Tairyūji
"Great Dragon Temple"
So, we've got another temple involving dragons in some way. The dragon comes from a legend that described a "miraculous image" appearing with a dragon guarding it. This is a temple that has some solid history as Kobo Daishi wrote about his experiences. Apparently, when Kobo got to the summit of the mountain, he spend 50 days attempting to get enlightenment. He was unsuccessful but received spiritual encouragement to continue his journey.
I'd like to say I'm in pretty good shape. I mean I used to do karate, I play football with my cousins and I run around all the time. But this pilgrimage is really making me work. I can't remember the last time I tired myself out this much on a regular basis. At least writing these posts give us a bit of a break.
Abby and I thought we'd be all tough and walk up the trail instead of taking the cable car (the temple is at an elevation of 2000 feet) but now I'm about ready to just lay down, go to sleep and never wake up.
The scenery's been great though and I hope I'll appreciate the experience, eventually.
