Nanzen Ji Temple
The Hojo Garden at Nanzen Ji Temple.
Dogen was a medieval Buddhist zen master who was the founder of the solo sect, one of the 5 major denominations of Japanese Buddhism which spread vivaciously across Japan cementing itself as a pivotal and influential religious movement in modern society. Dogen disseminated the teachings he had learned amidst a four year visit in China from 1223 to 1227. There he studied under his mentor Rujing where he was also immersed in studying Chinese styles of writing which included poetry and prose. In an attempt to remove himself from all distractions and continue his journey in zen he decided to leave the “secular” society of tokyo and headed to live in the remote mountain setting north of the capital. There he established a monastery at Eiheiji Temple, which modern day resides in the Fukui prefecture. There he writes about his time in the mountains which follows as, “Although we say mountains belong the country, they actually belong to those who love them, when the mountains love there master the wise and the virtuous inevitably enter the mountains and when sages and wild ones live in the mountains it is because mountains belong to them. Trees and rocks flourish in a bound and the birds and beasts take on a divine excellence, we should realize that mountains take the light in wise ones and sages. ”These were the words which heavily moved me and formally introduced me to Dogen. And I especially thought about these words during my two days nestled against the eastern mountains of Kyoto and the Nanzen Ji temple.
Nanzenji Hatto Lecture Hall. Before entering and viewing the altar, visitors can donate to the temple and light a stick of incense. The offering and its smell is meant to evoke the presence of Buddhist divinities. Originally built in the 13th century, this location serves as a formal gathering space where the communal lifestyle and continuous learning has been happening at the temple for centuries.
My immediate fascination with this temple was likely its affinity to the poet, essayist, environmental activist and practicing Buddhist Gary Synder. Synder spent 12 years of his life in Kyoto where he underwent zen training at the temple. Again this fascination with the profundity of his work made me keen to explore a place once beloved and graced by an extraordinary and interesting mind.
The nanzen Ji Sammon gate.
I firstly entered the Kegon- tei Garden and the Ryugin- Tei garden, which were both created by Ueyakato landscape in 1984. This garden lies to the east of the Ryoen-Kaku hall and features a Kurama stone which is a light brown granite stone which is quarried from Kyoto's Kurama area. Along the shore of the garden, the pond features Totsukawa stones which were directly drawn from the Totsukawa river in Nara. In Japanese Gardens, the inspired reconfiguration of onhand materials often goes side by side with careful consideration invested into procuring the right materials from far away. As I read and learned about these techniques at the garden I realized the act itself of creating a Zen garden is very Zen in itself by nature. The practice of Zen is not simply limited to the practice of sitting meditation. Although Zazen is the source of the zen mind, you can experience that state of mind in various different aspects of life. The aesthetics of zen is characterized by its purity: a flower in a vase, and a lot of space around it. Beyond that refined style, the point is to feel the joy of simplicity, to aspire to a life where we are not attached to material goods. Therefore, the long drawn out process of procuring being present in the act of the creation of these zen gardens manifests itself in the Zenful feeling of the space. As I realized this I began to notice the exact placement of stones, this preciseness made me ever so conscious of my every step. Leaving me in a state of complete concentration, free of the pervasiveness of any outside stimuli, causing my mind to flip from one activity to the next.
Rokudo Tei Garden.
This state of mind slowly dwindled and frayed as I walked to the front of the temple to the bike racks and sounds of horns waned on my inner ear. Although the intersection of the urban environment with the intentional nature and design aspects of the space will forever fascinate me. Nanzen Ji is a sanctuary of the urban space where my own spirit was touched by the sublime aesthetic of Japanese Zen. This aesthetic can accommodate seemingly assorted elements, fusing into a unified whole.
