30Nov08: Aandrea LaFavor
Transcending the Self for the Sum
For over a month, a haphazardly scribbled "88 Temples" occupied the Sunday November 30th space in my planner. Although I was excited to partake in the venture, I discovered very quickly that the experience I had imagined was only a minute aspect of ohenrosan. Without a doubt, being outdoors, being in great company, and sneaking in some cardio are important parts of the pilgrimage; but, as we walked the 12 kilometers from Tadotsu to Zentsuji I realized ohenrosan was much more than that. However, it wasn't until we listened to the priest's lecture at Zentsuji temple that I could put into words what that "more" exactly was. While explaining the significance of the temple and Buddhist teachings, the priest compared humanity to that of a beaded tapestry and human life to that of the beads. "If one bead is damaged," he stated, "it not only affects that one particular bead, but the entire tapestry, as well." These words enabled me to tie up the loose ends of my thoughts and see that when partaking in ohenrosan it doesn't matter if a person is Buddhist, Jewish, Hindu, Christian, Muslim, atheist or what have you, traveling Shikoku's 88 temples is about engaging in something larger than oneself.Unquestionably, there are individualistic aspects to the pilgrimage, but once the vest is tied, the hat securely fastened, and the staff in hand something changes. Suddenly, without the luxuries of four walls and roof, an ohenro is subjected to the elements of nature as well as to the whims of his or her body. No longer do cell phones, computers, TV shows, or blogs take precedent, but rather such things as the wind, the sun, the condition of one's legs, or the flexibility one's joints become imperative. Essentially, ohenrosan enables individuals to transcend the trivialities of everyday life and bring them back to the basics of the human experience, which is a condition anyone regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, gender, or age can relate to, understand, and contemplate. This is where one will find the true vitality of the pilgrimage because it gives a person the opportunity to focus on the individual while simultaneously belonging to a larger, unified whole, which is what in fact makes Shikoku's 88 Temples such a worldly experience.
