This is a Meditation of polishing Stones.
One by one, you pick them up, reflect on yourself, and gently wipe them.
The experience found only here.

Artist : Ai Yamada
Born in Kyoto, 1992. Born and raised in a stone store founded in the Edo period. Graduated from the Department of Visual Design at Kyoto Seika University, 2014. Finished post graduate studies in Intermedia Art at Tokyo University of the Arts, 2017. Selected group exhibitions: Setouchi Triennale 2019 (Takamijima, 2019), The 26th Taro Okamoto Award for Contemporary Art (TARO OKAMOTO MUSEUM of ART, KAWASAKI, 2023).

Introduction to Zen meditation

What exactly are we doing when we sit still in Zen meditation? What happens and what process occur when we meditate? Tosei will guide you with practical tips. If this is your first time or you are interested in starting Zen meditation, this is the class for you.

Tosei Shinabe (Zen monk)

Meditation for Those Wishing to Deepen “Zazen”

In the past, caves or hollowed-out rock formations in the mountains were referred to as “Zazen-Kutsu”, where esteemed monks would concentrate on their Zen meditation practice.
Ochill Kyoto could be likened to a contemporary urban version of the Zazen-Kutsu. Located deep within narrow alleyways, its dim and tranquil atmosphere resembles that of the traditional meditation caves.

While accessible to non-monastic individuals, this Zen Meditation Cave remains authentic and suitable for serious practitioners. It is not tailored for tourists but serves as a dedicated space for profound meditation practices.

It provides a space for abstract conversations about meditation, about humanity. A place dedicated to deepening one's Zen meditation practice, catering to those who wish to delve further into the art of meditation.

Tosei Shinabe (Zen monk)
He has been practising zazen for eight years at Kyoto’s oldest Zen temple.
He currently instructs zazen to others on a daily basis.

...‘Sa-en’ is the tranquil scene where, during the traditional Tea Ceremony, one calmly observes the rising tea smoke from the kettle. “Sa-en Shizuka-nari” a Zen expression, encapsulates this serene image, signifying the quiet ascent of tea smoke.
As the mind becomes as serene as the drifting smoke, gradually melding with it, one transcends the boundaries between self and smoke, embodying the essence of ‘mu-shin’ — emptying one’s mind. In this state, inherent to the tea ceremony, the distinction between observer (human) and observed (tea smoke) dissolves, fostering a unified experience.

We have embarked on an Experimental Experience, transforming not the steam, but the very tea leaves into smoke. Inhaling the fragrant essence of Japanese green tea enveloped in smoke, exhaling slowly, the released tea smoke permeates the space, blending seamlessly with it.
Eventually, the tea smoke integrates with the environment, transcending not only the dichotomy between host and guest but also all other differences present. It becomes a harmonious, heart-to-heart gathering, where tea unites with space, and all distinctions dissolve, embodying the New Japanese Effect.

Zen meditation : Tosei Shinabe (Zen monk)

...‘Sa-en’ is the tranquil scene where, during the traditional Tea Ceremony, one calmly observes the rising tea smoke from the kettle. “Sa-en Shizuka-nari” a Zen expression, encapsulates this serene image, signifying the quiet ascent of tea smoke.
As the mind becomes as serene as the drifting smoke, gradually melding with it, one transcends the boundaries between self and smoke, embodying the essence of ‘mu-shin’ — emptying one’s mind. In this state, inherent to the tea ceremony, the distinction between observer (human) and observed (tea smoke) dissolves, fostering a unified experience.

We have embarked on an Experimental Experience, transforming not the steam, but the very tea leaves into smoke. Inhaling the fragrant essence of Japanese green tea enveloped in smoke, exhaling slowly, the released tea smoke permeates the space, blending seamlessly with it.
Eventually, the tea smoke integrates with the environment, transcending not only the dichotomy between host and guest but also all other differences present. It becomes a harmonious, heart-to-heart gathering, where tea unites with space, and all distinctions dissolve, embodying the New Japanese Effect.

Zen meditation : Tosei Shinabe (Zen monk)

The Contemporary Tea Meditation, a nicotine-free smoking using only tea leaves.

For over 400 years, the Japanese smoking pipe ‘Kiseru’ culture has been cherished as both a tea utensil and a unique smoking device in Japan. In tea ceremonies, guests were offered a smoke as a gesture of hospitality, placed on a ‘Tobacco-Bon’. It is said that patterns were created with tobacco ash, which guests would admire together.

“ChaKō”refers to a new experiential practice of “Tea smoking”, which utilizes the principles of hookah (shisha) but exclusively with only tea leaves. It's neither for drinking nor burning, providing the world’s first novel sensory experience.

In an era where tobacco smoking preferences are being phased out, this non-nicotine smoking experience offers a new way to enjoy tea, previously absent in Japanese tea culture. We provide a reinterpreted smoking ritual, based on the principles of traditional tea ceremony, through the smoking tea utensil “Kemuri-Kojoku” (煙小卓 : small table for smoke).

Tea Ceremony Master : Daichi Isokawa

The Contemporary Tea Meditation, a nicotine-free smoking using only tea leaves.

For over 400 years, the Japanese smoking pipe ‘Kiseru’ culture has been cherished as both a tea utensil and a unique smoking device in Japan. In tea ceremonies, guests were offered a smoke as a gesture of hospitality, placed on a ‘Tobacco-Bon’. It is said that patterns were created with tobacco ash, which guests would admire together.

“ChaKō”refers to a new experiential practice of “Tea smoking”, which utilizes the principles of hookah (shisha) but exclusively with only tea leaves. It's neither for drinking nor burning, providing the world’s first novel sensory experience.

In an era where tobacco smoking preferences are being phased out, this non-nicotine smoking experience offers a new way to enjoy tea, previously absent in Japanese tea culture. We provide a reinterpreted smoking ritual, based on the principles of traditional tea ceremony, through the smoking tea utensil “Kemuri-Kojoku” (煙小卓 : small table for smoke).

Tea Ceremony Master : Daichi Isokawa

Authentic Tea Ceremony in the darkness.

Regret nothing of the past, fear nothing for the future, and live the present to the fullest.

Tea Ceremony Master : Daichi Isokawa

今年4月に1stアルバム『inside』をリリースした、サウンドアーティスト Yasutaka Okada による一夜限りの特別ライブを開催いたします。アンビエントなサウンドを基調とする彼が奏でる世界と、陰影と静寂に包まれた瞑想空間「落散 京都 - Ochill Kyoto - 」での新たな音楽体験をご体感ください。

Sound artist Yasutaka Okada perform a one-night-only live show following the release of his debut album ‘inside’ this April.
Experience his ambient soundscapes in the meditation space of Ochill Kyoto, wrapped in shadow and silence.

____

Yasutaka Okada

表現者 1985年、京都に生まれる。 contrabass / daxophone / synthesizer / guitar / piano / field recording / etc… 自身の作品のサウンド全てを奏でる。 宇宙のエネルギー / 死後の世界 / 民族意識とのシンクロ/自然界との関わりを音の波動として世界に解き放つ。 まるで一つの映画を観ているような表現は、目を閉じ感覚の一つを遮断することでより深い世界へと誘う。

Born in Kyoto in 1985. Plays all the sounds of his own work. Releases the energy of the universe, the afterlife, synchronicity with ethnic consciousness, and connection with the natural world as sound waves into the world. His expression, which feels like watching a single movie, invites us to a deeper world by closing our eyes and blocking one of our senses.

https://www.tunecore.co.jp/artists/yasutakaokada

____

Supported by Penguinmarket Records