Huffington Magazine Issue 48 | Page 56

LETTER FROM JAPAN Paradoxically, there are answers to be found to all these very modern stresses in the most ancient Japanese traditions. Japan is a place that puts great emphasis on balance and harmony, and the tools to help the Japanese find a new harmony and equilibrium in these very unharmonious times are all around them. There are shrines and temples and gardens everywhere. It is common to see monks meditating and even to join them in meditation (which I did at 8 a.m. on Sunday at the Nanzenji temple in Kyoto). And even an ordinary meal can have an extraordinary power to it, with each place setting positioned in a certain way, each course presented with ceremonial beauty. Life Artistry — cultivating the ability to allow ourselves to be moved by small things — is at the heart of Zen. Most fascinating is how some of these ancient traditions are being tailored to directly confront the new challenges the country is facing. In 2011, a Buddhist temple in the Kawachinagano, Osaka Prefecture, began a program using Zen meditation, cold-water ablutions and other traditional ceremonial practices, along with lectures, to help young people looking for jobs. HUFFINGTON 05.12.13 “In finding fulfillment  in expressing what’s  on your mind for  the moment, Twitter  is like haiku. It is  so Japanese.” More accurately, it’s not just about finding a job, but finding the right job — and to do that, a person has to truly know who they are. “Many young people try to get jobs at major companies because of the companies’ brand and status,” said chief priest Zenkai Imoto. “Our practice should provide opportunities for young people to find what it is they really want to do.”