By Kanako Nishida
Tokyo Flash Mob Meditation on 11 May 2014.
It was a sunny day and around 40 participants came to sit on the bridge with four AIAB monastics in Harajuku, Tokyo.
Quite a few stopped to take pictures. A tourist couple even sat next to take a picture of themselves in turn. One elderly lady asked me whether we were some kind of a protest. I had to smile and answered her that we just sat to make ourselves peaceful.
It was supposed to continue for half an hour, but by mistake, the bell was invited after 15 minutes! We smiled at the familiar randomness and headed to a large Shinto shrine, Meiji Jingu, peacefully and joyfully with walking meditation.
We sat in the field and started eating meditation with the Five Contemplations, led by a AIAB sister. A guard actually came and asked us to go away! I answered him yes, but we went on 🙂 (he didn’t come back)
Kai Sawyer, a Wake Up friend, offered us total relaxation with “In Out, Deep Slow” in Japanese.
We repeated the song as it was the only Japanese translated Plum Village song in the Wake Up handout (!)
Rain started to fall and it was the end of the bell for our outside meditation.
In the evening, there was a Dharma Talk by Thay Phap Kham in a Buddhist Temple. Around 70 showed up to hear him.
So the whole event was a success!
