真言律宗　蓮華院誕生寺

2012年11月15日大日乃光第２０２６号-1
『未来のために良き縁を創る　奥之院開創三十五年大祭』

「未来のために良き縁を創る　奥之院開創三十五年大祭」
Weaving Human Threads for the Future – The Thirty-fifth Annual Autumn Festival of Renge-in Okuno-in
 
奥之院の完成には五十年かかる？
Half a century of work needed for the True Completion of the Okuno-in?
 
秋も深まり、奥之院大祭が行われました。奥之院そのものが誕生 して三十五年目に入ります。人生に喩えれば、ようやく責任ある役割りを果たす 年代に入ったと言えるでしょう。
 
As autumn matured the Temple here celebrated the Annual Autumn Festival. With this we shall usher in the 35^th year of the existence of the Okuno-in. If the compounds were to be a person he or she shall be assuming the age of someone who needs to conduct his/her affairs in a responsible manner.
 
思えば三十四年前の開創大法要の直後、地元新聞記者のインタビューを受けたこ とがありました。その頃はまだ造園工事も一期工事が終わったばかりで、方々に 剥き出しの山肌が見える荒涼とした景観でしたから、その記者から、「あと何年くらいで完成しますか？」と尋ねられました。私は咄嗟に、「五十年程はかかるでしょう！」と答えると、その記者はびっくりしておられました。この意味は、外観は十年間 で整うが、内面的なことは五十年ぐらいは掛かるだろうと思って、そのように答 えたのでした。
 
Looking back some 34 years when we marked the ground breaking of the premises a local newspaper reporter interviewed me. We had only barely finished the first stage of the monastic grounds, where the barren mountain slopes bore scars of the uprooting, the journalist had to ask me this question; “How many years do you expect this to take before completion?” My instant response was “Probably over half a century!” The poor journalist was left with no words to utter. In truth, what I meant by the remark is this; as for the physical appearance it will be ready in a decade; however, as for the intrinsic aspects, this will easily tae half a century.
  
粛々と進んだ奥之院の伽藍整備
The Steadfast and Tranquil Evolution of the Monastery – the Sangharama at Okuno-in
 
昭和五十年頃までに奥之院の内境内（十三ヘクタール）の造成がほぼ終わり、五十二年十一月までには心経門、極楽橋（柴燈大護摩道場への石橋）、寺務所、庫 裡、信徒会館、そして鐘楼堂と仁王門が完成していました。ここまでは開山上人 様の時代の仕事でした。
 
By mid 1970s the thirteen-hector internal compounds of the Okuno-in was nearing its completion. By November 1977 the key markers of the temple, namely; Shingyo Gate, Gouraku (Paradise) Bridge which is a stone bridge that leads to the Saitoh Ohgoma-dojo stone garden, the general administration office, the dormitories and living compounds for the members of the temple, the Hall of Congregation for the worshipers, the Bell Tower and the Ni-oh Gate were completed in full. These were the works of the Great Founder of the monastery.
 
それから一年間で五重塔様式の本堂、五重御堂と石畳の参道（総延長二百十七 メートル）、桜ヶ池男池と登龍の瀧、仁王門両袖の水路と松林の結界、千人塚 （建立発起人の記念碑群）が完成しました。そして開山堂が完成しました。開山
上人様の御入定の時、この開山堂は工事中でした。
 
Only in a matter of a year it was, when the following were completed; the Main Hall of Worship in the form of a Goju-no-toh (five layered tower), the 217 meters long pebble stone passage, Sakuragaike Oike (male/dry pond of couplet ponds, with the other being a female hydrated pond), Tohryu-no-taki (Rising Dragon Fall), the Twin Creeks besides the Ni-oh-mon as well as the Siimaabandha that marks the boundary between the secular and sacred worlds, Sen-nin-zuka (commemorative alters laid for the Founder of the temple) and the Hall that marks the foundation of the temple, Kaizan-doh. At the time of Passing of the Founder the Kaizan-doh was still under construction.
 
五十三年の落慶法要の後、厄皿堂、信徒宿舎二棟と客殿、皇円大菩薩様の大佛様 (像高八メートル）、護摩堂（五間四面）が完成しました。ここまでが中興二 世、真如大僧正様のお仕事でした。
 
We marked the completion of the grounds with religious rituals and this was in 1978. Thereafter, the Yaku-zara-doh, two blocks of dormitories for the worshippers, the Reception Hall, the Buddha statue of the Great Bodhisattva Ko-en standing tall at 8 meters high and the Goma-doh (30 ft. x 12ft.) were completed. These were the works of the greatly revered Priest Shin-nyo, who is known to us as Chuko Nisei or the second restorer of the monastery.
     
その後、私の代になってから、求聞持堂、阿如来堂、弥勒菩薩堂、相撲道場の再建（台風によって倒壊したのを再建）、大佛様裏の大日如来堂（これは仮堂） などの建物が建立されました。
 
Following his footsteps it was then my turn to assume the construction of the following buildings;Gumonji-doh, Amida-Nyorai-doh that houses Amitābha the Buddha of Infinite Light, Miroku-Bosatsu-doh which stands dedicated to bodhisattva Maitreya, the Sumo Dojo (a wrestling drill hut which was restored following a typhoon that tore the original structure apart), Dainichi-Nyorai-doh housing the primordial buddha Vairocana which now stands behind the Great Buddha Statue (albeit a temporary building), amongst many.
   
それ以外に五十二年六月には松口月城翁の漢詩碑、後藤是山翁、西岡楚峰翁の句碑、坂村真民第百三十九番の詩碑、そして今年の三基を加えると総計七十基にな る子供の詩碑などの石碑が境内に点在しています。
 
Besides these undertakings, a stone relic dedicated to Master Getsujoh Matsuguchi of Kanshi (Chinese style poetry derived from the art of Han Dynasty) that was erected in June 1977; the works of Master Zezan Gotoh, Master Sohoh NIshioka; together with Shinmin Sakamura’s Poetry #139; all adorn the gardens of the temple. When summed together with three latest additions this year of poems by young children, some 70 of these are all scattered around the compound. 
 
修行道場としての奥之院
 
Okuno-in - a Dojo for Spiritual Training
 
このようなハード面の整備や充実とは別に、修行的な事柄としては、私を含めて七人十三回の求聞持の行場となり、二十回の八千枚護摩の行場となってきました。毎月の功徳行は延べ六千三百余名、そして研修に参加した子供や大人の数は延べ 五千八百余人を数えます。こうした修行の場としての充実こそが、「あと五十年は要する」と言った奥之院の〝真の完成〟なのです。
 
Besides these tangible assets that have been built over the years, spiritual trainings of Gumonji (that is said to enhance one’s ability to memorize) run over 13 times with, including myself, 7 participants to date. This was in addition to another event, the Hassenmai-Goma ceremony, a ritual that burns numerous pieces of infant wood pieces (known in Sanskrit as Homa) so far carried out 20 times. To date, the monthly Kudokugyo, or an act of adding merits, has attracted over 6,300 participants. Both children and adults alike, who have attended courses (designed for the lay person) amounts to some 5,800 participants (simply counting the number of heads attending such training). Such training requires kinesthetic perfection congruous to their purpose, by my saying that it would perhaps take another half a century, it is of no exaggeration when thinking about the “true completion” of the Okuno-in in those terms.
    
今一つの修行とも言える「内観」は近年専ら本院で行なっておりますが、当山で集中内観を始めてから来年で二十五周年を迎えます。これまで内観を実修された方は、延べ二千人余りとなります。その内、信者さんの割合は決して多くはありません。これは誠に残念な事で、「反省」「感謝」「奉仕」という当山の三信条に照らせば、「内観」は具体的に自らの事を深く反省する内省であり、懺悔（佛教ではサンゲ）に通じる良き修行にもなるからです。来年の内観二十五周年を前にして、もっと多くの信者の皆様に、この内観を実修して頂きたいものです。
 
One of the courses conducted is called “naikan” or self introspection / introversion. In recent times this is carried out at the main compounds of Renge-in Temple (situated in the downtown area of Tamana City). This course will mark its 25^th anniversary next year. The number of participants who have undergone this practice now amounts to some 2,000 counts. It is, however, rather a pity that the proportion of the official followers, as opposed to the one-off passer-bys, to the total number of participants is relatively low. “Naikan” is the act of self introspection allowing you to take a serious look at your day to day ways of life, providing you a means to adjust your conduct through repentance, which we consider to be an act of good deed. This is in keeping with our three doctrines which we so dearly uphold. These are “Introspection,, Appreciation and Dedication”.Running up to our 25^th anniversary of Naikan courses we would urge more followers to come and fully be immersed the course.
 
外見だけでは判断できない？　優秀な学校と、生きたお寺
 
Appearance alone will not tell you everything? Schooling excellence and a “breathing” monastery
 
さて、お寺の充実は何のためかと、ここで改めて考えてみたいと思います。例えば皆さんの子供さんやお孫さんが通学する小学校や中学校が充実すれば子供さんのためにもなり、保護者の方々にとっても、安心して子供さんを預けられま
す。そして教育内容が益々立派になっていけば、そこの同窓生は母校を誇りに思うようになるでしょう。
 
Now, let’s once again talk about the purpose of all these construction efforts. For instance, say your children or grandchildren happen to go to schools that are well equipped (primary and junior high schools both are mandatory stages of education in Japan). This will, of course, lead to a better education attainment for the children and, in turn, parents would feel at ease in letting their children go to such school. Furthermore, if the content of education, both tangibly and intangibly, is improved, those that have left the school after graduation would continue to cherish their sense of pride towards the place.
 
これと同じで、自分の信仰するお寺の外観や景観を含めた伽藍が整備され、充実すれば、信者の皆様にとっても嬉しい事に違いありません。そしてまた、学校とお寺では、外見的な設備がいかに充実して立派になっても、 そこに学ぶ児童や生徒の成績が伸び悩んだり、いじめがあったりと、活き活きと学べなければ何にもなりません。
 
A parallel may be drawn to the affairs of running a temple. If the monastery is always being attended to with external appearance continuously being improved and additions made, the followers will no doubt be proud about the monastery they have decided to be associated with. Similar parallel can be drawn in terms of the quality of intangibles that are offered in both schools and temples. No matter how impressive the buildings may appear, if the quality of output of pupils and students lag behind certain expectations, bullying persist or kids unable to be truly kids, then it defeats the purpose of their being
 
私の学んだ中学校は、ボロボロの校舎であっても良い先生がたくさんおられて、 生徒も活き活きとしている中学校でした。学校は外見と内容が必ずしも一致しない場合があります。
 
The school which I attended in my early teens was a shabby old building, but with many wonderful teachers and a lively community. So there are times when physical appearance does not represent the true nature of the people who inhabit the place.
 
これと同じように、外見の立派さと、そのお寺が地域社会や信者さん、檀家さんのために役に立っている事とは必ずしも一致しません。むしろ真剣に、世のため人々のために宗教活動をしているお寺には、それなりの良き空気が充満しているものです。私の少ない体験からもお寺の持つ良き波動というものは、必ずしも外見だけから来るものではありません。しかしある程度の年月を経てくると、そのお寺の御本尊様のご意志と申しますか、御本尊様の霊威が次第にそのお寺の様々な宗教活動となり、空気となってくるように思います。
 
Equally, a temple’s grandeur alone may not always contribute to the local communities, the followers and supporters in a way that is germane and of use to them. Temples that are working passionately to contribute to the society and its inhabitants are often filled with an inspiring air and aura. Vibe that permeates through a temple filled with deeds is not always visible to those on the outside of the perimeters. However, over a considerable period of time the temple’s bodhisattva and its spirits and souls begin to be activated, their spiritual air being breathed into various religious activities of the temple and gradually takes on a life of its own as if to reside as air that fills the perimeters of the monastic compounds. (to be continued)