The Religion of the Samurai: A Study of Zen Philosophy and Discipline in China and JapanNukariya, Kaiten
Religion
The Religion of the Samurai: A Study of Zen Philosophy and Discipline in China and Japan
Nukariya, Kaiten
Buddhism -- China; Buddhism -- Japan; China -- Religion; Human beings -- Origin; Japan -- Religion; Zen Buddhism
[FN#334] Rupa-loka, the world of form, is the second of the Three
Worlds. It consists of eighteen heavens, which were divided into
four regions. The first Dhyana region comprised the first three of
the eighteen heavens, the second Dhyana region the next three, the
third Dhyana region the following three, and the fourth Dhyana region
the remaining nine.
Arupa-loka, the world of formlessness, is the third of the Three
Worlds. It consists of four heavens. The first is called 'the
heaven of unlimited space,' the second 'the heaven of unlimited
knowledge,' the third 'the heaven of absolute non-existence,' the
fourth 'the heaven of neither consciousness nor unconsciousness.'
A. 'None of heavens, or of hells, or of the worlds of spirits, is
mentioned in the title of this book, because these worlds are
entirely different from ours, and absolutely beyond the sight and
hearing. Ordinary people know not even the phenomena actually
occurring before them; how could they understand the unseen? So I
entitled it simply, "The Origin of Man " in agreement with the
worldly teachings. Now that I treat, however, of the Buddhist
doctrine, it is reasonable to enumerate these worlds in full.'
[FN#335] A. 'But there are three sorts of Karmas: (1) The bad, (2)
the good, (3) the immovable. There are the three periods for
retribution: (1) In this life, (2) in the next life, (3) in some
remote future life.'
Now let me raise some questions by way of objection. Granting that
one has to be born in the Five States of Existences[FN#336] by virtue
of Karma produced (in previous lives), is it not doubtful who is the
author of Karma, and who the recipient of its consequences? If it
might be said that the eyes, ears, hands, and feet produce Karma,
then the eyes, ears, hands, and feet of a newly-dead person are still
as they were. So why do they not see and hear and thus produce Karma?
[FN#336] The states of--(1) heavenly beings, (2) men, (3) beings in
hell, (4) hungry spirits, (5) beasts.
If it be said that it is the mind that produces Karma (I ask), what
is the mind? If you mean the heart, the heart is a material thing,
and is located within the body. How can it, by coming quickly into
the eyes and ears, distinguish the pleasing from the disgusting in
external objects? If there be no distinction between the pleasing
and the disgusting, why does it accept the one or reject the other?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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