We have been in Japan for one week now. It seems like much longer. After arriving in Tokyo, we visited the various family temples of Maezumi Roshi's brothers, in Toyyo and north of Tokyo in Otawara, where we were hosted magnificently. It was wonderful to connect with my teacher Roshi Bernie Glassman's Dharma familly in Japan. From Otawara we passed through Tokyo again on the way south to Mt. Fuji and then Kyoto. Near Mt. Fugi we spend time with Hitachi Roshi in a wonderful temple also connected to Maezumi Roshi and also a lay Zendo, founded by Koryu Roshi, part of a lay organization called Shakyamuni-kai. The Zendo is actually called a dojo, because it is lay and not monastic. They also have a strong connection to social action. Practicing zazen at this dojo was a highlight of the trip so far. We have been in Kyoto for several days now, visiting Rinza and Soto Zen temples as well as a Tendai temple complex on Mt. Hiei, where Buddhism begain in Japan. This Tendai temple on Mt. Heie has a connection to Prince Shotoku Daishi, Dogen Zenji and Nicheren.

Today we visited Itoen, the center founded by Tenko Nishida, a Japanese businessman who had some kind of spiritual experience in the early 1900's, gave a way all his money and then became homeless. He founded the Itoen organization, a nonsectarian, multi-faith organization. There main practices were, voluntary poverty, cleaning toilets and living on the streets. Tenko Nishida is a kind of Ghandi like figure in Japan. He died in 1960. Unfortunately, Itoen appears to be in decline, but it was still very inspiring to visit this community totally dedicated to social action. They also support social work in Southeast Asia.

I was in Japan for three weeks in 1983 with my teacher Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Kyoto was then a relatively small and very traditional city with 100's of temples and monasteries. Now, unfortunately, it is a huge, sprawling city; so all the temples and monasteries are surrounded by millions of people, cars, traffick, etc.

It is amazing being here and meet Bernie's Japanese Dharma family and lineage. I long to experience a more tradtional Japan, but it may no long exist.

We visit more temples in Nara tomorrow and the next day leave for Eiheiji, one of the two headquarter monasteries of the Soto Zen lineage (Maezumi and Bernie are Soto Zen, as was Suzuki Roshi). From there we head back to Tokyo for a few days, and then back to the U.S.

photo:

me with my friend Roland from Switzerland at the Golden Pavilion temple in Kyoto

Yamada Roshi waving good bye to us at the Fuji Hanya Dojo where we practiced Zazen and had a wonderful lunch

Enkyo (Pat Ohara) Roshi, Abbot of the NYC Village Zendo, pouring water over the memorial stone of Maezumi Roshi

me in the shrine room at the family temple of Kuroda Roshi (Maezumi Roshi's youngest brother)

I finally found a bit of traditional Japan in Kyoto and the Kyoto I remember from my 1983 visit with Trungpa Rinpoche.  On day our group was making a day trip to Nara to see the huge Buddha statue at Todai-ji and the Deer Park; I decided to remain in Kyoto and wander on my own since I'd visited these sights in Nara back in 1983.   I took a taxi to the Zen temple known as the Silver Pavilion in northeast Kyoto intending to follow the so called Philosophers' Walk from there back toward central Kyoto.   I went into the Silver Pavilion temple briefly.  It was immense and beautiful but crowded with tourist on our first hot and sunny day, so I left after only a few minutes to search for the walking path known as the Philosophers' Path.  
I found it much to my delight.   This foot path runds alongside a canal with crystal clear water that follows the curves of the foothills of the mountains on the east side of Kyoto, winding among residential streets and temples.  Every few blocks there was a small coffee shop, crafts shop or art gallerly.   There were temples both to the left and right.   To the left I would walk about two blocks to a temple gate and then entering the temple begin to climb into the foothills, as these amazing temples from various Buddhist sects were built into the foothills with steep climbs up to some of the temple buildings.   There were very few tourists, quiet walking paths, beautiful Zen gardens and lily ponds, all perfect for contemplation and meditation.   It took me about five hours to walk the lenght of the Philosphers' Path, visiting a number of temples and a few coffee shops along the way.  What a wondeful day.  The artwork in these temples was breathtaking. 
Yesterday was one of the most important days of our journey.  We visited Eihei-ji, the Zen monastery founded by Dogen Zen-ji, the founder of the Japanese Soto sect, in the 12th century.  Eihei-ji is one of two headquarter or motherhouse monasteries of the Japanese Zen Soto Sect, the largest Buddhist sect in Japan with over 15,000 temples.   The other is Sojo-ji near Tokyo, which we will visit  before leaving Japan.  
Eihei-ji is in the mountains above Fukuido.   It is built into a narrow , steep valley with a fast running mountain stream and nestled amonst 700 year old pine trees.   We stayed in the monastery overnight hosted by the son of the famous Suzuki Roshi, author of Zen Mind Beginner's Mind and founder of the S.F. Zen Center and Tassajara in California.   Suzuki Roshi's son, also called Suzuki Roshi is 67 years old (same age as Bernie) and is in charge of meditation practice and Zendo training at Eihei-ji.  For me, he was by far the most impressive of the Zen Roshi's we have met on the trip thus far.   He was delightful, smiling and laughing all the time, and spent considerable time with us the first evening answering questions about Eihei-ji, Zen in Japan, Zen practice and telling anectdotes about his father.  He was just really solid, deep and authentic and completely at ease.  I felt a strong connection to him.  Bernie has know him for more than 30 year.  
We slept on futons (Ryokan style) in the monasteries guest quarters, listening to the rushing river and the wind in the leaves of the ancient trees just outside our windows, and were awakened at 3:20 am in order to get to morning zazen (meditation) at 3:40 am.   We were then invited to the main Dharma hall to witness the morning services with all the monks of the monastery, including the senior priests and the young priests in training, about 250 in all.   Another senior priest gave us a tour of Eihie-ji and then after a traditional monastic breakfast, oryoki style, Suzuki Roshi came to bid us farewell.   We are now in Kanazawa where we will visit another important Soto Zen monastery tomorrow.  Then the following day we head for Tokyo.  So we are nearing the end of this amazing journey.

The Ittoen shrine in the photo above has as it's principle object of devotion a circular window through which one can see the beautiful natural landscape outside the building.
While in Japan we visited the Ittoen Community now led by Tenko-san's son or grandson.  Roshi Bernie Glassman has a strong personal connection with one of Tenko-san's primary spiritual heirs (can't remember the name now) who is no longer at Ittoen.  I have been deeply moved by Tenko Ishida's teachings and want to share this.  Tenko-san was a Japanese business man who had some kind of realization or awakening experience around 1904, after which he gave away all his possessions and took up a life of homelessness, voluntary poverty, selfless service, and eventually communal living in a community completely depended on what he called "the light" for their support.

Tenko Ishida and the Ittoen Community -- website: http://www.ittoen.or.jp/english/E-whatis.htm

 

The Foundation of Ittoen Life
Enabled to Live-We Are Accepted and Sanctioned to Live.
It is said that human beings eat to live, and that in order to eat, we do our work. Underlying this is a view of human beings and of human life which holds that the purpose of human beings is to live, and it is human to work with the aim of eating.
It was Tenko-san which turned this around 180 degrees, and held that this life is provided to us, that we are enabled to live without our striving to survive. And precisely because we are accepted and enabled to live by Light, we work as a way of thanksgiving. And we are provided with the food that is necessary for life. Tenko-san lived on the basis of this faith. And Ittoen life is founded on this way of living, this view of human beings and of human life.
When we look back on human history and development of human society, we find that the desire for survival (for living and for eating)and assertion of rights has turned into its opposite, and has become a cause for conflict in human society, and various types of disputes and struggles. Now, to say, “in order to live, in order to eat," is to "have the will to survive."
One may ask, can human beings survive if we negate this? Is it possible for us to live without asserting and insisting on our right for self-survival?
Tenko-san founded a way of life which will never create a seed for conflict, precisely by totally renouncing one's claim to this right to self-survival.

 

Life of Sange (Penitence) and Geza (Sitting at the Lower End)
-Being penitent to one another,and praying (being reverent)to one another.
Human beings tend to be self-centered and selfish, and our desires are practically limitless. Our hearts seek comfort and pleasure, and to be superior to others, and even without our being aware, we hurt others and give birth to all sorts of negative things such as jealousy, desire for revenge, and hatred.
In the final analysis, human beings have really no ground upon which to insist on our being righteous or claim rights. On the contrary, the only way is to be self-critical of the egotistical feelings that are inside us from the depth of our being, and to ask for forgiveness and be penitent for the deep-going sins which push us to keep on creating negative impediments for others.

I have searched for the root
of all the troubles of the whole wide world,
and I have found that it lay within my own heart.
From this knowledge,sprang this act of worship.

 

 

 
It is vital for us not only to find the cause of one's own troubles within oneself, but also to take a straight look at the reality that even the root of various troubles and conflicts in the larger society and world exists within our individual selves, and to have a heart filled with deep sange (penitence).
In all spheres and matters of life, we look at our own shortcomings first and foremost, rather than blame or criticize others. And we place ourselves at a lower position than others, and live according to the standpoint of suffering people and weak people at all times. This is the "life of sitting at the lower end ("geza"). "When people live their lives and engage in their day-to-day work with this kind of spirit mutually, and encourage and support one another, then there is no room for conflicts to emerge.