Honoring the spiritual focus of the Zen of Spirit journey, we begin our day with spiritual exercises in the Soto Zen Temple in the town of Hagi. We walk to the temple in the early morning light, for a 6:30 a.m. arrival. The temple is dark, cold and quiet inside.
We take our seats and chant our tones inwardly, as the wind whips and rattles the temple windows. At 7:00 a.m. exactly, the Zen temple priests begin their chanting, and we listen.
At the conclusion of the chanting, we present gifts of gratitude to the Soto priest.
Here’s the “Haiku of the Day” from Linda Searle:
Outside wind howls
door screens rattling loudly
inside all is still.
Next we witness a demonstration of bamboo basket making by a master bamboo artist named Mimura, or Chikuhou which is his artist name. Mimura-san takes one piece of bamboo, cuts it with precision into thin strips, works the bamboo even with his toes, and weaves it into a beautiful bamboo basket. He is a joy to observe, so focused and yet so relaxed. We marvel at the beauty of these simple, yet elegant creations. What do you observe in his creations? Many purchase baskets and purses by Mimura-san.
We are off on the train to the small village of Ginzan. Train to train to bus to a walk in the quiet rain. We enter the village and stop at Abe-ke, an old officer house restored with beauty and simplicity by Matsukichi and Ume Matsuma. This is Esprit’s first experience at Abe-ke and the village of Ginzan and we are delighted.
We eat a scrumptious lunch, for many of us the best food we have had yet. The lunch is prepared solely by volunteers from the village, and their loving and caring fills the food. The taste, smell, texture, and nurturing quality of the food is beyond compare.
During our lunch, we receive a dance and music performance in the local style. Musicians play traditional Japanese instruments and the singer sings in traditional Japanese style. Then comes the dancer, a jolly man doing a dance in the rice fields where he finds many insect friends. We cannot help but laugh along with his funny discoveries and bright smile. Can you see his joy?
We walk through the village and visit shops with smiling storekeepers. One shop captures our group’s attention, beautiful clothing and crafts. We shop, drink coffee and tea, and enjoy the moment.
Here’s a haiku from Jeanne Litt:
Goyen gaigen girl
greedily gobbles great grape
glad girlfriends got goods.
Bus, to train, to hotel. Time for a bath. Bathing is wonderful. The baths are a combination of indoor and outdoor hot springs, incredibly clean and relaxing. It is a pleasure to bathe where everyone is equal, we are one in our nakedness, each form with its own unique beauty, Japanese and American together, everyone shares the space and respects each other’s privacy.
On to dinner and a sharing with John Morton. We are content.
And the journey continues….
