Lotus & Other Tales of Medieval Japan by Takeshi Umehara
Author:Takeshi Umehara [Umehara, Takeshi]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781462901111
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
Published: 2011-11-15T04:30:00+00:00
Lotus
Kumagai Jirō Naozane, after encountering the great saint Hōnen and hearing the doctrine of the Sole Practice of the Nembutsu, immediately shaved his head and took the religious name Rensei-bō ("Lotus-Born"). He did this out of an earnest wish to be reborn on the calyx of a lotus flower in the Pure Land of Perfect Bliss.
Naozane remained for a time in the capital, serving Hōnen. He may have become a monk, but he was still a fierce warrior from the Eastlands and well fitted to act as the holy man's bodyguard. Hōnen's teachings represented a total revolution in the interpretation of the nembutsu and a fundamental denial of the Buddhist doctrines that had prevailed up to that time. For that reason, he was hated by many in the capital, and above all by the monks of the Tendai Sect on Mount Hiei. Hōnen's person was always in danger, and his disciples had been looking for a powerful warrior to defend him; but they could hardly hire a professional in armor and helmet as the holy man's bodyguard. Thus, Naozane's entry into the monastic community seemed heaven-sent.
And so Rensei-bō served as bodyguard for a time. One day, however, he suddenly said to his teacher, "I would like to return to the East and spread your teachings there." This request surprised the other disciples. He spoke of spreading the teachings, but Rensei-bō was still very much the warrior, a man of violent passions. Who knew what he might do? The disciples had misgivings. But Hōnen gathered the community together and addressed them: "There are many enemies of the nembutsu in the East. It will take a man like Rensei-bō, with his intense, pure-hearted faith, to spread the teachings there."
It is said that when Rensei-bō heard tell of this, he said: "Hōnen is the only one who truly understands me. I'm willing to give my life for my teacher!"
Rensei-bō bade farewell to Hōnen and the disciples and set off for the East in high spirits, but he presented a very odd appearance as he traveled. He had already made a name for himself as a master archer and horseman, yet before reaching his destination, he fell from his horse any number of times. And no wonder: the horse's head was set toward the East, but he had reversed the saddle, putting it back to front, so he rode facing backwards. Asked why, he answered, "The West is the direction where Lord Amida resides. It would be rude to sit with my backside to that direction."
It had been a long time since he'd returned to his native Musashi. Burned into the minds of the people of that province was the image of Kumagai Jirō Naozane, the daredevil of the battle of Ichinotani. It was said that Naozane had now entered religion and become a disciple of Hōnen, but it was impossible for the people of Musashi to conceive of this wild warrior tonsured. That was why crowds of people came day after day to his lodgings, hoping for a glimpse of the new Rensei-bō.
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