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\u539f\u6587\u306e\u5168\u60c5\u5831\u3092\u4e00\u8a9e\u4e00\u53e5\u5bfe\u5fdc\u3055\u305b\u305f\u82f1\u8a33\u3067\u306f\u306a\u304f\u3001\u539f\u6587\u306e\u5185\u5bb9\u30fb\u8ad6\u7406\u30fb\u601d\u60f3\u3092\u4fdd\u3061\u306a\u304c\u3089\u3001\u82f1\u8a9e\u5b66\u7fd2\u8005\u5411\u3051\u306b\u6587\u3092\u5206\u5272\u3057\u3001\u8a9e\u5f59\u3068\u69cb\u6587\u3092\u5236\u5fa1\u3057\u305f\u518d\u69cb\u6210\u4f5c\u54c1\u3067\u3059\u3002<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
A Level 2 English adaptation of Kamo no Chomei’s Hojoki, based on the original Japanese text.
Created with the assistance of ChatGPT.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The river keeps flowing, but its water is never the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bubbles float on the water. Some disappear. Others appear. None of them stay for long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People and their homes are like these bubbles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the beautiful capital, houses stand side by side. Rich people live in large houses. Poor people live in small ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These houses seem to last for many years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But when we look closely, we find that very few old houses remain. Some burned down and were rebuilt. Some large houses fell into ruin and became small houses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The people who live in them also change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A house may look the same, and many people may still live there. But among twenty or thirty people I once knew, I may now find only one or two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some people die in the morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Others are born in the evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Human life is like the bubbles on the water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Where do we come from when we are born?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Where do we go when we die?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We do not know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our homes are also temporary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We build them and try to make them beautiful. But for whom do we build them? Why do we work so hard on them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People and their homes change together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They are like flowers covered with morning dew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes the dew falls first, while the flower remains. But the flower soon dies in the morning sun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes the flower fades first, while the dew remains. But the dew does not last until evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nothing stays the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Everything changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I have lived in the capital for many years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I have seen people build beautiful houses there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some houses belong to powerful people. Others belong to ordinary people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They stand close together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Their roofs seem to compete with one another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People spend a great deal of money on these houses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They build large gates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They make beautiful gardens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They fill their homes with valuable things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They think about what other people will say about their houses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the houses do not stay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A house may burn down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A strong wind may destroy it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A flood may carry it away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An earthquake may make it fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even when a house survives, the people who live there will change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One family leaves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another family moves in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A rich family may become poor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A poor family may become rich.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People are always coming and going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I have seen the same thing happen again and again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That is why I began to think about the world differently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We think our homes belong to us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We think our possessions will stay with us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We think our lives will continue as they are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But they do not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The houses change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The people change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our lives change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And we cannot stop that change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I saw many strange things happen in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the worst was a great fire in the capital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It happened on April 28, 1177.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The fire began in the southeast part of the city, around the area of Higuchitomi-no-koji.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The wind was strong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The fire quickly spread toward the northwest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It moved from house to house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The flames grew wider and wider, like a fan opening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before long, the fire reached important parts of the capital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Imperial Palace was burned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So were many government buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Houses of rich and poor people burned together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The fire seemed to cover the whole city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People far from the fire could hardly breathe because of the smoke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Near the fire, the flames moved along the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ash filled the sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pieces of burning wood flew through the air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People ran away with only what they could carry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some could not escape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some fell down because they could not breathe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Others were caught by the flames and died.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People who had spent many years collecting valuable things lost everything in one night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gold and other treasures were burned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fine houses became ashes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sixteen houses belonging to high-ranking officials were destroyed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many other houses were lost as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
About one third of the capital was burned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many men and women died.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Horses and cattle also died.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The fire was terrible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But what struck me most was this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People had worked so hard to build their houses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They had spent so much money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They had filled them with beautiful things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And in a few hours, everything was gone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What is the use of spending so much effort on something that can disappear so quickly?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A few years later, another disaster struck the capital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A great wind rose in 1180.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was so strong that it destroyed many houses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Large houses and small houses alike were blown apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some houses were completely destroyed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In others, only the posts and beams were left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gates were torn away and carried far from their homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Walls were blown down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes a wall disappeared, and the house next door suddenly seemed to become part of the same place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inside the houses, everything was thrown into the air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Roof boards and pieces of wood flew around like leaves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dust rose like smoke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People could not see clearly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The noise was so loud that they could not hear one another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The wind seemed to move across the city without stopping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People who were repairing their houses were also hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some were badly injured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The wind finally passed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But many people were left with nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We often think that wind is something ordinary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But when I saw that terrible wind, I wondered if it was some kind of warning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Human beings can build houses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They can make strong walls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But they cannot stop the wind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the same year, another great change came.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the summer of 1180, the capital was suddenly moved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was a great surprise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The capital had been there for more than four hundred years, since the time of Emperor Saga.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There was no clear reason why it should be moved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So people were deeply troubled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But there was nothing they could do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The emperor moved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The great officials moved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The nobles moved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Almost everyone who served the government followed them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People who depended on their position, their rank, or their lord hurried to the new capital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They wanted to move as soon as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But people who had lost their place in the world had no reason to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They stayed behind sadly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The old capital began to change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some houses were taken down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Their wooden parts were carried away by boat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Land that had once been covered with houses became fields.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People’s lives changed too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The things they valued changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People who had once cared about carriages began to care more about horses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They began to look toward different kinds of land and different ways of making a living.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The new capital was not an easy place to live.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was surrounded by mountains and the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The land was narrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The sea wind was strong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The old capital became quiet and empty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The new capital did not become the beautiful city people had expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People had suffered, but the change had brought little good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I thought about this, I remembered old stories about wise rulers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When the people were poor, those rulers tried to reduce their burden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They even looked at the smoke rising from people’s homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If there was little smoke, they understood that the people had little food to cook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Such rulers cared about the lives of ordinary people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The world I saw was very different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then came a terrible famine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It lasted for about two years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The weather was bad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There was not enough rain when the crops needed it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then strong winds came.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Floods came too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The crops failed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People could not grow enough food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The fields became empty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People left their homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some went into the mountains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Others came to the capital looking for food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the capital depended on food from the countryside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now very little food came in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People began to suffer from hunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They sold their possessions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
First they sold things they could live without.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then they sold things they needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But there were few buyers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People had no money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even valuable things could not be sold for a fair price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rice became extremely expensive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The roads filled with hungry people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The sound of crying could be heard everywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People prayed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Religious ceremonies were held.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People hoped that the disaster would end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it did not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then disease spread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People became weaker and weaker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many could no longer walk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some fell down in the street and died.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dead bodies lay along the roads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were so many that people did not have the strength to bury them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The smell became terrible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The city was full of suffering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even people who had once been healthy could not escape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Husbands and wives often died one after another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The person who loved the other more deeply sometimes died first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Such people gave their small amount of food to the person they loved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Parents also died before their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes a mother died while her small child did not understand what had happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The child still tried to drink milk from her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I saw these things myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Buddhist priest named Ryugyo also saw many dead people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He was deeply saddened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whenever he saw the head of a dead person, he wrote the letter A<\/strong> on the forehead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He hoped that this would help the dead find a connection with the Buddha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Later, he counted the dead people found along the streets of the capital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There were more than forty-two thousand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And this was only in the part of the city that he counted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The true number must have been much higher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There had been another great famine many years before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I had heard about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But I had never seen such suffering with my own eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One thing was especially terrible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n People had become so desperate that they began to break up things in temples for firewood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some even broke wooden Buddhist statues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They used them to make fires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I saw such things, I felt that I had been born into a very troubled world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not long after this, another disaster came.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A huge earthquake struck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was unlike anything I had ever seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mountains collapsed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rivers were blocked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The ground split open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Water came out of the earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Large rocks broke apart and rolled into valleys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The sea rose and struck the shore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Boats were thrown about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Horses on the roads could not stand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Almost no temple or tower in the capital escaped damage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some buildings collapsed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Others fell over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dust filled the air like smoke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The sound of the earth moving and houses breaking was like thunder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you were inside a house, you thought it would fall on you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you ran outside, the ground shook beneath your feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There was nowhere to hide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you were a dragon, perhaps you could fly into the clouds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But human beings cannot do that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All we can do is fear the earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The strongest shaking stopped after a short time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the smaller earthquakes continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For many days, there were twenty or thirty in one day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Later, there were four or five.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then two or three.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes there was only one every few days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The shaking continued for about three months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n People often fear fire, wind, and water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the earth itself usually seems quiet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This earthquake showed us that even the ground beneath our feet cannot always be trusted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Long ago, there had also been a great earthquake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At that time, part of the Great Buddha at Todai-ji was damaged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But even that earthquake was not as terrible as this one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For a short time after the disaster, people began to talk about how uncertain the world was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They seemed to understand how little they could trust their lives and possessions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Their hearts seemed a little less troubled by worldly things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But people soon forgot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Months passed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then years passed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the end, almost no one talked about the earthquake anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even after seeing a great disaster, people return to their old lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This too is part of human nature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All these disasters made me think about human life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The world is difficult to live in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our bodies are uncertain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our homes are uncertain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And depending on where we live and what kind of life we have, there are countless things that can trouble us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Suppose you are poor and live next to a powerful family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You cannot live freely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you are sad, you may not even feel free to cry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You are always careful not to upset your neighbors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You are like a small bird living near a hawk’s nest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now suppose you are poor and live next to a rich family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Every day, you may feel ashamed of your simple clothes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You see their beautiful homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You see their fine clothes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You see their servants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You hear their voices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You may feel unhappy about your own life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you live in a crowded part of the city, you are in danger from fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you live far away, traveling becomes difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You may also have to worry about thieves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are powerful, you may become proud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are alone, people may look down on you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you have money, you may worry about losing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are poor, you may worry about not having enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you depend on other people, your life is no longer completely your own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you care deeply for other people, your heart becomes tied to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you follow the ways of the world, you have to live by its rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But if you refuse to follow them, people may think you are strange.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So where can a person live?<\/p>\n\n\n\n What kind of life can bring peace?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Is there any place where we can stay for even a short time without worrying?<\/p>\n\n\n\n I began to think that perhaps there was no such place in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I had once lived in my father’s family home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Later, I lost the home and had to live in other places.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I was about thirty, I built a very small temporary home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was much smaller than my former house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was only a place where I could live for a short time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I did not build a proper gate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I did not build a large wall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I made only what I needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The house was not safe from wind or floods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But I did not care much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I had begun to understand that a large house could not give me a secure life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For more than thirty years, I lived through many changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I saw people come and go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I saw homes appear and disappear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I saw the world change around me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I was fifty, I left ordinary life behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I became a Buddhist monk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I had no wife or children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I had no official position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I had no large family depending on me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There were few things tying me to the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For about five years, I lived in the mountains of Ohara.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then I moved again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I was sixty, I built another small hut in the mountains of Hino.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was like building a temporary shelter for one night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was like the tiny home of a silkworm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Compared with my former house, it was only about one hundredth the size.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As I grew older, my home became smaller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My hut is very small.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is only about three meters wide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is less than two meters high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I did not choose the place carefully because I knew that I might move again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The hut can be taken apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The walls can be taken down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The whole thing can be moved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It costs very little to build again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now I live deep in the mountains of Hino.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The hut has a small roof on the east side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That is where I keep firewood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the south side, there is a small bamboo floor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I sit there during the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the north side, behind a screen, I keep an image of Amida Buddha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Beside it is an image of Fugen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In front of them is a copy of the Lotus Sutra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the east side, I spread dried grass on the floor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That is where I sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the southwest corner, I have a small shelf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I keep some books there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some are about poetry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some are about music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I also have a few Buddhist books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Beside them are my musical instruments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I have a koto and a biwa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They are simple instruments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is a water pipe outside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I have made a small place to hold the water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trees grow nearby, so I can gather firewood easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The mountain is covered with plants and trees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The western side is more open, so I can see the sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The hut is small.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But I have what I need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I have lived in this hut for several years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At first, I thought I would stay here only for a short time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the years have passed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The roof has become covered with leaves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Moss has grown around the hut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I sometimes hear news from the capital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many people I once knew have died.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many houses have burned down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The city continues to change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But my little hut remains quiet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are many things to enjoy here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In spring, I watch the flowers of the wisteria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They look like purple clouds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In summer, I listen to the cuckoo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Its voice reminds me of the road to the world after death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In autumn, I hear the cicadas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Their voices remind me how short human life is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In winter, I watch the snow fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It comes down, covers the ground, and then disappears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes I pray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes I read Buddhist writings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes I do not feel like doing either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When that happens, I simply rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No one tells me what I must do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No one is there to argue with me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I can speak little.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I can remain silent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes I walk down into the valley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I watch boats on the river.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I think about people who lived quietly beside rivers long ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes I listen to the wind in the pine trees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I play my koto or biwa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I play simply for myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I do not need other people to listen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I sing for myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I play for myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is also a small hut near the foot of the mountain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A young boy lives there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes he comes to visit me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He is about ten years old.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I am sixty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our ages are very different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But we enjoy many of the same things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes we pick young plants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes we gather wild fruit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes we collect wild vegetables.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes we go into the fields and gather rice left after the harvest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When the weather is good, we climb the mountain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From the top, we can see the old capital and the mountains around it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No one owns these views.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So we can enjoy them freely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes we walk farther.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We visit old temples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We cross the mountains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In spring, we gather flowers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In autumn, we collect colored leaves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We also pick wild plants and fruit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes we offer them to the Buddha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes we bring them home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At night, I look at the moon through the window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I remember people who lived long ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes I hear a monkey calling far away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The sound makes me feel lonely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fireflies shine in the grass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The rain before dawn sounds like wind in the leaves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A mountain bird calls in the distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes I wonder if it is calling for its parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A deer comes near without fear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I see it, I feel how far I have moved away from the world of people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The mountains change with the seasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Their beauty never ends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The more I live here, the more I see how little I need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A small hut is enough for one person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A crab lives in a small shell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A bird can be happy in the forest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I too have learned to live with little.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I do not need many possessions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I do not need servants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I do not need a large house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most people build houses for someone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They build them for their wives and children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They build them for relatives and friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They build them for their masters and teachers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some build them for their possessions, horses, and other things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But I built this hut for myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is no one else who needs to live here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If I built a large house, who would I put in it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Who would I give a room to?<\/p>\n\n\n\n I have no servants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I do not need them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is easier to make myself my own servant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When something needs to be done, I do it myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes it is tiring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But it is easier than managing other people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I need to go somewhere, I walk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My feet are enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I need to carry something, I carry it myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My hands are enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My hands are my servants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My feet are my carriage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They do what I need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When my body is tired, I let it rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When it is strong, I use it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I do not need to work too much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I do not need to rest too much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Walking and working are enough for my body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My clothes are simple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My food is simple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I eat wild plants and fruit from the mountains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They are enough to keep me alive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I do not need fine clothes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I do not need expensive food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I do not need to please other people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I compare my life now with my life in the past, I feel that this life suits me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But I do not say that everyone should live this way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Each person has a different life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I only know what I have learned from my own life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is also something deeper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Buddha teaches that the three worlds depend on the mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If the mind is troubled, nothing can make us truly happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If the mind is at peace, even a small place can be enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A rich man may have a beautiful house and many possessions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But if his mind is troubled, they cannot give him peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A poor man may have almost nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But if his mind is at peace, he may still be happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is why I value this small hut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is not the hut itself that gives me peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is the way I live here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Still, I must be careful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Buddha teaches us not to become attached to anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yet I love this hut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I enjoy this quiet life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Perhaps I am attached to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So I asked myself a question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I left the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I came to the mountains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I wanted to control my mind and follow the Buddhist way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But am I really free from worldly desires?<\/p>\n\n\n\n My body looks like that of a man who has left the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But perhaps my heart is still attached to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I live in a tiny hut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But am I really living like the holy men of the past?<\/p>\n\n\n\n My practice may not even be as good as that of the simplest monks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Why am I living this way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Is it because I truly understand the Buddhist way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Or am I simply living here because I have become poor and have nowhere else to go?<\/p>\n\n\n\n I could not answer myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I had nothing more to say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So I quietly said the name of Amida Buddha two or three times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then I stopped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My life is already coming to an end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The light of my life is like the setting moon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Soon I will enter the darkness after death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So what is there for me to complain about?<\/p>\n\n\n\n I left the world because I wanted peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But perhaps even this peaceful life has become something I am attached to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That is the last question I leave with myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the second year of the Kenryaku era, near the end of the third month, I wrote these words in my small hut in the mountains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My name was Ren’in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is Hojoki<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u9d28\u9577\u660e\u306e\u65b9\u4e08\u8a18\u3092\u3084\u3055\u3057\u3044\u82f1\u8a9e\u3067\u518d\u69cb\u6210\u3057\u3066\u307f\u307e\u3057\u305f\u3002 \u539f\u6587\u306e\u5168\u60c5\u5831\u3092\u4e00\u8a9e\u4e00\u53e5\u5bfe\u5fdc\u3055\u305b\u305f\u82f1\u8a33\u3067\u306f\u306a\u304f\u3001\u539f\u6587\u306e\u5185\u5bb9\u30fb\u8ad6\u7406\u30fb\u601d\u60f3\u3092\u4fdd\u3061\u306a\u304c\u3089\u3001\u82f1\u8a9e\u5b66\u7fd2\u8005\u5411\u3051\u306b\u6587\u3092\u5206\u5272\u3057\u3001\u8a9e\u5f59\u3068\u69cb\u6587\u3092\u5236\u5fa1\u3057\u305f\u518d\u69cb\u6210\u4f5c\u54c1\u3067\u3059\u3002<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4319","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-9"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t7. The Great Earthquake<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
8. A Difficult World<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
9. Leaving the World Behind<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
10. My Small Hut<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
11. Life in the Mountains<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
12. The Beauty of a Simple Life<\/h2>\n\n\n\n