英語で仏教の第９回。今回のテーマは「縁起」です。

一般的には「縁起がいい・悪い」という文脈で使われることが多い言葉ですが、もともと吉凶を表す言葉だったのでしょうか？

仏教において最重要ワードとも言える「縁起」を、日本語と英語で少し味わってみたいと思います。

⚫︎チャプター①

Does the word “origin” (engi) come from Buddhism?

The answer is Yes. The word engi is a shortened form, using the second and fourth characters, of the four-character expression in-nen-sho-ki.

The four character phrase means that everything has a cause and condition. ”Cause”(in) are the factors which directly bring about a result, and “condition”(en) refers to factors which complement the direct factors. The example of a flower is often used to explain this.

⚫︎チャプター②

A flower blooms because seeds are planted and shoots come forth. Therefore, the seed is the direct cause (in) for the blooming of the flower.

However, flowers will not grow simply from seeds. They must be given water and sunshine. In this instance, water and sunlight are indirect factors causing the flower to bloom, and are, in other words,”conditions”(en).

⚫︎チャプター③

In the same way that a flower is made to bloom as a result of the”cause” of the seed and the “condition” of the water and sunshine, all existences including ourselves are not realized independently, but rather are materialized as a result of various cause and conditions.

⚫︎チャプター④

Hence all phenomena are manifested as a result of the mutual relationship of innumerable cause and conditions. Engi refers to the fact that when those causes and conditions change, the phenomena too will change. Therefore, this is connected to “impermanence”(all things arise, change, and are extinguished) and “no self”(no existence is absolute and immutable).