Hojoki– Visions of a Torn World –

「方丈記 」は、鴨長明による鎌倉時代の1212年に書かれた随筆です。「徒然草」「枕草子」と並び「古典日本三大随筆」に数えられています。 災害、疫病、地震、不景気の中、出世街道から外れ、究極のミニマリストとして生きた彼の言葉には、現代の私達にも強く心に響きます。日本人なら誰でもよくご存じの冒頭部分も、有名な英訳文でご紹介します。   "The Hojoki - Visions of a Torn World" is an essay written by Kamo no Chomei during the Kamakura period (1185-1333). Along with "Essays in Idleness" and "The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon," it is considered one of the "Three Great Classical Japanese Essays. His words, in which he lived as the ultimate minimalist, off the road to success amid disasters, epidemics, earthquakes, and economic recession, resonate strongly with us today. The book's first part, which is well known to all Japanese, is also presented here in its famous English translation.

Hojoki - Visions of a Torn World -

The classic Hojoki is an essay that describes where and how Kamo no Chomei lived and tried to live peacefully during a time of disasters, infectious disease, earthquakes, recessions, and other uncertainties similar to those of today.

1)

The river flows ceaselessly, but it is not the same water.

The bubbles on the water's surface disappear and form, but they do not stop.

People and the places where they live are the same.

2)

Chapter of Five Disasters

The Great Fire

I am Kamo no Chomei.

In those days, I lived in the capital of Kyoto.

My father was a great man of a prestigious shrine.

However, my father had always been frail and died when I was 18 years old.

After he passed away, I thought I could become a great man of the shrine.

However, the person who succeeded him was a distant relative.

Still, I knew I had to continue my work at the shrine.

But time flew by as I read songs and played my instrument, the biwa.

3)

When I was 23 years old, it was a very windy day that night.

A fire broke out on the east side of the capital.

The fire spread to the center of the capital.

The sky was tinged red from the ashes blown up and lit by the fire.

Some people fell ill from the smoke.

Others were blinded by the flames and fainted.

Soon the city was engulfed in flames.

Another person's life was spared, but all his possessions were reduced to ashes.

After the flames had consumed a third of the city, it fell silent.

What had met yesterday vanished in a flash.

We are so foolish to spend our property and build buildings in the city of Kyoto and live worrying about it.

4)

The Great Wind

Three years have passed since the big fire.

An extreme wind occurred near the Kamo River.

Countless houses and household goods inside the homes were swept up into the sky.

It was as if the wind disturbed the leaves of winter trees.

I was blinded by the dust and even could not hear the roar.

It seemed to me that it was worse than the wind in hell.

5)

Movement of the capital

A month had passed since the strong winds blew.

It was suddenly decided to abandon Heian-Kyo, which had existed for 400 years, and move the capital to Kobe.

Many people moved.

Those who had high positions and did not want to lose them were in a hurry to go as soon as possible.

However, those who had no opportunity for advancement had no choice but to remain in the capital.

The once beautiful capital of Kyoto was now in ruins.

The demolished houses were turned into small boats and carried down the river to Kobe.

The places where the houses had stood were turned into fields.

Meanwhile, in the new capital of Kobe, lumber that had been turned into small boats had arrived, but there were few houses, and the land was primarily vacant.

The old capital was already in ruins, but the new capital had not yet been built.

Both those who had been initially in Kobe and those who had moved there were anxious.

Only six months later, the capital was once again returned to Heian-Kyo.

But the destroyed houses and ruined land did not immediately return to normal.

6)

Famine

Then a year passed.

There were droughts, typhoons, and floods.

Bad things kept happening, and no crops were produced.

Then came the famine.

One man tore down his newly built house and sold it for firewood, but that was just only enough food for one day.

Women in good clothes went from house to house begging.

People in need wandered about, but they never moved again after they fell.

There were many people on the streets who had starved to death.

But there was no way to clean it up.

The bodies were left on the road to decompose.

I was too afraid to watch them change.

The city was filled with the smell of death.

The deaths were from people who were deeply in love with each other.

They would eat later and give food to their loved ones.

So in the case of parents and children, the parent died before the child.

Not knowing that its mother was dead, the baby slept suckling.

A great monk did a memorial service by writing the character Amida Buddha's "A" on the forehead of the corpse.

More than 42,300 people died in half of the capital two months later.

Oh, how many were there in total?

7)

Earthquake

Two years had passed since that famine.

There were several aftershocks.

Then there was a massive earthquake.

The earth shook, and dust billowed up like smoke.

Houses collapsed with a thunderous sound.

Those who were inside the building were pinned under.

Those who were late to escape had the earth was torn and fell.

Mountains collapsed, and the crumbling soil stopped the river.

Along the seashore, tsunamis struck.

Four elements make up all things.

Water, fire, and wind have always caused disasters.

However, never before had the "land" caused such a major disaster.

After the earthquake, everyone talked about what was lost and the fragility of life.

But after a few years, no one talks about the earthquake anymore, which was so tragic.

8)

A world of "impermanence."

It is challenging to live in this world.

The number of troubles increases with the number of places we live and the number of identities we have.

We need to be aware of the people around us.

We can neither rejoice to say aloud when we are happy nor cry aloud when we are sad.

They worry if their clothes are inferior to someone else's.

They look at the lives of those who have money and worry that they are unhappy.

If you live in the center of the city, it is convenient.

But if a fire breaks out, there is no way to escape.

However, if you live in the countryside, even a short trip takes a lot of time.

There are not many people, so it may not be safe.

People who have a lot become greedy.

If you don't have connections with people, people will treat you lightly.

If you have money, you fear losing it.

If you are poor, you often come to resent others.

If you depend on others, your body becomes like someone else's property.

If we are devoted to others, we become attached to affection.

If we follow the norms of society, we become stuck.

You will be seen as a freak if you don't follow it.

At that time, I kept wondering what kind of place I should live and what kind of things I should do to live peacefully.

9)

The "Hojo" house

I am now living in a small house in the mountains.

The house is "four and a half tatami" in size and can be disassembled.

If I want to leave this land, I can quickly move into the disassembled house.

Status, honor, and money have haunted me for over 30 years.

Having given these things up, I have nothing more to lose but this house.

10)

Living in the "Hojo" house

I used to live in a mansion 100 times the size of this one in the past.

But now I live in this tiny house, surrounded only by the things I need.

A place to sleep

A place to work (with a picture of Amitabha and a book to practice Buddhism)

A place to play (with a koto, a biwa, and a book of waka poems, a place for performing arts)

There is a kitchen under the eaves of the garden.

Water is drawn nearby, and the water is stored in a rock enclosure.

The woods are close by, so it is easy to pick up firewood.

The west side of the valley stretches out, and one can watch the sunset.

In spring, many wisteria flowers bloomed like purple clouds.

In summer, we heard the call of the Lesser Cuckoo bird.

In the fall, we heard the call of the Evening Cicada insect.

In winter, snow piled up and disappeared.

Seeing them is also a Buddhist practice.

But when I don't feel like chanting the Nembutsu, I rest with my heart and neglect myself.

No one complains to me.

No one to feel ashamed of it.

There are no commandments or laws for me to break because there is no environment to break them.

In the mornings, when I feel the fragility of this world, I go to the Uji River.

I watch the waves rise and quickly disappear behind the rowing boat.

When the wind shakes the Katsura trees in the evening, I play the biwa.

I play the Koto to the sound of the pine wind as I wish.

I play the biwa to the sound of the water.

I don't play for anyone, so it doesn't matter if I am good or not.

I play the sound as I like it.

I play to entertain my mind and sound comfortable.

11)

The world belongs to no one.

A boy from the mountain guard's house comes to my place from time to time.

He was ten years old, much younger than me, but he and I were friends.

We enjoyed picking nuts and wildflowers.

We spent time together walking in the mountains and seeing the cherry blossoms and autumn leaves each season.

The fantastic scenery belonged to no one, so we could see it whenever we went there.

Only during those times does it belong to the two of us.

On quiet nights when I was alone, I would look out the window at the moon and remember my departed friend.

Watching fireflies in the grass reminded me of the "bonfire" in distant Kyoto.

The sound of rain at dawn resembles leaves blowing in the wind.

I heard my father and mother calling, and upon closer listening, I realized it was the chirping of a mountain bird.

When a deer comes close to me, I know I am in a place separated from the world.

When I wake up on a cold morning and see a warm fire stirring up the coals I had buried in the ashes, it seems like a friend.

Spring, summer, fall, winter, morning, noon, and night.

The more you know, the more you realize how wonderful this world is.

12)

What is the purpose of living here?

Five years have passed since I moved into Hojo no Ie, which I thought of as a temporary residence.

Since I came here, many people have died in the capital.

I heard that there were many fires.

But here, time passes peacefully.

It is small, but there is a place to sleep at night, a place to practice Buddhism, and a place to enjoy performing arts.

There is no shortage of places to be alone.

Like a "hermit crab" that likes small shells, I know how to live my life.

If you want to live quietly and enjoy the absence of worry, you can live peacefully.

Many people's homes are made not only for themselves but also for their belongings and sometimes for their friends.

I do not need friends.

Even those considered friends choose their partners based on money or looks.

I have seen a lot of that.

I would much rather have music, plants, and trees as my friends than have such a vain relationship.

I don't need a car. I can walk by myself if I need to.

I use my body to walk when I want to and rest when in pain.

I have clothes and food, and I don't have to be ashamed of looking shabby because I live alone in the mountains.

I don't spend money to look good.

We use what we can get for clothes and food. Wild vegetables and nuts are enough to keep us alive.

If we consistently eat less food, we can taste whatever we want.

Don't get me wrong. I am not recommending this kind of enjoyment to anyone.

I am just saying that this is my way.

People see everything in this world through the filter of the mind.

If your mind is not at peace, you will not be happy no matter how much money you have or how lovely your house is.

I love living in the "Hojo no house" now.

If you doubt, look at the way fish and birds live.

Fish live in the water, but they never get tired of the water.

You have to be a fish to understand its heart.

Birds live in the forest, but you cannot understand their hearts. You cannot understand their hearts if you are not a bird.

Life here is the same.

Those who do not live here do not understand its heart.

13)

Ask your own heart.

The moon is setting on the mountain.

My whole life is coming to an end like that moon.

According to the Buddha's teaching, I should not be attached to anything, but I am still loving this place.

I ask myself in the quiet dawn.

I abandoned the world and entered the mountain to practice Buddhism, but even though my appearance is that of a saint, my heart is stained with vexation.

I closed my eyes and asked, "Why?" But my heart had no answer.

I chanted "Namu Amidabutsu" three times, which was the end.

I wrote this in March 1212, in the mountains of Hino.

Hojoki - Visions of a Torn World -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iC2eM_oF6Gs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6fLnXarc5s&t=331s

https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%96%B9%E4%B8%88%E8%A8%98