14May2011: Chris Gaskett
Comments from Chris Gaskett
The explanations and organisation were consistently good and
everything went smoothly.
As well as having an opportunity to talk to many friends I was very
happy to meet well known author on the Henro, David Moreton, along the
way. Diplomatic staff from Thailand also participated. It is good to
see some promotion of the Henro pilgrimage to other countries. There
are many Buddhists, as well as others that have spent many years
studying Buddhism as part of comparative religion or asian studies,
that would be interested in participating in this pilgrimage. A movie
or documentary, preferably distributed free online, would be an
excellent way for people to learn about it.
The priest's explanation of some Shingon Buddhist ideas was
interesting. I was hoping it would go into more depth, but I
understand that not everyone is interested in these ideas. I was
surprised that the priest also opened the treasure room and showed us
relics and artworks. This was a rare opportunity that is unavailable
to most visitors.
I encourage anyone that has the opportunity to visit some or all of
the 88 temples. Although they are rarely available at the temples or
from shops in Japan, there are excellent guide books available in
English that provide a lot of worthwhile background information. I am
personally hoping to walk the entire circuit when I can.
The explanations and organisation were consistently good and
everything went smoothly.
As well as having an opportunity to talk to many friends I was very
happy to meet well known author on the Henro, David Moreton, along the
way. Diplomatic staff from Thailand also participated. It is good to
see some promotion of the Henro pilgrimage to other countries. There
are many Buddhists, as well as others that have spent many years
studying Buddhism as part of comparative religion or asian studies,
that would be interested in participating in this pilgrimage. A movie
or documentary, preferably distributed free online, would be an
excellent way for people to learn about it.
The priest's explanation of some Shingon Buddhist ideas was
interesting. I was hoping it would go into more depth, but I
understand that not everyone is interested in these ideas. I was
surprised that the priest also opened the treasure room and showed us
relics and artworks. This was a rare opportunity that is unavailable
to most visitors.
I encourage anyone that has the opportunity to visit some or all of
the 88 temples. Although they are rarely available at the temples or
from shops in Japan, there are excellent guide books available in
English that provide a lot of worthwhile background information. I am
personally hoping to walk the entire circuit when I can.
