It’s almost 2 am so I’ll make this quick.
Today we delivered our final partner presentations at Terminal Kyoto. We had the morning free, and I did a lot of walking around and took care of some general shopping I needed to do. In the early afternoon I dressed in formal attire and went to Terminal Kyoto with Breelyn, where everyone practiced their presentations with translation. After a short break, the audience had arrived and we delivered the final versions of our talks.
I wasn’t particularly nervous to give our presentation, but I’m glad that it was over. Even though our adventure in Kyoto has been so short, I’ve learned and seen so much and I’m grateful that I’ve been able to take everything in. Everyone who had been one of our teachers at some point during this program was invited to the event, and many of them attended. Both Professor Ludvik and Kei-san watched our Zen presentation, and they seemed to enjoy it, which is nice.
I’m proud of what I’ve been able to learn about Zen from this experience. I learned that I need to let go of my worries about whether or not my meditation experience is “legitimate.” If I find satisfaction in sitting, I’ll sit. If not, I’ll do something else. The idea that meditation can exist in all of our action – walking, eating, working – emphasizes the importance of undivided attention. This doesn’t mean I should use intense focus at all times, but I should try to live each moment fully, rather than be half-present and consume my mind with worries. It is important that after this experience, I make an effort to have those moments of undivided attention during my day, since during the semester I will inevitably be stressed and inclined to multitask.
After the presentations and the reception dinner, all of the students went out for karaoke. Unlike American karaoke, which occurs in a bar with people you don’t know, Japanese karaoke involves renting a soundproof room for a set amount of time, with nonalcoholic beverages included with the cost of admission. We had fun singing (I know I did) and I’m sure there will be plenty of pictures to show for it. It was a nice way to wind down after a long day. But tomorrow we’ll have to make sure we’re up bright and early (8 am) so that we can answer our koan.
