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Last updated on Friday, July 13, 2018
(BEDFORD) - After spending 15 years in Japan and 10 of those becoming a monk, Gregory Filson from the Zen Temple in Tokushima has come back to the United States and is cycling coast to coast as a fundraiser for Children’s Hospital Foundation.
"Some time ago I had a little health scare and I was worried it could be cancer. It turned out not to be cancer. And I thought, what am I going to do if it is cancer?" said Filson.
As an avid cyclist since childhood, Filson knew the bicycle to be the one thing to put him at peace.
Right: Photo Courtesy of Monk On a Bike Facebook Page, Filson at the Jomanji Temple Tea House
"So I thought I'd ride the bike for cancer research."
When the good news came that he was cancer free, he decided to ride for something else: Children's Hospital Foundation.
So, all by himself, Filson, the Monk on a Bike, started May 8th at the Golden Gate Bridge.
This week he found himself in Bedford, IN while he is on his way to Washington D.C. where Children's Hospital Foundation is located.
After some beginning troubles in the western desert areas, he found his rhythm and decided that the best way to make it across the desert was to do it in one shot- after he had already failed to do it the first time.
"I dont have the physique of a track cyclist, you know, like huge power in the legs, so its all about the rhythm for me. Its all about the cadence and the pacing. And the psychological rhythm," said Filson.
Now as he is past the desert and the mountains, heat is now the real struggle as temperatures are reaching 90 degrees. Filson literally beats the heat as he heads out on the road early in the morning and finds a place to camp with his tent that sleeps one before the real heat of the day sets in. Although, he does stay in a motel some nights.
Usually, the Monk likes to hit at least 80 miles per day, but with the heat, sometimes he can only do 50.
Left: Photo Courtesy of Monk On a Bike Facebook Page, Monk on a Bike, Gotanjoji Temple, Fukui Prefecture, Japan
As he rediscovers his home country biking across the United States, Filson has experienced immense open space where he finds his 'zen' on the road with just his bike.
Filson has also discovered something else along the way.
"I found that the fundamental concept of compassion and kindness is not at all dead in the U.S." said Filson.
One stranger lead him to a welding shop that fixed his bike for a small price while another offered a large juicy slice of watermelon.
Follow the Monk on a Bike on his Facebook page at this link: https://www.facebook.com/kanzan.mumon/.
You can contribute to his efforts by donating to the Monk on a Bike GoFundMe account at this link, https://www.gofundme.com/monkonabike.
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