That's a good question...

For those who weren't part of the talks Bob had with his students, this is a very good questions - and one that is not easy to answer without writing an essay…

The really short answer is that he is taking a sabbatical from teaching to undergo an intensive spiritual training quest - to walk further down the path of Wu-Shin Chi-Dao - blazing the trail beyond the physical and mental levels into the spiritual, so that his students have a path to follow for their own spiritual progress in the future.

The longer explanation is that Bob is withdrawing from teaching and interacting with people in general for the 1000-days and will be following a fairly austere daily programme but which in the overall context is fairly loose. He will be based at Hombu for the first 6 weeks and then goes to Japan (initially for a planned period of 6 weeks of sword training). The plan is to have total freedom (while maintaining his daily regimen) and build on the Shikoku experience where, based on faith and relying on providence, the path opened up before him. Bob is hoping that he will receive the same validation to follow similar paths or prompts on this journey of spiritual discovery. The thought is that he will be based at the Centre (where he perceives it would be most challenging to maintain the austerity and withdrawn nature of the journey) and be free to follow opportunities for growth and development and study in the spiritual realm as they present themselves. His return date from Japan was booked as 2 April, but if things go well, he hopes to extend his stay to as much of the extent of the 3 month visa as we can afford.
 
Basically he will be trying to live as though he is in a hermitage on the mountain, while living amongst people. It means: saying good bye to friends, family and students, not answering telephones or e-mails, and not being in contact in general. On his current programme he wakes up at 4am and retires at 9pm, has three meditation session in the day, two simple meals (no preservatives, additives, sugar, dairy products or wheat and grains), and spends some time training (mostly Katori Shinto Ryu) and the rest studying and reading about religions and spirituality.
 
Bob is looking at this period as an opportunity of intensive study and growth - to develop further along his personal path. He does not believe that there is one particular guru or person that has the answers - but is looking for something with a more universal but with a personal resonance that would open more of a spiritual insight for him, in the hopes that he can lead others further down that path in the future. In a way he is exploring further ahead on the path of Wu-Shin Chi-Dao.
 
The 1000 days might sound extreme, but the 1000-day period is mentioned in many places as a rough guide to the time required to turn something like the Shikoku 'afterglow' (perhaps a bit more of an intense feeling but akin to what we would feel coming back from a hike or a holiday) into a way of life.