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In ancient Kyoto, a devout Shinto scholar 
lived a simple life,

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but he was often distracted 
from his prayers by the bustling city.

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He felt that his neighbors 
were polluting his soul,

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and he sought to perform 
some kind of personal harae—

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a purification ritual that would cleanse
his body and his mind.

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He decided to travel 
to the revered Hie Shrine.

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The trip was an arduous climb 
that took all day.

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But he was glad for the solitude 
it afforded him,

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and the peace he felt upon returning
home was profound.

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The scholar was determined to maintain
this clarity for as long as possible,

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and resolved to make this pilgrimage
another 99 times.

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He would walk the path alone, ignoring 
any distractions in his quest for balance,

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and never straying from his purpose.

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The man was true to his word, 
and as days stretched into weeks,

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he walked through driving rain 
and searing sun.

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Over time, his devotion revealed
the invisible world of spirits

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which exists alongside our own.

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He began to sense the kami, 
which animated the rocks underfoot,

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the breeze that cooled him,
and the animals grazing in the fields.

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Still he spoke to no one, spirit or human.

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He was determined to avoid contact 
with those who had strayed

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from the path 
and become polluted with kegare.

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This taboo of defilement hung over 
the sick and deceased,

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as well as those who defiled the land 
or committed violent crimes.

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Of all of the threats to the scholar’s 
quest for spiritual purity,

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kegare was by far the greatest.

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After paying his respects 
for the 80th time,

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he set out for home once more.

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But as darkness fell, he heard 
strained sobs in the night air.

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The scholar tried to push forward 
and ignore the moans.

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But the desperate cries overwhelmed him.

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Grimacing, he left his path 
to follow the sound to its source.

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He soon came to a cramped cottage, 
with a woman crumpled outside.

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Filled with pity, the scholar implored 
the woman to share her sorrow.

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She explained 
that her mother had just died—

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but no one would help her with the burial.

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At that news, his heart sank.

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Touching the body would defile his spirit,

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draining his life force and leaving
him forsaken by the kami.

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But as he listened to her cries,
his sympathy soared.

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And so, they buried 
the old woman together,

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to ensure her safe passage
into the spirit world.

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The burial was complete, but the taboo 
of death weighed heavily on the scholar.

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How could he have been so foolish,

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to shirk his most important rule 
and corrupt his divine journey?

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After a tormented night,

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he resolved to go back 
to the shrine to cleanse himself.

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To his surprise, the usually quiet temple
was filled with people,

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all gathering around a medium 
who communicated directly with the kami.

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The man hid himself, not daring approach
in case anyone glimpse his polluted soul.

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But the medium had other ways of seeing,
and called him forward from the crowd.

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Ready to be forsaken, the scholar 
approached the holy woman.

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But the medium merely smiled.

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She took his impure hand in hers,

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and whispered a blessing 
only he could hear—

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thanking him for his kindness.

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In that moment, the scholar discovered 
a great spiritual secret:

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contamination and corruption 
are two very different things.

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Filled with insight, the scholar 
set himself back on his journey.

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But this time, he stopped 
to help those he met.

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He began to see the beauty 
of the spirit world everywhere he went,

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even in the city 
he'd previously shunned.

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Others cautioned that he risked kegare—

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but he never told them 
why he so freely mingled

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with the sick and disadvantaged.

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For he knew that people could 
only truly understand harae

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through a journey of their own.