Introduction to Nisonin Temple
Nisonin Temple, located on the western edge of Honshu (the main island of Japan) , is a temple with 1,200 years of history. There is a legend that Yang Guifei fled from China, arrived here and ended her life here.
The principal images of the temple, Shaka Nyorai (Sakyamuni) and Amida Nyorai (Amitabha), are designated as Important Cultural Properties.
Shukubo (temple stay)
The first floor of the Shukubo is where the temple residents live, and the second floor is where the guest rooms are. The guest rooms are spacious, consisting of two adjacent 8-tatami Japanese-style rooms.
Meditation
I had a meditation session in the main hall. I set a scroll with an image of the moon in front of me and took a few slow, quiet breaths. The image is of the moon changing from a crescent moon to a half moon and then to a full moon. Although my mind wandered and it was hard to focus, I left the session feeling refreshed and clear-headed.
If you wish, you can also enjoy a variety of other Buddhist experiences, such as viewing the Buddha statue, which is an Important Cultural Property, or copying sutras.
Buddhist vegetarian cuisine
Dinner is buddhist vegetarian cuisine made with local ingredients. First, we offered words of thanks for the meal.
Afterwards, we had our meal. The menu includes rice, pickles, kenchinjiru soup, taro dumplings, tempura, salad, sesame-dressed parsley and stir-fried burdock, and hot tofu. It was delicious and filled me up.
Drinking party with a monk
After the meal, we had time to chat with the head priest over some drinks.
I was taught about Buddhism and learned how to blow the conch shell (Trumpet-like shell).
And then, feeling pleasantly drunk, I fell asleep.
Morning service
The next morning, the service begins at 6:30 in the main hall. Here, we all chanted sutras together with the head priest.
The morning air was refreshing and it was worth getting up early.
Then we return to the shukubo for breakfast. The menu consisted of porridge, miso soup, sesame tofu, spinach dressed in sesame seeds, hijiki seaweed and radish sprouts, and pickles.
Cleaning training
At a temple, cleaning is also a form of training. Before checking out, I spent 10 minutes cleaning the room.
