A Little essay about my Buddhism

  Buddhism didn't assume another immanent soul ( like psyche ) except the body what took sensation.  In this case,  the body is called the person (  人、”nin " in Buddhisn),  namely it is called the subject also.  On the other, the object is called external world ( 法、" hou" in Buddhism ).

  And there isn' t a mind as that object thing.

  So there aren't stubborn mind of psychoses.

  If a person is depressed by a sorrow,  she [ he ]  will become aberant.

  After that,  it depend on her [ his ] conception of the world,  and her [ his ]  conception of life.

  Religions, and Buddhism is one of those answers.

 

 About women, are Japanese women delicate and sensitive?

  Universally women has sensitivities,  we know.  If women's artistic sensitivities are made the vest use of talent,  our world will be beautiful, I believe.

  The year before last, we got 3.11's deep sorrow of Tsunami.

  We,  all Japanese, and friends of the world pray to regain themselves from sorrows.

  Japanese beautiful sights with harmonious nature ,  and with modern tastes of advanced technologies, will be reconstructed by our efforts.

  I hope that Japanese women also will show our corragious hard-working nationality.

  In the future we want to maintain our beautiful mother country.

  Now,  I think about " the mind " , and sorrows of sufferings will disappear by Buddhists' fantastic talking at least.

  If the mind is clear, pure, like as clouds being swept away, our acts will be strong without doubts.

 

continuing

  Futher, one more strict question hides behind the discussion about the mind.

  When the mind is defined as no-ego, the opposite will say that the identitites of humane beings is denied or not.

  If a person doesn't have the ego, her[ his ]  characteristic personality won't be accepted by family or friends  If a person is no-ego,  the defferenciation between Taro or Hanako will not found by perple.  If a person is no-ego,  the opite will say that experiences are denied.

  But we, Buddhists say,

"We hold the individual in respect".

  Buddha Sakyamini awakened the realities of life.  Buddha was fair to everybody and everything.

  The opposite out of Buddha had assumed hypothetical Atman ( アートマン) instead of ego.

  Of course Nagarjna denied Atman as the subject of experiences.

  The posterity of the Buddha used the unconsciousness, so it was said as no-ego.

  I  ended  the article of my writing about " The Death of  the  mother of Sakyamuni Buddha"  with commentary.

  And then I would like to write about " The MIddle Way of Nagarjnya"

  I'm thinking about the 11th chapter,  " the previous and the later of transmigration (輪廻).

  But that difficult text is only chance of my essay in English.

  I write our actual life of Japan  with my Buddhist' s sense.

 

  So  I have a question to young Japanese women about the future society of women of Japan.

 

  Sixty-seven years ago, Japan had lost the advantages against the World War Ⅱ. Finally our country was defeat with cruel Atomic bombs.

 After that the occupation of US army had controlled Japanese government, education and culture.

  It was meant that religious release from the identity of Buddists nation proceeded.

  Now Japanese people stand the situation where we can choose any religion.

  What religion do the girls of Japan choose ?  Also boys ?

  In these days of globalization, we can see us from the trend of world .

 

 Imagine abroad.

  Phillipinne send workers to foreign countries with their English skill and, ...maybe with their belief of Christianity.

  There are countries of Christianity in Erope and America,and Phillipinnese are accepted as workers, maybe babysitters, house-keeping helpers, and so on,on case of women.

  They maybe had graduated from universities.

 But Japanese young women will decide their own way with Japanese culture.

  I want to advise a little from my elderly experienses and some knowledges of Buddhism.

 

We are always learning something during our life. During the period of childhood, they go to school. They are given compulsory education. As they grow older, they learn professional technics of various branches of learnings.
  If one studies literatures, she or he becomes a teacher of school. If one studies nursery of children, she or he becomes a teacher of a kindergarten.
  Those learnings are useful to earn money, because everybody works to live by something of working.
  Commonly young people don’t think that learning is a realization of true self. Learning includes somehow denial of natural personality. They want to live wild, innocently, and instinctively.
  Study compel students set right away from bad character by nature, e.g. egoistic, or cowardly, …, negative character of girls and boys. To rectify means to correct. So a rector means a headmaster of colleges or universities.
  Does the education mean that natural character is made denial?
  Special knowledge to earn momey is a way like as the technic to live well in the life. Usually study does not mean the realization of true self.  And people do not find hope in education systems nowadays. People do not want schools to enlighten and illuminate children of true self.
  When a girl or a boy works hard in study about special subject, one will prepare to take examinations. When an employee studies, one will take exam in order to step up on high administrating post and to get more salary. So to learn does not mean the realization of true self also.
  Some of young students are learning endlessly in universities, they are called “ over doctors” in Japan.  They cannot find posts that general companies can accept, because of the high requests of high post and salary. Their special study won’t be made a good use of their talent.  As she or he is clever and smart, such person may become a target of maltreat by jealous companions of colleagues. The maltreat is said ‘ ijime’( いじめ) in Japanese. I feel that children ( teasers) bear hard on  the specific friend by her or his inadaptability to social totalitarian sense. From the Japanese mentality, we judge more right on assimilation with others rather than individuality.
 
   In East Asia, there are some countries with the ideology that totalitarianism is the aim of the countries. They do not have dualistic method. A conductor of totalitarianism erases opponents, maybe. I believe that our country is conscious of the respect of humane fundamental rights.
  To learn must be the realization of true self. What is the true self? During one’s youthful days, they learn, study and practise availing skills of livelihood. They can earn money, but they are narrow-minded person. If they become only mere rich person without cultivated mind, they will be ill spoken of miserly, stingy, mean men or unattractive women.
  From Japanese hereditary topological and dynamic progress is under obligation to massive materials of translations of foreign culture. I think Japan is progressive country of translation.  

 Japanese development has not depended on only industrial technology but also literary abundant culture.

  I sometimes read western philosophical materials by translations.

  I read, e.g. Kant( Immanuel Kant ), Heidegger ( Martin Heidegger ), Shakespeare, … and so on.  I’ve just read “ Aristotelis Metaphisia “  by translation.

  Japanese predecessors of modern period have translated whatever foreign novels, poets, philosophical classics are. Those great literary efforts have made us prosperious

  culture actually, I think.

 

  May I express my opinion?

  When I read Kant’s book, a friend say with winking.

  “ Do you give up a Buddhist? “

 

When those translators had changed into Japanese words from western texts, they had used plenty of logical terms.

  Japanese language, namely Yamato-kotoba( words ) do not have logical terms originally, so when it is needed to use logical words, the ancestors had used Buddhistic technical terms. Same as like that, translators of western philosophy had used Buddhistic logical terms also.

  Words are only signs, symbols.

  Words are not actuality.

  Thereupon, philosophical works like as Kant, they are not same as religious belief, namely theology.

  The illiterate others misunderstand my attitude selfishly that I vanish my religious faith.

 

  Nowadays logical words are widely used in Japan on the occasion of industrial handling books of various machines like as computers, videos, cameras,…and so on.

  We do not use words with concentrating about philosophical themes of beings or existence,…and so on, and words do not have spirituality. Words are only indication of “ how to use “ by handy books.

 

  But I have lost some of friends.

  Some of them have gone apart from me because that they had misunderstood my philosophical tastes about western style. They had approached to western religious friends.

  Some of them had fell into mental disease seriously. I think of the cause that they cannot escape from incomplete theology of Buddhism.

 

  But some of friends are getting along with foreign spouses. They embrace their difficulties of cultural abyss. I’ve not heard that foreign spouses have gotten baptism by conversion into Buddhism yet. It does not need.
  But they often come to visit spouse’s ancestors’ graves at temples by Japanese style.
  So we must appreciate for the couples that they would go on well getting over a little difficulty. When partners and family stand face to face each other, they enlighten. I believe they can do.

 
 Western styled god is different from Buddha, of course.
  Compared to the western god, childish Buddhists try to worship the Buddha like as a god. They dare believe the Buddha absolutely exists like god. Buddha is not related to the myths of stories of the beginning and ending of this world. Childish Buddhists make Buddha modeling to the god, and they want to believe the Buddha, and they fail the faith of Buddhism, I feel. Childish Buddhists think that the Buddha created this world, Buddha is absolutely justice against human beings,…and so on. It is wrong for Buddhism.
  People of outside of Buddhism misunderstand Buddhism as idolatry( 偶像崇拝).
  Actually there are many Buddhas’ statues, but Buddhists not worship one decided object of Buddha. Buddha does not have god’s character.
  Nowadays Buddhists worship plural Buddhas of founders of schools(sects) of Buddhism, those Buddha are called Bosatsu(meaning apostles and disciples). They are almost Buddhistic historical heroes. There are not Buddhistic heroines with vexation. I want to create such heroines of Buddhism.
  By the way, once in near modern period in Japan, a great teacher of philosophical field said “ Absolute nothingness compared to the god”.
  I follow to him, he was right, because there was not western god without any myths. Religious god has myths.
  Japanese people throw theology and philosophy into pell-mell.
  Of course, I am not a philosopher, I am a little essayist about Buddhism, I do not study. This is my free expression of ideas, ….maybe.
 

 Religious leaders have to advise following people about love. It is not easy to persuade who do not know love. To explain about love is difficult for Buddhism, because followers have not loved anybody yet. Religious aim is not to destroy. Religious aim is love, as long as it is religion in this world. Buddhism, Christianity, or other religions,… I hope.
  Buddhism has hurdles about love because it is seemed that Buddhism denies love actually. Buddha Shakyamuni had forbidden love. But nowadays holy orders of men and women of Buddhism almost have gotten married in Japan.
  And followers of Buddhism, especially young people had better go over hurdles of dogma of love of Buddhism, I hope. Love of Buddhism maybe formless, I think. Young people will realize forms of love of Buddhism. I expect.
 
   I am wandering from the main subject, I digress into byroads, I come back to Nagarjna’s Middle Way. ( Do you laugh? I am laughing, too)


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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作家:Masayo Kojima
A Little essay about my Buddhism
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