« Bait & Switch | Home | Play a Game »
Becoming Dai-ajari
By bk | June 10, 2007 15:18
This is the first in what will become an ongoing feature here highlighting religious practices and rituals that are a little bit ‘out there.’ Most people are familiar with what would be termed strange practices by outside observers - circumcision, walking in circles around a black box, wearing funny hats for example. This section will be about some rather more interesting and less well known practices performed in the name of religion.
Today, we have a story about a practice of some Tendai Buddhist monks undertake. To become dai-ajari, one must go through amazing physical feats. This includes years of multi mile trekking “running or briskly walking more than 50 miles - that’s almost two marathons - each day as the trial neared its climax,” a 9 day trial of meditation without sleep, food or water and 100,000 repetitions of a mantra. Fortunately, the practitioner has the tools for suicide should he (and it is likely only an option for men) feel unable to complete the journey. Thanks for that.
Topics: Rituals and Practices |
[…] the irregular, but still interesting theme of “Rituals and Practices” that began with Dai-ajari, we have a little venture off in to some of the more interesting Christian sects in recent […]
Posted by: Sects Without Sex at The New Atheist on April 20th, 2008 at 19:42