Second Time on the Henro Path
This is my second route on my spiritual journey. It's not as enlightening as the first route, but it created the basis for everything that happened afterward. If my journey is boring, then just check out some nice pictures of Japan instead.
The route I had to follow went something like this:
Start at Kokubuji temple, climb a mountain from there, visit Negoro temple at the top of the mountain, then make your way back to the city to go to Ichinomiya temple, and there is a train you can take from there to go back home.
It sounds pretty simple! A nice day trip!
But destiny doesn't work like that.
At the first temple, there were gorgeous pine trees casting pleasant shade over a multitude of statues. I took some pictures of Buddha's footprints. Back in India, where Buddhism began, followers did not want symbols of worship in their religion. Buddha is not a god, he is a man who reaches the ultimate mental state and leads others with him. So he did not want people worshipping him, but rather worshipping the cosmic energy that created what he became. But worshippers don't want to go to a temple with nothing at the altar. That's not the impressive heavenly atmosphere that people were used to. So instead monks made up symbols they thought were completely un-worshippable in order to at least have some attractive icon of their faith. The petals of a lotus flower. The footsteps of Buddha. Well, that didn't exactly work. Now people worship statues of Buddha AND his footprints AND lotus flowers. I guess people, especially in ancient times, really needed idols and symbols. Physical objects to worship.
While I took some pictures, I saw a woman about my age wearing a sash that designated her has a pilgrim. She started organizing her things on a bench and we ended up leaving the temple at about the same time. Outside, she began referencing a paper map. I realized she was probably hiking up the mountain to the next temple as well.
So of course, I endeavored to be her friend.
It turns out she's all the way from Tokyo!
She takes 4 or 5 day vacations by saving up some paid holidays here and there, and is almost done using those days to travel to each of the 88 temples. Wow! And I met her on her very last leg of her journey! There are only 8 left for her to go. I imagined her strong legs carrying her the entire circumference of the island. She must have had a lot of unique experiences.
After talking a little, we discovered that she likes the temple visiting aspect, but isn't keen on hiking so much. I like the hiking aspect, and can take or leave temples. I thought my fast pace might overwhelm her, but when we started up the hiking trail, I was blown away by the view of the valley and kept turning around to enjoy the view or take pictures. She ended up trekking up and out of reach.
After walking in the pleasant forest with breathtaking views through gaps in the trees, I arrived in a valley between two peaks. The path has 3 forks, each one going to a different temple. I looked at my map and I noticed that the route laid out for me only expected me to climb the mountain, not to visit the next temple. Going to the temple would mean walking 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) out of my way, and back again. Did I really want to add 3 miles to my hike?
There were many benches laid out in front of a very large Buddha statue under the trees. One is supposed to sit at this crossing between 3 places of worship and contemplate enlightenment, but I sat there contemplating my choices.
First, the forecast said it was supposed to start raining soon.
But the sky above was the most brilliant blue ever.
If I wanted a nice view of the valley before clouds obscured it, perhaps I should hurry up the mountain.
But how could it possibly rain with no clouds in the sky?
Second, I would probably never come here again. If I didn't go see the other temple, I'd regret it forever!
However, if I strayed from my route, I may not be able to get to Ichinomiya temple in time for it to close. I didn't want to repeat my experience last time of running to temples that are already closed.
So how did I make up my mind?
Well my final thought was - what if I run into that woman again and she wonders why she didn't see me at the next temple? I'd have to explain that I'm not really a pilgrim. And didn't I decide already that I'm a pilgrim?
I'm very unsure on whether this aspect of my personality that uses other people as the deciding factor is good or bad for my mental health.
Anyway, I started booking it down this path.
It was a really fun path! Totally worth it. Mostly downhill, with scattered remains of history at certain bends or along the banks of creeks. I saw frogs and snakes, different kinds of trees. At one point there was a giant stone with an inscription that ordered all people to dismount their horses before stepping on holy ground, no matter your societal rank. Wow. Imagine how old that stone must be!!
Finally I arrived at the temple. At the entrance, the woman from before was just leaving. I realized she hadn't been that far ahead of me. My long legs and love for the forest must have given me an advantage in catching up. I told her we'll meet again at the next temple and wished her a safe journey.
The temple is called Shiromine and it's gorgeous. There are many beautiful traditional buildings, a giant, ancient ginkgo tree, and little shrines for each animal of the Chinese Zodiac. I'm a dog so I took my pictures in front of it. I'm glad I'm a dog, because my Greek Zodiac is a Capricorn and they are known for being cold and ruthless. I think I am cold and ruthless, but in a fuzzy, friendly dog kind of way! I'm going to achieve all my goals whether you like it or not, but I do it while happily wagging my tail and stopping for cuddles and snacks. I want to be a strong leader carving the way forward, but not without my pack of all the other doggies.
So suddenly, out of nowhere, my favorite butterfly of all comes drifting in and lands on my favorite flower.
I love Suwabuki. They are so yellow and bright! They catch the autumn sunlight and make it look like spring again.
And my favorite butterfly is Asagi Madara The base color of their wings is a black that fades to a blood red, ornamented with cerulean blue windows that look like stained glass. There's something about the way they fly. Unhurried, weightless, quite different from a swallowtail. What luck that I could see one!!
I went down to get my Goshuin, and I was so excited to tell the monks about the butterfly and show them my video. But they were busy talking about some event and my Goshuin got rushed and the transaction was hurried. I guess not everyone's interested in butterflies.
By the time I got back to the three-way-fork, I noticed the blue in the sky was now in patches between clouds that were slowly expanding to form a layer. It took me only 20 minutes to reach the top of the mountain, and then the rain began to pour down. I couldn't believe that it would go from that endless blue sky to pouring rain so quickly. If I hadn't gone to the second temple, I would have been able to see the view of the sea from the mountain's peak. Instead, I ducked into a little hut while the rain fell.
The hut was full of pilgrim paraphernalia. There was a box that said, "snacks" with no snacks in it, various notebooks where people had written their ideas, impressions, and doodles. The ceiling was lined with little slips of paper from temples, similar to calling cards, that pilgrims can place anywhere as a sort of "I was here" statement, or exchange with other pilgrims on the path. These are called "fuda" so sometimes temples are called, "Fuda Places" and pilgrims are called, "fuda people."
As I rested, I realized that I had nothing for my lunch. The last time I made this kind of trek, I was walking in the city between mountains, and there were places to eat from time to time. Maybe if I hadn't gone to the second temple, I wouldn't have been as hungry.
The third temple, Negoro, was not at the top of the mountain as my map suggested, but actually nestled in the heart of the forest. There was no viewpoint to look over the sea. It turns out that the sect of Buddhism which founded the temple thought that true Buddhists had esoteric powers and could perform magical acts. They chose the location for their temple specifically for its secluded, natural surroundings. Before the entrance of the temple, I found a creepy statue of a terrible Ox Demon, who ate people and who's soul rests at the temple.
All of this was made even more dramatic by the rain.
I found my Tokyo friend taking refuge under a roof where some benches were. She was dressed in a large yellow raincoat that included a covering for her back. I just had an umbrella and my shoes were starting to get wet. We talked about the weather, then she waited while I turned to go pray. As I walked up the rain-slicked steps, someone came running up behind me speaking broken English. "Excuse me!! Here! For you!" She shoved some postcards into my hands. They had Buddhist imagery on them. I had no idea what to make of that. I asked if she was from some company or worked at the temple. She said no she was just a visitor from Kyoto, excused herself, and ran off. I was left standing in the rain with some postcards and had to awkwardly find somewhere to put them while keeping my umbrella erect.
After praying at the temple, I went back to the entrance. It would be better walking when I was under the full cover of trees again. A little down the path, I saw the Tokyo girl standing in the rain staring down the trail.
"It was nice meeting you," she said. "I'll be on my way now." She turned down the way we'd come.
"Isn't the trail this way?" I pointed to a marker that said, "Ichinomiya." She said, "I'm going a different way."
"Is your way better, then?" I couldn't get what she meant. Was there a shortcut?
"Actually," she admitted, "I'm going back to the main road. There's a bus. I'll go back to my hotel by bus."
"Really? You're giving up because of the rain?"
She shook her head. "I saw a snake."
"I saw lots of snakes. They're fine. They can feel the vibrations in your feet. If you take heavy steps, they'll get out of your way."
"I saw a snake," she said. "I can't move. I want to go back to the road but I'm so scared of seeing another snake, I can't move."
Oh I get it now! "You must be really scared. Don't worry, the snakes that come out in the rain are harmless. If you take heavy steps, I'm sure you won't see another one. The road isn't far off. You can do it." I demonstrated taking heavy steps for her and it seemed to ease her fears.
We said our goodbyes and she left toward the road.
I realized then how used to nature I am. In fact I was much, much happier to be walking in the rain through the snake-infested thicket and dodging wet, straggly spiderwebs than being on a road, or at a temple, having to carry an umbrella and watch my step on the slippery cement. I had this moment of, "Oh wow. I'm the person I always wanted to be!"
The way down the mountain was not as well traveled as the way up the mountain, but after an hour or so, I managed to make my way back to civilization. It was nearing 2pm and I had 3 hours to make it to the next temple. Traveling through a city over flat ground didn't seem too difficult and I was sure I could make it. As I traveled downhill, I passed by something very interesting. An entire section of the town was composed of bonsai farms, and bonsai cultivators. Take a look:
I eventually found a cafe/bakery where I sat down, had a warm cup of tea, and toweled my wet clothes off in the bathroom. When I was finally well rested, I noticed the rain outside had stopped. Wonderful! I was in such a good mood, I bought a large piece of cheesecake on my way out. I thought I'd eat it after I went home that night.
The rest of the journey was like a treasure hunt. At every intersection, a red sticker with an arrow would point my way. I had a map with me, but it was zoomed out to the point where very small turns were not precisely indicated. So I relied a lot on the red stickers. Sometimes, however, at the four corners of the intersection there would be a house. Since you can't stick anything on private property, I'd have to make a guess on which way to go. A glance at my map usually helped, but not always, and at a few points I found myself wandering aimlessly. It was like Alice and Wonderland. Once the sign or creature is out of sight, you're lost forever. There's no indication that you've gone the wrong way, just a lack of red stickers. And you wonder - is it because this is private property? Am I lost? Is it just because I won't be turning for a while?
At one point I was walking straight and I saw a statue to my left. Statues are often next to trail indicators, so I abandoned the road I was on and moved up the hill to the statue. The hill was actually a dam and I found myself looking across a nice lake. I looked on the map and found absolutely no lakes there. I'd lost the way entirely!
Well, I saw a highway in the distance, and I saw that the temple was far, far beyond the highway, so I'd have to cross under it at some point. But there was also a river to cross over, and rivers tend to be less forgiving if you cross in the wrong spot. As I wandered through the gorgeous Japanese countryside, I found myself getting closer and closer to where the highway and river meet, which was nowhere near where I was supposed to be crossing. I backtracked a little and on a whim took a random tiny side road. This led to a little Jizo statue that someone had decked out in a colorful hand-sewn outfit. And next to the statue was a little plate hanging on the branch of the tree with a red sticker pointing left. I was back on the trail!
The bridge over the river was not what I was expecting. It was low on the river, with no guard on the sides so that if the water was high, the bridge would simply be covered in water without being washed away. At first I was skeptical that this was a real bridge, but then a car passed me and went over it! On the other side of the river, I searched for a bit and finally found a red sticker! Then I checked my map and at last realized where I was.
Treasure hunting for red stickers was fun, especially when they led me down the most unassuming alleyways or little spaces between houses. But I checked my watch and I only had 40 minutes left to get to the next temple, Ichinomiya. I started running at intervals. All the while I was thinking, "Is this running worth it? What if I don't make it before 5. Will I feel guilty? Is it better to give up and avoid feeling guilty?" A sign told me I had 4 kilometers left to go. I can walk 3 in an hour, but definitely not 4 in 40 minutes. But I don't have a good sense of distance, despite my sense of direction.
The closer I got, the more I thought maybe I could make it in time. I kept thinking. . . if only I hadn't relaxed so much at the bakery. If only I hadn't gotten lost. If only I hadn't slowed down on the mountain because of the rain. These aren't very pilgrim-like thoughts. So I tried running for longer intervals and thinking, "Thank you" whenever my feet touched the ground.
And then the red stickers disappeared.
I had 15 minutes left to get to Ichinomiya. But I had absolutely no idea where I'd gone wrong. I was at a large road with a grocery store that wasn't on my map. I saw a statue to the right, but my sense of direction was telling me left. I tried going a little down both ways, but saw no red stickers. Argh! I grabbed someone walking down the street. "Do you know where the pilgrim trail is?"
The lady looked at me in awe, "Are you a pilgrim?"
At that moment, I did not feel like a pilgrim at all, and I wish I hadn't asked the question that way. I could have just asked where Ichinomiya temple was. What an idiot! I'm a sweaty foreigner with poor time management skills hoping to arrive at a temple to get a seal in a book, who could really care less about praying at this point. I definitely am not a pilgrim! "Yes," I answered.
"Oh wow! Why don't I walk you there!"
Oh dear... Lady, I do not deserve this much respect! "Actually, I'm planning on running."
"Oh but it's hard to explain. Do you see that overhead crossing on the road there?"
Actually I didn't understand the word "overhead crossing" but I assumed if I went in the direction she was looking in, I'd run into a red sticker, and that's all I cared about at the moment. "Yeah I see it."
"Turn right and go past the high school."
I thanked her and just bolted. Now I had 8 minutes before 5pm. I honestly couldn't say if I'd make it in time. While I was running, I saw a sign on an overhead crossing that said, "This way to Ichinomiya." The sign was for cars, which usually meant that the turn was at the next light. But I saw a high schooler walking up the road to the right so I ignored that intuition and headed down that road. After a minute, I arrived at a high school. Yes!!! Kids looked at me from the school yard as I huffed and puffed running past their school. At the corner, guess what I found! A red sticker!
I arrived at Ichinomiya with 5 minutes left to go. There were 3 temple structures, so I chose one at random, prayed there, then asked someone where I could get my Goshuin. I realized suddenly I hadn't even taken off my hat, which is a big negative at places of worship in Japan. Dammit! I sulked off toward the office and found that I was actually second in line. Someone else had arrived with 5 minutes left as well! Guess who it was! The lady who'd given me the post cards!
She looked at me and exclaimed, "Oh great! You made it in time! I thought I wouldn't make it either! I saw you walking here and worried about you!"
She'd come by car. During the time I was walking down the rainy mountain, getting lost in the city, and running for my life, she had gotten lunch with her husband, took the car to 3 other temples in the area, and decided she had time for just one more before going back home to Kyoto. I told her about getting lost and hiking in the rain. She told me about tasting the local food and getting the chance to pray at so many places. As I was getting my Goshuin, she excused herself to pray. I noticed she prayed at two of the structures, but not the third one. She started by lighting a candle, then chanted a sutra, and then chanted a prayer out loud that included things like, "May we have a safe trip home." That seemed to be like such a mundane prayer to be said in such a formal chant. I tried to imagine myself doing it. I don't think I'm ready for that step.
After she was done, I too prayed at the structure I'd missed. There was a third one, so I went to go see it, but if the lady hadn't prayed there, maybe I didn't need to either. . . ? I asked the lady about it and she said at each temple there is a "Main Hall" and "Kobo Daishi Hall" which she prays and lights candles at.
We talked about where we live, what it's like living there, and our journey on the pilgrim trail. The Kyoto lady has been to all 88 temples three times and was working on a fourth round! We talked about life in Kyoto versus life in Tamano, and what our pilgrim journey means to us. By the time we stopped talking, the sun was setting. The lady offered to drive me to the station. One part of me loves riding in cars with strangers. It's a great way to get to know new people. But another part of me wanted to finish my journey by myself. So I thanked her but told her I would walk.
I chose a path vaguely in a direction where I assumed the train would be. I found myself walking through a rice field as the setting sun turned the whole world red and orange. I sat down on the embankment and do you know what I did there? I ate my cheesecake. I couldn't think of anything happier. A great sunset, a satisfying experience, and a nice piece of cake.
This second leg of my journey raised more questions, though. I realize there is so much I don't know about Japanese Buddhism. All the sects, the different gods and characters that I keep seeing statues of, etiquette, how to know which structure is what, etc. I was so excited to go on the next leg of my travels to discover these things.
Jennifer