Temple: Mibu-dera

## Introduction

壬生寺: Mibu-dera is famous for traditional 壬生狂言:The Mibu-dera Kyogen Pantomimes. They are usually performed in the spring (April 21-29) and in the autumn (the three-day weekend around Sport and Health Day in October).

##### **壬生寺: Mibu-dera temple**

http://www.mibudera.com/eng/index.html

> *According to tradition Mibu-dera Temple was established by the order of Emperor SHOMU (r. 724-749) for the Chinese monk known in Japan as GANJIN (JIANZHEN in Chinese; 688-763). Monk GANJIN introduced the Ritsu Sect of Buddhism from China to Japan. He is most famous for persisting in his attempts to reach Japan, despite many disastrous failures by ship, finally making it when he was already 66 years old and blind. The most famous temple of the Ritsu Sect is Toshodaiji in Nara, founded by GANJIN.*
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##### **壬生狂言:The Mibu-dera Kyogen Pantomimes**

http://www.mibudera.com/eng/pages/plays.html

##### **狂言: Kyogen**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyōgen

Today, Mibu-dera is popular among the young generation because it was a temporary station and training center of 新選組: Shinsen-gumi, "New Selected Group" in the last days of the Tokugawa shogunate. They are often appear in popular culture such as historical novels, movies, TV dramas, Manga, Anime and games.

##### **新選組: Shinsengum (New Selected Group)**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinsengumi

## History

Mibu-dera is a few 律宗:Ritsu school temple, established by the order of 聖武天皇:Emperor Shomu for the Chinese monk 鑑真: Jianzhen.

### **What is 律宗:Ritsu school?**

##### **律宗: Risshū (Buddhism)**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Risshū(Buddhism)

##### **聖武天皇: Emperor Shomu**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor Shōmu

> *the 45th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Shōmu's reign spanned the years 724 through 749.*
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##### **鑑真: Jianzhen (Ganjin)**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jianzhen

> *a Chinese monk who helped to propagate Buddhism in Japan. In the eleven years from 743 to 754, Jianzhen attempted to visit Japan some six times. Ganjin finally came to Japan in the year 754 and founded Tōshōdai-ji in Nara. When he finally succeeded on his sixth attempt he had lost his eyesight as a result of his hardship.*
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##### **唐招提寺: Toshodai-ji**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tōshōdai-ji

Jianzhen was a Ritsu school founder during Nara Period in Japan. He is said to have conducted Buddhist initiation (handed down the precepts) to more than 40,000 people. He not only propagated the Buddhist faith among the aristocracy, but also served as an important conductor of Chinese culture.

Ritsu school was one of the six schools of the South Capital Nara in Japan. They were generally academic Buddhist sects. Nara Buddhist monks usually studied and practiced some of them concurrently.

##### **南都六宗: Nanto Rokushu (The Six Schools of the South Capital Nara)**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanto Rokushū

> *These schools came to Japan from Korea and China during the late 6th and early 7th centuries. All of these schools were controlled by the newly formed Japanese government of Nara. These schools were installed to mimic and expand upon already existing mainland Asian Buddhist thought.*
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##### **平城京: Heijo-kyo (Nara no Miyako, the South Capital)**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heijō-kyō

> あをによし寧楽の京師は咲く花の薫ふがごとく今盛りなり
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律[Ritsu]:Vinaya is a discipline of Buddhist monks community. Buddhists of Ritsu school focus studies and practices of Vinaya.

##### **律: Vinaya**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinaya

> *The Vinaya (Pali and Sanskrit, literally meaning "leading out", "education", "discipline") is the regulatory framework for the sangha or monastic community of Buddhism based on the canonical texts called the Vinaya Pitaka. The teachings of the Gautama Buddha can be divided into two broad categories: Dharma "doctrine" and Vinaya "discipline".*
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Vinaya is not commandment like Ten Commandments that God gave to the Israelites through Moses. It is regulation of monk's community like traffic regulations during the festival or a rule book of sports, such as;

> *When I play soccer, certain rules define my activities, tell me what I can and cannot do, and evaluate my success (the rule book is my authority for how to proceed) - Ian Johnston*
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I'd like to introduce some of them here, but... what I know is not so academic...but too physical... Generally speaking, they are rules among the players on the same field. What is foul play? What is a yellow card? What is a red card?

Vinaya is like FAQ in the SNS community.

### **Early Nara Buddhism in Japan**

At the beginning of Buddhism in Japan, they didn't know Vinaya well and the monks didn't have formal Buddhist initiation by the other senior monks. Then, many mimic monks like an unlicensed taxi appeared because of tax-free.

The court and the official temples concerned about that and tried to invite the formal Buddhist monks from Tang dynasty China to commit official Buddhist initiation to them.

Generally, Japanese emperors and the courts were Buddhists, and they tried to keep the country by Buddhism in those days. Emperor Shomu and the court in Nara period built a lot of official temples all over the land to protect the country.

They also built the official head temple of all the provincial temples, 東大寺:Todai-ji and the Great Buddha image in the South Capital Nara. It was the world's largest bronze statue of the Vairocana Buddha .

They asked help from the great private Buddhist community led by 行基:Gyoki. He was a monk and civil engineer supported by the people widely and strongly. His activity was so wide that he was believed as the founder of 行基図: mapping in Japan.

##### **行基: Gyoki**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyōki

It meant I18N (InternationalizatioN) and localization of Japan at old times, as if the triangle of industry-government-university try to develop internet platform today.

Although the big community of Gyoki helped the public enterprise, they developed and ran this Buddhist public services by heavy tax, and it made them hard to keep their Capital in Nara.

Generally, old native Shinto deity's system was cost-less. Some straw ropes were enough to divide deity's area from our area. Something natural such as a stone, a tree, a spring, a cave marked by the ropes were deity's and their messenger's area. Their messengers were usually birds and animals, sometimes insects.

A stone turns into THE STONE by simple marking. An anonymous stone turns into the famous noted stone worth to keep out.

But, that local simple system didn't appeal to the international gorgeous system... Not gorgeous at all...

Later, that official Buddhist initiation and limit of number caused hunting for concessions and some troubles among the court and each schools. Emperors and the courts turned into a Buddhist monk one after another when they retired and their palace or villa turned into a temple.

The wealth, fame and power were stored in the official temples during the next Heian period. They often fought each other, and the professional Samurai warrior class grew up through the fighting.

Generally, tax or tax-free is likely to be a cause of trouble.

### **Early Buddhist schools in India**

Anyway, official Buddhist initiation system in Japan was established with 四分律:Vinaya in Four Parts, which explains about regulations and prohibited matters of the monks, used by 法蔵部:Dharmaguptaka (preserver of doctrine) of the Early Buddhist schools in India.

##### **律蔵: Vinaya Pitaka (Basket of Discipline)**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinaya\_Pitaka

##### **Early Buddhist schools**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early\_Buddhist\_schools

Buddhist monks of Ritsu school studied and practiced Vinaya in Four Parts came from Sthavira nikāya(Sect of the Elders) for elites who left from worldly affairs and lived in the Buddhist monks community in India.

Sect of the Elders was one of the early Buddhist schools.

They left their great works to posterity, such as disciplines of Vinaya which was orally passed down from the Gautama Buddha to his disciples, collection of Sutra (thread) about what he told to his friends and disciples, doctrinal treatises of Abhidharma (meta-teaching) the later followers thought and analyzed to be arhat (perfected person) like him.

The term "Arhat" sometimes indicates disciples or listeners of historical Gautama Buddha.

##### **Sutra (records of talks with Gautama Buddha)**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutra

These are like threads of SNS forums. Gautama Buddha was a great moderator. Later, they were created one after another like blog by the passionate followers who worshiped and adored him as an eternal Buddha.

##### **Abhidharma (meta-teaching)**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abhidharma

These are like Wiki homepages of metaphysical theories about the above stories.

Their works were called Tripitaka (Three Baskets) of Vinaya Pitaka, Sutta Pitaka and Abhidhamma Pitaka.

### **Mahayana (Major vehicle)**

As time went by, Sect of the Elders, notably Sarvastivada (the theory of all exists), were criticized by the latest followers of developed Buddhism for lay people. The latest followers named their Buddhism "Mahayana (Major vehicle)" and called the early Buddhist schools "Hīnayāna (Minar vehicle)".

Today, term of "Nikaya" Buddhism is sometimes used to refer to early Buddhist schools.

##### **Sarvastivada (the Theory of All Exists)**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarvastivada

Their idea is like a model of computation such as Turing machine.

- An infinite tape divided into discrete cells.

> = 三世実有/法体恒有:a permanent dharma always exists, in the past, in the future, and at present.
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- A head to read/write a cell at a time.

> = 諸行無常: sabbe saṅkhārā aniccā (every appearances are instant)
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- A register in the machine.

> = 業: karman (cause and effect of action)
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Mahayana Buddhists had brushed up their doctrine of Śūnyatā (emptiness and voidness) while they referred to Sarvastivada (the Theory of All Exists). Some of them, such as Vijñapti-mātra Yogācāra (Consciousness-Only Yoga Practice School), took in some concepts of the Theory of All Exists into their doctrine.

##### **Yogachara (Consciousness-Only Yoga Practice School)**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yogachara

- A formal infinite tape divided into discrete cells.

> = 諸法空相: every dharmas are imaginary
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- A formal head to read/write a cell at a time.

> = 唯識:vijñapti-mātra (cognition-only, consciousness-only)
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- A formal register in the machine.

> = 阿頼耶識:ālaya-vijñāna (basis-consciousness)
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- Actually nothing when shut-down.

> = 空:null at 瑜伽行:Yoga Practice
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A infinite tape is generally a closed loop 輪廻: the never-ending cycle of reincarnation of suffering in Buddhism or Hinduism. Originally, the early Buddhists focused suffering of life, such as birth, aging, illness and death.

Buddhists want to open to be free from their closed cycle of suffering.

One of the way is Nirvana (blown out, emancipation).

> const unsigned int NIRVANA = 0;
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> unsigned int karman = 108;
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> While(karman != NIRVANA){
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> karman = suffering(dharma(karman));
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> }
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"dharma()" is common library. "suffering()" is our original function.
One of the acrobatic way is to turn suffering over enjoying.

> const int NIRVANA = 0;
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> int karman = 48;
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> While(karman != NIRVANA){
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> karman = enjoying(dharma(karman));
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> }
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That's 即身成仏:attainment of Buddha-hood during life with body at home. But, "karman" sometimes (or often? always??) takes negative quantity...

Sometimes, karman means his children in Japan.

Generally, Japanese Buddhists were likely to select the latter interpreter. Maybe, most of the Japanese were optimistic and pleasure-loving in their rich natural environment with fresh pure water I suppose... They liked drinking and making children...

Recently, I hear not so... I hear that young generations don't like drinking nor making children, so they are called Nirvana course by the old in surprise... It's impossible for the drunks...

### **Who was Gautama Buddha?**

One day, a man left home. He left his wife and their baby at home. He left his mother and father at home. He left his family work at home. He left his everything at home.

##### **Gautama Buddha**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gautama\_Buddha

First of all, the prince Gautama left his rich pleasure as a member of royal family in the palace. He left all in the palace and started to practice hard Tapas asceticism (self-mortification) in the wild field.

After the rich pleasure and wild suffering, he realized the Middle Way when he had a rest under the trees. He was free from restless. He was at ease with stillness in a while. And then, he just walked like a unicorn in the forest.

Sutras usually start with "I listened like this;" because some arhats gathered to record their memory of living voice of Gautama Buddha after he died.

> I listened like this from him. Did you? I also listened like so. You too? Me too! I listened in this manner! I listened in this way!
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Gautama met a lot of people while he walked. He told his flexible voice to his friends ad-lib to ease and relax them when they had some problem or trouble in their life.

> No problem. That's OK because... Indeed! Thank you!
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> Don't mind. That's all right because... Really! Thank you!
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> Take easy. How about thinking like this...? Oh! I can see the light! Thank you!
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> We want to listen to your comfortable voice more and more!!!
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They worshiped and adored Gautama Buddha even after he died.

Some of them tried to note his poems as if he would still stay with them.

Some of them tried to keep his disciplines as if he would still walk with them.

Some of them tried to know his doctrines as if he would still discuss with them.

Some of them tried to make his symbolic towers as if they sound his voice far and wide like a radio tower.

They missed and longed for his voice. His voice was so poetic and symbolic that they have huge various interpretations, explanations, romantic stories and fantastic images.

Maybe, his voice is still easy and simple, when we are free from restless, though I usually love my restless.

Vinaya they noted still sounds his living voice, as a man.

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