Takiyi could only vaguely hear that it was an ancient saying that purified the soul.

The biggest difference between Ikkyu Cemetery and ordinary people's cemeteries is that its appearance is built with a small house.

The monks in the temple enshrine their beloved Zen Master Ikkyu as a god.

The wooden door on the cemetery has fan-like patterns carved on the left and right sides.

Takiichi knew that this pattern was not something that ordinary people could use, and that it had a very special meaning.

There is a small wooden sign on the right side of the wooden door, with the Chinese characters "Tomb of Zen Master Ikkyu" written in writing on it.

After paying homage to the soul of this temple, Takichi Hirai continued to follow Sohiro Tanabe. At the end of the path, to the right, was Zen Master Ikkyu's Zen Hall.

This is a very simple and ordinary Japanese-style building with different small rooms inside, which the temple provides for guests to meditate and recuperate their body and mind.

At this time, it was already noon, and Tanabe Munehiro invited Takiichi into the room.

“Many of the eating habits in Ikkyu-ji Temple have been based on the living habits of Zen Master Ikkyu of the Muromachi Shogunate and continue to this day.

Although the food here is not as diverse as the ones in Kyoto Prefecture, it is still worth trying.”

"Thank you~"

Taki clasped his hands together and bowed slightly. When he raised his head, he saw Tanabe Munehiro in front of him, holding a Buddhist bead in his hand and waving it gently.

After taking off his shoes, Takiichi stepped barefoot on the cold wooden board. There were already two monks about his age waiting at the door of the room.

The moment their eyes touched each other, both sides rushed to salute and greet each other.

"The fasting food is ready, please ask Abbot Zonghong to move indoors with this guest~"

As the abbot of the temple, Tanabe Munehiro always has people around him to take care of his food, clothing and daily life.

In an extremely dazed state, Hirai Takiichi felt as if he had arrived in ancient times.

"Wow~~"

Gently open the wooden door, and what comes into view is the screen placed in front of the dining table.

The painting above records a kind-hearted old monk and his many disciples chanting sutras and preaching about Buddhism.

Hirai Takiichi enrolled in painting classes at the request of his parents since he was a child, but during those years, what he learned was only the most common drawings and oil paintings.

His own level and the handwriting on this screen are not worth mentioning at all.

Ordinary people will feel reverence when faced with a pleasing work of art, let alone someone like him who has some knowledge of painting.

Takiichi said nothing. The more he looked at this painting, the more pity he felt.

The original trip to Ikkyuji Temple was a long time ago I made an agreement with that person to come together to relax my body that was tired from the stress of life.

But now he was alone. He knew that the most eye-catching old man in this painting dealer must be the soul of this temple.

breathe....

breathe....

Takiyi slowly closed his eyes, unaware that he had entered a very strange state.

I can hear the sound of the gentle breeze, the sound of water flowing in front of the meditation hall, and the chirping of birds...

Tanabe Munuhiro stood aside quietly, and the two young monks who followed him also lowered their eyelids and dispersed on both sides of the door.

After a long time, Taki opened his eyes. He looked full of energy and exhaled a slightly turbid breath.

"Just now I?"

Touching his chest and feeling unprecedentedly comfortable, Hirai Takiichi frowned and looked at Tanabe Munehiro with doubtful eyes.

From the perspective of a monk in the monastery, Takiichi's state just now is very similar to one of their methods of practice, which is to enter concentration.

However, to enter meditation, monks generally need to meditate, straighten their bodies, and concentrate. This method is also called abdominal breathing.

Ancient monks believed that when you close your eyes, inhale as long as possible, stay for a while and then exhale. When inhaling, imagine being deep in nature, the body is being purified, and finally exhale to eliminate the dirt in the body.

This method is very helpful in relieving stress, but on the other hand, Takiichi's state cannot be completely regarded as entering concentration.

At least he was standing with his eyes closed and calming down to adjust his breathing rate, instead of meditating like a monk.

Faced with Takiichi's doubts, Tanabe Munehiro just smiled and did not answer.

He stretched his palms forward and slightly to one side. After he sat down, he sat down cross-legged.

"This painting was painted by a very famous hunting painter during the Muromachi Shogunate period.

According to ancient records in the temple, this man was inspired by a Zen master and left behind this masterpiece before leaving."

People in Sakura Country are accustomed to kneeling on the ground in this way no matter what the occasion is, either to enjoy food or to talk.

They both sat down, as if it was a signal, and the monks who were waiting by the two wooden doors retreated with small steps.

After that, more than a dozen monks were seen walking in in a line with dinner plates in their hands, and all kinds of delicacies and aromas hit their nostrils.

Vegetarian dishes were brought to the table one after another. Hirai Taki glanced at them.

There are the buckwheat noodles that little sister Wubai mentioned to him before, as well as the monk's favorite tofu puffs, rice cake soup, and corn cakes.

However, what surprised Takiichi the most was that the staple food that Munehiro Tanabe served him was Kencho juice.

This dish has been extremely popular among the monks of Sakura Country since ancient times, especially the monks who still adhere to the strict rules and precepts.

Nowadays, Kencho juice often appears in ordinary Sakura cuisine. It is a home-cooked soup famous for its rich ingredients.

The recipe of Kencho juice is very simple and simple, Takiichi can do it himself.

Wash daikon, carrots, burdock, taro, konjac and other root vegetables and cut them into pieces.

First stir-fry with salad oil, then put it into the pot with kelp juice and boil until cooked.

Then add the old tofu broken into small pieces by hand, and finally add salt, soy sauce or miso seasoning according to personal preference.

It seems that the monk cuisine of Sakura Country is made with ingredients as they arise, and is based on the basic principle of not wasting every ingredient on hand.

Even using waste materials to make delicious meals in simple ways.

That is, the "five methods" of "raw, boiled, roasted, steamed, and fried" are used to make delicacies with the "five colors" of "green, yellow, red, white, and black".

"The saying in Zen "turn decay into magic", that's it."

Takiichi muttered something silently.

In terms of taste alone, if this kind of food is enjoyed by meat eaters, it will be fine once or twice, but it will be a torment if it is eaten too much.

In today's Sakura Country, vegetarianism is no longer a label for Buddhists.

On the contrary, the ability to eat wine and meat has become the most eye-catching feature of many monks.

In fact, the profession of monks, who like to get up early and have good living habits, has become the most ambiguous career candidate for young women.

“Before I came here, I searched online about the food in the temple, and the results showed that the official name of these meals is ‘Shojin ryori’.

And outsiders think that the food in the monastery is vegetarian. Speaking of which, senior, only meat-free meals outside the monastery can be considered true vegetarian food, right?"
Chapter completed!