ASIA: Tanno & Jongrom (Japan-Thailand)

Kyoto

My feet touch water,

while my soul serenity.

Sharing bread with a stranger

I've known my whole life.

I am still.

I am without troubles.

I am free.

"Is this what it feels like?"

I ask myself.

But I already know the answer.

By G

If you are not one for the discussion of spirituality, this is your chance to quickly exit this page and go back to stalking your ex's pictures on Facebook (it's okay we all do it). Though in this post I would like to discuss some spiritual understandings that I've come to through my travels in Asia, I would also like to discuss a more pragmatic aspect of spirituality–or better yet inner-serenity and self control. So I shall start by covering my (not nearly long enough) time spent in Japan–specifically Kyoto. In doing so I'll try my best to illustrate a place that so strongly enthralled me in a matter of less than a week. Then I'll do my best to explain the connection and subsequent transition I made from Japan to Thailand through the knowledge I gathered in Kyoto and how I further developed said knowledge in some remote parts of Thailand (if that makes any sense). Still with me? –Cool, let's do it.

So you're probably wondering what those words, "Tanno" and "Jongrom", in the title mean. Let's begin with Tanno. Tanno translates to: Joyous Acceptance. While in Kyoto, Hamilton and I stayed (through CouchSurfing) with a Turkish fellow named Yalcin. He had been in Kyoto for the last couple of years working on his masters on Virology, specifically studying the HIV Virus, at the University of Kyoto. He was an incredibly gracious guy and upon meeting him for the first time he asked us if we would like to join him in prayer at a local temple in Kyoto–of the Tenrikyo religion. Now neither Hamilton nor I had heard of this religion and thus had no idea what to expect–however one of our adopted mantras while traveling had become, "say yes to anything and everything", so naturally we accepted the invitation. We entered a simple yet elegant temple, where we were greeted by Yalcin's friend who was an understudy at the temple. We then joined a small group of Japanese people of all ages in a prayer ritual that involved dance-like movement, the playing of Japanese instruments and prayer. Despite Hamilton and I being seemingly quite out of place–not wearing the religious robes, and not knowing the steps of the ritual–we were accepted. After the prayer ritual we sat with two of Yalcins friends, both understudies who lived in the temple itself, and had some traditional Kyoto tea and discussed religion and spirituality (with Yalcin translating as both understudies spoke no english). We learned about the principles of Tenrikyo and were in return asked questions about our own beliefs and spirituality. One principle that I really connected with was that of Tanno; joyous acceptance. One of the understudies explained that on the way to a joyous life, we encounter a variety of occurrences, including those which may not be joyous. Joyous acceptance helps us settle the mind especially when we feel dissatisfied because of troubles. The body/hand movements we performed in the prayer ritual represented us expelling any of our troubles and ill-will while allowing ourselves to be overcome with Tanno. Experiencing a new religion, in a new culture, in a new city, was memorable to say the least. As Hamilton and I experienced more of Kyoto, and the people who lived there, we begin to notice a couple consistent, noteworthy characteristics: respect and self-control. This sense of respect that many Japanese people had for themselves and reciprocated towards others provided a calming and tranquil atmosphere. It seemed that this respect was connected to an effective control of their emotions, specifically the negative ones, and thus a lack of stress. Ham and I found this intriguing; Japan has a population of a little over 127 million, a fairly high population density (38th in the world), and a reputation for long work hours, especially among developed countries (up to 100 hours/week in some cases), yet the country has the highest average life expectancy of any in the world. It led Ham and I to ponder how the Japanese people are able to maintain such stress-free, calm approach to life. While we heard a variety of opinions about this observation from others, both Japanese and non-Japanese, I believe a sentiment similar to that of Tanno, taught in Tenrikyo, is one that is instilled in many people in Japan; to me it is an extremely valuable attribute that I've been working at instill within myself for some time.

This brings me to Thailand. Regarding Thailand I'd like to specifically focus on my time in Railay, a small peninsula between the city of Krabi and Ao Nang. This is where Hamilton and I spent a week, hiking through the jungle, swimming in the ridiculously warm ocean water, and exploring the caves and karst landscape. Sounds nice right? While it seems like this would have been simply a lazy, week-long vacation on the beach, for me it was much more. I continued to contemplate much of what I had observed in my short time in Japan. While I considered how I may further develop my Tanno, I found additional influence with an introduction to Buddhism via a book titled Forest Path. Forest Path is less of a book and more of a compilation of stories, lessons, poems and teachings from an international Buddhist community in Thailand called Wat Pah Nanachat. I'll spare you a banal, detailed explanation of my spiritual findings through Buddhism, but I would like to emphasize the word you see in the title; Jongrom. Jongrom is walking meditation, and is something I learned to utilize and cherish. Walking is something we have done a substantial amount of throughout this trip–often due to being cheap–but it has developed into something I prefer to do over sitting on a bus, in a car or on a train. I've learned to use my time, walking miles on end through new captivating environments and beautiful landscapes to put my mind to rest, control it, and find inner peace. Through these walks I taught myself to watch my mind and the state that it was in; I observed when my mind was uneasy or anxious, but instead of frustratingly trying to control it, I tried to be patient and allow it to calm itself naturally. As the teacher, Ajan Cha taught, "...you should reflect that practice is like planting a tree. You dig a hole and place the tree in it. After that it’s your job to fill in the earth around it, to put fertilizer on it, to water the tree and to protect if from pests. That’s your duty; it’s what orchard owners have to do. But whether the tree grows fast or slow is its own business, it’s nothing to do with you. If you don’t know the limits of your own responsibilities you’ll end up trying to do the work of the tree as well and you’ll suffer. All you have to do is see to the fertiliser, the watering and keeping the insects away. The speed of growth of the tree is the tree’s business".

You see, I have by no means mastered my self-control, patience or my joyous acceptance, but I don't expect to. I will simply continue to water my tree with positivity, fertilize it with new, engaging environments, protect it from harm from outside negativity, and allow it to grow on its own.

-G

P.S. Yes–I went to Tokyo. It was an electrifying city. It was a bustling city. It was a radiant city. And I had a great time in Tokyo. My favorite part was likely Shinjuku Golden Gai, a small area with hundred of tiny bars that hold four to five people, each with a different theme. however as much as I would like to write more about Tokyo, I spent a mere three days in the city; Tokyo deserves much more than three days. Truthfully, Japan as a country deserves much more than the week we spent there–this is why I have a voracious feeling that I will be returning in the near future.