buddhists-from-japan

"The annals of Japanese literary history abound with stories of suffering literati. [...] None of these, however, seems to have borne more grief than the Zen monk Shotetsu (1381-1459), [...] For Shotetsu was not once but thrice stricken: first, by the loss of all of the poems of his first thirty years—more than 30,000 of them—in a fire that destroyed his residence in 1432, at the age of fifty-two; second, by the confiscation of his estate revenues by an angry shogun at around the same time; and lastly by the refusal of his rivals to allow him any representation whatsoever in the only imperially commissioned poetic anthology of his time, the Shin shokuko-kinshū of 1439."

"If one continues to compose poems of the sort that everyone else considers good, one must remain forever at that ordinary level. On the other hand, when one writes poems whose essence is profound and difficult, others fail to understand them, and this is frustrating."

"Even in one’s sleep, it is dreams of this world one sees, and of no other; just as there is no dawning here that brings true awakening."

"I had forgotten— as I kept on forgetting to remind myself that those who vow to forget are the ones who can't forget."

"All these images from a world of long ago— of what good are they? Pine winds, come—please blow away these unforgotten dreams."

"As if to say— "Isn't it true for men, as well: that the more the words, the less they are of value?"— the cuckoo does not call again."

"When I look upon the rich sheen of summer hairs in my new brush, I am saddened by a deer drawn at night to a hunter's torch."

"In this art of poetry, those who speak ill of Teika should be denied the protection of the gods and Buddhas and condemned to the punishments of hell."

"The people of today all turn their backs upon what is right; to a person, they give their allegiance to evil."

"In judging the relative merit of Buddhist doctrines, I, Nichiren, believe that the best standards are those of reason and documentary proof. And even more valuable than reason and documentary proof is the proof of actual fact."

"If we do not admonish the evil priests, how can we hope to do good?"

"The compassion in the Path of Pure Land is to quickly attain Buddhahood, saying the nembutsu, and with the true heart of compassion and love save all beings completely as we desire."

""If you meet a Buddha, kill him. If you meet a patriarch of the law, kill him." This is a well-known Zen motto. If Buddhism is divided generally into the sects that believe in salvation by faith and those that believe in salvation by one's own efforts, then of course there must be such violent utterances in Zen, which insists upon salvation by one's own efforts. On the other side, the side of salvation by faith, Shinran, the founder of the Shin sect, once said: "The good shall be reborn in paradise, and how much more shall it be so with the bad." This view of things has something in common with Ikkyu's world of the Buddha and world of the devil, and yet at heart the two have their different inclinations. Shinran also said: "I shall not take a single disciple." "If you meet a Buddha, kill him. If you meet a patriarch of the law, kill him." "I shall not take a single disciple." In these two statements, perhaps, is the rigorous fate of art."

"True faith necessarily entails Amida's name, but Amida's name does not necessarily entail faith, [which is derived] from the power of [Amida's] vow."

"It is true, even in Buddhism, there is pain, vain talk about ‘enlightenment’ as though enlightenment were a uniform one could put on. And then there is the problem of the koan. Buddhists and Western followers of Buddhism are attached to the koan because they lack any real sign of tradition. If they do not have sub-currents it is better for them to disappear. The koan is the occasion to cut us off. “If you have faith, you can move mountains” (Matthew 17:20) is a koan. It cuts through! The bonzes do not know the reason for the koan. Therefore the bonzes cannot satisfy. A flower can be a koan. A great master, Gutei, made a koan of his finger."

"If the so-called “followers of Christ” today insist that their task in East-West dialogue means you compare yourselves to others, is this the sign of the New Horizon of bare reality? Each way should be unique, a unique way to the very him, to himself, not to man in general."

"限りなき なみだの海に 消えず 立たなむ 茂人"

"Falling leaf’s voice listen the Unborn Sphere"

"In every religion it is the same—each one is unique. Shakyamuni Buddha and Dogen Zenji and others—each is unique. The sutra—the canonical Scripture—in other traditions is another kind of revelation. Don’t compare! Don’t say, “I am superior.” Learn other mystical currents. We should adore by Spirit and bare reality. Don’t condemn! Don’t compare!"

"Holy breath breathes deeply setting earth and water ablaze false self’s face burns away God-given life endures"

"Father James Campbell, an American Dominican, loved to tell of his meeting with Oshida. He had been a bomber pilot in the Second World War and repented of his collusion in this violence. He went to Japan to ask for forgiveness and there met Oshida. James expressed his sorrow at his sin; Oshida laughed and said that he had been in the anti-aircraft artillery and he repented that he had not shot down James! There followed laughter and the tumbling down of all barriers. Two people face-to-face, naked and unafraid."

"He was unlike anyone whom I had ever met before, a Zen master, a Buddhist who had met Jesus, a Dominican friar, and a Catholic priest. Yet I felt utterly at home with him, touched at the core of my being."

"Oshida told Father Trahan that what he had said was infinitely more precious than any word to indicate that he understood what Oshida wanted and needed to do. He left the superior’s room with a Deo gratias! (“Thanks be to God”) and a Tibi gratias! (“Thank you”) on his lips. He was overwhelmed by the deep sense that he had experienced the chikaryū (地下流), the “subterranean stream,” the current of faith flowing from the Unborn Sphere deeply beneath the world’s religions, traditions, and indigenous communities in the East and West, forming many different and distinct tributaries."

"The Buddha-Jesus statue at Takamori Soan symbolizes the dynamic of eternal salvation so well. Buddha, in a sense, is the Lord of this world. There is a story about Buddha saying at his birth, “I alone am the honored one in the heavens and on earth” (Chinese 天上天下唯我独尊). Jesus is the Son of the Holy Other, the Father, who is not contained in this universe, but is its Creator. Jesus is sent to live among us in this world as a channel for eternal salvation. Buddha, gazing upon the child, Jesus, is holding incarnate Love, coming from the Holy Other as His Only Son. Buddha represents this world, yearning for salvation."

"There is the Voice seducing us, calling us to a leap of faith like the deer plunging over the precipice. The Unborn Sphere is everywhere, as is the Hand of God, the Source, the Absolute, out of which flow the streams of faith, the sound of every bell, and the fall of every flower and leaf. Tiny things, sparrows, know the Way of Heaven. There is synesthesia and the juxtaposition of the abstract and the concrete, water turned to bird and whispering fish, satori in the splitting of the moon in a moment of sadness, the poet born again, steeped in sin and the unspeakable mystery of baptismal washing in every tradition. Everywhere too is the cross and sacrament, gratitude for the holocaust of dust and ashes, the tornado-like union of life and death in resurrection."

"Everyone should put the elders first in accordance with the customs to treat elders with respect."

"The family, the state, the entire world: they are all aggregations of individuals, and if each individual simply lived and acted according to pure-hearted kindness – that is, with a spirit of independence and freedom, the will to help the weak, and caring for one’s neighbor – we would all be able to live a peaceful and perfect collective life. We human beings should develop our spirit of independence and solidarity and fight against those who oppose this, even at the risk of our own lives."

"Truth will eventually triumph one day, the light of freedom will doubtlessly and without fail illuminate the whole family and bestow its blessings upon all."

"Old habits in particular will not make it easy to realize our ideas, but nonetheless, we should make up our minds and strive to achieve them."

"Women are not men’s belongings."

"Even though you are like travelers at dusk at the foot of a mountain, you should not be discouraged, because you will certainly advance step by step toward the top of that mountain called consciousness. Isn’t it so? Anyone who looks attentively at human history will understand that all people, the wise and the fool, and also the poor, are heading toward the shore of freedom, each in their own way."

"We are not made to live subjected to authoritarian rule but instead need to be independent and free to act as we choose. This is what we call the individual’s common consciousness. No matter how well the government develops, no matter how kindly public officials lead us, they will never be able to satisfy our ideal. The more complicated the government becomes, the more corrupt it gets."

"Nothing can be realized without sacrifice."

"If we look at the traces left by our ancestors, and if we observe the spirit carried by the blood coursing through our arteries, there we hear the incessant sound “freedom, freedom.” Yes, our ancestors, consciously or unconsciously, have been struggling for this freedom, and since we share the very same spirit, we too must keep on fighting until victory, no matter ow strong nature’s hardships and how cruel the ruler’s despotism. What is the freedom we will achieve after this struggle? To put it simply, it is being able to always act according to one’s will, without ever being obstructed or bothered by anyone. That is, it means to always respect one’s own will while at the same time respecting the will of the others, and to live in peace."

"There is nothing more dangerous than to pass judgment on the basis of fragmentary proof."

"One should improve upon the habit of giving to others what one desires for oneself."

"The final goal of the human race is independence and mutual aid, the realization of freedom, equality, and fraternity. If we look at the evolution of politics, law, religion, and ethics, they have been developing from heteronomy toward autonomy; thus after attaining self-governance the people will use their eventual individual surpluses to compensate for other’s inefficiencies. This is natural evolution, and this is also the ultimate ideal of life. Everyone should fight and strive toward this goal."

"Consciousness means to become aware of something by oneself. This, in turn, does not mean to discover something that others do not know, nor does it mean that one should not learn from others. To become aware of something by oneself refers to things, no matter whether learned from others or discovered by oneself, that one digests deeply in one’s mind and makes one’s own. Moreover, if we distinguish consciousness in terms of social class, we come up with several differences. The consciousness of a priest is not the same as that of a politician. The consciousness of a priest is also probably different from that of a philosopher. In fact, even priests, depending on their geographic location and historical period, cannot be said to all be the same. Thus, there are myriad differences in consciousness, depending on the person, time, and place; however, there must be something that is common to them all. There must be something that is at stake for all of them, as they all live in this world. The learned and the uneducated, the noble and the lowly, the rich and the poor – there is something they must become conscious of through cooperation. This is what I call “common consciousness”."

"Folks, try to think. Of what you produce with your sweat all year long, half is taken by a thief called the landlord; with the half that’s left, you buy sake, soy sauce, salt and manure. But on the sake, on that manure, on everything, nothing excluded, there are taxes — money that is taken by that big thief called the government. on top of that, other thieves called merchants make their own profit. That’s why folks like you , who don’t own your land, will never be able to avoid poverty throughout your life, no matter how hard and earnestly you work."

"A superstition is a wrong idea that one holds precious like a sacred thing."

"On this spring night the floating bridge of my dreams has broken away: and lifting off a far peak— a cloud-bank in empty sky."

"In this art of poetry, those who speak ill of Teika should be denied the protection of the gods and Buddhas and condemned to the punishments of hell."

"和歌に師匠なし。たゞ旧き歌をもつて師となす。心を古風に染め、詞を先達に習はば、誰人かこれを詠ぜざらんや。"

"When I assumed the office of the Prime Minister of Japan last year, many people thought that it would be difficult to implement the various reforms that I proposed. In fact, however, we have advanced reform in many sectors. The time has come to bid farewell to the systems and practices with which we have become familiar and to flexibly accept the needs and requirements of this new age we live in."

"Japan has developed as a pacifist nation. With the determination of the past 60 years since the end of the World War II (WWII), we shall become an economic power but never a military power. We have acted on that, and with that, we have contributed to peace-building and the prevention of conflicts around the world. That peaceful and stable development in the world leads to Japan's own peace and development. In other words, assisting the recipient country leads to Japan's stability and prosperity. With Japanese assistance, the recipient country will be able to grow through a stable political situation and Japan will benefit from that. It is with that stance that we shall continue to provide assistance."

"We generated these environmental pollutions, and in order to overcome pollution, we had to take in a lot of cost. Because we pursued economic development and economic growth, we polluted our environment. We do not want developed as well as developing countries to repeat the same mistake. That is why we pursue both environmental protection and economic growth. In doing this, the key lies in science and technology. In the past, we mass produced, mass consumed and mass disposed, and we took that for granted. However, we no longer live in that sort of age. We have to reduce waste as much as possible. We now also have to reuse waste as much as possible as resources, and all things need to be recycled from now on. A zero waste, zero emission society is necessity."

"Indeed in China, as seen from those anti-Japan demonstrations, there is strong anti-Japanese sentiment. Also, from seeing such demonstrations, some Japanese regard China with anti-China sentiment or shall I say a sort of feeling of repellence against China. But overall, I believe without expressing in words both in Japan and China, I believe the majority of people understand that promoting friendly ties between our two countries is of the greatest benefit to both countries, especially those in the responsible positions in the Government. I believe we should have this common understanding that we should strictly refrain from agitating any such hostile sentiment. I believe that because of the recent developments, there is this stronger understanding on this among those in responsible positions in respective countries. Without being affected by such anti-Chinese or Japanese sentiments, we were able to share the recognition in the talks that the friendly ties between the two countries are of importance. I believe both of us should take to heart very firmly this awareness and strive to further promote the friendly ties between our two countries."

"On the 60th anniversary of the end of the war, I reaffirm my determination that Japan must never again take the path to war, reflecting that the peace and prosperity we enjoy today are founded on the ultimate sacrifices of those who lost their lives for the war against their will."

"Reform is always a challenge, as it requires us to confront the status quo. But that is no justification for inaction."

"In the past, Japan, through its colonial rule and aggression, caused tremendous damage and suffering to the people of many countries, particularly to those of Asian nations. Sincerely facing these facts of history, I once again express my feelings of deep remorse and heartfelt apology, and also express the feelings of mourning for all victims, both at home and abroad, in the war. I am determined not to allow the lessons of that horrible war to erode, and to contribute to the peace and prosperity of the world without ever again waging a war."