J.A.

I vowed to spend my days facing challenges happily and lightly

Thank you very much for your help at Temple Stay. We had a very special time under the blessings of Osho Daigu, the staff of Fukugonji Temple, and the Uchideshi. Mr. Jiniwa’s delicious food touched my heart, and I felt that he was encouraging me to do my best. 　
I cannot express in words how grateful I am to have had the opportunity to experience Temple Stay.

First of all, I would like to write down the things that have improved and changed since my temple stay.

– I sleep deeper
– I can now wake up early in the morning
– I got better at making arrangements and my stress was reduced.
– Now able to do a wide range of tasks quickly such as cleaning and tidying up
– I no longer put it off as a hassle
– I started to always think about how to moderate, and what is just the right way to deal with things.
– My speed, awareness, and hand shape when touching things have changed.
– I became more conscious of how I eat.
– Improved posture and walking style
– My knees don’t hurt even when I sprint
– Gained strength and self-confidence
– I feel more positive
– I started paying more attention to the words and expressions I use to talk to people.
– I started greeting people properly.
– I started to realize that I was being too lazy and started taking things one step further.
– No matter what I do, I feel complacent in some way, but I reflect on it each time and try to put into practice how I can change. .
– I want to aim to capture the whole picture and move as if swimming within it. (At work, at home. For example, in a crowd)
– I began to feel the atmosphere of the place and put my mind and body there.
– I started thinking about my actions, facial expressions, and expressions that I do unconsciously.
– I started looking back at the results after I did it.
– I feel the power of being able to do what I need to do without hesitation.
-I now know the importance of every minute, use my time wisely, and no longer put things off.
– I don’t give up, I tell myself I can do it, and I feel happy that I can actually do it.
– I began to choose things in a spirit of charity and charity.
– I stopped fooling around and fooling myself.
– I remembered the importance of interjecting at the right time when the other person is speaking. – I value cheerfulness, replies, and humor, and I try to be more grateful for what I hear and respond to it. (Thanks to everyone in Sangha)
– I am aware of the wonders of being able to break down and express what the other person is saying, and then verbalize how I received it and what I want to do with it, and I am working to get closer to that. (Thank you to everyone at Sangha)
– I once again realized that there is core strength in softness and suppleness. I want to aim for that. (Thanks to everyone in Sangha)
– The way you talked about putting aside your pride and trying to overcome it is sincere and cool. I also wanted to expose myself more. (Thank you to everyone at Sangha)

Before participating, I had high hopes that although it was only a 6-day training dojo, I would be able to develop good lifestyle habits and improve my physical strength. 　
It was accomplished as above.

And then, during those six days, I saw, acted, felt, and received a lot of compassionate guidance and advice, but in my mind I suddenly thought, “Ah, I see…” I felt like something was coming to me. That experience did not occur during my training, but after I returned home.

When I was a child, I experienced several times when something suddenly changed inside me, and this time I felt something similar.

The things I’ve done unconsciously, the things I’ve misunderstood about myself, the things I don’t like about myself, the quirks of my mind that happen many times a day, are the things that make it difficult for me to live. There is.
Now that we know the cause, at least the root cause, we can move one step forward by removing it.
This is a big deal for me.

If you noticed
After that, all you have to do is face it each time, investigate it, solve it, and take action to make it a habit.

If I were to compare the many steep steps leading up to the Akiba Main Shrine to all the things I have accomplished in my life, I feel that I have only climbed a few steps.
During my stay, there were days when I felt depressed as I felt like I was looking at the Uchideshi who were much younger than me and the sangha people I was with this time from far below.
And even if you climb those steep and unstable stone steps, if you lose your balance, you’ll fall head over heels. Being careless is your enemy.

But it’s really fun to climb up there. Cleaning up there is a thrill and a lot of fun.

I vowed to spend each day facing challenges in a fun and light manner.

How to put it into practice? I act based on the lifestyle habits I learned during my stay, and I sit for even 5 minutes to meditate, reflect on my day at night, write down my reflections in a notebook, and do the exercises I learned before going to sleep. Then, the next day, I practiced it repeatedly through trial and error.

Dear Uchideshi, your word-for-word guidance and suggestions made a huge difference to me. He also told me his aspirations for running Temple Stay, and I can tell you that I have achieved those goals perfectly.
Thank you very much again and again.

They always took care of the health of us Zen pilgrims, and the food was delicious and they always kept us warm so we wouldn’t get cold. The shower room and cottage were tastefully and optimally prepared, and I had a good night’s sleep on a warm bed.

I was so impressed that I could write my thoughts on each of the variety programs.

Humans are lazy and forgetful creatures. I sincerely hope to attend Zen meditation again in the near future in order to consolidate and improve what I learned at Temple Stay, and to gain further awareness.

Thank you for all the help you have given me.
Many things happen every day, but I would like to spend each day with peace of mind knowing that Fukugonji is my spiritual hometown.

To all the staff at Fukugonji Temple, please take care of yourself as the weather gets colder.

I am very grateful to Mr. Ogu Osho for creating a system called Temple Stay that allows ordinary people to practice at Fukugonji.

palms together

J.A.