Hokke Genki
Dainihonkoku Hokekyō Kenki (
Origin
[edit]In the introduction to the book, Chingen referred to a now-lost collection of tales by the Chinese monk Yiji (
Content
[edit]Chingen organised his tales roughly chronologically from the time of Prince Shōtoku in chapters that are based on the seven groups of the Buddhist order; these are bodhisattvas, monks, male novices, nuns, laymen and laywomen, and animals and other non-human entities.[5][4]
The collection contains setsuwa tales or biographical stories of advocates and devotees (jikyōsha,
There are two general categories of setsuwa. The first describes the activities of the devotees and their observances of the precepts of the Lotus Sutra. The second involves miraculous tales that illustrate the power of the Lotus Sutra.[4] A notable example of the folktales in the collection is the first appearance of the story of Anchin and Kiyohime, although neither were specifically named in the story.[7] The collection of tales is intended to promote the Lotus Sutra, emphasising stories of people as well as animals and supernatural beings who had experienced miracles in relation to the Lotus Sutra, suggesting that believers can benefit by copying, reciting and their devotion to the sutra.[2]
Translation
[edit]The collection has been translated into English by Yoshiko K. Dykstra and published as Miraculous Tales of the Lotus Sutra from Ancient Japan: The Dainihonkoku Hokekyokenki of Priest Chingen.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ Deal, William E.; Ruppert, Brian (2015). A Cultural History of Japanese Buddhism. Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 978-1-118-60833-3.
- ^ a b Dictionnaire historique du Japon (PDF). p. 50.
- ^ a b c Kikuchi Hiroki
菊地 大樹 . "Ōjōden, the Hokke genki, and Mountain Practices of Devotees of the Sutra". Japanese Journal of Religious Studies. 41 (1): 65–82. - ^ a b c d e Dykstra, Yoshiko K. (1977). "Miraculous Tales of the Lotus Sutra. The Dainihonkoku Hokkegenki". Monumenta Nipponica. 32 (2): 189–210. doi:10.2307/2384027. JSTOR 2384027.
- ^ "
本朝 法華 験 記 ". - ^ Drott, Edward R. (31 May 2016). Buddhism and the Transformation of Old Age in Medieval Japan. p. 145. ISBN 9780824866860.
- ^ Susan Blakeley Klein (1991). "When the Moon Strikes the Bell: Desire and Enlightenment in the Noh Play Dojoji". The Journal of Japanese Studies. 17 (2): 291–322. doi:10.2307/132744. JSTOR 132744.
- ^ Miraculous Tales of the Lotus Sutra from Ancient Japan: The Dainihonkoku Hokekyōkenki of Priest Chingen. University of Hawaii Press. 1987. ISBN 9780824809676.