Prince Shotoku and Article seventeen of the Constitution /聖徳太子と十七条の憲法 No.4

日本語は英語の下にあります。
It’s said that Japanese people are unique because they believe in both Shintoism and Buddhism.
Have they been like that from the beginning?
Actually, they have not.
There were some religious wars.
And then, Prince Shotoku was the one who stopped it since Buddhism came to Japan in 538 or 552(there are two opinions.)

Paekche’s King, Seong Wang, gave Buddhist sutras and a statue of Buddha to the 29th Emperor Kinmei.
According to the Chronicles of Japan, the Emperor, the ritual leader of Shinto, asked to his officials that he had never heard of such precious teachings and seen such a beautiful statue.
And he asked them what Japanese people should do?

Mononobe Clan, who was against Buddhism, said “we must not worship foreign gods. We should flourish our country with the emperor at its center by worshiping nature as the past Emperors did.
It’s because the emperor is the descendant of the couple deities Izanaki and Izanami who made the land of Japan.”
On the other hand, Soga Clan supported Buddhism.
The battles over Buddhism started between mainly these two clans.

When the 30th Emperor Bitasu permitted Soga Umako to worship the statue of Buddha and he built a Buddhist temple for it, an epidemic spread.
In the end, the Emperor Bitastu and following Emperor Yomei passed away due to the epidemic.
Mononobe Moriya appealed that worshipping Buddhism caused the epidemic.
As a result, they destroyed the temple and threw the statue into a river.

Soga Umako was Prince Shotoku’s great uncle, so Prince Shotoku grew up believing in Buddhism.

Finally, they started the battles in 587 when Prince Shotoku was 13 years old.
Mononobe Moriya was so strong because he was in charge of the police and military.
They won the first battle easily.

Prince Shotoku dropped by at a mountain to pray for his victory of the revenge.
It was said that Bishamon Buddha disguised himself as an elderly man with white hair and gave Prince Shotoku special method to win the battle.
Thanks to its protection, Prince Shotoku won decisively.
He carved the statues of Bishamon Buddha and made temples, Shitenno temple in Osaka and Chogosonshi temple in Mt. Shigi, to worship them.

Although it’s a natural thing for Japanese people, Prince Shotoku built the temples to console all the souls of the war dead including Mononobe Moriya(see the photo below).

It was declared that Japan officially worshiped Buddhism by enacting a law to treasure Buddha, Dharma and Buddhist monks.
In addition, another law to respect Shinto deities enacted in 607.
Japanese principle was clearly declared that Japan would flourish by considering Shinto deities as a trunk, while Buddhas as branches.

Like this, Japan found a way to coexist both new foreign culture and Japanese traditional culture.

In fact, Shinto could not conduct the matters related to the afterworld, so Buddhism could address it and take that role.
In short, Shinto is in charge of happy occasions like weddings, while Buddhism is for funerals and Buddhist memorial services.
That is to say, Shinto is nature worship, while Buddhism is ancestor worship.

Here are the articles 9 to 11 from Article seventeen of the Constitution (translated from Nihon-Shoki, Chronicles of Japan).

Article 9
Integrity is a fundamental part of love with justice.
Integrity should exist in all the tasks.
Integrity decides what is good, bad, success, and failure.
There is no way things can’t be done when the officials have integrity with each other.
Ten thousands of things would fail when the officials don’t have integrity.

The original one from Nihon-Shoki, Chronicles of Japan;
九曰、信是義本。毎事有信。其善悪成敗、要在于信。群臣共信、何事不成。群臣无信、萬事悉敗。

Article 10
Stop getting mad and give up showing your anger through your face.
Don’t lose your temper just because others are different from you.
Everyone has different minds. And every mind has different beliefs.
Others think something is right, however, I think this is wrong.
On the other hand, what I think is right, but may be wrong for others.
I can not consider myself as the enlightened and others as foolish.
Both are only people who don’t understand the teachings of Buddha.
No one is able to decide the principles of what is right or wrong.
We are both the enlightened and the foolish like a ring without an end.
So, when others get angry at me, I should reflect on myself and be afraid of making mistakes.
Even when I understand the teachings of Buddha, I should respect others and act in the same way that others do.

The original one from Nihon-Shoki, Chronicles of Japan;
十曰、絶忿棄瞋、不怒人違。人皆有心。心各有執。彼是則我非。我是則彼非。我必非聖。彼必非愚。共是凡夫耳。是非之理、詎能可定。相共賢愚、如鐶无端。是以、彼人雖瞋、還恐我失。我獨雖得、從衆同擧。

Article 11
Accomplishments and delinquencies should be clearly distinguished. And rewards and punishments should be given correctly.
Most of the time, rewards are not given to those who accomplish something, and punishments are not given to those who commit crimes.
The officials who give rewards and punishments must judge them fairly.

The original one from Nihon-Shoki, Chronicles of Japan;
十一曰、明察功過、賞罰必當。日者賞不在功。罰不在罪。執事群卿、宜明賞罰。

To be continued…
Go to Article seventeen of the Constitution

Go back to no.3.

【Translation for language learners of either English or Japanese】/英語・日本語学習者向け翻訳えいご　・　　にほんごがくしゅうしゃむ　　ほんやく

日本人は、仏教も神道も信じている不思議な国民だといわれています。

最初からそうだったのでしょうか。
そうではありません。
日本にも宗教戦争がありました。
そして聖徳太子が、仏教伝来(538年/552年)より続いていた宗教戦争に終止符を打ったといわれています。

29代欽明天皇の御代に、仏教が百済の聖明王から伝えられました。日本書紀によると、神道の祭祀王であられる天皇自ら、「これほどありがたい教えは聞いたこともなく、美しい仏様は見たことがない。どうしたものか」と仰されたという。

反対派の物部氏は、「むやみやたらと外国の神を拝むことなく、歴代の天皇がそうであられたように、自然に宿る神々に感謝し、この国を作られた伊邪那岐神と伊邪那美神の末裔であられる天皇を中心とした国家として繁栄してゆこう」と主張し、仏教を崇拝する蘇我氏との戦いが始まりました。

30代敏達天皇の許可を得て仏像を崇拝し始めると、疫病が流行し、敏達天皇そして31代用明天皇までも病死してしまいます。
物部守屋は、仏教を崇拝したためだと訴え、寺を壊し仏像を川に破棄してしまいます。
蘇我馬子は、聖徳太子の大伯父であったため、聖徳太子は、幼少の頃より仏教が身近にありました。

587年（聖徳太子13歳）ついに両者は武力衝突しました。
警察・軍事を担当していた物部守屋は強かったのです。
初戦に敗れ、再起をかけての戦いへ向かう途中、聖徳太子が山で、戦勝祈願を行うと、毘沙門天王が白髪の老人の姿で現れて、必勝の秘法を授けたといわれています。
そのご加護のため聖徳太子側は圧勝しました。
そのお礼に、自ら仏像を彫刻し伽藍を作りました。
それが今に続く、大阪の四天王寺や信貴山の朝護孫子寺です。

日本人にとっては、当たり前のことですが、聖徳太子は、物部守屋を含む戦いでなくなった方全ての霊を弔うために四天王寺にお堂を建てました（上記写真参照）。

594年に三宝（仏・法・僧）を敬うべしという詔が出され、仏教を国として崇拝することが決まりました。
更に、607年には、敬神の詔が出され、「神々を幹として、仏教を枝として日本を豊かな国にしてゆこう」と日本の方針が明確にされました。

このように、日本は良い外国文化を取り入れて、日本の伝統文化を守りつつ、共存させるという手法を生み出しました。

実際、神道は死後の世界の取扱いが苦手だったため、仏教が死後の世界を担当するという住み分けが行われました。
つまり、結婚式などお祝い事は、神道式で、葬式や供養は仏教式となりました。
自然崇拝の神道と先祖崇拝の仏教とも言えます。

それでは最後に、憲法十七条から第９条から第 11 条までをみておきましょう。

　九に曰はく、信は是れ義の本なり。事毎ごとに信有れ。若し善悪成敗、要は信に在り。君臣共に信あるときは何事か成らざらむ。君臣信无なくは、萬の事悉ことごとくに敗れむ

　十に曰はく、忿いかりを絶たち瞋いかりを棄て、人の違ふことを怒らざれ。人皆心有り。心各執ること有り。彼是ぜなれば吾は非なり、我是なれば則ち彼非なり。我必ずしも聖に非ず。彼必ずしも愚に非ず。共に是れ凡夫ぼんぶのみ。是非の理、誰か能よく定む可べき。相共に賢愚、鐶みみがねの端无なきが如し。是を以て彼の人は瞋いかると雖も、還かへつて我が失あやまちを恐る。我独り得たりと雖も、衆に従ひて同く挙おこなへ。