This really blows my mind! Forget about ultra-marathons, Iron-Man triathlons and other extreme races. I’d like to share with you an ancient challenge dating back to the 10th Century and continues to this very day.
The Kaihogyo monks are a special breed. They’re classed as spiritual athletes who face a 1,000 day running/walking challenge in reward of spiritual enlightenment. This challenge is believed to be the most demanding physical and mental challenge in the world. Only 46 men have completed it since 1885. Brace yourself as you read on….
It takes 7 years to complete as the monks must undergo other Buddhist training as well, such as meditation, calligraphy and general duties within a temple. I’ll go into detail about this challenge year by year. The course is over mountainous and poorly marked terrains around Mount Hiei in Japan.
First Three Years
This could be classed as basic training. It consists of completing 40km per day for a 100 consecutive days! Yes, basic training! The equivalent of running nearly a marathon everyday for 100 days! After completing the first 100 days, day 101 is decision time. This is when the monk must decide whether he will continue to complete the 1,000 day challenge or not. Historically, the monk had to complete the course, or if not, he would have to take his own life. This explains why the course is littered with unmarked graves of those who didn’t succed. (No suicides have been counted since the 19th Century, or at least no information has been found).
The second and third years the monk continues with the 100 consecutive days, completing 40km per day.
The Fourth and Fifth Years (and the doiri)
This involves 40km per day for 200 consecutive days, or in other words, more or less a full marathon every day for more than six months! For several weeks before completing the 200 days the monk reduces his food intake so his body can cope with the next challenge…the most daunting part of the course known as a fast called the doiri.
During a doiri the monk stays at a temple for nine days without food, water or sleep or rest. The idea is to bring the body as close as possible to death. The entire time is vigilated by two other monks who ensure that the spiritual athlete doesn’t fall asleep or is tempted to drink any water. Time is spent reciting Buddhist chants and mantras (sometimes up to 100,000 each day). The monk can only leave the temple at 2am to walk 200m to a well and return with water to make an offering without being allowed to drink any himself. This 200m walk can take up to two hours in the final days of the fast!
During the second and third day of the fast there is some nausea. By the fourth and fifth days the hunger pangs have disappeared but the monk is so dehydrated there is no saliva in his mouth so he will begin to taste blood.
The purpose of the doiri is to bring the monk face-to-face with death. It has been said that the monk develops extraordinary powers of sense and is able to hear the most miniscule of sounds or smell things that are kilometres away.
The Sixth and Seventh Years
These years are more challenging in terms of distance and endurance. In the sixth year the monk must complete 60km per day for 100 consecutive days and in the seventh and last year complete 84km per day for 100 consecutive days, i.e., running more or less two marathons back-to-back every day for 100 days! This is followed by 40 km per day for 100 days! The monk also has to make stops at temples of worship so this means that completing 84km could take up to 20 hours leaving very little time for recovery or rest. It is because of this that monks learn to rest sections of their body while running, such as arms or shoulders.
Technical features (or lack of it)
Author John Stevens, in his book, The Marathon monks of Mount Hiei writes about the running style: “Eyes focused about 100 feet ahead while moving in a steady rhythm, keeping the head level, the shoulders relaxed, the back straight, and the nose aligned with the navel.”
More amazing is the manner and the conditions in which the monks run. They usually begin at night and over poorly marked and uneven mountain paths. During winter months low temperatures and snow need to be endured. As you can see on the cover of Stevens’ book there’s no Adidas shoes, no cutting-edge technical sweat-wicking fabrics, and certainly no spandex leggings. Shoes are no more than straw sandals, an all-white outfit and a straw hat.
The monk’s diet is based on vegetables, tofu and miso soup. Nowadays athletes and nutritionists would deem this unsuitable for endurance events.
During the course the monk carries books with directions and mantras to chant, food to offer, candles for illumination, a sheathed knife, and a rope, known as the ‘cord of death’. The knife and rope are a reminder of his duty to take his life if he fails, by hanging or self-disembowelment, hence the unmarked graves, marking the spot where monks have taken their own lives.
What can a runner learn from the ‘marathon monks’?
Running can give us time to reflect on our life and help us ponder on those ‘why’ questions as it is a type of meditation through movement.
Running is a challenge that can teach us to continue facing other challenges, to enjoy and appreciate life, to learn new things.
Running has the power to clear the mind that few other activities possess. Even marathon monks experience slumps with heavy and tired legs, just like marathon runners, but then come those moments when we break through and our bodies begin to feel light and strong again, and at one with the earth. There is the wisdom that nothing is permanent.
What can any person learn from the ‘marathon monks’?
The marathon monks are an extreme version of the “complete or kill” mentality. But you can take the same approach to your goals, projects, and work. Either something is important enough to you to complete, or it’s time to kill it. Fill your life with goals that are worth finishing and eliminate the rest.
A monk has such a sense of commitment and conviction of their goal that every possible distraction is rendered unimportant. Taking this mentality to our own personal goals, e.g. building a successful business, doesn’t mean you can’t approach them with the same sense of conviction.
On Day 101 a monk is 900 days away from his goal. Their journey is so long and ardous but they accept the challenge, and seven years later, they finish. So don’t let the length of your goals prevent you from starting on them.
We are fortunate in that we won’t die if we don’t reach our goal, but we can learn from the experience. We also have the privilege to change our mind. We have the freedom to choose something else if we feel it is not working.
Finally, the biggest lesson we can learn from these monks is to have commitment and conviction.
Every big challenge has a turning point. Today could be your Day 101. Today could be your Day of Commitment.
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