Tuesday, September 25, 2012

The oldest Zen(禅, ぜん) temple in Japan


A Buddhist monk walks on the stone paved street, peacefully, with his thoughtful face. The photo was taken in Kennin-ji temple(建仁時, けんにんじ).



The kanji said "最初禅窟". That means "the first zen place".

It's said that Kennin-ji temple is the first Zen(禅, ぜん) temple in old Japan. Zen is a kind of meditation. That thought is very interesting and humble. A great Buddhist monk, Eisai(栄西, えいさい), who directed to build that oldest Zen temple, said "Your heart should be large, It should be higher than the sky. Although it can't, your heart should be able to contain and look down at the sky. If your heart bother yourself by trifle things, that's a tiny heart. It can't be called your heart."

That words have a lot of meaning. I don't understand the whole of the meaning.

But, I can feel the atmosphere in the temple. Yes, it was really comfortable!


The backpackers hostel in Kyoto is located in its historical district, Gion.
Good access by buses and trains. The center of Kyoto.
Please contact us, if you want to book our hostel.



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