The Meiji University International Student Center holds events to experience Japanese culture, with the goal of having overseas students familiarize themselves with the culture of Japan and deepen their friendships.
On June 25, we held an event to experience Zazen, or sitting meditation, at Tentakuzan Ryoko Zen Temple in Honkomagome, located in the heart of Tokyo. A total of sixteen overseas students from China, South Korea, Vietnam and Austria took part.
Zazen is Zen’s basic practice of meditating and concentrating the mind in a seated position, sitting up straight. Nowadays, numerous temples offer Zazen courses targeting the general public.
Overseas students who took part in this zazen experience made the following comments:
The priest who instructed us said, “If you practice zazen, you will surround yourself in tranquility, so you become more aware of sounds near you than under normal circumstances. However, the important thing is not for you to think of something by hearing those sounds, but simply concentrate on hearing them, and become mu, or nothing.” But it was very hard for me to just continue sitting there without thinking anything. When I heard the birds chirp, I felt, “The birds’ voices are surprisingly cute,” and when I couldn’t hear anything, different thoughts crossed my mind one after another, such as “What will I eat for dinner tonight?” When we work and study in a busy city like Tokyo, we are constantly making our brains work, and cannot stop thinking about something. After having experienced zazen, however, I learned that the time spent doing nothing was not a waste of time, but rather, was a very important and valuable time when I can confront my own heart.
It’s been six months since I began living my life in Tokyo as an overseas student. I am beginning to feel that I’ve finally become a member of this great metropolis. On the other hand, in the course of leading a busy, hectic life day after day, I found myself feeling exhausted by living in a large city. Taking part in this zazen experience under those conditions turned out to be a precious time for me to take a break from my hectic city life, and relax and rewind my tired body and mind.
It appears that this experience turned out to be a wonderful opportunity for overseas students to learn Japan’s spiritual culture.
