The Old Man (Okina) and the Old Woman (Ouna)
Today's recommended book is “Preaching to the Buddha” (Shinchosha 066) by Sokyu Genyu. From it, I share: “The astringency of the persimmon, is it not its own sweetness?”.
In this book, there was a passage that resonated with me titled “The Old Man (Okina) and the Old Woman (Ouna)”.
There are various ways to perceive the time we call life. Is the general view that we are born, gradually become proper human beings, grow continuously, and eventually decline and die?
However, there is a theory that brain function is most developed at birth. If that is the case, it would mean we are born as perfect human beings, but for the sake of living in this world, we allow our brain functions to decline, and in the end, we return to a perfect state before departing.
Both are extreme, but the former is perhaps Western, while the latter is Eastern. In other words, it is the difference between finding value in clarity (Logos) or finding value in chaos.
It seems certain that as humans pass a certain age, they become weaker with theories and numbers as they grow older. Moreover, modern Japan places an extraordinary amount of importance on such theories and numbers. Therefore, it is a system that forces those approaching old age to feel their own gradual decline whether they like it or not.
However, that is more of an influence from ideas imported from the West. Japan has had the concept of “Okina” (the old man) since ancient times. Of course, the same applies to the female “Ouna” (the old woman), and they can be seen as admirable human figures.
And isn't that image one of rich, harmonious emotions and gentleness? It is a state where the prickliness and biased, intense emotions of youth have become rounded and smoothed out, as if exposed to the elements.
In Zen, this is also admired, for example, by saying “The pine is old, the clouds are tranquil.” There is also the term “Kankosui” (dull awl), which refers to admiring an old awl with a rounded tip.
In any case, it expresses a tranquil and tasteful human relationship that does not needlessly hurt others, or the composure to view the movements of one's own emotions like clouds.
There is an analysis that even if one becomes weaker with theories and numbers, a human's comprehensive judgment continues to rise until death. The comprehensive judgment here is likely what we usually call “intuition.” It is not the biased intuition of adolescence that could split the self, but a more comprehensive, deep intuition.
I remember being extremely happy when I encountered such an idea. I felt as though I had found a basis for showing sincere respect to the elderly. Of course, one can show formal respect for Confucian reasons, such as because they are older.
One can naturally praise their past time and work for their value at that time. But rather than that, I want to admire who they are now. I felt I had been given the basis for that. How we feel is important, but what is more important is the self-awareness of the Okina and Ouna themselves.
Isn't it precisely because they have the self-awareness that they are comprehensively rising that their present begins to shine so brilliantly?
◆“Intuition is generally thought of as something unscientific and vague, but intuition born from repeated training possesses an accuracy and precision that even science cannot reach.” (Path to Success / Konosuke Matsushita )
Not only Mr. Konosuke Matsushita, but also great business leaders like Mr. Masaru Ibuka of Sony and Mr. Nobutada Saji of Suntory were all uniformly sharp in their intuition. There are two types of intuition. One is the mere guesswork of someone who has not studied. The other is deep intuition backed by experience and study.
As we grow older, I want to aim to be an old man or an old woman whose character is polished, whose rough edges are smoothed away, and yet whose intuition remains sharp.
Today's blog is here →Lighting a lamp in people's hearts