Pilgrimage - Angya

A Buddhist monk does not stay at a certain temple, but travels widely to seek teachers and friends in Buddhism, and travels around the country to spread the teachings. Synonymous with yugyo (travel) and yuho (roaming). This is a Buddhist practice that involves traveling far and wide among mountains and rivers, listening to and studying Zen, or spreading the teachings to the masses, in order to seek and attain enlightenment in Buddhism, and to break away from human feelings and worldly desires. This is a method of training primarily in Zen Buddhism. Such practitioners are called itinerant monks, or unsui (unsui), likening them to the clouds and water that flow through the water. Pilgrimages were conducted during periods called geai, outside of the designated training period, and were based on certain rules in the spirit of zudagyo (head-to-head practice). By extension, it also refers to the travels of haiku poets around the country.

[Rikiyama Ishikawa]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

仏教僧が一定の寺院にとどまることなく、広く仏道の師友を求め、また教化のために諸国を遍歴(へんれき)すること。遊行(ゆぎょう)、遊方(ゆほう)と同義。求法証悟(ぐほうしょうご)（仏教を求め、悟ること）を目ざし、人情を脱し煩悩を断つため、広く山川を巡って参禅聞法したり、あるいは大衆に布教する仏道の実践で、おもに禅宗における修行方法である。このような修行者を行脚僧といい、また行雲流水に例えて雲水(うんすい)ともいう。行脚は、所定の修行期間を除いた解間(げあい)という時期に、頭陀行(ずだぎょう)の精神に基づく一定の規矩(きく)のもとに行われた。転じて、俳人たちの諸国旅行のことをもいう。

［石川力山］

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