This talk explores the koan “The Old Woman of Mount Wutai,” a story that opens up questions about pilgrimage, practice, and how wisdom often appears in ordinary forms. We reflect on what it means to be a pilgrim rather than a wanderer, and how sacredness and devotion can show up in everyday life. Along the way, we meet Jizo Bodhisattva—the guardian of travelers—and consider what it means to go “straight ahead” even when the road curves.