Zen is hard but tender upon diversity: Eihei-ji Temple

What do you think the person in this picture is staring at? And what does he ask you? There are no words to explain it.


This Zen-Buddhist picture is in the first big room nearby the entrance gate. All visitors surely enter this room. And maybe they will be emotionally moved by looking up at the 230 beautiful ceiling-picture pieces. However on the distant wall of the big room exists this picture, and it quietly looks at each visitor. If travelers who have substantially frivolous feelings noticed this picture and their eyes and the eyes of the picture met, they would have to go and stay in front of the picture.

If the bald monk asked you;” what are you?”, what would you answer?

The Zen practicing temple


Here is the famous Zen practicing temple for elementary Zen monks. It is Eihei-ji Temple.

It is located in the northern mountainous area in Fukui prefecture, which is on the west side of the north shore of the Japan Island along the Japan Sea. This area has large amplitude of four seasons.

For approximately eight centuries many young rookies and veteran monks of Zen Buddhism have been practicing together in an unbroken line. The practicing in Eihei-ji Temple is very hard. They have to wake up before dawn, and quickly wash their faces and bald heads, furthermore one hour of “zazen”( the meditation by Zen method), reading scriptures, a silent short breakfast, cleaning houses silently, zazen, reading scriptures, washing their clothes silently, zazen, reading scriptures…, they have no private time. All the practices are determined so minutely that the young monks have to run through the corridors between their practices.

Zazen


The founder of this temple is Dogen, who taught the complete zazen in order to attain enlightenment. The reason he taught the discipline belongs to the idea that he and previous many Japanese great religionists had believed; “Buddha-nature resides in the heart of every human being”. Then practicing monks have to continually meditate for a long time and countless times. “What I am” is the fundamental question, nonetheless, it’s very difficult to answer it. Because Zen denies the common thinking or relationships of this world, for example, “ I am the son of someone or I am the president of somewhere” have no meaning and no value at all. Therefore, the monks have to meditate deeply and they have to endeavor to find their true selves.

For visitors


On the other hand, for visitors here is a relaxing place, where you may look at the handsome houses in mountainous nature. You may stay in the corridors in a relaxed mode for a while listening to the sound of birds’ singing in distant trees. Breeze throughout between the houses may awaken your natural senses. Even snow between the houses, ripples on the surface of the ponds by fallen leaves and rain drops falling down from the edge of the roof tiles release your stiffness from your body.


Moreover, you may be surprised at the super clean floors of the houses. By no wax but by endless scrubbing by the young monks. You shall feel a nonverbal grade-up of yourself walking through the shining corridors. You may find out vestiges of the long-term practicing by countless young monks.

You may hear the voices of scriptures being read by the invisible monks in the hidden private rooms. The sound, even if you can’t understand the meaning, may bring you to the rim of Buddhism. That said, Zen never forces those who don’t have those questions to learn. Zen has the aspect of elasticity between hard and tenderness, totally Buddhism is tender elastic thoughts for normal people.


Walk your own path through your life


In the latater place of this temple there are many panels of Zen which teach important ideas to normal people. One of them shows;” life has no age limit”. Zen also teaches; “ in the present time there isn’t the past nor the future, live now, live now till your death”. And Zen is always open to all people. Finally, Zen has diversity, I think. Changing these words, Zen might teach; “ believe in yourself”. For the sake of being in such a mental state, we might have to become true individuals even if we aren’t able to be aware of Buddha-nature. I think it is sufficient to be like a beautiful bird or a beautiful flower like the 230 ceiling-picture pieces of the big room.


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