Customer stories
Dominique’s testimony
General Practitioner
in Pau City 🇫🇷
« Today has been an incredible experience for me, a precious highlight in my journey to Japan.
The beauty of the Kyoto gardens made a profound impression on me during my first visit, which inspired me to return and learn more about the essence of this city: Zen (is it wisdom, philosophy, or religion?).
Contemplating the Zen garden at Kōshōji, the first temple built by Master Dōgen, under the guidance of Pierre Turlur, a Zen monk and philosophy professor, was a great pleasure. It turned out to be a discovery that shifted my perspective and opened my mind.
Sitting in the temple, we contemplated the garden, paying attention to the sound of water, the smells of humus, and the symphony of greens from the trees and foliage. A sense of serenity emerged, as we entered another world—the awakening of our senses.
Pierre explained this dual gaze that "naturally, automatically" settles in our mental space, opening both outward and inward. We become part of the landscape as we open ourselves to its beauty: "the inner space invites itself into the outer space," as Pierre said.
A session of zazen in the Sōdō, the part of the temple dedicated to meditation, extends this experience.
We find ourselves in another dimension, inviting us to inhabit the world differently and savor each moment's unique flavor. The lecture on haiku encourages us to write and open ourselves to the fleeting beauty of the passing moment, a unique jewel.
This indescribable experience allows us to reach a different state of consciousness: simply being. Weeks after the journey, this unique atmosphere remains, accompanied by the memory of Pierre and Kikkawa Rōshi's words, sometimes incomprehensible even when translated, and yet...
I plan to make this journey again and talk about it enthusiastically to my friends, whether they are interested in Zen or not.
Thank you to Pierre and to Charles, his jovial assistant, interpretor, and driver, who chose a delightful restaurant on the other side of the Uji River bridge and informed the restaurateur that we were running late in the morning (unthinkable in Japan). This shows how intense and rich the meeting with the Rōshi, the abbot who leads the monastery, was! »
Dominique
