Reflections from Japan

Fresh off a two-week pilgrimage to Japan, Roshi Joan and Upaya’s priests share reflections on their experience. For Roshi Joan, this pilgrimage was about connecting to the historical roots of Zen, cultivating relationships with modern-day practitioners, and touching the ethos of care in Japanese culture. Meeting with old and new friends from temples across the country, the trip was an opportunity to create and deepen relationships and learn through the exchange of cultures. From scroll glue that takes five years to make, “one-tooth” shoes worn to minimize harm to the Earth, and floors that have been cleaned so many times they look like mirrors, this embodiment of care and respect was a theme that repeatedly emerged. For others what stood out was the deep surrender of Japanese practitioners or the profound impact of Upaya’s G.R.A.C.E. trainings in Japan. For many priests, the experience of this pilgrimage is still being processed, but a question arose out of it: What is the heart of Zen practice? Kodo’s Slideshow: