Center for Japanese Studies Seminar Series

Professor Jolivet Muriel (Sophia University, CJS Visiting Scholar) will give a talk titled, "The Walking Meditation to the 88 Sacred Temples of Shikoku."

After presenting a short excerpt from the documentary Between Two Worlds (University of California, 1994), she will focus merely on what seems to her the essence of the journey, trying to answer the most frequently asked questions: what are the purposes of the pilgrims who set forth on this 1000-mile journey? Does the white outfit the pilgrims wear, erase the hierarchy of Japanese society?

But most of all, is it worth the effort, and is enlightenment to be expected at the end of the journey? If not, then what is the outcome of such an exhausting walk?

Reflecting on her own experience as a walking pilgrim in April 2007, and on the most touching testimonies that appear on the documentary or that she gathered, she will try to explain how changes do occur at different levels during this "walking meditation," and how emotional one becomes, as one actually travels "between two worlds," going through the looking glass...

Ticket Information
free and open to the public

Event Sponsor
Center for Japanese Studies, Manoa

More Information
Center for Japanese Studies, 956-2665, cjs@hawaii.edu, http://www.hawaii.edu/cjs/seminarseries.html#muriel

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