Photography

One of the many technical terms in a Zen monastery that even present day Japanese hardly understand is “tosu”.
The oldest and biggest tosu in Japan can be found in Tofukuji in Kyoto. Today it is used as a zazen hall, but originally it used to be a huge toilet. The literal meaning of “tosu” is being in charge of the East, but most tosu buildings seem to be located on the Western side of the monastery compounds.

Today, in Tofukuji as well as Eiheiji and most other Zen monasteries, the monks flush their toilets. Some even have washlets. You will have to search for places like Antaiji where the manure from the toilets is still collected in tanks and used to fertilize the fields.
Here Jinen empties the tank to transport manure to the carrots, so they can grow until the winter.

 
Other work today includes spreading straw and rice powder in the harvested rice fields, collecting persimmons, and tending to the gardens.
And our genius mechanic Tobi gives his loves to the machines, as always. seen here with Adrian repairing the brakes and cleaning the caterpillar with his new “water pistol”:

On the evning of the last day of sesshin, Jinen, Yoshin und Hakue received lay ordination in the main hall of Antaiji. We started with reciting the Heart Sutra:

Senior monk Gusho leads the three through their movements.

As a sign of their connection to the buddha way, the three put on a rakusu (a small version of the Buddhist robe that resembles a bib).

Photographs taken before, during and after the ceremony by Shoko: https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/116218708782376154359/albums/5931525019102112113.

After the ceremony, we celebrate the “birth” of the three new bodhisattvas with a party where some of the precepts are already broken. The planned camp fire had to be rescheduled because of rain.

Almost unrelated, but here is an article by Arthur Braverman about The community at Antaiji 40 years ago at Buddhism Now.

I led two courses today, “Introduction to kinhin” held at a local shrine in the early morning, and “Just sitting” in the evening. Thanks to the sponsorship by MINI, the event could take place at the top of the mountain. Here I am talking to Andreas from Germany, who introduces their new model (in English!):

From the gondola we got our first glimpses of Mt. Fuji. How great must it be to see him in the evening sun, from the top of the mountain?
There were about 60 participants in the gondola, among them yoga teachers like Sayaka Shibuki or Mae Yoshikawa. Everyone is excited…

However!
The second we reach the mountain top, we are in a thick mist. It is cold and a strong wind is blowing from the East. Without MINI’s support, people would have asked for their money back. as it was a free vent, people even got a free yoga mat.
Anyway, you do not always get want you want. Especially not from your Zen practice. Today was a good opportunity to accept things as they are, rather than tayloring them according to our wishes.

They say that this place has been a “power spot” for 2400 years. Actually, I do not really believe in “power spots”. Or rather, for me any place where zazen is done is a power spot. Even today, in this weather, the mountain top was a power spot.

Tomorrow I will give my last talk on Bodhimind on this pier. After that I will fly back to Antaiji.