Eiheiji 永平寺

High place of Buddhist spirituality , seat of the Sôtô Zen school, famous tourist site for the Japanese, Eiheiji was designed to be away from the world and yet it is one of the most visited monasteries.

Near Fukui, this monastery on the mountainside , in the middle of a forest of century-old cedars and venerable Japanese cryptomers, the "Temple of Eternal Peace" has been dedicated since its origins to the practice of meditation in a seated posture ( zazen ), in other words shikantaza , meaning "only to sit down" and nothing more. The religious community and novices pursue this discipline without renouncing physical tasks. Cooking, gardening, cleaning contribute to leading towards the path of Awakening. In this soothing place, the murmurs of the mountain waters accompany the meditators. Visitors from all over the world come to Eiheiji to do a retreat . Others to simply pass the day.

Established in 1244 by Dôgen (1200-1253), the founder of the Sôtô Zen Buddhist school, the monastery has more than sixty old buildings, but not all of them are open to the public, and a brand new hostelry. The mausoleum-reliquary of Master Dôgen is preserved in this idyllic setting.