Zen

  • Interview with Christian Tissier Shihan, 7th dan Aikikai
    August 17th, 2009By Guillaume Erard
    Christian Tissier Shihan is an Aikido instructor who holds the rank of 7th dan Aikikai. He spent over 7 years training daily at the Aikido World Headquarters in the 70’s and was the very first foreigner to have reached such a distinction (Shihan rank were reserved, until then, to Japanese instructors). » Continue Reading
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  • Shikoku Pilgrimage V: Ji-Ei-Tai Henro
    June 15th, 2009By Joe
    We met an interesting fellow at Sakae Taxi, a free place to stay for walking pilgrims, between temples 15 and 16.  There were about 10 people staying there, four bicycle pilgrims and six walking pilgrims – two were already asleep, two were sitting by themselves in the corner reading manga, » Continue Reading
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  • Shikoku Pilgrimage IV: The Meaning of the Gate
    June 9th, 2009By Joe
    When my parents first came to Japan, they were amazed at how, on the one hand, everything appeared so Western – the clothes, the cars, the hotels – but how, on the other hand, beneath the Western exterior, you could not help but feel that you did not really have a » Continue Reading
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  • Kyoto: The Old Capital of the Land of the Rising Sun
    June 8th, 2009By Jamie Rockers
    Kyoto is the quieter, gentler, and much smaller version of Tokyo, which is now the new capital city of Japan. Tokyo didn’t always hold the title of being Japan’s capital city however; it used to rest in a lovely place we know as Kyoto. Kyoto is different from the rest of » Continue Reading
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  • Shikoku Pilgrimage III: How Long Will I Last?
    May 8th, 2009By Joe
    On the road leading up to the 10th temple, we ran into a toothless old man, who beckoned us over. He was wearing a dirty base-ball cap and a torn track-suit, and looked to be well into his eighties.  He made a gesture to indicate that he wanted a pen » Continue Reading
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  • Shikoku Pilgrimage II: Ten Cow Pictures
    April 27th, 2009By Joe
    In Zen Buddhism, the difficulty of enlightenment is sometimes depicted using a series of pictures, known as the ‘Ten Cow Pictures.’ Enlightenment is represented by a cow.  The searcher is represented by a boy. » Continue Reading
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  • Shikoku Pilgrimage I: Japan on Ten Dollars a Day
    April 14th, 2009By Joe
    Japan has a well deserved reputation as one of the most expensive countries in the world.  Compared to a county like India or Thailand, where you can live like a king for almost nothing, in Japan, even the cheapest hotels or youth hostels will cost upwards of twenty to thirty dollars » Continue Reading
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