Shushogi Chapter One

For additional commentaries, see this post.

Section One

Original Text	Romanization
生を明らめ死を明きらむるは仏家一大事の因縁なり、生死（しょうじ）の中に仏あれば生死なし、但（ただ）生死すなわち涅槃と心得て、生死として厭（いと）うべきもなく、涅槃として欣（ねご）うべきもなし、是（この）時初めて生死を離るる分（ぶん）あり、唯一大事因縁と究尽（ぐうじん）すべし。	Shō wo akirame shi wo akiramuru wa bukke ichi daiji no innen nari, shōji no naka ni hotoke areba shōji nashi, tada shōji sunawachi nehan to kokoro ete, shōji toshite itō beki mo naku, nehan toshite negō beki mo nashi, kono toki hajimete shōji wo hanaruru bun ari, tada ichi daiji innen to gūjin subeshi.

To arrive at a thorough understanding of birth and death — this is the crucial problem for all Buddhists. If the Buddha dwells in birth and death, birth and death disappear. Understand only that birth-death is nothing to avoid as birth-death, birth and death disappear. Understand only that birth-death is itself nirvana; there is nothing to avoid as birth-death and nothing to seek as nirvana. You then slough off the chains that bind you to birth-death. This — the supreme problem in Buddhism — must be thoroughly penetrated.

Section Two

Original Text	Romanization
人身（にんしん）得（う）ること難（かた）し、仏法値（お）うこと希なり、今我等宿善（しゅくぜん）の助くるに依りて、已（すで）に受け難き人身を受けたるのみに非（あら）ず、遭い難き仏法に値（あ）い奉れり、生死の中の善生（ぜんしょう）、最勝（さいしょう）の生なるべし最勝の善身を徒（いたづら）にして露命（ろめい）を無常（むじょう）の風に任（まか）すること勿（なか）れ。	Ninshin uru koto katashi, buppō ō koto mare nari, ima warera shukuzen no tasukuru ni yorite, sude ni uke gataki ninshin wo uke taru nomi ni arazu, ai gataki buppō ni ai tatematsureri, shōji no naka no zenshō saishō no shō naru beshi, saishō no zenshin wo itazura ni shite romei wo mujō no kaze ni makasuru koto nakare

The human form is hard to gain, and Buddhism, hard to meet. But through the help of our past merits, the rare gifts of being born human and of meeting the Buddhist doctrines have come to us. This has opened up for us the possibility of the fullest life within the sphere of birth and death. We should not waste this chance by leaving our fragile life exposed to the wind of impermanence.

Section Three

Original Text

Romanization

無常憑（たの）み難し、知らず露命（ろめい）いかなる道の草にか落ちん、身已（すで）に私（わたくし）に非ず、命は光陰に移されて暫くも停（とど）め難し、紅顔いづくへか去りにし、尋ねんとするに蹤跡（しょうせき）なし。熟（つらつら）観ずる所に往事の再び逢（お）うべからざる多し、無常忽（たちま）ちにいたるときは国王大臣親昵（しんじつ）従僕（じゅうぼく）妻子珍宝たすくる無し、唯独り黄泉（こうせん）に趣（おもむ）くのみなり、己（おのれ）に随（したが）い行くは只是れ善悪業等（ごっとう）のみなり、

Mujō tanomi gatashi, shirazu romei ikanaru michi no kusa ni ka ochin, mi sude ni watakushi ni arazu, inochi wa kōin ni utsusarete shibaraku mo todome gatashi, kōgan izuku e ka sari ni shi, tazunen to suru ni shōseki nashi, tsura tsura kanzuru tokoro ni ōji no futatabi ō bekarazaru ō shi, mujō tachimachi ni itaru toki wa kokuō daijin shinjitsu jūboku saishi chinhō tasukuru nashi, tada hitori kōsen ni omomuku nomi nari, onore ni shitagai yuku wa tada kore zen aku gottō nomi nari.

Impermanence offers us no foothold. The dew of our life — on what grass of the roadside will it fall? Even now this body does not belong to me. Life, transfigured by time, defies stopping even for an instant. Once gone, the face of youth vanishes irrevocably. We cannot bring back the past. When suddenly confronted with impermanence, we cannot bring back the past. When suddenly confronted with impermanence, we cannot look for salvation to kings, state ministers, relatives, servants, wife and children, or treasures. Alone we enter the kingdom of death, taking along only our karma of good and evil.

Section Four

Original Text	Romanization
今の世に因果を知らず、業報（ごっぽう）を明らめず、三世（さんぜ）を知らず、善悪を弁（わき）まえざる邪見の党侶（ともがら）には群すべからず、大凡（おおよそ）因果の道理歴然（れきねん）として私なし、造悪（ぞうあく）の者は堕ち、修善（しゅぜん）の者は陞（のぼ）る、毫釐（ごうり）もたがわざるなり、若し因果亡（ぼうじて）虚しからんが如きは、諸仏の出世あるべからず、祖師の西来（せいらい）あるべからず。	Ima no yo ni inga wo shirazu goppō wo akiramezu, sanze wo shirazu, zen aku wo wakimaezaru jaken no tomogara ni wa gun subekarazu, ōyoso inga no dōri rekinen toshite watakushi nashi, zōaku no mono wa ochi shuzen no mono wa noboru, gōri mo tagawarazu nari, moshi inga bōjite munashikaran ga gotoki wa, shobutsu no shusse aru bekarazu, soshi no serai aru bekarazu.

We should shun the deluded who are ignorant of the truth of retribution, of the three states of existence, and of good and evil. Obviously the law of cause and effect does not answer to my personal will. Without exception the evil falls, the good arises. If this were not so, Buddhas would not have appeared, nor would Bodhidharma have come from the West.

Section Five

Original Text	Romanization
善悪の報（ほう）に三時（さんじ）あり、一者（ひとつには）順現報受（ほうじゅ）、二者（ふたつには）順次生受（しょうじゅ）、三者（みつには）順後次受（じじゅ）、これを三時という、仏祖の道を修習（しゅじゅう）するには、 仏祖の道を修行していくには、其の最初よりこの三時の業報（ごっぽう）の理を効（なら）い験（あき）らむるなり、爾（しか）あらざれば多く錯（あやま）りて邪見（じゃけん）に堕つるなり。但（ただ）邪見に堕つるのみに非（あら）ず、悪道に堕ちて長時（ちょうじ）の苦を受く。	Zen aku no hō ni sanji ari, hitotsu ni wa jungen hōju, futatsu ni wa junji shōju, mitsu ni wa jungo jiju, kore wo sanji to iu, busso no dō wo shujū suru ni wa, sono saisho yori kono sanji no goppō no ri wo narai akiramuru nari, shika arazareba ōku ayamarite jaken ni otsuru nari, tada jaken ni otsuru nomi ni arazu, akudō ni ochite chōji no ku wo uku.

The effects of good and evil fall into three phases: 1) retribution in this world, 2) retribution in the next world, and 3) retribution in the world after next. Clear understanding of this principle must precede training in the way of the Buddhas and patriarchs. Otherwise, many will make mistakes and fall into wrong belief. Not only this, they will lead evil lives and suffer prolonged pain.

Section Six

Original Text	Romanization
当に知るべし今生（こんじょう）の我身（わがみ）二つ無し、三つ無し、徒（いたず）らに邪見に堕ちて虚しく悪業を感得（かんとく）せん、惜（おし）からざらめや、悪を造りながら悪に非（あら）ずと思い、悪の報（ほう）あるべからずと邪思惟（じゃしゆい）するに依りて、悪の報（ほう）を感得（かんとく）せざるには非（あら）ず。	Masani shiru beshi konjō no waga mi futatsu nashi, mitsu nashi, itazura ni jaken ni ochite munashiku akugō wo kantoku sen, oshikara zarame ya, aku wo tsukuri nagara aku ni arazu to omoi, aku no hō aru bekarazu to jashi yui suru ni yorite aku no hō wo kantoku sezaru ni wa arazu.

We must remember that in this life none of us have two or three bodies. How tragic then to lead an evil life stemming from wrong belief? We cannot escape retribution for evil done by erroneously asserting that we can do evil without recognizing it as such or reaping its reward.

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