What I Learned from the Temples of Kyoto

The Smoky Hills Insight team took a break from recording and teaching to spend some time walking the ancient, sacred halls of the temples in Kyoto and Nara. My meditation practice started with a small Rinzai Zen Sangha in Washington State, where I have been a dedicated member for more than 10 years now. Even though I do not live there anymore, I am indebted to my teachers there and consider myself a student in the Rinzai tradition.

This made our pilgrimage to Kyoto and Nara truly something spectacular. It was magical to walk the beautiful wooden halls that have hosted generations of ancestors that we acknowledge at the end of every Zazen session. I learned a bit about history and drama, but that wasn't what stuck with me.

What really captured my heart was the feeling of focused dedication to a way of living. I felt my heart rate slow and my steps became purposeful. It was as if every step I took while there was part of a walking meditation. Even as I walked the busy streets full of shoppers and restaurant goers, I felt a serenity had descended upon me as a gift.

We stayed along the Kamogawa (Kamo River) living in a machiya (traditional wooden townhouse), strolling the alleys between temple visits. I found myself bowing and smiling at passers-by, allowing the heat of the sun to roll off of me without irritation. I got lost in the conversations I could not understand in the cramped local restaurants, where we sat on tatami mats cross-legged, tired, and hungry.

In Nara, we visited Todai-ji, one of the great historical temples of Japan. But while there, we were entertained by the hundreds of deer that have lived many generations on the grounds since 768 AD. Oddly, or not, the deer have learned to bow to visitors they encounter. In turn, you are expected to give them special deer-crackers. I found myself bowing back to the deer in mutual respect for our fortuitous meeting, grateful for the joy they brought me.

I started my trip frantic and overwhelmed by travel (another story for another time), but I left Japan feeling refreshed, reverent, and appreciative. In Rinzai Zen traditions, we bow to the Buddha, not with idolatry or prayers, but as a bow to our own inner Buddha nature. It's important to remember that it is who we all are. I may be a work in progress, but I learned in Kyoto and Nara that one can wholeheartedly bow to life, just as it is.