Temple: Jigenji – the third bangai temple

Dedication: I went to a meditation weekend at the NLBC about 5 years ago and it started my meditation practise. I occasionally go to the lunchtime meditation sessions as sitting and meditating with people really helps strengthen me, even though I’m just sitting doing my own thing. I also go to the volunteer sessions on Friday afternoons organised by the fantastic team of Dharmaprabha and Caroline. I really appreciate that the centre exists as a welcoming, calm place in the middle of Holloway Road.

Picture: Me outside Jingenji hondo (pronounced like judo). The hondo is the main hall where you light a candle, three sticks of incense, throw in some change to the donation box and your name slip to the metal boxes, ring the bell and then say the sutras. You do all of that again at the Daishi hall (the daishido). You can buy books of sutras and each temple has different sutras but you always say the heart sutra and I, unsurprisingly, add something of my own.

Jigenji is on a mountain and I got lost on the mountain trail a couple of times on the way up. I came across a hut on the way up that is enclosed even has tatami mats so I’m going to go back there and sleep. A good thing I found it as I think there is rain coming in a few hours.