\nUpon walking on the land at the Renge-ji temple for preparation for the morning group spiritual exercises, the Zen of Spirit swept through my consciousness as if I was in a dream whilst gazing out upon the temple gardens. The Renge-ji Temple is a minimalistic Buddhist temple of the Shingon sect located northeast of Kyoto. The temple itself finds its home in a Zen atmosphere surrounded by the trickling of brooks, a charming pond in the center of the traditional gardens, and a lush and quiet forest landscape. While the exact date of construction is not mutually agreed on, a document inside the temple dates the current structure of the temple to 1812 CE. Dubbed by many as a \u201csecret paradise\u201d, Renge-ji is an unexpected and perhaps underestimated detour that is well worth a traveler\u2019s time. <\/p>\n
After a light lunch and an afternoon of Japanese dance, Ikebana, music and a martial artist we moved into an evening with the Traveler to celebrate and share the loving to all bursting full of the Zen of Spirit. <\/p>\n
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