宮崎亦保(Miyazaki Ekiho)

I have esteem for Miyazaki Ekiho(宮崎亦保), who is a resident priest of Eiheiji-temple. His sect is 曹洞宗, Soutou-sect. I bought DVDs about him broadcasted by NHK. I saw it many times and , in the days I endured the agony of life, I could fall in sleep thanks to the DVD. He said "Be unconcerned when you can.". As I recall, he is 106 years old now. Eiheiji is famous as a temple monks perform the flat-out ascetic practices.



I write his name just as Miyazaki Ekiho. It seems he is called 猊下(Geika), His Eminence, His Grace, His Excellency in English. Dalai Lama is also called as 猊下(Geika) in Japan. So, it seems in the sense that president of a sect, Miyazaki and Dalai Lama are on an equal footing. And his name is not "亦", but I can't find true Kanji in computer, so I use 亦. He is a representative monk in Japan.



To be honest, I think what Miyazaki preach is sometimes a bit strange or a bit too much to aimed at a mass audience but philosophy is not the most important attraction of Buddhism but human qualities is it. And what he say has attraction for me, for many people. I think NHK should make English edition of the DVDs. Oh, I have cited his messages for my thesis.



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I show you some example from his speech.



We do Zen sitting meditation to get over hunger for fame, ostentation, selfish thought and selfish behavior. Zazen(Zen sitting meditation) makes you to be in good psychological shape and makes you to become honest and to be able to face your true yourself by making you to have a good posture.



You can do Zazen wherever you are in your life. Zen's ascetic training means to concentrate on which you have to do eagerly everyday and every moment justifiably.



By earthly thought that you want something and that you seek something, you have a distrust, nurse a grievance, have grievance against something. People should get enlightenment to live in a state of mind of unconcerned when people approach death and also when people live.



Human start with imitating. Imitating is studying. To imitate for a day is imitation in a day. To imitate for two days is imitation in two days. To imitate through whole of the life become "real one". It is important that you practice it neck or nothing.



Recent leaders of Japan and other countries often are all mouth. Therefore they add to the mistrust of them. This sect, Soutou sect doesn't preach precepts with a big mouth but we preach to practice "fair truth" in silence.



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Once, I wonder how were Zen monks distinguished whether he got enlightenment or not. Then president of Komazawa university answered me through my friend, he can distinguish whether one got enlightenment or not when he look at the one's face. I suppose main reason of it is that they emphasize humanity. Komazawa university was founded by Soutou-sect. It is not my university.



I have several friends who are a monk of soutou-sect. One of them, precisely she is not a monk but wife of monk, said when she met Miyazaki, she thought he is a great great monk. I thought all in all affinity of religion is human qualities. In other words, Buddhist thoughts were not preached by philosopher but humanity, I think.



Philosophy I said. But Zen monks say Zen is not philosophy. If I can say "Zen's philosophy", the philosophy is not their dogma. It is just back born of their thoughts.



Religions must educate their propagandists. I know several propagandists of Mormonism that they had named derogatory term to each Japanese people. They were teenager from Arizona though, bad behavior undermine confidence in other people, undermine confidence in the religion. As I said about Hakodate's christian faith, person of character obtain the trust.



In Japan, there are many Buddhist monks who are not person of integrity. I think this situation has relation with advancement of Buddhism. As for high priests, they study buddhism but common monks whom common people meet with on rituals don't. I think some of them do though. When a monk asked about Buddhism, when he can't answer, he would be regarded as a bad monk, at least a not good monk. It is involving with trust toward Buddhism.



In fact, I have far much knowledge than common buddhist monks. So, I often wonder why they don't have much knowledge about his sect and Buddhism. At least, I know much about buddhism more than many of them know. They are familiar with how to hold ceremonials though. And many of them don't have passion for proselytization.



And many Japanese small temples introduced hereditary system. It is said it is one of reason that Buddhism don't bloom in nowadays Japan. I think it is sure the system constitute a limiting factor of people who are true monk. But I also can say, the system protects buddhism from radical reduction of Buddhism.



Well, ultimately, Buddha was also a human. Even if Buddha talk about truth, if Buddha was bad man, no body trusted their life to him. I think that to promulgate one's faith means to promulgate one's humanity. At least as far as I think of it.



I took the photo at Nakain temple of Tendai-sect. On the right board, we can read "When you want to see Buddha single-mindedly, you never value your life naturally.". The "life" means secular life.