Jun-san Interview

I've mentioned Jun Anju-san several times over the course of the last three months and really wanted to sit and do an interview with her. When I asked her, she said, "Nikki-san -- you read these articles, get your information."

I couldn't tell if it was modesty or that she was just entirely too busy - but she handed me these wonderful articles written about her this past February for the Bennington Banner, a New York area paper. "These are front page stories. It is amazing - this is conservative paper, from conservative town, it's amazing to me that they write about Buddhist nun in this paper." She let me know that I only had tonight to read them because she was sending them to her mother in the morning.
And it kind of struck me that Jun-san had a mother. Not that she wouldn't of course, but....I would love to meet her mother.

As a disclaimer, before we get any further, I would like to add that any background information in this piece is from the Banner article, written by Mark E. Rondeau, including some quotes. Anything written specifically about the Longest Walk is my work. Okay.

I have grown to have incredible affection for this woman over the past several months. She used to scare the crap out of me...she is so feisty and determined and just has this strength of spirit and body that is simply impressive. She will be 60 this year and can walk circles around anybody in this camp -- she mentions this frequently when she sees people not walking. Especially the young people. "I am 60 years old. I walk every day 15-16-17-20 miles. You should walk every day..all you young people."

I have loved hearing her stories -- she was a wild child, she talks about having an evil twin as a way to separate the chanting nun from her more...mmmm...rambunctious side. She grew up in Tokyo riding motorcycles and hanging out with a rowdy bunch of kids. She married, divorced and headed to India. She was unhappy.

In India she saw people connected to a more natural way of living. Because of their poverty, most people didn't have electricity and rose and slept with the sun's movement. She noticed that despite their poverty, people were generally happy. She came to realize that her unhappiness was related to not living a natural life.

And it was there in India that she met a man named Nichidatsu Fujii who founded the Nipponzan Myohoji Buddhist Order, of which she was ordained in 1977. This order is known for their fasts for peace and social justice and for building of peace pagodas around the world. They are a walking, chanting order - using the small hand taiko they chant Na Mu Myo Ho Ren Ge Kyo. This chant is at the center of their order and comes from the Lotus Sutra teachings of the Buddha.

If you ask Jun-san what the chant means she will tell you something like, "you know what it means." or something equally Buddhist. She will chant it. She will also greet you with it when she hasn't seen you for a bit. It's how she answers the phone. It's her spirit. It is said that this chant encompasses prayer for all beings and things and is essential for bringing peace to the world.

Jun-san recently left the Walk for 10 days to return to her Peace Pagoda (one of only two Peace Pagodas in the U.S. - she was gifted this land in 1983 and work was completed in 1998) in Grafton, New York where her community hosted their annual Flower Festival, honoring Buddha's birthday. We missed her while she was gone. She said that we wouldn't, because of the evil twin theory, but we did.



There is an order to things when she is here and a consistency of spirituality...her drumming, her chanting..even though we had the wonderful monks Gilberto Shonin and Kenaida Shonin here to keep the chanting and morning prayers going...Jun-san keeps us moving. If we have more than a couple of days in one place, she will make sure we do directional walks, or sunrise walks...for her, these are not walks for walking sakes, "it is good discipline, to walk every day." Sometimes we tease her and tell her she's addicted to it. "like cigarette," she's said. "but, I no give up walking. I give up cigarette." She was a heavy smoker in her day...drinker, partier. "I crazy woman."

I find her inspiring because of her commitment to her order, to her prayer. Since coming to the states and walking in 78 - she has walked thousands of miles all over the world. For the disarmament of nuclear weapons, for the end to war, for political prisoners. She has chanted outside prison walls for Leonard Peltier, Mumia Abu-Jamal and for Dennis. She fasted outside the White House for 55 days in protest of the first Gulf War. According to the Banner article; “Fasting is a good way to connect, to understand suffering people. When people see me fasting, people change their mind.”

This morning I was able to sit with her for a few minutes and ask her about the differences between the 78 and 08 walks, and how she felt this one was going. She told me: "In 1978 I was still just 29-30 years old. My personal way was that I know no English, nothing about Native culture, so I just walk, walk, walk, walk. In 1978 we walk many more miles. Thirty miles everyday and no stopping sometimes for 2 or 3 hours. But sometimes people were tired and they ride bus. But monks were crazy, we just walk, walk, walk, walk."

At the end of the walk, in D.C., her teacher Fujii came and spoke at the closing ceremony. "He told us Japanese people," she remembers, "That our mission in United States is to support Native people because if you make United States for peace, Native prayer is center to this land."

She continued, "And this is most important to me. Not bringing Buddhism, but I feel that Native people's prayer is center for making peace. Native people have a very deep connection with Nature. When my teacher told us this, I felt very same thing and understand what he's talking about. He also said that Native people's history has been so much destroyed by Western culture and Western civilization and so the Native people get weak; so we should beat drum and walk behind them. When I was young nun, just ordained in 1978, I know nothing about Buddhism. But I know I could walk and drum and pray behind Native people. And I have been doing that for 30 years, walking and drumming behind Native people."

I asked her about the difference in focus on these two walks.

"In 1978 the issues were focused on Native people's rights, water rights, treaty rights. Today this is focused on everybody, all nations - so there is more connection to Earth. This walk is very key to the world because we are all related to the planet. Native people have most deep connection to nature and their prayer is deep connection to nature and this is very important key for the world and for all nations. All of these issues are the same all over the world, so I mean everywhere we have to raise up consciousness; so this is a good chance for all nations to come together to do this. So my message to people is that there is no time for war, we have to take care of this beautiful planet and we should be taking care together."

We talked about hopefulness, I told her that some people have lost hope for the healing of Earth. "There is no meaning, hope or not hope. You just have to do, otherwise this planet is finished. People say I am one person, Jun-san cannot change Earth, she has no power, it is not possible. But first you have to do some action. But I have lots of hope, this walk we see many people waving, many people saying hello, many people bringing water. This is hopeful, many people are becoming aware and raising consciousness."

"I appreciate very much people giving up their lives, their money, their school, their family to come on this walk. I think all people here have very deep connection to Earth spirit. People will start talking about other people not walking, or other people are lazy. But I do not believe that. Every person here has good things to offer, each person is helping in their own way. It does no good to look at other people and point fingers. You look at yourself and ask yourself if you are doing what you can do."

I told her I was impressed with the fact that she is up early, chanting; walking every day, drumming every day...that it was hard work.

"Oh no," she said, and she laughed, "hard work is having family life, seeing same guy all the time, same cooking for same people. Having to make money. Go to office. Go to computer. That is hard. This is easy."

Well, when you put it that way...

I love her sense of humor. She is so approachable and I rarely see her take things to seriously (except for walking of course). The other day, one of our walkers, Amy Wagner, asked a question about why she walks behind the monks, so we asked her.



"Oh, because they are monks, I am nun. Woman. That's because when we go through the forest and the elephants come, the men get stomped first."

Nice one Jun-san.



I have had moments of frustration with her though too...I'll admit. But it's fleeting. This morning I was surprised by a 5am walk. I have never missed a walk by being unprepared for it..I was tenting behind the building and really just missed all the hustle. I was up, but not quite ready when the bus was filled up and ready to go.

"Nikki-san -- you walk today?"
"Jun-san! I didn't know!"
"Where you hiding that you don't know?"
"Grrrrrr!"

I was mad. Mainly because I would've walked - I like drumming behind her and didn't yesterday and would've welcomed the opportunity. But mainly I felt a little ashamed, didn't want to let her down...think I was a slacker. Thought she was mad at me.

But tonight she came up to me, while I was writing my runner blog and gave me these articles. Looked at my pictures on the blog and all seemed okay. Of course it would. I remember her telling me one day in the parking lot about how all peace walks are the same. "Sometimes people walk, sometimes they don't. It no matter really, people do what they do."

But...as with everything...

"So...you run today Nikki-san?"
"Yes"
"How many miles"
"Four"
"Only four?"

Thanks Jun-san. Truly.