Sunday, October 17, 2010

Tendai monks... ( revisited)

My brother gave a quick run down on what endurance is.   Should people really endure pain to reach the 'higher pleasures' - beyond material and carnal aspects of life!    Well, worth thinking about, if not exploring.

These monks - over a period of 10 years will have to run 50+ k's for 100 consecutive days every year, wearing sandals or mostly on bare feet, on unmarked routes, with no apparent help, in tough weather and inconsistent terrains and pray in about 250 temples.  At one point, they have to go without food for 7 days, and should not swallow their spit!  Further more during the last year, they run about 84 km everyday for 100 days!   The entire regimen is time bound.

They are trained to rest parts of their body, and a 10 min rest for the monk is more than 5 hours of rest.  This article is public.   Only 46 monks have survived the 1000 day ordeal.  Very niche species indeed...

People like me are at the other end of the spectrum.   We are consumed by the chores of daily life, and do little that shall take us to the 'next level'.  Except when we put our feet on the street, especially sneak runs.

We dont have planned regimens like the Tendai monks, which take them away from materialism.  But within the limits of this material world, we try to attain some salvation through hobbies like running.   The effort slowly becomes a reason for existence ( ref  Runaholic...).

Finding a reason to run itself shows the endurance of this passion - which also looks for like minded people.   Here too, we dont have a choice of the place, weather and time we run; we do it because we want to do.   So it is still materialistic, in a sense, is it not?

For the tendai monks and the likes, running becomes a daily chore, whereas it is a passion for the otherwise mundane like us.  

So endurance to achieve something is inevitable - be it the tendai monks or mere mortals like us!

Runaholic!!!

Late August, I realized that running has become an addiction to me.  Declared state of addiction, that too.

It is in my bones...'mileage', the 'k's', 'stretches', 'LSD" have all become part of my routine vocabulary.   That is the behavioral part.

The most important thing is the core inner feeling.   Rich daddy says ' the amount of days that you spend without working, is the measure of your richness'.  The more you are away from your love, the more you want to get back at it.   It did not last 2 days for me... sleepless nights,  restless mind and could not tolerate.   I burn guilt through hot deep sighs.   Unbearable it has become.

The twins kept beckoning...my feet.  My eyes roll,  mind races, heart beats and lungs suck in air faster, faster, faster...I pulsate and pulpitate.

And, I do the act - feet into the shoes, laces tied.    Running dress on!  Sports band on!   Feel much better.
Then the first steps and I go!   Deep inside me,  a child screams,  tumbles, leaps in joy... now I EXIST!  I found a purpose to live for one more DAY!!!

I breathe better, think better, am happier when I run or plan to.  It is the pillar of my everyday existence now.   Else,  like a lost child, I dont know what to do... I dont know, how I became like this.   But now, I have become a RUNAHOLIC!!!