Once upon a time an old man said to Baizhang Huaihai(749-814) who was one of the most famous Chinese Zen priest in Tang Dynasty (618-907) " I was asked by a monk student in Kasyapa's era(the sixth Buddha before Zaakya-muni) if a priest who had completed ascetic practice and enlightened would fall again under the law of causation(karma). I answered 'He does not.' As a result I have become a fox for 500 rebirths since then. Tell me the turning word(Zen word that can turn people from ambivalence to enlightenment)and let me release from the life as a fox." Baizhang told him "He who have completed ascetic practice and enlightened does not ignore causation." The old man heard these words and was immediately enlightened. After this Baizhang found a carcass of fox at a hill behind the temple and performed the ceremony of cremation.

After hearing this story, Baizhang's leading disciple Huangbo asked him "If the old man became an fox for 500 rebirths because of a wrong word, what would have happened to him if he had given a right word every time?" Baizhang said to him "Come here. I will tell you." Huangbo approached his master accordingly and slapped in his face abruptly. Baizhang applauded his disciple saying "I heard that the barbarian(Bodhidharma)'s beard was red. But I find a red bearded barbarian before me."(Wumenguan Chapter 2)

How many times do people make mistakes in a day? There are 365 days in a year and if a man has 50 years of life, there is a great amount of faults in his life. Still more, If we cannot cut off the chain of sin from our forefathers, we may not expect to live in heaven. These can be said not only to a person but also to a country.

Jesus also said in the Gospel of Matthew "And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. I tell you the truth, all this will come upon this generation."(Mat23:35-36)

Jesus was talking about Pharisees and the religious leaders then in the passage, but these bloody history was a fate that was shared by among all the Israel people that included Jesus himself. So Jesus decided to be crucified to show us that atonement must be done and there is no consolation without atonement.In

1985 West Germany President Richard von Weizsacker in his speech for the 40th Anniversary of the End of the world war 2 said, "However, anyone who closes his eyes to the past is blind to the present. Whoever refuses to remember the inhumanity is prone to new risks of infection." And he also said "Our young people are not responsible for what happened over 40 years ago. But they are responsible for the historical consequences."

People do good and bad things and experiences glory and defeat in his life. A country's history is similar. We have to study both sides and then we can build peace for us. If we think to make Yasukuni Shrine as a place to vow atonement and peace, spirits of A class and B class war criminals should be included in worshipped deity. If we can show that atonement and consolation are indivisible, it will be a gospel for all nations.(Eko-an Hensho-koji 2005/09/27)