TENTH ‘REISEI KORYU’ EAST-WEST
SPIRITUAL EXCHANGE TO JAPAN
This
series of exchange visits between Christian and Zen monks and nuns
has been going on since 1979. For the first time in many years,
there were representatives from our British/Irish MID commission on
the spiritual exchange to Japan. From Pluscarden went Br Cyprian
Bampton, and from Turvey Sr Lucy Brydon. An account by Sr Lucy
follows.
THE GROUP
In all, three
women and six men took part in the exchange. Of these, two were
Dominicans, and the rest of us were Benedictines or Cistercians.
There were three priests in the group, two of whom were Dominicans.
This made for an interesting variety in our liturgies, particularly
as two priests did not have English as their first language. We came
from the following MID/DIM commissions: British/Irish (2);
European—French 2, Dutch 1—(3), Nordic (1), Iberian (1). The
Dominicans, both involved in interreligious studies, came from
France and America. As a group we learned to share our lives and
thoughts and grow together as a small community. A few of us had met
one another before, but others knew no one. The group dynamics were
an important and fascinating part of the experience, even without
our contact with the Japanese monks and nuns and the personnel of
the Zen Bunka university, our hosts and organisers.
JOURNEYS
We were
fortunate enough to experience different kinds of transport and
journey, somehow echoing in their variety and interest the inward
journey we were all engaged upon in this experience. We met as a
DIM/MID group in Osaka Airport on 4th June, the French
contingent arriving shortly after the rest who had travelled
together on Lufthansa flights. We were welcomed by members of the
Zen Bunka and escorted all the way (3 hours by coach) to Okayama
where we stayed at Sogen-ji monastery until 10th June.
When we were sent to other monasteries we had experience of the
wonderful Japanese Rail system, punctual, fast, clean, spacious,
efficient and friendly.
THE
MONASTERIES
We gained
experience of both Rinzai and Soto Zen Buddhism (the two main sects
of Zen Buddhism in Japan) staying at the different monasteries. It
was fascinating to notice the differences between the two. The Soto
Zen lay much more stress on ceremony and ritual than the Rinzai. The
latter are the “koan” Buddhists, and we received teaching from them
on “Tanden breathing” and sitting postures. One rather amusing
difference concerns the walking meditation: Rinzai monks RUN,
or at least walk very fast,) whereas Soto monks walk much more
slowly than normal pace. But in both, it is about mindfulness and
freedom of spirit and there was a recognisable similarity between
them as ‘Zen’ monasteries. They feel different in some respects to
the Theravada monasteries I have visited. On our final day we made a
short visit to one monastery of the Tendai sect of Zen Buddhism, but
there was not sufficient time to form any real impression of how it
might resemble or differ from Rinzai and Soto Zen.
SOGEN-JI
MONASTERY (the suffix -ji means temple-monastery)
On the day of
our arrival, the whole group went to Sogen-ji, a Rinzai monastery.
We had one day to find our feet and then we were plunged into the
Osesshin, the great retreat week. As this was our first day of
several, the monks here tried to lick us into shape so we would be
able to adapt to the other places. There were no Japanese monks
among the community and trainees, except for the Roshi himself,
Shodo Harada Roshi, one of the most respected in Japan. We were
trained in zazen (meditation,) Zendo behaviour and how to eat
together and how to do the Kin-hin (walking meditation) according to
the Rinza way. Provision was made for us to meet as a group for “missa”,
which we celebrated each day in the guest-house. One of the trainees
who spoke English was in charge of us and made big efforts to get us
to keep together as a group and be punctual. The general pattern
was: be on your cushions ten minutes before the appointed time! Even
with all the helps, the early rising (3.20 a.m.) long hours of
sitting for zazen, chanting and meals was very taxing to us
Westerners. The pain and frustrations were an important part of our
Zen training throughout this period. Two of our group stayed for the
week’s Osesshin period, and until 20th , but the rest of
us rather regretfully dispersed to other monasteries on 10th
June. For all of us this first week together was a very important
part of the Exchange and though it was difficult, I don’t think
anyone would have wanted to miss it.
Before
dispersing to our next monastery, we had 1½ days in Kyoto, time to
recover and rest a bit, and share what the Sogen-ji experience had
meant to us; time to eat and talk together and to visit the
International Zendo and temple of Toko-ji on the outskirts of Kyoto
where we were touched to see a picture of John Paul II and a
cross on the wall in the zendo!! This picture made its appearance
again at the Symposium on our last days in Japan. In Kyoto we stayed
at the beautiful Dai-shin temple guest-house in the Temple-city of
Myoshin-ji and had breakfast with other, Japanese, guests.
AICHI
SENMON NISODO, TENRYU-JI AND SHOGEN-JI
We travelled
again by the wonderful Bullet train (Shinkasen) to our next
destination leaving Kyoto on the morning of 12th : the
men going to different men’s monasteries and the three Sisters to
Aichi Senmon Nisodo a women’s training monastery in Nagoya City. At
the end of this period we all met up again in Kyoto and had time to
share our different experiences, but I can only speak personally for
the period at Aichi Nisodo. Once more we were escorted all the way
there and back by Japanese guides.
The nuns were
not in Osesshin, so the time-table was more relaxed. The entire
community was Japanese, quite the opposite from Sogen-ji. It was an
unusual week that we enjoyed in Aichi Nisodo and we benefited from
taking part in a major Precept ceremony, a Dharma Debate and various
classes held in the monastery for lay practitioners, such as
calligraphy and hymn-singing, Japanese style; we also experienced
the tea ceremony and it was explained to us by Shundo Aoyama Roshi,
an expert in it. We also helped with the work in garden and kitchen
and felt thoroughly at home with the nuns. Aoyama, the Abbess (an
internationally known priest) had to be away part of the time but
made sure she was with us for our final celebration meal (our gift
to the community, prepared jointly by us with help from the Japanese
nuns) And they took us sight-seeing to Nagoya Castle and the
Tokugawa Museum and Hosta Art Gallery. We were thoroughly spoiled in
fact! Two of the senior nuns had been on the East-West Exchange to
Europe in the early 1980s and this was a great help, once we
realised it. Their English was limited but we were able to ask
questions of each other, and share our experience more. One of them
was in charge of her own temple and they both took us to see it,
served us a very memorable and delicious breakfast and then took us
to a Catholic Church and religious house (Divine Word Missionaries)
about an hour’s drive away, for Sunday Mass.
JAPANESE
GENEROSITY
Much has been
written about the generosity of the Japanese. It is utterly true. We
were presented with gifts at each place we stayed, and in Aichi
Nisodo every single person gave us gifts, some personally designed
and hand-made for us. It was very touching. There was also the
immense generosity and efficiency with which our Japanese hosts
organised every detail of our visit.
EHEI-JI
Our whole
group was reunited on 20th June in Kyoto and had time to
exchange experiences and compare notes about our visits to the
different monasteries. Then we went by Shinkasen train, escorted to
the nearest city, to one of the most famous and beautiful Soto Zen
monasteries, one established by Dogen-zenji, the founder of Soto
Zen. Situated in a beautiful wooded valley amid high mountains,
Ehei-ji has 273 young trainee monks and about 30+ monk- or
priest-teachers. Parts of it go back to the 13th century
and we saw trees that were 700 years old. It was a short but
important visit for us. Most of our group was together again and
able to celebrate ‘missa’ as a group; and we all received care and
attentive training in the Soto Zen way of meditating, eating,
walking etc. It was not Osesshin, so the time-table was more relaxed
and we had one day out sight-seeing, as well as a visit to the first
monastery Dogen founded, even before Ehei-ji. We had two “guardian
angels” who spoke English, to keep us punctual and in order, and we
had visits with the Chief Administrator before leaving. The sight of
so many trainees and the kind of training they were undergoing
raised some interesting questions in our minds. It was also a
challenging time for us, rising at 3.15 a.m. and climbing 200 steps
to the Dharma Hall for sutra-chanting sessions each day.
KYOTO &
FINAL SYMPOSIUM
For the last
few days our entire group was together again. We stayed in a
Japanese style hotel for the final days of our visit. We were given
the ‘western’ rooms, and a Western bed and en suite
facilities felt luxurious! We spent the time preparing and then
giving the talks of the Symposium which took place on 25th
and 26th June. Our group had prepared presentations about
the monasteries we had stayed in and one person was chosen or
offered to ‘give’ the talk. By this time Fr Pierre de Bethune had
arrived to complete the group and it was good to spend time
together. On the first day of the Symposium there was the
presentation about the Zen monastic experience, and comments and
questions from us to our hosts. This was a fruitful, and searching
session, and there was great attentiveness, respect and perception
on both sides. We were all happy to see representatives from the
monasteries we had stayed in, and from the Zen Bunka organisers who
had so wonderfully prepared our stay and helped us along the way.
There were also addresses by keynote speakers, about the spiritual
exchange. Professor Yasunaga of the Zen Bunka and Fr Pierre de
Bethune for DIM/MID. On Sunday 26th we had a memorial
service for Pope John Paul II, beginning with Buddhist chanting and
prostrations, led by a well-known Roshi. Then we had a concelebrated
Mass with the Bishop of Kyoto, and the priests of our group. After
this we, the Japanese Roshis and other invited guests were taken by
coach to a hotel where a Banqueting Room had been booked for our
“Sayonara” supper. This was a sumptuous farewell banquet where we
could enjoy both Japanese and Western food, and where we were once
again presented with gifts before taking leave of each other.
On our last
day we had a specially-ordered comfortable coach (with guide) to
ourselves, and visited three beautiful temples, spending about an
hour at each place and then were taken in the same coach back to
Kyoto. One of the temples was of the Tendai sect. Three of the group
were not returning to Europe with us and we left them in Kyoto. It
was a sad leave-taking after growing so close in the month we had
spent in Japan. The rest of us and the monk assigned to see us off
spent the night at Kansai International Airport Hotel and departed
in good order next day.
COMMENT
A month is
far too short a time to be able to give a profound judgement or
comment on anything. We were grateful to have such a wide and varied
experience of Zen Buddhism, most of us having time in 3 monasteries,
as well as our contacts with the Zen University in Kyoto. In our
discussions together, pooling our impressions of the six monasteries
we lived in, it seemed to me that the Japanese ‘Establishment’ (Zen)
was perhaps undergoing some of the same difficulties as the
Christian Church in the West. The young people who were living in
the training monasteries and who shared their ideas with us did not
seem to have a great desire to become Zen Buddhist monks, nuns or
priests, or in some cases even to continue in their practice of
Zazen. Those who spoke to us were mostly keen to get on with their
lives, whether this meant being a priest in the family Temple, or
going back to lay life. Almost all the older people, monks, nuns and
lay Buddhists alike, spoke sadly of the effects of excessive
consumerism and materialism on Japanese society, and of how many
young people had lost touch with their Buddhist roots and even with
anything to do with religion. The large groups of students and young
people visiting and staying for short visits at the monasteries
(especially at Ehei-ji) seemed interested in knowing about their
culture, however, (which is inevitably and deeply Buddhist) and this
must be a hopeful sign for the future. One thing that stood out for
me was the importance of the Roshi. It was said that people went to
a particular monastery to train because of the Roshi. Our experience
in the different monasteries bore this out as we met some wonderful
Roshis. The importance of the person of the Roshi was somewhat
different from our Western monastic viewpoint. Would we perhaps
think of Jesus as our Roshi par excellence? Or St Benedict?
At Ehei-ji the Roshi is 105 years old. We were told that the
unusually large group of trainees (273) was because they wanted to
train in his monastery. He seemed somehow to be
regarded as a living Buddha-figure. (He was away at the time but we
made a goodbye-visit and bowed to his empty cushion. This was not an
empty gesture; it was felt that his spirit remained with the monks
even though he was elsewhere in bodily presence.)
I said
good-bye to our group and left Japan with an overwhelming sense of
gratitude for having had such an experience. It is no small
thing to be welcomed into an entirely different religious and
national culture and to be made at home in another monastery (or
three!) with such kindness, compassion, openness and generosity. For
a relatively short time we had a very wide experience of Japanese
monastic life, the transport system, religious education, food,
public services and no doubt other things which I have taken for
granted. My prayer is of thanksgiving to all those (God first) who
made such an experience possible for me, and for all our group.
In conclusion
I quote from Images of Jesus by Anselm Grün, a German
Benedictine monk: As a result of my encounter with Buddhism it
has dawned on me that Jesus invites us to look behind things, to
perceive the real behind the appearances, to recognize the divine
world behind the world of seeming. … If I honestly engage in
dialogue with other cultures, a new love of Jesus grows in me. In
them I sense what I have in Jesus. But at the same time it also
offends me that we Christians have often obscured this Jesus, that
we’ve used him to set ourselves above others, that we’ve misused him
as a weapon to fight all those with other beliefs.”
I certainly
felt that for me the whole East-West Spiritual Exchange was very
much a journey together ‘in Christ’.