Some will ask, “Did you see the deer in Nara?” No. I most certainly did not! I saw plenty of deer on Miyajima island and found them to be quite annoying. One picked up my notebook that I had momentarily set down and ate a page before I could grab it out of his mouth. Another, while my bag was zipped and slung around my neck, came up from behind, unzipped the bag, pulled out my trail mix, and had torn it open before I knew what was going on. The shouts of others warned me what was up. So, no, I did not see the deer of Nara, although I am sure they are better behaved than the pesky deer of Miyajima. I wasn’t willing to find out.
Instead, I saw a far more interesting sight, if a bit dour, and I only had to walk more than an hour, though the industrial part of Nara, to see it. Check this guy out:
This is Daruma Daiishi, otherwise known as Bodhidarma. He’s a fierce looking fellow in whatever depiction I’ve seen of him. Was he a real historical person, a myth, a legend? It’s like the saying, “If he didn’t exist, you’d have to invent him.” The fierceness is the important thing. He could frighten a guy into awareness! At any rate, he is purported to be an Indian monk who brought zen to China from India.
This “inspiring” painting is what I found at Sansho-ji zen temple on the outskirts of Nara.
I had made no plan for my visit. I knew there were temples and deer. I had not determined which of those places or pests I wanted to see. I arrived by local train from Kyoto on a cold and sunny morning. I settled down to coffee to make a plan. As has been my practice since coming to Japan, I checked to see if there was a Soto temple to visit. I have found these previous visits to be rewarding, providing me with a sense of the great tradition that I have stepped into at this later stage of life.
Back to Sansho-ji. Well, first I had to get there. I thought that I’d not walked near enough on this trip so how difficult could another few hours be? What made my mind up was sitting at the train station having my coffee and watching where everyone else was going. It was pretty clear. A stream of touristy looking folks were headed up one street. I found Sansho-ji on my map and duely noted that it was in the exact opposite direction. Mind made up! The route was other than scenic. One part at least was nicely rural.
I did not know what I would find. What I found was a temple much as I’ve seen before.
There was no human activity but the presence of pamphlets, information sheets and signage indicated an active zen temple, including information and activities for children. I wandered around trying to find where to go or where not to go. One has to be careful in these places.
I slid open a door and made my way down a few empty corridors without anyone noticing or caring. I turned a final corner to find that stern looking gentlemen facing me across the long meditation hall.
Thankfully, Bodhidarma’s gaze is slightly upturned. Had the artist painted him looking straight down the hall you couldn’t look very long into those eyes. As it is, it is really quite a stunning work of art.
The tiny dry garden at Sansho-ji is sadly neglected. As small as it is, it seems it could be quite easily kept up. I felt like bending down to pull a few weedy looking bits of greenery. That certainly would have gotten me into trouble!
Sansho-ji is not on anyone’s “must see” list for Nara. I was the only person there but I’m very glad I made the effort, being rewarded by the gaze of Bodhidarma. Ah, the things that make me happy these days!
I still had that long walk back into town where the deer awaited me. They will have to wait very much longer. Here is a short walking tour with commentary:
The way back to town was much more scenic than the “quicker” route that G-Maps picked out in the morning:
Autumn In Japan 