The night is dark, the shadow of the moon has fallen to the west. Tossing and turning in the long night, the body is sluggish and tired, why? If I lay still, the pain would start raging, every joint, bone marrow, muscle, and skin all felt aching. Brother Chơn Hữu, the elder brother of the Vietnamese monks in the group and a monk in the Organizing Committee, also coughed a lot these days when it got cold at night. However, all of us are still diligent without ceasing, not letting pain, cough, and lack of sleep slow down the chosen path. We brothers often comfort each other, “No one tells the body to feel pain. Because it feels pain on its own, it has to endure it.”

In the same way, we are grateful to the place where we stayed and shared blessings with the owners who allowed us to use water to wash and bathe to keep our body and mind peaceful and refreshing. No words can adequately express our gratitude, and we wish the owners peace and prosperity always. In every life, they would be well-off and have the right view and wisdom to practice for liberation. It took nearly 20 km to get to the morning rest area. Mama instant noodles are always a top-class breakfast dish for the group. You’ll probably hear the word “noodles” in each of these 112 days. We can compile a diary of the “Instant Noodles Full Episode” after completing the journey. It’s not just instant noodles that are a familiar dish; in other words, the lunch food is no different, the same recipe. But we appreciate the diligence and patience of the lay people who stay up late at night and wake up early in the morning to cook for us. They have been serving us selflessly, and we are pleased with all we have.

Around noon, a young man asked me to come to his garden. He spoke Hindi and hand signs which I understood as I should take the guavas for the monks to use. Around me are big guava trees, full of fruits that look very delicious, I nodded and said, “Ok.” When picking, the woman gave five fingers. I asked, “Fifty rupees?” She said, “Yes.” I gladly bought five kilos to offer to the monks and laypeople who provide services to us.

We continued our road toward the Cockfoot Mountain (Mount Gurupāda or Kukkuṭapāda Giri Mountain). When we heard that we could go up to the mountain, we were all happy and looking forward to the moment we would reach the peak, where the Buddha’s disciple, Venerable Mahākassapa, used to live as part of his austerity practices. We walked close to the foot of the mountain and stayed there for the night to rejuvenate for the next day’s journey.

Source: Dhammacetiya
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