Lesson Blog Jun 13th, 2026

It is now the month of Minazuki, June. The rainy season began in the Kanto region on June 7, yet today is a day of dazzling sunshine. In a corner of the garden at Shorai-an, purple spotted bellflower are in bloom.

The strip shaft in alcove is “The Sound of Raindrops (Utekisei).” It was written by the head of the school two generations ago, Sotsu, when he was eighty-four years old.
This Zen saying is recorded in the rule 46th of the Chinese Zen text, the Blue Cliff Record. It teaches the importance of not being bound by external appearances, of gazing upon the truth, and of not losing sight of oneself.

For sweets, prepared “Ajisai” (Echigoya Wakasa in Ryogoku, Tokyo).