Monday, May 07, 2007

Sincerely yours


















As my forever memory I would like to write down priceless experience with American who are such nice people giving me lots of aspects of thinking of life…
First of all, we pilgrimaged from the first temple “RYOZENJI-temple” to the second temple “GOKURAKUJI-temple. It was actually first experience to walk between temples even though I am interested in Buddhist. Reason why I have never tried to walk is the road of pilgrimage along the street where there are lots of bad traffics. It is not only likely to walk breathing gas of tracks which is not good for health, but also not the real road where pilgrim used to walk long time ago. And some of temples seem to have been changed situation as they try to do business to pilgrim. So I am reluctant to take action for walking. But I did not know there is a still old road until the day when we walked together. And temple has special atmosphere.
I felt like going back several hundred years ago when walking the traditional road. There are a large number of houses along the street, decorating detail kind of dragons on the wall to protect the devil from entering their houses, and pry for pilgrims’ safety trip. By natural the old houses let us know how people coexist with religion. Under the circumstance People seem to have profoundly kind hearts to help pilgrims, which have not changed since the beginning of pilgrimage history. For instance one of groups in the small shrine gave us sweet rice crackers. The other gave us beautiful smiles encouraging us to keep walking until the next place. There existed the pure air interacting each other through religion. That was one the best feelings during pilgrimage.
All of a sudden I asked myself about next my life during pilgrimage. Actually the wheel of life is a basic idea of Buddhist, one of which is that the present body is temporary a figure, instead a soul is circulating forever. So the next life depends on how much we contribute to Buddha. It might be a stone or a tree or a flower or a bug or something. Needless to say to kill a bug is same thing to kill yourself, and violate Buddha seeing you for next life. When I rethought of the idea of Buddhist, I could generate feeling of loving nature. Everything which we are able to see has soul in it. It is merely different figures from what they are now. So we have to cherish everything because they are yourself next life.
Every people have diversity thoughts about pilgrimage and have different aims why they are doing. During pilgrimage, however, it is quite possible to come up some ideas connecting to religion…that is also one of the best feelings during pilgrimage.
We could get to the second temple “GOKURAKUJI-temple after walking for a few hours. It was such a nice hike, talking about different religion, culture and so, and I realized religion is complicated. Each religion has own belief which we cannot interfere. No matter how it happens between the different ideas, we have to look up to respectively because it is a same position as we are people who have never same characters. It is no doubt when we respect everybody each other, we could have happier life…nowadays I conceive all human beings have same hearts like inherently good. When we talk with delicacy, it is not difficult to understand well.
Adventure of the first day we could really enjoy being outside, taking pictures, and seeing tranquil scene. The second temple “GOKURAKUJI-temple welcomed us to come willingly. And UDON for lunch was so tasty because of good excises with nice people.

Secondly we headed up to KAMIKATU town to know a utopia of Japan. Before I went there at the first time, I did not want to go back to town any longer because of a wonderful atmosphere I had never felt anywhere else. So this time I could not expect too much. When I got off a bus, I breathed as deeply as possible, and fresh air came down to all of my body till the tip of my foot’s fingers, then I realized I came back to KAMIKATU town because of my body responded to exactly same thing which I felt before. I was just satisfied with this situation so much, and then a few second after we got there, we could meet people’s innocent smiling which have wonderful power taking away any stressfulness bringing from a city. It didn’t take a long time to refresh everything and become to like people in the KAMIKATU so much.
Eating food from local market at lunch was something special since looking at peaceful scenery from the deck made food delicious and kept talking with each other. After eating “special lunch” we went to rice paddle to help production of rice. We could touch soft warm soil sent from the earth. Interestingly to touch soil forgot me to work and feeling had been changed to play with natural tool “soil”! It was just big fun to cultivate field with natural resource. I could remind of my childhood playing with friends. We always played so much till clothed got dirty completely. So when I saw clear water coming in the field, I wanted to jump in and fall down there to play with soil!!! Likely the nature make people release from every binding situation which is getting bigger as we grow up. When we were little kids, we just had crystal virginal minds. So the nature tells us how we changed and forget lots of important sensitive mind…
The dinner time was also excellent time. Needless to say it was because of eating together in the KAMIAKATU. Actually I have never seen people who don’t like eating. It seems that everybody feels relaxing when eating. And the scene of KAMIKATU helped us to eat deliciously more than any other food in the town. It might be the best way for ice break between people because it is no obstruction in their hearts…what’s more it is important to collaborate food together under same aims. We could feel co-workers and have a same bouncing ball, which is one of consciousness of friends.
The second day in the KAMIKATU, I focused on voice of nature of KAMIKATU like listening to singing bird, barking dogs, flowing liver, moving leaves and so on. Everything has their own gentle sounds suiting that atmosphere. So are people in the KAMIKATU. We were just happy to be with them and feel relaxing…

Time has flied like light. It is likely just a few minutes being together; yet we were together for three days. I just feel sense of mortality. Nobody can stop flowing from one side to the other side. That is life. So what is the most important for a great life is to do the best at moment. Each moment has different face. I would like to enjoy feeling that different faces because I do not want to regret my only one life…this trip with you are splendid memories curving in my heart. I am lucky to meet people stimulating me about life. I am here. We are together as a human-king although we are separated. I cannot forget great time with you. Thank you very much.

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