130【29・十二因縁法・序品第一/妙法蓮華経現代語】一日一布施～コトバのギフト～

[The scripture translated into modern Japanese this time] For those seeking Pratyekabuddha, the Buddha preached the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination. [Modern Japanese Translation] The Buddha preached the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination to those who sought enlightenment on their own, without relying on a teacher, adapting the teachings to their individual needs. The Twelve Links of Dependent Origination is a law of cause and effect that explains, in twelve stages, how humans are born, grow up, experience suffering and distress, grow old, and die. The Buddha taught that "all suffering arises from ignorance." "Ignorance" means not knowing the truth. Nothing in this world is permanent (impermanence). There is no fixed self (non-self). Life doesn't always go as planned (all is suffering). It all begins with ① "ignorance," a lack of knowledge of such truths. ② "Actions" accumulate karma, leading to the cycle of reincarnation. The moment this karma is conceived in the womb, it gives birth to ③ "consciousness." Subsequently, in the womb, the mind (name) and body (form) combine to form ④ "name and form." As "name and form" develops, the six sense organs (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body) and the mind (intention) that knows them are acquired. This is called ⑤ "six sense bases." Then, born from the womb into the outside world, the six sense organs, the six sense bases, come into contact with the outside world. This is ⑥ "touch." By touching, one begins to feel whether something is pleasant or unpleasant. This is ⑦ "feeling." And desire and attachment to pleasant things arise. This is ⑧ "love." The act of trying to acquire something one is attached to is ⑨ "grasping." If one "grasps" and chooses something one is attached to, it accumulates karma again, and determines the existence of the next life (being) or existence ⑉ "being." This then leads to a new ⑪ "birth," but the same thing repeats, ⑫ "old age and death." In this way, the "Twelve Links of Dependent Origination" teaches us that, across the past, present, and future, past causes shape the next life, and if one remains ignorant in that life, the same thing repeats, leading to the next life. Since the root of this chain lies in ignorance, when ignorance ceases, volitions cease, and when volitions cease, consciousness also ceases, and ultimately, suffering disappears. The truth that suffering ceases is conveyed in the "Truth of Cessation," and the specific path to this, the Eightfold Path, is revealed in the "Truth of the Path." [Supplementary Explanation] "Pratyekabuddha" is a transliteration of the Sanskrit term "Pratieka Buddha," and refers to a saint who attained enlightenment through their own efforts without a teacher. There are two ways of attaining enlightenment through one's own efforts, and the name changes depending on the process by which enlightenment was achieved. Those who attained enlightenment through the laws of nature (causal relationships). For example, "flying birds or falling flowers (flying blossoms and falling leaves)"—something unexpected triggers it. ⇒ Pratyekabuddha Those who attained enlightenment alone, without a teacher or companions. For example, "Completing ascetic practices in solitude in a forest or mountain." ⇒ Solitary Buddha The Twelve Links of Dependent Origination are connected to the "Truth of the Origin of Suffering," one of the Four Noble Truths: "The Truth of Suffering," "The Truth of the Origin of Suffering," "The Truth of the Cessation of Suffering," and "The Truth of the Path to the Cessation of Suffering." In the "Truth of the Origin of Suffering," the cause of suffering is a collection of various elements. At the root of these various elements are "desire" and "attachment." The Twelve Links of Dependent Origination illustrate the mechanism by which "desire" and "attachment" arise. Past causes produce present results, and present causes produce future results—a continuous story: the "three-times double-layered cause and effect" *In this series, the source text is borrowed from the Nichiren-shu Nagasaki Education Center's web version of the Lotus Sutra, specifically the authentic reading of the Lotus Sutra translated by Kumarajiva, the Master of Sanskrit. Furthermore, to absolutely avoid mistranslation, my translation is being compared with the works of "The Three Sutras of the Lotus Sutra" (by Nikkyo Niwano/Kosei Publishing) and "Abridged Sanskrit Version of the Lotus Sutra, Modern Japanese Translation" (by Masatoshi Ueki/Kadokawa Sophia Bunko), confirming the content as I go.