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
His successor, Toki-mune (1264-1283), a bold statesman and soldier,
was no less of a devoted believer in Zen. Twice he beheaded the
envoys sent by the great Chinese conqueror, Kublai, who demanded
Japan should either surrender or be trodden under his foot. And when
the alarming news of the Chinese Armada's approaching the land
reached him, be is said to have called on his tutor, Tsu Yuen, to
receive the last instruction. "Now, reverend sir," said. he, "an
imminent peril threatens the land." "How art thou going to encounter
it?" asked the master. Then Toki-mune burst into a thundering Ka
with all his might to show his undaunted spirit in encountering the
approaching enemy. "O, the lion's roar!" said Tsu Yuen.
"Thou art a genuine lion. Go, and never turn back." Thus encouraged
by the teacher, the Regent General sent out the defending army, and
successfully rescued the state from the mouth of destruction, gaining
a splendid victory over the invaders, almost all of whom perished in
the western seas.
10. Zen after the Downfall of the Ho-Jo Regency.
Towards the end of the Ho-Jo period,[FN#90] and after the downfall of
the Regency in 1333, sanguinary battles were fought between the
Imperialists and the rebels. The former, brave and faithful as they
were, being outnumbered by the latter, perished in the field one
after another for the sake of the ill-starred Emperor Go-dai-go
(1319-1338), whose eventful life ended in anxiety and despair.
[FN#90] Although Zen was first favoured by the Ho-jo Regency and
chiefly prospered at Kama-kura, yet it rapidly began to exercise its
influence on nobles and Emperors at Kyo-to. This is mainly due to
the activity of En-ni, known as Sho-Ichi-Koku-Shi (1202-1280), who
first earned Zen under Gyo-yu, a disciple of Ei-sai, and afterwards
went to China, where he was Enlightened under the instruction of Wu
Chun, of the monastery of King Shan. After his return, Michi-iye
(Fuji-wara), a powerful nobleman, erected for him To-fuku-ji in 1243,
and he became the founder of a sub-sect of the Rin Zai, named after
that monastery. The Emperor Go-saga (1243-1246), an admirer of his,
received the Moral Precepts from him. One of his disciples, To-zan,
became the spiritual adviser of the Emperor Fushi-mi (1288-1298), and
another disciple, Mu kwan, was created the abbot of the monastery of
Nan-zen-ji by the Emperor Kame-yama (1260-1274), as the founder of a
sub-sect of the Rin Zai under the same name.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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