We were gently scolded and encouraged by a Zen priest at a sub-temple of Daitoku Temple (I have to check the name). He reminded us that we own nothing, not even our own bodies, and that realising this and throwing all those extraneous things away would leave us with the only thing we really were, 'kokoro' ('heart' or 'spirit'). The sun came out while he was talking, and he also reminded us to breathe deeply and appreciate that everything we ate and drank and used was nature's bounty, and to be grateful for it.
The next temple we visited was associated with Daruma and had a very different message, about not becoming discouraged, or angry, and being mindful of others. We also had an amazing shojin ryori (vegan cuisine served to monks) bento, including a fabulous tempura umeboshi, which Nobuko assured me was preserved in sugar rather than salt.
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