Otome-tsubaki (Camellia japonica f. otome) flowers: Jyuhuku-ji

If there was no flower, how painful and sorrowful this world would become to us. Flowers may be the benevolent gifts which are presented by this universe so as to soothe our pains of existence.

In the abandoned bush on the hill behind this old Zen temple, I found these exquisite otome-tsubaki (otome camellia) flowers blooming modestly in shade.

The Japanese word "otome" means "a young lady" and this epithet seems to well express the tender and maidenly grace of this pale pink flower.

Ajisai (Hydrangea macrophylla) flowers: Jyufuku-ji

Fresh green leaves: Jyuhuku-ji

The tiled roof of Jyufuku-ji

The delicate sunlight of the late afternoon transiently revealed the exact moment of beauty in the familiar quiet scene of this Zen temple.

By intuitively finding secret treasures of beauty in our ordinary world, we can taste the true joy of life and experience the moment of enlightenment.

The peaceful garden of Zen is eternally waiting for our sudden and pure awaking to its hidden truth.

Autumn leaves in Jyuhuku-ji temple

I saw the bright autumnal leaves sparkling over the path leading to the small Buddha hall of this temple.

The clear rays of sunshine falling down through the interlocking branches of trees brought a breathtaking moment of beauty to the stillness of this modest temple.

Fallen leaves in Jyuhuku-ji temple

The fallen leaves are inconspicuously beginning to turn to soil.

A casting off skin of a cicada in Jyuhuku-ji temple

An endless cycle of birth and death

The garden of Jyufuku-ji temple

The gate of Jyufuku-ji temple

Ajisai Flowers in Jyuhuku-ji temple

I found this elegant combination of colors in the shade of the hedge.