May Reflection: Wisteria and the Wisdom of “Nonduality”

2025.05.01.

Wisteria and the Wisdom of “Nonduality”

by Daikō Iizuka, Head Priest

Hello everyone. I hope you’re enjoying Golden Week. Here at Ichibata Yakushi Temple, we’re holding our annual blessings for children—rituals for ages two, four, and thirteen, praying for their healthy growth.

As spring fades, I’m often struck by the sight of wisteria flowers. Do you have wisteria blooming nearby? These flowers hang gently downward, blooming quietly and modestly. Their humility touches the heart and seems to carry a hidden message.

Today, let me speak about “nonduality” (funi), a Buddhist concept inspired by the word fuji—the Japanese name for wisteria. Though they sound similar, fuji (wisteria) and funi (not-two) are different words. In Buddhism, “funi” means “not two”—that what appear to be opposites are, in truth, one.

Blooming and falling. Fullness and loss. Joy and sorrow. Health and illness. They seem like contrasts, but they are deeply connected—inseparable. We live in a world of “nonduality,” where all things are intertwined.

Even enlightenment and confusion are said to be two sides of the same coin—not two. When we encounter someone or something, when I meet you, we are also, in a deeper sense, not separate. “You and I are one.” That is the spirit of funi.

Now the fresh green season begins. May you enjoy it fully and stay well.