Eat Sleep Sit: My Year at Japan's Most Rigorous Zen Temple

A year learning to be a Zen monk? What do you imagine that would be like?

I thought it would be a year of quiet meditation. Service to others. Gentle walks in the forest. Perhaps an occasional conversation with a wise old monk.

Think again. Imagine sitting until your legs collapse when you try to stand. Imagine meager amounts of food, so little that you develop beriberi. Imagine being allowed to sleep only a couple of hours a night. Imagine being struck with sticks or slapped or kicked each time you make a small error.

Hmmm. No thank you. I think I will pass.