DAIJI-IN
大慈院
EST.1585 ・ KYOTO
We sweep the garden, arrange the flowers, and refresh the water in the stone basin. We burn incense, purify the room, and set the kettle to boil.
一期一会 — Ichi-go, ichi-e. This meeting, only once.
We look forward to meeting each and every one of you.
FROM THE HEAD PRIEST
What saves you is already within
"The heart is like an ocean. Joy, sorrow, anger, worry — these are waves, always rising and falling. But beneath the surface, the water is perfectly still. That stillness is already within you."
- HEAD PRIEST SEIZAN TODA 戸田惺山, DAIJI-IN
When you sit in Zazen, the waves begin to quiet. The surface becomes a mirror—and in that stillness, we find Mu: the forgetting of the self. Beneath the "I" lies a world that has always been there, simply unseen.
Kannon—the embodiment of compassion—is never far away. She is already within you, waiting in the depths of your being. What saves you is already there. Zazen is simply the practice of sitting still—and finding it.
禅
THE TEMPLE COMPLEX
Founded in 1315.
The birthplace of tea.
Daitoku-ji was founded in 1315 — more than 200 years before Columbus reached the Americas. For over seven centuries, it has stood as one of Japan's most important centers of Zen Buddhism. Here, Zen monks and tea practitioners have long shared a close relationship, and the spirit of Zen continues to shape the atmosphere of tea today.
Tea ceremony was never merely a social ritual. It grew from Zen — the art of finding stillness within the ordinary.
Daiji-in is a small sub-temple within Daitoku-ji, founded in 1585. Its tea room, Ton-an, rebuilt in 1924 under the supervision of the two supreme schools of Japanese tea, remains in use today.
EXPERIENCE
The Seasonal
Retreat
3 DAYS OF IMMERSIVE STILLNESS
Spend three days immersed in the profound silence of ancient lands. As the flow of time begins to align with the earth's rhythm, we gently release physical tension, eventually letting go of the "self" that binds us. A quiet journey back to your true essence.
Private Zen
Retreat
For those seeking a deeper encounter, we offer private sessions within the tranquil grounds of Daiji-in. Guided by monk Seizan Toda and supported by English interpretation with deep cultural insight, each retreat is a private dialogue—shaped entirely around you.
With no other guests, the temple becomes your sanctuary. Here, Zen is not a distant practice, but a living rhythm. Experience the quiet wisdom woven into the simplest actions of monastic life, and discover how to carry this clarity back into your everyday world.
Coordinated by Curate Japan
THE MONKS
Seizan Toda
戸田惺山
HEAD PRIEST・DAIJIN-IN TEMPLE
Born in Kyoto in 1967, Seizan Toda is the Head Priest of Daiji-in, a sub-temple of Daitokuji. A graduate of Doshisha University, he began a career in accounting before choosing the Buddhist path. He completed five and a half years of rigorous monastic training at the sōdō of Tenryūji and Daitokuji. He has led zazen and Buddhist chanting at churches in France and Germany.
Souzen Toda
戸田宗然
MONK・DAIJIN-IN TEMPLE
Born in Kyoto in 2000, Souzen moved to Canada at age 13, spending his junior and senior high school years immersed in English. During high school he circumnavigated the globe aboard a sailing ship. He subsequently completed five years of rigorous Zen training at the Nanshu sōdō in Sakai, Osaka. He now serves as a monk at Daiji-in while deepening his English at Kyoto Junior College of Foreign Languages.