成為了日本宗教文化中最動人的風景。
每一年中都有千人萬人，
穿著正式且循足儀軌的服飾，
虔誠地行走在這巡禮的八十八個靈場之中。
此即，四國遍路之行。
台北其實也有與日本四國八十八靈場一般，
如同鏡映且結構完全，
使當時在台日人能追尋空海大師遺意的新台北八十八靈場。
只是時至今日，
已經有許多作為靈場基本的石佛，
淹沒在洪洪的時間與歷史之中。
但仍然有著那麼一些殘餘的幸運者，
依然在今日安然地看著這塊土地的興衰。
今日的台北天后宮，
親自拜謁空海大師的法相，
體會日本時代在台灣留下的種種遺跡。
林森公園的今天，
已經在綠意盎然下忘卻往日的幽然景色。
石佛群日日朝對圓山萬靈塔，
說千年一如的智者之言。
芝山岩上空餘法座的涼亭，
已換作為大片的日光進駐。
殘存的數十尊石佛，
失落的台北八十八靈場。
如今冥冥有感，乘愿再開。
88 Temples, 750 Miles, Untold Gifts: Japan’s Shikoku Pilgrimage
A famed route on the smallest of Japan’s four main islands offers breathtaking views and an array of lessons on history, culture and generosity.
Three weeks into my trek, as I ascended a steep path toward Yokomine-ji, the 60th of 88 temples along the Shikoku pilgrimage, I found myself enveloped by an unforgiving fog. In an instant, the colorful forest around me — mostly red cedar trees and fern bushes — faded, leaving me in a world of muted gray. Able to make out only the faintest shapes in the surrounded trees, I was convinced that I’d stumbled into an eerie fairy tale.
Quietly, in the distance, I began to hear a chorus of small bells. Then, suddenly, the party of accidental musicians came into view: a large group of Japanese pilgrims who, coming toward me, all stopped neatly in line to let me walk past.
Within an hour, the fog had begun to lift. Within two, it was gone entirely, replaced by an equally unforgiving midday sun. In the newfound clarity of daylight, I began to wonder: Had the courteous band of fellow pilgrims existed only in my mind?
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