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日蓮大聖人『御書』解説

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2018年 09月 30日

25. The Showdown by the Rain in Gokurakuji Ryoukan and Nichiren 2

             Japanese edition


The drought has become in earnest.

There was only the sun, which burnt to all clear in the sky of the farms. The drought became more terrible only because of the wind sounding even if there was a cloudy day.

A farmer watched the rice that was about to die anxiously. And looked up at the sky bearing a grudge.

Presently Japan does not have a serious drought. But, in those days when irrigation facilities were poor, serious famine was brought by a slight drought. The famine caused by the drought is still frequent all over the world. Human intelligence hardly prevents abnormal weather and it is helpless.

The era when science was undeveloped, the prayer by the religion were world common ultimate solutions measure for wonder of such nature. For the people who took every means, there was no possibility except praying.

The disciples and believers prayed led by Nichiren in the hall.

Nichiren was not changed, as always, but disciples and supporters were different. Everyone has a serious look on their face. If it rains, we have no future. Must not let our teacher be a disciple of Ryoukan. It was a tragic prayer.

 On the other hand, the entrance of Gokurakuji was crowded. The Buddhist priests of black robe go in there en masse.

The crowd met a priest while being covered with sweat and put hands together.

Ryoukan appeared here. He entered with a large crowd of priests.

The crowds waved their hands, and a shout of joy became especially big.

“Monk Ryoukan!”

There was a place of prayer in the precincts of Gokurakuji Temple. It is a windswept building of the quickie. Ryoukan leads and several hundred priests follow. The scene is grand. For prayer, Gokurakuji was mobilized.

There was the stone statue in a place of prayer, also there was the Amida statue, and every Buddha statue was arranged. A golden tub was put before these miscellaneous Buddha statues. A child carried the water of the cup respectfully. Ryoukan received the water and put it in the tub. And he made a speech to the group of the priest.

“At the request of Lord Kamakura, we have decided to hold a prayer for rain. We will perform prayer here to remove the pains of people. If our precepts and Nembutsu which we have are right, it surely rains. But there seems to be a fellow saying that we do not bring rain."

Priests burst into laughter arrogantly.

“However, we must not let our guard down. The deadline is in seven days. Everyone! Keep your own doctrine firmly, and do religious practice!”

Ryoukan started chanting sutra on June 18 in the 8th year of the Bun'ei era (1271). It is a showdown of seven days until July 24. If it rains, Nichiren loses and falls down in front of Ryoukan.

Several hundred Buddhist priests follow after Ryoukan at once. It was like the rumbling of the ground.

Tokimune Hojo watched the sky through the window. Yasumori Adachi and Yoritsuna Tairano wait behind.

Yasumori opens his mouth.

“Oh, the confrontation between the Ryoukan Shonin and Nichiren is the sole topic of conversation in the town! Which will win?”

Tokimune Hojo heard as if the other person.

"What is the reputation of the people?"

Yoritsuna sneered.

"My lord, it's certainly Ryoukan. Nichiren has dug his own grave. A prediction of Mongolia was happy with having been a lucky hit, but it is unbelievably reckless that he resists Ryoukan. The match is for seven days. If seven days pass, I intend to arrest Nichiren."

Yasumori was surprised.

"Arrest him? What is the name of the crime?"

“That goes without saying. He interfered with praying for rain for the Shogunate. This is equal to criticizing the Shogunate. How do you like it?"

Yasumori watched Tokimune.

"My lord, how do you like it?"

Tokimune listened to the faint sound of sutra chanting while keeping silent.

 草の上に雲のある空中程度の精度で自動的に生成された説明

By Wikipedia


The effect of the prayer appeared at once.

The town folks pointed to the sky. Surprisingly, black clouds appeared in a corner of the sky, which had been all blue.

“Look! There is a cloud. Is a rain cloud.”

The town folk had been full of joy.

The clouds gather in sequence, and the sky darkens.

Sutra-chanting of Ryoukan echoed.

Dusk approached. It will almost rain.

Thus, Ryoukan finished the chanting of the first day.

Monks returned looking content.

“It will certainly rain tomorrow. Seems to be already rainy in Suruga."

“Nichiren, he will regret.”

The priests laughed boisterously.

Ryoukan was convinced of victory in the evening and fell asleep. Praying for rain had succeeded before. There is no blundering.

Now he will wipe away an eyesore called Nichiren and can let Shogunate be grateful to him. His glory was near at hand like his teacher's Eison had gotten the name of Koshou Bodhisattva of the Imperial Court and become a director of Shitennoji Temple. The joy of Ryoukan is immeasurable. A person slandering him disappears. What a comfortable thing. Kamakura will come under his control. Ryoukan couldn't help being intoxicated with happiness at the same time a sense of relief.

Ryoukan dreamed in the early morning of the next day.

Ryoukan prays solemnly on a dusky day covered by a thick rain cloud.

Thunder sounded through the heavens suddenly, and large drops of rain had begun to fall.

A crowd rejoices together.

Nichiren suddenly appeared here and approached him, soaking wet, and slowly clasped his hands together on Ryoukan.

Ryoukan steps back for an unexpected situation.

Then, he woke up. Was it really a good dream?

The bedroom of the morning had been shut with a sliding door, and it was dark. Slanting light, slightly shines.

He hears voices of the disciple from the outside.

“Dear teacher, teacher.”

Ryoukan, who was soaked in the dream, was surprised and woke up.

It was Suo-bo, the disciple.

“Teacher, it's time to wake up."

Ryoukan opened a sliding door fearfully.

(Rain, please.)

However, severe rays like a blade stung his eyes. Covered the eyes with a sleeve unconsciously.

Kamakura had returned to the scorching sky. The cloud until yesterday had completely disappeared.

Chanting sutra continues endlessly.

The steam came out of the head of the priests.

They looked up at the dry sky reproachfully.

The fiery sunset before long covered the west sky of Kamakura.

A traveler is tired under the hot weather and sits down on the roadside.

The second day of the prayer by Ryoukan finished in this way.

It was the morning of the third day.

All disciples of Ryoukan have begun to get impatient. They formed a circle around Ryoukan. They did not know what to do and held their heads in their hands.

“Far from rain, there is not even one cloud in the sky. Priest Ryoukan, are there any good means?”

“Do not worry. It took three days even for the Great Teacher Dengyo, the initiator of Enryakuji Temple."

“However, there is not an effect at all, though this large number of priests pray seriously. Is our choice not mistaken?”

The doubt for themselves has begun to spread.

Ryoukan, who understood the atmosphere of the place, suggested it suddenly.

“We must bring rain by all means. We cannot surrender to Nichiren now. Needs must when the devil drives. Why don't you pray in the Lotus Sutra during this emergency?”

Suo-bo clapped his hands.

“Was so! There was the Lotus Sutra. Priest Honen either preached that the Lotus Sutra is 'unbelievable and difficult to understand' for all creatures, but he admitted that it was superior sutra. At this chance, let's pray in the Lotus Sutra that Nichiren relies upon. As for us, let's read the text of the Lotus Sutra aloud, not chanting a title. There should definitely be an effect."

They don't care a bit what people say about them. When Ryoukan prepared eight scrolls of the Lotus Sutra, he matched a voice immediately and began sutra-chanting aloud.

“We had heard in this way. On one occasion, Buddha moved...”

How did it happen? The deep-black cloud swelled up from the mountain of Kamakura.

The black clouds came to cover the whole sky.

Ryoukan emphasizes his voice.

It was this time.

The wind made a sound that resembled scream, and a gust was generated and shook a building of exposure.

The various Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, which were arranged in the sanctuary have begun to topple.

The priests stopped sutra-chanting in surprising, but only Ryoukan advocated it hard.

A sandstorm attacked Kamakura city.

Townsmen scream, escape and are at a loss.

A roof was blown off by a gust of wind. It was not the rain which they desired earnestly, but a contrary wind.

Night of the third day, which abandoned itself to confusion, was advanced.

The wind made a sound that cut in the town of Kamakura at midnight.

Hojo Tokimune looked at a town through a lattice from the room of the regent.

As usual, Yasumori and Yoritsuna are waiting in the wings.

Yasumori groaned.

“Mmm. This wind. The drought will be advancing moreover!”

The farmland has begun to cause fissures in the ground. A strong, dry wind pursued further attacks in addition to this.

The farmers who would abandon the land appeared one after another. They carried a few loads and left the land and went to the country where there was the relative while dropping their shoulder.

The farmer who could get ready before dark was good. Most farming families run away under cover of darkness without being able to pay the debt from a land steward.

But there was a farmer who stayed in the land and did not give up harvest.

His wife sits down in a house weakly. An old woman and a young child snuggled up and slept.

The farmer shouted.

“I will not lose. Will harvest rice by all means!"

 The fourth day. A hundred Buddhist priests of the black robe who Nen'a Ryochu led while the wind blew marched in the thoroughfare. The townsfolk of the street stared wide-eyed at a large crowd of Nembutsu priests.

A hundred people arrived at Gokurakuji.

Ryoukan met them with a smile and reunited with Nen'a.

“Welcome!”

Nen'a nodded.

“I thought this might be presumptuous behavior, I hesitated, but decided to help you. I cannot let Nichiren behave as if he owned this Kamakura. The Law except Nembutsu do not bring rain after all”

The group of Ryoukan prays. The Nen'a's disciples followed him. The entire prayer hall began chanting the Nembutsu in a voice doubled before.

“Nam-amidabu, Nam-amidabu…."

A voice of Nembutsu is amplified to the dry sky and echoes around.

However, stabbing rays pour into the praying place. Furthermore, these rays attacked Ryoukan.

Ryoukan bends down unintentionally.

Eventually the sun began to set.

Sweaty monks left the praying place. Everybody swallowed water as if it was first and foremost.

Three people, Ryoukan, Suo-bo and Ilusawa Nyudo still stayed in the praying place and chanted Nembutsu aloud.

Two people of the disciples looked at each other and talked to the back of Ryoukan.

“Teacher, there will be work tomorrow too. We can leave off around here.”

However, Ryoukan continues chanting the Nembutsu like he did not hear it.

The two men stepped forward and looked into Ryokan's face and were astonished.

His cheeks are falling awfully. He is like being possessed by something.

Ryoukan stood up unsteadily without answering the disciple.

Prayer was continued either on the next day.

The Buddhist priest who prostrated himself and fell down to the floor appeared while praying. They are dazed. It is a heat stroke. There was the person who spouted bubbles from his mouth or the person who vomited food. They fall down before or aside one after another and are carried.

Ryoukan has been haunted by prayer as ever.

Suo-bo and Ilusawa Nyudo have both begun to suffer in physical condition.

Morning of the seventh day when Ryoukan promised Nichiren came at last.

There are no rainy omen and dry wind blows.

In the morning, Ryokan wandered over to the prayer hall.

Surprisingly, Nen'a's group crossed the very front of Ryoukan. They were going to leave. Ryoukan ran after them in a hurry.

“Monk Nen’a, what is the matter with you? This is our last day. Where are you all going?”

Nen’a's tone was excusatory.

“This was a bet between you and Nichiren, wasn't it? We have thought that we should not meddle."

There is a timbre of sorrowful on Ryoukan's tone of voice.

“No way. Nen'a Shonin is trustworthy for us. Please, please stay."

“No, I'm leaving. For six days, we forgot the fatigue and prayed. In addition, the sky is in a terrible condition. I do not think that it will rain today."

It was at this point that Ryoukan questioned Nen'a for the first time.

“Monk Nen’a, while I was a Buddhist priest of the Ritsu sect until now, I had spread your Nembutsu. I should be your most important friend to you. This Ryoukan is the priest whom lord Kamakura believes in. Do you know what will happen to you from now on?”

Nen'a pushed him away.

“I'm going now. Because there will be Buddhist services.”

Nen'a and others leave en masse. Ryoukan rebuked the group who turned their back on him.

Nen'a went away without looking back. He helped Ryoukan while relying on a number, but escaped when he noticed a situation was bad, and he pretended not to know.

In those days, an ‘agitator’ was called as the person who would deteriorate a situation more.

Nen'a was an agitator for Ryoukan.



Continued


Life of Nichiren. Vol. 1. Contents



by johsei1129 | 2018-09-30 16:07 | LIFE OF NICHIREN | Trackback | Comments(0)


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