Religion of the Samurai

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THE RELIGION OF THE SAMURAI

Kaiten Nukariya

Nukariya’s classic focuses on Northern (Mahayana)

Buddhism, and Zen Buddhism in particular. It includes a

wealth of detail as well as very lucid explanations of Zen

Buddhist concepts.

The book shows how the Mahayanistic views of life and the

world differs markedly from that of the Theravada, which

is generally taken as Buddhism by occidentals, to explain

how the religion of Buddha has adapted itself to its

environment in the Far East.



T H E R E L I G I O N O F T H E S A M U R A I · K a i t e n N u k a r i y a p . 2a T H E R E L I G I O N O F T H E S A M U R A I · K a i t e n N u k a r i y a p . 2b

THE RELIGION OF

THE SAMURAI

A STUDY OF ZEN PHILOSOPHY

AND DISCIPLINE IN

CHINA AND JAPAN

by

KAITEN NUKARIYA

Professor of Kei-O-Gi-Jiku University and of So-To-Shu

Buddhist College, Tokyo

1913

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

(1) The Southern and Northern Schools of Buddhism

(2) The Development and Differentiation of Buddhism

(3) The Object of this Book is the Explaining of the Mahayanistic View of Life and the World

(4) Zen holds a Unique Position among the Established Religionsof the World

(5) The Historical Antiquity of Zen

(6) The Denial of Scriptural Authority by Zen

(7) The Practisers of Zen hold the Buddha as their Predecessor, whose Spiritual Level they Aim to Attain

(8) The Iconoclastic Attitude of Zen

(9) Zen Activity

(10) The Physical and Mental Training

(11) The Historical Importance

CHAPTER I

HISTORY OF ZEN IN CHINA

1. The Origin of Zen in India

2. The Introduction of Zen into China by Bodhidharma

3. Bodhidharma and the Emperor Wu




4. Bodhidharma and his Successor, the Second Patriarch

5. Bodhidharma's Disciples and the Transmission of the Law

6. The Second and the Third Patriarchs

7. The Fourth Patriarch and the Emperor Tai Tsung

8. The Fifth and the Sixth Patriarchs

9. The Spiritual Attainment of the Sixth Patriarch

10. The Flight of the Sixth Patriarch

11. The Development of the Southern and the Northern School ofZen

12. The Missionary Activity of the Sixth Patriarch

13. The Disciples under the Sixth Patriarch

14. Three Important Elements of Zen

15. Decline of Zen

CHAPTER II

HISTORY OF ZEN IN JAPAN

1. The Establishment of the Rin Zai School of Zen in Japan

2. The Introduction of the So To School of Zen

3. The Characteristics of Do-gen, the Founder of the Japanese SoTo Sect

4. The Social State of Japan when Zen was Established by Ei-saiand Do-gen

5. The Resemblance of the Zen Monk to the Samurai

6. The Honest Poverty of the Zen Monk and the Samurai

7. The Manliness of the Zen Monk and the Samurai

8. The Courage and Composure of Mind of the Zen Monk and the

Samurai

9. Zen and the Regent Generals of the Ho-jo Period

10. Zen after the Downfall of the Ho-jo Regency

11. Zen in the Dark Age

12. Zen under the Toku-gawa Shogunate

13. Zen after the Restoration

CHAPTER III

THE UNIVERSE IS THE SCRIPTURE OF ZEN

1. Scripture is no More than Waste Paper

2. No Need of the Scriptural Authority for Zen

3. The Usual Explanation of the Canon

4. Sutras used by the Zen Masters

5. A Sutra Equal in Size to the Whole World 68

6. Great Men and Nature

7. The Absolute and Reality are but an Abstraction

8. The Sermon of the Inanimate

CHAPTER IV

BUDDHA, THE UNIVERSAL SPIRIT

1. The Ancient Buddhist Pantheon

2. Zen is Iconoclastic






1. Enlightenment is beyond Description and Analysis

2. Enlightenment Implies an Insight into the Nature of Self

3. The Irrationality of the Belief of Immortality

4. The Examination of the Notion of Self

5. Nature is the Mother of All Things

6. Real Self

7. The Awakening of the Innermost Wisdom

8. Zen is not Nihilistic

9. Zen and Idealism

10. Idealism is a Potent Medicine for Self -Created Mental Disease

11. Idealistic Scepticism concerning Objective Reality

12. Idealistic Scepticism concerning Religion and Morality

13. An Illusion concerning Appearance and Reality

14. Where does the Root of the Illusion Lie?

15. Thing-in-Itself means Thing-Knowerless

16. The Four Alternatives and the Five Categories

17. Personalism of B. P. Bowne

18. All the Worlds in Ten Directions are Buddha's Holy Land

CHAPTER VII

LIFE

1. Epicureanism and Life

2. The Errors of Philosophical Pessimists and Religious Optimists

3. The Law of Balance

4. Life Consists in Conflict

5. The Mystery of Life

6. Nature favours Nothing in Particular

7. The Law of Balance in Life

8. The Application of the Law of Causation to Morals

9. The Retribution in the Past, the Present, and the Future Life

10. The Eternal Life as taught by Professor M?nsterberg

11. Life in the Concrete

12. Difficulties are no Match for an Optimist

13. Do Thy Best and Leave the Rest to Providence

CHAPTER VIII

THE TRAINING OF THE MIND AND THE PRACTICE OFMEDITATION

1. The Method of Instruction adopted by Zen Masters

2. The First Step in the Mental Training

3. The Next Step in the Mental Training

4. The Third Step in the Mental Training

5. Zazen, or the Sitting in Meditation

6. The Breathing Exercise of the Yogi

7. Calmness of Mind




8. Zazen and the Forgetting of Self

9. Zen and Supernatural Power

10. True Dhyana

11. Let Go of Your Idle Thoughts

12. 'The Five Ranks of Merit'

13. 'The Ten Pictures of the Cowherd'

14. Zen and Nirvana

15. Nature and Her Lesson

16. The Beatitude of Zen

APPENDIX

ORIGIN OF MAN

PREFACE

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER I

REFUTATION OF DELUSIVE AND PREJUDICED (DOCTRINE)

CHAPTER II

REFUTATION OF INCOMPLETE AND SUPERFICIAL(DOCTRINE)

1. The Doctrine for Men and Devas

2. The Doctrine of the Hinayanists

3. The Mahayana Doctrine of Dharmalaksana

4. Mahayana Doctrine of the Nihilists

CHAPTER III

THE DIRECT EXPLANATION OF THE REAL ORIGIN

5. The Ekayana Doctrine that Teaches the Ultimate Reality

CHAPTER IV

RECONCILIATION OF THE TEMPORARY WITH THE REALDOCTRINE








































































- --THE RIN ZAI SCHOOL.

7. Nan Yoh (Nan-gaku).

- --10. Gi-ku.

- --11. Lin Tsi (Rin-zai).

- --21. Yuen Wu (En-go).

- --22. Fuh Hai (Bukkai).

- --28. Kaku-a.

- --THE O BAKU SCHOOL.

42. In-gen.

- --25. Hti Ngan (Kyo-an).

- --26. Ei-sai.

- --THE SO TO SCHOOL.

7. Tsing Yuen (Sei-gen).

- --8. Shih Teu (Seki-to).

- --11. Tung Shan (To-zan).

- --23. Ju Tsing (Nyo-jo).

- --24. Do-gen.

The O Baku School is the amalgamation of Zen and the worship of

Amitabha, and different from the other two schools. The statisticsfor 1911 give the following figures:

The Number of Temples:

The So To School 14,255 The Rin Zai School 6,128 The O Baku

School 546

The Number of Teachers:

The So To School 9,576 The Rin Zai School 4,523 The O Baku

School 349

It was also in this period that Zen gained a great influence on the

popular literature characterized by the shortest form of poetical

composition. This was done through the genius of Ba-

sho,[FN#105] a great literary man, recluse and traveller, who, as

his writings show us, made no small progress in the study of Zen.

Again, it was made use of by the teachers of popular[FN#106]

ethics, who did a great deal in the education of the lower classes.

In this way Zen and its peculiar taste gradually found its way into

the arts of peace, such as literature, fine art, tea-ceremony,

cookery, gardening, architecture, and at last it has permeatedthrough every fibre of Japanese life.

[FN#105] He (died 1694) learned Zen under a contemporary Zen

master (Buccho), and is said to have been enlightened before his

reformation of the popular literature.






































































































































































The seventh picture, called 'the Forgetting of the Cow and the

Remembering of the Man,' represents the cowherd looking at the

beautiful scenery surrounding his cottage.

"The cow goes out by day And comes by night. I care for her in no

way, But all is right."

The eighth picture, called 'the Forgetting of the Cow and of the

Man ' represents a large empty circle

2. The Finding of the Cow's Tracks.

2. The Rank of Service---3. The Finding of the Cow.

4. The Catching of the Cow.

3. The Rank of Merit---5. The Taming of the Cow.



Man, represents a large empty circle.

"There's no cowherd nor cow Within the pen; No moon of truth nor

clouds Of doubt in men."

The ninth picture, called 'the Returning to the Root and Source,'

represents a beautiful landscape full of lovely trees in full blossom.

"There is no dyer of hills, Yet they are green; So flowers smile, and

titter rills At their own wills."

The tenth picture, called 'the Going into the City with Open Hands,'represents a smiling monk, gourd in hand, talking with a man who

looks like a pedlar.

"The cares for body make That body pine; Let go of cares and

thoughts, O child of mine!"

These Ten Pictures of the Cowherd correspond in meaning to the

Five Ranks of Merit above stated, even if there is a slight

difference, as is shown in the following table:

THE FIVE RANKS.---THE TEN PICTURES.

1. The Rank of Turning---1. The Searching of the Cow.

6. The Going Home, Riding on the Cow.

4. The Rank of Co-operative Merit---9. The Returning to the Root

and Source.

10. The Going into the City with Open Hands.

5. The Rank of Merit-over-Merit---7. The Forgetting of the Cow

and the Remembering of the Man.

8. The Forgetting of the Cow and of the Man.

14. Zen and Nirvana.

The beatitude of Zen is Nirvana, not in the Hinayanistic sense of

the term, but in the sense peculiar to the faith. Nirvana literally

means extinction or annihilation; hence the extinction of life or the

annihilation of individuality. To Zen, however, it means the state

of extinction of pain and the annihilation of sin. Zen never looks

for the realization of its beatitude in a place like heaven, nor

believes in the realm of Reality transcendental of the phenomenal

universe, nor gives countenance to the superstition of Immortality,

nor does it hold the world is the best of all possible worlds, nor

conceives life simply as blessing. It is in this life, full of


















































seems to be the first idea in the awakening Alaya, but it is a mere

external object."

According to this view (of Dharmalaksana), things brought forth

through the transformations of Alaya and the other Vijnyanas are

divided into two parts; one part (remaining), united with Alaya andthe other Vijnyanas, becomes man, while the other, becoming

separated from them, becomes Heaven, Earth, mountains, rivers,

countries, and towns. (Thus) man is the outcome of the union of

the two; this is the reason why he alone of the Three Powers is

spiritual. This was taught by the Buddha[FN#407] himself when

THE END.



he stated that there existed two different kinds of the four

elements--the internal and the external.

[FN#407] Ratnakuta-sutra (?), translated into Chinese by

Jnyanagupta.

Alas! O ye half-educated scholars who adhere to imperfect

doctrines, each of which conflicts with another! Ye that seek after

truth, if ye would attain to Buddhahood, clearly understand which

is the subtler and which is the grosser (form of illusive ideas),

which is the originator and which is the originated. (Then) give ye

up the originated and return ye to the originator, and to reflect on

the Spirit, the Source (of all). When the grosser is exterminated

and the subtler removed, the wonderful wisdom of spirit is

disclosed, and nothing is beyond its understanding. This is called

the Dharma-sambhoga-kaya. It can of itself transform itself and

appear among men in numberless ways. This is called theNirmana-kaya of Buddha.[FN#408]

[FN#408] Every Buddha has three bodies: (1) Dharma-kaya, or

spiritual body; (2) Sambhoga-kaya, or the body of compensation;

(3) Nirmana-kaya, or the body capable of transformation.

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Religion of the Samurai