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Shugendo Now Study Guide PDF
Shugendo Now Study Guide PDF
SHUGENDO NOW
CLASSROOM EDITION
A compelling story that links religious practice with ecological sensitivity, balanced living,
and reconnecting with nature. The cinematography and sound design are both excellent, fluidly
moving the audience through the story and capturing the essence of both rural and urban life.
Bryan Rill, Asian Ethnology
Table of contents
Purpose of the Guide
Program Description
Filmmakers Statements
Map
Background: Shugend
11
13
15
Further Resources
21
Glossary
24
28
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PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
The Lotus Ascent
Directors statement
There is a chant you will hear several times throughout our documentary that I believe summarizes our
intentions: Rokkon shojo, or Purify the Six Roots of
Perception.
I believe we are living in times of over-saturated media. Be it intense reality television shows
caked with advertising or the billions of Internet
videos that showcase anything about everything or
apocalyptic movies on the big screen that turn sacred
knowledge to popcorn. Everywhere are attempts to divert get our attention to the next incredible whatever.
I find this to be exciting and frightful at the same
time. What are the opportunities to learn within this
buzz of information? How do we integrate it all into
our beings?
With this film we hope to offer something different. A film experience that cleanses the sensorial
palate. Stories about individuals, families and institutions that highlight the extraordinary in the mundane. Through an esoteric tradition, we explore the
universal and fundamental connection we all have
with Nature. Like Henry David Thoreau once said:
All of Nature is doing her best each moment to make
us well. She exists for no other end. Do not resist her.
We present to you a film that doesnt explain
it but embodies it. Although many ideas are shared
by the participants in the film, for us the most important is the heart connection we want to establish with
the viewer. We want people to come out with a sense
of peace and an open heart, with a desire to bathe in
a waterfall, walk on a mountain or cook a good meal
with friends. It brings us pleasure to present a film
that doesnt shock people with terrible news about
our World, but a film that inspires the viewer to appreciate and be connected with the World that were
terribly destroying, despite ourselves.
I thank you for your interest and hope you get
a chance to view this film.
Jean-Marc Abela, Director
producers statement
Fieldwork put me into contact with publishers, greens-keepers, semi-retired electricians, schoolteachers, nightclub owners, day labourers and factory workers. These gentlemen confided in me their
motivations for climbing Mount mine. Only men
may ascend to Mount mines peakto find out why
see the FAQs on the DVDs Special Features menu.
Escape from boredom, sense of homecoming and
rejuvenation in nature, combining austerities with
a soak in nearby hot springs, and curiosity about
the UNESCO World Heritage status of the region are
found at the lighter end of a spectrum. At the heavier
end of things, joblessness, depression, inability to settle down and move forward in life, lack of fulfilment
in career and family life, substance abuse, infertility,
anxiety, and trauma are some of the most common
motivations lay practitioners report. Participants
goals are not always explicit or transparent, however,
even to themselves. Some come looking for a chance
to reconnect with nature, for spiritual and practical
guidance, for assurances in whatever form available
that they will hit upon the means of participating
in social and economic life. Some have more clear
objectivesthat is, to dislodge blockages in the flow
of their lives and/or offer gratitude for the intercession of powerful deities in their lives.
Although none may express it in these terms,
the crises many of them face stem from the complex
interplay of personal life circumstances, societal
dividing practices, and the low-grade anxiety and
turmoil accompanying the dwindling prospects for
future happiness, satiety, and well-being that is becoming more commonplace in contemporary recessionary, zero-growth Japan.
In July 2007 self-taught filmmaker Jean-Marc
Abela and I found ourselves in Japan with a video
camera and sound recording gear. We had met on a
Montral rooftop garden in 2005 and shortly thereafter discussed the idea of collaborating. Our aim
was to raise questions about asceticism in an age of
plenty: Why do Shugend? What meaning and
value did a rural mountain ascetic tradition have
for city people? We eschewed on-camera interviews
and exposition, opting instead for a minimalist,
subjective narration. Our approach was informed by
theory, practice, and insights gained from training
our senses to become more acute. We took cues from
the embodied experience of chanting Repent. Purify
the Six Roots of Perception. Elsewhere I describe how
this practice permitted me to interject a subjective
interpretation of mono-cultural cedar plantations
as landscapes burdened by war memories (McGuire
2011:304).
Shugend Now is as an attempt at collaborative
and ethnopoetic filmmaking (Weinberger 1992:52).
We are gratified audiences savor moments where
we slide with co-participants toward rebirth down a
waterfall imagined as the Tantric Womb. It was one
of the most fun and meaningful moments for us, too.
We hope viewers see that Shugend practitioners do
ritual ascetic practices in the 21st Century not because they are superstitious, or group-oriented,
nor out of love of nation or emperor. They do them
because it is enjoyable, challenging, and keeps them
connected and human.
We you enjoy the film and share it and the
discussion guide widely.
Mark Patrick McGuire
John Abbott College (Montral)
Tateishis admonition against eco-fanaticism and creation of an eco-pilgrimage as a space of
hope are important moments in the film but also in
our growth as filmmakers and environmentalists. He
raised both topics during a casual lunch with devotees after I thoughtlessly complained about all the
driving we were doing to get our footage.
Tateishis ecological dharma talk comes across
on film as a spontaneous communication to devotees.
But it seems more likely now that it was my lack of
gratitude and carbon emissions angst that provoked
Tateishi to raise this subject on camera. Its a great
moment in the film, but one that requires further
context and reveals how non-fiction documentaries
are highly constructed artifacts that arise from the
agency and interaction of filmmakers and participants, and not the gods, as visual anthropologist Da-
contextualizing essay
Prepared by Waunita Kinoshita
and Takuo Kinoshita, Parkland College
with a particular sect or religious body, so it is associated with both Western religion and the new religious
movements of 19th to 21st century Japan, which commonly feature this characteristic. So although people
in Japan typically have beliefs and perform practices
that are religious in nature, they say at the same time
that they dont have a religion. Moreover, if you
asked if theyre atheist, they would almost invariably
deny it; they do have religious beliefs and practices
but, typically, not those like those found in Christianity, Judaism, or Islam.
Let us look at one example of Japanese peoples
religious activity to get a better understanding. For
example, they may go to a Shint shrine at New Years
to turn in their old arrows from the past year and
receive new arrows as symbols of protection from
evil spirits for the New Year. They may feel that it is
a good thing to write a wish and attach it to a branch
in the shrine asking for success on their upcoming
university exams. These acts imply that they believe
that there is some power that may respond to their
requests even though they are not members of that
particular sect or religion.
As many non-Japanese visit Japan or become acquainted with Japanese visitors, various traditions,
customs or daily life practices often become a part of
their discussions. In these discussions young Japanese sometimes say they are not religious or do not
have a religion, even though Buddhism and Kami
worship (now called Shint) have been part of everyday life in Japan for at least 1,500 years. What do
they mean when they say they dont have a religion
yet so much of what they do, festivals, funerals, marriages, daily honoring of their ancestors at the family
altar, placement of the furniture in a room, is influenced by religious traditions or beliefs? Many Japanese go to shrines or temples to pray for a good marriage, a successful business, a pregnancy, or success
in passing exams and admission into a prestigious
school. How does this square with their contention of
not having a religion?
Although there are many different theories
of religion, it can be said that religion is associated
with beliefs about our relationship with the cosmos
and, often, in connection with the afterlife. In some
cultures such beliefs have developed into organized
institutions with hierarchies of leaders, doctrines,
rituals, etc. But in other situations beliefs are held by
individuals and groups but have not developed into
formal organizations. It is important that individuals
do not look at the beliefs and practices of another culture and assume that a word in their own vocabulary
has the same exact meaning as in the target culture.
To say that Shint or Buddhism are religions does not
mean they have the same or similar structure as, say,
the Catholic religion.
One distinction may be helpful in understanding the statement, I dont have a religion: Most
typically, the person means that he or she does not
belong to a particular organized religious institution or is exclusively affiliated with one religion.
This is why a large number of people say theyre not
religious but go on to tell pollsters that they believe in
Kami and/or Buddhas. The word religion (shky)
in Japanese is associated with belief in or affiliation
There has been Kami worship throughout all
of Japanese history, but it was only when Buddhist
monks began to theorize about Kami that the word
Shint began to be commonly used (in the 14th c.). In
the larger population it was only in the early modern
period that Shint became associated with any kind
of organized religious structure. Buddhism, on the
other hand, had an extensive ecclesiastical structure
but did not demand the exclusive affiliation of its lay
believers, so any Japanese person could readily go to
a shrine to worship a Kami and then go to a Buddhist
temple to venerate Buddhas or Bodhisattvas.
In fact, most Buddhists in early Japan believed
that the Kami, sentient beings like us, were subject
to karmic or moral-causal retribution, so temples
commonly housed a shrine on their grounds, where
Buddhist scriptures would be recited regularly to
help enable the Kami on-site to understand Buddhist teachings and attain Buddhist enlightenment.
For example, even today, a temple like the famous
Kiyomizudera temple in Kyoto features this kind of
shrine on its grounds, as is the case with many other
temples. Also, keep in mind that in looking at a religion one cannot assume that it has been static from
the time of its beginning. All religions, and their
beliefs and practices, have changed over time and to
understand a religion one must know something of
its particular historical context.
This landscape, i.e. the geography of Japan,
seems to have played a significant role in the development of Japanese religious beliefs. Japan is a country
of more than 4000 islands, many with mountains
from which rivers flow and waterfalls cascade. About
85% of the land area of Japan is mountainous, so
mountains understandably have a special place in
the Japanese admiration of natural beauty. Many
mountains are considered sacred, and most Japanese
have historically believed that Kami and Buddhist
divinities (i.e., Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and protective
deities) reside in or descend to them. Mt. mine, on
which this films pilgrimage takes place, is located on
the Kii peninsula in the southern part of Nara Prefecture. There are other sacred mountains on this peninsula that stretches east into the Pacific Ocean from
just northeast of Osaka on Honshu, the main island
of Japan.
In viewing the film, Shugend Now: The Lotus
Ascent, the question arises of why these businessmen in contemporary Japan are going on this pilgrimage up Mt. mine? Why are they enduring
this physically demanding climb up this particular
mountain? Many are involved in the contemporary
The islands of Japanese have been plagued by disasters such as typhoons and earthquakes throughout
recorded history. Just as the ancient Hebrews believed
God influenced such events, the people in the Japanese isles also associated them with sacred or related
powers. Their rice harvests, for example, depended
upon the presumed good will of divine forces such as
those related to what we now call the natural world.
Their dependence on fishing as one source of food,
in their belief, was related to the gods (Kami) of the
seas and winds that make the supply of fish available.
Many major festivals in Japan center on the seasons
and the success of the rice harvest or fishing expeditions.
An important factor in the religion and religious institutions in Japan was the opening up of Japan to the
world beyond continental East Asia, to industrialization, modernization and more recently globalization.
In the early centuries, much of Japans interaction
with the world was with China and Korea, but as Japan became more open during and after the Meiji period, new influences and ideas were introduced. With
the industrialization of Japan and the great impact of
technology, daily life has changed significantly. New
religions and religious ideas have been introduced.
A number of new religions or sects have developed
out of the traditional Shint and Buddhist beliefs and
practices.
10
Although Shint is sometimes said to be
indigenous to Japan, the term Shin is the Japanese
pronunciation of a term for spirits (shen) in Chinese,
so it is important to understand Kami worship in
its East Asian context. In fact, the most influential
scholar of medieval Japanese history of the past half
century, Kuroda Toshio, argued that it is accurate to
see Kami worship as a form of Daoism; such a claim
is questionable, since it would be presumptive to
assume that Japanese practices simply grew out of
Chinese ones. However, there was clearly an integral
connection between Kami worship and religious
practices throughout East Asia. The word Shint,
composed of the two Chinese characters Shen (spirits, or Kami) and Dao (way of), means the way of the
kami. It emphasizes the close relationship between
the natural world and human beings. However, it is
important to bear in mind that while Kami worship
has existed for thousands of years, the introduction
of a religious organization is a recent phenomenon;
it was only with the theorization by Buddhist monks
that discussions of Shint and its meaning became
prominent, and only with the advent of so-called
National Learning (kokugaku) scholars in the 18th
century that the term became associated with a national or otherwise organized movement.
An awake, or enlightened, person can
become a Buddha. Buddhism does feature gods, but
they are ignorant beings like the rest of us, who must
also turn to the Buddhist path of wisdom, ethics, and
meditation to realize liberation from rebirth; they,
like us, ultimately suffer and die, so they are in need
of the Buddhist teaching (Dharma) just as much as we
are. Neither they nor we need to learn a creed affiliated exclusively with a Buddhist temple or sect; all
any of us needs to do is to follow the example established by the historical Buddha and by other Buddhas
and Bodhisattvas (Buddhas in training) over aeons
of time. We may appropriately, in other words, worship Kami too for very different ends, although it is
important to remember that it was the Buddha who
taught the highest of teachings to us, from the Buddhist standpoint.
Daoism is often said to have emerged from the
writings of a Chinese thinker commonly known as
Lao Tzu (Laozi) and his followers, although it is not
even clear if such a single individual lived. Moreover,
the tradition attributable to someone called Laozi is
a textual tradition quite different from the vast set of
organizations and local practices also referred to as
Daoist. The latter may have, indeed, influenced the
development of Kami worship, but it is impossible to
verify precisely what the connection may have been.
Buddhism grew out of the search for answers
to the question why there is suffering by Siddhartha
Gautama as he wandered around India in the fifth
century BCE. He found the answer to this problem
through perfecting a way of life that was comprised
of the cultivation of wisdom together with the practices of virtue (ethics) and meditation (one-pointed
concentration, followed by deeper insight). It spread
to China, then Korea and was introduced into Japan
11
The establishment of a Shugend organization occurred when this group of so-called mountain
ascetics (yamabushi, shugenja), became officially
affiliated with the Tendai Buddhist temple Onjji
(Kyoto) in the second half of the 13th century, and
only became prominent from the thirteenth century
onward. These mountain ascetics were clearly influenced by everpresent mountain beliefs (including
Kami worship)which we saw abovebut they were
also influenced directly by esoteric Buddhism, a
system of Buddhist beliefs and practicing using secret
initiation into the three mysteries of body, speech,
and mind to attain enlightenment in this very body.
In Japan women were forbidden to join in
certain other religious rituals as well. For example,
a woman could not enter a shrine through the Torii
gate of a shrine for at least one year after the birth of a
baby because she was considered unclean. Still today
women are seen in shrines as helping (Miko) but not
in leadership roles. In Buddhism, there are nuns.
These practices may reflect the traditional position of
women in Japanese society in general, which seems
to have been closely associated with trends in larger
East Asia beginning a millennium ago, when Chinese
texts like the Blood Bowl scripture were newly created
and taught of womens sinfulness and uncleanliness,
introduced to Japan by the 14th century. The development of the homestead family structure in medieval
Japan, was particularly influenced by warrior culture
and related misogyny also contributed to the exclusion of women from important ritual practices.
Understanding the religious climate of Japan requires an understanding of how religious beliefs and
religions have developed over centuries in Japan.
One has to understand how these beliefs are reflected
in the daily activities and thinking of people there.
And, one must reflect on the nature of each human to
search for meaning in his or her own life. This helps
us to understand the religion called Shugend.
The mountain ascetics had their own unique
interpretation of esoteric Buddhism, which in this
case applied the initiation of the three mysteries to
the landscape of sacred sites. In other words, such
sites came to mandalized, seen as directly embodying the two great mandalas of esoteric Buddhism, the
Diamond and Womb mandalas, which represent two
fundamental aspects of the universe (these are the
mandalas used as transitions in the film). In other
words, the mountain ascetics entered the mountains in just the same way as esoteric practitioners
12
In 2006 Japans National Broadcasting Company (NHK) presented a special investigation entitled
Working Poor: No Matter How Hard We Work, We
Can Never Attain Prosperity. This broadcast exploded the neoliberal myth of the lazy, shiftless freeter. 4
The second-wave (mid-1990s onward) freeters inability to find work, according to Yuki Honda (cited in
Ishiguro), highlight the inefficiency of Japanese educational policy responses to the growing numbers of
NEET and freeters, including insufficient vocational
training opportunities in public and private schools.5
When I was an assistant English teacher on
the JET Program (Japan Exchange and Teaching) in
rural, Northeastern Ibaraki prefecture, during the
late 1990s I was impressed by the work-based learning and trial employment practices in the local junior
and high schools that enabled students to try their
hand at delivering mail, working in a factory, producing shiitake mushrooms and other regional manufactured and agri-forestry products. I had the good
fortune of shadowing several students in diverse
occupations and was impressed by the refreshing
pragmatism of such programs. Fourteen-year old
middle school students (middle school graduation
marks the completion of compulsory education in
Japan) could have lunch with factory or postal workers and talk frankly about what life was like on the
job. They found out about its annoying and enjoyable aspects. I remember a student being impressed
that one of the factory workers he met said the boss
and all co-workers treated him with respect, the pay
wasnt half bad, and he enjoyed playing on the factory
softball team. Although at that time the village school
board still supported such vocational training opportunities, federal funding for programs of this nature
It must also be made clear that NEET and
freeters are neither monolithic categories nor characterized by the same degree of personal choice and
mobility. There are important social, educational,
and class distinctions to be noted. Scholars of Japans
political and moral economy differentiate between
the different types of NEET and freeters who have appeared at different stages of Japans economic crisis
beginning in the late 1980s. The first wave, according
to Reiko Kosugi, were creative and cultural workers
who refused to accept full-time (office) work in anticipation of one day making it in the cultural sphere.2
Later in the mid to late nineties, according to Kosugi,
increasing numbers of young people could no longer
find full-time employment of any categoryit was
not out of personal choiceyet they were lumped into
the group of so-called labor renunciates. Public (mis)
perceptions of FREETERS are fraught due to false
media representations of them as troubled youth in
general unwilling to work, according to Kuniko
The experience of finding oneself on the losing end of late capitalism in Japans post-bubble years
are manifest in many of the reported motivations and
triggers discussed above, but certainly more timeless
and existential triggers not directly traceable to or
associated with the recession and zero-growth period
are also present and equally valid. And it should also
be noted that a substantial portion of pilgrims return
annually to see old friends and make new ones, see familiar mountain peaks, and offer gratitude for blessings received (academic or business success, good
health, birth of a child, and so on). These pilgrims
experiences shed light upon the transformative and
integrating capacity of shugy and participation
within the broader ascetic community.
6 A pseudonym.
7 Personal communication, Yoshino, 2004.
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15
16
17
18
19
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further resources
Stream Enterers
Earhart, H. B. Shugend. Encyclopedia of Religion.
2nd ed. Vol. 12. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA,
2005. 8378-381.
Hori, Ichiro. Folk Religion in Japan: Continuity and
Change. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press,
1968.
Irish, Jeremy S. Yamabushi: Summoning the Mountains Powers. Japan Quarterly 43.2 (1996): 182-89.
Kingston, Jeff. Japans Quiet Transformation: Social
Change and Civil Society in 21st Century Japan. New York:
Routledge, 2004.
Kosugi, Reiko. Youth Employment in Japans Economic Recovery: Freeters and Neets. The AsiaPacific Journal (2006): 1-3.
Swanson, Paul L. Shugend and the Yoshino-Kumano Pilgrimage: An Example of Mountain Pilgrimage. Monumenta Nipponica 36.1 (1981): 55-84.
McGuire, Mark. Making a Space for Hope: Representing the Creative Reinvention of Japanese Mountain Asceticism in the Documentary Shugend Now,
Cross Currents, September 2011:298-327.
Twice returners
Blacker, Carmen. The Catalpa Bow: A Study of Shamanistic Practices in Japan. UK: Japan Library, 1999.
Earhart, H. B. Mount Fuji and Shugend. Japanese
Journal of Religious Studies 16.2/3 (1989): 205-26.
Miyake, Hitoshi, and Sekimori, Gaynor ed. The Mandala of the Mountain: Shugend and Folk Religion. Tokyo:
Keio University Press, 2005.
Gorai, Shigeru . Shugend Lore. Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 16.2/3 (1989): 117-42.
McCormack, Gavan. The Emptiness of Japanese Affluence. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe, 2001.
Miyake, Hitoshi, and Sekimori, Gaynor ed. The Mandala of the Mountain: Shugend and Folk Religion. Tokyo:
Keio University Press, 2005.
Reader, Ian. Making Pilgrimages: Meaning and Practice
in Shikoku. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press,
2005.
Reader, Ian, and George J. Tanabe, Jr. Practically
Religious: Worldly Benefits and the Common Religion in
Japan. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1998.
Grapard, Allan G. The Textualized Mountain Enmountained Text: The Lotus Sutra in Kunisaki. The
Lotus Sutra in Japanese Culture. Ed. George Tanabe.
Honolulu: University of Hawaii, 1989. 159-89.
Sawa, Ryken . Shugend Art. Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 16.2/3 (1989): 195-204.
Miyake, Hitoshi, and Sekimori, Gaynor ed. The Mandala of the Mountain: Shugend and Folk Religion.
Tokyo: Keio University Press, 2005.
Non-returners
Blacker, Carmen. The Catalpa Bow: A Study of Shamanistic Practices in Japan. UK: Japan Library, 1999.
NHK.
Working Poor: No Matter How Hard We Work, We
Can Never Attain Prosperity. Tokyo, 2006.
Driscoll, Mark. Debt and Denunciation in Post-Bubble Japan: On the Two Freeters. Cultural Critique 65,
(2007): 164-87.
glossary
Prepared by Timothy Lehmann & Mark Patrick
McGuire
100-Day Ascetic: In the film, the pilgrims performing
the 26-kilometer overnight hike in the mountains
make space for an ascetic who is described as having
to do such a journey every day for 100 days. In some
esoteric Buddhist traditions in Japansuch as the
Tendai Buddhist sect situated on Mt. Hieia 100-day
trek is prerequisite for becoming an officiating monk
at a temple. These Marathon Monks undertaking the trek are accorded a great deal of respect, and
complete the journey with more intensity than the
Shugend pilgrims in the film while keeping a constant pace throughout the day and a restricted diet.
In some traditions, a rarely seen but still documented
1000-day trek is undertaken as a means and process
for becoming a living Buddha in this body.
Bodhisattva (): In the Buddhist canon the historical Buddha Shakymuni Gautama referred to his
previous lives prior to becoming fully Enlightened as
being the Bodhisattva Gautama. Term comes from
Sanskrit and means enlightened existence or wise
being, The term refers to someone at a high level of
attainment on the path to Enlightenment. There are
a number of technical categories and levels discussed
in various Buddhist traditions, not to mention a
diverse literature on traditions of Boddhissatvas and
their benevolent actions throughout the Buddhist
world. Boddhissatvas take a vow to dedicate their
lives to the attainment of enlightement by all sentient
beings. His Holiness the Dalai Lama is considered to
be a reincarnation of the boddhissatva Avilokitesvara
(Japanese: Kannon).
Appeasement (): Often used in reference to rituals intended to appease, honor, and/or express gratitude for the sacrifices of the deceased, gods, spirits,
or hungry ghosts who met an untimely, accidental,
or violent death. Appeasement rites are commissioned by individuals and groups to show respect
but also as a precaution against any danger, damage,
punishment, and so on that might be visited upon
them in retribution by the deceased. In the film we
see Tateishi Ksh perform an appeasement rite for
bees accidentally killed during transport or gathering honey by the Nakamura family. This way, the
Nakamura family can express their gratitude and
appreciation for blessings received (honey) while also
ensuring that any disquieted bees will not cause them
harm to the health, well-being, economic livelihood,
and so on. This traditional practice has been revived
in recent years owing perhaps to greater regional
competition among beekeepers in a global economy
and the phenomenon of hive collapse disorder
whose causes are not widely understood or discussed.
Ascetic (): A person who lives a life of contemplation and rigorous self-denial for religious, social
justice, political or other purposes. Ascetic practices
featured in the film include hiking on the mountain
with little food, standing under freezing waterfalls,
and being suspended over cliffs. Ascetics divest
energy from one set of mundane activities (sleeping, eating, drinking, hygiene practices, sexual
24
plished adept. Teachers then transmit secret knowledge, teachings, ritual practices, and even reveal
hidden statuary or architecture that are for initiates
only. These are matters which typically cannot be
found in a book, library, or on the Internet accessible
to the general public. There is a catch, however, in
that esoteric traditions claim to place a high value
on secrecy while often performing very public ritual
events for all to see. This is a tension or contradiction
between what is hidden and what is displayed that is
worth exploring in your research and class discussions. If Shugend priests were committed to absolute
secrecy, would they permit two North American filmmakers to document their ritual ascent of Mt mine
and screen the film globally?
Lotus Ascent (): The name given to the 26km, day-long pilgrimage featured in the film.
Lotus Flower ( or ): A flower seen being
carried along and offered at altars at various points
in the film. The lotus flower holds great symbolic and
ritual significance in Buddhism and other religious
traditions throughout Asia. In Buddhism, the lotus
flower symbolizes the enlightenment of the Buddha,
which was accomplished even amongst the mundane
dust of the world. The lotus flower grows in thick
mud [dust of the world] but is strikingly beautiful
and rises above the mud. In this way it can be seen as
a metaphor for human beings who are called to transcend the muck of mundane existence.
26
FILM CREDITS
Director, Camera, Editor
Jean-Marc Abela
Sound design
Jean-Marc Abela
Tyler Fitzmaurice
Sound Mix
Tyler Fitzmaurice
Narrator
Akan DOrangeville
Luisa Gitanjali Jain
Narration Written by
Jean-Marc Abela
Mark Patrick McGuire
Translation
Julie Lanctt
Mark Patrick McGuire
Ada Dessain
Illustration
Eric Grice
Poster Design
Neelan Rach
www.Shugendnow.com
Everywhere you go you can find a sacred mountain.
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