Once upon a time, when Siddhartha Gautama had not yet become enlightened, he was known as the Bodhisattva Shakyamuni, residing in the inner sanctum of the Tusita Heaven.
When he began to contemplate being born in Jambudvipa (the human world), the five signs of decline appeared. These five signs were as follows:
1. Heavenly beings do not blink, but he began to blink.
2. The garlands of flowers on the heads of heavenly beings never wilt, but they began to wither.
3. The garments of heavenly beings never accumulate dust, but dust and grime began to cling to them.
4. Heavenly beings do not sweat, but he began to sweat under his arms.
5. Heavenly beings sit still without moving from their designated places, but he began to move about and could no longer sit in the same place.
Seeing this, many heavenly beings and bodhisattvas said: “We are shaken and bewildered at the sight of such signs from you. Please tell us why this is happening.”
The Bodhisattva Shakyamuni responded: “All conditioned things are impermanent. Soon, I will leave this heavenly palace and be born in the human world.”
Hearing this, many heavenly beings were greatly saddened and lamented.
The Bodhisattva Shakyamuni looked over the human world and thought, “Who shall be my father and who shall be my mother when I am born?”
He decided that King Śuddhodana of the kingdom of Kapilavastu would be his father, and Queen Māyā would be his mother.
On the 8th day of the 7th month of the Year of the Water Ox, the Bodhisattva Shakyamuni entered the womb of Queen Māyā. The queen had a dream in which the bodhisattva, riding a white elephant with six tusks, came down from the sky and entered her body through her right side. It was as clear and transparent as placing something into a vase of lapis lazuli (a precious gem).
Statue of Māyā, from Nepal, 19th century. Musée Guimet, Paris
Greatly surprised, Queen Māyā awoke and went to King Śuddhodana to tell him about the dream. The king, upon hearing this, said, “I too had the same dream. We cannot interpret this alone.”
He called a Brahmin named Asita, adorned him with fragrant flowers, and offered him luxurious food and drink. The king then asked the Brahmin to interpret the dream. The Brahmin responded:
“The prince that the queen has conceived shows many rare and auspicious signs. I cannot explain them all, but I will summarize for you. The child in the queen’s womb will certainly shine with the light of the Shakya clan. When he is born, he will emit a brilliant light. Brahma, Indra, and other heavenly beings will all revere him. This is a clear sign that he is destined to become a Buddha. If he does not renounce the world, he will become a universal monarch who will fill the world with treasures and have a thousand sons.”
Upon hearing this, the king was overjoyed and gave the Brahmin many treasures, including gold, silver, elephants, horses, and chariots. The queen also bestowed many treasures upon the Brahmin. The Brahmin accepted these gifts from the king and queen, and then took his leave.
Queen Māyā’s Dream: The Elephant Entering Her Right Side (Indian Museum, Kolkata)
[Translation]
Siro Inuzuka
This text was created by using ChatGPT-4o to translate a modern Japanese translation into English, and then making some modifications. There may be errors in the English expressions. Please correct any mistakes.
[Explanation]
Shinichi Kusano / Siro Inuzuka
Literature That Aimed to Depict the Entire World
This is the first story of the first volume of the Konjaku Monogatari. The collection of over 1,000 stories begins here.
What makes this collection unique in the context of Japanese classical literature is that it doesn’t end with just Japanese stories. Of the more than 1,000 tales, roughly one-third are stories from India and China.
The Konjaku Monogatari was compiled about 1,000 years ago. At that time, the Japanese people thought that India, China, and Japan together made up the entire world.
They likely had this idea in mind:
“I’ll gather all the interesting stories from around the whole world.”
It wasn’t an overly ambitious goal. This collection was completed long before Columbus discovered the Americas. At that time, the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Australia were all unknown. This collection was created with that kind of ambition in mind.
“Buddhism = The Teachings of Shakyamuni” Is a Big Mistake
The setting of this story is in northern India (or Nepal). It marks the beginning of the story of Shakyamuni Buddha(Siddhartha Gautama), the most famous Buddha in Buddhism. While it is often misunderstood that Buddhism began here, this is a significant mistake. Many in Japan also hold this misconception.
The term “Buddha” in Buddhism does not solely refer to Shakyamuni. In Sanskrit (the ancient language of India), the term Buddha means “awakened one.”
Shakyamuni is just one of many Buddhas who have existed in the past and will be born in the future. The reason Shakyamuni is often treated as special is that he lived relatively recently, there are many records of his life, and he is easier to understand compared to other Buddhas.
The Most Revered and Respected Person is a Beggar
When the king learned of the queen’s pregnancy, he immediately called for a Brahmin named Asita, treating him with great care.
Many of you may know that India still has a caste system today. Brahmins, being religious figures and priests, are at the top of the caste hierarchy. King Śuddhodana, on the other hand, was merely a leader of warriors. His caste was below the Brahmins, known as the Kshatriya. This is why the king treated the Brahmin with such reverence.
The caste system is often viewed negatively, but I don’t think it is entirely bad for society.
There are many people who cannot find jobs because there is no caste system. While being born into a specific profession, like “the child of a greengrocer becomes a greengrocer,” is indeed limiting and restrictive, it also provides a safety net in that one is guaranteed a job. After the war, Japan imitated the American system, so there is no such safety net. Homeless people invariably have no jobs, no money, and therefore no homes.
Some may argue that India has even more homeless people than Japan. However, that is also part of the caste system. The child of a beggar remains a beggar.
And here’s the crucial point: Brahmins, who are considered at the top of the caste hierarchy, are essentially beggars. Not owning a home and begging for sustenance is not seen as shameful. Rather, it is something to be proud of, something that is respected.
The most valuable and important things in life are often those that cannot be quantified. Things that cannot be measured in numbers cannot be handled by machines. No matter how advanced AI becomes, as long as it is based on computers, it will never be able to handle things that are not quantifiable.
The reason Brahmins hold the highest position in the caste system is that they deal with things that cannot be measured in numbers.
This may be just my own view, but—I believe that this is how people ought to be.
King Śuddhodana seated on a throne Roundel 2 ivory tusk
[Cooperation]
Shinichi Kusano
●Japanese
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