Your Help is Requested
 When you approach the gods in
Japan, whether the kami at a Shinto shrine or the Buddha at a
temple, there is a series of actions that you usually follow to get the
gods’ attention. At a
shrine, you clap your hands in front of the coin box.
At a temple, you ring a bell over the coin box.
But in both cases, before making noise, you throw a coin into the
coin box. If you want the
gods to hear you, pay in advance.
I will take your
requests
and thanksgivings to the gods whether you are able to help me or
not. But the Bible says,
“As you sew, so shall you reap.”
In more contemporary terms, “What goes around comes around.”
If you really want what you’re asking for, or if
you’re really thankful, you will share not only in the benefits
of my journey, but in its hardships as well.
That is, you’ll give me
money.
They say that the Lord helps
those who help themselves. Well,
maybe the Lord helps those who help me!
There are other ways to support
me, of course, and many already have: helping me with translation,
helping me promote my site, etc. Another
way to help is to pray for me as I pray for you.
When the Edo-period Japanese
appointed a lobbyist to the gods, they also paid his way, and did his
work and cared for his family while he was on the road.
I have no work or family to tend to, but I will have expenses.
I will be unemployed and homeless for three months.
Walking is free, but eating is not.
There will be some lodging expenses (though I’ll often sleep
outside). And putting up my
homepage daily will involve Internet and telephony expenses.
Just camera batteries alone will soon add up!
How much should you give?
Anything would be appreciated (and as I said even no contribution is
perfectly acceptable). But as a guideline, I have set up three
“circles” where your name can be listed (unless you specify that you
wish to be anonymous). The three circles are:
-
The Kannon Circle: 3300 yen or $33.00 (US) or more,
representing the 33 manifestations of Kannon, the god/goddess of mercy
-
The Tokaido Circle: 5300 yen or $53.00 (US) or
more, representing the 53 post stations of the Tokaido
-
The Kobo Daishi Circle: 8800 yen or $88.00 (US) or
more, representing the 88 temples of the Shikoku pilgrimage
Please
tell
me the amount you wish to contribute, and I will send you
information on how to make a deposit to my bank account.
Business owners may also want
to consider official
sponsorship of my walk.
Check out my list of donors.
[Note: Due to the generosity of several
amazing people, as you can see on the Donors
page, I had to create another level, the "Aki Meguri Circle,"
for people who donated 17,400 yen or $174.00 (US) or more--the total of
the other three circles combined!] |
HISTORY
