VI
Willie XXIII is a very early-riser and I also feel myself obliged to follow him, and by doing so, I have time to listen to the radio broadcast or watching TV channels on air. at these earlier hours. Now I can feel myself being a visiting reporter making such journalistic commentaries as I catch those news on air and other stories being broadcast in Japan. Not only those media broadcasts but also the people’s routine lives happening every day, I am now quite accustomed to know the social tendencies of Japan, and very much tended to have them reported to others as I feel as a man from other countries. He is very popular among these people in the city hall staffs, care-taking nurseries, or salon goers. That is the fruits of his long accumulated deed of devotion through his volunteer works for more than fifteen years since the K Town where he lived transferred to S-City by amalgamating the adjacent two towns S and M. He also is the chairman for the Shakyou (写経) Group called Tahou-Kai(多宝会) that is the group to make practice of calligraphy on the famous Buddha sutras, Hannya-Shingyou(般若心経)。 That starts in the words like this, Kan-Jizai bozah gyojin,hannya haramida, jishou kengo, unkai kudoh issai kuhyaku, sha ri shi shiki fuikuh kuhui shiki shiki sokuze kuku sokuze shikiju sogyo shikiyaku funyoze, shari shize ……….. which are spelled by 262 Chinese characters and they were to be written by the calligraphy blush at the study room. Once I accompanied with him and was able to observe how that practice activitiy by the members of this group goes, from the beginning till it’s finish of that day’s engagement. On their way half of writing practice, they all were summoned to the main alter of the temple by the chief priest, Honin Oshou, and start their ritual ceremony led by his recitation. After that, there usually follow his sermon speech. When the ceremony finishes, they all go back to the study room and complete their half way proceeded writing. Time would be about 11:30 when they seem all to have finished writing, and the work table, face to face on the floor, apart each other about a yard would be gathered together, and the work tables turns to be the dining tables. Now the members who are on their turn of the month, they spread out the feast dishes which were prepared by themselves at home and the dinner party would start. The atmosphere of this party proceeds with talks, talks, talks of pleasant conversations. Willie XXIII, being the chairman of this society, he always makeｓ the starting speeches which are a little different tone from the Buddhism, usually concerned about the daily prevailing social gossips, including his literature taste talks. The membership of this society is about thirty in number, and they are mostly senior ages, from sixties till nineties. Not only the persons under this temple’s sect, some of the members are from other cities or towns who wish to join the activity and learning there as the society membership. The Hannya Shingyo(般若心経) itself is worshipped equally by all the Buddhist cults. The activity is open to the other religion, as Christian or Moslem adherents, just anyone who wants to join. The practice of this Hannya Shingyou, usually called ‘Shakyou’ (写経) means the copying work of the old Buddhism sutras, tens of thousands of them in number that had started to be written and piled up in their temples since the Buddhism originated from Shakamuni (Gautama) birth and the followers recorded the ritual teachings which had begun to be accumulated through the stream of its historical developments for more than three thousand years. The Hannya Shingyou is the most popular one of them representative sutras. By practicing this Shakyou, people would pray for their wishes to be approaching to their lives, and these copied texts are offered to the temples on the occasion they visited through their pilgrimages.
I have learned a little about these eventful studies and trainings. The other one, ‘’Zazen’ (座禅)、Sitting Meditation is also famous and practiced by many Zen-Shu Buddists. Most of these things were introduced to this country as the Buddhism teachings. I had not time to learn in details when I was in life half a century ago, and this time, by spiritual stay in Japan, I am now able to know a little wider and deeper life of Japanese people under the influence of Buddhism religion. I was a born Christian and through my life, I felt a little incongruous feeling, especially in my childhood when I experienced its superstitious experiences which I once wrote in “Of Human Bondage.” The readers may easily recognize where it was written.
Willie XXIII is the Buddhist of “Shinngon Shu” (真言宗), one of the largest sectｓ originated by ‘Koubou Daishi’ (弘法大師 空海)774~835. Among one of Koubou Daishi’s achievements, the pilgrimage, Shikoku Eighty-Eight Sacred Sites is famous and many people make going, even the foreign visitors would try to make that while they are staying in Japan. People who do this are supposed to be clad in the typical costume, of pure white cotton wear. On its back, there, unexceptionally, indicated with large Chinese Calligraphy touch phrase, Dougyou Ninin (同行二人)。 Willie XXIII has not yet done that pilgrimage although he has deep faith in Buddhism as a Buddhist. He just did not have time to do so from his young days. He had to work for himself and for his family. Only the people who have time and money to spend for that could do. Therefore, after he started to join the activities of this temple, Jigenji, especially the practice of Goeika Songs, he often has come across with the phrase, 同行二人(dougyou ninin), he himself conceived in his mind a question, what this four letter phrase means. But in time, while continuing his activities, he has come to know through the chief priest or his followers occasionally make the sermon speeches on Buddhism, especially when they talk about this Koubou Daishi, that the phrase phrase has such a meaning. “The pilgrimage you go through those Eighty-Eight sacred places by yourself alone, still in your mind, there always accompanied by the Odaishi Sama (御大師様）, the Koubou Daish together and protect your safety mentally and physically all through the pilgrimage going ways. So, he now believes in such a faith that, in his mind, there exists the phrase “Dougyou San Nin” (同行三人), by saying that even he does not go to the pilgrimage site in Shikoku Eighty-Eight temples, his life itself is the pilgrimage all through his life. So one day I asked him, “Wh, wh,u, just who is tha, tha, that 3rd person among the San Nin (Three Persons)?” His answer was clear persuasive one. “The Third? It’s William Somerset Maugham!”. On this, I just had to make a gasping nod with my cynical grinning sigh, “Ah-huh.!” And, I recognized myself, that was what I am here with him on these days since the forum on November 24, 2019.
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