Revised Edition 11 ☑
(Recollection, two months later)
The temple where Ren worked was on an impressively vast piece of land.
I usually went there after work on weekdays or on weekends, and while I didn’t know what it looked like during the daytime on weekdays, most of the time when I visited, Ren was the only one there. That made me feel less self-conscious, and easier to drop by.
Back then, I was so preoccupied with my own grief, with the embarrassment of being seen crying, that I didn’t notice it at first. But Ren’s temple—well, that’s not the right way to put it, since it wasn’t his temple, but to me, it felt like it was—was a truly beautiful place.
What’s more, it was blessed with an ocean view, a spectacular location.
“Even just coming here to gaze at the sea is worth it,”
I once thought to myself on the way home, sinking into a gentle, sentimental mood.
Yes, on my second visit I talked a bit more with Ren, and told him that my husband wasn’t just exchanging flirty LINE messages, but also going out on dates. Just like the first time, Ren invited me to chant alongside his sutras, layering my own curses toward my husband over his voice.
“Eiji Higuchi, don’t you dare go on dates with another woman— I won’t forgive you, you bastard!”
I single-mindedly chanted, pouring my voice over Ren’s.
“Well now, today… you were really fervent in your chanting.”
“Of course I was. This is my stress release—my liberation of the soul from my troubles!”
“And? How about today? Did your soul find peace?”
“Yes, it did. I don’t think I could ever manage this on my own. It’s only because I chant over Ren-san’s powerful sutras—honed through years of training—that true peace comes to my heart.”
“Well, my goodness… you’re giving me such words of gratitude. No, truly, I should be the one to thank you for such words. So then, how about it? Today, why don’t we do some cleaning in the main hall as exercise? You might just receive some divine blessing.”
I immediately jumped at Ren’s gracious suggestion.
For me, it wasn’t working my head or heart that helped, but rather using my body, tiring it just enough to sleep soundly through the night—that was the real medicine of time.
Ren, by working alongside me in the cleaning, quietly kept me company.
Wiping down the same room with Ren felt like some kind of sacred act. It gave me a deep sense of fulfillment, and by the time I reached home, I truly felt my heart had been profoundly healed.
