Opatovo srečanje z nesmrtnikom

Besedilo

Opatovo srečanje z nesmrtnikom

Long ago, an abbot known as Bishop Jōkan lived at Senju-in in the Western Pagoda precinct of Mount Hiei. For many years it had been his practice to chant the Sonshō Dhāraṇī from late at night until dawn, and all who heard him were filled with reverence. Once, an immortal named Yōshō was flying through the sky above his dwelling when he heard the chant. He descended and perched on the top rail of the veranda. Surprised, the bishop asked who he was. In a voice as faint as a mosquito’s, he replied, “I am the immortal Yōshō. I was passing through the sky, but when I heard you chanting the Sonshō Dhāraṇī, I came to call.” The bishop opened the door and invited him in, and he flew inside and seated himself before him. They spoke of years gone by. At last Yōshō said, “Now I must take my leave,” and made to rise, but the human presence weighed upon him, and he could not take flight. “Please bring the smoke of the incense burner closer,” he said. The bishop drew the censer toward him, and, riding its smoke, Yōshō rose into the sky. For years afterward, the bishop would hold up the censer and send its smoke aloft. This immortal had once been a monk in his service, who had undertaken ascetic practice and then vanished. For years the bishop had wondered what had become of him. Now that he had returned in this way, the bishop was so deeply moved that he would often weep.