Once upon a time, there was a monk named Ichiei who was a practitioner of sutra chanting. Since his youth, he had devoted himself to the Lotus Sutra, reciting it day and night for many years.
One day, Ichiei set out on a pilgrimage to Kumano with great devotion. On his way, he spent a night in a place called Mount Shishise. As night fell, he heard a faint voice chanting the Lotus Sutra. The sound was so divine and noble that it was beyond comparison. Ichiei listened intently throughout the night, wondering, “Could there be another pilgrｒim like myself staying nearby?” As dawn broke, the voice ceased just as the entire sutra had been completed.
When it was fully light, Ichiei searched the surrounding area, but he could find no sign of any other person. Instead, he found only a corpse. Looking closer, he saw that while the bones were still connected in a single frame, they were covered in moss, appearing as though they had been there for many years. Strangely, when he looked at the skull, the tongue alone remained uncorrupted, staying as vivid and fresh as that of a living person.
Witnessing this, Ichiei was struck by wonder. “It must have been this corpse that was reciting the Lotus Sutra last night,” he thought. Moved by pity and reverence, he wondered what kind of person could have died there and continued to chant even after death. He wept and bowed in prayer, staying another night in the same spot, hoping to hear the voice again.
That night, the corpse recited the Lotus Sutra once more, just as it had before. After daybreak, Ichiei approached the body and prayed, saying, “There must be a profound reason why you continue to chant the Lotus Sutra even as a corpse. I wish to know your story. Please, show me a sign.” He remained there that evening as well, waiting for an answer.
In his dream that night, a monk appeared and said:
“I was a monk who lived in the East Tower of Mount Hiei . My name is Enzen. I was practicing the Buddhist path, but I died unexpectedly when I came to this place. During my life, I had made a vow to recite the Lotus Sutra sixty thousand times. I had completed half of my vow, but since I died before finishing the rest, I remained here to fulfill it. I have now almost finished, and only a little remains. I shall stay here for the rest of this year, after which I hope to be reborn in the Inner Court of Tushita Heaven to have an audience with the Honorable Maitreya (Miroku Bosatsu).”
Ichiei woke from his dream and, after bowing to the corpse, continued his journey to Kumano.
Later that year, on his return from Kumano, Ichiei revisited the same spot, but the corpse was gone. He stayed the night, but no voice was heard. Ichiei realized that, as the monk had said in the dream, he must have been reborn in Tushita Heaven. Weeping, he bowed to the site where the corpse had been and returned home.
It is said that after Ichiei shared this story widely, it has been passed down through the generations.
Statue of Maitreya Bodhisattva — Takatoriyama Cliff Buddha, Yokosuka
[Translation]
Kaori Sekijitsu / Siro Inuzuka
This text was created by using chatGPT and Gemini 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.
[Commentary]
Kaori Sekijitsu / Siro Inuzuka
Mount Shishise (Shishise-yama): Refers to the Shigase Pass, located on the border between Hidaka and Arida districts in Wakayama Prefecture. It was known as one of the most difficult points on the Kumano pilgrimage route
Enzen: A Tendai monk of the Heian period. He vowed to recite the Lotus Sutra 60,000 times but died in the mountains of Kii Province during his pilgrimage.
Maitreya (Miroku Bosatsu): Known as the Future Buddha, who is destined to succeed Shakyamuni Buddha. He currently resides in Tushita Heaven, waiting to appear on Earth to save all beings.
[Cooperation]
Shinichi Kusano / Itsuchi
●Japanese
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