By Shola
Wednesday, May 22
On day two of our journey into meditation and reflection, we learned about the ways in which self-discovery, beauty, and Zen are as much a collective, communal practices as they are individual. Our first adventure of the day was a visit to a small, family-owned Kamakura-Bori factory called Hakkodo. Kamakura-Bori is a traditional Japanese lacquerware that requires skillful and meditative craftsmanship, resulting in hand-carved plates, sculptures, and monuments that are made to last for centuries. Each step of the process in creating this lacquerware requires no less than 24 hours (and often, more) and thus embodies the mindfulness and focus that are the key principles in Zen meditation. Hakkado is known for making exquisite Kamakura-Bori that has adorned and been used in temples since the 13th century. The artisans explained to us that just like meditation, the process of creating this beautiful, ancient art requires that they attend to each step of the process “every day, little by little”. As someone who is often impatient with myself, this phrase stuck with me and became the mantra of my trip in Japan, and of my relationship with meditation as I now know it.
After lunch, we journeyed to a temple called Engakuji, where we learned meditative practices from two incredible Zen monks- Ichido and Kissan. We spent the first hour practicing chanting meditation. As it was our first time, the monks taught us about the various instruments (i.e., singing bowls, drums) that are used to facilitate harmonious chanting in a group mediation. Following this, we left the temple and took a long hike to the top of the mountain behind Engakuji. Reaching the top, we were met with a beautiful view of Kamakura, as well as the refreshing prana of the wind. Breathing in this life force of beauty, we paused for a short meditation, taking in the gift of that is to be present in such an incredible moment, meditating on the top of a mountain in Japan with monks who had given up their days to teach us and guide us in our discoveries of who we are and who we are becoming- both individually and collectively.
Throughout the day everyone was serving and assisting us unconditionally, displaying incredible amounts of kindness and care simply because it brought them joy to do so. The hospitality and humility we were shown demonstrated to me that the process of journeying into oneself through meditation also seems to ignite a desire to focus on sharing and giving to others.
I learned much about the culture of humility in Japan from this second day of our program. The graciousness, understanding, curiosity, and hospitality I witnessed are all elements of love and kindness that I want to bring to my work. These are practices I want to cultivate in myself, no matter how difficult.
