Alongside the river towards Jomanji, the Zen temple. Magically situated on a hill slope. Walk around. Dragonfly on the top of a thin needle. A woman monk comes out, she is called Massan, and tells me the head monk will be back around noon and I can come for lunch to talk to him. Cycle for a bit and eat a banana in the shade of a viaduct. Try sneezing under it, which is recommendable. When I get back to the temple I am seated on the back porch. The head monk joins me. His name is Koya. I like him immediately. Sometimes you feel you already know someone.

We talk about Zen and the Heartstone.

He practices zazen. Where there is no more ‘self’. Everything that clings to us falls away. Sit cross legged. Place the hands. Touch ground, earth , universe, time. Hand is just ‘hand’. Not me. It is not even borrowed. Just ‘Hand’. Without words. He refers to light, where everything glides of easily cause nothing sticks to it. And when all these thing are gone there is just Joy. Radiate Joy.

We have clams as a part of our lunch. He tells me the clam will practice zazen with us. But not in a way that it becomes part of us, more that you become the shell. People are very much in society these days.

We name it the Zen hole. We laugh. When you come out of zazen you have to form a sort of ‘self’ to function in this world, he explains. But now you can choose which self. With this lightness you can function very clear in what needs to be done. I interpret this as a natural you at that time. To function very light, right for that moment.

Tell him about an experience I once had meditating. When I was some 20 years old. Where at some point everything became white. Even when I opened my eyes. Surrounded by white. He tells me he had the same experience. Which I found incredible, because I only know one other person who had this. Years later when practicing yoga I got to know it happens more. He also only knows about 2. It is nice to be able to talk about this shared experience. Good vibe.

We plan to meet tomorrow at dawn. To practice zazen together. I also ask him if he would want to bless the Heartstone. He happily agrees.

Went to the 1 dollar store in the afternoon. Found exactly what I wanted to make. A holder for a Pet bottle. To carry it on a simple cord. But the inventiveness of this country proceeded me. In their limited inventory they have exactly that. Pass by an old Tatami maker. Sit there for a while watching him work the 70 year old machines. Have a huge dinner at a little restaurant which also looks 70 years old. With a brown filter, created by 70 years of cigaret smoke, covering the whole room. You always pay a 1000 yen there. No matter what you order. After the best Katsu with Ponzu I join the old guys for some sake.