at the shop called “Hanagokoro” in “Hanazono Hall”.

I had the zaru udon (770 yen including tax)

It was firm and very tasty.

After lunch, we finally entered Myoshinji Temple…

The main event here is the “Zen meditation experience” in a room of the temple.

However, there was no zazen instruction or tapping on the shoulder (no restructuring), but rather a very relaxed zazen experience where you could start whenever you wanted and end whenever you wanted (500-yen for about 45 minutes). (By the way, the one where they tap you on the shoulder will be optional and will cost 1,000 yen.)

About 45 minutes of zazen time started in front of the lovely garden.

I used to practice “mindfulness”, which is an adaptation of “Zen” (I’m not practicing it anymore), so I engaged in zazen while thinking back to those days.

I don’t know if I did it well or not, but I felt somewhat refreshed.

Here, all of a sudden, is a poem based on what I felt during zazen.

Zazen with a gentle breeze.
With the heat, my thoughts disappear. Umino

Well, we headed for the “Dharma Hall”, which has what is known as a “dragon and cloud painting” on the ceiling.

The “Dragon and Clould” paintings on the ceiling here are so impressive that I couldn’t help but stare at the ceiling for a while (it made my neck ached).

In this way, in no time at all, the walking party at Myoshinji Temple was over.

It was dangerously hot in Kyoto on that day, almost too hot for September, but it was a very wonderful meeting in there the coolness I suddenly felt during zazen and the power of the “Dragon and cloud painting” took my mind away from the heat.

Incidentally, the admission fee to the Dharma Hall (and the Grand Vault) is 700 yen per adult, but if you have a disability certificate, you can enter for free (I got in for free, too).
So, if you have one, please come to visit here.

Thanks for reading it to the end. See you next time!

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Author

海野さざなみ(Umino Sazanami)
A "Awamijin" (Shiga Prefecture resident) suddenly appeared on the "Kyoto People's Blog.
He is a man in his 30s with a shaved head and glasses. His hobbies include reading, creative writing (novels), and cooking.