The meaning of these words are
”Failure is a circuit, and it isn't dead end"
We may get something important from failure.
Our life could be richer by it.
Words of a bulletin board at a Zen temple in my neighborhood are
"Happy New Year"
"Thank you very much for the happiness because I can live now and here."
"Now and Here" seems to be the key word.
I hope I could have a nice feeling to be able to say "Thank you "
gate of the temple
main hall
hall for zen meditation
back yard
" A workshop of Soto Zen Buddhism" was held the day before yesterday, and I went to Toshoji that is a very old temple at Yakage-cho.
I listened to a lecture by Suzuki Seido who is a chief priest of the temple for about 40 minutes after sutra transcription.
He talked about the way of living.
We recognize time as past, now and future, and name them like day, year and so on.
The length of "GOU" is beyond our imagination.
But the time we can live is just now.
So we should value now and here.
After that we are guided in the temple that we can't see usually.
This temple was designated "Professional meditation hall" of Soto Zen Buddhism and accept ascetic monks from all over the world.
So I saw some monks that day.
I had a very meaningful time.
Words of a bulletin board is
" Welcome or Nice to see you."
I never say those words to a typhoon or a missile.
Words of a bulletin board at a Zen temple was renewed.
「かんしゃくの くの字を 捨てて ただかんしゃ」
Meaning of the word changes when only one letter KU in Japanese is thrown away.
It changes from temper of anger to thanks.
It is amazing !
A notice of a Zen temple was renewed after about one month and my blog is the same.
The meaning of these words is
" Grasses are growing even on the roof"
It wouldn't be comfortable, but they can find any places to live.
The words of a bulletin board is
"Flowers bloom in the mud"
Recently a nun Shundou Aoyama published a book of this title.
Dirty mud is also significant to bloom a beautiful flower.
It may be applied to a man.
I attended 'Tondo festival' held at my family temple in the morning.
This event was the first time at my temple.
We brought ornaments of New Year, used charms and so on.
The service was started with priest's sutra and and all ornaments were burnt clearly.
After that sweet bean paste soup with rice cakes which had been served to God during new years days were served to everyone.
Spiced sake was also served.
We all had a very good time.
*****
After that I went to a main hall in the temple to attend the sutra transcription meeting that is held on 17 day every month.
Everyone writes wishes on the transcription paper of the last line.
The wishes are various, for example safety of all the family, traffic safety, recovering from sickness, happiness of the ancestor, being healthy and so on.
Among them there was a wish for 'world peace' that was the first time I heard at the meeting.
I had been wanted to write ' world peace', but I had been hesitated to do so because it is a too big wish.
But 'world peace' is very important though it is very difficult.
I'll try to write 'world peace' on the transcription paper next time.
The words of a bulletin board is
”Wait and flowers will bloom"
We are spending very busy days and we are tend to forget to wait.
If we wait patiently without losing our temper, something good may come to us.
gate for visitors
corridor
vegetarian food
from Haku-san village observatory
Shirakawa-go House of an A-frame
Cormorant used for fishing
Konpon Chudo
I went to a travel hosted by Soto Zen Buddhism Okayama religious affairs from November 3 to November 5.
On November 3
We visited Eiheiji at Fukui prefecture by bus.
It was my first time to go there and I was worrying about the event we would experience there.
After relaxing for a short while, we took a bath.
After that, supper for vegetarian food was served.
Next we saw a DVD that showed the way of living of priests there after sitting in ZEN meditation for about twenty minutes.
And a sermon was also told by a priest.
He talked about the importance and value of ZAZEN.
We would be peace in mind if we sit without thinking anything.
We went to bed at nine at a big tatami room with visitors of this tour.
On November 4
We got up about 4:30 and listened to a sermon by a priest again, which was also a nice one.
Next we went up a long corridor to Hatto where 60 or 70 priests morning raised some kinds of sutra together.
That was very solemn and I was deeply impressed.
And our ancestor's memorial service was also held.
We took breakfast of vegetarian food after a young priest guided inside of Eiheiji.
I felt something valuable by staying a night there.
We left Eiheiji at 8:30 and went to Shirakawa-go by bus.
After that we visited Nagaragawa hot spring and enjoyed a party and relaxed in the hot spring.
On November 5
We went 'cormorant museum' in the morning and learned about cormorant fishing.
After that we went to Knpontyudo at Enryakuji in Hieizan.
I had been there for about 55 years before as a school trip.
This trip was meaningful for me because it was not only sightseeing but also visiting Eiheiji.
The words of a Bulletin board is
”Be sincere even if anyone don't know it"
This words come from a Ta-n-ka
' Look at that, cherry blossoms are blooming although anyone don't know the fact.
Be sincere even if anyone don't know it.'
Please take a look at this blog.
This time, the words of a bulletin board is very simple.
It means ' it's OK'.
We don't have to worry about anything.
At first, this words made me relieved very much.
But
Worries occur to me one after another.
*
I found this site.
This word seems to be a Buddhist terminology too.
These words are from the words of a famous priest 'Matsubara Taido' who was 101 years old when he died.
These words mean
' Don't be unreasonable.
Don't waste things.
Don't be lazy. '
I found this cite so please take a look at it !
Words of a bulletin board was renewed.
These words are from Misuzu Kaneko who made more than 500 poems during her life.
She died when she was 26, but she made so many poems.
This is from ' Me, little bird and bell '
It means ”everyone is different, but it is all right"
You are a lovely person and everyone is valuable and important.
It is a little difficult to read and understand these words this time.
So I searched for these words on the internet.
「舊年寒苦梅 得雨一時開（きゅうねんかんくのうめ あめをえていちじにひらく）」
It means Ume blossoms bloom after enduring the coldness of last year blessed with the rain in the early spring.
「是無等等呪(ぜむとうどうしゅ）」
It is in the words of HANNYA SHINGYO and is the super best words by Buddha.
Hakuin was a great priest of the Rinzai Zen Sect in the middle of Edo period and he explained this difficult Sutra through these words.
