The Buddhist Study Center sponsored tour group to Shinran Shonin’s Sacred Places composed of 28 members gathering from Oahu (11), Kauai (8), Maui (2), Big Island (4), California (2), and Belgium (1). They left Hawaii on April 12 and returned on April 22. The purpose of the tour was to visit important places related to the life of Shinran Shonin and to have the first hand experience of “being there” at the historical places and to reflect on the life and teaching of Shinran Shonin. I believe that we achieved its purpose and much more. We also created and nurtured a bond of fond friendship in the Sangha as we sat together, ate together, traveled together and recited the Nembutsu together.

Our first day in Kyoto began with our participation in the Nembutsu Hoshidan or volunteer clean up group of Honzan. The Nembutsu volunteer group had its initial start a little over 50 years ago when during the post war years in Japan , visitors to Honzan found the condition there needed much help in maintaining the large compound. Soon volunteer groups began to come to Honzan ground and began to offer helping hand in the upkeeps of the place. The size of volunteer groups grew larger and it eventually became an official volunteer activity of the Honzan exactly 50 years ago. It has become an important segment of Honzan program ever since. I had wanted to make participation in the Nembutsu volunteer group as one of the top priorities of the trip, and I was glad that we were able to join with 7 other groups from throughout Japan for the volunteer clean up of the Honzan that day. The day of the clean up, however, turned out to be a rainy day, and thus, we could not do any outdoor cleanup work. As a result, we all gathered in the Amida Do or Amida Worship Hall, and began dry wiping of the well over hundred of tatami mattress there. With a piece of rag in our hand, we went on our hands and knees, and gave a good elbow grease job of deep dry wiping the tatami mattresses. When nearly 200 people get down on their hands and knees and start working on the tatami mattresses, it’s some site to see. The large Amida Worship Hall was filled with working people dry wiping the tatami mattresses from one corner of the hall to the other. We also dusted and wiped the shoji door frames as well as railings, and wooden floors.

Unlike the Japanese workers who seemed to find wiping the tatami mattresses relatively easy, many of us foreigners, found it quite an experience. One of the tour members came to me and told me, “Sensei, with all these volunteers joyfully working to make this place clean, it is no wonder that the worship hall here at the Honzan is always clean whenever I visit here.” Indeed, it is a far cry from the days of post war era of Japan when the Honzan was in need of lots of helping hands.

We stayed in Kyoto for 4 days to visit such places as Shoren-in where Shinran Shonin received his tokudo `ordination at the age of 9, Ohtani Mausoleum, where Shinran Shonin’s ashes are placed, several temples in Mt. Hiei where Shinrn Shonin studied and practiced the Tendai tradition of Buddhism for 20 years. We were very fortunate in that the Tendai Buddhism expert, Prof. Asada of Ryukoku University, who had just visited Hawaii in late March as the guest speaker for our annual Ryukoku University – BSC Spring Seminar, offered his help in guiding and showing us some important places and temples at Mt. Hiei. With such a professional guiding us, our visit to Mt. Hiei was indeed a very rewarding experience.

Other than Kyoto, there were two other important areas related to Shinran Shonin that we visited. One is Echigo area that is present day Niigata Prefecture. Naoetsu City in Niigata Prefecture is where Shinran Shonin was exiled in 1211 at the age of 35. We visited Kotagahama where he had landed on exile, Kokufu Betsuin, where Shinran Shonin had lived most of his exiled years in Echigo area, and Lady Eshin-ni’s memorial which is a simple five stone stupa that stands near Naoetsu.

Another special area was so called Kanto area or present day Ibaragi Prefecture. Two temples of significance there are Sainenji and Daikakuji located near present day Kasama City. The Sainenji temple is where Shinran Shonin had spent most of his 20 years in Kanto area, and where he had written his magnum opus or his major work called “Kyo Gyo Shin Sho” or (Teaching, Practice, Entrusting, and Attainment).

The other temple was Daikakuji temple that is located near the foot of Mt. Itajiki where the famous encounter of Shinran Shonin and mountain priest Bennen had taken place.

About 800 years ago, while living near the present day Kasama City, Shinran Shonin frequently had taken pathways of Mt. Itajiki to get to the other side of the mountain. Shinran’s presence there gradually drew more and more people to his teaching of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism, and the mountain priest Bennen began to realize his influence is waning in favor of Shinran. Finally, out of frustration, jealousy, and simply bitter anger, Bennen decided to confront Shinran, and even considered taking his life if the situation warranted. But when Bennen approached Shinran, and met him face to face, Shinran’s true, honest and real humanness of compassion struck Bennen’s heart, and realizing his arrogant, selfish and foolish attitude, and repenting his evil intention, he immediately asked Shinran to take him in as his disciple. Bennen was given a new name Myo-Hou-Bo, and lived the next 30 years of his life truly rejoicing in the Nembutsu teaching. He had described his new life of peace embraced in Compassion of Amida Buddha in a poem that goes as follows: The mountain and its pathways / Remain as they are. / But oh what a big change / That had taken place in my heart.

Our pilgrimage tour of Shinran Shonin’s Sacred Places took us from the Nembutsu volunteer work at the Honzan to Daikakuji temple at Mt. Itajiki, and while visiting all these special places, we were able to sincerely reflect on the life embraced in the Compassion and Wisdom of Amida Buddha. The trip enabled the tour members to awaken to our rich heritage and appreciate the privilege of being able to visit these special places of our rich tradition.