In ancient Kyoto, a devout Shinto scholar lived a simple life, but he was often distracted from his prayers by the bustling city. He felt that his neighbors were polluting his soul, and he sought to perform some kind of personal harae— a purification ritual that would cleanse his body and his mind.
Di Kyoto kuno, seorang pendeta Shinto yang taat menjalani hidup sederhana, tetapi kadang ia terganggu oleh keramaian kota saat sedang berdoa. Ia merasa tetangganya mencemari jiwanya, dan ia berusaha melakukan semacam <i>harae</i> pribadi— sebuah ritual yang akan membersihkan jiwa dan pikirannya.
He decided to travel to the revered Hie Shrine. The trip was an arduous climb that took all day. But he was glad for the solitude it afforded him, and the peace he felt upon returning home was profound. The scholar was determined to maintain this clarity for as long as possible, and resolved to make this pilgrimage another 99 times. He would walk the path alone, ignoring any distractions in his quest for balance, and never straying from his purpose.
Ia memutuskan untuk pergi ke Kuil Hie yang dihormati. Perjalanan itu berupa pendakian sulit yang memakan waktu seharian. Namun, ia menyukai kesendirian yang ia dapatkan, dan kedamaian yang ia rasakan saat pulang sangatlah mendalam. Pendeta itu bertekad untuk mempertahankan keheningan ini selama mungkin, dan memutuskan untuk berziarah sebanyak 99 kali lagi. Ia berjalan sendirian, mengabaikan gangguan dalam pencarian keseimbangan, dan tidak pernah menyimpang dari tujuannya.
The man was true to his word, and as days stretched into weeks, he walked through driving rain and searing sun. Over time, his devotion revealed the invisible world of spirits which exists alongside our own. He began to sense the kami, which animated the rocks underfoot, the breeze that cooled him, and the animals grazing in the fields.
Pria itu menepati kata-katanya, seiring hari berganti minggu, ia berjalan melalui hujan lebat dan terik matahari. Seiring waktu, pengabdiannya mengungkap dunia roh yang tidak terlihat yang berdampingan dengan dunia kita. Ia mulai bisa merasakan <i>Kami</i>, menjelma sebagai batu di bawah kakinya. angin sepoi-sepoi yang menyejukkannya, juga hewan-hewan yang ada di tanah lapang.
Still he spoke to no one, spirit or human. He was determined to avoid contact with those who had strayed from the path and become polluted with kegare. This taboo of defilement hung over the sick and deceased, as well as those who defiled the land or committed violent crimes. Of all of the threats to the scholar’s quest for spiritual purity, kegare was by far the greatest.
Ia tetap tak berbicara pada siapa pun, baik roh maupun manusia. Ia bertekad untuk tidak menjalin kontak dengan mereka yang menyimpang dari jalur yang seharusnya dan tercemari oleh <i>kegare</i>. Larangan tabu ini juga berlaku untuk mereka yang sakit dan sudah tiada juga bagi mereka yang mengotori tanah atau melakukan tindakan kriminal. Dari semua ancaman selama perjalanan spiritualnya, <i>kegare</i> merupakan ancaman terbesar.
After paying his respects for the 80th time, he set out for home once more. But as darkness fell, he heard strained sobs in the night air. The scholar tried to push forward and ignore the moans. But the desperate cries overwhelmed him. Grimacing, he left his path to follow the sound to its source.
Setelah melakukan ziarah yang ke-80 kali, ia hendak kembali pulang. Namun, seiring hari menjadi gelap, ia mendengar sebuah tangisan tak wajar. Pendeta itu berusaha terus berjalan dan mengabaikan rintihan tersebut. Namun, tangisan putus asa membebaninya. Sambil meringis, ia pun keluar dari jalur dan mengikuti sumber suara itu.
He soon came to a cramped cottage, with a woman crumpled outside. Filled with pity, the scholar implored the woman to share her sorrow. She explained that her mother had just died— but no one would help her with the burial. At that news, his heart sank. Touching the body would defile his spirit, draining his life force and leaving him forsaken by the kami. But as he listened to her cries, his sympathy soared. And so, they buried the old woman together, to ensure her safe passage into the spirit world.
Ia kemudian sampai di sebuah gubuk kecil, dengan seorang wanita terkulai di luar. Merasa kasihan, sang pendeta meminta wanita tersebut mencurahkan kesedihannya. Ia berkata ibunya baru saja wafat, tetapi tidak seorang pun sudi membantu pemakamannya. Mendengarnya, hati sang pendeta hancur. Menyentuh jenazah tersebut akan mencemari jiwanya, menguras energi kehidupannya dan membuatnya diabaikan oleh <i>Kami</i>. Namun, seiring dengan tangisan wanita itu, simpatinya memuncak. Akhirnya, mereka mengubur jenazah wanita tua itu bersama, untuk memastikan perjalanannya menuju dunia roh baik-baik saja.
The burial was complete, but the taboo of death weighed heavily on the scholar. How could he have been so foolish, to shirk his most important rule and corrupt his divine journey? After a tormented night, he resolved to go back to the shrine to cleanse himself.
Pemakaman selesai, tetapi pantangan itu amat membebani sang pendeta. Bagaimana bisa ia bersikap begitu egois, sampai melalaikan peraturan penting dan merusak perjalanan sucinya? Setelah merasa tersiksa semalaman, ia memutuskan kembali ke kuil untuk menyucikan dirinya.
To his surprise, the usually quiet temple was filled with people, all gathering around a medium who communicated directly with the kami. The man hid himself, not daring approach in case anyone glimpse his polluted soul. But the medium had other ways of seeing, and called him forward from the crowd.
Betapa terkejutnya ia, kuil sepi yang biasa ia datangi kini dipenuhi orang, berkumpul mengelilingi seorang perantara yang berkomunikasi dengan <i>Kami</i>. Pria itu bersembunyi, enggan mendekat, takut jiwanya yang tercemar terlihat. Namun, sang perantara dapat melihatnya, dan memanggilnya keluar dari kerumunan.
Ready to be forsaken, the scholar approached the holy woman. But the medium merely smiled. She took his impure hand in hers, and whispered a blessing only he could hear— thanking him for his kindness. In that moment, the scholar discovered a great spiritual secret: contamination and corruption are two very different things.
Siap diabaikan, si pendeta pun mendekati sang wanita suci. Namun, sang perantara hanya tersenyum. Ia menggenggam tangan kotor pendeta itu, dan membisikkan berkat yang hanya bisa didengar sang pendeta— ia berterima kasih atas kebaikannya. Saat itulah sang pendeta menemukan sebuah rahasia spiritual: kontaminasi dan kerusakan adalah dua hal yang amat berbeda.
Filled with insight, the scholar set himself back on his journey. But this time, he stopped to help those he met. He began to see the beauty of the spirit world everywhere he went, even in the city he'd previously shunned. Others cautioned that he risked kegare— but he never told them why he so freely mingled with the sick and disadvantaged. For he knew that people could only truly understand harae through a journey of their own.
Merasa terilhami, sang pendeta kembali melakukan perjalanan. Namun, kali ini, ia berhenti untuk membantu mereka yang ia temui. Ia mulai melihat keindahan dunia roh ke mana pun ia pergi, bahkan di kota yang sebelumnya ia hindari. Banyak yang memperingatkan bahwa ia tercemar <i>kegare</i>, tetapi ia tidak pernah menjelaskan alasan ia bergaul dengan mereka yang sakit dan malang. Karena ia yakin seseorang hanya akan memahami <i>harae</i> sepenuhnya dari perjalanan mereka sendiri.