My CIP activity involved a mix of group lessons and volunteering at Nagaoka Zen-Juku, a rinzai-sect zen training center in Nagaokakyo. Weekdays would be spent cleaning the temple in a practice known as samu (作務). Weekends would involve participating in 3-hour zen meditation sessions with a lecture from Hasegawa-san, the head monk of the center, on key topics in Buddhism. Because this was a center and not a traditional temple, I felt the rules were more relaxed and I was able to make more mistakes than when I had practiced Soto-zen in America.

In an age where we are constantly asked to be “always active” (whether it be school, career hunting, or social media), it can often feel like you’re lost in a sea of anxiety. For that reason, I was looking for a place where I would be able to increase my cultural understanding while also practicing to manage my anxiety in a new and unfamiliar country.

Overall, through the CIP I was able to have many great experiences not just with Hasegawa-san, but others who studied at the temple as well. This involved always saying “yes” to when Japanese people at your CIP invite you to things outside of the CIP! The lectures were especially intense, but it was the perfect CIP to increase my understanding of the language. I would recommend to come into your CIP with the understanding that you won’t get everything right away, but to not let that discourage you from taking a leap into something new!