Which Way Is Up?: Finding Heart in the Hardest of Times by Susan Gillis Chapman, 2024
A heartfelt guide for meeting difficult times with mindfulness, compassion, and courage—from a psychotherapist and Buddhist practitioner who learned from her own crisis.
‘This photo captures novice monks at around 6am as they wake up to collect alms. Each morning, these young #monks follow a tradition that is centuries old.
Photograph: Will Langston
Kajū-ji or Kanshū-ji (勸修寺) is a Shingon Buddhist temple in Kyōto founded in 900 by Emperor Daigo. It is near Daigo-ji and was built where the Emperor's wife lived as a tribute to her. The Imperial family traditionally provided the head priests.
I go there mainly for the garden and pond, which are also historic. Wisteria blossoms are over, and now there are yellow, purple, and white irises in the pond along with pink and white water lilies. I've also noticed big herons nesting in the treetops, but they are too far for a mobile phone to capture a clear picture. By the pond I did startle a young egret, to my regret 😅 .
“…thanks to Alexander the Great, Hellenistic and Buddhist cultures came into contact in the 4th century BCE, creating a cultural synthesis known as Greco-Buddhism.”