Shushogi Chapter Five

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Section Twenty-Six

Original Text	Romanization
此（この）発菩提心（ほつぼだいしん）、多くは南閻浮（なんえんぶ）の人身（にんしん）に発心すべきなり、今是（かく）の如くの因縁あり、願生此（し）娑婆（しゃば）国土し来（きた）れり、見（けん）釈迦牟尼仏を喜ばざらんや。	Kono hotsu bodaishin, ōku wa nan enbu no ninshin ni hosshin subeki nari, ima kaku no gotoku no innen ari, ganshō shi shaba kokudo shi kitareri, ken shakamuni butsu wo yorokobazaran ya.

The Buddha mind should be awakened in all sentient beings on this earth through causal relations. Their desire to be born in this world is fulfilled. Why shouldn’t they be grateful to see the Sakyamuni Buddha?

Section Twenty-Seven

Original Text

Romanization

静かに憶（おも）うべし、正法（しょうぼう）世に流布せざらん時は、身命を正法の為に拠捨（ほうしゃ）せんことを願うとも値（お）うべからず、正法に逢う今日（こんにち）の吾等を願うべし、見ずや、仏の言（のたま）わく、無上菩提を演説する師に値（あ）わんには、種姓（しゅしょう）を観ずること莫れ、容顔を見ること莫れ、非を嫌うこと莫れ、行（おこない）を考うること莫れ、但（ただ）般若を尊重（そんじゅう）するが故に、日日三時に礼拝（らいはい）し、恭敬（くぎょう）して、更に患悩（げんのう）の心を生ぜしむること莫れと。

Shizuka ni omō beshi, shōbō yo ni rufu sezaran toki wa, shinmei wo shōbō no tame ni hōsha sen koto wo negō to mo ō bekarazu, shōbō ni ō konnichi no warera wo negō beshi, mizu ya, hotoke no notamawaku, mujō bodai wo enzessuru shi ni awan ni wa, shushō wo kanzuru koto nakare, yōgan wo miru koto nakare, hi wo kirō koto nakare, okonai wo kangauru koto nakare, tada hannya wo sonjū suru ga yue ni, nichi nichi sanji ni raihai shi, kugyō shite, sara ni gennō no kokoro wo shōze shimuru koto nakare to.

If the Right Law had not permeated the world, we could not have met it even if we wanted to sacrifice our lives for it. We should quietly reflect on this fact. How fortunate to have been born at this moment when we can meet the Right Law. Remember that the Buddha said: “When you meet a Zen master who teaches the highest wisdom, don’t consider his caste. Don’t pay attention to his appearance, consider his shortcomings, or criticize his practices. In deference to his wisdom, just bow before him and do nothing to worry him.”

Section Twenty-Eight

Original Text

Romanization

今の見仏聞法（けんぶつもんぽう）は仏祖面面の行持より来（きた）れる慈恩なり、仏祖若し単伝（たんでん）せずば、奈何（いか）にしてか今日（こんにち）に至らん、一句の恩尚（な）お報謝すべし、一法の恩尚お報謝すべし、況（いわん）や正法眼蔵（しょうぼうげんぞう）無上大法の大恩これを報謝せざらんや、病雀尚お恩を忘れず三府（さんぷ）の環（かん）能く報謝あり、窮亀（きゅうき）尚お恩を忘れず、余不（よふ）の印（いん）能く報謝あり、畜類尚お恩を報ず、人類争（いかで）か恩を知らざらん。

Ima no kenbutsu monpō wa busso men men no gyōji yori kitareru jion nari, busso moshi tanden sezuba, ika ni shite ka konnichi ni itaran, ikku no on nao hōsha subeshi, ippō no on nao hōsha subeshi, iwan ya shōbōgenzō mujō daihō no daion kore wo hōsha sezaran ya, byōjaku nao on wo wasurezu sanpu no kan yoku hōsha ari, kyūki nao on wo wasurezu, yofu no in yoku hōsha ari, chikurui nao on wo hōzu jinrui ikade ka on wo shirazaran.

We can see the Buddha now and listen to his teachings because of the altruistic Buddhas and patriarchs did not transmit the Law truly, how could it have come down to us today? We should appreciate even a phrase or portion of the Law. How can we help but be thankful for the great compassion of the highest law —  the Eye and Treasury of the Right Law? The sick sparrow did not forget the kindness received and returned it with the ring of the three great ministers. Nor did the troubled tortoise forget: it showed its gratitude with he seal of Yofu.¹ So if even beasts return thanks, how can man do otherwise?

Section Twenty-Nine

Original Text	Romanization
其（その）報謝は余外（よげ）の法は中（あた）るべからず、唯当（まさ）に日日（にちにち）の行持、其報謝の正道なるべし、謂ゆるの道理は日日の生命を等閑（なおざり）にせず、私に費やさざらんと行持するなり。	Sono hōsha wa yoge no hō wa ataru bekarazu, tada masa ni nichi nichi no gyōji, sono hōsha no shōdō naru beshi, iwayuru no dōri wa nichi nichi no seimei wo naozari ni sezu, watakushi ni tsuiyasazaran to gyōji suru nari.

To show this gratitude you need no other teachings. Show it in the only real way — by daily practice. Without wasting time we should spend our daily life in selfless activity.

Section Thirty

Original Text

Romanization

光陰は矢よりも迅（すみや）かなり、身命は露よりも脆（もろ）し何れの善巧（ぜんぎょう）方便ありてか過ぎにし一日を復び環（かえ）し得たる、徒（いたず）らに百歳生けらんは恨むべき日月（じつげつ）なり、悲むべき形骸（けいがい）なり、設（たと）い百歳の日月は声色（しょうしき）の奴婢（ぬび）と馳走すとも、其（その）中一日の行持を行取（ぎょうしゅ）せば一生の百歳を行取するのみに非ず、百歳の佗生（たしょう）をも度取すべきなり、此（この）一日の身命は尊ぶべき身命なり、尊ぶべき形骸なり、此（この）行持あらん身心自らも愛すべし、自らも敬うべし、我等が行持に依りて諸仏の行持見成（げんじょう）し、諸仏の大道通達（つうだつ）するなり、然（しか）あれば即ち一日の行持是れ諸仏の種子（しゅし）なり、諸仏の行持なり。

Kōin wa ya yori mo sumiyaka nari, shinmei wa tsuyu yori mo moroshi, izure no zengyō hōben arite ka sugi ni shi ichi nichi wo fatatabi kaeshi etaru, itazura ni hyaku sai ikeran wa uramu beki jitsu getsu nari, kanashimu beki keigai nari, tatoi hyaku sai no jitsu getsu wa shōshiki no nubi to chisō su to mo, sono naka ichi nichi no gyōji wo gyōshu seba isshō no hyaku sai wo gyōshu suru nomi ni arazu, hyaku sai no tashō wo mo doshu subeki nari, tōtobu beki keigai nari, kono gyōji aran shinjin mizukara mo ai subeshi, mizukara mo uyamō beshi, warera ga gyōji ni yorite shobutsu no gyōji genjō shi, shobuku no daidō tsūdassuru nari, shika areba sunawachi ichi nichi no gyōji kore shobutsu no shushi nari, shobutsu no gyōji nari.

Time flies with more speed than an arrow; life moves on, more transient than dew. By what skillful means can you reinstate a day that has passed? To live one hundred years wastefully is to regret each day and month. Your body becomes filled with sorrow. Although you wander as the servant of the senses during the days and months of a hundred years — if you truly live one day, you not only live a life of a hundred years but save the hundred years of your future life. The life of this one day is the vital life. Your body becomes significant. This life and body deserve love and respect, for through them we can practice the Law and express the power of the Buddha. So true practice of the Law for one day is the seed of all the Buddha and their activities.

Section Thirty-One

Original Text	Romanization
謂（いわ）ゆる諸仏とは釈迦牟尼仏なり、釈迦牟尼仏是れ即心是仏（そくしんぜぶつ）なり、過去現在未来の諸仏、共に仏と成る時は必ず釈迦牟尼仏と成るなり、是れ即心是仏なり、即心是仏というは誰（たれ）というぞと審細（しんさい）に参究すべし、正に仏恩を報ずるにてあらん。	Iwayuru shobutsu to wa shakamuni butsu nari, shakamuni butsu kore soku shin ze butsu nari, kako genzai mirai no shobutsu, tomo ni hotoke to naru toki wa kanarazu shakamuni butsu to naru nari, kore soku shin ze butsu nari, soku shin ze butsu to iu wa tare to iu zo to shinsai ni sankyU subeshi, masa butsuon wo hōzuru ni te aran.

All the Buddhas are Buddha Sakyamuni himself. Buddhas past, present, and future become the Buddha Sakyamuni on attaining Buddhahood. This mind itself is the Buddha. By awakening to a thorough understanding of this mind, you will truly show your gratitude to the Buddhas.

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¹ Evidentially, this story comes from a Chinese-historical text called the Book of Jin. There, a man named Kong Yu² once was walking through a region called Yubuting, when he saw a turtle being sold at a roadside market for food. Kong Yu bought the turtle and set it free so that it would not be eaten. The turtle turned left and went to the river. Later, when Kong Yu was appointed governor of Yubuting, he was granted an official seal in the shape of a turtle, which mysteriously faced left. Kong Yu realized that this seal of governance was somehow repayment by the turtle for his kindness. In Japanese the seal is called yofutei (余不亭), and the story is called kyūkame yofuin (窮亀余不印, “Seal of the Distressed Turtle”).

² Kong Yu (孔愉, 268 — 342). His courtesy name was Jing-Kang (敬康). In Japanese “Kong Yu” was pronounced as Kōyu.