Interviewee: Danjo Souken
Interviewer, transcriptionist: Jakusui
English Translator: Karl T. Kamamoto
Recommended by Dr. Svante Pääbo,
recipient of the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Souken Danjo. He became “an important part of my life.”
I hope our friendship will last until “our time” ends.
※ This page presents a serialized English translation of【Danjo】-the autobiography of Souken Danjo.
It was Master Kenjiro Naka, a qigong practitioner, who first told me about Priest Danjo.
People drawn to his character visit Priest Danjo, the head priest of SAIKOUZENJI in Hiroshima Prefecture, from all over the world. After listening to the priest's words, meditating, and sometimes calming their minds through music, they return to their respective places. The priest also travels to countries around the world to give lectures and guide meditation, creating waves of ‘compassion and mercy’ that transcend nations, races, and religions.
Dr. Svante Pääbo, received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2022, while engaged in research deciphering the genetic information of extinct Neanderthals and tackling discoveries related to human origins and evolution, Dr. Pääbo has visited SAIKOUZENJI continuously for over twenty years. Dr. Pääbo and the priest are long-time friends, and a television program featuring their friendship was also produced. I assumed meeting such a renowned priest would be difficult, but in the summer of 2023, I resolved, “I want to see SAIKOUZENJI at least once,” and made a special request to Master Kenjiro Naka for an introduction. Learning SAIKOUZENJI was near my husband's family home, I felt both surprise and a sense of fate. Guided by my car navigation system, I drove along mountain roads for some time. Then, the wooden sign engraved with “SAIKOUZENJI” appeared. Bamboo groves and cypress trees made it feel like I'd wandered into another world where time flowed slowly. Welcoming me was the gentle, warm smile of the priest, dressed in black robes. While enjoying delicious coffee brewed by the priest himself, we talked about many things. As lunchtime approached, the priest invited me to join him for lunch, and we moved to a restaurant serving tofu dishes suitable for a vegan priest. There, he made “a request” to me, someone he had just met that day. It was from the priest, who was planning to publish a book in interview format: “If it's alright with you, Jakusui-san, could I ask you to be the interviewer and write the text?” Wouldn't one normally hesitate to ask such a thing of someone they've just met? But driven by pure curiosity about the priest, I accepted. Within three hours of meeting this mysterious priest, that ‘deal’ was sealed. Over the next two days, I listened, completely absorbed, with the priest's life story, studded with miracles. “You're quite a famous person (yu mei jin in Japanese), aren't you?” I remarked in admiration. “Yes,” he replied. "I want to be a ‘Yu Mei Jin’. But not a ‘famous person’ with a name, I want to be a ‘Gentle-Meditation-Person’ (yu mei jin in Japanese) who practices gentle meditation." His voice was soft, yet it conveyed an indescribable warmth and strength. As I grew a little closer to the monk, his humorous side gradually came to the surface. When I asked, “Where is your sleeping quarters, Reverend?” he answered with a serious expression, “I sleep at the roots of the pine trees on the back mountain.” “You're joking, right!?” I widened my eyes and asked again. “It's not a joke (jodan), I am Danjo.” “Huh?” After five seconds of silence, “Ha ha ha...” We both burst out laughing uncontrollably. Through the interview, I was deeply moved by the priest's character and faith. Vowing to begin my own life's exploration, I compiled the stories I heard into a book, which was published as ‘Danjo’. The story of the priest's time as head priest of SAIKOUZENJI temple, that is the subject of ‘Danjo II’. Please look forward to it.
Souken Danio Some 25 years ago, I traveled from Germany to Kokusaizendo, a zen temple accepting foreign short-term visitors in the countryside outside Fukuyama to spend a few days of zazen. I had visited on a few previous occasions. However, this time, the buildings were closed up. It was clear that the zendo was not operating any more. The sun was setting. What would I do? I walked to a nearby temple where on a previous visit I had done some garden work. Perhaps I could sleep there overnight before leaving the next day. I knocked on the door. Souken Danio opened it. Over the 25 years that have passed since that evening in Shinshoji, I have visited Souken Danio almost every time I have been to Japan. He has become an important part of my life. We have little ability to communicate by spoken langue. Therefore, I have little understanding of his philosophy and do not know very much about the facts of his life. Vice versa, he knows few of the facts of my life. But when we are together, I feel at ease. He teaches me how to sit and to meditate. The time I spend with him helps me regenerate mentally. My visits to Saikouji are valuable points of respite in my otherwise overly hectic life. Souken Danio has visited me and my family in Sweden and in Germany. He celebrated the births of our two children. At difficult times, he has been a source of consolation not only for me but also for the entire family. He has performed memorial services for my father and my mother, and for my stepson, who tragically passed away earlier this year. I am very grateful for Souken Danio’s friendship that I hope will last to the end of our time. I hope to read a translation of this book, which will help deepen my understanding of one of my most important and beloved friends.
Zen Master Danjo is a natural charmer. This happened in San Francisco. During my three-day hotel stay, everyone I met was charmed by Zen Master's smile, and he became friends with all the staff. Zen Master Danjo is a walking “I Love You.” Everywhere, to everyone, he conveys love. That connection spreads, linking him to people worldwide. Especially vegans. Horizontal connections between people become vertical connections with gods and Buddhas, transforming a plane into a solid. That world of love keeps growing, enveloping this planet, this universe. At its center lies SAIKOUZENJI, and there stands the Venerable Zen Master.
My encounter with the Zen Master was over thirty years ago, when he was training at a temple in Kyoto. With his dignified appearance as a mendicant monk, he was the object of admiration for young women. The Zen Master is someone who can converse intimately not only with humans, but also with trees, animals, and even the Emperor Butterfly. When I stayed at SAIKOUZENJI, I saw a purple emperor butterfly resting on the priest's hand, as if their hearts truly connected. He can hear its voice!! His kindness and compassion for all living things. His smile, truly filled with love and compassion, is captivating. He is a friend and a priest I deeply respect.
Kenjiro Naka
Qigong Practitioner and Acupuncturist
Priest Danjo is a true monk I deeply respect and a friend I have held in awe for over thirty years. When he was the assistant priest at a temple in Fukuyama, he invited me as a guest to the ‘Miroku no Sato Children's School’ and allowed us to use the temple as a venue for charity qigong retreats. He always supported me from behind the scenes, helping my spiritual practice progress and enabling me to have a positive impact on society. He introduced me to high priests from India and Tibet, including Master Daikou Mori. Even after moving to SAIKOUZENJI, I frequently visited him, feeling inspired each time. I feel that who I am today is entirely thanks to Priest Danjo. His unseen acts of kindness, his unassuming compassion for all beings with whom he shares a connection, and the ‘scent of precepts’ he maintains as a Buddhist disciple who steadfastly upholds the precepts—Priest Danjo is truly like a lighthouse illuminating the stormy sea on a tempestuous night.
Molly Ackenrman
Artist
SAIKOUZENJI Chief Priest, Danjo Souken, Smile Master, Zen Master. Macrobiotics teacher, and Zen monk who converses with butterflies. My dear, good friend, and so many other boundless characters. We met fifteen years ago in Hiroshima. Together, we've traveled through Japan, the Netherlands, and New York, walking his cherished ‘Path of Kindness’ across the world through peace meditation with people of diverse religions, ages, and backgrounds. Wherever Priest Danjo goes, he brings joy. He is always mindful of those around him, and people are drawn to his special energy. This energy creates a sense of gentle acceptance and love in people, bringing us a peaceful heart.