Staff writer
It's a rainy Sunday night in May and a small woman dressed in "koromo," the black robe for priests, is welcoming people who have come to practice "zazen," a type of Zen Buddhist meditation, at Taisoji Temple in Tokyo's Toshima Ward.
People take their seats on "zafu," a special cushion used for zazen, and rock back and forth on crossed legs until they find a stable position. The bell rings to signal the start of the meeting.