In Kamakura itself, we visiting one of the great Rinzai monasteries, Engakuji, and then the famous Great Amida Buddha of Kamakura. Here he is sitting side by side with Kyonin. Frankly, Amida's posture could use a little adjusting while sitting Zazen, but I guess it is hard to carry such a heavy head!
We finished at the nearby Hase Kannon Temple, which among many other moving features, has a sea of Jizo Bodhisattvas, each dedicated to a child who was unborn or died in life. Small toys are often placed with the statues as a offering to the children, or hats and cloaks knitted to keep them warm. This kind of garden of Jizos can be found at many temples in Japan.
The temple also features a massive wooden Sutra Wheel, a rotating cabinet of Sutra scrolls stored inside. Each rotation of the wheel is said to earn all the merit of actually having recited all of the Sutras contained therein. Very time saving!
We returned early enough for Kyonin to treat my family to tacos ... Guadalajara style (he will tell you all about why Mexico City folks get Tacos all wrong). In any case, they were great, and even my finicky kids ate a plate full with refried beans and guacamole,
We will close Kyonin's pilgrimage with a short Zazenkai before I run him to the airport bus. Please join us if you can.
Special Farewell Zazenkai for Kyonin
The sitting will be dedicated to all those suffering natural disasters. On our way to Kamakura today, we crossed some of the rivers which had overflowed and saw the city streets nearby still filled with mud and debris.
Gassho, J
STLah
PS - Oh, and before heading home, we briefly stopped by at Cyberdyne (actual name, for you Terminator fans), the robot and cyborg manufacturer located here in Tsukuba. Their main cyborg suit is call HAL (yes, I know) ...
We finished at the nearby Hase Kannon Temple, which among many other moving features, has a sea of Jizo Bodhisattvas, each dedicated to a child who was unborn or died in life. Small toys are often placed with the statues as a offering to the children, or hats and cloaks knitted to keep them warm. This kind of garden of Jizos can be found at many temples in Japan.
The temple also features a massive wooden Sutra Wheel, a rotating cabinet of Sutra scrolls stored inside. Each rotation of the wheel is said to earn all the merit of actually having recited all of the Sutras contained therein. Very time saving!
We returned early enough for Kyonin to treat my family to tacos ... Guadalajara style (he will tell you all about why Mexico City folks get Tacos all wrong). In any case, they were great, and even my finicky kids ate a plate full with refried beans and guacamole,
We will close Kyonin's pilgrimage with a short Zazenkai before I run him to the airport bus. Please join us if you can.
Special Farewell Zazenkai for Kyonin
The sitting will be dedicated to all those suffering natural disasters. On our way to Kamakura today, we crossed some of the rivers which had overflowed and saw the city streets nearby still filled with mud and debris.
Gassho, J
STLah
PS - Oh, and before heading home, we briefly stopped by at Cyberdyne (actual name, for you Terminator fans), the robot and cyborg manufacturer located here in Tsukuba. Their main cyborg suit is call HAL (yes, I know) ...
)
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