I was in Japan again during the middle of October on the second leg of my Shikoku Pilgrimage in the footsteps of Kobo Daishi. In order to expedite logistics we did not proceed to the second stage but toured the temples of the fourth and supposedly final stage - temples 66-88. We will do the second stage next year around the same time. One year on, the feeling was much different, less enamored of the temples, and more in love with the quiet of the journey. At each temple, it was easier to enter a quiet meditative state when reciting the heart sutra.
There were strange sights to be seen, like stone eggplants and magical tanuki, and we completed this second leg by staying at temple 75站 善通寺 which was near the birthplace of Kukai. This was an altogether different experience from my stay at Mt. Koya, as the table next to us at dinner had raucous conversation and many bottles of beer!
We did not have any snow this year, but it was a chance to reflect on the passing of the seasons, and a chance to step out from the hustle and bustle of normal life in Hong Kong. My only regret was that we again were rushing around from temple to temple on a bus, and it would have been good to walk the journey - which is something that I hope to do when I am old and am kids have grown. Here are a few photos from the journey for my readers to enjoy. Please note the focus is no longer on the scenery but on the details of the journey.
We did not have any snow this year, but it was a chance to reflect on the passing of the seasons, and a chance to step out from the hustle and bustle of normal life in Hong Kong. My only regret was that we again were rushing around from temple to temple on a bus, and it would have been good to walk the journey - which is something that I hope to do when I am old and am kids have grown. Here are a few photos from the journey for my readers to enjoy. Please note the focus is no longer on the scenery but on the details of the journey.
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