Message from His Excellency Virasakdi Futrakul, Ambassador to Japan of the Kingdom of Thailand

My wife and I as well as a Minister Counsellor of the Royal Thai Embassy in Tokyo were invited by the Kagawa Prefecture to participate in the 7th Shikoku 88-Temple Circuit Experience during 13-14 May 2011. We were greeted with warm hospitality and accorded excellent arrangements. All the officials of the Kagawa Prefecture from Governor Hamada down were friendly and gracious. I am sure all visitors to the Prefecture will feel, as I did, that they are genuinely welcome by the officials and the people of Kagawa. The visit to the Ritsurin Park deeply impressed me about the hard work and patience involved in cultivating this Park for more than three hundred years until it is today an emerald oasis in the midst of the capital of Kagawa. The natural yet disciplined beauty of the Ritsurin Park reflects in my mind the classical Japanese culture. The view from the three-hundred-year-old tea house of the little islands floating on the shimmering water in the pond brings to mind the words of the British poet, Wordsworth, that one can see the whole world in a grain of sand. Here in the Ritsurin Park, one can see the universe by contemplating the microcosm in the pond, where as the legend goes, one can scoop the moon in one's hands from the water reflecting the full moon. The next day, we joined a group of English-language teachers trekking on foot to visit the Daikoji, Jinein and Kanonji Temples dressing in white as befits the henros, or pilgrims, walking meditatively to seek enlightenment. The journey also reflects the nature of a modern pilgrimage, taking us from the rural scenes through a modern city, reminding us that even though we live in the twenty-first century, our hunger and search for the meaning of our existence do not differ significantly from those of our forebears.  The words of Kukai, the native son of Kagawa who became a famous monk and today is hailed as "a universal man," come to mind, "do not just follow the footsteps of the men of old but seek what they sought."  Each person in his or her generation must seek the meaning of his or her life by himself or herself. As The Buddha in his Kalama Sutra advises, "do not believe because I or your parents or your teachers said so. Find out for yourself."  Thanks to The 88-Temple Circuit, its experience will facilitate one's search for the meaning of one's life. Perhaps, as T.S. Eliot points out, you may emerge from this pilgrimage with a new understanding that the answer is already there where you started your search.. The 88-Temple Circuit, in providing us with natural beauty, the tranquil environment of the Temples as well as the challenge of spiritual disciplines in our search for contemporary meaning , therefore deserves to be recognized as a World Heritage for mankind.

Virasakdi and Aumaporn Futrakul

A Reflection by Irina Maria Kaitar

"...walking walking... further and further... thinking, wondering...reflecting

grass and concrete, tractors and birds, water lilies and escaping snakes...

inside and outside, tradition and modernity...

noise and silence, us and everyone else...

everything coexists and we are the link between everything...

we just need to stop and observe, contemplate and feel the beautiful world around us!"

All that and much more is what this Henro experience has offered me!

  안녕하세요. 한국 국제교류원 김 세현입니다.

 저는 작년부터 '가가와 현 국제 교류 회관'에서 한국어 수업을 하고 있습니다. 이 곳에는 영어, 한국어를 비롯한 8개 국어를 네이티브 강사가 진행하는 좋은 수업들이 많이 있습니다!

 나에게 있어 한국어 수업이란~

 제 전공은 국어국문학 즉, '한국어'입니다. 그런데 아이러니하게도 사실 이 전공은 일본어에 대한 관심에서 비롯된 것입니다. 일본어가 너무 좋았던 저는 '앞으로 외국어와 관련한 언어의 전문가가 되기 위해서는 우선 모국어인 한국어부터 제대로 배워야한다'고 생각했던 것입다. 이렇듯 늘 한국과 일본을 염두에 두고 있었던 저였기에 한국어 수업 시간은 실로 즐겁고도 소중한 시간이 아닐 수 없습니다. 저는 '한국어 네이티브'의 강점을 최대 살리면서도 '외국어로서의 한국어'에 대한 지식까지 겸비한 '좋은 한국어 교육자'가 되고 싶습니다.

 수업 모습

 수업은~

 한국어 공부는 물론, 거기에 한국 문화를 비롯한 다양한 콘텐츠도 접목하는 방식으로 해가고 있습니다. 한국어에 흥미를 갖는 분들은 한국에 또한 관심이 많기 때문입니다. 이것의 일환으로 최근 한국에서 이슈가 되고 있는 신문기사를 함께 읽어 보거나 일본에서도 굉장한 인기를 모으고 있는 '소녀시대' 노래를 함께 불러보는 시간도 가졌습니다.

 '이건 한국어로 뭐라 그래요? 이건요? 저건요?'하며 모든 것 하나하나에 관심을 보이는 모습, 아까까지만 해도 일본어로 굉장히 유창하게 얘기하다가 한국어로 얘기할 때면 갑자기 더듬거리며 애를 쓰는 학생들의 모습은 정말 너무나 귀엽습니다. 꼭 일본어를 공부하고 있는 저를 보는 거 같은 생각이 들 때도 있고요.

수업에 임하는 학생들

 한국어를 그리고 한국을 사랑해 주셔서 정말 감사합니다! 앞으로도 더 즐겁고 유익한 수업이 될 수 있도록 함께 힘을 모아 나가요~

학기를 마친 후, 즐거웠던 식사회

국제 교류원 김 세현

 저는 '초등학교 방문'을 참 좋아합니다. 생동감 넘치는 아이들과 함께 있다보면 저도 모르는 새 아이들로부터 그 활력을 받게 되기 때문입니다. 순수하고 귀여운 일본 아이들에게 한국을 알리는 일을 할 수 있게 된 것을 진심으로 감사하게 생각하고 있습니다.

수업 후, 다 함께~

 '초등학교 방문'은 국제 교류원이 학교를 방문해 어린이들에게 자신의 모국을 알리는 일입니다. 제가 한복을 입고 등장을 하면 아이들 사이에서는 '와아~'하는 함성이 퍼져 나옵니다. 그렇게 관심을 한 몸에 받은 후에 저는 한국에 관한 이야기를 해 나갑니다. 한국의 의식주를 비롯해 생활모습, 관광명소, 같은 또래의 한국 초등학생들의 모습 등을 전합니다. 굉장히 맛있어 보이는 음식을 보여주면 '아, 나도 한국 사람으로 태어났으면 좋았을걸'이라고 하다가 학원 등 매우 열심히 학업에 치중하는 모습을 보고 나서는 '아, 다시 생각해야겠다'라고 하는 아이도 있었습니다. 참 귀엽죠?

 '한국이라고 하는 다른 나라를 접해보다'라고 하는 것이 이 활동의 가장 중요한 점이 아닐까 생각합니다. 실제 한국 사람을 만나도 보고, 한국에 대한 얘기도 들어보고 하면서 일본이 아닌 다른 나라에 눈을 떠 보는 것. 그것은 즐겁고도 신선한 충격을 주는 색다른 일이지요. 또한 모두들 한 명의 한국사람인 저에게 너무나도 큰 관심을 보이고 진심으로 마음을 담아 대해주어서 눈물을 흘릴 정도로 감동을 받은 적이 많습니다. 정말로 고마워요! ♡

Thoughts and Impressions about the 6th Henro Walk - November 14, 2010
 
              First of all I would like to thank the organizers for allowing me to join this event and to offer a brief talk to everyone about my research and activities related to the Shikoku pilgrimage. With my daily work, family life and various academic projects, I am not able to get out into the field and experience the pilgrimage as often as I would like, so it was great to be able to participate with everyone today. Seven years ago I visited Temples 80, 81 and 82 by car, but this was my first time to walk from one temple to the other. All went well until I hit the steep "henrogorogashi" (lit. pilgrim fall down) part on the way leading up to Temple 81 and I was quickly reminded of how arduous the path can be. But once I got to the top, I could really enjoy the rest of the journey through the tranquil forests.
              Throughout the day I was often reminded of a comment made by Oliver Statler, author of Japanese Pilgrimage, about forty years ago when he made the Shikoku pilgrimage. He said that the temples do not make up the pilgrimage, they only punctuate it. I would agree and I was saddened when we approached the temples because I was thrown back into the "real" world of noise and traffic of humans and vehicles. It was surprising to see the parking lots full of cars and buses, but this clearly proved that visiting one or a few of the temples along the Shikoku pilgrimage is a popular weekend pastime. At Temple 82 there was also a bustling atmosphere with many visitors wandering around the temple grounds, but I am grateful to the assistant head priest who spoke to our group and offered us a unique chance to learn about details of the temple that we could not have known by just looking around.
              Unfortunately the time went by too fast and our brief pilgrimage quickly came to a close. I reached my car to head home and found it hard to strip myself of the pilgrim attire and return to the "real" world. A few years ago I wrote, "The Shikoku pilgrimage is a journey of the soul - a time to think, a time to focus on oneself, a time to forget the world from which you came, a time to selflessly support and encourage each other, a time to learn to be grateful, a time that will you will remember forever." And I still believe so today. I eagerly look forward to when I can return to the wonderful world of this pilgrimage either by myself or by participating in an event similar to this one.
 
David C. Moreton