Zen Meditation and Tea Ceremony at Daitoku-ji Temple in Kyoto

Kyoto is a great place to try zazen (Zen meditation). It’s also a great place to experience the tea ceremony. Wabunka offers a combined zazen and tea ceremony at a superb subtemple in the Daitoku-ji complex. It’s a truly special experience.

Seizan Toda teaching zazen at Daiji-in

Introduction

In all my years in Japan, I’ve been lucky enough to try various zazen and tea ceremony experiences. They’ve ranged from touristy and tacky to authentic but impenetrable for non-Japanese speakers. Since I’m often asked by my consulting clients to recommend zazen experiences and authentic tea ceremonies in Kyoto, when I heard that there was a combined zazen and tea ceremony experience at Daitoku-ji, I jumped at the chance. The fact that it is held at Daitoku-ji, one of the most beautiful temple complexes in Kyoto, made it irresistible to me.

Daitoku-ji Temple gate

The Experience

The Zen Meditation and Tea Ceremony experience is offered by Wabunka, which curates a range of authentic Japanese experiences, mostly in Kyoto and Tokyo. They communicated very efficiently with me via email and they gave me clear details on the meeting time and place. Wabunka supplies fully bilingual interpreters for all their experiences, and even though I speak Japanese, I accepted the interpreter because I wanted to see what a typical traveler would experience.

You can book direct online with Wabunka.

Daitoku-ji Temple main entrance – image © Espen Ore / CC BY 2.0 DEED

On the appointed day, I made my way to the main gate of Daitoki-ji Temple, which is a short walk from Kitaoji Station on the Karasuma subway line. Moments after I arrived, my translator arrived and introduced himself. Angelino Donnachaidh is an Osaka-based writer and translator and he proved to be extremely personable and a great translator.

As we walked through the atmospheric lanes of Daitoku-ji, Angelino gave me some general background on the temple and zazen. I’ve been to most of the subtemples in Daitoku-ji but the setting of this experience was new to me: Daiji-in Subtemple. It’s rarely open to the public, so the opportunity to see a new subtemple was a special treat.

Monk Seizan Toda

When we arrived at Daiji-in, we were greeted warmly by the head monk, Seizan Toda, who led us into the temple. He invited us to sit at a table in a lovely traditional room and served us tea (bancha – the matcha would be served later during the tea ceremony). As he did so, he gave some more background on zazen, which Angelino seamlessly translated.

After this brief introduction, we moved to the main room of the hall, which looked out over a lovely “Zen” garden. It was the perfect place to practice zazen. While I was expecting to sit on cushions on the tatami mat floor, we actually sat on low stools. I imagine that this will come as a relief to older guests and those lacking the flexibility for half or full lotus postures.

Seizan Toda teaching zazen at Daiji-in

Seizan led us through some relaxation and breathing exercises, while calmly explaining the basic philosophy of Zen and the technique of zazen. Zen, as you may know, is based on the idea of direct experience of reality. Rather than attempting to achieve an intellectual understanding of reality, the aim of Zen is to quiet the mind, or to short circuit the thought process through koans (riddles) about one hand clapping and trees falling in lonely forests.

I really appreciated Seizan’s explanation. He made it clear that there was no goal, yet another abstraction to which the beginner might cling. Rather, the goal – if you could say there was one – was simply to sit in the stillness of mind, neither trying nor not trying. I really liked his matter-of-fact and down-to-earth manner and he seemed a perfect embodiment of the philosophy he was explaining.

Seizan Toda teaching zazen on a warmer day

Finally, it was time to give it a go. Seizan rang a bell and then I closed my eyes and tried to do as he suggested (there, of course, you can see my mistake – trying to do something). But, for brief moments, my mind quieted down and I just felt myself breathing and I became aware of sounds floating in from the garden. It was a lovely contrast to the previous several days, which I had spent running around Tokyo.

After two sessions of zazen, Seizan instructed us to lie on the floor and he led us through some more stretching and breathing exercises, which were reminiscent of yoga. Again, this was welcome after days of pounding the pavement in the city.

Main hall at Daiji-in

After a short chat to reflect on the experience, Seizan led us through a hallway to another part of the hall. We walked through a narrow door and I found myself in the perfect chashitsu (tea room). Seizan casually talked about the tea ceremony and zazen as he prepared three cups of matcha tea. It was a chilly day and steam rose from the iron pot as he ladled hot water into the cups. Although his movements were precise, his relaxed manner was contagious. This was a welcome contrast to the stiff atmosphere which renders most tea ceremonies nearly unbearable. After all these years, it finally seemed like I had gotten to the heart of the tea ceremony: a beautiful way to enjoy a cup of tea with others in a refined setting.

Seizan Toda in the tea room

After talking for a while in the chashitsu, Seizan guided us back to the main hall and invited us to sit on the stools. He then chanted a Buddhist sutra for us. Closing my eyes, I allowed myself to become enveloped by the sound of his voice. When he rang to bell to mark the end of the sutra, I found myself wishing it could go on and on.

Finally, Seizan led me and Angelino to the entrance of the temple, where he bid us a warm goodbye. The entire experience lasted two hours, but the calm feeling it gave me lasted the rest of the day.

Would I Recommend It?

If you’re looking for a truly authentic zazen and tea ceremony experience, I highly recommend this experience offered by Wabunka. It is a great way to get to the heart of traditional Japanese religious culture and you may find that this quiet moment in the stillness of Daitoku-ji Temple is the highlight of your trip.

How to Book a Zazen Meditation and Tea Ceremony at Daitoku-ji

This experience is offered by Wabunka, which curates a variety of authentic cultural experiences in Kyoto and Tokyo. You can book direct with Wabunka.

You can also see our recommended Kyoto tea ceremonies if you’d like to consider some other options.

More Information

• Exploring Daitoku-ji – an in-depth walk around the temple complex of Daitoku-ji

Near To Here:
Daitoku-ji Temple is located in Northwest Kyoto. See our complete list of things to do in Northwest Kyoto, including places to eat, nightlife and places to stay.

Kyoto District Map

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