Fugaku Myouko

Temple Stay for 6 days and 5 nights is a very meaningful time

I would like to describe my participation in Temple Stay in bullet points.

Impressions and realisations

– I did not have a lot of time to day dream because I was concentrating on my work and moving and living a regimented life almost every day without a mobile phone or a watch. Because there was little stimulation from the outside, I was able to concentrate on my inner self and my body, and I thought that if this kind of environment continued, I might be able to notice myself constantly. I realised that it was said that our current life has too much stimulation from the outside.
– Monk Eiko spoke to us about many things. He helped me to get rid of my nervousness and I was also moved by it. I was moved when I heard about his own experiences and through them I could understand what kind of person Monk Taigu is. At the same time, Eiko’s deep kindness made me cry with happiness.
– I have been training my body through muscle training (women’s gymnastics Curves) and farm work, but I am not flexible. I have been doing radio calisthenics since September. I realised that I was not flexible and supple enough, partly because of my age. I was taught FMT exercises and other exercises at Temple Stay and I would like to incorporate them into my workouts. I also appreciated that you thought about our bodies and included FMT exercises and training experiences in the programme. It was a valuable experience.
– I thought I had a certain degree of honesty, humility and sincerity, but when I was asked about my roommates during our parting hour, I said that I thought they had a narrow view of things, but when I went home and thought about how I really felt when I was alone, I was reminded that I was the same. I thought, “What made me think so highly of myself?”
– I am not good at paying attention to people, listening to them without being nervous and acting calmly, and this came out in my behaviour. I felt that I had to deal with this carefully in the future.
– I was elated and grateful to have met the monk Taigu and to have listened to his sermon.

Changes

I feel that my body, not my head, has learnt the daily routine, including morning and evening lessons, the daily work and meals, through repetition. I used to find it difficult to get up at 5am, but now I can wake up at the same time as the alarm. I enjoyed a delicious meal and although it was smaller than usual, I felt satisfied. At the same time, I lost three kilos. I was surprised.

Thank you.

I spent five nights and six days at Temple Stay and it was a very meaningful time. I was very happy to be able to spend time at Fukugonji Temple, which I had longed for. I learnt a lot by learning about the thoughts of various people and the process of their lives. I hope that in the future, when I see you at a dojo or somewhere else, I will be able to speak to you and talk about various things. I am happy that I have exchanged email addresses with some people and I am sure we will meet again.I would like to thank everyone at Fukugonji for their great help. Thank you very much.