Zen Meditation with a Monk at a Hidden Temple Kyoto

Myoshin-ji Temple: a city of Zen in north-west Kyoto

Myoshin-ji, founded in 1337 on the site of a former imperial villa, is the head temple of the largest branch of Rinzai Zen Buddhism in Japan. Its grounds in the Hanazono district feel like a small walled town: stone-paved lanes, long white walls with dark tiled roofs, massive wooden gates and dozens of sub-temples, each with its own garden and history.

Your experience begins at the North Gate, where the guide meets you and leads you through these peaceful lanes. Unlike Kyoto's busiest temples, Myoshin-ji is rarely crowded, which sets the calm tone for meditation before you even sit down. How to get to Myoshin-ji: the North Gate is a short walk from Myoshinji Station on the Randen Kitano tram line, and JR Hanazono Station lies just south of the complex.

Jusho-in, a hidden sub-temple

Jusho-in was founded in 1599 as one of the sub-temples of Myoshin-ji and is normally not open to the general public. Entering it with the temple's own chief monk is what makes this Kyoto temple experience special: instead of viewing a hall from behind a rope, you sit inside a working Zen temple, in rooms used by monks for centuries.

From the tatami room and its wooden veranda you look out over the temple garden, which changes with the seasons: fresh greens in spring, deep moss after summer rain, red maple leaves in autumn and clean lines of raked gravel in winter. The chief monk, the 16th generation to lead the temple, welcomes guests in a simple and friendly way, so no previous knowledge is needed.

Zazen meditation and the keisaku

Zazen, seated meditation, is the core practice of Zen. The chief monk first explains the ideas behind it and shows you the posture: back straight, hands resting in a simple mudra, eyes half closed and attention on the breath. You then practise two sessions, with a short pause in between to ask questions and stretch. Chairs are available for anyone who finds the floor uncomfortable.

During the second session you may choose to receive the keisaku, a flat wooden stick used in Zen halls to tap the shoulders lightly. It is not a punishment but an aid that refreshes concentration, requested and received with a bow. It is entirely optional. Many guests say that sitting in silence in a historic temple, hearing only birds and wind in the garden, is the moment they remember most from Kyoto.

Matcha, seasonal sweets and conversation with the monk

After meditation the mood softens. You are served a welcome cup of Japanese tea, then whisked matcha with a seasonal Kyoto sweet, small handmade wagashi whose shapes and colours follow the time of year. Matcha and Zen have been linked since the Middle Ages, when monks drank powdered green tea to stay alert during long meditation.

This is also the time for conversation: ask the monk about daily temple life, about his path into Zen after years in public service, or about how meditation can fit into a busy life. A photographer captures the experience throughout, and you receive the photo files afterwards. The shared session ends around two hours after the start, back near the North Gate.