[Place] Dokuonji Temple in Yokosuka City
[Visitors] 2 Malaysians, 1 Chinese, 1 Hungarian and 1 Japanese
[Attendants] 4 KSGG members
[Language] English
We gathered at Oppama station in Yokosuka at 6 pm and went to Dokuonji Temple. Some thirty people, including us and visitors from Japan and abroad, participated in the zazen (Zen meditation in Buddhist sitting posture) trial held at the temple. In the beginning Priest Fujio, the head of the temple, explained what zazen is to the participants both in Japanese and in English. At 7 pm sharp we began the Zen trial and repeated three times a session of 15 minutes meditation with a short break. While sitting upright, participants were instructed to straighten up and to breathe in deeply and out slowly. People experienced the zazen in a serious air. Many of them seemed in pain due to the unfamiliar sitting of zazen on folded legs. After the zazen sessions all the participants chanted together the Hannyasingyo, a Buddhist sutra to complete the Zen experience. Then we the KSGG group enjoyed chatting over tea and sweets. On the day displayed was the Nehanzu, which is a painting of dying Buddha and a treasure of the temple. Priest Fujio told us lots of stories about the painting.