Also, I wonder how many practitioners have committed suicide when they didn’t complete? Killing youself is generally regarded as an extremely negative act, of course.

Also, I wonder that so few practitioners have done it. It seem like: if a few people could do it, then a few more would too.

I’m far too old to take on the full kaihogyo, but a less rigorous version is the mainstay of my practice. For 2 to 3 hours a day I walk from sacred place to sacred place in all weathers. I believe the practice is about losing the sense of “I” and discovering the Buddha-nature in everything. Although difficult to describe in words, it is a powerful and deeply rewarding practice even at a level far short of the heroic efforts of the individuals in the video. If I am successful in completing my training and am ordained, I hope to teach and train others in it.

Once again, many thanks.

It doesn’t actually mention the specifics of what practice he was doing though other than then time period. I’m not sure if there is any evidence as to whether he was doing jogyozammai type practice or not.

As an aside; in Eshinni’s letter it is Prince Shotoku who appears but Kakunyo later reported it as Kannon. Of course Shotoku was seen as an avatar of Kannon but it is an interesting alteration to the tale nonetheless.

We’ll have to dig up the letters. I know that Shinran did do that circumambulating practice since that’s how he attained a vision from Kannon Bodhisattva who told him something to effect of “Go seek a monk named Honen” and that Kannon would find him a wife. I thought that was from Eshinni’s letters since Shinran didn’t like tlaking about his monk days himself.

Hm, wonder what it was from, then…

P.S. I might still be getting my facts up, so we should double-check. I wrote late night one night, so…

Doug, I don’t have the letters in front of me right now but I’m not sure that it does say this. (Though I am happy to be corrected if you have the passage to hand).

I do recall that Eshinni says Shinran was a ‘doso’ but precisely what a doso was is a matter of debate. Most non-sectarian scholars seem to suggest it was quite a low-ranking role, probably of monks who performed the music and chanting to acocmpany those actually engaged in the jogyozammai practice. Of course sectarian people like Eiken Kobai claim Shinran was engaged in the most elite practices such as the one you describe. In the end we’ll probably never know.