Constantly harboring feelings of grief, coming to one's senses at last
Before the creation of the world,what are the Japanese, Chinese or Korean's original faces and patriotism?
Venerable HuiMing, who had chased down the sixth patriarch HuiNeng to take back the robe and begging bowl passed by the fifth patriarch Hongren as a symbol of the Dharma Seal of Enlightenment, catched up to him at the Dayuling Mountains and tried to lift the robe and the bowl on a rock but couldn't. Then he asked Huineng "I came for the Dharma, not for the robe. Please expound the Dharma for me." HuiNeng said, "Before your parents were born, at that very moment, what is Venerable Ming's original face(your intrinsic nature)?" Right then HuiMing came to enlightenment.
It seems to have struggles for name succession even in the Buddhism Society in this world. If it is so, it may be natural to have a quarrel over an inheritance among relatives and a row over borders with the neighboring countries. And if it can be said that the issue of Yasukuni shrine is to settle the past debt, arguments over the issues of dominium of Takeshima Island and Senkaku Islands are related to the economic interests for the present and the future. Therefore it is much more difficult to be settled. If we ask the sixth patriarch for a turning word(Zen word that can turn people from ambivalence to enlightenment), he may answer, "Before the creation of the world and Japan, China and Korea had not been born, at that very moment, what is Japanese, Chinese or Korean's original face and patriotism?"
Logic of sokuhi (logic of not: A is not a, therefore it is A)
In Diamond Sutra the Buddha preached to Subhuti, "All with marks is empty and false. If you can see all marks as no marks then you see the Tathagata." He said "Prajnaparamita (absolute wisdom) is not Prajnaparamita and therefore it is called Prajnaparamita." and also said "What Tathagata referred to as a world is not a world in itself, but is named as a 'world'." This is a so called "logic of sokuhi (logic of not: A is not a, therefore it is A)."
I think the Buddha might tell us the following logic. The things with certain forms in this world are changing rapidly and if we are caught by the shape of the thing before us, we miss to see the true nature. But if we get rid of fixed idea, the nature of things comes out for themselves.
We do not have to go back to before the creation of the world. Because all things in this world will pass away sooner or later. Japan, China and Korea are no exceptions. In fact both ourselves as subject and the world as object perish and resurrect, if not whole but at least partially every second.
Heaven and earth will pass away, but the word will never pass away
Jesus also told us,” Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."(Mat24:35-36) "Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left."(Mat24:40-41)I think he encouraged us by saying "No one knows when the end of the age is. It may happen today or tomorrow. But you do not need to worry if you have already found your original face."
John’s imprisonment
When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Capernaum and began to preach in the district of Galilee. At that time Jesus was seized with a sense of crisis as he said "From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffered violence, and the violent take it by force."(Mat11:12--King James Version) He might say to himself, “Heaven (God's throne) and earth (his footstool) are just passing away now. Since John has been put in prison, someone else should make straight paths for the Lord in stead of John." However I think he had not decided yet to be crucified at that moment.
But when John who was in prison sent his disciples and asked him, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" he might realize that he should be crucified as Messiah.
Messiah's way
After he had heard that John had been executed Jesus explained to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and be crucified. Peter rebuked him. "Never, Lord! He said. This shall never happen to you!" Jesus said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." (Mat16:21-24)
Jesus who had decided to go Messiah's way after witnessing John's death by violence, might convince that if he was crucified, his disciples also went Messiah's way. He also said, “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit."(John 12:24)
Ultimate salvation
We can see a parable in Lotus Sutra(Chapter 16: The Life-span of The Tathagata). The prodigal children came to their senses in the feelings of grief after hearing the news of their father's death during his trip. It says "Constantly harboring feelings of grief, at last come to one's senses". And this is one of the Buddha's teaching methods. But Jesus was not crucified just only to let his disciples and the people of Israel come to their senses. Jesus practiced his faith as ultimate salvation or consolation is attained through sacrifice of oneself.
Judas’ mission
According to "Gospel of Judas" which has been published on National Geographic News, Jesus charged Judas, one of the twelve Apostles the role to betray Messiah based on Old Testament's prophecies saying "you will exceed all of them. For you will sacrifice the man that clothes me.
"When Jesus preached in the region of Judea, a young man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?" Jesus replied, "Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself." "All these I have kept", the young man said. "What do I still lack?" Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor. Then come, follow me." I think "follow me" means "take up your cross and follow me." But the young man went away sad, because he had great wealth. (Mat19:16-22)
Paul overcomes Jesus' limitation
Paul in the letter to the people of Colosse said, "Practice is taking off your old self and putting on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all." (Col3:9-11)
Jesus preached for Israel and the people of Israel in all his life. Paul seemed to overcome his teacher's limitation. "Logic of sokuhi" is live here too.
When the people in Japan, China and Korea get the state of mind as "There is nothing from the Beginning", they may resolve the issues of dominium of Takeshima Island and Senkaku Islands.(Eko-an Hensho-koji 2006/04/30)
【Reference】
Diamond Sutra:Commentary on Chapter 5-"The 'Thus' Principle of Genuine Seeing"
"Subhuti, what do you think, can the Tathagata be seen by his physical marks?"
"No, World Honored One, the Tathagata cannot be seen by his physical marks. And why? It is because the physical marks are spoken of by the Tathagata as no physical marks."
The Buddha said to Subhuti, "All with marks is empty and false. If you can see all marks as no marks then you see the Tathagata."
Diamond Sutra:Commentary on Chapter 13- "Receiving and Holding 'Thus' Dharma"
Then Subhuti said to the Buddha, "World Honored One, what should the Sutra be named? How should we respect and hold it?"
The Buddha told Subhuti, "The name of the Sutra is Vajra Prajna Paramita. You should respect and hold it by that name. And why? Subhuti, Prajna Paramita is spoken of by the Buddha as no Prajna Paramita, therefore it is called Prajna Paramita. Subhuti, what do you think? Is there any dharma spoken by the Tathagata?"
Subhuti said to the Buddha. "World Honored One, nothing has been spoken by the Tathagata."
"Subhuti, what do you think? Are all the motes of dust in three thousand great thousand world systems many?"
Subhuti said, "Very many, World Honored One."
Subhuti, all motes of dust are spoken of by the Tathagata as no motes of dust, therefore they are called motes of dust. The world systems are spoken of by the Tathagata as no world systems, therefore they are called world systems. Subhuti, what do you think, can the Tathagata be seen by means of the thirty-two marks?"
"No, World Honored One, one cannot see the Tathagata by means of the thirty-two marks. And why? The thirty-two marks are spoken of by the Tathagata as no thirty-two marks, therefore they are called thirty two marks."
"Subhuti, a good man, or good woman, might give up his life as many times as there are grains of sand in the Ganges River; but if a person were to receive and hold even so few as four lines of verse of the Sutra and explain them for others, his blessing would be greater."
Lotus Sutra:Chapter 16 - The Life-span of The Tathagata
Thus he speaks these words to them, 'You surely know that I am now worn out with old age and the time of my death is already at hand. This fine medicine I now leave here. You may take it without fear that it will not make you better.'
Having given them these instructions, he departs again for a place some distance off and sends back a messenger to inform them, 'Your father is dead.'
When those sons now hear that their father has died, their minds are sorely disturbed with grief and thus they reflect, 'If our father were alive, he would take pity on us and be able to save and protect us but now he has forsaken us and died in some distant place. We have now lost our father and are orphaned, without anyone to rely on.'
Continually harboring feelings of grief they finally come to their senses and, recognizing that the color, aroma and flavor of the medicine is indeed fine, they forthwith take it and are cured of their poisonous illness.
The father, hearing that his sons are fully recovered, endeavors to return home so that they may all see him.
My good disciples, what do you think? Are there any of you who can bring yourself to say that this good physician has defiled the Precept against telling falsehoods?"
Colossians 3:9-11
Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.