MZC HERE-NOW

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On our way to Kushimoto (town on the most southern part of the Kii peninsular) we visited Fuderakusan-ji, a small Buddhist temple established more than 1000 years ago by an Indian monk. It is designated as an UNESCO Heritage site.

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Temple nestled in a wooded area

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A Shinto shrine beside the temple

 

The cultural importance of this temple goes back to a peculiar ritual called Fudaraku-tokai, meaning “crossing the sea to Fudaraku (Skt. Potalaka)”. Fudarakusan or Pure Land was believed to be an island south of Japan where Kannon, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, was  thought to be living. Between the 9th and 18th century, 20 monks (usually of old age)  tried to reach this land in order to deliver prayers for happiness on behalf of humanity. The boat, built like a shrine, had a little cabin for the monk to sit, meditate and pray. This cabin was sealed. A lamp and food for one month was given to him on his journey to Pure Land. On the internet I have read that some monks tried to escape their suicide mission. One monk was lucky. It happened in the 16th century. The boat was driven by wind and current to a group of Japanese islands and landed there. He believed that it was Fudarakusan. Ever since, the island carry the name of this monk, Konkobu (金光坊)-jima.

During the Edo period, the ritual was changed and only dead monks were sent out into the sea.

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Replica of the boat with the little wooden chamber surrounded by four torii

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The boat with the house – cabin in the center

 

The opening was sealed when the journey started.

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We walked up the hill to the cemetery that had the names of the monks who took the journey to Fudarakusan.

In Kushimoto, Yuko had booked a hotel beside the beach with a fantastic view to a rock formation called Hashigui-iwa, the Bridge Pier Rock.  This line of rocks is, like many places of natural wonders, connected with a legend.

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Rising sun with view out of my hotel window to the lined rock formation caused by volcanic activity

 

The legend is connected with Kobo Daishi, the founder of Shingon Buddhism (8th century) who was also an excellent engineer. One time he visited Kushimoto and was asked by the locals to help them build a bridge to the next island. They had tried many times, but the monster Amonojaku had always destroyed their work. Kobo Daishi told them that he could not do that. However, the monster approached Kobo Daishi with the promise to help him by giving him the strength of 1000 horses – under one condition! He had to finish the work in one day and one night. Kobo Daishi agreed and was very good progress. Amonojaku became very worried and decided to cheat. Just before sunrise, he faked the crow of the rooster and Kobo Daishi stopped his work, believing that he had lost. Ever since, you only can see the unfinished bridge.

There is a similar story about a rock, the devil and the rooster in my home area in Austria. However, the contract was between God and the devil. The devil wanted to build a dam across the Danube and made a deal with God. He had to finish the dam before dawn. The devil nearly finished the dam when the rooster on the top of a church steeple (old churches often had a metal rooster on the top) started to crow and tricked the devil. The rock dam collapsed with only a bit left on the shore.

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In order to reach the shrine connected with the rock formation, I had to walk along a road without a pedestrian path. For a long time, heavy traffic prevented me from crossing the road, until I found a short opening – very dangerous! Unfortunately, the modernization damaged (like in many other places I did pilgrimages) some of the natural beauty.

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Entrance to the shrine from the busy street

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When the dragon back

rises out of the calm sea

the gods ride on him

 

On the way to the Ise shrine, we stopped at another interesting place – the Hana-no-Iwaya shrine. I had no idea that this trip would be a cultural journey into the mythical history of Japan. It was fascinating!

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Entrance gate to the Hana-no-Iwaya shrine

 

 

Hana-no-Iwaya is a giant, 47m high rock formation venerated since Paleolithic times. Many consider it as the oldest place of worship in Japan. It is connected to the creation myth of different kamis and the creation of Japan.

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Many Torii indicating the sacredness of this place

 

 

Brother and sister Izanagi and Izanami are deities responsible for the creation of many deities and the creation of the islands of Japan. When Izanami gave birth to the fire god Kagutsuchi, she was burned and went to Yomi, the World of darkness. Izanagi was full of grief and looked for his wife in the Underworld. He found her and saw her rotten corpse. Terrified, he escaped the World of the death and placed a huge rock across the entrance, sealing the exit and breaking their union. After that, Izanagi took a bath in order to purify himself from the contact with the dead and gave birth to a number of important deities. His left eye was giving birth to Amaterasu (sun goddess), his right eye gave birth to the Goddess of the moon and the storm god Susanoo was born from his nose.  The bathing is the foundation of the very important purification ritual.

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On the top of the giant rock which closes the entrance to the Underworld, you see a shimenawa (mark rope) connecting to a sacred pole on the ground. This rope, consisting of 7 intertwined ropes, is made by locals every 6 months, connected with a rope changing festival followed by a sacred dance to the Gods.

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In the photo you can see the shadow on the rock created by a depression called “Hotoana”, meaning hole in the rock. This 6m high formation is considered the sacred body of the deity.

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This is a photo I made of a photo showing the weaving of the rope.

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Rope festival

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The Pacific Ocean is about a 5-minute walk from the shrine

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After embarking on the shore of the Kumano-gawa river, it was just a short walk to the entrance of the Hayatama Taisha. I was surprised that not only the Torii was colored in bright red, but all the other buildings also – a big difference to the Hongu Taisha, where every building was of natural wood.

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                                                             Shigeo and I in front of the Torii

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Hardly any people were at the Jinja when we arrived. It is believed that a matchmaking deity is dwelling here and people come to pray for a good partner.

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800 year old tree planted by a powerful feudal lord when the shrine was reconstructed.

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                                                                          A beautiful little building

 

After getting our stamp at the Grand shrine, we soon left for an interesting site – the Kamikura-jinja. We first walked through a very poor neighborhood (reminding me of some sites I saw on my Shikoku pilgrimage eight years ago) to the foot of Mt. Gongen (Reincarnation). 

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I was not sure if people still live in these houses.

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538 steep, uneven stone stairs lead up to the Kamikura-jinja. Every step needed utmost concentration. The path led us up to a place where the Kumano deities are believed to have descended from the sacred, heavenly country (Takama-ga-hara, High Plain) down to the human world.

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Behind the jinja you can see a huge, powerful rock known as Gotobiki-iwa. It is believed that the three deities from the Kumano Grand shrines first descended on the large rock and the shrine beside it is the dwelling place of a deity. The view down to Shingu City and the Pacific Ocean is spectacular.

 

After bringing Hiroko-san to the train the next day, we continued our trip to the Kumano Nachi Taisha.  It was rainy when we walked up the stairs, passing centuries old cedar trees.

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The Nachi Taisha is built on the side of a mountain at 350m sea level.

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After cleansing hands and mouth, we continued to an area consisting of many bright, red colored wooden buildings.

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Many tourists and pilgrims visit this shrine. The area of the Nachi Taisha shrine is huge and covers several levels and areas with buildings. Nachi Taisha is the head shrine of more than 4000 Kumano shrines all over Japan and not everything is accessible for pilgrims. The shrine you see in the photo is open for pilgrims.

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                                                                     Another beautiful roofline

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We were lighting incense in this enormous holder, the first incense cauldron I saw at a Jinja.

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I was especially intrigued by this enormous 800-year-old Camphor tree standing beside a hall where all kinds of luck symbols and souvenirs are sold. The tree is hollow and one can climb through the hollow area to the other side. By doing this, one is re-born through the womb of nature. Tree worship is very common in Shinto. It is believed that it is a special abode to the kami (deity).

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                                                           Stairs down to the entrance of the tree

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Pilgrims can write a prayer or a wish on one of these wooden tablets, carry the stick through the inside of the tree and place it on a rack on the other side. All the donated sticks will be burned by the priests.

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                                                                      The exit of the tree-womb

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                                                                   View down from the tree

 

The rope to the left with the white zig-zag paper indicates the sacredness of the area.

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It is also possible to ask the oracle what the future will bring. It is written on a piece of paper. After reading it, people attach the paper on this construction.

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In every temple or shrine, I presented my pilgrim’s book (I bought it in Koyasan eight years ago) and a specific calligraphy with date and stamp was gracefully written on a page. I always loved to observe their careful writing with the brush.

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This gate leads to the Seiganto-ji temple built in the 16h century.  Buddhism was introduced to Japan in the 5th and 6th century. After some time, the kamis were seen as manifestations of Buddhas. The sun goddess Amaterasu, for example, was considered by Shingon Buddhism as the embodiment of the Cosmic Buddha. Many temples were built beside shrines and existed peacefully together for over a 1000 years. This changed dramatically with the Meiji Restoration in 1868. The effort to return to “pure” Shinto was not very successful – as seen in Nachi Taisha.

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The temple stands on wooden poles and has a large, inside area. Yuko and I are posing in front of a powerful dragon. The temple is dedicated to Kannon (Bodhisattva of Mercy, lit. Sound-observing or Observation-divinity Bodhisattva) and is the first temple of a 33 temple pilgrimage dedicated to Kannon.

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                                            View from the temple to the shrine with the statue of Kannon

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I got another calligraphy in my pilgrimage book, written by a Buddhist monk.

 

 

The oldest place of worship in this area is the 133m high waterfall, the highest waterfall in Japan. When we walked down, we passed a picturesque three story pagoda. 

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                                                 　　　　　　　Three story pagoda

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Despite being prepared for many visitors, the path to the waterfall kept its charm.

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The Nachi-no-Otaki has been worshipped as a deity called Hiro Gongen since ancient times. The beauty of nature is thought to lead the mind of a human being to the higher and deeper world of the divine, the world of the kami. The most beautiful spots in Japan are generally the sites of shrines.

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The waterfall is used by the Yamabushi (Shugendo religion) as a place of ascetic training. It is one of 48 waterfalls where they practice body-mind endurance and try to achieve enlightenment.

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We witnessed a Shinto ritual in front of the waterfall. To the left of the priest is a wand with a lot of white paper streamers. This wand is used for purification and moved in a special way to purify the believers. The rites are done to ward off misfortune and secure the cooperation with a kami. Rituals in the Shinto tradition are important, the worship always includes all the senses.

 

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Kumano Hongu Taisha

 

When approaching the Grand shrine in the evening, I felt a change of energy – as if I could breathe freer. There was a lightness in the air I could not really explain. I immediately loved Hongu Taisha. The wooden structure of the buildings with roofs thatched with cypress shingles perfectly blended into the surrounding nature. This was a place of nature worship.

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The dragon water fountain for purification to the right. To the left you see the lion-dog (komainu), guardian against evil to the deity.

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The main gate is called Shinmon. Above the gate is a powerful shimenawa attached. It is a rope made out of rice straw and signifies a sacred area. Further up you see an image of a rabbit, the zodiac sign of the year 2023. The patterns on the white curtain depict Chrysanthemum flowers, an Imperial symbol indicating the importance of the shrine.

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We stepped through the gate into a large, empty space with four main buildings at the end – the Honden (Main Hall). Four deities reside in these four buildings connected by a wooden fence – the tow most important are the sun goddess Amatersasu and her brother Susanoo-no Mikoto (god of the sea and the wind).

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I love the roof structure of the shrines. The two crossed beams with the golden metal ends are called Chigi and give the building a magical appearance.

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The contrast of the unfinished, raw wood of the buildings and the golden lanterns shining in the sun is beautiful.

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When you approach a shrine, you first pull the rope to announce your presence, then donate some money into the box, bow two times, clap with your hands two times, say a prayer and bow again one time before leaving. This is a way to connect with the deities.

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The hall to the right is called Haiden (Prayer Hall). It is where the priests perform rituals. I listened to their beautiful chanting and drumming while standing outside of the hall the next morning . I was fascinated by the huge drum located outside, decorated with energetic comma-like swirls, perhaps  symbolizing a whirlpool of water. It is a very ancient symbol and can be seen in nearly every shrine.

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I was not aware that I could play this powerful Taiko drum as a reward of having done both pilgrimages – the Kumano Kodo and the Camino de Santiago. Every pilgrim who had walked both and can show the stamps is eligible to receive a dual pilgrim certificate. At the end of my drumming, the priest clapped at my performance. It helped that I learned Taiko drumming in Phoenix from Ken Koshio.

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Receiving the certificate for a dual pilgrim with great joy

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                                                   Shinto priest Saigi and I

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A mirror like stone ball with the three legged crow, the Yatagurasu, the sacred bird. Behind the ball you can see a calligraphy painted by the chief priest. At the end of every year, he writes one character to express his heartfelt wishes for the coming year.

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Near the Haiden, I saw two perfectly ball-shaped natural rocks with smooth surfaces (one of them is pictured above). They have also big meanings which, unfortunately, I have forgotten.

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There is another object I was fascinated by. Behind the two rocks and the Tarajo Holly tree known also as the “postcard tree”, there is a metal tube with the three-legged crow on the top. This is a mailbox. The current head priest is concerned about the dominance of the digital world and encourages the visitors to slow down and write a postcard stating their feelings about the visit to the Grand Shrine.

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When we left, a monk with a straw hat, animal skin and walking stick climbed the 158 stairs to the Grand Shrine. I was told that this was a Yamabushi practitioner, a mountain ascetic following intense discipline, belonging to the Shugendo religion. Normally, they are dressed in white – so I was not so sure what to believe.

 

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Later on, we visited a museum with a wood carving of a Yamabushi mountain warrior. He carries a conch shell. In former times it was used to communicate with each other in the mountains. The training of a Yamabushi is intended to bring death to the worldly self in order to be reborn in another world. Once there even existed a practice of self-mummification in order to become a Sokushinbutsu, a Living Buddha. This practice was forbidden about 100 years ago.

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This 34m high Torii made out of concrete is the tallest gate in Japan and marks the entrance to the sacred area of Oyunahara. For over 1000 years, it was here were the pilgrims worshiped the deities. A devastating flood destroyed the huge complex and the shrine was rebuilt at the beginning of the 20th century.

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Originally, 12 deities were enshrined in Oyunohara. Only four deities were moved to the new location, Hongu Taisha. The other eight deities are still enshrined in two stone monuments in Oyunohara. In the photo above, you see one of the stone monuments with the two lion-dogs as guardians left and right on pedestals. I find it fascinating that a rock is believed to enshrine a deity.  For 2000 years, nature worship was practiced at this place and still continues today.

 

In order to reach the Kumano Hayatama Taisha, we took a boat down the Kumano-gawa river.

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Thousand years ago, this kind of boat was used by the Imperial family, nobility and rich people to travel from Hongu Taisha to the Hayatama Taisha Grand Shrine. Common pilgrims had to walk along the riverbank. We started our river boat tour farther down the river and travelled the last 16 km to the shrine. The tour lasted 90 minutes and every minute was worth it.

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Quietly, the boat was floating down the crystal clear river. Cascading waterfalls were tumbling down the green, steep mountains and interesting rock formations captured our attention, Our tour guide told us the stories connected with all these natural wonders and played beautiful music on the Shinobue flute (bamboo flute).

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                                  Our tour guide and me in front of interestingly shaped rocks

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The next two days of hiking

 

 

My friend Yuko had planned the pilgrimage in a very detailed way. We only had to carry what we needed for the day. Also, there was always a car available – either her friend Yae-san (who lives in Takahara) picked us up or brought us to the  section we stopped the day before, or Yuko used her own car for transportation. Also, all the accommodations were reserved in advance (very necessary because accommodations along the way are limited) and the places we stayed were always very nice. This was a “luxury pilgrimage” for me.

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A typical path on the Nakahechi route is in a cedar forest. The Kumano area is called “land of trees and endless mountains”. Except in shrines or temples, I hardly ever saw very old trees along the path. One of the major reasons was World War II when towns burned down and had to be rebuild. Native trees were used and replaced by fast growing trees like Japanese cedars and cypresses. Trees were also planted on rice fields, as the government paid the people for each tree planted. Walls of stones in the middle of the forest point to the past.

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　　　　　　　　Stone walls of past rice fields, useless in a forest

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Along the way, there were many little shrines and historical places. Sometimes, only signs pointed to the former significance of the place. For example, many teahouses invited pilgrims for a rest, but all are gone.

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Sometimes stone walls lined our way – they are called “wild boar fences” – and were built in former times to keep wild boars and deer out of villages and fields.

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.　　　　　We were lucky to have magnificent hiking weather

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           Sometimes the path was paved – I prefer to hike on uneven ground

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A collection of statues on a mountain pass refers to past times. The statue with the sword is the legendary founder of Shugendo, Ennogyoja (an ascetic mountain practice).

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Retired emperor Kazan (10th century) as a boy riding on a horse and a cow. He was one of the first emperors making an Imperial pilgrimage to Kumano.

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　　　　　　　　　　　Another station for a stamp

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We stayed overnight in the Minshuku (Folk Inn, privately run inn) Chikatsuyu, consisting of several buildings – the building where we slept, kitchen with dining room and the onsen (hot bath). I changed slippers three times – outside of the house, inside of the house, in the bathroom another pair of slippers and no slippers in the tatami room where we slept – so Japanese!

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　　　　　　　　　　Typical tatami room with two beds 

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Everything was beautifully arranged and provided – a yukata for the bath and sleeping,  towels for onsen and like always, a toothbrush with a little toothpaste for the night.

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                                                    View from the dining room

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Dinner with Yae-san beside me, who was so helpful for us. The dinner was delicious and beautifully prepared – very Japanese!

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                                                                        Sashimi

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                                        Ingredients for a dish cooked at the table

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The walk to Kumano-Hongu Taisha was longer than everybody wanted to walk the next day. Yuko brought me to an entrance path, from where I could connect with the official pilgrimage route. The rest of the group decided to go by car to the Grand Shrine and take a bus back to Hosshinmon Oji ,where we all would meet and walk the last stretch together.

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When hiking up this narrow mountain path, I enjoyed the solitude and stillness. Only some birds were chirping. I heard my steps and my breath and again started to compose haikus in my head in order to capture the moment. Suddenly, I came to a high fence – the path was closed. I was shocked – did I take a wrong turn?

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This fence was too high to climb over and also not strong enough. I was confused – why was the path closed? I stood there for a while not knowing what to do when suddenly, an idea came in my mind – maybe, I can lift the net up? This worked! I still do not know the reason for this net. Maybe, it has to do with the detour caused by a massive landslide on the main path. I continued to walk down the mountain and connected with the official pilgrimage route.

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               A jizo (kṣitigarbha: earth-womb bodhisattva) beside the path

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Most of the toilets were more inviting than this one. On Japanese hiking trails, you always can find a toilet at certain distances.

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                                      The Otonashi-gawa (Soundless-river) 

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Many of the rivers I saw in Japan are contained by high, man-made walls. The Japanese live with a lot of natural disasters and want to limit the damage. I can understand that. But I always felt sad that the beauty of a natural flow of water, which especially is benefitting animals and plants, is gone.

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                                              Yukawa-Oji with the torii

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            The dragon for purification – without water, he lost his purpose….

 

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Funatama-jinja, in former times especially visited by fishermen. The shrine is connected with an ancient legend: One day, the deity Susanoo was standing under a waterfall nearby and took a bath. He saw a spider falling into the water, struggling not do drown. It found safety on a floating leaf. The deity was so touched that it inspired her to create the very first boat.

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   One of two foxes guarding the Inari-jinja with a wish full-filling jewel

              in his mouth representing spiritual and material wealth.

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I met Yuko, Shigeo and Hiroko-san at the Hosshinmon-oji, also know as “gate of awakening”. It marks the start of the sacred path to the Kumano-Hongu-Taisha. There once stood nearby a gate for pilgrims to walk through. By doing that, they symbolically died and were reborn into the Kumano Pure Land’s Paradise, a confirmation of salvation after death.

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                                      Lining up for a stamp near the Oji

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It is only a 7km long hike to the Grand shrine. Sometimes, it felt like a stroll through a beautiful park.

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We passed tea plantations, bamboo groves and often had a spectacular views to endless, green mountains.

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                                       Passing orchards of persimmon trees

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Spectacular views to the endless mountain range

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                                            Bathing in the evening sun

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                                                            A happy group

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When we came closer to the Grand shrine, the roots of the cedar trees looked like little dragons crawling along the path.

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Haraido-oji. This shrine was the most important shrine before entering the Hongu-Taisha. The final purification rites were performed in this place. “Harai” means exorcism or purification.

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In the evening, we entered the area of the Grand Shrine. We did not have much time for a visit, but came back twice the next day.

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Awakening Utmost Agenda!

 

Our problems and sufferings come from delusions of self and desires and divisiveness based on it. There is no self-same (permanent), self-sovereign (willful), self-entity in the Dharma (Law) of all dharmas (phenomena), Dependent Co-origination, i.e., all phenomena are dependently co-originating on limitless causes and conditions. Self-delusions cause all individual, social, economic, political, religious, and ecological problems, leading to global problems, mass extinction, and demise.

 

Humans have been skillful in handling the symbolisms of language, myth, religion, science, the state, etc., taking the hegemony of global systems, now creating the global problematique even to their own extinction with the eco system. A single man with his socio-political systems may lead the world to nuclear holocaust as the doomsday clock is ticking at 90 seconds before midnight due to self-delusion. Most people participate in such delusions and demise within delusory systems.

 

Each and every one must be awakened from such delusory ways and worlds to solve our common problems. We must be awakened to the reality of the related and relative nature of ourselves and others to stop self-delusion and to start coexistence and cooperation. We are karma-machines that blindly act upon self-survival instinct, thus we must still karma, settle in nirvana (no-wind, of karma), see the Dharma, and serve and save all. None are exempt from their duties to all beings.

 

We must strive to stop the triple poisons of desire, divisiveness, and delusion, or the “triple only” of now, money, and me, and start cultivating ourselves in the triple learnings of morality, concentration (nirvana), and prognosis (awakening). All must observe the Global Ethic and work to make a paradigm shift from our artificial uni-directional pyramidal civilization to a natural cyclical Indra-net culture in truth, goodness, beauty, and holiness (wholly wholesome way world).

 

February 2, 2024 C.E.

 

Notes:

 

1. The five aggregates (pañca-skhandha：form, feeling, ideation, formation, and consciousness) are to further analyze the common two parts of body and mind to critically investigate the latter (feeling, ideation, formation: volition, etc., consciousness). These are all interdependently originating and ceasing (related and relative, thus not independent and eternal, thus no independent eternal ego, self, etc.). The Buddha advised that we rely on ourselves and the Dharma, not others. This means that we must rely on ourselves, not others carelessly, but we must see and judge for ourselves whether things are true and just. He also advised that we not to follow other a-Dharma (un-true, un-ethical, un-holy, un-effective, etc.) ways (cf. six other ways in his time: accidentalism, fatalism, skepticism, indeterminism, etc.).
2. “The Dharma (Norm/Law/Truth/Ethic) of all dharmas (forms/phenomena/ truths/ethics)” is Dependent Co-origination, i.e., all phenomena are interdependently co-originated on limitless causes and conditions (similar to the Law of Causality, but deeper and wider – beyond conventions, conceptions, objects, etc.). This means that we are interrelated with other beings (other species, elements, stars, etc.), and relatives to each other, and that we must therefore live together harmoniously and strive to make a wholly wholesome world to become harmonious, health, and happy.

 

3. The Indra-net, whose crystal balls on its knots reflect each other mutually and limitlessly in space and time, illustrates the Dharma of Dependent Co-origination well, showing that all phenomena are interdependently co-originated and co-originating among themselves. One (person or thing) is interconnected with others (persons or things) by elements (air, water, light, magnetism, chemicals, particles, sounds, colors, etc.), molecules, microorganisms, communications (words, arts, media, internet, etc.), actions (of viruses, plants, animals, humans, stars, etc.), etc. inside and outside, in space and time limitlessly.

 

4. The life system is in a limitlessly interdependent and interrelated system throughout limitless space and time. If we can acknowledge and activate it, we can function as limitless life, light, liberation, and love, like the crystal balls of the Indra-net, making it holy (wholly wholesome), harmonious, healthy, and happy, calm and clear, collectively and continuously.

 

5. Sitting still makes one calm and clear, as a bowl settling down makes the water inside of it become calm and clear, reflecting the world. Constant cultivation of still sitting leads to calming (samatha/śamatha) and observation (vipassanā/vipaśyanā), nirvana and awakening (bodhi), witnessing the of truth world (Dhamma/Dharma-dhātu), and becoming the truth body (Dhamma/Dharma-kāya).

 

6. The solution of the global problematique, interrelated global problems　 such as global warming, mass extinction, nationalism, war, nuke, dictatorship, dogma, discrimination, prolusion, poverty, requires the global ethic (issued by the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago in 1993 with more than seven thousand people from all religions and from all over the world attending), which is based on the Five Precepts (and the fundamental common elements in the Ten Precepts, the Ten Commandments, etc.).

 

7. Ernst Cassirer defined humans as homo symbolicum in his Philosophy of Symbolism, its summary An Essay on Man, where humans are described as skillful in handling the symbolisms of language, myth, religion, art, science, history, etc. The Myth of the State is an important work that to shows how states operate and how people are misled to wars and even nuclear demise.

 

8. The Triple Poisons are desire, divisiveness, and delusion (of a self-same, self-sovereign self). The “Triple Only” are only me, only now, and only money (short-sighted views and actions, which make the wider world worse) , which can be cured by the Triple Learnings of morality, concentration, and prognosis.

 

9. Religion derives from Latin religare (reunion). Religion is, thus, to reunite with holiness (wholly wholesomeness, cf. Rudolf Otto’s definition of religion as the Holy) from sin (=separation, separated sick, cf. a-sun-der, sundry).
10. To reunite with the holiness of the limitless ocean of life from being a separated small bubble or foam of ego or group ego is the goal of anyone or a universal religion, where one lives as a true friend in need of all, as expressed in Mitra, Mithra, Metteya, Maitreya, Mazda, Massiah, etc., and who lives in limitless life, light, liberation, and love.
11. We must abolish a system that allows one or a few to use nuclear bombs to devastate the whole world, even to the point of destroying the total global system, together with the nationalism, nukes, war, dictatorship, discrimination, and dogmatism that make it possible.
12. A paradigm shift from our artificial, unilateral pyramidal civilization to a natural, cyclical Indra-net life culture for sharing life, heart, and harmony with the five blisses (awakening, freedom, equality, friendship, and peace) is essential to solve the global problematique. Culture is the cultivation of our potential in truth, goodness, beauty, and holiness (cf. sciences, philosophies, arts, and religions).

Please refer to the following for more detailed explanation：

https://heiwasekai.wordpress.com/2018/01/20/%e3%80%8c%e6%9e%a0%e7%b5%84%e8%bb%a2%e6%8f%9b%e3%80%8d%ef%bc%9aparadigm-shift/?fbclid=IwAR2PEo9t4YwkwTSo4QRdVseqW08HeASD7orrenbOQLh181s72MAbV-WxkuM

 

 

覚醒は最高案件

 

私達の問題と苦悩は我の妄想とそれに基づく欲望と分断から来る。諸法の法である縁起、即ち、一切現象は無量の因縁に依存して生起する、には自己同一（永遠）自己主宰（恣意）の自己実体はない。我妄想は一切の個人的、社会的、経済的、政治的、宗教的、生態的諸問題を起こし地球諸問題、大量絶滅、絶滅に導く。

 

人間は言語、神話、宗教、科学、国家等の象徴主義を操るに長けて来たので、地球諸組織の覇権を得、今や地球問題群を創り出し、生態組織と共に自らの破滅にさえ至ろうとしている。唯一人の人間が我妄想の故に、世界終末時計が真夜中に向けて90秒前で時を刻んでいるので、その社会・政治諸組織と共に世界を核ホロコーストに導くかも知れない。ほとんどの人々は妄想組織の中でそのような妄想と破滅に参加している。

 

各人全てはそのような妄想方途と世界から目覚めて私達の諸問題を解決しなければならない。私達は我妄想を止める為に自らと他者が相依相対である事実に目覚め、共生と共同を始めなければならない。私達は自己保存本応に基づいて盲目的に行動している業機械であるから、業を静め、涅槃（無風、業の）に安住し、法を見、一切に奉仕・救済しなければならない。誰も一切にたいする自らの責任を免除されてはいない。

 

私達は貪瞋痴の三毒と今だけ、金だけ、自分だけの三ダケを止めて、戒定（涅槃）慧（覚醒）の三学に自らの修養を始める様努力しなければならない。皆が地球倫理を遵守し、人工的で一方向的な金字塔文明から真善美聖（全体健全）の内に自然的で循環的な帝釈網文化への枠組転換をするために働かなければならない。

 

2024共通年2月2日

 

註：

１．（色：色形：身、受：感受、想：思想、行：行動、識：意識：心）の五蘊（集合体：pañca-skhandha）は普通の身心二分法を更に分析し後者（受想行識）を批判的に検討する為のものである。これらは全て相互依存して生起、消滅する（相関相対だから独立でも恒常でもない、だから独立永遠の我、自己等はない）。仏陀は自らと法に依り、他に依るなと忠告した。これは、私達が自らに頼り、他に不注意に頼ってはならないと言う事であり、物事を真実で正義であるかを自ら見て判断しなければならないということである。彼は又他の不法（非真実、非倫理、非聖性、非効果など）に従わないよう忠告した（参考：同時代の六師外道：偶然論、運命論、懐疑論、非決定論など）。

2.　諸法（形態・現象）の法（規則・法則・真理・倫理）は縁起（因縁生起）、即ち、一切現象は無量の直接原因と間接条件により相依生起するということである（因果則に似ているがさらに深く広い－世俗、観念、対象などを超える）。これは私達が他者（多種、要素、星宿など）と相依関係にあることを意味し、相互に相対的であり、私達が調和、健康、幸福になる為には共に調和して生き、全体健全な世界を作る努力をしなければならないことを意味する。

3.　帝釈網は、その結び目にある水晶の珠が時空中に相互に無限に反映し合うが、一切現象が共に生起し生起させる縁起の法を例示しています。一（人又は物）は（気・水・光・磁力・化学物質、素粒子・音・色等）の要素、分子、微生物、（言葉、芸術、メディア、インターネット等）の通信、（ウィルス、植物、動物、人間、星等）の行動などに依り内外、時空に無限に他（諸人又は諸物）と結びついている。

４．私達の生命組織は無限の時空を通じて縁起と関連の組織です。もし私達がそれを認知し実行するなら、私達は、帝釈網の水晶の珠のように、それを集団的に継続的に、聖（全体健全）なる調和、健康、幸福で、静かに明らかに、無限の生命、光明、自由、愛情として機能出来る。

5.　静坐は、椀が安住するとその中の水が静謐に透明になり世界を映すように、人を静謐に明澄にする。静坐の常時の修行は止（止静）(samatha/śamatha) と観（観法） (vipassanā/vipaśyanā), 涅槃と覚醒 (bodhi), に導き法界 (Dhamma/Dharma-dhātu：真理世界)を直証し,法身 (Dhamma/Dharma-kāya：真実身)になる。誰でも真実にある樹（両者共法：dharmaの語根 dhṝと同様永続を意味し一万年生き延びる樹もある）調和している樹（一切元素と調和し酸素、花、果、建築材など与える）の様に成れる。

６．地球問題群、地球温暖化、大量絶滅、国家主義、戦争、核、ドクサイ、独断、差別、汚染、貧困の様な相互関連した地球諸問題、は（1993年シカゴで世界中から諸宗教の七千人を超える人々が集まった世界宗教会議により発出された宣言）地球倫理を必要とするが、これは（不殺、不盗、不偽、不淫、不飲酒の）五戒（と仏教他の十戒の基本的共通要素）に基づいている。インターアクション協議会は世界人務宣言の草案を作り国連が発出するように提出したが今に至るも棚上げされたままである。

７．エルンスト・カッシラーは人間を言語、神話、宗教、芸術、科学、歴史などの象徴を巧く操るものであるとする「象徴の哲学」やその要約である「人間」等で「象徴人間」と定義しました。「国家の神話」は諸国家がどのように機能するかそしてどのように人々が戦争やさらには核の破滅に誤り導かれるかを知るのに重要である。

８．三毒は貪瞋痴（自己同一、自己主宰の我という愚痴）である。三だけは今だけ、金だけで自分だけということであり（短見・短絡行動で、より広い世界を悪化させる）が、戒定慧の三学はこれらを治癒できる。

９．Religion(宗教）はラテン語religare (再結合)に由来します。だから、宗教は罪（sin = 分離、分離病患, cf. a-sun-der, sundry)から聖（holiness = wholly wholesomeness 全体健全、参照 Rudolf Ottoの宗教の定義：the Holy）に再結合することである。

１０．エゴや集団エゴの分離狭小の泡沫あるいは泡群から無限の命の大洋に再結合することは誰もあるいは普遍宗教の目標です、そこでは無量寿、無量光、無量解放、無量愛を生きる友・友情（Mitra, Mithra, Metteya, Maitreya, Mazda, Massiah）で表される一切の必要の時の真の友として生きるのである。

１１．私達は一人や少数の人が、国家主義、核、戦争、独裁、佐s別、独断をもって、全世界を破壊し、全地球系を破滅させるに至る極点にも到る核爆弾の使用を可能にするような事を許してはならない。

１２．私達の人工的で一方向の金字塔文明から命・心・和の分かち合いによる五福（覚醒、自由、平等、友情、平和）をもつ自然的で循環的な命帝網文化への枠組転換が地球問題群を解決する為には必須である。文化は私達の真善美聖(参考：諸科学、諸哲学、諸芸術、諸宗教)における潜在能力を修養することである。

詳細説明は下記を参照：

https://heiwasekai.wordpress.com/2018/01/20/%e3%80%8c%e6%9e%a0%e7%b5%84%e8%bb%a2%e6%8f%9b%e3%80%8d%ef%bc%9aparadigm-shift/?fbclid=IwAR2PEo9t4YwkwTSo4QRdVseqW08HeASD7orrenbOQLh181s72MAbV-WxkuM

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Nakahechi route

 

Yuko and Shigeo drove seven hours from Eihei-ji to Tanabe, a town on the western coast of the Kii peninsular. It is the starting point of the most popular pilgrimage route of the Komano Kodo, the Nakahechi route (about 90km including a boat ride). The imperial family and nobility coming from Kyoto used the Nakahechi route to visit the three most important shrines located in Kumano – Kumano Hongu Taisha, Kumano Nachi Taisha and Kumano Hayatama Taisha. Starting in the 10th century, this difficult journey connected with nature worship was filled with strict spiritual trainings in order to purify body and mind. Sometimes, up to 800 people walked this path with the imperial family. People considered the Kumano area as the abode of Gods where deities (kamis) descended and resided and the place where the spirits of the dead congregated on the mountain tops.

Kumano is also associated with the mythological foundation of Japan (recorded in the Records of Ancient matters, 711-712 CE). According to these records, Jimmu, the first emperor of Japan and direct descendent of the sun goddess Amaterasu, was guided by a three-legged crow (Yatagarasu) through the wilderness of Kumano and won the war against his adversary. This was the beginning of the nation Japan.

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Web of Cedar roots

on the ancient path

Kumano Kodo 

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In Tanabe (called Gateway to Kumano), we were joined by Hiroko-san, a good friend of Yuko and Shigeo. When we were ready to check out from our hotel in Tanabe on Sunday morning, I realized that I had a health problem – a bladder infection. It started a day before, but this morning, I could not ignore it anymore – I had to go to the doctor! However, going to a doctor would have caused us to lose one day of hiking. I decided to treat it myself by drinking lots of water mixed with a bit of baking soda (I got it from the hotel) and wait. It turned out to be the best decision I could make. Walking thousands of steps in beautiful nature and drinking lots of water was not a total cure, but a way to healing. Although my decision was not based on the ancient belief that walking ” in this sacred paradise on earth” brings healing and relief from suffering, my bladder problems became less urgent.

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Like the lake below

may you be quiet and calm

my busy bladder

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We started our hike at the Takajiri-oji, the entrance to the Kumano mountains. An Oji is a subsidiary shrine to the Grand shrines and once were located every two km as a place of worship and rest. Many of them disappeared. The Takajiri-oji is located beside the Tonda river, in former times a very dangerous river crossing where many pilgrims died. Severe cold-water rituals were performed with dances, sutra chanting, prayers, sumo wrestling and poetry recited. Many big halls, bathhouses and lodges for pilgrims stood there  one time. Nothing is left except the oji. A modern visitor center is located on the other side of the river.

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A photo in the visitor center depicting two female pilgrims dressed in typical pilgrims’ outfits: the kimono and a straw hat with veil. The hat not only protected the pilgrims from insects but also had a spiritual significance, symbolizing a protected space from outside impurities.

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Torii to the Takajiri-oji. When entering through the torii, one has to bow. The area is considered sacred.

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Purifying hands and mouth is important before approaching the shrine

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The ritual at the shrine is performed in the following way: first by ringing the bell, then two bows, then two times clapping, followed by a short prayer. Before leaving the shrine, one has to bow again.

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A small wooden house on a pole holds the stamp for the pilgrim’s book

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The pilgrim’s path immediately leads into the forest and up the mountain with steep natural stairs of rock and roots.

 

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Constantly, the wind blew hair in my face.  This caused me to write a haiku

 

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Wind in the tree tops

also blows hair in my face –

we are connected

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The path is well marked

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Each step at a time

on the narrow mountain path –

old leaves on the ground

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A tree embracing a rock with its roots – so tender!

 

 

After hiking for a while, we came to a very interesting rock formation called “Chichi-iwa rock”, connected with a legend. One time, the legend says, a wife took shelter in its cave in order to give birth to a baby. She continued the pilgrimage and left the baby in the cave. The baby survived because a wolf fed the baby with milk dripping down the rock. When the couple returned from the pilgrimage, they found their baby and took it home. Therefore, the rock is called “milk rock”.

Yuko and I climbed through the very narrow rock passage to the other side. It is like passing through a womb and being reborn.

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It is impossible to crawl through this narrow hole with a bag-pack

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Jizos, protectors of wanderers and children, with bibs

 

 

 

When we reached the top of the mountain, the path followed a beautiful mountain ridge lined by tall cedar trees.

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Our goal of the day was Takahara, a beautiful little mountain village with a spectacular view. The fields below are rice fields.

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You can see layered rice terraces which require a sophisticated system of water control. In former times, the cultivation of rice was considered a sacred act. Many religious symbols use rice plants for rituals in Japan. Rice is often offered to deities in shrines and at home and the rice straw is used for the shimenawa, a rope made out of rice to indicated a sacred area.

 

In Takahra stands also the oldest shrine of the Nakahechi route, the Takahara-Kumano -jinja (14th century). This sacred place is surrounded by powerful, nearly 1000 year old camphor trees.

 

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Takahara jinja with 1000-year-old camphor tree to the right

Near the jinja also stands a pillar called Koshinto (unfortunately, I do not have a photo). An ancient believe is connected with it: Every 60 day is Koshin day. During the night of this day, three worms called Sanshi would escape the body and ascend to the Gods where they would report all the sins of this person – this would lead to a shorter life span. In order to prevent this to happen, the people did not sleep all night.

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After a day of rest, where I enjoyed planting flowers in Yuko’s garden and other things, we left Tokyo by car and drove about 5 hours west to the town Hikone. I am always amazed how much the population is protected from noise pollution by the very high walls along the highways – but there is not much to see except new cars and trucks rushing by (because of a policy making older cars more expensive to own). However, one time Mt. Fuji became visible in the distance with its snow covered peak – just beautiful! When we stopped at a rest station, I looked for a trash can – but none was there. The reason, I was told, is to force the people to take their own trash back home. It worked – not one piece of garbage anywhere. Instead, we saw a little grasshopper resting in the grass.

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Yuko had made a very detailed itinerary of the hotels we would stay at on our tour.  I was very impressed! The Sunroute Hotel was close to the Hikone castle, so we stayed there because we planned to visit the castle next day. We went on an evening stroll to the moat surrounding the castle.

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The moat of Hikone castle on a 100-meter-high hill

 

Hikone castle was built during the Edo period (period of peace lasting from 1603 – 1868, ruled by the Tokugawa shogunate) and completed in 1622. It was never intended to be a military castle but used for administrative purposes.

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Shigeo and I in front of Hikone castle. The castle is one of twelve historical castles left in Japan which has a tenshu (the highest tower in the castle). For building the castle, other castles were dismantled to use the materials.

 

 

 

When we entered the castle, which is a wooden structure, we had to take off our shoes. The stairways up to the higher floors are incredible steep and narrow. A full armored samurai would have had hard time walking up. We had to grip the railing tightly not to slip.

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The view from the top of the castle was great! You see lake Biwa in the distance.

 

On the bottom of the hill not far away from the castle was the residence and garden where the daimyos lived. (During the Edo period, there were 300 daimyos in Japan). The garden called Genkyu-den (scenic beauty) was breathtaking. It was finished, together with the residence, in 1677.

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Residence with Hikone castle in the distance

 

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One of nine bridges crossing the water to an island

 

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One of the houses was a tea house. Shigeo and I had matcha tea and a little sweet served by a charming lady dressed in a Kimono.

 

We left the area a bit before noon in order to reach the temple Eiheiji north of Hikone city at 2 pm. Several months before my trip to Japan, I asked for permission to stay one night in the headquarters of Soto Zen and I was granted permission. Again, there was only one possible day they offered a meditation retreat (sanzen) for foreigners that I was able to come – I was very happy about that.

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Entrance street to Eiheiji with a very small me standing beside the huge column

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When I walked the Shikoku pilgrimage in Japan about eight years ago, I heard about another pilgrimage route in Japan – the Kumano Kodo, located on the Kii peninsular at the most southern tip of the main island Honshu. Since prehistoric times, this rugged and lush area was considered the abode of Gods, where mountains, old trees, waterfalls, rivers and rocks are deified and worshipped. Kukai or Kobo Daishi had chosen this remote area for establishing his center of Shingon Buddhism, called Koyasan (you can read about it in my blog entries about Shikoku). The mystical Kii mountains also attracted the Shugendo movement, an ascetic mountain practice rooted in Shintoism, Buddhism and Shamanism. In 2004, the Kumano region was designated as UNESCO World Heritage place because of the important spiritual significance and the natural beauty. The area also attracts a lot of international pilgrims. This led to the relationship between the Christian pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela and the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage with the possibility to get a dual pilgrim’s pass.

A network of pilgrimage routes connects the three major Shinto shrines in Kumano -the Hongu Taisha, the Nachi Taisha and the Hayatama Taisha. They are called the Kumano Sanzan. We were able to visit them all. In addition to the cultural activities in Tokyo, we also drove to the Soto Zen Center Eiheiji, where I was allowed to spend one night and practice meditation. Besides visiting other shrines and places, we also drove to the Ise shrine, the oldest and most important Shinto shrine. Overall, these 17 days in Japan were filled with wonder, amazement, and great thankfulness for Yuko and Shigeo who showed me the beauty and cultural richness of their country.

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My journey started in Tokyo. Every day was filled with new experiences, new challenges, new ways of doing things. Yuko was always beside me, making me aware of the differences to my usual way of living – letting me know to take shoes off when stepping into a changing room in a department store, how to handle the sophisticated toilets, to stand left on the escalator (it is on the right side in Vienna), how to properly eat with chopsticks – and many other things.

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From left to right: Myself, Hiroko-san, Yuko and Shigeo

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On the first day of my stay in Tokyo, I met with the parents of Ella, a wonderful, young woman I met on my Shikoku pilgrimage seven years ago. Very tragically, Ella died of cancer four years after having finished her pilgrimage. Her parents visited some of the sites Ella loved, commemorating and honoring her life and passions. They also visited their son living in Tokyo. It was pure coincidence that our visit overlapped for one day – the last day of their Japan visit was my first day in Japan – and we were able to meet. They stayed in the historic Gayoen Hotel built in 1931. When I entered the hotel, it felt that I had stepped into a Japanese fairyland. I was overwhelmed by the splendid ornamentations, beautiful rooms and nature brought into the building.

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In the hotel, there was a waterfall, gardens, rivers with koi fish, many decorated rooms, a golden staircase….

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The walk to the toilet for women with a bridge crossing a little creek and golden paintings on the ceiling

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One of many ceiling paintings

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A tasteful sitting area in the lobby

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The walls where decorated with magnificent paintings of plants and people

 

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Despite having jet lag, I totally enjoyed and appreciated meeting the parents and brother of Ella for the first time. We talked a lot about her beautiful spirit and her maturity, despite being so young.  With that, she actually was alive in our midst.

 

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Ella and I seven years ago when we finished the Shikoku pilgrimage at temple 88, Okubo-ji

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Yuko and Shigeo planned the visit of the Sake brewery Ozawa Shuzo for the next day. We had to change lines (trains) six times to get to this place which was about one hour outside of Tokyo. The region is called Sawai and it is famous for its fresh and abundant water. We had a tour of the brewery, some sake tasting and delicious lunch in their restaurant.

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Our guide at the entrance of the brewery with the Shinto altar honoring the god of Sake above the big door. The brewery has been making sake for over 300 years.

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This ball shaped object called sakabayashi is made out of cedar leaves. Every September, when a new sake is brewed, the old skabayashi is replaced by a new green one, informing the people that the new sake is ready for sale.

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Sake containers ready for sale

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In order to produce sake, the rice has to be polished. The best sake is made out of rice polished down 65 percent. The quality of the sake depends also on the quality of the water. The Ozawa Shuzo brewery uses the water from its own well which is rich in minerals and containing hardly any iron or organic matter.

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We had lunch in a private room beside the Tame river. The food was delicious and consisted of many little plates with different foods.

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Different sake for tasting

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Sashimi (raw fish), one of my favorite dishes

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Kaiseki (tofu) prepared like a piece of art

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Yuba (steamed soy milk) boiled at the table

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We walked along the shore of the Tama river back to the station. The area is lush and green. We saw many fishermen standing in the water.

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A tiny Buddhist temple up the hill with a woman carrying her canoe up to the parking lot

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The next day, we visited the Kabukiza theatre in the Ginza district of Tokyo. The Kabukiza was rebuilt five times and opened in 2013 in its recent appearance. All the actors in a Kabuki theater are men, playing also both male and female roles. The performance lasts for four hours.

 

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Kabukiza theatre in the famous Ginza district with a high rise in the background

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During the intermission, food was brought into our loge – two bento boxes. Yuko brought sake and two little cups to enjoy with the meal.

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The stage with chrysanthemum patterns on the curtain, the flower of autumn. The Japanese people are very seasonal. One of the stories of the performance was about the dance of chrysanthemum spirits, called Kiku. In the Kabuki theater, all actors are men. They also play female roles – like the spirits of chrysanthemum. It was a delight to see their graceful movements and dance.

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Unfortunately, I was not allowed to make photos during the performance. Everybody followed the rule – so I did not dare to break it.

 

The last story was about a retired lord, Mito Mitsukuni, who travelled incognito around Japan. He was played by a very famous actor called Bando Yajuro. It was a moral story where virtuous deeds were rewarded and bad behavior punished. Again, it was a delight to listen to the music and watch the story unfold.

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The actor, Bando Yajuro, as Mito Mitsukuni on a poster. He was much more impressive on stage.

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Photo of the cover of the program book

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Live Limitless Light, Liberation, Love, and Life!

We were born and live in limitless causes and conditions in time and space. No one can live without human societies and ecological, universal systems. So, we must repay and reform them for the better. Awakening beings and great beings all strived to live their best possible lives in limitless light, liberation, love, and life.

How can we live the best life while we are alive? The four limitlessnesses or supreme abodes of friendship, compassion, joy, and emancipation are the way to live a limitless life. Emancipation is from karmic conditionings, especially the triple poisons of desire, divisiveness, and delusion of ego (I) and mei (my).

Morality and the triple pure precepts of awakening beings and great beings include all beings in living light, liberation, love, and life. The Buddha had nothing to own, renouncing all – even his self delusion in the limitless Dharma world in limitless causes and conditions (related and relative). All the Buddhas’ common teaching is:

Devote to all the good.

Stay in doing no evils.

Purify one’s own heart.

This is the teaching of all Buddhas.

We must liberate ourselves and others from small, selfish sickness and suffering, purifying our own minds and hearts, awakened to and awakening the Dharma. Limitless love must put oneself into others’ positions, not disregarding others and doing nothing to stop evils, which is allowing and committing the same evils.

January 26, 2024 C.E.

Notes:

1. Dharma means 1. form (from d-harm: phenomenon) and 2. norm (from d-h-arm: norm: law operating through phenomena: ethic), and 3. the teaching of the law of all phenomena, that is, Dependent Co-origination (originally awakened on the origination of perception/consciousness depending on the sense organs and objects, but later applied to all phenomena, cf. note 5). This law is similar to the law of causality, now used by sciences, but deeper and wider, applied beyond objects – more on subjects and symbols – ideas, etc.).

2. “The Dharma (Norm/Law/Truth/Ethic) of all dharmas (forms/phenomena/ truths/ethics)” is Dependent Co-origination, i.e., all phenomena are interdependently co-originated on limitless causes and conditions (similar to the Law of Causality, but deeper and wider – beyond conventions, conceptions, objects, etc.). This means that we are interrelated with other beings (other species, elements, stars, etc.), and relatives to each other, and that we must therefore live together harmoniously and strive to make a wholly wholesome world to become harmonious, health, and happy.

3. The life system is in a limitlessly interdependent and interrelated system throughout limitless space and time. If we can acknowledge and activate it, we can function as limitless life, light, liberation, and love, like the crystal balls of the Indra-net, making it holy (wholly wholesome), harmonious, healthy, and happy, calm and clear, collectively and continuously.

4. Sitting still makes one calm and clear, as a bowl settling down makes the water inside of it become calm and clear, reflecting the world. Constant cultivation of still sitting leads to calming (samatha/śamatha) and observation (vipassanā/vipaśyanā), nirvana and awakening (bodhi), witnessing the of truth world (Dhamma/Dharma-dhātu), and becoming the truth body (Dhamma/Dharma-kāya).

5. The key practice of sitting still is to still karma, settle in nirvana (nir-vāṇa = ni-vāta: no-wind, of karma), and see the Dharma, serving and saving all. The Four Limitlessnesses (Brahma-abodes: Supreme-abodes) are friendship, compassion, joy, and equanimity (upekkhā/upekṣā, lit. throwing away, the triple poisons).

6. The Triple Poisons are desire, divisiveness, and delusion (of a self-same, self-sovereign self). The “Triple Only” are only me, only now, and only money (short-sighted views and actions, which make the wider world worse) , which can be cured by the Triple Learnings of morality, concentration, and prognosis.

7. The Four Embracing Matters/Dharmas (cattāri saṅgaha-vatthūni) are donation (dāna), loving words (piya-vācā), beneficial action (attha-cariyā), and sameness (samāna-atta-tā, lit. same-self-ness).

8. Donation (dāna) can be material or immaterial (wealth or Dharma), so anyone without wealth can donate one’s kind eyes, harmonious face, loving words, helping body, sympathetic heart, seat, and shelter (called the Seven Donations without wealth).
9. The solution of the global problematique, interrelated global problems　 such as global warming, mass extinction, nationalism, war, nuke, dictatorship, dogma, discrimination, prolusion, poverty, requires the global ethic (issued by the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago in 1993 with more than seven thousand people from all religions and from all over the world attending), which is based on the Five Precepts (and the fundamental common elements in the Ten Precepts, the Ten Commandments, etc.).

10. The Five Precepts are essential ethic to keep the social and ecological holiness (wholly wholesomeness). No killing is to keep life, which is the key for anyone to fully develop one’s potential in the holy way and world. No stealing is to keep material base to live holy. No lying is to keep social base to live holy. No sexual misconduct is to keep the gender/generation base to live holy. No intoxicant is to keep the mental base to live holy.

無量光・解・愛・寿を生きよ❣

私達は無量の時空因縁の中に生まれ生きている。誰も人間社会、生態・宇宙組織無しに生きることは出来ない。だから、私達はそれらに報恩し改善する為にそれらを改革しなければならない。菩薩（覚醒者）や魔訶薩（大人物）は皆無量光・解（脱）・愛・寿の中に出来る限りの最善の生を生きるべく精進した。

私達は生きている中に如何にして最善の生を生きることができるであろうか？慈・悲・喜・捨の四無量又は梵住（最高住）は無量寿を生きる生き方である。捨は業の条件付け、特に我我所（有）の貪・瞋・痴の三毒を捨てる（解脱する）事である。

菩薩、魔訶薩の戒と三聚浄戒は光・解・愛・寿を生きるのに一切存在を含めている。仏陀（覚者）は無量の因縁の無量の法界の中に一切―自らの我の妄想さえーを捨てて何も所有しなかった。諸仏の通戒偈は言う：

諸善奉行（諸々の善を奉じ行い、）

諸悪莫作（諸悪は作ることなく、）

自浄其意（自らその心を清くす、）

是諸仏教（是が諸仏の教えなり。）

私達は自らと他者を法に目覚め覚醒させ続けて私達自身の心意識を清め、小さな自己中の病患と苦悩から解放しなければならない。無量愛は自らを他者の位置に置き、他者を無視せず悪を止めるのに何もしない様なことをしてはならない、そうすることは同じ悪を容認し共犯になることだから。

2024共通年1月26日

註：

1. 法（dharma）は 1. 形態（form： d-harmより: 現象：真理)、２．規則（norm： d-h-armより:現象中の規則：倫理)、３．諸法の法、縁起（元来は感覚器官と感覚対象に依る知覚・意識の発生に覚醒したが後に一切現象に適用されたもの。註5参照）。この法則は、現今諸科学に用いられる、因果律と同様であるが、もっと深く広い－客体を越えて主体と観念などの象徴に適用される。
2. 諸法（形態・現象）の法（規則・法則・真理・倫理）は縁起（因縁生起）、即ち、一切現象は無量の直接原因と間接条件により相依生起するということである（因果則に似ているがさらに深く広い－世俗、観念、対象んどを超える）。これは私達は他者（多種、要素、星宿など）と相依関係にあることを意味し、相互に相対的であり、私達が調和、健康、幸福になる為には共に調和して生き、全体健全な世界を作る努力をしなければならないことを意味する。
3. 生命組織は無限の時空を通じて縁起と関連の組織です。もし私達がそれを認知し実行するなら、私達は、帝釈網の水晶の珠のように、それを集団的に継続的に、聖（全体健全）なる調和、健康、幸福で、静かに明らかに、無限の生命、光明、解脱（自由)、愛情として機能出来る。
4. 静坐は、椀が安住するとその中の水が静謐に透明になり世界を映すように、人を静謐に明澄にする。静坐の常時の修行は止（止静）(samatha/śamatha) と観（観法） (vipassanā/vipaśyanā), 涅槃と覚醒 (bodhi), に導き法界 (Dhamma/Dharma-dhātu：真理世界)を直証し,法身 (Dhamma/Dharma-kāya：真実身)になる。誰でも真実にある樹（両者共法：dharmaの語根 dhṝと同様永続を意味し一万年生き延びる樹もある）調和している樹（一切元素と調和し酸素、花、果、建築材など与える）の様に成れる。
5. 鍵となる静坐の実践は業を静め、涅槃（nir-vāṇa = ni-vāta: no-wind, 無風、業風の）に安住し、法を見、一切に奉仕し救済する。四無量（四梵住）は慈（愛：友情：与楽）、悲（泯：抜苦）、喜(悦)、捨（離：upekkhā/upekṣā）である。
6. 三毒は貪瞋痴（自己同一、自己主宰の我という愚痴）である。三だけは今だけ、金だけで自分だけということであり（短見・短絡行動で、より広い世界を悪化させる）が、戒定慧の三学はこれらを治癒できる。
7. 四摂法（四摂事・四恩：cattāri saṅgaha-vatthūni）は布施（dāna）、愛語（piya-vācā）、利行（attha-cariyā）、同事（samāna-atta-tā、字義通りには、自己同化、他を自とし、仕：事える）である。
8. 布施(施与)は物も物でないものもあります（財施、法施）ので財物がなくとも誰でも愛眼、愛語、身行、慈心、床座、房舎を与えることができる（「無財の七施、無くて七施と言われている）。
9. 地球問題群、地球温暖化、大量絶滅、国家主義、戦争、核、ドクサイ、独断、差別、汚染、貧困の様な相互関連した地球諸問題、は（1993年シカゴで世界中から諸宗教の七千人を超える人々が集まった世界宗教会議により発出された宣言）地球倫理を必要とするが、これは（不殺、不盗、不偽、不淫、不飲酒の）五戒（と仏教他の十戒の基本的共通要素）に基づいている。インターアクション協議会は世界人務宣言の草案を作り国連が発出するように提出したが今に至るも棚上げされたままである。

10．五戒は社会的・生態的聖性（全体健全）を維持する為の必須の倫理である。不殺生は聖道と聖世界で自らの潜在能力を十分に発達させる為の鍵である生命を保つことである。不偸盗は聖に生きる為の物質的基礎を保つことである。不虚偽は聖に生きる為の社会的基礎をたもつことである。不邪淫は聖に生きる為の性・世代の基礎を保つことである。不飲酒は聖に生きる為の心的基礎を保つことである。

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Still Sitting Stills Karma, Settling in Nirvana, Seeing Dharma❣

 

We have all kinds of problems and sufferings, summed up in four or eight sufferings (4: birth, aging, sickness, death + parting with the beloved, meeting with the hated, not attaining the desired, and, in short, all that arises from the five aggregates: 8). The five aggregates are form, feeling, idea, formation, and consciousness, which the Buddha categorized from the commonly categorized body and mind to analyze more clearly if they are eternal entities or not. They are neither eternal nor sovereign, thus they are dependently originated and ceased.

 

The so-called self was analyzed into the five aggregates and found to be neither self-same nor self-sovereign, thus no self-substance or eternal ego-ruled entity, i.e., no self. Because we stick to the strong sovereign self, sufferings arise. Our sticking to self comes from our karma of appropriating and identifying our body and mind as mine and I, of our craving for self-survival, self-strife and -satisfaction; betrayed by reality, they turn into sufferings. The triple poisons of desire, divisiveness, and delusion of self, created by karma, are the source of sufferings.

 

He said that all living beings are karma-born, -heirs, -owners, -machines, and -refuged. We inherit our ancestors’ karma as our bodies and minds, and operate like machines with bones, blood, brains, etc., creating our own karma, receiving karma results of good or bad, pleasure or suffering. Only when we still this karma-machine, can we settle in nirvana (no-wind, of karma: triple poisons), and see the Dharma, and serve and save all. Sitting still, thus, is essential to attain nirvana and awakening, which can be done by anyone, but difficult to actually do and continue.

 

He prognosticated the four holy truths (suffering, cause of it, cessation of it, and the way for it) and the eight holy ways (right seeing, thinking, speech, action, livelihood, striving, mindfulness, and concentration) for anyone to activate the way to see dharmas and act accordingly to achieve the holy (wholly wholesome) way and world in harmony, health, and happiness of and for all. We must know them clearly and activate them concretely to cultivate and verify them and their results in ourselves and others through our daily living and throughout our life to appreciate.

 

January 20, 2024 C.E.

 

 

Notes:

1. We have the four inevitable sufferings of birth, aging, sickness, and death, and also eight, adding to these the four common ones of parting with the beloved, meeting with the hated, not attaining the desired, and, in short, the sufferings that arise from the five aggregates of form, feeling, idea, formation, and consciousness. Now we are endangered by nuclear holocaust and demise of the global life system, even by a single man-made decision.
2. Dharma means 1. form (from d-harm: phenomenon) and 2. norm (from d-h-arm: norm: law operating through phenomena: ethic), and 3. the teaching of the law of all phenomena, that is, Dependent Co-origination (originally awakened on the origination of perception/consciousness depending on the sense organs and objects, but later applied to all phenomena, cf. note 3). This law is similar to the law of causality, now used by sciences, but deeper and wider, applied beyond objects – more on subjects and symbols – ideas, etc.).
3. “The Dharma (Norm/Law/Truth/Ethic) of all dharmas (forms/phenomena/ truths/ethics)” is Dependent Co-origination, i.e., all phenomena are interdependently co-originated on limitless causes and conditions (similar to the Law of Causality, but deeper and wider – beyond conventions, conceptions, objects, etc.). This means that we are interrelated with other beings (other species, elements, stars, etc.), and relatives to each other, and that we must therefore live together harmoniously and strive to make a wholly wholesome world to become harmonious, healthy, and happy.
4. The twelve-limbed Dependent Co-origination (bhava-cakka/bhava-cakra, becoming wheel) is the most well-known representative application of the Dharma of Dependent Co-origination, though it is misinterpreted due to its linear presentation by oral tradition and the Hindu idea of transmigration (an embryo-genetical interpretation called two causalities in three generations). Actually, it is a compound formed from the Dependent Co-origination of consciousness on sense organs and objects, of suffering on craving, and of samsara (total flow: moment-to-moment change, not like transmigration in Hinduism) on appropriation. It illustrates how our life goes with the five aggregates (originally identifying and analyzing so-called “self,” later “world”), resulting in suffering due to the triple poisons.

Please refer to part 3 of “Why Buddhism Now?” for a detailed explanation with the structural system of the “Becoming Wheel” (bhava cakka/cakra):

 

https://buddhism869196463.wordpress.com/%e3%83%9b%e3%83%bc%e3%83%a0%ef%bc%9ahome/

5. Sitting still makes one calm and clear, as a bowl settling down makes the water inside of it become calm and clear, reflecting the world. Constant cultivation of still sitting leads to calming (samatha/śamatha) and observation (vipassanā/vipaśyanā), nirvana and awakening (bodhi), witnessing of the truth world (Dhamma/Dharma-dhātu), and becoming the truth body (Dhamma/Dharma-kāya).
6. The Triple Poisons are desire, divisiveness, and delusion (of a self-same, self-sovereign self). The “Triple Only” are only me, only now, and only money (short-sighted views and actions, which make the wider world worse), which can be cured by the Triple Learnings of morality, concentration, and prognosis.
7. The four holy (cattāri ariya-saccāni/catur-ārya-satya, ariya/ārya, Greek hagia, not noble as often mistranslated) truths are those of suffering (duḥkha sacca/dukkha satya: duk-kha, wrong-going, going against wishes), the cause of it (samudaya satya/samudaya sacca, identified as craving: taṅhā/tṛṣṇā, lit. thirst, as drinking seawater, even though it makes one more thirsty), the cessation of it (nirodha sacca/nirodha satya, identified as nirvana: no-wind, cf. nivāte padīpa: lamplight in no-wind, which illuminate the world without flickering shadows or pitch darkness by its light blown off), and the way for it (magga sacca/ mārga satya, identified as the eight holy ways).
8. The eight holy (ariya/ārya) ways (ariya-aṭṭhaṅgika-magga/ ārya-aṣṭāṅga-mārga) are right view (sammā‑diṭṭhi/ samyag-dṛṣṭi), right thinking （sammā-saṅkappa/ samyak-saṃkalpa), right speech (sammā-vācā/ samyag-vāc), right action (sammā-kammanta/ samyak-karmānta), right livelihood (sammā-ājīva/ samyag-ājīva), right striving (sammā-vāyāma/ samyag-vyāyāma), right mindfulness (sammā-sati/ samyak-smṛti), and right concentration (sammā-samādhi/ samyak-samādhi).

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静坐は業を静め、涅槃に安住し、法を見る❣

 

私達はあらゆる種類の問題と苦を持っているが、四苦又は八苦に要約される（４：生老病死苦＋求不得苦、愛別離苦、怨憎会苦、要するに、五蘊盛苦：８）。五蘊（集合体）とは色（色形）・受（感受）・想（思想）・行（行為）・識（六識：眼耳鼻舌身意識）であるが、これは仏陀が、普通心身と分けられれているのから、もっとはっきりとこれらが永遠の実体か否かを分析する為に分けたのである。それらは永遠でも主宰（支配者）でもなく、（他）に依存して生滅するのである。

 

所謂「自我」は五蘊に分析され、自己同一でも自己主宰でもないから自己―実質または我支配の実体でもない、即ち無（実体）我である。私達は強い主宰我に執着する為に苦は起きるのである。自我への執着は心身を我所（有）と所有し、我と同定する私達の業、自己生存欲、自己闘争と自己満足、の業、に由来する；だが現実に背かれて苦となる。業により生まれる貪瞋（我）痴の三毒が苦の根源である。

 

彼は一切生類は業誕生者、業相続者、業所有者、業機械、業依拠者であると言った。私達は自らの祖先の業を新新として受け取り骨・血・脳などとして操作し、自らの業を生み、善悪、楽苦の業報を受ける。この業機械を静止する時にのみ、涅槃（無風、業：三毒の）に安住し、法を見、一切に奉仕・救済できるのである。そうであるから、静坐は涅槃と覚醒を達成するには必須であり、これは誰にも可能であるが、実際実行し継続することは困難である。

 

彼は誰でも法を見てそれに従って行い皆が皆の為に調和、健康、幸福な聖（全体健全）な方法と世界を達成出来るように四聖諦｛苦・集（起）・滅・道（程）｝と八聖道（正見・正思・正語・正業・正命・正精進・正念・正定）を処方した。私達はそれらを明らかにし、具体的に私達の毎日の生活と生涯を通して享受する為にそれらを実践の修養をしその結果を確証する行動をしなければならない。

 

2024共通年1月20日

 

註：

1. 私達は不可避の生老病死の四苦、これに加えて普通の求不得苦、愛別離苦、怨憎会苦、要するに、形態・感受・観念・形成・意識の五蘊盛苦の八苦を持っている。今や、一人の人間の決定によってさえ起きうる地球生命系への核の冬や破滅の危機に曝されている。
2. 法（dharma）は１． 形態（form： d-harmより: 現象：真理)、２．規則（norm： d-h-armより:現象中の規則：倫理)、３．諸法の法、縁起（元来は感覚器官と感覚対象に依る知覚・意識の発生に覚醒したが後に一切現象に適用されたもの。註３参照）。この法則は、現今諸科学に用いられる、因果律と同様であるが、もっと深く広い－客体を越えて主体と観念などの象徴に適用される。

3. 諸法（形態・現象）の法（規則・法則・真理・倫理）は縁起（因縁生起）、即ち、一切現象は無量の直接原因と間接条件により相依生起するということである（因果則に似ているがさらに深く広い－世俗、観念、対象などを超える）。これは私達は他者（多種、要素、星宿など）と相依関係にあることを意味し、相互に相対的であり、私達が調和、健康、幸福になる為には共に調和して生き、全体健全な世界を作る努力をしなければならないことを意味する。

4. 十二支縁起（bhava-cakka/bhava-cakra、生成輪、輪廻輪）は縁起の法の適用例の最もよく知られた代表ですが、口碑による線形の表出（三世両重の因果と呼ばれる胎生学的解釈）の為とヒンズー教の輪廻説により誤解されている。実際には感覚器官と感覚対象にって共縁起する意識、割愛による苦、専有（同定：執着）によるサンサーラ（全流：全体刻々変化の意で、ヒンズー教の輪廻ではない）の複合形です。（元来は所謂「自己」後に世界を同定し分析する為の）五蘊と共に、三毒の故に苦に成る私達の生がどのように展開するかを例示したものである。

生成輪 (bhava cakka/cakra)の構造的形態の詳細説明については「何故今仏教か？」の３を参照：

https://buddhism869196463.wordpress.com/%e3%83%9b%e3%83%bc%e3%83%a0%ef%bc%9ahome/

5. 静坐は、椀が安住するとその中の水が静謐に透明になり世界を映すように、人を静謐に明澄にする。静坐の常時の修行は止（止静）(samatha/śamatha) と観（観法） (vipassanā/vipaśyanā), 涅槃と覚醒 (bodhi), に導き法界 (Dhamma/Dharma-dhātu：真理世界)を直証し,法身 (Dhamma/Dharma-kāya：真実身)になる。誰でも真実にある樹（両者共法：dharmaの語根 dhṝと同様永続を意味し一万年生き延びる樹もある）調和している樹（一切元素と調和し酸素、花、果、建築材など与える）の様に成れる。

6. 三毒は貪瞋痴（自己同一、自己主宰の我という愚痴）である。三だけは今だけ、金だけで自分だけということであり（短見・短絡行動で、より広い世界を悪化させる）が、戒定慧の三学はこれらを治癒できる。

7. 四聖諦（cattāri ariya-saccāni/catur-ārya-satya, ariya/ārya ariya/ārya, Greek hagia：聖：全体健全、高尚：nobleは誤訳）は苦諦（duḥkha sacca/dukkha satya:　思い通りにならないこと）、集諦（その集起：因samudaya satya/samudaya sacca, 渇愛: taṅhā/tṛṣṇāとされる、海水を飲むように、例えそれがもっと渇いても）、その滅（nirodha sacca/nirodha satya、涅槃とされる、参考：nirvana=nivāta, nivāte padīpa: 無風の灯明、揺れる陰のない世界を照らし、それが吹き消された暗黒でもない）、その道（magga sacca/ mārga satya、八聖道とされる）である。

8. 八聖道（ariya-aṭṭhaṅgika-magga/ ārya-aṣṭāṅga-mārga）は正見（sammā‑diṭṭhi/ samyag-dṛṣṭi）、正思（sammā-saṅkappa/ samyak-saṃkalpa）、正語（sammā-vācā/ samyag-vāc）、正業（sammā-kammanta/ samyak-karmānta）、正命（sammā-ājīva/ samyag-ājīva）、正精進（sammā-vāyāma/ samyag-vyāyāma）、正念（sammā-sati/ samyak-smṛti）、正定（sammā-samādhi/ samyak-samādhi）である。