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Running for Enlightenment: The (spiritual) runner’s high of a “marathon monk’”
Posted June 18th, 2007 at 6:18 PM by Jessica Galvano
Section: News & Results, Marathons, Motivation
We are all familiar with the notion of a runner’s high. The calm, euphoric feeling that sets in after a long run has converted many athletes to loyal distance runners. While many runners acknowledge the rejuvenating effects of this high, in the Tendai sect of Buddhism high-mileage running assumes a religious significance.
As a Tendai monk, Genshin Fujinami elected to embark upon the sect’s most trying ritual, a trial that spans thousands of miles of hallowed ground. Fulfillment of the ritual warrants the title of dai-ajari. Literally meaning living saint, this title is one of the Tendai order’s highest honors and therefore, requires displays of intense dedication and spiritual enlightenment.
Among Fujinami’s few possessions, a rope and sword served as an ominous reminder of the consequences of failure. If unable to accomplish the ritual, death — without title — would be Fujinami’s self-inflicted fate.
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