A book I’m reading lists 100 Japanese proverbs to “illustrate certain effects of Buddhist teaching upon popular thought and speech.” Many of them are rather abstract and require gigantic footnotes to explain the translation for a foreign audience. But there were also a lot of them that I felt made sense without further explanation and I thought I’d share them with you. And there were a few that really need explaining, but I still really liked them, so I’ve done my best to explain. There ended up being quite a few, so I have divided them up into two posts for easier digesting. These are listed in no particular order.
Meeting is only the beginning of separation.
Hell and Heaven are in the hearts of men.
Heard of only, it is Paradise; seen, it is Hell
Good actions go not outside the gate; bad deeds travel a thousand ri.
The future life is the all-important thing.
Even a worm an inch long has a soul half an inch long.
The body is tortured only be the demons of the heart (or mind).
Even the Buddha was originally but a common man.
Even to become a Buddha one must first become a novice.
The blind man does not fear the snake.
There is no King on the Road of Death.
One confession effaces the sins of even three years.
Only by reason of having died does one enter into life.
All joy is the source of sorrow.
Joy and sorrow exist only in the mind.
Eggplants do not grow upon melon vines.
Even the head of an iwashi, by virtue of faith will have the power to save.
An iwashi is a small sardine like fish. It implies that what you worship matters rather little so long as your prayer is made with perfect faith and pure intentions. It’s all about the power of faith.
Having waxed, wanes.
Think of the moon. Once it has reached its fullest it begins to wane. So also the height of good fortune is also the beginning of fortune’s decline.
It is not easy to be born among men and to meet with the good fortune of hearing the doctrine of Buddhism.
Remember that we are dealing with reincarnation here. It takes many good lives to be blessed with being born as a member of mankind. And according to Buddhism, you are even more privileged if you are among those who are teaching Buddhism. This is because only as humans are we capable of spiritual progress. So no matter how miserable your situation, you should still be thankful that you are a person.
The Six Roads are right before your eyes.
Another to do with reincarnation. Our actions in our current life determine what we will be reincarnated as. So we are really in control of our own destiny and choose where we will be born next by acting appropriately in this life.
That will do it for part one! Please feel free to discuss in the comments, I’m really interested in what people think. Let me know if there is one you find particularly interesting, or if there is one that you don’t understand. I don’t know how familiar everyone is with Buddhism, and so some that I think make sense might make no sense to everyone else. If this happens I’ll do my best to try to explain. Check back later for part two which includes most of my favorites.
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Even to become a Buddha one must first become a novice and the one about the small fish are my favorite of the ones you posted so far. Everyone has to start at the beginning of their journey and you hold on to your faith as you move on that journey.
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