Iwama Uchideshi 2009: Darn you Google maps . . .

Darn you Google maps . . .

After a decent sleep in the hotel and a light breakfast we made our way to the train station and got to Iwama in an hour or so on the Joban line from Kashiwa. As we arrived we thought we'd walk to Aiki house and trusted Google maps to guide us, but unfortunately we ended up outside Sensei Nemoto's actual house! After a couple of phone calls we got Sensei to meet us at the train station and we made our way to Aiki house which as described by Peter Sensei was 'head to the hills as you get out of the station', not head to the fields, walk along the 'dog's leg bend' and cross the rail tracks with a 100 kilos worth of luggage... Sensei showed us the house and explained some of the house rules. We settled in and made our way to the supermarket to get some lunch, having more fun with Google translate trying to figure out if the homogenised milk was pastuerised as well. Am still not sure what we ended up buying, but it tastes like full cream and makes a decent cup of tea. Since Sensei said evening training would start at 7pm we had to time for walk about. So we went on the other side of the railway track and made our way to the Jinja shrine which is where the festival held on April 29th will be held.

Walking past Saito Sensei's house we noticed some students wearing hakama so we walked over to say hello. We introduced ourselves to Sensei Magnus from Sweden who comes under Sensei Ulf's dojo and he was kind enough to let us in the dojo so we could place the sake which we bought at the shrine.

Feeling accomplished and rather fortunate we headed back to Aiki house to prepare for evening keiko. On his 3rd outing to Iwama, Senpai Gates had the pleasure of Trevor, Justin and Kelvin joining him. The entries made in this blog will be a composite of our experiences and thoughts. Justin

The Heart Sutra
Maka hannya haramitta shingyo (The Heart Sutra) Kan ji zai bo satsu. Gyo jin han-nya ha ra mi ta ji. Sho ken go on kai ku. Do is-sai ku yaku. Sha ri shi. Shiki fu i ku. Ku fu i shiki. Shiki soku ze ku. Ku soku ze shiki. Ju so gyo shiki. Yaku bu nyo ze. Sha ri shi ze sho ho ku so. Fu sho fu metsu. Fu ku fu jo. Fu zo fu gen. Ze ko ku chu. Mu shiki mu ju so gyo shiki. Mu gen ni bi zes-shin ni. Mu shiki sho ko mi soku ho. Mu gen kai nai shi mu i shiki kai. Mu mu myo yaku mu mu myo jin. Nai shi mu ro shi. Yaku mu ro shi jin. Mu ku shu metsu do. Mu chi yaku mu toku. I mu sho tok-ko. Bo dai sat-ta. E han-nya ha ra mi ta. Ko shin mu ke ge. Mu ke ge ko. Mu u ku fu. On ri is-sai ten do mu so. Ku gyo ne han. San ze sho butsu. E han-nya ha ra mi ta ko. Toku a noku ta ran san myaku san bo dai. Ko chi han-nya ha ra mi ta. Ze dai jin shu. Ze dai myo shu. Ze mu jo shu. Ze mu to do shu. No jo is-sai ku. Shin jitsu fu ko. Ko setsu han-nya ha ra mi ta shu. Soku setsu shu watsu. Gya te gya te. Ha ra gya te. Hara so gya te. Bo ji sowa ka. Han-nya shin gyo.Thanks you for visiting my blog. Hope that it was enjoyable. Ja Mata The Heart Sutra (Maka hannya haramitta shingyo) Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, when deeply practicing prajna paramita, clearly saw that all five aggregates are empty and thus relieved all suffering. Shariputra, form does not differ from emptiness, emptiness does not differ from form. Form itself is emptiness, emptiness itself form. Sensations, perceptions, formations, and consciousness are also like this. Shariputra, all dharmas are marked by emptiness, they neither arise nor cease, are neither defiled nor pure, neither increase nor decrease. Therefore, given emptiness, there is no form, no sensation, no perception, no formation, no consciousness; no eyes, no ears, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind; no sight, no sound, no smell, no taste, no touch, no object of mind; no realm of sight, no realm of mind consciousness. There is neither ignorance nor extinction of ignorance; neither old age and death, nor extinction of old age and death; no suffering, no cause, no cessation, no path; no knowledge and no attainment. With nothing to attain a bodhisattva relies on prajna paramita, and thus the mind is without hindrance. Without hindrance , there is no fear. Far beyond all inverted views, one realises nirvana. All buddhas of past, present and future rely on prajna paramita and thereby attain unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment. Therefore, know the prajna paramita is the great miraculous mantra, the great bright mantra, the supreme mantra, the incomparable mantra, which removes all suffering and is true, not false. Therefore we proclaim the prajna paramita mantra, the mantra that says: Gate Gate Paragate Parasamgate Bodhi svaha!

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