Skip to content

Dharma Documentaries

Dharma. Culture. Ecology.

Menu
  • Dharma
  • Culture
  • Ecology
  • Archives
  • About
Menu

Marathon Monks of Mount Hiei

Posted on January 5, 2018August 24, 2023 by Dharma Documentaries
The extraordinary pilgrimage of a Buddhist monk belonging to the Tendai sect of Buddhism in Japan.

Marathon Monks of Mount Hiei

These are two films having the same subject, but only partly overlapping content.

The first is the extraordinary story of one Tendai monk in Japan who undertakes one of the most difficult and dangerous austerities I have come across, walking on foot round Mount Hiei 1000 times in a pilgrimage spread out over seven years, and covering a total of some 24,000 miles by completion.

Besides this, after completing the first 700 circumambulations, the pilgrim will also undertake a death defying 9-day fast from food and water, which would be enough to kill an ordinary person, who can only survive 5 days without water.

According to the narration at the end of the feat, the monks are looked upon as Living Buddhas, and are fit to pray for Emperor and Country, and they naturally have many followers once the course is complete. Up to the time of this film in 1991 only 6 monks had completed the course since 1945.

How far such intense asceticism is from the original teachings of the historical Buddha I leave for the viewer to judge, but the story is truly a remarkable one as we watch Tanno Ajari’s last five walks, and learn more about the ideas behind the pilgrimage, explained by the head of the Tendai sect in Kyoto, among others.

For those who want to follow up and learn more about these monks, there is an excellent article here: The Marathon Monk of Mount Hiei, which gives much more information that the film can offer.

 

if the video does not appear on the page, please first try reloading the page, and if that doesn’t work, leave a comment so I can update the page (the comment is not published)

 

The second film, which is only 20 minutes discusses the same endurance feats, but is more recently made, and shows some new monks who have completed the pilgrimage, and also has interviews with one monk who completed the course twice, and with John Stevens (advisor on the first film), who explains more about the context within which the walks take place. Although this film is much more concise it contains important information missing from the first film, so is worth watching in its own right.

if the video does not appear on the page, please first try reloading the page, and if that doesn’t work, leave a comment so I can update the page (the comment is not published)

 

to see an album of stills click here

 

TAGS:
Culture, Dharma, Japan, Monks, Pilgrimages

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Comments do not appear straight away, but are moderated before publication

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search

Subscriptions

Follow our Facebook Page Follow our Tweets Subscribe to our Feed

Subscribe by Email

Email


Shortlink and QR

https://dharma-documentaries.net/b/3ih

Donations

This site has taken more than a dozen years and 1000s of hours to build, and has 800+ documentaries on it. If you would like to help, you can do so here. Even small amounts make a difference.

Copyright

If anyone has any copyright claims please contact me at dharmadocus@gmail.com and the posts and films will be immediately removed.

Top Ten Tags

Theravada
Mahayana
Vajrayana

India
Silk Road
China
Tibet

Arts
Lectures
Rights

Random Posts

  • Avalokiteshvara with a Thousand Arms Dance
  • Epiphany, Angulimala and the Buddha
  • HOME: An Introduction
  • Lost Treasures of the Silk Road
  • The Making of a Novice Monk (Wat Ban Khun)
  • Mummies who made Themselves
  • The Freedom of being a Buddhist Nun
  • China Archives of World Heritage 5: Mogao Grottoes at Dunhuang
  • The Crow Birth (told by Margo McLoughlin)
  • Archaeological Remains of Nalanda Mahavihara

Recent Posts

  • Ajahn Punnadhammo, 01 India in the Time of the Buddha
  • Buddhism in China (1972)
  • Ancient Superstructures, Angkor Wat
  • The Secret File of Marco Polo
  • Chasing Buddha (Robina Courtin)
  • Master Sheng Yen
  • The Story of the Weeping Camel
  • Kailash, the Path from Life to Life
  • Tours of the Caves of Dunhuang
  • Angkor Wat, Ancient Hydraulic City

Related Posts:

  • Mount Emei and Leshan Giant Buddha (World Heritage China)
  • Mountain Monks in Japan
  • Pilgrimage to Koyasan
  • The Challenging Shikoku Pilgrimage in Japan
  • Dazu Rock Carvings (World Heritage China)
  • Earth in 1000 Years
  • The Sacred Journey
  • Shikoku Pilgrimage (Sacred Journeys)
  • Dorothy Wong, Buddhist Pilgrim-Monks, 2
  • Finding Manjushri
© 2023 Dharma Documentaries | Powered by Minimalist Blog WordPress Theme