A new trainee monk starts the Kaihōgyō
the ancient ritual of a 1000-day pilgrimage
on foot around Mount Hiei that takes seven years to complete
The Kaihōgyō covers a distance
equivalent to a trip around the globe
Since 1885, only 46 monks of the Tendai sect
have survived the ritual
Traditionally, any monk, or gyoja, who can't complete it
must take his own life
Before embarking onto this journey
I pray to great protector Fudo Myo-o
and I pray the presence of those who came before me
and became living buddhas on this honorable quest
to give me the necessary endurance
to sustain the obstacles I will find on my path
May their holy spirit, guidance and prayers
be with me during these seven years
Kaihōgyō is performed when everybody else is sleeping
Temple duties occur during the day
So nighttime is the only moment to accomplish the task
The body needs to be in a state of acceptance
for it to cooperate within the new pulse of time
That is the only way for it not to collapse
Kaihōgyō's purpose is to offer prayers to the Buddhas
and for people's well being
the immense physical effort is a necessary part of it
but it's just the method and not the purpose
In fact, the actual 1,000 days are never reached
The physical training is stopped just before that
so that the days left unfinished
are what you spend the rest of your life trying to fulfill
The term for this is "ruzubun"
It's the last part of the sutra
It allows the teaching to spread so that it can be alive
Even if the body deteriorates, the heart stays the same
To only think about the end of the training makes no sense
You must face the singular task in front of you
set smaller goals without losing track of the bigger picture
You are the one who sets the limits
The way of thinking is like that of an athlete
When a record is set, whatever it is
the athlete is not satisfied by it
They might be happy for that moment
but they will continue pursuing a higher score
The Kaihōgyō is just like that
but we are not looking for a score
we are looking for the light