Mitsuko - VI Enkakuji Temple 1, Recipe

The university, Mitsuko entered required to study Christianity as the moral course. Mitsuko thought that if the university forced her to study the Christianity, Mitsuko had to study her family religion which is Zen Buddhism. This was one reason she started to attend the Zazen practice at the Enkakuji (Enkaku-temple). The other reason was that the tea-teacher told Mitsuko to understand the tea-ceremony deeper, it is necessary to practice Zazen. Most of all Mitsuko wanted to understand Zen-Buddhism, the death, the place Grand-ma went, and the sin Christian talks about.

The previous year in March, Mitsuko went to Enkakuji by the Kita-Kamakura station. Walking up the stair-way by the main gate, the group of the Buddhist Obo-san (priest) was passing through. Mitsuko stepped aside to open the space for them, and asked one of the Obo-san, where is the Zazen-do (Zazeb building). He said to come with him. At Zazen-do there were many people sitting quietly in the kitchen. The Obo-san, named Toki-bo-san introduced Mitsuko and told one of them something. The man, named Honda-san guided Mitsuko to the room and said go to the Zazen-jo (the place practice Zazen) after refreshed.

Toki-bo-san waited for Mitsuko and started to explain how and what to do.
“There are three types of the Zazen; one is called “Kekka or Zenka” means put both feet on the opposite thighs; the other one called “Hanka” means one of the foot put on the opposite thigh; and the last one called “Seiza” for women means upright sitting. For the beginners Hanka would be better to do.”
“Is it O.K. to change foot?’
Kekka or Zenka and Hanka

“Of course. When you do Kekka or Hanka sitting, your back should be straight, but you willfully straighten your back with imagining of a stick on top of your head to down along your spine. Then, your abdomen would be tightening and could be breathing slowly. To do these things put a pillow at the bottom of your tail bone.”
“I don’t have that tonight.”

“Of course you can use this cushion, but please bring your own. Well, the next instruction is….”
“Is there something more?
“Yes, it is how to breathe. You should feel 2 or 3 inches wide strip of thin paper hanging on your forehead, and try to breathing without moving the paper. You can’t be thinking of anything.”
“I thought we receive some subject and think about it.”
“About one year later, Roshi (The title of Principle of the temple) will call you, and then you receive some subject to think.”
“Wait for one year to see Roshi.”
“Some wait longer. You can’t think of anything, but it is very interesting that our brain, many thoughts would run around in our brain, so to prevent the thought to come out and fall asleep, count one to twenty with breathing. Put your hands on your lap with your palms up, and let the thumbs slightly touch each other. When those thought run around in your brain or become sleepy, those thumbs are separated and broken the form of hands.

There always will be one person walking around with a stick, and if they see the hands have broken the form or fingers are separated, giving massage with this stick. It is not punishment. When we tap your shoulder, please put your two arms together on your chest, and lean forward like this. Then they are easy to tap your back. It makes you feel so refreshed.”
“I see. Thank you!”
“There is last one. For preventing from sleepiness, slightly open your eyes (hangan). Well, this is it. Oh, sorry! One more. About the schedule. 20 minutes later Zazen session will be starting, and schedule for Zazen is sitting for 25 minutes and rest for 5 minutes. This bell will be guiding for those schedule.”

The bell started to ring for gathering at Zazen-jo. Everyone came to Zazen-jo and sat in the reserved place. With the starting bell, stillness filled in the Zazen-jo and not even breathing sound to hear. Everyone sunk into the stillness, and seek their own subject. Mitsko sat as she was taught and started to count one to twenty. The first set of the twenty Mitsuko counted easily, but from the second set of the twenty, Mitsuko remembered to count up to five or six. When she became aware, she realized some worldly problems filled in her mind. It is just like a dream. She couldn’t remember what she was thinking. It was so strange. For the three and half hours there were so many thoughts in Mitsuko’s mind. Mitsuko’s tea-teacher told her it is very important that making your mind empty (Mu). Mitsuko was so disappointed and sad that her mind couldn’t be in stillness, rather filled with worldly thoughts. She wasn’t sleepy but her fingers were separated with her thinking. However, she wasn’t tapped. They might have overlooked Mitsuko.

At 10:30 Zazen session was finished and there were 30 minutes till light-off. Everyone was busy for preparing to sleep. Everyone was very quietly moving around. There were no conversations. Everyone had to wake up early the next morning, so Mitsuko said Good Night and went back to her room. Mitsuko was so excited that she couldn’t fall sleep. She was thinking what had happened the day and her life; doing tea ceremony and Zazen practice, and studying Christianity, so she hadn’t studied any her school subjects. She couldn’t sleep because thinking more and more. Finally she was starting to count 1 to 20, and then, after couple of set of the count she might fall sleep.

“Good morning?” Honda-san’s voice said, “It is time for breakfast.”
“What?! Breakfast!?” Mitsuko jumped up. Toki-bon-san told her last night, there should be Zazen at 6:30 and Samu (clean the Zazen-do) before the breakfast.
“Wow, it is 7:30.”
“Yes. Breakfast will be served at eight at Zazen-jo” said Honda-san and he left.
Mitsuko was thinking “What shall I do? I slept over. I’d like to run away. Well, I can’t run away.” She changed and washed herself quickly, and went into the Zazen-jo calmly, and said that sorry for over sleeping and didn’t do any of her duty, so asked to do some samu. Toki-bo-san said with smile,
“Please have a breakfast with us, and ready for attending Dokkyo (reading Buddhism chanting).”
Mitsuko had to follow Toki-bon-san’s instruction, so ate quickly, and cleaned the dishes.
On the way back to Zazen-do after listening Dokkyo, Mitsuko heard someone was talking with Honda-san, “It was amazing.” Mitsuko had a chance to ask Honda-san,
“The person said that it was amazing. Isn’t there a chance to listen Dokkyo?”
Saito-san wasn’t amazing Dokkyo.”
“Oh!”
“He was amazing about you.”
“Why?
“I even think so too. It was so amazing that you had over slept the fist time in Zazen-jo.”
“!?” Mitsuko didn’t to know what to say.
“Come again” Honda-san said friendly.

Mitsuko couldn’t return to the Enkakuji Zazendo for months. She visited another Zen-temple, but her brother was interested to go to Enkakuji Zazen-jo, so Mitsuko went there unwillingly. Mitsuko introduced her brother to Toki-bo-san and others. Oki-bo-san said to Mitsuko,
“Welcome back! I’ll take care of your brother, so you have to go to see Roshi.”
“What?!”
“Honda-san, take her to Roshi.”

Mitsuko followed Honda-san feeling with anxiety. However, Roshi wanted to see Mitsuko because her tea teacher asked him to look after her. Mitsuko was relieved to hear that because she thought that Roshi would say something about her over-slept incident. Toki-bon-san was laughing and said, when he heard Mitsuko’s explanation for seeing Roshi,
“No one tells what happened in this Zazen-do. Roshi will see your spiritual states but not over slept.”

For Mitsuko it seemed everything went well for her second time. However, Mitsuko’s brother did one small unusual thing. He ate three bowls of Okayu (like oat meal) at the breakfast. There is no rules how much bowl people could eat, but no one asked for second serve. Mitsuko’s brother ate three bowls. He said he had never eaten such delicious okayu for breakfast. Everyone was saying he is Mitsuko’s brother.
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Okayu – basic
Ingredients:
1 cup rice (It is much better result cooking from rice. Cooked rice can be used.)
5 cups water or chicken stock (After the Thanksgiving, from Turkey bones produce tasty stock)
1 strip Kobu (sea weed, 4 or 5 inches)
Cook these ingredients 2 hours.
Another Ingredients: 1 tsp. Dashi-no-moto
1 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
1 or 2 eggs.
Eat with umeboshi (sour plum) is good for sick time

Ojiya – (this is temple’s breakfast)
Add cut-up fried tofu (age), many vegetables to the Okayu

Ojiya with Turkey bones stock
Ingredients
Make Turkey stock – Turkey bones and vegetable, carrot, celery, onion, ginger, garlic, potato
Cook 4 or 5 hours
Take out all the bones and vegetable
Put cut-up vegetables: onion, carrot, celery, parcely,
Seasoning: salt, black pepper, bay leaf, garlic
1 or 2 cups washed Rice
Cook for 2 hours
Optional – put cheese on top