May 12 cont...
I couldn't help but see the Universes humour in the Bus Henro being so gracious in inviting me onto their bus.
Ever since the beginning of my trip, I had a subconscious contempt for Bus, and Taxi Henro.
They piled out of their airconditioned vehicles, took their sticks out of the rack the driver put outside the bus door for them and strolled to the Temple. Usually these were Tours and there would be a Priest who accompanied them and lead the Hanya Shinkyo - sometimes the tour leader would do it instead.
The bus driver or an accomplice would take their bags full of books and scrolls to the Stamp Office and hand them over to the Monks or lay people who were doing the stamps that day who would then calmly make their way through them like a production line. I had even seen in some places where the driver would do the stamping himself to make it quicker for the stamp people who then only had to sign them.
It felt like a Clayton Pilgrimage to me but not once did I ever see contempt from the people in the offices, any of my companions, nor from any other visitors to the Temples.
So when I got picked up by this wonderful bus full of no less devoted Henro, I had to eat some silent humble pie along with the numerous gifts of food settai they bestowed on me and I never resented another Henro and how they chose to do their Pilgrimage from that day on...
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