Joshua: Finding Zen is A Confusing, Embarrassing, and Often Painful Journey

Our expedition into religion here in Japan has born fruit; we visited a Soto Zen temple in downtown Hakodate and met a monk who speaks English fairly well. He explained the nuances of zazen practices and how Buddhism fits into the modern world. The details of which we will now delve into; Zen Buddhism, unlike Mahayana Buddhism from which it is derived, is founded on personal emptiness as opposed to worship of deities and Buddhas to find enlightenment. This personal approach to finding Nirvana is difficult to grasp, and even a relatively fluent English speaker could not explain the path by which they travel. Save to say, extensive meditation and soul searching of different methods, such as sitting in an ungodly uncomfortable cross-legged position with your feet touching your stomach because one guy did it once upon a time for an hour and a half (I’m not bitter but my whole body hurts now), they find their personal path to Nirvana.  This search takes years, but somehow the monks remain cheery and hopeful, and their thigh muscles are so huge they could probably life a freight train so that probably adds to their confidence.

The temples themselves are extremely important as well, providing a peaceful and serene environment where they can effectively find inner peace. The walls are intricately carved cedar beams and the whole building smells of fresh cut wood and incense. The lights are dim, with the whole room lit by reflections on ornate golden structures. This environment is simultaneously intense and tranquil, and upon entering you immediately feel some sort of powerful energy. Perhaps this is why the lineage of Buddhism perseveres despite many centuries of change.  These Zen temples are very different from the Mahayana temples in Canada, which are always brightly lit and lively. This change in atmosphere is difficult to adapt to, but I must say the peace and quiet was a welcome change after a week of intense drinking cultural immersion and long days. The monks were also extremely generous; they offered all the wisdom they could and, intrigued by Chinese Mahayana Buddhism in Canada, asked many questions in return. Their thirst for knowledge and understanding is rivalled only by the most diligent of scholars and I suppose they are exactly that. One must be diligent if they are to meditate for so long every day for decades. If given an opportunity to meditate with the monks of the temple again, I wouldn’t hesitate for a moment. Enlightenment awaits, and the Soto monks in Hakodate are eager to find it.