Zen Meditation for Life in Kyoto

This was the highlight of my trip to Kyoto! A truly personal and unique experience. I walked away with a bit of knowledge, a lot to contemplate, and an experience I will not soon forget.

First I am going to say that this has been one of the highlights of our trip so far. We signed up to learn about Zen Meditation and thought it would be us going somewhere, someone teaching us some basic things, have some tea and leave. This was SO MUCH more! Let me start with the fact that we met Brian at the hotel inside Kyoto station, he was wearing traditional Buddhist monk attire. When we saw him we were at first confused. He was a white man who spoke perfect English. Well, he is a white man who spoke perfect English. But this is where it gets good. We start the tour by going towards the buses, where he shows us the map of Kyoto, explained where we are going and then answered questions about what else we may want to see. We then hop a bus to a beautiful Buddhist Temple, one of the biggest in Japan. After looking around for a few, we sat in the information center and he took the time to explain not only just Buddhism but where researches and anthropologists believe religion even started in the first place. It was a fascinating conversation over a couple of hours and very conversational and enlightening. I will say that he is NOT trying to convert you or tell you that anything your believe is incorrect. On the contrary, he is providing context around whatever you believe in and how it came to be. He was very knowledgeable about all religions. With that said, if you do not have an open mind, not about changing your beliefs, but at least hearing other perspectives, do not waste yours or his time as it will not be an enjoyable experience for you. We then went to his house, which was a traditional Japanese townhouse from the 1800’s. It was beautiful and so amazing that you were truly inside of a house how the Japanese in a lot of cases truly live. Also, do NOT worry about going to his house. It is in a very safe area and in NO WAY did we ever feel uncomfortable. We then got some water and we sat at the table. During our time sitting together we talked about the history of Zen meditation and why it came about. We also learned that their are many many different types of meditation and this is just one of them. The history was fascinating. He then spends time going through how to meditate. The position of the body, how your mind will react, how to try and avoid “monkey brain” which is basically a human function of not being able to quiet your mind. We then went upstairs to his traditional meditation room set up just like the temples of hole studied in. We learned how to meditate, both sitting and walking and it was easy to get lost in yourself when you are taught how to do it correctly. He does however emphasize that it takes practice and that just sitting down and saying you are going to meditate and why is nothing happening is like learning to drive a car while just sitting still. You actually have to practice and do it regularly to gain the benefits. Finally, we went downstairs and talked some more, had tea and traditional Japanese sweets. Now here is why you should do this activity versus another meditation activity. Brian not only is an ordained Buddhist Cleric (so the REAL DEAL), but is also a published author of several books and contributor to others on the topic. He was brilliant, personable, funny and a great teacher. If you really want to know how to Zen Meditate, why to do it, where it came from, how Buddhism and other religions came about according to religious researchers and anthropologists, this is the activity for you. Also, assume 4-6 hours of time devoted to this. Again, Brian is brilliant and this was so much more than we even imagined or signed up for. I highly recommend this.

This experience surpassed our expectations of wishing for an introduction to Buddhist meditation. Brian, is an academic and cleric who introduced us more deeply into spiritual history and the evolution of Japanese religious practices.

Amazing Experience! Brian is a wealth of knowledge and I am coming away from this with new perspectives about religion and life. I would definitely suggest for a curious minded person.

I really enjoyed the afternoon with Brian and learnt a lot. I left feeling that I'd had an authentic experience that was different from the standard temples and tours elsewhere. First thing to mention is that it was much longer than expected - It ran from 1.30 until 6pm and could've gone on for longer - so allow the whole afternoon. The descrption undersells what it actually is - you get an overview and introduction from an experienced lecturer and published academic with a wealth of knowledge and insights into Buddhism and many aspects of Japanese culture and Kyoto. The fact that Brian is American also avoids any language barriers and means that time is spent getting to understand the topic at hand.