Why are Japanese Buddhist sutras listed in kanji, and they didn't create something like a separate handbook on how to live for believers to be easy to understand?
I can only think that it exists only for monks to recite sutras.
It's hard to understand with sutras, so old monks devised methods that were easy to understand, such as Namu Amida Buddha, Namu Myōhō Renge Kyo, and zazen.
It's hard to understand in sutras, so I'm explaining Buddhism in the form of puja, etc., and in the form of hasunoha here.
It's a list of kanji, but it's a kanji...
Even if the kanji are arranged in one line, the meaning is deep, and various developments take place. (Therefore, depending on the translator, the interpretation will be different)
Teaching terms must first begin by understanding the meaning of kanji. A huge amount of time is spent on this.
However, our work explains how to translate that intention in a modern way and convey the meaning of the song in line with the times, and the answers consulted by Hasunha also explain the truth in an easy-to-understand manner according to that person.
Even in this form, the teaching will continue to be conveyed.
It's definitely not just for monks to recite sutras.
Tomoyasama
Certainly, in the sutras that have been handed down, it is difficult to understand those that only apply the Chinese sound of Sanskrit, and those that have been translated into Chinese from Sanskrit, etc., and even if you read those Japanese translations, you may not be sure.
However, originally, the teachings directly handed down by Shakyamuni were not expressed as they were, and the disciples compiled the teachings as “I heard this way” some time after Shakyamuni's fall, and it became a sutra.
Therefore, there is a possibility that the way meaning was captured by each disciple is also included, or there are also things that are explained to each individual's hesitation and suffering as counterfactual theories and convenience, and furthermore, there is also a possibility that the translator's way of capturing the meaning, arbitrary elements, etc. are included in that translation, so it is more difficult to know what true direct transmission is.
Of course, there are also basic doctrines of Buddhism that can be extracted as the greatest common denominator from among them.
Among them, the Four Holy Declarations and the Four Dharma Seals are, first and foremost, the essentials of Buddhism.
Therefore, if you first learn the basic teachings that underlie all the sutras, there are places where you can understand the positioning and convenient contents of each sutra.
Also, there are things that deal with the interpretation of the sutras, such as the Kaisen Sutra, etc., and in particular, Buddha preached the teachings three times as the “three-turn Dharma ring,” and there is also a method for understanding the sutras by roughly classifying them into those three (basic teachings of Buddhism/empty teachings such as the Heart Sutra, etc.) and teaching about spirituality and Buddhism.
Please use it as a reference.
Kawaguchi Hidetoshi Gassho
Tomoyasama
Nice to meet you. In my denomination, there is a sutra called Shushengi, and this is not in Chinese.
For reference...
Soto sect Kinki district indoctrination center
https://www.soto-kinki.net/sp/okyo/list_shushogi.php
A guide to how to live... the sutras are exactly like that... I think it's probably our monks' lack of strength and effort in how to communicate.
Thanks for pointing that out. I must work hard too. Gassho
The reason why the Chinese translation sutras are read with the Chinese pronunciation at the time is that the kanji sutras are in the process of being established. At the time of the Chinese translation, it seems that they did not translate it directly into Chinese at the time, but read it aloud so that the rhythm was adjusted. I don't use it in my denomination, but I love the rhythms of the Heart Sutra and the Kannon Sutra. The reason the “Heart Sutra” became the most popular is because it is short and has a good rhythm. There are short sutras such as “Shari Rebun,” but the reason they are more popular than that is because they have a good rhythm. Also, Japanese sutras are also used by this denomination. They chant “One Piece Request Letter,” “One Paper Small Message,” and “Kun Read the Application” between the Chinese sutras. Also, there are chants such as hymns and praises. Also, as is the case here, it is our mission as monks to pass on teachings through puja. If I deny the Chinese scriptures, should I read the sutras in Sanskrit or Pali?