Kako je bog poti poslušal meniha Dōmyōja pri branju suter

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Kako je bog poti poslušal meniha Dōmyōja pri branju suter

Long ago there was a monk called the Ācārya Dōmyō, a son of the Tutor (Lord Michitsuna, himself a son of the Hōshin-in Regent), who was much given to amorous pursuits. He was a lover of Izumi Shikibu, and he recited the sutras beautifully. One night, when he had gone to Izumi Shikibu’s house and lain with her, he awoke and began reciting a sutra with a tranquil, concentrated mind. He had finished all eight scrolls and was about to doze off as dawn approached when he sensed someone nearby. “Who is there?” he asked. “I am an old man who dwells near Gojō and Nishinotōin,” came the reply. “What brings you here?” Dōmyō asked. “For life after life, through all my rebirths, I shall never forget hearing your recitation of the sutra tonight.” “But I recite the Lotus Sutra all the time,” said Dōmyō. “Why do you speak of tonight in particular?” The old man of Gojō replied, “When you recite in a state of purity, Brahmā and Indra and the other deities come to listen, so the likes of this old man cannot approach near enough to hear. Tonight, however, you recited without first bathing to purify yourself, and neither Brahmā nor Indra came to listen. In their absence, I was able to draw near and hear you. That is what I shall never forget.” Thus, even when reciting only briefly, one should do so in a state of purity. Did not the venerable Eshin himself admonish us, “In invoking the Buddha’s name and reciting the sutras, do not transgress the rules governing the four postures”?