{Shikoku Hachijūhachikasho Meguri}

--REFLECTIONS OF A SHIKOKU PILGRIM--
--Some thoughts that come to mind--

I walked the pilgrimage in April and May of 1999. I visited each of the 88 main temples and the 20 bangai temples (those considered important but not included in the list of 88). It took me 54 days to complete the pilgrimage and to return to Temple 1.

As is considered traditional, i started my trip with a visit to Kōbō Daishi's mausoleum on Mt. Kōya. The mausoleum is located behind the okunoin, which itself is located at the back of what may be the most famous cemetary in all of Japan. Walking through the surprisingly dim cedar and pine forested graveyard leading to the mausoleum one has to be in awe. Even with the crowds, the bus loads of henro, and the casual tourists, there is an overwhelming sense of solitude and spirituality. Walking through the cemetary towards Kōbō's temple, i felt a dizzying sense of expectation. A palpable sense of wonderment.

Just think of the people who had walked this path before me; the Fujiwara, the Ashikaga, the Minamoto, the Hōjō, the Tokugawa, emperors, shōguns, priests, literary giants, and millions of others. Millions. Daishi-sama died in 835. How many millions and millions of people have walked the exact same path, stood on the exact same stones, touched the exact same stones, and lit incense in front of the exact same mausoleum in the intervening 1163 years?

Those were the thoughts i had when i visited the mausoleum in 1998 as a tourist, and the thoughts i had again in 1999. As i stood there in 1999, however, i also began to wonder more about the unknown pilgrims that had preceded me than about those more famous personalities. How many travelers had stopped here at the mausoleum and, after lighting a few sticks of incense and a quick recital of the Heart Sutra, had left towards Shikoku with the simple request for help and guidance and nothing more than a small pack on their back? Why did they do it? What were their motivations? What were their travails? What were their rewards? Who were they? What is my connection to them?

Before i left, i had written:

I'm positive that this will be difficult. I have no doubts that my willpower will be tested. I'm fairly sure that the person who finishes the trip will, in some sense, be different than the person who started it. More than just physical energy will be needed during the two months; a lot of emotional and mental energy will be demanded as well. Will it be worth the effort? I won't know that until i finish in the end of May. For now, all i can say is "Gambarimasu!" (I'll give it my best)

After returning home, i can confirm that the walk did demand a lot of physical and emotional energy. I wouldn't say, though, that it was particularly difficult. I enjoy walking and found the challenge of doing it every day of the week, for eight weeks, to be fun and stimulating. I enjoyed the physical aspect of the trip every day i was there - without exception.

Was it worth the effort? During my walk, i kept a daily journal and uploaded it to the web a few times each week from phone booths by the side of the road for friends and family to read. With the exception of Afterthoughts, A Year Later, and Two Years Later, these writings are those unedited musings and should give you an idea of what the walk meant to me personally.

I'd enjoy hearing from you after you read it. (Contact Information). Enjoy and have a good day.