Work in the rice field, September 9th 2013
For the first time this month the sun has come out. We continue to raise the rice plants that fell over during sesshin.
Dharma talk in Kinosaki-Onsen, September 8th 2013
Raining since the early morning. Today’s samu was chopping would, making tomato puree and raising the fallen rice plants. I went to Kinosaki-Onsen, a hot spring town about one and a half hours away. The car had a puncture on the way, but I was just in time to participate in a small tea ceremony before the talk. Was invited to enter the hot spring after the talk, but had to leave eraly to do shopping for the monastery.
Antaiji forest group meets to discuss tree cutting, September 7th 2013
Group leader Eko, Tsukan from Oregon and Yudai, a rikshaw driver from Asakusa meet with Muho to discuss a government sponsored project that involves felling trees around Antaiji. Gusho, a Japanese monk who is laso part of the so called “Antaiji forest group”, was tenzo in the kitchen on this day.
During the next three years, we will cut dead pine trees, fell cedar and cypress trees (to be used in the kitchen and boiler stoves, as well as in the wood stove for heating during the winter) as well as the bamboo groves that keep extending around Antaiji.
Antaiji’s rice fields, September 6th 2013
Today is the free day after the 5-day sesshin at the beginning of September. Muho exlains in Japanese about the rice, some of which have fallen over because of the taifuns that passed during the sesshin. Other work planned for this month includes harvesting the sweet potatoes that can be seen behind the second rice field.