Zen Meditation in Kyoto: Zazen Sessions at Temples, Shukubo Stays, and What to Expect as a Beginner

Zen came to Kyoto in the 12th and 13th centuries and the great Rinzai monasteries, Kennin-ji, Tofuku-ji, Nanzen-ji, Daitoku-ji and Myoshin-ji, still function as training centres with dozens of sub-temples. Their dry gardens exist to be sat in front of, not photographed, and a handful of sub-temples run zazen sessions for visitors, in English, that put you on the cushion where the gardens make sense. That is the difference between reading about Ryoan-ji's stones and sitting in stillness for twenty minutes facing a garden like it.

A monk or lay teacher explains posture (half lotus or on a bench, hands in the cosmic mudra, eyes half open, gaze at the floor), breathing and what to do with thoughts (nothing; let them pass). You then sit for one or two periods of 15 to 25 minutes, with walking meditation between. The keisaku, the flat stick, is offered to anyone who bows for it as a sharp wake-up across the shoulders; it is never used without consent. Sessions end with tea and questions. Nothing religious is asked of you.

Shunko-in, inside the Myoshin-ji complex, runs English zazen and temple tours led by a vice-abbot who trained abroad. Taizo-in, in the same complex, offers zazen with its famous garden. Several Kennin-ji and Nanzen-ji sub-temples open on set mornings. Guided experiences combine a session with a temple walk and explanation of the garden, USD 60 to 120. Sohonzan Kennin-ji itself holds a free monthly public zazen (in Japanese, but the sitting needs no language). Check days; most run two or three times a week.

Temple lodgings (shukubo) take guests overnight with evening and dawn zazen, vegetarian shojin ryori meals and early rising. In Kyoto proper the choice is smaller than on Mount Koya, but Myoshin-ji and a few others offer it, and the difference from a session is the 5:30 sitting after a night in the temple's silence. Book weeks ahead; rooms are few and the rules (curfew, no alcohol, shared baths) are real.

Wear loose trousers; skirts and tight jeans do not work on a cushion. Arrive fifteen minutes early, phones off. Knees that do not fold are common and benches or chairs are provided at every visitor session. Morning sessions pair with the Arashiyama or northwest temple day, since Myoshin-ji sits between them. Do it early in the trip: many people say the rest of Kyoto's temples read differently afterwards.