Momoka Midori

I realised something bad about myself that I hadn't noticed before.

Awareness

– I am not agile enough and tend to delay my actions.
– I tend to be careless.
-“Start with a greeting, end with a greeting” I tend to do either one or both half-heartedly.
– When I am trying to help someone, I get in the way of their training.
– I am not able to understand the other person’s feelings on the spot.
– I couldn’t focus my mind on the unity of the nine members of the sangha, even though it is not only my own group.

I have realised that I have been doing wrong things, which I did not realise before, and I will learn new habits.

What I felt when I did the trash pick-up work

Even though I had done the rubbish collection, I forgot to separate the rubbish (burnable and non-burnable) in my bungalow room, or did not pick up the rubbish on the road outside, and I regretted that I was not able to put it into practice right away. From now on, when I see rubbish, I will thank the people who made things and the environment that allows us to use many things. I will also keep in mind that there is nothing dirty in this world, and that I should not waste things or produce extra rubbish. And when I throw things away, I will not just carelessly throw them away, but I will dispose of them with gratitude.

What I felt during my time with the sangha

I was moved to realise late in my stay how wonderful each and every one of my roommates was. Mikie-san, who is full of love and affection towards everyone, Yumiko-san, who acts honestly and promptly, and Naomi-san, who is quick to understand people’s feelings and looks after them kindly. I would like to learn from them.

What I felt when I spent time with the people of Fukugonji

Thank you very much for your thorough instruction in manners and etiquette from the very beginning. Thank you very much for always looking out for my safety and for supporting and re-instructing me when I was not doing so well. After five nights and six days of moving around, I can feel the changes in my mind and body. If I hadn’t done Temple Stay, I would have only understood the knowledge in my head and nothing would have changed. I have to stop being lazy and insensitive to other people’s feelings, do what I have to do quickly without being distracted, live with people who are good at what they do, and remember to do work silently, without any desire of recognition. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping me change.

I am sorry that I could not fill in and send the form yesterday. I have returned home safely and am feeling well. I hope you will tell Jitei-san that I have finished Temple Stay and returned home in good health thanks to her.

We wish you all good health as the weather gets colder.

This is just the beginning, please keep up the good work.