Two Trips in Search of the Buddha: A Trip Through the Inland Sea and a Walk Around the Island of Shikoku

236 pages. Come with me as I travel through Japan in search of the Buddha and the Buddhi st ethic. Ever since my first visit to Japan in 1962 I have been fascinated by J apanese culture. To date I have made twenty trips to Japan. I began exploring mu seums and temples where I visited some of the most beautiful and spectacular art work of the Japanese religions. Looking at some of the Buddhist art work in tem ples and museums I developed a gripping need to learn more about what I was view ing. I had an eagerness in reading about Buddhism and consumed many books on the subject. I decided to pursue Buddhist terachings by traveling through Japan and partaking in the culture. The first trip, in 1981, was a journey back and forth across the Inland Sea during which I encountered many people who explained the Buddhist religion to me. Ten years later in 1991, I made a pilgrimage by walking halfway around the Island of Shikoku stopping at 42 of the 88 temples built by the monk Kukai. It was here I met many pilgrims and temple monks who continued m y Buddhist education. These two trips were important preliminary components of m y life of a practicing Buddhist. - Albert Shansky.…