Today I am going to tell you a folk tale about a miracle by the Buddha.
But… before that story. I would like to write a little about religious beliefs in Japan.
In Japan, there is a word 「八百万」.
Pronounced as it is 「HappyakuMan」, the literal translation is 8 million, but it actually reads 「YAOYOROZU」, meaning ‘too many to count’. It is mainly used for Shinto and Buddhist deities, meaning that a number of deities live together in Japan.
There are many religions in Japan today. The law guarantees freedom of religion. In terms of religious population, Shintoism accounts for 48%, Buddhism for 46%, Christianity for 1% and other religions for 4%. There may be some adherents of Islam and Judaism, although not many genuine Japanese.
However, these figures are only the results on a graph, and the actual situation may be different.
I may be criticised for writing this…
To begin with, the Japanese are not that enthusiastic about religion.
Of course, there are some who are very religious, but relatively speaking, they are not very religious.
So are the majority of Japanese people atheists?
Actually, that is not the correct answer either.
It is difficult to say in one word… Japanese people have a quiet sense of Shinto and Buddhist values that live in their unconscious mind. We are rarely aware of them and do not go to temples or shrines to pray.
In August, they gather with their relatives to pray for the return of their ancestors.
They value the notion that “the heavens are watching”, and abhor behaviour that is shameful to society, saying that it will result in punishment.
Since ancient times, Shintoism and Buddhism have been deeply involved in social systems and welfare, so it may be that people’s lives and religion have become one in the same.
Now, here is today’s folklore. Buddha.
There are many different Buddhas, and today’s Buddha is Amitabha Nyorai. Let’s start with today’s story!
『Burnt Buddha lore』 SIMANE_Pref.
Once upon a time, in the village of Daito, there was a temple dedicated to “statue of Amida Buddha” named Saiho-ji(Temple) in the village of Iida.
The village chief had a large fortune and lived a very rich life, but he was also a sensible man who was not extravagant in this respect.
His wife, however, was vain and jealous, and this annoyed him on a daily basis.
The wife is particularly unhappy these days about her daughter “Omatsu”, who works for her.
Omatsu, who has been working for the headman for the past year or so, works hard without showing any signs of hardship, and is very religious for someone so young. Whenever she could find time from her busy schedule, she would visit the nearby Saikata-ji Temple to pray to Amida-statue.
This would lead to rumours in the neighbourhood that Omatsu was an admiring daughter who respected the Buddha.
The wife was even more displeased by this.
Envy and jealousy built up day by day and became uncontrollable.
One evening, when she found Omatsu on her way out, she questioned him in a harsh voice.
「Omatsu!! where are you going !?」
「Yes, I’m going to offer food to Amida-statue at Saiho-ji…」
「Don’t do it without asking me!!」
The wife finally snapped and hit Omatsu in the face with a pair of burning chopsticks that she had lying nearby.
The heat and pain were so intense that Omatsu covered his face and fled to his room as if to roll into it, and fainted…
That night, the village head had a strange dream.
A single Amida Buddha stood in a stark light and spoke to the chief in a solemn voice.
「Look at my left cheek.」
The chief looked up at the Buddha’s face and was astonished.
The Buddha’s left cheek was burned to a crisp and painfully infected.
「W…What is the meaning of this?」
The Buddha told the horrified chief.
「You don’t know this, but your wife put this wound on Omatsu’s cheek today…」
「…But Omatsu is a kind-hearted girl who has always valued hard work and faith. That is why I have taken on Omatsu’s pain.」
After saying this, Amida Buddha disappeared with a faint light.
When the village chief woke up, he was so anxious that he jumped out of bed, put on his jacket and immediately went to the Seiho Temple.
The village chief looked up at the Amida-statue with the light of a lamp on, and was astonished to the point of being unable to move his back.
As he had seen in his dream, there were fresh burn marks on the cheeks of the Buddha image.
「Aah! This is a terrible thing! Amida Buddha, please forgive my wife’s misbehaviour! 」
After apologising several times, he rushed home and knocked his wife awake.
「Hey! Wake up! What the hell did you do to Omatsu!?」
She was woken suddenly, but reluctantly answered, rubbing her eyes.
「That’s because… Omatsu would go to the shrine without permission…」
This must be a sign from the Buddha.
「How dare you! Don’t you feel sorry for Omatsu」
The village chief took his wife to check on Omatsu.
「Omatsu… Omatsu… are the burn marks still intact?」 The village chief asked softly.
However, it was the wife who noticed first that something was wrong with Omatsu, who was sleeping peacefully.
「What is this?」
The burn mark on her left cheek was nowhere to be seen.
She was sleeping peacefully, as if nothing had happened.
「What the hell is going on?」
The husband said to his wife, who was puzzled, while suppressing his rising feelings.
「The Buddha saved Omatsu…」
He then told her about the dream he had had tonight, and about the severe burn marks on the temple’s principal image, and told her all about it.
As she listened, she began to tremble. It wasn’t only that she had done something outrageous. She may have been made to realise how foolish she had been on a daily basis…
At that moment, Omatsu suddenly woke up and was surprised by his surroundings.
She put her hand to her cheek and was surprised once again to see that the wound had disappeared.
「I can’t remember what happened after that… Why am I here…?」
The chief once more told Omatsu what he had just said…
「The Buddha has seen your daily virtues.」
「Ah, Omatsu! Forgive me for being so foolish…」
Both the village chief and his wife hugged Omatsu and thanked Buddha for his deeds.
After that, the village chief and the reformed wife both loved Omatsu as if he were their own child. They also began to make offerings to the Buddha as sincerely as Omatsu.
——–
Well, now, although it’s only folklore, it’s a very good story.
It should have been a happy ending… but after this, something strange happens to Saikyouji and Amida-statue.
See next time…