The so-called Letter on White Ashes is one of many letters composed by the 8th patriarch (monshu, 門主) of the Jodo Shinshu sect of Buddhism, Rennyo (蓮如, 1415–1499), to his followers. Rennyo was famous as both a propagator of Jodo Shinshu teachings, and a reformer of the loose network of community temples into a more centralized sect. Rennyo accomplished this through his skills in communicating to followers through the use of letters, rather than more scholarly treatises. After his passing, his letters were collected and formalized into a Jodo Shinshu liturgical text called either the Gobunsho (ご文書) or Ofumi (御文).
Of this letter collection, the Letter on White Ashes (hakkotsu no sho, 白骨章), is recited frequently in Buddhist funerals in Japan for Jodo Shinshu followers. When my mother-in-law passed away, we recited the Shoshinge hymn, followed by the priest reciting the Letter on White Ashes.
I have posted here the original text and a romanized (romaji) version of it for recitation, as well as a translation courtesy of BDK America.
Recitation
I found several videos online showing how to recite the Letter on White Ashes, but I found this one the most helpful because it includes the furigana pronunciation guides. If you can read Japanese hiragana, you’ll have no trouble following this video. Even if not, please feel free to use the guide below.
Something worth noting: the way that Rennyo wrote the letter, and how it’s pronounced today differs slightly in some places. Japanese has changed over the centuries (as languages often do), so people recite it now using a more modern style pronuncation, not the archaic style of the 15th century. This is reflected in the text below.
Letter Contents
| Original Text | Romanization (with modern pronuncation) |
|---|---|
| それ､人間の浮生なる相をつらつら観ずるに､ おほよそはかなきものは、この世の始中終､ まぼろしのごとくなる一期なり｡ | Sore, ningen no fushō naru sō wo tsura tsura kanzuru ni, ōyoso wa kanaki mono wa kono yo no shichūjū, maboroshi no gotoku naru ichigo nari. |
| さればいまだ万歳の人身を受けたりといふことを聞かず､一生過ぎやすし｡いまにいたりて誰か百年の形体をたもつべきや｡ われや先､人や先､今日ともしらず､ 明日ともしらず､おくれさきだつ人はもとのしづくすゑの露よりもしげしといへり｡ | Sareba imada manzai no ninjin wo uketari to iu koto wo kikazu, isshō sugiyasushi. Ima ni itte tareka hyakunen no gyōtai wo tamotsu beki ya. Ware ya saki, hito ya saki, kyō to moshirazu, Asu to moshirazu, okure saki datsu hito wa moto no shizukusue no tsuyu yorimo shigeshi to ieri. |
| されば朝には紅顔ありて夕には白骨となれる身なり｡すでに無常の風きたりぬれば､ すなはちふたつのまなこたちまちに閉ぢ､ ひとつの息ながくたえぬれば､紅顔むなしく変じて桃李のよそほひを失ひぬるときは, 六親眷属あつまりてなげきかなしめども､ さらにその甲斐あるべからず｡ | Sareba ashita ni wa kōgan atte yūbe ni wa hakkotsu to nareru mi nari. Sude ni mujō no kaze kitarinureba, sunawachi futatsu no manako tachimachi ni toji, hitotsu no iki nagaku taenureba, kōgan munashiku henjite tōri no yosōi wo ushinainuru toki wa, rokushin kenzoku atsumatte nageki kanashime domo, sarani sono kai aru bekarazu. |
| さてしもあるべきことならねばとて､野外におくりて夜半の煙となしはてぬれば､ ただ白骨のみぞのこれり｡ あはれといふもなかなかおろかなり｡ | Sate shimo arubeki koto naraneba tote, yagai ni okutte yowa no kemuri to nashi hatenureba, tada hakkotsu nomi zo no koreri. Aware to iu mo nakanaka orokanari. |
| されば人間のはかなきことは老少不定のさかひなれば､ 誰の人もはやく後生の一大事を心にかけて､阿弥陀仏をふかくたのみまゐらせて､念仏申すべきものなり｡ | Sareba ningen no wa kanaki koto wa rōshō fujō no sakai nareba, tare no hito mo hayaku goshō no ichidaiji wo kokoro ni kakete, amida but-to fukaku tanomi mairasete, nenbutsu mōsu beki mono nari. |
| あなかしこ､ あなかしこ｡ | Anakashiko, anakashiko. |
Translation
The translation below is courtesy of the BDK America. You can download the PDF version for free (I bought the book anyway).
When we deeply consider the transiency of this world, [we realize that] what is altogether fleeting is our own span of life: it is like an illusion from beginning to end. And so we have not yet heard of anyone living ten thousand years. A lifetime passes quickly. Can anyone now live to be a hundred Will I die first, or will my neighbor? Will it be today or tomorrow? We do not know.
Those we leave behind and those who go before us are more numerous than the dewdrops that rest briefly beneath the trees and on their leaftips. Hence we may have radiant faces in the morning but in the evening be no more than white bones.
With the coming of the wind of impermanence, both eyes are instantly closed, and when a single breath is forever stilled, the radiant face is drained of life and its vibrant glow is lost. Although family and relatives may gather and grieve broken-heartedly, this is to no avail. As there is nothing else to be done, [the once-familiar form] is taken to an outlying field, and when it has vanished with the midnight smoke, nothing is left but white bones. This is indeed indescribably sad.
And so, because the impermanence of this world creates a condition of uncertainty for young and old alike, we should all immediately take to heart the most important matter, the afterlife, and, deeply entrusting ourselves to Amida Buddha, say the nenbutsu.
Respectfully.
Namu Amida Butsu
Gleanings in Buddha-Fields 