The first half is devoted to a brief history of tendai buddhism and the development of the monastery on mt. Review john stevens, the marathon monks of mount hiei. Hiei is the first book in english on the kaihogyo, an arduous ascetic practice carried out on mount hiei, the site of. Eyes focused about 100 feet ahead while moving in a steady rhythm, keeping the head level. These monks are from the tendai school of buddhism, a. Monk s enlightenment begins with a marathon walk in japan last year, endo mitsunaga, a 34yearold monk, became the th monk since world war. Soo and the history of the hiei marathon the path of the spiritual athlete running buddhas. Tendaitrained monks were responsible for all the new buddhisms pure land, nichiren and zen of the kamakura period, and the sect retains a substantial presence in mainstream japanese buddhism today. Those who do earn the title of daiajari, or living saint. The days challenge by marathon monks, gives athletes. Tendai buddhist monks who fail to complete the kaihogyo quest are buried here. What these marathon monks can teach you about commitment. Two monks stand beside him at all times to ensure that he does not fall asleep. If you commit to nothing, youll be distracted by everything.
As well as the importance of study and practice, the main principles we uphold are ekayana and. I didnt really care to learn about tendai buddhism. The practice involves walking a route on mount hiei the location of the tendai school headquarters, the longest of which takes days to complete. For the tendai, the ultimate act of selfdenial and the route to enlightenment is a physical challenge known as the kaihogyo. Anyone is welcome to join us for meetings, meditation, chanting, and teaching. Official facebook page of the tendai buddhist institute, karuna tendai dharma center address. Tendai buddhism became the dominant form of mainstream buddhism in japan for many years, and gave rise to most of the developments in later japanese buddhism. Answers would vary person to person, but most shortlists might like look something like this. Nichiren, honen, shinran, and dogen all famous thinkers in nontendai schools of japanese buddhismwere all.
Marathon monks of mt hiei adventures of a funatical runner. If you were to have a conversation about which type of athlete is toughest, who would be in it. It is a 1,000day challenge that takes place over seven years. Because of this challenge, the tendai are often called the marathon monks. This account of the walking or marathon monks of mount hiei in japan, who have been performing an extraordinary mountain pilgrimage for over years, describes their rituals of chanting, meditation and exercise, culminating in walks of over miles and nine days without food or sleep. The marathon monks of mount hiei, by john stevens inquiring mind. For more on enryakuji and modern tendai, i suggest keeping your eyes out for the book which will hopefully be available in 2011. The book primarily details a subsect of the tendai monks famous for running the kaihogyo, a onethousand day. Kakudo is one of the marathon monks of mount hiei, and this will be only. Since 1885, 46 marathon monks have completed the 1,000day journeyan ordeal that is an option for the gyoja who passes the 100day test. The kaihogyo circling the mountain is a set of the ascetic spiritual training for which the buddhist marathon monks of mt.
Hiei, japan on the northeastern hills outside kyoto, lie several unmarked graves. I also could have gotten all of the information about the marathon monks from a 5 minute youtube video or online article instead of reading this book. The kaihogyo is a set of the ascetic spiritual trainings for which the buddhist marathon monks of mt. The tendai school rose to prominence during the heian period 7941185, gradually eclipsing the powerful yogacara school hossoshu and competing with the upcoming shingon buddhism to become the most influential at the imperial. This structure mirrors the preparation of the gyoja. This beautiful book documents in image and text a peculiar yet exhileratingly unique group of monks.
The monks, known as kaihigyo, are spiritual athletes from the tendai sect of buddhism, based at mount hiei, which overlooks the ancient capital city of kyoto. Author john stevens, in his book, the marathon monks of mount hiei describes the running style which dates back over a thousand years. Tendai buddhism uk home of the tendai buddhist school in. The reader will learn about the monks deathdefying fasts, their vegetarian training diet, their handmade straw running shoes, and feats of endurance such as their ceremonial leap into a waterfall. The book focuses on the tendai buddhist monks who complete kaihogyo, 1,000 days of long distance walking, meditation, and prayer over a 7year period. This is the equivalent of running two olympic marathons backtoback every day for 100 days. The lotus sutra was translated into chinese in the 5th century by kumarajiva, and taught in north china by the monks and first patriarchs, huiwen and huissu. Fascinating book about monks in central japan who runwalk marathons.
Over seven years and days, the gyoga travel 24,000 miles in the search for enlightment. The tendai monks of mount hiei in kyoto include among their buddhist practices running marathons. What i learned when i met the monk who ran 1,000 marathons. Kaihogyo is by far more demanding than any modernday athletic endurance event, so demanding that the monks are required to carry a knife and. On the first day of kaihogyo, which begins at the end of march or the beginning of april, the marathon monk wakes up at 1. Tien tai and tendai monks are fanatics for devotional practices, as is most of the rest of the buddhist world theravada, mahayana, and vajrayana. But to a tendai monk, marathon means running approximately 26 miles every day for a year. This book is about these amazing men, the magic mountain on which they train, and the philosophy of tendai buddhism, which inspires them in their quest for the supreme.
What is the purpose behind the walking is it walking meditation to attain samadhi. Saicho, founder of japanese tendai the magic mountains. The marathon monks of mount hiei trail runner magazine. The zen of running is a book written by fred rohe which states, whatever. Renowned for their discipline and compassion, the monks assert that their marathon is a direct path to enlightenment. The marathon monks of mount hiei by john stevens goodreads. I was wondering why do the tendai monks at mount hiei walk over miles around the mountain. Since 1885, only 48 marathon monks of the tendai sect of buddhism have accomplished the ritual. Much of the following material is taken from john stevens book the marathon monks of mount hiei, wikipedia, and other internet sites. The tendai priests generally marry and raise families. The ultimate achievement is the completion of the 1,000day challenge, which must surely be the most demanding physical. Marathon monks of mount hiei documentary insight state. Tendai buddhist tradition dictates that if kakudo does not complete his.
The reader will learn about the monks deathdefying fasts, their vegetarian training diet, their handmade straw running shoes, and feats of endurance such as their ceremonial. Unique within their journey of personal enlightenment is the incorporation 100days or 1,000days of consecutive marathon distance 4080km pilgrimages through their mountain homes. Hiei is a documentation of a sect of tendai buddhist monks in the mountains outside kyoto, japan. Japanese monks endure with a vow of patience the new. Eyes focused about 100 feet ahead while moving in a steady rhythm, keeping the head level, the shoulders relaxed, the back straight, and the nose aligned with. After completing the fifth year of running, the monk must go 9 consecutive days without food, water, or rest. The book also examines the history and teaching of these tendai zen monks and this account of the.
Illustrated with superb photographs, the book also contains the first fulllength study in english of mount hiei and tendai buddhism. July oconer, one of the finishers and sponsors of the 1st bataan death march 102k ultramarathon race, posted the following article in facebook about the tendai marathon monks of japan. It is a nice reading item to runners and the reason why japan is one of the top sources of marathon runners in the world. At 3 pages, half is dedicated to tendai buddhism and the second half to the marathon monks. The head priest of enryakuji is the head priest zasu of the entire tendai denomination. Eyes focused about 100 feet ahead while moving in a steady rhythm.
Three years ago i read a book titled the marathon monks of mount hiei by john stevens. The kaihogyo circling the mountain is an ascetic practice performed by tendai buddhist monks. Many of the trainees at mount hiei who hope to qualify for priesthood are their children. The tendai monks believe that enlightenment can be achieved during your current life, but only through extreme selfdenial. Hiei is a documentation of a sect of tendai buddhist monks in the. Only a select few of the japanese tendai monks of mount hiei are allowed to undergo the sennichi kaihogyo 1,000day marathon, which spans seven years. Advertisements the kaihogyo according to the tendai monks, you can only achieve enlightenment in your current life through extreme selfdenial and they achieve this by taking up the. At the tendai temple of enryakuji, outside of kyoto, monks engage in a practice of daily pilgrim age. Tendai, tendaishu is a mahayana buddhist school established in japan in the year 806 by the monk named saicho, posthumously known as dengyo daishi. During year 5, the monk must again run 30 km per day for 200 straight days.
He also carries a small bag that holds his secret holy book, which will guide. The 1,000 day challenge the path of a marathon monk is neverending. Throughout this world, there are many mysterious and amazing feats that can be found. I am currently finishing a book on yamada etai who was head priest for 20 years beginning in 1975. Running naturally lends itself to buddhist practice. I dont post more than once a day and if i do i try to find a section where i havent posted previously.