i would like to answer the question posted by Adam San, the meaning of "淡交".
The word "淡交" comes from Soshi's phrase(a chinese thinker) "君子之淡交若水".
The character "交" means association, or friendship,.
It's difficult to translate "淡(AWAI)" in English.
It could be translated as "light", "slight", "fluent", or "faint" but it's true meaning is still slightly different from all those words.
We recognize "water being the color "AOI(blue)" in Japan.
and the word "AOI" comes from "AWAI"
Thus it has something to do with water.
"君子" can be translated as "a man of virtue".
Therefore, "君子之淡交若水" represents an "AWAI relationship" like flowing cloud in the sky, the water in the river.
Heartless human relationships is a major problem in modern Tokyo.
And "淡交" is a significant word to spread a shift from the modern range of vision.
My recent acquaintances in the city of Tokyo tend to hold a "selfishness(ego)" in it, which i did not experience when i was practicing in the temple.
Relations without an "ego" is unbreakable.
this "淡交" is a foundation of oriental human relationship.
Especially for Westerners, the idea of "淡交" will be worth understanding, to identify with the fundamentals of relationships that still exist in modern day Tokyo.
