Taking a turn toward the bizarre this week, we discuss the marathon monks of Mount Hiei where monks walk 24,000 miles to clarify their mind and spirit.
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Ref:
https://www.trailrunnermag.com/people/culture-people/the-marathon-monks-of-mount-hiei/
https://en.japantravel.com/blog/fudo-myo/68296
https://3100.srichinmoyraces.org/#third-section-tab-1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gq3O1g6_9Os
Taking a turn toward the bizarre this week, we discuss the marathon monks of Mount Hiei where monks walk 24,000 miles to clarify their mind and spirit.
Twitter & Facebook: @macabrepedia
Instagram: @macabrepediapod
Email us at: @Macabrepediapod@gmail.com
Ref:
https://www.trailrunnermag.com/people/culture-people/the-marathon-monks-of-mount-hiei/
https://en.japantravel.com/blog/fudo-myo/68296
https://3100.srichinmoyraces.org/#third-section-tab-1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gq3O1g6_9Os
Macabrepedia makes light of dark subject matter that may not be suitable for all audiences listener discretion is advised.
Matthew:September 18 2022, Andre Mikado jogs through the counting station that marks the start and end of a loop around a high school athletic area in Jamaica, Queens, New York City. The loop is just over a half of a mile and he has completed his 2000 loop putting him over 1000 miles. This is not the number of times he has completed the loop in his lifetime, but the number of times he has completed the loop in the last 15 days, and he has not even a third of the way to the end. You see Andre and 11. Other participants are entering the second week of a 52 day endurance event the Sri Chinmoy self transcendence 3100 mile race. The idea is that the efforts exceed physical and mental limits and forces a participant to dig into the infinite spiritual potential residing within us all. This is the 26th year the event has taken place. It draws ultra runners and spiritualists from around the world. To complete the race within the allotted time of 52 days runners must average about 60 miles per day between the hours of 6am and 12am. It is well known that during some runs, a participant may experience a runner's high, a feeling of euphoria that causes heightened senses and self awareness. Endurance athletes have also claimed that bouts of physical exertion help to clear their minds in a type of moving meditation. There is no better example of this walking meditation than the 10 Die monks of Mount he a Japan, for the Buddhist monks have he A, this is not a race. This is not a multi day endurance event. This is 25,000 Miles done in 1000 days worth of marathons to complete it is to become a living saint, and to fail is death. Join us as we add another entry into this, our Macabrepedia.
Marissa:Hello, and welcome to Macabrepedia marriage of true crime and the truly bizarre. And today, it sounds like we are discussing long distance running something that you're very familiar with.
Matthew:Not quite to this extent. But yeah, we are doing something that's a little less McCobb, though there are some McCobb aspects to it. There's not a lot of murders or anything that are associated with this particular one. But and it does involve, I guess, long distance running, it would be a way
Marissa:to put it, which is a lot of pain for sure.
Matthew:To a ridiculous degree when you're talking about what what the what the the monks are putting themselves through. Yeah. So what the people who are doing right now, as of this recording, the New York City race is actually happening 3100 miles in 52 days, which, at that, that that might end in some enlightenment.
Marissa:Yeah. You told me about that a little bit this week. That's, that's incredible.
Matthew:Yeah, so I mean, this, this, this, this, because of this, what happened last week, where we were talking about 100 mile runs and stuff like that it kind of led into some kind of led into some other running like, mindsets. And I had on my Strava account, which is an app that, you know, tracks, your runs and your walks and everything. I had seen that I was a lower place in my step group than I would have expected. And it's just like, it's a worldwide challenge. And I saw the steps that one of the participants had and I was like, that's not fucking possible. Like there's no the students, the students clearing 60 miles a day. Are you kidding me? And I looked and it was he's one of the participants that are doing the transcendence run. Well, I
Marissa:when you first mentioned this run, I was like many people have to live in Queens because it's how long is the race? It's 52 days. Did you days but you said that most of them are not?
Matthew:No, it's, they're mostly all followers of the spiritual teachings of Shri Chimp, Chimp, chimp noi. This would be a good point in in the podcast, so let you know that there's going to be a lot of words that I'm going to butcher. That'd be that'd be something new. Well, yeah, I'm pretty sure I got MT he A, because he A is a character from the anime Yu Yu Hakusho. And it's felt the same way. So I'm pretty sure it's the same thing. Nice. But anyway, yeah, they don't, they're not from there's like a Chinese couple, that alternate who gets to do it, but they're all kind of like followers of this spiritual leader who has he died in 2007. But he's got some interesting YouTube videos of his feats of strength, which are really not very impressive, actually. The weight is impressive, but the way he goes about moving it is real. That's a different story. Let's go to mount here. This mountain, which is about the highest peak of he I think is like, just under 3000 feet. So it's not like it's not like they're climbing Everest or anything. But it is rugged terrain out there. Mount. He lives just northeast of the city of Kyoto in central Japan. This was one of the words I'm going to mess up Kyoto, Kyoto, no, a Gilja which is the name of the priests or the monks rather, a Gilja smoothly speeds over the rugged mountain paths. He must make his 18 mile loop every day for 100 days to become an official member of the Japanese Buddhist temple that here these days are done consecutively. The temple is home to the Tendai monks, a group of spiritual athletes before setting out this day the Initiate would have attended an hour long service in the Buddha's Hall, he would have sat on the ground quietly sipping a bowl of miso soup and eating a few rice balls. Other than a possible quiet prayer, it would be silent, he would be very present and every movement very deliberate. He then dresses in his ritual garments. This is not the latest sporting outfit that you would see like a Nike commercial or even on like road marathons nowadays. This is this is actually contemporary but this is not. This is none of that moisture wicking. stuff. It well it's Guess what I'm going to get there. It is a cotton kimono under shirt, pants, hand and leg coverings, a long outer robe and a priests outer vestments, all pure white. White is the Japanese color of death. His garment is reminiscent of the attire that he would be worn that he would be wearing if he was dressed for his funeral. He will put on a pair of handmade straw sandals over his bare feet. This is done within the house. This is one of the few times in Japanese culture that shoes are put on inside of a house. The one of the only other times that this would happen is when a body is being prepared for burial. These special read sandals may last only a single day perhaps to in bad weather. Rain will destroy the sandals within hours. He would carry up a lantern, small paper lantern for light during these pre Dawn hours. And of course if this is bad weather that's going to get extinguish.
Marissa:Yeah, I can imagine. I had some like wicker shoes one time, which were the worst idea ever that I wore them in rain one time and they got really big and they just start to fall apart. So I can just imagine.
Matthew:Yeah, and this is not running trails with that. And, of course also in bad weather the routes he's supposed to take only become more treacherous. This is an 18 mile loop that he's supposed to be doing. He also will have wrapped around his waist, a white cord of death. And a sheath knife tucked within Tendai Buddhist carry on a tradition that dictates that the Gilja does not complete his journey, including the accompanying tasks that he's actually out there to do. This isn't just running 80 miles. He has to also do specific tasks at holy sites. If he fails to do any of this. He must stop and end his life either by hanging himself with that cord, or disemboweling himself with that knife.
Marissa:Wow, no, just keep going.
Matthew:He also has this you speeding me
Marissa:along again? No, not at all that just wow, that's rough.
Matthew:He was very serious. His duty, at least, at least thematically is incredibly important. He also carries around a small bag that holds his secret holy book and also pray or beads. This will guide him along his journey and it will help him remember the 250 prayer stops that he has to make along this 18 mile trip around. Now here are some of those stops will honor monks who have passed who did not make it and died of either suicide falling animal attacks or some other unfortunate event. During these tracks he will be acting in order with Fudo Myo. So let's jump in today's special segment of better no a Japanese deity Fudo. Myo is one of the five mio deities. These five act as protectors versus demons. Four of the MIO are associated with the cardinal directions Fudo Myo is a fierce looking deity that scowls and bears his large fangs. He is generally depicted as having dark blue skin, sometimes red, and he sits atop a stone surrounded by a blaze of flames. He wields his sword, how can the sword that cleaves through ignorance, in his other hand is Ken Saku? A rope with a weight and a ring on the end of it was the formula uses like a trapping device for like animals that can soku is now used as like us to symbolize the salvation of mankind. Fudo Myo is known to hold many secret incantations to keep evil spirits at bay. Fudo Myo is also considered a fire deity, sitting amongst his flames. Voodoo mio symbolizes fortitude. Voodoo mio is an offender and an assistant in achieving one's goals. His statues are often placed near waterfalls or deep within mountain caves. Fudo is outwardly fierce and intimidating, but inwardly contemplative and serene. Many aspects of the Tendai monks undergoing the what will be eventually 1000 Day chi hug do, which is the name of the run. They have very similar parallels to Fudo. Myo, the rope, the knife, the fire ceremony that will come later. The fortitude, the prayers of protection, this is all very Fudo. Myo. Right, so they're running around, and they're doing these prayers, out of respect and also incantations to protect against the spirit world. Gotcha. Then they have the rope in the knife, as well. Mount here has five main peaks, the highest is oh, by doc a. Sure I said that. Absolutely horrible. And it is 276 Nope, let's try that. Again. It is 2769 feet high. That's not crazy high. That's but it's, again, it's very rugged terrain all throughout there. It's got like, rain and snow. And this isn't like well traveled Park paths. Very often. The mountain is located in kind of a temperate western Japan. But with the the altitude that's there, and the tall trees and then the cold winds that come off the ocean or from Siberia sounds pretty inhospitable. It can it can during the winter months, it gets pretty pretty frigid up there and it becomes a kind of like a series of frozen peaks. You know, it's known coldness, but not not like the most inhospitable place in the entire world. But temperate has all of the all of the four seasons. But let's head back to our initiate Gilja on his track, thus far, he will be only in his first 100 days. Each night, he will get up at midnight, attend the service that starts the Kayo Gu, which is the run Chi Chi hoga to probably close, I don't know, whatever, get over it. It's probably gonna be sad 14 different times, 14 different ways throughout this whole thing. But he gets ready for that. The run around the mount here, completing the route between 730 and 9:30am. He will then attend an hour long service followed by bathing and a midday meal. After lunch, he will rest then attend to his his temple chores. The last meal is taken around 6pm He will then get to sleep sometime around 9pm And then he will do this repeat repeat repeating it every day. bed at nine up at midnight. Run till 7am continuous sounds amazing. The only variation in the 100 day ordeal will be a special 33 mile run through Kyoto. The actual city This will also take one night, sleep from him as well, because all of his other stuff is supposed to be done. So he just doesn't overnight run throughout. Quick clarification, when I say the word run, he's not like, he's not trying to do this as quickly as possible. It's actually kind of frowned upon to be to go through it quickly. Yeah. You have this take a certain amount of time to do each of the prayers and do all this stuff. So it's kind of frowned upon to go too fast. And it's also considered kind of lazy if you do it too slow. Just right, Goldilocks, just write so you have to move but not too quickly, throughout. So during this 50k route through Kyoto, the 33 ish miles, he can sit down under a giant sacred cedar tree for two minutes during this two minute set, as he will then give a prayer to the imperial family.
Marissa:Well, it can't sit much longer he'll lockup. Man,
Matthew:beware of the chair, beware the cedar tree. The Gilja initiate will have a master who kind of assists on the first runner to to kind of show him the path and make sure he's doing everything right. Since 1886, there have only been 46 months to complete the Kaiho view. Wow, really the 1000 days? No, not at all. Some have gone on to do it more than once, twice, or even three times impressive. Some have died on their second undertaking. Some have died on their third undertaking, one of the living saints who has completed the trek twice, or the whole key Ogio. Twice. His name's Sakai. And he said that when he was a young student, he failed all of his classes had to take tests multiple times, he just never seem to learn the lesson on the first go. So he believed that that would probably hold true for this as well. So after completing it, he went in to do it a second time years later, because he figured all of his tests in life has he's always had to take it twice. And he did the second trip in his late 50s. So when I say trip, I mean the full 1000 days of this the the the initiate or the Gilja he's going to be on his own in the forest other than like the one or two times that the master takes him through the little 18 mile course, he's gonna suffer cut sprains, bruises, punctures to his feet, cuts around his ankles, he will run fevers, he will have all kinds of hip knee back ankle pains, not to mention all the toenails that come off. Well, normally, toenails come off because they're jamming into your shoe. Well, your sandals or your sandals, he's gonna blister like a motherfucker in between his toes and stuff. But many of the monks who do this end up with severe diarrhea, hemorrhoids, they even during the times of the month that they have to do it. They can suffer dehydration, or frostbite. And of course, they're going to be doing this pretty hungry as well, because they're not bringing some gels and cookies on their own there. In the case of sockeye, the one who had done it twice, he was attacked by a wild boar, while he was on one of his trips, and he was injured very badly. He I think he completed that particular circuit like that one little loop. And then later on later loops, where the bore had gouged him became infected and had like an abscess. And that formed and he thought he wasn't going to be able to continue. He was so sure that he was not going to be able to continue that he had actually taken his knife, placed it to his belly and was about to disavow himself by SLIS slicing open his abdomen and pulling his entrails out. He readied himself. Then he kind of paused, looked at the knife, and then decided instead to cut out the infection and burst the abscess, which gave him enough relief that he was able to continue and complete the second second. Yeah, so he, he seems like a pretty tough dude. Depending on what sources you find for Sakai. His his life story is real rough or just mildly terrible. Like his, his wife committed suicide. He she was his first cousin. He was somewhat associated to depending on again on your sources. Now it seems to be kind of disputed a bit as to whether or not this part's true, but that he was like part of like the one of the major In World War Two, or I guess, one of the main, like the 729th Division of the Japanese war efforts that had been making like biological warfare, chemicals to use against the Chinese and stuff, so he did some bad stuff. That part. Some people say that the documentary that says that is not true. Anyways, the guy is tough enough to cut out infection and do 2000 marathons, we'll call them alright. So the stories that are being told by the masters such as like the, the Boer attack, and other you know, those who have witnessed this stuff, those are not the only reminders that The initiate is going to have during to remind them of the perils that this this undertaking has. There are also grave markers and points along the the the trails that are there to Mark, where others have died over the last 1000 years of past attempts. They also serve to be a bit of a grim reminder, as he goes through just how serious it is. Obviously, if you're familiar with an 18 mile distance, and hiking or running 18 miles, even through mountains, it's not insane, right? To do it every day to do 80 miles, obviously walking around 80 miles of mountains, not super hard. Doing it on 1400 calories, consisting of just miso soup and rice balls, makes it a bit tougher, wearing layers of cotton, and woven read sandals, even if it is white and doesn't retain heat still known from the sun, it's still cotton retains your body sweat gets super damn heavy. I know this in the sandals, it's going to cause some significant wear and tear on the body. But it said that by about the 30th day, the discomfort will lessen as his body suddenly adapts to this pain and strain. This East anything? Well, yeah, of course those who are really, I mean, this is this is also a story of just human resilience, you know, but this is not a phenomenon that you have to be a monk in order to have many extreme distance ultra runners have experienced a similar phenomenon when they're when they're doing like a speed thru hike of like the Appalachian Trail, Continental Divide or running across whatever country or continent they're doing. A lot of them say that around day 30 It just your body just kind of says okay, so it's like you may be crippled on day 28. And then by day 30, you're running like it's day one. These highs and lows do kind of continue throughout the endeavor. But it does show kind of the adaptability of the mind and the body and your body stops you or like tries to stop you for a while being like we're breaking down, we can't do this. This is unsustainable. And then all of a sudden, it just goes alright, this is our new normal. This is our baseline. So you know, it's pretty cool.
Marissa:That's cool. Never had I've never gotten that hard that long. But
Matthew:yeah, maybe this isn't something that generally I mean, you have ups and downs in any like really long race like you're gonna have your highs and lows from you know, pretty much any any any race a marathon 50k 50 mile or 100 mile or multi day, whatever, you're gonna have your ups and downs. But like Scott Jurek, who is a well known Ultra runner, when he was doing the Appalachian Trail this he was like crippled on, early in, in his in his runs where he just couldn't, he was struggling to take one more step. And then all of a sudden, the next day, he was just fine for like, another week or so like he as if he had just started. So it's pretty cool, though. You know, the body just kind of decides like, Alright, so this is us now. By the 17th day, he's going to be moving with a very smooth gait. He's going to be holding an appropriate posture where his head and shoulders are erect, his back is straight, his nose and navel are aligned and he kind of like glides across the path like he wears like this long. Like, read hat as well. It's supposed to look like a lotus petal that's folding in the water. And as he kind of moves through the path, he has like no head movement, like he just just kind of glides through. He will continually chant mantras of food Fudo Myo as he stops at holy sites this is normally like, like a few quick few quick words. And then he'll like take the the prayer beads that he has always keeps in his hand and it goes and he just kind of rubs them back and forth does a few claps and then He kind of moves on. It's not like you sit in there for a long time doing this. It's just like a quick little five, six second kind of a thing. His spiritual goal is to become completely absorbed in the mountain and its surroundings, one of the monks, and one of the sources that I found, he says that it's to it. The idea is to live that day as though it's your only day to think that tomorrow belongs to another world, that will never be. The goal is not to get through this day, it is to live this day as if it is your entire life, which was also a documentary about 100 miles, runs. That's called Life in a Day because of those ups and downs and challenges and highs and lows. But it's really cool to just be like very locked into your moment, right? Like today, it's not I have to get through this. And it'll be over. At this point in time. It's this is my entire existence, this, this is all this is my all, which is cool. With the pains and stresses being put on Gilja, he, he hopes to achieve a state of enlightenment, ideally, through this whole ordeal, the pure spiritual joy, of kind of feeling present in the moment and oneness with the universe as a whole. And they kind of transcend the pain as he gets like closer to that barrier between life and death. Now, again, 80 Miles may seem like a lot to some of our listeners. But realistically, it's only like 36,000 steps on your average step tracker. It's certainly taxing and incredibly time consuming. But it's doable 36,000 steps in a day, 80 miles, it's it's it's very, very doable. But this is only the first 100 days of 1000 days of these marathons. Now I say marathon marathon is 26 miles, I've said everything's thus far 18 miles, it averages out to 1000 marathons. This, this test is essentially just the warm up.
Marissa:Okay, I was wondering,
Matthew:the, he's going to complete the process. Over a course of seven years. Now, the distance becomes greater and progressively more difficult if you're doing the math 1000 Year 1000 divided by 365 days is close to like two and a half years. If he did them consecutively. He doesn't have all of them are not consecutive. Back to back to back. So 100 days is consecutive. But after that, exactly. So the actual consecutive days breakdown is something along the lines of in year one he's doing 18 to 20 miles a day for 100 days a year to 25 to 25 to 28 ish for 100 days, mile three, same thing. 25 ish for 100 days a year for 25 for 200 days a year, five more of the same. But in year four, he gets to wear socks. Oh, yeah, go. That makes sense. Yeah. And then I think in year five, he gets a walking stick a year six, he does 38 miles a day for 100 days. Then you're seven he does 53 miles a day for the first 100 days and then 25 miles a day for the next 100 days. And then that comes out to 1000 1000 of them 1000 days and about 26,000 miles, so circumnavigating the world around the equator. It's not known exactly. When the trician actually started, I
Marissa:was about to ask that because I was just wondering who came up with this?
Matthew:Well, there are references to like, pilgrimages into the mountains taking place, from my Buddhist texts texts back in like the eighth century, right. But this seems very specific. Yeah. And but from that, from what I could gather, it just kind of seems like you go to this mountain, and you do this stuff, this Buddhist stuff, and then you become more Buddhist. And then that's it, you do that. And, but and this is not just here, as far as the mountains, this is mountains all over Japan, throughout the Buddhist world, like going going to a mountain and meditating and stuff is very popular, and a couple of different cultures, as they are done today, or at least, let's say since 1886. It kind of appears on that sense. It currently, as much as as as it is as recognizable. So the story that I'm telling you right now it kind of seems to take place in like the 14th century is when it seems to be like starting to take its form. It's not it's clear that traditions have kind of slowly changed and kind of evolve. Even if you watch like the different documentaries on this or news footage even just shot from a few decades ago, you will see some small changes that I noticed. Such as like when the Chioggia arrives at the base of a steep staircase up to the actual temple on here. He's met by a monk who's a pusher. And he takes like a thick wooden dowel. And he places it into the small of the, of the monk's back and just runs him forward. just shoving him up the stairs on this, he doesn't break contact. He's just constantly pushing, pushing, pushing. He's not like striking, he's just pushing. And then later, that is one that I saw from a few years ago, that that wooden dowel had now has like a, like a, like a crescent on the front. That kind of like hugs around. Comfortable. Yeah. So it's like they do make some adjustments, apparently. But still, it is kind of funny to watch those little dude, just like put this, you know, they're very monkish. It's very, it looks very, as you would suspect and in your head, if you think what what would two monks shoving each other up a mountain look like? The it is that it is it would find itself perfect and like a DBZ or something. But anyway, so he's like, he pushes him up the hill and all that stuff. But there are some some changes that obviously happen. Once our initiate finishes his first 100 days, he can then petition the abbot at the temple to be allowed to undertake the 1000 day. Challenge the semi Chi Chi hoga to in this, if his petition is accepted, he must free himself from all of his family ties, and observe a seven year retreat at Mount here. And when I say like he, he is no longer connected to anything from his former life, kind of like goes and like lives in a little hut. And he can have like an assistant, because one of the older documentaries that had him, there's this woman who had been with this, this monk, like us as a follower, for 12 years, just tending to stuff and he sits pretty much completely alone during at least most of this. And just like this little hut, and he kind of just, he's kind of sponsored through charity, like people who are sponsoring the monks. It's I don't know the ins and outs of it, they don't really seem to like have what there is, there is a book that has been written on the subject matter. I did not read the full book, I just read excerpts from it. And that was not something that I got. But it seems like he's there, they kind of just live alone, except for when they go in for like prayers and chores. And it just seems to be a very solo life except for your like one or two assistants who dedicate themselves to try to help you out. So the Initiate will then commit to the remaining 900. Other marathons over the seven year period. The first 300, again are like 18 to 25 miles, they're done 100 days in a row. And this is generally around the end of march into October, right? Over those three years. Starting in the fourth year, he will be able to wear the socks. And then he'll be doing the 200 consecutive, and the fifth the fifth year he'll be doing the 200 consecutive marathons and he'll have the walking stick at this point. And he kind of taps it rhythmically. Like I mean, if you're ever use trekking poles like he like a ticket ticket ticket ticket ticket as you like running around, but his almost seems like it's it doesn't almost seem like he's using like a walking stick. It almost seems like he's using it like a chime, as he kind of like kind of like taps it on the ground as he walks in. It's weird. He has a very, I mean, his stance is very specific. And the way that he walks through the stick is very, very specific. At the completion of the 700th marathon, he will go through a trial called another one I'm gonna mess up the Daughtery DOI ri door I don't know. This is like I've seen seven and a half or nine days without any food without any water or being allowed to sleep. Wow, he has to sit in an upright position chanting mantras all day and night.
Marissa:How many days can you live without water?
Matthew:It's not that many depends on the person. There's people who've lived a long time like in water yeah there you can look it up there was a guy and like I don't I don't know if you like Israel, some like classically humid area or arid environment. They thought he was a they thought he was a dried corpse when they found him. And then he moaned and then they slowly had to bring them back like giving him like a quarter cup of water over time.
Marissa:There's this is about three days for the average basically does change by person but yeah, still
Matthew:Yeah, you and I were seven days is probably going to probably look good But
Marissa:water in your food too if you're doing something with that
Matthew:he's not eating anything. No, I heard you say that. Yeah, no, this is nothing you're not even allowed to sleep. But the but part of that, but that's kind of what what it's supposed to be. He's supposed to live through this trial and get as close to the brink of death as possible. This is to show like an ultimate ultimate appreciation for life. And he will. Once he's done with this, he becomes like the the saintly master of the severe practice the ogee Omen GRE. But so kind of to go back on to that though, like, well, prior to the actual seven, nine days, whatever, that he's in there, he tapers down his food, which keep in mind, he's been running multiple marathons on like, 1400 calories. Yeah. Which is not what you would normally associate. But he's basically just like with the body being able to like snap into like, Oh, this is our new normal. If you reduce your calories, and continue to force your body to have an output like this, your body just says, okay, okay, we need we are going to be able to maximize the usage of this 1400 calories. And then he kind of tapers down his food and his water as he prepares for this. So he's already kind of slowly over the those few weeks reducing down to a few 100 calories a day. And you can just do it once or once. Right. So yeah, and that's the thing too, like, because I've done extended fasts, not not to this level, and they were water fast. But I've gotten three days without even thinking about eating once I kind of got rolling in it. It's because your body just gets used to like, Oh, we don't eat anymore. And you just your body just gets used to it. But on those days, where if you if you eat a ton, you're gonna get hungry the next day for sure. Because your body's get used gets used to doing so anyway. So this is all all of this trains his body to be able to survive this but do so in a very severe way. So as he kind of tapers down his food, and his water, his meals become just like very simple noodles, a couple of potatoes, just just a few things. And then until the time of the fast this is not actually like the hardest part of it. The not eating, chanting and having no water. Pretty tough. The the idea of staying awake for that whole time is insane. Like the agony of forcing yourself to stay awake is probably the greatest challenge of that.
Marissa:I mean, even if you're just tired trying to drive somewhere and you're trying to keep awake. It's a horrible, it's a terrible experience. Usually just after like one day Miss sleep or something. Yeah.
Matthew:So there's also at all times there's there's monks that stay in there and they're in there for like 24 hour shifts, and then they basically make sure that he doesn't he doesn't sleep at all. He's allowed to wash his mouth out with water, but not to actually drink any of it. So yes, I guess, swish and spit. By the fifth day he will become so dehydrated that his mouth will just constantly taste of blood and he won't he will stop deprecating prior to this he continues to urinate very small dribbles throughout. And he's only allowed to stand up there during once per day at 2am or once per night I guess at 2am where the monk and his attendants will then walk to a holy well to draw water to offer to test Fudo Myo one of the principal attributes of food in my oh is that you must let nothing deter you from your appointed task. So that's you know, part of it is being close to death and still getting your shit done. On the first night this walk will only take like 15 minutes gets up to am walks over there. Like when I say get up I don't he don't wake up he like stands up, goes down there gets draws the water does whatever. By the last night, it'll take him more than an hour to slowly shuffled down there and he'll be aided by this fellow monks who they don't like carry him but it looks like they allow him to like rest His hands on like one of those like shoving pusher sticks in between them. So but he's not like leaning on it. It's basically so that he can like walk in a trance kind of to the thing. During this time. He will. He will lose more than a quarter of his body weight during this also, these aren't big dudes. This isn't like a 300 pound guy dropping away. This is like 150 pound guy dropping down to like, you know, looking like Christian Bale and the machinists. Right.
Marissa:I mean, he has to have absolutely no energy at all Oh, yeah, that's That's why people are helping him
Matthew:they have a this is another one of the things that they kind of changed over the years this this is no longer done during summer months, because of the increased dehydration and stuff Yeah. And then it also I mean with the, with the increased severity of the dehydration, there would be prolonged damage to their internal organs like your just total kidney failure and all that stuff and monks have actually died during this particular section of the of the endeavor. And they It is said that they become so sensitive to their own biology, that they begin to be able to feel their skin their pores pulling moisture from the air, and that they can hear ashes fall from incense sticks and smelled meals being prepared miles away. He will feel transparent, and experience existence within a heightened state of clarity seems pretty cool. Now, fasting for enlightenment is not unique just to the these monks or even just Buddhists, like I mean the idea of fasting to the point of near death to compete to to obtain some level of divinity or inspiration. Christians do it. Hindus do it Buddhists do it many major religions and spiritual groups. They're all about fasting for the
Marissa:correct church when I was a kid where we had we didn't do it like this at all by any means. But we did faster in the day for a week every for every year or something. Not the same thing.
Matthew:That's like some Ramadan stuff. Yeah, but yeah, but that's yeah. A day.
Marissa:It's not the same. Yeah, it's
Matthew:not it's not at all but but yeah, but still, it's still some symbolizes that same thing. Like I mean, depending on what your religion is, it symbolizes the times when people didn't have that. And so, again, there's there's so many different religions that utilize fasting for spiritual I can't I'm not generalizing that that's exactly what it is. for it, but but there's, there's something to be said, when you bring yourself like to the brink and also just to not, not give your body like the base necessities that it craves, you know, that just shows like a mastery over self as well. Also another one of the one of the other cool kind of semi fasting, I guess it's kind of fasting. I don't know, I just thought about it when I was when I was thinking about this kind of stuff. And this also plays into something that happens a little bit later. And one of their other challenges. There is there are these Shingon monks there are 2020 quote unquote, living Shingon monks between the years of 1081 and 1903 that have successfully mummified themselves while alive into something called the so cusine boots who, or becoming a Buddha in this body. And this is where they have a very strict diet consisting of like pine needles, tree bark, stuff that has a lot of sap in it, nuts, seeds, and other forged bits of forest material. And it basically dehydrates the body and then makes them so that they're they're they're super dry and full of SAP you fat checking me? No, not at all. But It rids the body of fat, muscle and moisture. And they while there they take him basically just enough calories to sustain their life while this process happens and they begin to kind of like harden while they're still alive. And then they're buried in a pine box to meditate through the rest of their their time on the planet until they reach enlightenment.
Marissa:No, I was actually thinking didn't we touch on the honeymoon? Yeah, the honey Mark. Yeah. Were you gonna talk about that?
Matthew:Just I knew where you were gonna say with. But yeah, so but the 10 the 10 day monks, they also kind of do a similar a similar kind of dehydration ritual towards the towards the end. So they come out of the deori and they finish more than 700 marathons at this point. And the initiator is now the master of the 700 days of moving in seven days of stillness. And this readies him for the next step of enlightenment. The Sikh kacian ki yo which place which takes place in the sixth year and consists of 100 consecutive days of the 37.5 mile walks and this has required like 14 or 15 hours per day. The seventh and final year he will run two of those 100 days one of which is the 52 miles and then it goes back down to it The the 18 Miles he will do these walks, the 52 mile ones are done through Kyoto, I think most of them. And there's like, followers will line the streets not like huge. This is not drugs. This is not a major religion of Japan or anything like that. But they will like like followers will kneel. And he comes by he does like that little like cheek prayer kind of clapping prayer and then touches them with the beads as he kind of goes through. He'll have an attendant, not necessarily one of the monks but maybe like that the person who helped them out in the early days, that will come through and they will bring a little folding chair that they set up whenever he's like waiting for streetlights to change. And he just like sits there waits for the streetlights. So like the only break he gets Yeah. And then he also they get really good during this time of being able to like snatch a few moments of sleep every time they sit down. So the monks, it said there's a monk saying that says that 10 minutes of sleep for a monk is worth five hours to an ordinary person. And at this point, he will mostly only be getting about two hours of sleep per 24 hours being that he does 14 or 15 hours of this track. And then on top of that he will then be doing the his normal rituals and chores and stuff at the temple. And also my first 50 miler that I ever did. I did in 14 hours. Yeah. And that wasn't just a casual walk. I mean, I was trying hard to do it. So I mean, like that's a that's a pretty good clip. I mean, that wasn't the most impressive thing ever. But I mean, like it's not like he's not it's not a gentle stroll, like he's moving with a purpose for sure. And he has to frickin do little prayers on everybody. So the amount of work that a Master Monk is putting in each day, he would normally lose about a pound every other day, from the amount of calories he should be burning. But through kind of like that training and adaptability that the human body has, he won't lose any stamina or weight during Wow, these Yeah, that sounds a lot. It also explains why people plateau real hard. body gets super used to stuff and it goes. Now we're good right here, you're if you know, super annoying. And by plateau, I mean like when you're doing like a workout routine and weight loss or something along those lines. And you just your body seems to just like maintain a particular level of fitness or weight. And it just won't budge from that. So what I mean by plateau and I am familiar and the monks they everybody hits him at some point. But yeah, but the monks because of this, the the way that they've been training like this over and over and over again running or run walking at about the same pace over the same in the same routes and everything like that, and their day is very very regimented. Their body like becomes super accustomed to being efficient at using the calories that are given to them in any any given any given day. But that brings us towards the final 100 Day Marathon test during the seventh year. Well, this comes as kind of an easy 18 mile circuit, as he would have done in the first 100 days. When he then takes the final steps to the mount the Temple Mount of here, he will have travelled the distance the equivalent of a trip around the equator, he will be greeted by followers to receive blessings as he takes the final steps. There's no fanfare This isn't like part of like a festival or anything like that. There's not like there's not like a ticker tape parade or anything like that. This is just the way one of the days of the many days that have been the same for him and each day is an entire lifetime and it continues all the way to the last. He gives kind of a short series of blessings and prepares for what may end up being the hardest of the trials. The fire ceremony
Marissa:what okay, what's this?
Matthew:Well, this the first of all the pronunciation I'm gonna butcher Jumaane my di Goma he will live this is kind of going what we were just talking about the the monks who utilize like self modification. So this is kind of where this kind of comes into play for the for the 10 dies, he will live on a diet of root vegetables boiled pine needle tea, nuts and kind of reduce his watered down. The fast is supposed to dry them out almost to the point of like the magnification like I had said and this is done in order to keep him from perspiring excessively during the fire ceremony. This is when he will sit before A roaring blaze that followers will line up. And they will bring prayers that they have written on little strips of wood. So you can buy these little pieces of wood, and you take and then they just kind of write like a, just a liner to have like blessings that you that you want the monk to say on your behalf. And this can be any type of prayer. This can be health, prosperity, clarity, whatever you like, it doesn't have to be like part of Buddhist teachings like you can, you can have a prayer of material possessions or anything like that. But the wood pile is then brought before the Master Monk who begins chanting a prayer along with the gathered patrons. And as he does, so he takes each of these these small strips of wood, which they're think of like a, like a ruler, they're about the same dimensions as like a normal ruler. And yeah, when I say ruler, I mean, like a measuring ruler. That's it. No, yeah. I mean, I'm assuming that rulers in Europe are different size, right?
Marissa:Well, they don't, they don't. They don't measure metric system. So I don't know how, I don't know.
Matthew:So they he takes these prayer sticks. And he kind of sets them up almost, at least to start the way that the ceremony is done. When you're not sitting in front of this blazing inferno is kind of like as if you're building like a house out of Lincoln Logs, where you lay like, you know, the the walls out. And he chants 100,000 mantras, to Fudo. Myo, this fire ceremony is also done without any food, or water. It does differ from the DRE as he is allowed to sleep while he sits there. But he's sitting when I say a blade, like he, he's sitting next to like a furnace, where it is just like, four foot high pillar of flame that he's just adding sticks, adding sticks, adding sticks to, and it's, it's, it's intense. And when he finishes that, that's when the whole ceremony is completely done. And he will be done with the entire marathon monk process. I don't think he gets a new title. At that time. I haven't. He's still just Master Monk. But at that point, he becomes like a living saint as far as like there can. As far as the level of respect, there's like, there's one guy who who's done it. The guy who did it twice. He spends most of his day just signing books that people have written about him.
Marissa:Wow. That's yeah. I mean, I mean, yeah, it's very admirable. So
Matthew:yeah. And then at this point, like, hit, you know, traditionally, that would mean that his prayers are like, extra weighty when he prays for you like he's really bringing, bringing the Fudo Myo force with him as he's doing it, but John Stephens, the author of the marathon, monks have come out here. That book that didn't read for this, and I'm gonna steal. Gotcha. Yeah, there are quotes here. He writes, the most admirable thing about the heat a Gilja is their warmth, open heartedness and humanity. Facing death over and over the marathon. Monks become alive to each moment, full of gratitude, joy and grace. They have much to teach us. Always aim for the ultimate, never looked back, be mindful of others at all times. And keep the mind forever set on the way. This is the way the marathon monks are symbols of Anil This is not where he said, This is me this is but back to merely my own stuff. Now this part's not just keep going. This is the way is the Mandalorian. You don't point it out. The marathon monks, they are symbols of an yielding drive of resilience, dedication, and being just the most humble badass, to their tradition of the marathon monks that may be fading, as those who are willing to undertake the experience are less and less those who are willing to help sponsor and assist the monks. As they undergo the early stages. As an initiate, they also become less and less. There's a fear that the ancient traditions of Japan are fading as modern Japan moves on. Religion and traditions slowly fade in a modern secular world, particularly traditions that forced the participant to the edge of death, and even beyond for seven years. Who knows if there'll be another marathon monk to step up to the challenge of the Cuyahoga. Maybe it will be one of the participants jogging around Jamaica, Queens right now, but that'll do it for this week's entry. Wanting to get a little more into the bizarre, I guess, if you want to say that mean, I say bizarre in the nicest way. I mean, it's a religious tradition. I don't mean that what I basically mean is, I'd rather talk about something like this, rather than people eating each other or exploding corpses. I mean, that's got its own time. But yeah, but I mean, I felt like we were hitting on a lot of just McCobb McCobb McCobb McCobb. And I get it with it's kind of in our name, it says it says it right on the tin. But, you know, it's also some bizarre stuff a little something, also to just kind of remind us of what we're capable of doing, and that we're just, we're so much more than we tell ourselves that we can be sure, actually, just today that they, because of the release schedule being pushed slightly on this, this particular episode. Elliott Kip Chateauguay, just broke the world record for the marathon. In Berlin, yay, show me that today on 20 and 2022, September 25, and he did it at a you know, a pace that decades ago would have been thought humanly impossible. It'd been just over two hours, two hours, one minute and nine seconds is what he did it. And that's just, you know, what the humans can, what humans are capable of doing is heavily influenced by how much doubt they have and what their expectations are. Yeah, absolutely. But it's, you know, if someone can do a thing, others can do that same thing, and possibly even better. Well, if they did, I can do it. Exactly. And that's why when records fall, they generally fall fall, fall, fall, fall, like they tumble like two or three times before another one stands for a few decades. So don't allow your kind of like inner lies to hold you back. Not that I'm trying to get on like this Macabrepedia brand, soapbox or anything. But, you know, just don't let yourself tell yourself that you can't do something or that it's not possible just because no one's done it before. That's how innovation works. But anyway, that will do it for this week's entry. As always, thank you for listening. Huge, huge, huge thank you to our Patreon Patrons for supporting the show. And I think if we if we had 1000 patrons, or the equivalent amount of funding, I will undergo a key Hill Gieux ASCAP trial down 1000 marathons and a few weeks of fasting. All you got all the patrons have to do is make it possible for me to quit my job and just run for seven years. I Yeah. Yeah. I call that a love story. That would be that'd be a beautiful thing. Just just to be clear, we are nowhere near 1000 patrons you know, that's not going to possibly happen anytime soon as at least as as as of this recording, I guess we don't really have to worry about it. But so if we do get close to that someone reached out remind me that I've promised to run 1000 marathons and I will do so for whatever patrons can also just do, they can submit their their physical requests for torturous trials that I can undergo. That's that'll be that'd be the Patreon an offshoot anyways, whatever. You can reach out to us. Oh, no, wait, we have a McCobb minute.
Marissa:We do we have McCobb minute. Sorry, this this recording of this one is a little bit split up this week. So it's just a little Yeah, there
Matthew:was like a mid recording break that turned into a series of days of illnesses. I got sick. And then. So yeah, McCobb minute us.
Marissa:Well, there's a couple of mini McCobb facts I guess this week,
Matthew:go for it, get get bringing the McCobb back into my bizarre one after.
Marissa:I mean, one of them's kind of fun. One of them is kind of depressing. So you decide.
Matthew:You can't turn it off after the one you don't like.
Marissa:This is the one you won't like. So listen to the end. Um, no, it just says, okay, so by the time the average American child reaches the age of 14, it's estimated that they will have seen about 11,000 murders on television. Oh, that's crazy. That's interesting. Yeah. It's kind of sad.
Matthew:Obviously. This means in fictional.
Marissa:Yeah, well, yeah. Also, I guess you just Forensic Files via
Matthew:the Americans when I watched those aren't in America, we grow up and all we watch is just snuff films from from birth till 14.
Marissa:No, but there are a lot. I'm sure it's everywhere, but to crime shows everywhere. Yeah.
Matthew:At least in the English speaking world. I feel like true crimes are big, very big. And yeah, it's pretty
Marissa:big. But our other little mini McCobb fact is a little bit more fun than that, during the French Revolution,
Matthew:which is just that's To say that's just said an era of tons of language
Marissa:fun, but people kind of really got into obviously seeing all these executions and stuff like that. And at one point, there was a group of older ladies who were there called the knitters. And they would spend the whole day knitting while watching the blade come down. But also some other ladies would actually wear little earrings that were miniature working. Guillotine Nice. Yeah, like they were a hit with like adults and kids.
Matthew:Oh, yeah, it was yeah, that it wasn't I mean that's that's that was a pastime. Yeah,
Marissa:absolutely. Yeah, little mentor. Let's get something that makes I'm proud to make them
Matthew:I don't think I don't know if I have the well I like making things in miniature actual things I probably could. Most myself I'm making printer. Yeah, I guess I guess I guess we really could make it if it really put put our put our efforts into it. But that'll do it for this week's entry. As always, you can reach us on Twitter and Facebook at Macabrepedia
Marissa:and on Instagram at Macabrepediapod. And you can also email us at macabrepediapod@gmail.com.
Matthew:Thank you, and join us next week or hopefully next week.
Marissa:It'll be next week. As long as you don't get sick again as we
Matthew:add another entry into this our Macabrepedia