Myorei-san posing with her new hat

Originally uploaded by feather.

I’m back from my holiday, with my visiting bestest friend from highschool. She really enjoys challenging me in many ways- one of these was to go stay in a Zen Center. I was quite adamant that I was not going to like this at all… and how wrong I was.

We stayed at the Hosen-ji Zen Center in Kyoto, Japan. It was a great introduction to Zen buddhism and mediation. As well as that, the people there are so remarkable. There was such a pleasant, peaceful atmosphere there. It was down-to-earth, unprentious, unassuming, and somehow, playful. Up at 5 in the morning, cleaning, working in the gardens, eating brekkies and dinner in silence, and long moments of mediation, reading sutras and chanting and lights out at 10 sharp. I would go back and stay alot longer than 3 nights.

Myorei-san, a nun, saw me crocheting and asked was I making a hat. I said it was going to be a bag, but maybe it could be a hat. When I asked her if she would like a hat, she got postively giddy. I offered to make it for her, and she gushed, and was patting her cheeks saying how happy she was. I am taking this mannerism into my own usage. She was so happy happy like a kid when I presented the hat to her. She loves purple, as you can tell from her stylish outfit.

~AND all of our exchanges were completely in Japanese, so I felt especially proud.