The Travelers Tours
Zen of Spirit - Kyoto - 2000
Kyoto
Dates: March 20 - April 1, 2000
In one of Esprit's first Japan offering, in early 2000, PTS sponsored the Zen of Spirit retreat in Kyoto, Japan with John Morton, faciliated by Paul Kaye. Steve Beimel led the intrepid group on a "spiritual" version of his Kyoto walking tour, through the numerous gardens, temples and shrines of Kyoto. We were encouraged to experience "ma" moments - to be totally present. John Morton joined the tour for a few days which included sharing and touring.
Daily Events
List of Services
-
Day 1 - March 21 - Arrive KyotoList Item 1
Group flight arrives in Osaka Kansai airport and the group transfers to the hotel for the tour, the Ohto Inn in downtown Kyoto.
-
Day 2 - March 22 - KyotoList Item 2
Touring Kyoto on foot.
-
Day 3 - March 23 - Kyoto Write a description for this list item and include information that will interest site visitors. For example, you may want to describe a team member's experience, what makes a product special, or a unique service that you offer.
-
Day 4 - March 24 - Kyoto Write a description for this list item and include information that will interest site visitors. For example, you may want to describe a team member's experience, what makes a product special, or a unique service that you offer.
-
Day 5 - March 25 - Kyoto Write a description for this list item and include information that will interest site visitors. For example, you may want to describe a team member's experience, what makes a product special, or a unique service that you offer.
-
Day 6 - March 26 - Kyoto Write a description for this list item and include information that will interest site visitors. For example, you may want to describe a team member's experience, what makes a product special, or a unique service that you offer.
-
Day 7 - March 27 - Kyoto Write a description for this list item and include information that will interest site visitors. For example, you may want to describe a team member's experience, what makes a product special, or a unique service that you offer.
-
Day 8 - March 28 - Kyoto Write a description for this list item and include information that will interest site visitors. For example, you may want to describe a team member's experience, what makes a product special, or a unique service that you offer.
-
Day 9 - March 29 - Kyoto Write a description for this list item and include information that will interest site visitors. For example, you may want to describe a team member's experience, what makes a product special, or a unique service that you offer.
-
Day 10 - March 30 - Kyoto Write a description for this list item and include information that will interest site visitors. For example, you may want to describe a team member's experience, what makes a product special, or a unique service that you offer.
-
Day 11 - March 31 - Kyoto Write a description for this list item and include information that will interest site visitors. For example, you may want to describe a team member's experience, what makes a product special, or a unique service that you offer.
-
Day 12 - April 1 - Depart
Transferred to airports and depart for home.
Group Photo
First Person Accounts
A Ma Moment (by Elaine Baran on April 30, 2000)
We had climbed briskly up the hill, gradually shedding our respective layers of both clothing and time-encrusted karmic patterns. A rare morning of cloud-scattered sunshine was making this day’s walk warmer than usual. A diversionary route through backstreets, continual encounters with actual and metaphorical trash collectors and the sweet sound of the Traveler resonating through our headsets prepared us for the our visit to Ginkakuji and Honen-In. We were well into our trip by now and were becoming ever more masterful at tuning inward, pausing in the moment to appreciate that which was immediately before us and then moving to the next thing.
The essence of the Japanese experience was starting to permeate our way of being, of thinking, of walking and relating. We were no longer eating to be fed – but to nourish our selves by savoring the presence of the loving in the food and the wonder of new flavors as they exploded in a symphony of taste in our mouths. We were no longer walking to get to a destination – but to encounter the still self within as we moved through the self-imposed carapace holding our hearts hostage. And we were no longer hanging on to the illusions of the present - but slowly allowing them to be replaced by the stirrings of the archetypes within: ninja and geisha, samarai and ronin, shogun and farmer, sensei and student. We’d walked these streets before and could now allow the eons of time to build a context from which we were free to release ourselves.
Ginkakuji itself was beautiful, a serene hillside retreat with a panoramic view of the city, an exquisitely manicured and sculpted garden, and a delightful complex of buildings. Now we were en route to our next stop, the small Honen-In. Time was short when we arrived: “be back in 8 minutes” we were instructed. “How could one see—and appreciate—anything in only eight minutes?” we wondered.
A fountain with a flower—perfectly framed upon a bed of ancient stone and poised to deliver the water of life
A meditative moment at a moss-covered pond—reflections for a lifetime
A samarai warrior—frozen in gold on a panel screen while alive in the heart of the viewer
And then, one of the garden’s caretakers—preparing to rake the newly prepared sand into a new expression of the divine within.
A ma moment is when one pauses just prior to taking an action, in order to move into the present in that moment. Eight minutes is more than enough.
