The Marathon Monks in Japan are famous for proving their mental and spiritual power by accomplishing daunting physical tasks.
All members of this Tendai sect of Buddhist monks must do 100-straight marathons as part of their training. And from the entire group of monks, a select number are given the task of doing 1,000 marathons in seven years. Whoever finishes this feat is considered a living saint. I guess that means these marathons are no cake walk.
Since 1885, only 46 have made it. One of them, my friend, Sakai Yusai, will be speaking at my fitness seminar next month.
Recently a man wrote me and compared the running feats of a friend to Sakai Yusai. Although impressive, what the man doesn’t know is that 1,000 marathons was only PART of what this monk did.
Not only is he the only monk to do the 1,000 marathons twice – the second time finishing in six years – but he performed the incredible feat of walking for 90 days straight.
No – I did not say that he went for a walk each day for 90 Days.
What I’m saying is that he walked, without sleep, for 90 straight days. Never allowed to sit. Never allowed to lie down. The only rest was the two meals he got per day, which he had to eat while STANDING.
In addition to this, after doing 700 marathons, he did a 9-day fast with no food, no water and no sleep.
After the 1,000th marathon he did a seven-day fast before a large pit of fire. Again, no food, no water and no sleep as he placed peoples’ prayer petitions into the fire and chanted blessings. Many spontaneous healings take place when a monk like Sakai Yusai does this.
In the Western world, people tend to think of mental and spiritual power as separate from the physical. The very notion is ludicrous. I don’t believe you can rich the highest levels of mental and spiritual power without being physically active.
Martial arts masters are wonderful examples of mental and spiritual power. They do things that defy logic. They do things that the average and ordinary cannot fathom.
They also understand that what they have done can be duplicated – if the mind is willing and the flesh is strong.
If your spirit is willing but your flesh is weak – then you have no power. True power comes when your spirit is willing and your flesh is strong enough to get behind your desires and fuel them to fruition.
I put the accomplishments of Sakai Yusai head and shoulders above anything I have ever read about or witnessed before. You try walking without sleep for one day – much less 90 – and I think you’ll understand why.
This is just one of many reasons I encourage you to attend my seminar. It will change your life in a MAJOR WAY.
Matt Furey
