Zen and a Buzzing Fly
May 18th, 2008 by Ad Blankestijn
Just north of Kiyomizu Temple, Kodaiji is one of the most elegant temples of Kyoto: it has two beautiful tea houses from around 1600 and a nice garden. Kodaiji was founded in 1605 by Nene, the wife of Toyotomo Hideyoshi to give repose to the soul of her husband. Note the great lacquer work in the founder’s hall, where the statue of Hideyoshi has been placed. The temple belongs to the Kenninji school of Zen Buddhism and has an elaborate website in Japanese.
The reason I bring it up here, is the English section on that website, which features a flash presentation about Zen. Watch that fly on the monks head and see what happens when you try to squash it…
[Thanks to Watashi to Tokyo]
