Priest Danjo: Actually, I don't think the Buddha's teachings alone constitute Buddhism. It's that clothing, food, and shelter come first, and Buddhism exists within that. By the time I returned from my training temple, an “International Zen Center” had been established at a Zen temple in Hiroshima. That was partly due to Zen Master Mori's initiative.

When Zen Master Mori asked me, “Why did you name it the ‘Asian Spiritual and Cultural Center’?” I shared my thoughts with him. That was about thirty-five or thirty-six years ago.

“Zen Master Mori,” I said, “Western culture will increasingly be adopted by Asian countries. The pursuit of convenience and affluence will spread throughout Asia. This will destroy the spiritual civilization Asia has built up over time, along with the healthy lifestyle rooted in the original human mind and body—a single, continuous stream. We must preserve the wisdom within it. Passing it on to future generations is also a vital role of temples.”

From an overall perspective, I believe the foundation must be the fundamental concepts of clothing, food, and shelter before Buddhism can truly take root upon that base.

If Buddhist teachings are simply placed at the forefront, it's like a car without gasoline—it cannot run. Clothing, food, and shelter are synonymous with ‘living’ itself. Unfortunately, I believe various problems have arisen since the Industrial Revolution.

Humanity continuing to exist on this Earth ‘as we are now’ may shorten the planet's lifespan by tens of thousands of years. (Details on clothing, food, shelter, and the global environment will be discussed in ‘Danjo II’).

Jakusui: How did your activities proceed after establishing the “Asian Spiritual and Cultural Center” at the Zen temple in Hiroshima?

Priest Danjo: Well, we carried out various activities for over ten years. We held major events and international activities about four times a year, along with monthly zazen sessions, tea ceremony classes, and ikebana flower arrangement classes.

At one point, I recalled a yoga friend named Manoje whom I had met in India. When I contacted him by letter, he replied saying, “I would very much like to visit you, Danjo's temple.”

He came to Japan, stayed at the temple, and started yoga classes. His yoga was deeply connected to Buddhism. I learned this was because his teacher had trained while studying Tibetan Buddhism.

I also wanted to incorporate Chinese qigong, so I invited Master HuSheng Wang from China, who Master Kenjiro Naka had studied under, and held a three-night, four-day workshop at the temple.

Thanks to this, I formed connections with many wonderful people from around the world. You might think I'm a bit of an unusual monk.

I built a network with teachers who are specialists in Japan's traditional food culture. When I heard that the late Michio Kushi, who advocated macrobiotics in Boston, USA, was coming to Japan, I earnestly requested him to give a lecture.

Jakusui: So, you introduced macrobiotics to everyone.

Priest Danjo: Back then, forty years ago, plant-dyed textiles were quite rare. Meeting Mr. Akihiko Izukura of Kyoto, who became a leading authority in plant dyeing, was also made possible through this connection. Looking back now, it seems almost mystical—whenever I felt I wanted to meet someone like that, I ended up meeting them.

Jakusui: Was that through someone's introduction?

Priest Danjo: Not through introductions. I always seemed to find my way there myself. On my way back to Hiroshima from a training center in Kyoto, I spotted a shop at Kyoto Station selling traditional plant-dyed garments.

But I wasn't looking at the clothes at all. My eyes were drawn to a hanging scroll on the wall. It depicted a Kannon Bodhisattva painted with such free and vibrant energy.

“Who painted this?” I asked. “That's our president,” “I'm sorry, but I'd really like to meet your president and hear his story,” I insisted.

The clerk immediately made a call. After explaining the situation, the president said, “That's fine. Please come.” I hopped on a bus right away and went to the company. Even though the company's main business was textiles, I didn't ask about that. Instead, my first encounter was asking questions like, “How did you paint that Kannon?”

The president said, “Actually, I painted that Kannon statue with my left hand.” He was right-handed and wrote with his right hand. When I asked why he painted with his left, he explained, “Using my right hand lets my ego get in the way, so I can't paint freely. Deliberately using my left hand lets my fingers move naturally, and I can paint better.”

Later, I insisted, “This is my first time hearing about plant dyeing. What is it like? Please let me tour the factory!” and was granted a tour of part of the plant dyeing facility.

Inside the factory, I saw the process of dyeing with cloves used in traditional Chinese medicine and was deeply moved by the beauty of the finished dye. The company also did madder dyeing.

The workshop also had a wonderful aroma—it smelled like walking into a traditional Chinese medicine shop. I said, “President, I want to learn so much more. Please continue to guide me,” before leaving.

Later, we also invited the late Professor Katsuhiko Takedomoto, an expert in pesticide-free agriculture, to lecture at the Asian Spiritual Culture Center. Since Fukuyama City in Hiroshima Prefecture was a koto production center, we held koto performances and gatherings for traditional Japanese music.

Jakusui: That's amazing. Did you run it almost entirely by yourself?

Priest Danjo: Yes, that's right. It was thanks to meeting these wonderful teachers. And precisely because I myself didn't know much about Japan's traditional culture, I had this desire to learn it while sharing it with others, to keep studying.

In a word, I suppose I took on a role like a general producer.

The temple's main hall was about 300 tatami mats in size, so we could utilize that space for all sorts of things.

During my eleven years as the temple's assistant priest, we hosted about 30,000 students annually for over ten years. So, we welcomed around 300,000 students in total. By peaking the young people's interest in zazen, I believe we helped them connect with the traditional culture deeply rooted in Japanese society.

Jakusui: I see. For example, did you ever tend to parishioners' graves or perform funerals?

Priest Danjo: Not at all. Zen Master Mori refused to perform funerals even when asked, and he stated he wouldn't have his own funeral performed either.

However, he did provide zazen instruction. I also learned and began teaching zazen and giving morning sermons. Zen Master Mori told me, “I don't have the time anymore, so you'll have to take over from now on,” and I started doing it. Ultimately, I ended up taking on most of the zazen instruction myself.