GOSHO 上野尼御前御返事 Wu-lung and I-lung 12

遺竜が云く、我が手にて書きけり争(いか)でか君たすかり給うべき、而(しか)も我が心よりか(書)くに非ず・いかに・いかにと申せば、

I-lung said,“It was my hand that wrote the titles. How could you have been saved? Moreover, I did not write them with sincerity. How could it possibly have helped you?”

Yi-long protested, “It is true, my hand transcribed the characters, but how could that have saved you？Moreover, I did so against my will. How should what you say be true？”

父答えて云く、汝はかなし、汝が手は我が手なり、汝が身は我が身なり・汝が書きし字は我が書きし字なり。

His father replied: “How ignorant you are! Your hand is my hand, and your body is my body. The characters you write are the characters I write.

　To this his father replied, “You simply don’t understand! As my son, your hand is my hand and your body is my body. Therefore, it is as if I wrote the characters that flowed from your hand.

汝心に信ぜざれども手に書く故に既(すで)にたすかりぬ。

Although you had no faith in your heart, you nevertheless wrote the titles with your hand. Therefore, I have already been saved.

Although you did not believe in the Lotus Sutra, your hand wrote the characters, and that is why I was saved.

譬(たと)えば小児(しょうに)の火を放つに、心にあらざれども物を焼くが如し。

Think of a child who sets fire to something and, without the least intention of doing so, causes it to be burned.

Suppose a child starts a fire that accidentally burns something.

法華経も亦(また)かくの如し、存外に信を成せば必ず仏になる。

The same holds true with the Lotus Sutra. If one professes faith in it, one will surely become a Buddha, even though one may not expect it in the least.

It is the same with the Lotus Sutra, for if one happens to embrace it even without sincerity, he will unquestionably become a Buddha.

又其の義を知りて謗(ぼう)ずる事無かれ、

Now that you understand this principle, never slander the Lotus Sutra.

Now that you are aware of its supremacy, you must never slander the Lotus Sutra.

但(ただ)し在家の事なれば、いひしこと故(ことさら)大罪なれども懺悔(さんげ)しやすしと云云。

Since we are among the laity, however, we are in a better position to repent of our past slanderous words, no matter how grave they may have been.”

Even though our offense was great, because we are laymen, it will be relatively easy to repent and expiate our slander."　　


　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　つづく　Next
解　説　　目次　Index