So – I'm a quarter of the way through my journey and it's taken 7 days.
At this rate I should be finished by the end of the month.
My only regret thus far is that I didn’t put more research and thought into my stamp record.
I bought the first book I was shown at Koya San but later on I worked out it only had enough pages for 40 stamps. I wish I had bought a scroll, which it turns out is for this pilgrimage despite what Hiroki San told me. If I had a scroll, I could hang it up and look at it everyday to remind myself of my achievement.
I made a plan today.
I will buy a scroll at the next Temple which will be the first of the next prefecture, Kochi. I will get the rest of my stamps on it then find a way of getting the first 22 on it later. I'm not even going to think about the fact that this makes it a 110 Temple pilgrimage!!
Some of the observations I have made…
- I sincerely believe Kobo Daishi is with me and I trust him and his judgement. When I relax and take each day as it presents itself, I am looked after – all I need to do is put in leg work.
- Money, so far, is lasting well. I buy what I need, no more, no less
- I have been following a different person everyday and I notice that everyone chooses their steps differently. I don’t take the same steps as the person in front of me and I think this is a metaphor for this pilgrimage. Everyone does as much or as little of it and for their own personal reasons – that are no less meaningful than mine and they all take their own unique path.
- For what I set out to prove to myself…I've manifested the finances, I've overcome the barrier to give up. I've well surpassed my anticipated levels of endurance. I've been tested mentally and have been able to think creatively, although I don’t think I've had the worst of that challenge yet.
I think it’s raining outside, so I'll be pleased to be in vehicles tomorrow.
I forgot to mention the first day Taichi San and I walked together, he asked me if I had one of their little books that has the Heart Sutra in it. I said No because I didn’t understand it anyway. He showed me his then said he would write it out for me. I wasn’t sure exactly what he meant but the next morning as we started walking, he handed me a photocopy of Prayers 14 – 25, and he had hand written the English pronunciation for every character so I could read it. I was so amazed, I didn’t know what to say. And who knows where he got access to the photocopier!
Taichi San's miracle work - the Heart Sutra with English sub titles...
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