SONG IN PRAISE OF THE BODHISATTVA WHO REFLECTS THE SOUNDS OF THE WORLD MASANOBU TANIGUCHI

Transcription

1 SONG IN PRAISE OF THE BODHISATTVA WHO REFLECTS THE SOUNDS OF THE WORLD MASANOBU TANIGUCHI SEICHO-NO-IE INTERNATIONAL HEADQUARTERS , Nishiide Oizumi-cho, Hokuto City, Yamanashi, Japan

2 SONG IN PRAISE OF THE BODHISATTVA WHO REFLECTS THE SOUNDS OF THE WORLD MASANOBU TANIGUCHI Copyright 2015 by Masanobu Taniguchi. Published in 2015 by Religious Juridical Person, Seicho- No-Ie (Yamanashi, Japan). Originally published in Japanese as Kanzeon Bosatsu Sanka in 2012 by Religious Juridical Person, Seicho-No-Ie. Prayer to Praise the Bodhisattva Who Reflects the Sounds of the World Copyright 1972 by Religious Juridical Person, Seicho-No-Ie Natural Circulation Copyright 1988 by Sekai Seiten Fukyu Kyokai (Tokyo, Japan) English translation copyright 2015 by Religious Juridical Person, Seicho-No-Ie Prayer to Praise the Bodhisattva Who Reflects the Sounds of the World by Masaharu Taniguchi Natural Circulation by Seicho Taniguchi English translation from Japanese by Patricia Yoko Wada All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission of the copyright proprietor. Masanobu Taniguchi, Seicho-No-Ie, Sekai Seiten Fukyu Kyokai, 2015 ISBN Printed in Japan The paper of this book is made from chlorine-free bleached pulp from afforestation trees.

3 PRAYER TO PRAISE THE BODHISATTVA WHO REFLECTS THE SOUNDS OF THE WORLD Masaharu Taniguchi The Japanese calligraphy on the preceding page by Rev. Masanobu Taniguchi, reads NAMU KANZEON; English translation Trusting wholeheartedly in the Bodhisattva Who Reflects the Sounds of the World. This world manifests the power of the superb wisdom of the Bodhisattva Who Reflects the Sounds of the World. The term, Bodhisattva Who Reflects the Sounds of the World, is not a mere pronoun for one individual bodhisattva. It is great compassion, the power of superb wisdom, and the law of the mind that are omnipresent in the universe. Reflecting the sounds of the 1

4 world means the great compassion as well as the principle of freely emphasizing function that manifests in forms in accordance with the wishes of all living things to save them. This is what is meant when we say that the Bodhisattva changes into 33 different forms to save us. That the Bodhisattva manifests as the law of the mind, according to the minds of living things, is in itself great compassion. The Bodhisattva Who Reflects the Sounds of the World appears in different forms and gives us lectures of salvation. The shapes of the mountains, the coming and going of the clouds, the sounds of the wind, the flow of the rivers they are all the lessons of compassion of the Bodhisattva Who Reflects the Sounds of the World. Those who have ears in their mind should listen; those who have eyes in their mind should see. Moreover, the Bodhisattva Who Reflects the Sounds of the World appears in the form of the people around us and always gives us lessons of the Truth. The person who appears to be unkind is not actually unkind. The Bodhisattva Who Reflects the Sounds of the World has sensed that which is 2 3

5 unkind somewhere in our own mind and is manifesting it. That is why we must not hate others. The Bodhisattva Who Reflects the Sounds of the World appears as our father, mother, or our husband or wife, or our brothers and sisters or in-laws, or the president, executives, fellow workers, or subordinates in our workplace and is constantly telling us something. Those who have ears in their mind should listen; those who have eyes in their mind should see. The prophet is not far away, not in the mountains, not on the streets the prophet is here now. The prophet is within me myself. Whatever I think appears outside of me, whatever I believe appears in the outside world, whatever I speak appears in others. Whatever I think, believe, and whatever I speak become prophecies and eventually there comes a time when they manifest. Therefore, we should not think of, believe in, nor speak of things that are vicious, hateful, depressing, or negative. When evil things or things that we do not desire manifest, more than looking for the cause externally, we should first reflect on ourselves and see that 4 5

6 there must be a model of our mind of that sort within us. We may try to put out the fire in the outside world, which may temporarily appear to have been extinguished. But because the origin of the fire lies within the self, if we do not first extinguish the cause that is within our own mind, the fire will ignite again from a different place. The Bodhisattva Who Reflects the Sounds of the World is the manifestation of the great compassion of the Tathagata of Light unhindered in all directions. That is why the Bodhisattva permeates all directions. Though the names of the principal deity of worship in every religion may differ, that deity is the manifestation of the great compassion of the same God that fills and permeates throughout all directions. That is why all religions return to one. The principal deity that Seicho- No-Ie reveres is the Bodhisattva Who Reflects the Sounds of the World. I praise the Bodhisattva Who Reflects the Sounds of the World. Translated from Seikyoban Shinri no Ginsho, Holy Sutra, Recitations of the Truth, pp

7 SONG IN PRAISE OF THE BODHISATTVA WHO REFLECTS THE SOUNDS OF THE WORLD Masanobu Taniguchi LAW The Angel again came to Seicho- No-Ie and taught The true nature of God the Absolute is Holy, Supreme, Infinite, Mind that penetrates the universe, Life that permeates the universe, Law that governs the universe. *1 The law cannot be seen with the eyes, Heard with the ears, Felt by the skin, Smelled with the nose, Or tasted with the tongue. That is why it is taught, God the Creator Is beyond the five senses, Even beyond the sixth sense. *2 No one can deny That the law exists unyieldingly. Anywhere in the universe, At any time, The law extends to every corner, To the length and breadth of the universe, 8 9

8 Completely covering all existence. Examples close at hand Are the beating of your heart, The circulation of your blood, and The workings of your eyes that are through the law. The growth of plants, The flight of birds are also made possible by the law. Examples at a distance are the flow of groundwater, The meandering ocean currents, The volcanic activity in the earth, The movements of the stars, The formation of the nebulas, All are ruled by the law, And it is impossible for anything To exist without the law. God, Without being seen, Heard, Or felt, Works as the creator of all things, The ruler of all things, The sustainer of all things. He creates all minerals. He gives life to all living things. And He nourishes us all. ORDER The Angel continued Since order is born through the law, Order is also one of God s virtues

9 You must indeed know, The invisible law is manifested, And gives birth to the immovable order. Because the universal law Causes the earth to rotate and revolve for a prescribed cycle, There is no sudden change in the earth s temperature, And while there is intensely hot magma within the earth, Its crust is appropriately cooled, And through its crustal movements, Various minerals are formed, And diverse landforms appear. Moreover, water appears in abundance on the earth s surface, And through the law of gravity, On the ground and on rocks, It made intricate and beautiful sculptures. To this stage rich with change, Morning arrives each day, Noon comes, And after dusk there comes night. The same constant order of the earth Has continued for more than four billion years since its birth. And living things, amid diverse natural environments, Repeatedly evolved and developed And have manifested the order of the natural world

10 That is to say, Law and order are one. Order is the companion of law. Therefore, for the constitution of all minerals on earth, For the shape and traits of all living things, Law is the father Order is the mother. Law is the father of all things. Order is the mother of all things. All things obey the father law, Are embraced by the mother order, And appear before us as the material world. FREEDOM Law is constant and eternal, And works precisely. That is why God, as the law, Is also constant and precise. Though that is so, It does not mean that God is heartless. It is because the law works precisely, That birds and insects fly through the air, Fishes and whales swim through the seas, Wild animals run and jump. Since the law works precisely, The scattering of pollen, The budding of plants, 14 15

11 Photosynthesis Produce consistent results over an extended period of time. The free development and evolution Of each of the living things Are realized for the first time through the law. As for people of intellect, Since the law works with precision, It gives freedom to its users. Since aerodynamics, And hydrodynamics work with precision, Planes and ships navigate with freedom. And the safety of people is assured. The free actions of human beings Are impossible without the law. Freedom is the will of God And His wish. Thus freedom is realized by obeying the law. By following the will of God, Everyone will achieve true freedom. At that moment, the cherub stepped forth from behind the Angel And asked, Yet, my Teacher, isn t freedom described as not abiding by orders and constraints? The Angel replied I say to you, To correctly know the will of 16 17

12 God and To correctly know the True Image of God s creation, Are the greatest keys to acquiring freedom. People give rise to selfishness Because they mistakenly believe that the real situation of the world is conflict between themselves and others, And they try to protect themselves from their opponents. Acts of excluding others Arise from disbelief in the world of God s creation. The world created by God Is goodness, Is justice, Is benevolence, And the harmonious and perfect world where harmony comes of itself. People do not believe this And thinking that there is disharmony in the world of God, In an attempt to protect themselves, They reject others, And because they fear others, They sense the power that binds them As orders and constraints in others. Yet, those who believe in the Grand Harmony of the world of God Do not conceive of conflict 18 19

13 between the self and others, Do not feel a barrier between the self and others, And can hear their true minds In the voices of others And can hear within themselves The voices of others. Because they do not reject or fear others, They hear the advice and guidance of God In the voices of others. There is even no other before them. And even within difficulties, They find encouragement, And the arrival of new opportunities. GOOD The Angel continued God manifests good By giving people the greatest freedom. God, Through the law that governs the universe, *3 and The power that permeates the universe, Manifests Infinite ideas, Infinite beauty, And infinite order, In minerals and living things on earth. Yet the law itself does not give 20 21

14 birth to freedom. And good and evil are not born from power itself. The laws of physics and chemistry give rise to only prescribed results Which are without good or evil. Though mountains should crumble and fall into the sea Through large-scale volcanic activity, There is neither good nor evil in the results. A beast of prey fells a deer, The forelegs of a mantis trap a small insect, The consequences of these acts are not necessarily evil, Or good. They are no more than the product of prescribed laws. To see good or evil in these acts and, To question the meaning of good or evil Are the workings of the mind of human beings. The world without the human mind Is not good, Is not evil. It is simply a magnificent and brilliant world of automatic operation, That is filled with ideas, Laws and power. Yet, human beings were born, Discovered laws, 22 23

15 Acquired ideas, And when they seek to exercise their own freedom, For the first time is there a distinction between good and evil. That is to say, Human beings are branch spirits of God, God s messengers, God s self-realizations To realize good upon the earth. Therefore, I say to you, If you wish to do good, You must know God s will. Do not lose sight of God By clinging to your own positions. The benefits of the society to which you belong Are not necessarily good. The benefits of the society to which another belongs Are not necessarily good. I say to you, Do not be caught up in the illusion of confrontation between yourself and others. The world of God s goodness Is open outside of the prison of confrontation between oneself and others. It is a vast and boundless world that is beyond all attachments. In the world of God, There exists no design for the confrontation of good 24 25

16 and evil. Only goodness alone and Grand Harmony unfold. Good is to practice the will of God, And it is nothing other than that. Therefore, Jesus Christ taught: But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. I say to you, Even if freedom allows you the occasion to err, Do not mistakenly create the delusion of evil, But abide by the real nature of the child of God, And for the sake of God s righteousness, Faithfully exercise your freedom. LOVE The cherub asked again. My Teacher, why did God give people the freedom to make mistakes? Rather than to suffer from mistakes, Isn t being happy without committing mistakes the way More appropriate for the Love of God? The Angel answered You must not forget your childhood memories

17 All people, Begin to crawl on their hands and knees, And before long they walk on two feet. When seeing an infant that is crawling about, Do you think he is committing a mistake? The cherub answered. My Teacher, the infant that crawls Commits no mistakes. He is in the process of expressing his inherent capacity. The Angel asked further Do you think that the infant that crawls about Has experienced sufferings? The cherub replied My Teacher, the eyes of the infant that crawls about Are filled with curiosity, And signs of joy are everywhere around his lips Because of the experience of new possibilities. The Angel continued God gives freedom to people So that they will express their real nature. So that they will actually feel Their True Image that in real nature is God. People know that their actions are mistakes Because they hear the voice from within 28 29

18 Of their real self that does not err. Even though an infant that is starting to walk should fall, The infant is not troubled with worry But happily attempts his next step. That is because to walk is the infant s real nature And the infant does not doubt the inner existence of that nature. The infant does not lose his joyfulness even when falling Because he sees his True Image of already walking Within the walking figure of his parents, And does not doubt that he, too, will be able to walk. Like this infant, You must always be aware of the indwelling real nature of a child of God, See your True Image within Omnipotent God, Abide by the guidance of your innermost voice, And happily walk, step by step, The path to manifest the True Image. The freedom that God has given you Is indeed the greatest and best proof Of His love

19 God does not force you, and Within freedom, Does He guide you to the realization of the child of God, Does He give you a life worth living of the child of God. PRAYER The Angel continued I say to you, If you seek to correctly use the freedom that God has given to you, Respond to the will of God, And walk the path of life with a feeling of worth, You must not neglect prayer. Prayer Is the pipe between God s mind and yours And is the paradise of interchange with God. I say to you, Always keep the pipe with God open, Stroll in the paradise, And while receiving God s abundant ideas, Draw happiness on the canvas of your life. This, indeed, is true prayer. At that moment, the cherub asked My Teacher, if that is true, are 32 33

20 prayers to escape from the four sufferings worthless? The Angel replied The four sufferings do not exist in the world of God s creation. Birth does not exist. Sickness does not exist. Aging does not exist. Death does not exist. I say to you, Do not take for Reality what is not God s creation. *4 Sin, sickness, aging and death are merely nonexistent shadows of delusion, imagined in a bad dream. *5 I say to you, If you seek to escape from delusion, You must first know that delusion is not real. If you recognize sin that comes from delusion as being real, Sin will not vanish even if you pray. If you recognize sickness that comes from delusion as being real, Sickness will not vanish even if you pray. If you recognize aging that comes from delusion as being real, Aging will not vanish even if you pray. If you fear death that comes from delusion as 34 35

21 being real, Death will visit you even if you pray. I say to you, You must not confuse prayer with begging. Prayer is the proclamation of life. It is a statement of Reality from the depths of life. Begging is A declaration of lack and want that recognizes the existence of nothingness. It is a proclamation of nonexistence. The begging for the erasing of sins Arises from the thought that sin exists. The begging to be rid of sickness Arises from the thought that sickness exists. The begging for eternal youth Arises from the thought that aging exists. The begging to escape from death Arises from the thought that death exists. When you pray, You must not hold the four sufferings in your mind. You must not hold the unreal. You must pray for Reality. Pray for the True Image of the world that God created. Declare that the four sufferings 36 37

22 are nonexistent in the world of God. In this way, you will be awakened to the truth that the suffering before you is delusion And the product of your attachment. I say to you, Discard the tenaciousness that insists things must be a certain way. In the world of God s creation, All good things already exist. Additional things that must be a certain way are unnecessary. In the world of God s creation, All righteousness already exists. Additional things that must be a certain way are unnecessary. In the world of God s creation, All beauty already exists. Additional things that must be a certain way are unnecessary. After discarding your attachments, If the belief, My wish is in accord with the will of God, Still remains, Envision the realization of your hopes, And offer your gratitude to God saying, I have already received. Discard that mind that insists things must be a certain way, And entrust the results completely to God

23 THE BODHISATTVA WHO REFLECTS THE SOUNDS OF THE WORLD When the Angel had thus taught The cherub lowered his voice and asked, My Teacher, am I, who feel the four sufferings And fear them, unworthy of the world of God? The Angel answered Have you forgotten That as a child of God You are loved by Him? God is perfect, And all that God has created is also perfect. *6 The cherub replied Nevertheless, I do not see the perfect But only a world of much deficiency, flaws, Lack and inconveniences. The Angel taught That is proof that you are a child of God, Proof that perfection resides within you. It is because You measure yourself, You measure others, and You measure society With the yardstick of perfection, That you see only faults. If you impatiently seek to see the world of perfection at 40 41

24 this moment, You bring yourself to see deficiencies, And feel inconvenienced and become irritated. Do not seek the perfect within phenomena. Phenomena are the process for the unfoldment of the True Image Through the restrictions of time and space. A process is always something that is halfway and not complete, Like a musical performance cannot be completed when it is midway. You should correctly enjoy the musical performance of human life. It is foolish to raise your voice and ask for a quick conclusion During the course of the performance. Since the performance will surely come to an end, You should quietly enjoy its progression and modulation. Since the True Image of the world is certainly perfect, You should believe in the Creator, And savor the changes and the manifold progress of human life. The cherub asked again My Teacher, if perfection is 42 43

25 already within us, Is not the presence of others and society superfluous? The Angel taught The perfection that is within you Is not your physical self. Your physical self Simply becomes more imperfect as you age. Your physical self May have abilities that surpass others, But it also has a countless number of abilities that fall short. Your physical self Is no more than one member of society. Its influence is limited. Its strength is limited. And it is destined to die and vanish. I say to you, awaken from the delusion that says your physical body is your real self. Do not forget the teaching, Beyond the physical body there is an ethereal perfect being. *7 An ethereal existence Knows no distinctions between the self and others. An ethereal existence Does not discriminate between society and oneself. An ethereal existence Teaches you about perfection 44 45

26 Through the harmony between people and society. This is the teaching of the Bodhisattva Who Reflects the Sounds of the World. The Bodhisattva Who Reflects the Sounds of the World does not reside in the mountains, He is not in the rivers. He does not live in shrines or temples. He is not an inhabitant of the towns. He resides within you. Yet, In the forms of the mountains and rivers, Statues in temples, shrines and churches, The wise persons of the towns, A husband, A wife, A child, a grandchild, At times as a criminal, A sick person, Animals and plants, Germs and viruses, Natural phenomena, The Bodhisattva Who Reflects the Sounds of the World Teaches you, The teachings of the innermost. You must remember the teaching, Every one of the countless souls are also reflections of the one Spirit of God. *8 What appears as your 46 47

27 external world Is all the reflection of your inner world. The defects and faults that appear in the external world Are the reflections of the defects and faults of the inner world. Yet you must know that the divine spirits and bodhisattvas that are seen in the external world Are the mirror images of the real nature of your inner world. Awaken from the delusion that the physical body in itself is the human being. From the misconception that the physical body is I There arises the distinction between oneself and others. From the delusion that the physical body is I There appears the boundary between the inner and outer. The True Image of the world of God Does not discriminate between inner and outer. It is the oneness of oneself and others. It is the oneness of God and oneself. When you awaken to the truth that the ethereal existence is your real self, The boundary between the inner and outer vanishes, The True Image of the oneness 48 49

28 of oneself and others, And the oneness of God and oneself Manifest in your presence, As though the haze had vanished. When the Angel had thus taught, The figure of the cherub suddenly vanished, And high in the sky a flock of wild geese was seen flying. At that moment, a great voice came from the skies above, See that the geese and the sky cannot be separated. The sky and the mountains and rivers cannot be separated. The mountains, rivers, and seas are inseparable. All living things and the earth are one. Do not see yourself as being a single trifling physical body. Human beings cannot exist without the mountains and rivers. They do not exist apart from the lands and seas. They and all living things in there exist all together. In other words, All living things, mountains and rivers, and the lands and seas Are extensions of you. They are a part of you. They are your totality 50 51

29 At that moment the flock of wild geese in the skies Increased a hundred-fold, And they further increased to a thousand-fold and filled the heavens. But after lightning flashed, Thunder roared, Rain showers suddenly came, And before long when the sun shone, There were no wild geese to be found in the sky. Yet, in the mountains, the trees and plants put forth young shoots. In the seas countless fish swim. On the land the wild animals run. The trees hum with the sounds of insects. And the chirps of the songbirds vibrate in the mountains. The Angel s voice is heard, See, this is the True-Image World. All existences are one And yet possess their own individuality. They give to one another. They praise one another. They guide one another. They love one another. The Bodhisattva Who Reflects the Sounds of the World dwells in all things. All things cannot help but resonate His teachings. At that moment, 52 53

30 In the heavens there swirled a great flurry of snow That glittered in the sunlight, As though all things in the universe Were singing a song in praise of the Bodhisattva Who Reflects the Sounds of the World. May the True Image of all living beings be manifested and the world of Grand Harmony be realized on earth through the merits of this Song of Praise. (End of the Song of Praise) *1 Masaharu Taniguchi, Seikyo Kanro no Hou, p. 2. *2 Ibid., p. 1. *3 Ibid., p. 2. *4 Ibid., p. 55. *5 Ibid., p. 74. *6 Ibid., p. 53. *7 Ibid., p. 29. *8 Masaharu Taniguchi, Seikyo Tenshi no Kotoba, p. 8. Source: Masaharu Taniguchi, Kanro no Hou, Tenshi no Kotoba [Holy Sutra Combined Ed.] (Nippon Kyobunsha, 2002) 54 55

31 NATURAL CIRCULATION Seicho Taniguchi Limitlessly, the divine light Vastly and e er so radiantly Deep within the hearts of people, Fills and overflows Within the hearts of all Joins the minds of people Together as one. Mountains and rivers too People and animals also As well as the birds and the fish Each and every thing Help and give to one another. This world is heaven The world is free. Things intermingle with other things, they flow and circulate, Fill to overflowing, The minds of the people, As they are, Are God s love, As it is. Abundantly it gives to others, Abundantly we are given.