5 days, 4 nights --

Experiencing Sunny, Rainy, Cloudy and Snowy weather;

Walking barefoot on Green Meadows dotted with Flowers;

Meditating under Waterfalls;

Petting "Joshi" the cat;

Devouring Yummy Vegan Food and Listening to Cookies crunching under my teeth - wondering if my Silent companions at the table can hear it too?;

Coming to peace with the daily Karma-Yoga-Cleaning: realising it's not about completing the job, but more about work as a form of meditation;

Walking with the Goats casually brushing their bodies against mine;

Finding Balance and Patience in Stacking Stones;

Observing more than listening to the art instructions (which were in German anyways): How the teacher grips the Brush, how she makes the Brush stroke;

The Kindness of the fellow students for on-the-spot-translations;

Listening to the raindrops on the wooden roof of the Zendo;

Contemplating the simplicity of the natural Yin-Yang pattern on the StoneWall;

Sitting upright in Zen Meditation 6 times a day;

Walking with awareness;

Talking to the Teacher in English during breaks -- about Japan and about Thankfulness;

The Joy of receiving a Surprise Gift from the Teacher;

Gazing into the Alps and the Still waters of the Lake;

Watching Ink flow onto the Paper from the Brush 

And finally realising that "Ink painting is similar to Zen Meditation -- it's about Being in the Flow and Letting Go of Mind's Grip.... When you take the mind out of the way of Brush and Paper, patterns come alive on their own.. but when you Hold-On firmly to the desired outcome in your mind, even the simplest of forms -- Bamboo shoots or leaves are elusive."

Pictures, it's said are worth a thousand words..