More dragons. These two are actually quite terrifying! At Kennin-ji. Dogen was here for a time after returning from China. Not satisfied with what he heard there, he left to establish his own monastery in Kyoto. Notice the carp in these images. The Japanese dragons are water creatures versus the English versions which are land based. Here is my take. I think the Japanese dragons are more powerful images since they come out of the depths, as it were, versus the images of dragons who inhabit the same land space as we do. Dragons are, thus, deep, profound, and mysterious. They come out of our own depths, as dreams do. They can be both frightening, as in giving warning, and beneficial as guides along difficult pathways.
More turtles on the Kamo. This is the third of the three turtle crossings.
Autumn in Kyoto. Kamo River. The walking, biking, running paths on both sides of the river are lovely places to experience the slower pace and side of Kyoto.
Another REAL FISH mokugyo, for my zen friends. Reeling in one of these beauties would be a real spiritual treat for us tenkin types. This one was at Sansho-ji in Nara.
Walkway along the Sumida river in Tokyo. The Tokyo tower is hard to miss. Personally, after the Space Needle, I think they should have stopped erecting these eyesores since perfection had been achieved. Just my humble and non-biased opinion.
A Tokyo canal I came across during my long walk from the opulence of Ginza to the wild Akasuka area in Tokyo. After long avenues of tall buildings most of the way, this was a pleasant and almost watery rural sight.
The Bodhidarma picture I posted earlier is rather a clean-cut version of this Wildman just having crossed over to China, spending nine years sitting in a cave, facing the hard walls, and unwilling to talk to anyone. I may not have my facts straight here, but the story of wild persons bringing radical change to old traditions oughtn’t be too sanitized.
Autumn In Japan 