Getting hit by a monk in Osaka's mountains

I was sitting there in this zen meditation with the 3000 golden Buddha statues next to me on the tatami-mats and was moved to tears. Japan has touched my heart deeply since I’m a child but this felt like a next level connection to this beautiful culture. I kept my eyes half open, slightly looking to the ground while just focusing on NOTHING and letting my thoughts pass by.

You might know that I’m a big fan of guided meditations where there is a story told (I love whimsical meditations where you get to enjoy a fun adventure AND gain energy, clarity and a good mood) and you just follow the story with your mind and you see the pictures like a movie in your mind like when you listen to an audiobook. You are deeply relaxed while you meditate and totally engaged and flowing with the story.

This here was different. No thoughts. Just focusing on BEING present. 

I lost my battle against my thoughts and they came in like a squeaky school class after their lunch break bubbling into their classroom. 

I raised my hand and bowed forward to the ground. The chief-monk came over with a big wooden board on a stick and with that board he hit my back quite hard 3 times.

This was totally voluntary and I asked for it. I could not miss that experience, right? He explained it to us before we started, that hitting will help us to refocus on NOTHING. We just need to raise our hands and bowe forward, then he’ll take care of the rest.

Wow! This hurt… and it was fascinating how the squeaky school class left the room in my mind and I was totally present again even having the feeling of being connected to the heartbeat of the land beneath me.

If you are in Japan someday in the future, I can highly recommend doing a zen meditation in a temple. You’ll find plenty of places offering this experience by just googling it. If you’ll get hit by a monk too, I don’t know ;) you’ll find out!

The temple I was at is this one: www.hontakiji.com I just saw online they didn’t continue with this meditation-offer. It was a “test” for an airbnb experience of a wonderful woman, Miwako, who offers paper making courses in Osaka. I attended her event with Mika in 2017 and we had such a great experience. Then she offered this meditation tour to me and other of her clients. I’ll tell you more about that experience in a future story mail, ok? : ) I also found a video… shall I show it to you next week already?

For now, how about you just sit down right now for a few minutes, let your thoughts move away and just BE while you breathe deeply and enjoy your own heartbeat?

I greet you from sunny but cold Zurich 💖

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