The Story of the Beginning 30: Goal

Evening came, and Tatsukichi entered from the kitchen area, saying, "Master Ichiyo, welcome home."

His sun-tanned skin looked as if it would transmit heat if touched,
and his head was a white-gray color like the rocky cliffs of Tatsuya.

Tatsukichi also looked at his round, shaven head,
and with tears in his eyes, said, "Welcome back, I am so glad you returned safely."

When asked how things were during his absence, he replied,
It has been the same.
Many people are coming from the provinces after giving up their farmland,
and many are leaving the capital because they are on the verge of death.
Merchants only care about their own profit,
and thieves break in to target that profit.
It is a repeating cycle, but thanks to the support of Lord Saneyori,
I have been helping those who come to the well for water,
and although it is only a small amount,
I have been distributing rice mixed with other grains.

Oh, I have been telling them that you kindly built the well for us,
and that it is a grateful offering from Master Issui, and by extension, from the Buddha.

So Tatsukichi added.

The well was dug by everyone, and the food was provided through support;
it is all thanks to everyone's hard work
and everyone's compassionate heart of the Buddha.
He reflected on how he himself had been helped until now.

Alright, I will go to the market starting tomorrow.

Before that, Tatsukichi, I want to salt these plums.
Please help me, he said.

For the first year's plums, he prepared three jars.
This was to change the amount of salt little by little.
Kyoto has higher temperature and humidity than the eastern provinces.
It is even more so because it is in a basin.
The air does not circulate easily, and when many people die, the air becomes stagnant.
He hoped it would be effective against epidemics,
and while praying for the success of the plums, he returned the jars under the tatami.

September 29, the 8th year of Encho.
About a month after returning to Kyoto,
news of the passing of Emperor Daigo reached the dojo.
The official waited for him to prepare, saying they would go together for the memorial service.
He put on his priestly robes and prepared the gong and striker he had received.
Come, he beckoned the snake with his staff.
Please wish for the Pure Land with me.
Besides, the Retired Emperor must be heartbroken to have outlived his child.

Although, it was the Retired Emperor who had abdicated the throne to that child early on and became a monk.
Emperor Daigo, who became emperor at a young age, must have had his anxieties.
The fact that he carried out the exile of Lord Michizane to Dazaifu due to slander from those around him also left a scar on their parent-child relationship.
Everything just exists, it has passed, and there is no forgiving or not forgiving.
The faded priestly robes he had received when he became a monk;
even so, he had kept them well-maintained.

Sorry to have kept you waiting, he said, and headed off with the official to the place where Saneyori was waiting in the palace.
He had not seen him once since returning from the eastern provinces.
Although he was happy to see him after such a long time, Saneyori welcomed him with a suppressed expression due to the passing of the Emperor.

The disturbances in the heavens continued as usual, and after the lightning strike in April, he had completely lost his energy and was often bedridden.
He had expected it to some extent, but recently his condition had worsened, and he was busy dealing with it.
Naturally, with the reigning Emperor passing away at a young age, the anxiety toward the Imperial Court must be severe.
Dealing with the aftermath after the next Emperor, Suzaku, ascends the throne is chaotic.

He spoke in a low voice, and they were shown into the main hall.
In the front, the figure of Retired Emperor Uda could also be seen.
Mixed in with the monks who had been accumulating training on Mount Hiei, Mount Koya, and other mountains, he chanted the sutras with all his heart, even though he was in the last row.
He experienced a mysterious sense of unity, as if the different voices were blending together and rising to the heavens in a great swell.
It was a memorial service for the life of a single living human being called the Emperor.

Could we not chant such sutras for all sentient beings as well?
No, it is not just for sentient beings.
Regardless of high or low, sacred or secular, it does not matter.
I want to experience the merit of everyone lightening their thoughts and ascending to the heavens.

It was the moment he saw concretely what he should do as a Buddhist monk.

I borrowed photos from the gallery regarding the plum story the other day.
To the creator.

I have borrowed this photo for this post as well.
They are a very wonderful noter.

Thank you for sharing such a lovely image.