Pilgrimage to the 88 Sacred Places of Shikoku
{Shikoku Hachijûhachikasho Meguri}

---Going in circles,
Going nowhere---

I've changed over the subsequent two years. I no longer study Japanese (although i still 'play' with kanji a little and watch Japanese TV), haven't been back to Japan since leaving Shikoku, and have no immediate plans on returning. I do, however, still spend a fair amount of time reading and researching the pilgrimage so that i can improve these web pages. And, i still think that i am on the henro trail.

Now-a-days, whenever i want to make myself smile, i pick up Susan Trott's The Holy Man. I seldom read more than the first two chapters and it doesn't seem to matter how often i read them i still break into a laugh when i get to the end of chapter 2 and my mood is noticeably better for hours. The gist of these chapters is this:

The Holy Man lives on the top of a mountain at the end of a single 10 mile trail leading from the closest town. Every spring and summer people from all over the world trek up the mountain for the chance to meet him. Because of the overwhelming number of people making the trek, though, they inevitably end up standing in the line for a month before getting to the top and getting their chance to meet him.

Once a pilgrim reachs the head of the line the procedure is as quick as it is consistent. They knock on the front door, a man in simple robes answers and asks what he can do for them, and they answer "I've come to see the Holy Man."

Upon hearing this, the man asks them to follow him and leads them along a straight corridor directly to the back of the house, opens the back door, and tells them goodbye. Flabergasted and shocked, almost every pilgrim stutters a reminder that they have come to see the Holy Man at which point the holy man says "You have seen me" - and closes the door.

Oh, the beauty and simplicity of this reminder that most of us put a lot of time and effort into our search for The Holy Man only to find that when we confront him face-to-face, we don't recognize him. In the front door, a frantic look for him while ignoring the obvious, and out the door again.

Think about it for a minute. Really try to put yourself in the shoes of someone who has stood on the mountain for a month, given up everything to get there, endured bad weather day after day, gone without a bath for weeks, etc., etc.... Then, when you get in to meet him, he tosses you out the back door within a minute. Imagine the shock. I laugh every time i read this for two reasons. First, because it must strike a resonating chord somewere deep inside me, and second, because it so perfectly describes my trip around Shikoku's henro trail. Like the vast majority of Susan Trott's pilgrims, i have found that the henro trail really starts at the back door and not on the way to the front door.

Three concepts seem to come up over and over again in my readings about following the henro trail (speaking in general here, not specifically about Shikoku). Simplicity, frugality, and determination. These three words all by themselves speak volumes about how i have come to see the trail.

Simplicity
While approaching the front door, i thought this word was telling us that we must lead a life of simplicity if we hope to meet with the Holy Man. It seemed obvious that the only people that got in the front door were those that lead simple lives. Or so i thought.

Looked on after leaving the back door, however, i wonder if this word is telling me, not so much how to lead my life, but how utterly simple it is to find him if i would only open my eyes and look at what is in front of me.

The holy man very simply, and in his own way, showed each pilgrim that if they stopped they wouldn't be following the path any more. That it was necesary to keep moving. That the henro trail doesn't lead to a destination at which you arrive and stop, but is a never ending continuation. A living mobius strip.

It's simple, really. Make one simple flip and paste the ends together and you immediately go from this side and that side, inside and outside, and two distinct surfaces, to one undifferentiated, continuum. Two has become one. Yet the one is made up of two. And all it took was one little twist. How simple.

Frugality
On the way to the front door this was such a negative word. It seemed to be simplicity taken to extremes; a life of giving things up, denying yourself simple pleasures, withholding, and withdrawing. It seemed to be synonymous with sacrifice.

From the vantage point of the back door, though, the view is much rosier. Frugality isn't about what you have to give up or about what you have to do without. It is, on the other hand, all about not trying to grab and hold onto what isn't needed. Frugality isn't about not having, but about not being wasteful with what you do have. It's not about giving things up, but about not seeking unnecessary luxury just for the sake of keeping up with the Jones. When you are content with what you need, as opposed to everything you want, you'll find that many people would describe your life as frugal - even though you feel rich.

Determination
It takes determination to follow the henro trail. Once you are out the back door you are on your own. Approaching the front door most of us have access to books beyond number describing this or that school's proven method of getting an audience with the Holy Man, this or that proven method of meditation that will speed our trip up the trail, and this or that lifestyle that guarantees that he will like us when we meet him. On the way up the hill we have lots of company.

Then when he says "You have seen me" and closes the door in your face (i'm laughing again) the shock of reality hits quickly. Now you find the path much less certain, with far fewer markings, and no certain end in sight. What keeps you walking? What keeps you from throwing up your hands in despair? Determination. An unwillingness to quit. A firm resolution to continue even when your brain is telling you to take a break.

Comments, criticisms, questions, and the like are always welcome. In fact, i would love to receive them. (Contact Information). Have a good day.

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