Zen Meditation
Opportunities in Kyoto
Genko-an:
A beautiful temple located north of Kyoto;
Meditation
on on 1st and 3nd Sunday from 7:00-9:00; \1,000; Tel: 492-1858.
Kennin-ji : 8:00 - 10:00 on 2nd Sunday; Tel: 561-6363.
Kosho-ji: Located in Uji by the Uji River, a Soto sect temple founded by
the famous Zen master,
Dogen Zenshi, in the 17th century. Meditation held on the 1st and 3rd Sundays
of every month,
8:45-10:00; no reservation necessary; Tel: 0774-21-2040.
Mugeko-in : In Shimizu-cho of the Takano area. Meditation every Saturday,
17:00-18:00. Tel: 781-1227.
Nanzen-ji:
on 2nd and 4th Sunday, from 6:00 to 7:00 (April to October)
6:30 to 7:30
(November to March); Tel: 771-0365.
Rinko-in : Sub-temple of Shokoku-ji, located just north of Doshisha University's
Imadegawa campus.
Meditation held every Saturday, 16:00-18:00; discussion 18:00-20:00; Tel:
231-3931.
Ryuzen-an : A sub-temple of Daitoku-ji, located near the sub-temple of
Hoshun-in. Meditation
Wednesday to Sunday, 7:00-8:30. First-timers are requested to call ahead
and attend an orientation
session at 6:30 am. You are also requested to dress appropriately (ie:
no T-shirts or shorts).
Tel: 491-0543.
Tofuku-ji:
One of Kyoto's largest Zen monasteries, Tofuku-ji is a spectacular place
to sink into the
Zen space. However, they only offer this opportunity once a month. The
session is led by the head of
the Tofuku-ji complex, a busy man by any standard, who is well known for
his kindness to foreigner and his sharp mind.
Tel: 551-0334.
International
Zen Centers
Kyoto
International Zen Center: Located in Jokoku-ji, it set in a quiet,
traditional Japanese village,
surrounded by rice fields and mountains. One day meditation per night \3,000
(including 3 meals).
Any length of staying is acceptable.
For details,
call 0771-24-0152 (phone/fax); email: zen@tekishin.org; http://tekishin.org.
The International Zen Center: Located in Hiroshima Prefecture, a sub-temple
of Shinsho-ji, which is a
branch temple of Kyoto's Kennin-ji. It welcomes anyone - regardless of
sex, age, nationality, or
religion - who wishes to experience Zen training, or simply wishes to try
Zen meditation in temple
surroundings. Suggested donation is \3,000 per day (with 3 meals) or \70,000
a month. Anyone
interested should send a letter or postcard indicating his/her name, address,
telephone number,
proposed length of stay, and intended date of arrival to: International
Zen Center of Japan,
Mirokunosato Shinsho-ji Kokusaizendo, Numakuma-cho, Numakuma-gun, Hiroshima-ken,
Japan 720-04.
Tel: 0849-88-1200,
Fax: 0849-88-1710.
