A PEACE PILGRIMAGE, Part 1 of 3

So you’re going on a Peace Pilgrimage ...huh?  

With 24 other pilgrims from All Souls, Unitarian, Church in Washington, DC, my destination is Japan – Tokyo, Hiroshima, and Kyoto. 

Different culture. Different religions. And of course, confronting the evil of warfare and the Bomb.

I’m thinking that this can be a wake-up call for me. After years of retirement, I feel like I’ve been slipping into a rut of easy living. Days have a way of blending into mindlessness. Like, what exactly did I do last Tuesday? 

Mmmm...it’s never too late to live more intentionally.

Like everyone, I’ve built a world view. What’s the stuff that shapes mine? Does it build walls or open pathways to learning and understanding? How do my eyes distort reality? Are corrective lenses needed? I’ve got lots of questions.

Already, our group is delving into the meaning of peace making especially in today’s troubled hate filled times. It’s raising even more questions. 

Is peace about going along to get along – a passive cordiality? Or is it more strategic and aggressive? What exactly does it mean to win the peace? Can there be a just war? It’s good to be confronted with these knotty questions.

We read from Lao-Tse.  He's considered the founder of Taoism.

We pause to write a prayer for Peace
and post it among many prayers.

“If there is to be peace in the world,There must be peace in the nations.
If there is to be peace in the nations,
There must be peace in the cities.
If there is to be peace in the cities,
There must be peace between neighbors.
If there is to be peace between neighbors,
There must be peace in the home.
If there is to be peace in the home,

There must be peace in the heart.”

This ancient reading has insight, like a prayer.  And I think it’s still relevant in the 21^st century.  

The gate separates secular from the Holy 

Today, we Peace Pilgrims walk with a Shinto Priest through the Meiji Shrine. It’s a sizable wooded area in the midst of busy Tokyo. Believers enter the gate and bow in a prayer.  They honor restorative powers.  

The Kami is here among the gods of nature.

Shintoism is ancient predating Jewish and Christian teachings. It’s woven into the history of the people living on this archipelago. They interacted with natural forces honoring their benefits as well as dealing with their destructive powers. 

Over millennia, they carried in their collective consciousness a way of life centered on purity, honesty and sincerity.

Shintoism is an optimistic faith, as human life is thought to be fundamentally good. They believe evil comes from evil spirits. Rituals of prayer, purification and offerings to the Kami are meant to check the spread of evil and give wellness.

Here two traditionally dressed children walk to the Shrine.  They come in gratitude for wellness and with hope for the Kami to watch over them.  

Before we enter the Shrine, we wash our hands and rinse our mouths. Life has a way of smearing our best intentions. 

At the Shrine we join in a ritual of purification. It is meant to remind us that Kami surrounds us – if only we notice and clear away the dirty film that covers our soul’s eye.

Our Shinto priest tells us a parable: “When we plant seeds in the ground, we say, ‘grow up little ones. Grow up good and strong.’ and so it is with the seeds we plant in heaven – the seeds of kindness, forgiveness, justice and peace. Grow up little ones - good and strong.”

Shintoism married Buddhism in the 6^th century. At least that’s what it seems like to me. 

Instead of religious wars, the two came together and coexist in Japan. About 79% of Japanese consider themselves Shinto and 67% Buddhist. Of course the total is more than 100% because many consider themselves to be both.

It’s no problem. Consider this….While less than 1.5% are Christian, more than 65% of marriages in Tokyo take place in Christian chapels. Even the Vatican allows non-Catholics to partake of the sacrament of marriage in Japan. 

It seems like Japanese are born Shinto, die Buddhist and in between wed as Christians.

This may be influenced by the nonreligious nature of many or the religious tolerance emanating from 6^th century coexistence. 

I find it most interesting, especially in a world where tribalism is having a resurgence.

Late in the day we travel to Kamakura, a region adjacent to Tokyo. We visit a Buddhist Temple where the Great Buddha has been watching over people since 1252. 

It’s massive towering four stories or 44.8 feet over tourists and worshipers.  Buddha dominates the area. I find a comfortable spot at the base of the figure to soak in the tranquility and mystery.

A family passes me by. The father looking at the Great Buddha and then at me. He says, “Great Buddha and little buddha.” I smile broadly as he takes my picture.

Of course upon reflection, there’s deeper truth. They say that within each person is Buddha...yearning to be known. 

We have choices to live towards greater enlightenment.  Instead of living for possessions and power and control of others, Buddha opens a way of peace and harmony and kindness. 

We can live to help others expanding love and bringing more justice, kindness and understanding into our world.

For me there are echoes from the Buddha in Judaism and Christianity. 

I’m learning to appreciate more about the diversity of our world.  Instead of judging, I'm trying to practice openness to our amazing connectedness. 

Recently, I discovered a musical group.  I hope you'll take a moment to discover and be inspired by them. Playing for Change. 

Their songs take me to places of peacemaking where Buddha, The Prophets and Jesus join hands.

Yes, I’m on a Peace Pilgrimage.