ZenkoJi in Nagano Japan
Incense tinted the air with sweet mystery, welcoming me with a fragrant sensuality as I stepped from the 'Asama' Shinkansen onto the streets of Nagano. Crisp mountain air and bright cool skies were a welcome relief from the thick, oppressive humidity of the coast.
I drifted slowly toward the base of the towering peaks that gently nudge up against the edge of the town. Following the tattered map and using the increasing strength of the incense for conformation that I was indeed heading the right way, a leasurely hour stroll brought me to the gates of Zenkoji temple. The Japanese have been coming up into this high valley for centuries, seeking spiritual replenishment and enlightenment, and I now felt that ancient hope reverberating throughout my soul too.
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Arriving at the temple gate, a large graceful structure guarded on either side by immense carved wooden statues of Buddhist Avatars, I felt as if a huge weight had been lifted away from my being. Passing through these gates, I no longer had to exist in the ordinary world of words, responsibilities, or social pressures. I could let my heart soar free. I wasn't even a "Gaijin" any longer, just an invisible soul, coming to connect with the universe. My internal dialog quieted down and faded away, granting peace of thought. |
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