Document – Excerpt from The Tale of the Heike

Document

9.16. The Death of Atsumori

[Naozone, a warrior on the Genji side of the battle, captures Atsumori, a young court aristocrat from the Heike side. The following exchange then takes place.]

“I would like to spare you,“ he said, restraining his tears, “but there are Genji warriors everywhere. You cannot possibly escape. It will be better if I kill you than if someone else does it, because I will offer prayers on your behalf.”

“Just take my head and be quick about it.”

Overwhelmed by compassion, Naozone could not find a place to strike. His senses reeled, his wits forsook him, and he was scarcely conscious of his surroundings. But matters could not go on like that forever: in tears, he took his head.

“Alas, no lot is as hard as a warrior’s. I would never have suffered such a dreadful experience if I had not been born into a military house. How cruel I was to kill him!”

He pressed his sleeve to his face and shed floods of tears. . . . After that, Naozone thought increasingly of becoming a monk.

A Statement of Precepts

[Shigehira, a leader of the defeated Heike side, is captured. When he learns he is to be sent to the Genji headquarters to be executed, he requests of his captors that he be allowed to enter religious life.]

He summoned Toi no Jiro¯ Sanehira. “I would like to become a monk. Do you think it could be arranged?” Sanehira transmitted the request to Yoshitsune, who reported it to Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa. “We can probably do something about that after Yoritomo interviews him. It cannot be allowed at present,” the Retired Emperor said.

“In that case,” Shigehira said when he was told, “might I see a holy man who has been my teacher for many years? I would like to talk to him about the next life.”

“What is his name?”

“He is the man known as Ho¯ nenbo¯ of Kurodani.” Sanehira assented. “I see no objection.”

Overjoyed, the Middle Captain sent for the monk. “I must have been taken prisoner because I was destined to meet you again,” he said in tears. “What ought I to do about the life to come? In the days when I was a man of some importance, I let myself be distracted by official duties and fettered by public affairs, too proud and arrogant to worry about my fate in the next world. And it was even worse after our luck ended and the disorders broke out: battling here and contending there, I was hampered by the evil desire to destroy others and save myself, perpetually unable to achieve purity of heart. In particular, there is the matter of the burning of the southern capital. Under orders from the court and the military, and because I could not refuse to serve the Emperor or to comply with the demands of the times, I went to Nara to end the monks’ violence. The destruction of the temples was quite unanticipated—quite beyond anyone’s power to prevent—but I was Commander-in-Chief at the time; and that, I suppose, is why all the blame fell on me. (I hear there is a saying, ‘The man at the top is the man responsible,’ or something of the sort.) I have come to realize that these present dreadful humiliations must all be regarded as punishments.

“Now I would like to shave my head, receive the precepts, and devote myself heart and soul to religious pursuits, but a man in my situation is not free to do as he pleases. Alas! Because today or tomorrow may bring my end, I fear I can perform no pious acts that would suffice to erase a single one of my sins. When I review my life, I understand that my evil deeds tower higher than Mount Sumeru, that my good ones amount to less than a speck of dust. Beyond any question, I am doomed to the Three Evil Paths if I die in this state. Please, Your Holiness, be compassionate and merciful. If there is a way to save such a sinner, tell me of it.”

The holy man remained silent for a time, choked with tears. By and by, he began to speak. “It is a sorrow beyond sorrow that you should face the prospect of returning to the Three Evil Paths after having enjoyed the rare good fortune of being born a man. But the Buddhas of the Three Worlds must surely feel happiness because you have now abandoned wicked thoughts and embraced good ones, desirous of rejecting the impure world and achieving rebirth in the Pure Land. There are various ways of escaping from the world of illusion, but in these unclean, tumultuous latter days of the Law, the best one is to recite the name of Amida Buddha. The goal, the Pure Land, has been divided into nine grades, and the necessary pious acts have been compressed into six syllables, which even the most slow witted person can chant.ⁱ

You must not depreciate yourself because you think you have committed grave sins: even those who are guilty of the Ten Evils and the Five Deadly Sins can attain rebirth if they repent. Nor must you lose hope because you think you have performed few meritorious acts: Amida will come to meet anyone who has it in his heart to intone the sacred name one time or ten times. It is explained, ‘He who intones the sacred name with all his heart will enter the Western Paradise.’ It is taught, ‘To intone Amida’s name is to repent sins constantly.’ Demons cannot approach the person who trusts in the words, ‘Amida’s name is a sharp sword.’ It is written that a man’s sins will all vanish if he recites, ‘A single Buddha invocation washes away all sins.’

“I have tried to summarize the essential elements of the Pure Land faith: these quotations may be considered its basic teachings. But belief is the key to rebirth. You must believe with all your heart: never, never entertain a doubt. If you believe these teachings without reservation, and if you meditate on Amida Buddha in your heart and keep his name on your lips, always and everywhere, whether you are walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, there can be no doubt that at the hour of death you will leave this cruel world for the Pure Land from which there is no return.”

The instructive discourse delighted the Middle Captain. “I would like to receive the commandments now. May I do so without becoming a monk?”

“It is quite common for a layman to receive them.” The holy man touched a razor to Shigehira’s forehead, made shaving motions, and administered the Ten Commandments. Shigehira received the precepts with tears of joy streaming down his face, and Ho¯ nen also wept as he spoke, moved by deep compassion and sympathy.

Shigehira told Tomotoki to fetch a certain inkstone, one he had deposited with a samurai whose house he had frequented for poetry and music sessions. Then he presented it to the holy man as a pious offering. “Please do not give this away,” he said, weeping. “Keep it where you can see it always, and whenever you remember, ‘That object belonged to Shigehira once,’ think of it as though it were myself and recite the sacred name. I would be truly grateful if you could chant an occasional scroll of holy writ on my behalf when you have the time.” Unable to reply, Ho¯ nen put the inkstone in his bosom and went home in tears, wringing the sleeves of his black robe.

Notes

Review

1. 1. As it is shown here, what is the attitude of Japanese warriors toward killing and death?

2. 2. What are the key precepts of Buddhism as the warriors understood them?

3. 3. How do these relate to their attitudes toward waging warfare?

4. 4. What is the relationship of Buddhism and warfare as it appears in this set of sources?