Manitoba Buddhist Temple
39 Tecumseh St. Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
A poet and author of children's
literature in early Showa period Japan. Kenji Miyazawa
(1896-1933) was also known as a devout Buddhist and
social activist.
After Miyazawa's death, a single, black notebook was
found in a pocket of his favourite trunk. This is the
famous "Ame ni mo makezu" notebook. The poem is written
in midst of his repetitious copying of "namu myoho renge
kyo (Lotus Sutra)" which shows his earnest nature and his
reflections on letting go of the desire for pleasure.
When this "Ame ni mo makezu" was written, we can assume
that Kenji probably had a hunch that he was going to die.
With such thoughts lingering in his mind, his earnest
wish in the last line - "the person I strive to become" -
can only strike at our hearts with a deep resonance.
In his later years, he formed the "Rasu Farmers'
Association" in order to live in closer harmony with the
agriculturists he so admired. In Showa 11 (1936) a stone
monument was erected with the opening line, "In the shade
of pine-tree grove in the middle of a field c". Even to
this day, many people visit this site.
The Miyazawa Kenji Memorial
Society Foundation
by Kenji Miyazawa
Unbeaten by rain
Unbeaten by wind
Neither by the snow nor the summer heat
Having a healthy body
Freed from greed
Never getting angry
Always smiling quietly
Having four cups of brown rice a day
With miso and a small amount of vegetables
Doing all things
Without calculating selfish ego
Seeing, asking, and understanding these things well
And not forgetting
In the shadow of the pine forest in the field
Living in a small thatched house
If there is a sick child in the east
Go and take care of him
If there is an exhausted mother in the west
Go and carry a bunch of rice stalks for her
If there is a man near death in the south
Go and tell him not to be afraid
If there is a fight and a court case in the north
Go and persuade them to stop it because it is not worth it
Shedding tears on a scorching day
Walking with worry on a cool summer day
Being called a fool by everyone
Neither to be praised,
Nor to be worried
Such a person
I want to be
Translated by Fujuwara
Sensei, Vancouver Buddhist Temple
Source: Rev. Fujikawa, Vancouver
April 15, 2000