Gosho 佐渡御書 Letter from Sado

佐渡御書(さどごしょ)

Letter from Sado

文永九年三月二十日五十一歳御作

　　　　　　　March 20, 1272 (Age: 51)

男子ははぢ(恥)に命をすて女人は男の為に命をすつ、

A man will die to defend his honor; a woman will die for a man.

A man abandons life for shame, a woman abandons life for a man.

魚は命を惜(おし)む故に池にす(栖)むに、池の浅き事を歎(なげ)きて池の底に穴をほりてすむ、しかれどもゑ(餌)にばかされて釣をのむ、

Fish want to survive; they deplore their pond’s shallowness and dig holes in the bottom to hide in, yet tricked by bait, they take the hook.

Fish cling to life and dig holes at the bottom of the pond, deploring the shallow waters. However, they are ticked by bait and bite the hook.

In addition, because the fish wants to hold life dear it lives in the pond, grieved to the pond being shallow, digs the hole and lives in the bottom of the pond. However, it is cheated to bait and is caught in a fishhook.

鳥は木にすむ、木のひ(低)きき事をおじて木の上枝(ほつえ)にすむ、しかれどもゑにばかされて網にかかる、

Birds in a tree fear that they are too low and perch in the top branches, yet bewitched by bait, they too are caught in snares.

Birds live in tree. They fear that the trees are too short, so they live in the top branches. However, they too, are deceived by bait and get caught in nets.

The bird lives up the tree. If a tree is low, it lives on high twigs for fear of what is aimed at by an enemy. However, it is cheated to bait and is caught in a net.

人も又是(か)くの如し、

Human beings are equally vulnerable.

People are the same.

The human being is same, too.

世間の浅き事には身命(しんみょう)を失へども大事の仏法なんどには捨(すつ)る事難(かた)し、故に仏になる人もなかるべし。

They give their lives for shallow, worldly matters but rarely for the Buddha’s precious teachings. Small wonder they do not attain Buddhahood.

Although they may lose their lives for worldly affairs, it is difficult for them to give their lives for the precious teachings of Buddhism. Thus, such individuals never could attain Buddhahood.

It is difficult to be born as a person, and to throw away life to the road of most important Buddha even if we lose the body and life for slight and worthless purpose in this world. That is why there is not the person becoming Buddha".

つづくContinued

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