今年の２月の初旬に内村鑑三のRepresentative Men of Japanを読みましたが、４人目に取り上げた中江藤樹の話の中に幾つか共感した個所があったので紹介します。
"You tell me," Toju said, "that when Buddha was born, he pointed one hand heaven-ward and the other earthward, and said, 'I alone of all beings in heaven above and under the heaven, am worthy of honor';--is he not the proudest of men under heaven; and how is it possible that my revered master owns him as his ideal?"
That he clearly made distinctions between man-made Laws (法、nomos) and eternally-existing Truth (道、logos) is shown by the following remarkable saying of his:
"The truth is distinct from the law. Many taking one for the other are greatly mistaken. The law changes with time, even with saints in their land,--much more when transplanted to our land. But the truth is from eternity. Before the name of virtue was, the truth was and prevailed.
But I wish you to note that if the future is so important, the present is still more so, for if a man get astray in this life, it is all too probable that he will be forever lost in the life to come....
"You tell me," Toju said, "that when Buddha was born, he pointed one hand heaven-ward and the other earthward, and said, 'I alone of all beings in heaven above and under the heaven, am worthy of honor';--is he not the proudest of men under heaven; and how is it possible that my revered master owns him as his ideal?"
That he clearly made distinctions between man-made Laws (法、nomos) and eternally-existing Truth (道、logos) is shown by the following remarkable saying of his:
"The truth is distinct from the law. Many taking one for the other are greatly mistaken. The law changes with time, even with saints in their land,--much more when transplanted to our land. But the truth is from eternity. Before the name of virtue was, the truth was and prevailed.
But I wish you to note that if the future is so important, the present is still more so, for if a man get astray in this life, it is all too probable that he will be forever lost in the life to come....
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