Thanks for your thoughtful response, Gary. Some of my first experiences with meditation were as a graduate student in Japan. During breaks between semesters, I would grab a train ticket to the Japanese Alps and seek out remote temples.
I remember one in particular. It was a cold (sub-zero temperature), snowy day. I hiked up the long stone stairs climbing up a mountain in the dense forest until I came across a beautiful small temple. I entered the temple grounds and was greeted by an old monk. I knew enough Japanese at the time to learn that he had taken care of the temple for many years. He lived there seemingly with just his teenage son, who had a learning disability.
I asked him if I could stay there for the night. He agreed and invited me to join him in Zen meditation at 4:30 am the next morning.
The next morning, I managed to wake up and shivering in the cold, made my way to the meditation hall where the old monk was lighting candles and incense. It was freezing. There was no heat. It was dark with only the candles and the glow of incense giving out light. The monk pointed to a zabuton where I sat down and began meditating.
At first, I struggled to stay awake. The old monk had what sounded like a pretty nasty cough. I noticed that when I started to check out, his cough would get louder.
After about three hours, I felt the old monk’s hand on my shoulder. He motioned me to follow him. We arrived at a little tatami mat room with a low table in the middle. The table had a thick blanket under its top that went to the floor. Under the table was a square hole where you could put your feet as you sat on the floor. In the hole, there was charcoal burning to put out a little heat to keep the lower half of your body warm.
We sat down and the old monk’s son brought out two bowls of steaming rice, two raw eggs, nori(seaweed), and a pot of hot green tea. Following the old monk’s lead, I cracked an egg open on my bowl of rice, tore off some pieces of nori, and poured hot tea over my bowl.
It was a simple meal, but one of the best-tasting breakfasts I have ever had.
