Life in a Zen Temple: Lecture, Zazen, and Tea with Abbot Kobori Geppo
Seek inner calm and sip tea, guided by the leader of a historic Zen temple.
Experience a moment of inner peace through zazen meditation, savor a bowl of tea, and enjoy a rare glimpse inside the world of a Zen temple with Abbot Kobori Geppo, head of Daitokuji Ryokoin temple in Kyoto, home to the storied paintings featured in The Heart of Zen. This intimate program is your chance to hear directly from Abbot Kobori about the routines and teachings of Zen temple life; to participate as he leads a short session of zazen; and to discover the role of chanoyu (‘the way of tea’) in Zen practice with tea provided by local members of the Urasenke Foundation.
The same program will occur twice on this date. Tea will be served to groups of 30.
Session 1: 10:30 AM–1 PM
10:30 AM–11 AM: Lecture
11 AM–11:30 AM: Zazen
11:30 AM–1 PM: Tea served in 3 groups (approx. 30 min. per seating)
Session 2: 2 PM–4:30 PM
2 PM–2:30 PM: Lecture
2:30 PM–3 PM: Zazen
3 PM–4:30 PM: Tea served in 3 groups (approx. 30 min. per seating)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Kobori Geppo is the current abbot (head monk) of Daitokuji Ryokoin temple in Kyoto. When the abbot visited the Asian Art Museum in 2017, he was impressed by the museum collection and the warm welcome he received; he also experienced a deep sense of compassion for the people he encountered in the surrounding neighborhood. Abbot Kobori decided to foster peace and harmony by sharing two treasured artworks attributed to the 13th-century Chinese painter Muqi — Persimmons and Chestnuts — with the city of San Francisco. Thanks to the abbot’s generosity, the Asian Art Museum was able to partner with Daitokuji Ryokoin and the Kyoto National Museum to present The Heart of Zen, offering audiences outside of Japan a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience these venerated paintings in person.
Images: Tearoom at Ryokoin. Photo by Minamoto Tadayuki. Abbot Kobori Geppo in the gardens of Ryokoin. Photo by Minamoto Tadayuki.
The Heart of Zen is organized by the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco in partnership with Daitokuji Ryokoin Temple and with assistance from the Kyoto National Museum. This exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities. Presentation is made possible with the generous support of Barbara Bass Bakar, E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, Fred Eychaner Fund, and the Henri and Tomoye Takahashi Charitable Foundation. Additional support is provided by Kathy Bissinger, Glen S. and Sakie T. Fukushima, Marsha S. Handley, Lore Harp McGovern, John S. Osterweis, The Japan Foundation, and Michael and Ginger Hu. Public programs for this exhibition are supported by Target.
Sustained support generously provided by the Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang Endowment Fund for Exhibitions.
