Year: 2014

Snow during our April sesshin, April 5th 2014

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Spring is approaching, the road is free again, and before sesshin we had the first new arrivals. We are eleven now (6 Japanese, 5 foreigners), and seven newcomers will arrive tomorrow. In the warmer parts of Japan, like Tokyo or Osaka, the cherry blossoms have already fallen. Many Japanese celebrate this event with a pinic … Read more

Yudai’s new toy, March 27th 2014

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Since yesterday, the road to Antaiji is open again. To new practioners arrived, on from Japan, another from Estonia. There is still snow in the fields, but some tasks outside can be done already. Yudai is building a new barn to store trees, and today he is training with the power shovel, pulling some logs … Read more

First work, March 19th 2014

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This year’s samu started yesterday. As the road is still covered with snow, and it is too early to plow the fields, we continued with changing the window screens. Also, we now have a brand new wood stove in the kitchen. But the chimney needed some cleaning.

Foot steps in the snow, March 15th 2014

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Today: One-day-sesshin. Tomorrow: Changing of the individual rooms. Day after tomorrow: Deadline of the winter report. After the 18th: Start of samu. As we still have snow, we will first remove the winter protections, make miso paste, change shoji paper, and chop wood.

Bottles

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We treasure the narrow side as our inside and fill it with sake, or soy sauce, or pills living our compact lives the way humans do But maybe these little creatures whom we call bottles think of that wide open space that we humans call the “outside” as their inside? Open minded as these creatures … Read more

February flees, February 27th 2014

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There is a saying in Japanese: “Ichigatsu ha iku, Nigatsu ha nigeru, Sangatsu ha saru”, literally January walks, February flees, March leaves. Each of the months passes away, but February seems to be in a special hurry. All of a sudden already two months of the new year have passed. Today we did the monthly … Read more