The Japanese folktale of the selfish scholar - Iseult Gillespie

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In ancient Kyoto, a Shinto monk found himself distracted from his prayers and sought to perform a purification ritual that would cleanse him. He decided to travel to the revered Hie Shrine; walking the path alone, ignoring any distractions in his quest for balance, and never straying. But setting out for home one day, he hears desperate pleas for help. Iseult Gillespie shares the tale of mercy.

Lesson by Iseult Gillespie, directed by Amir Houshang Moein.

In ancient Kyoto, a Shinto monk
lived a simple life,

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

He felt that his neighbors
were polluting his soul,

and he sought to perform
some kind of harae—

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

He decided to travel
to the revered Hie Shrine.

The trip was an arduous climb
that took all day.

But he was glad for the solitude
it afforded him,

and the peace he felt upon returning
home was profound.

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

and resolved to make this pilgrimage
another 99 times.

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

and never stray from his purpose.

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

he walked through driving rain
and searing sun.

Over time, his devotion began to reveal
the invisible world of spirits

which exists alongside our own.

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

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

Still he spoke to no one, spirit or human.

He was determined to avoid contact
with those who had strayed

from the path
and become polluted with kegare.

This taboo of defilement hung over
the sick and deceased,

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

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

kegare was by far the greatest.

After paying his respects
for the 80th time,

he set out for home once more.

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

The monk tried to push forward
and ignore the desperate moans.

But the desperate cries overwhelmed him.

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

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

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

She explained
that her mother had just died—

but no one would help her with the burial.

At that news, his heart sank.

Touching the body would defile his spirit,

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

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

And so, they buried
the old woman together,

to ensure her safe passage
into the spirit world.

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

How could he have been so foolish,

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

After a tormented night,

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

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

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

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

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

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

But the medium merely smiled.

She took his impure hand in hers,

and whispered a blessing
only he could hear—

thanking him for his kindness.

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

contamination and corruption
are two very different things.

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

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

After his one hundredth pilgrimage,

he began to venture through the city
he had previously shunned.

Others cautioned that he risked kegare—

but he never told them
why he so freely mingled

with the sick and disadvantaged.

For he knew that people could
only truly be moved to good deeds

through a journey of their own.