By Carolyn Maloney
MY BEGINNING IN UNDERSTANDING THE JAPANESE CULTURE
It was spring 1968 and the cherry trees were in bloom, pictures in the local newspaper of the Kamakura temple showed it surrounded in the pink blossoms. I just had to go to Kamakura to see the Cherry Blossoms there as well as the classic statue of the giant Buddha! I couldn’t wait. Immediately I called Jan, my neighbor and we packed lunches for the kids and went out to catch the “bullet Train”. We had to travel from our residence in Narimasu, Japan to downtown Tokyo which was just a short distance away.
The train we caught traveled so fast it was referred to as the “bullet train” from Tokyo to Kamakura (it actually went all the way to Yokohama, at the time, I think). As the railway rolled down through the towns, suddenly we passed an area where there was a huge clean white statue (several stories tall) of a woman standing tall and holding a pearl, she almost glowed.
I asked the closest person to us, “who is that”?
I was told it was Kannon the Goddess of compassion. Later, as I looked into who Kannon was I found she was very similar to Kwan Yin or to Mary. All were associated with Compassion and unconditional acceptance traditional of the mother image.
Everything in this area was incredibly beautiful. It was like a fantasyland of pale pink flowers flowing in the wind like snow flakes. The Dark Wood on the Cherry trees created a contrast that was breathtaking. We made our way to the temple and visited the Buddha with dozens of others. Some were burning incense; some were tying little pieces of paper which looked like
braided/origami on a board or a rope in front of certain areas. I was told these were like prayers
asking for healing or some other positive situation.
I was standing there with my mouth gaping open at the amazing scenery. It was more than I expected and totally unlike anything I had ever seen before. In this crowded place, there seemed to be quiet a strange peaceful quiet. We all were compelled to be respectful
and to be filled with Graditude.
Just down the road was Odawara-Jo Castle. Who could resist going there as well, it was so close. Both Odawara and Kamakura were tourist attractions and easily accessible. So off to Odawara we went. On the parameter of the castle, there was a trail of the Cherry trees outlining a small river. Blossoms were everywhere and fell in your hair and on the pebble
street at your feet. It was truly a castle and inside was what appeared to be armor like the kind knights wore in the movies. In this place, I found out more of the history of Japan and that there were a knighthood/Shoguns with a system of governing just like the old Celtic knights of the round table. The Samurai were the warriors and the most powerful citizens of the country. I have found in recent times that the man credited with REIKI awareness, Mikao Usui, was never a Doctor nor a Christian Boys School Teacher as some of the mythology/legends indicate, but was originally a member of a very prestigious Samurai family. He was a child during the transition and change of the Samurai and Shogun society.
The military had a “Big Blue” tour set up for summer and it was to the previous capitol, cultural city called Kyoto. This was another must see. We traveled to a mountain region with tall cedars. Then suddenly, before us was a large hill that seemed to have an enormous road climbing upward. The road was made of hand laid stones; all in perfect order, no
clutter or tossed aside candy wrappers or trash. The bus stopped and we walked up the road.
The silence and peace was what we had experienced in Kamakura. Just a breath of breeze now and again, but even with the multitude of people walking around there was a harmony and quiet that was unexplainable. Of course the mountains had their own serenity, but there was more.
As we climbed upward, many temples appeared one after another on either side or both sides. Our tour guide explained to us that these were built by the Shoguns in an attempt to show tribute to the deity and in competition with each other.
One of the temples we were not allowed to enter, because it was a large active, Shinto/Buddhist Temple (I later found this was the temple Usui meditated at and received his awareness of Reiki energy). So here finally was the Japan, with all the vibrant reds and gold, the statues of fierce dogs and warriors, Koi Ponds and all the things I had seen in history books. This was a totally beautiful place, serene, quite and inspirational. We traveled in other places and on other adventures but nothing was as breathtaking as Kyoto.
Now the memories remind and echo around me when I focus on the Five Reiki Principals. It also amazes me at how the Reiki principals connect with the theory and thought of the newest movie “The Secret”, A movie that gave credit to all the positive understanding and thinking of many famous world classics.
Carolyn Maloney copyright 03/07 Published in Enjoy Whole Health Magazine