Out
of twelve attending students on the Path of Shugenja, yesterday all of
them successfully finished the seminar. That alone speak a lot about how
the physical and mental readiness of our students grows with each
passing year. The results from the regular training sessions, which are
hard and tiresome, do their part.
The goal was the walk the entire flow of Zhivusha river, from the
place where it enters Kriva river, all the way to its source at Mokro
lake, on the Kozjak mountain.
The predicted fourty kilometers,
soon grew to fifty, considering that we climbed the western slope of the
mountain, through a place where no visible paths exists, but also
because of the
return
route, which continued the way because we didn`t cut through the hills
towards Lipac. This decision cost us a few additional hours.
After the short preparations, at 8.40, the group lead by Igor Dovezenski began it`s spiritual journey.
Following the flow of Zhivusha river, we passed through Strezovce,
followed by Oblavce village. From here we entered Suv Orah village from
where we reached our goal.
Along the way, health issues presented
themselves in one of the students, but with regular breathing and
strong will, we marched onwards to the lake.
Once
we reached the goal, instructor Dovezenski held a short lecture
(Seishin Tekki Kyoyo), followed by a descent to Karpinski monastery. The
students were amazed by the beauty of this Macedonian holy place, as
well as the surrounding landscapes – which we can freely say are one of
the most beautiful in the entire country.
After the short lunch (prepared from home and put inside the heavy
bags), the attendants began their journey back towards the starting
point. Arounf 22.00 hours, after almost 13 hours of uninterrupted
walking, we reached the starting point.
Taking part and
successfully finishing the Path of Shugenja means a lot. It is a way of
getting to know ourselves – our physical and mental weaknesses. This can
tell a person what parts of us we should work on more. The path of
shugenja builds our character and develops our abilities to the furthest
of limits.
This is more than a seminar. Ninpo Ikkan!