Joaquin Del Mundo

Kenchō-ji (建長寺) Zen Buddhist Temple in Kamakura

There was this temple area that is said to be very famous called Kenchou-ji (建長寺), established in 1253 and is the oldest Zen training monastery in Japan.  I saw the location on a pictorial map, and memorized the approximately to another temple I was visiting.  I decided to head there, and in about 20 minutes of walking,  I found the temple easily. The temples there are just simply gorgeous:

Temple Stay

I went on a field trip through the Global Lounge at Yonsei University this past weekend. We went to this Buddhist temple retreat for the weekend to get exposure to Buddhism.  First we had to get into the role by wearing these orange outfits.  Later that Saturday, we learned about the rituals, and then on Sunday, we optionally could participate in chanting at 4 AM.  Well, almost everyone on the trip got up at 4 AM for the experience.  Then at 6 AM, we meditated for about 15 mins to 30 mins, and filed in for breakfast.

For the meditation, we learned one simple technique.  We were instructed to breathe in very slowly, using our diaphragm or stomach area, rather than just the lungs.  Each inward and outward breath counts as one count.  From there we had to do 20 of these for one set, counting forward to ten and then backwards to one.  We would repeat this three times.

About the time I got to the number 3, I had all kinds of exciting thoughts running through my head, everything from shopping, entertainment (World of Warcraft), socializing with friends, politics, and other random bits and pieces.

This meditation stuff is really difficult, a lot harder than it seems.  Through this procedure, I found myself more calm and more centered.  I wasn't out of the woods with all my stress and other oddities with relationships and deep connections to childhood past, but I did find that I could concentrate quite a bit more.   I suppose I should use this before studies to be able to focus more.  The overall experience was really useful.  I enjoy getting out of town.