The Buddha Tree
All ye who would not delay
But long for assurance now
Praise Amida's holy name
With humble and reverent heart
Mineyo, the Buddhist priest's mother-in-law, has recited the Shoshinge and the five morning hymns every day for thirty years. She's never missed a service, is pleased with the way she intones the words, knows them more or less by heart, and recites them even when alone. And yet, Fumio Niwa writes, "in thirty years she had never dreamt of trying to apply them to herself".
'The Buddha Tree', written as 'Bodaiju' in 1956 and translated into English ten years later, still shocks even now. Mineyo isn't just the priest's mother-in-law, she's also his lover, and the novel opens as she plots to banish her daughter from the temple, all the better to exert her complete control. The brother of the late priest, treated like a servant, has already been forced to sleep in the cemetery.
Niwa based the book on his own experiences. Just like young Ryokun in the novel, Niwa grew up destined to become a priest, and his mother, just like Renko, also left her husband to live with an actor. So the hidden scandals, as well as the daily life of the priest and worshipers, are all based on Niwa's childhood and provide an intimate and fascinating glimpse into temple life.
Niwa left Buddhism as a young man but had returned by the time he wrote this novel. He later wrote biographies of Shinran and Renyo, and The Buddha Tree is full of fascinating discussions on Pure Land thought. Early on, for example, there is a passage on why sutras are chanted at funeral services. Is it to benefit the deceased? Or as an expression of gratitude to Amida Buddha?
Niwa develops these discussions through the character of Tachi, a factory worker and communist, who comes to the priest, Soshu, to borrow books and debate. Soshu, an educated, thoughtful, and sensitive man, prepares by recalling that "all men have within them both a Buddha-nature, and that which is its enemy - the arrogant human intellect". But the debate is friendly and fruitful and we get a sense that this is Niwa clearing up his own doubts.
The theme is developed later when Soshu is reciting the Godensho to a full congregation on St Shinran's commemoration day, the most important event of the year in a Jodo Shinshu temple. Niwa describes the ornaments and lamps, the scrolls depicting Shinran's life, the robes, the intonation of the reading, the inkblock characters, the candles, the various people in the hall and their thoughts. And then he quotes one small section:
"...must we not admit this glorious truth? If a man say that the mastery of knowledge is equal in efficacy to the gift of grace, he is far astray. When once we have learned the true principle of faith in Paradise, all human striving falls away. St Honen and St Shinran were alike in this, that they achieved faith only through the grace of Amida..."
Completely unhurried, the novel moves on. In the congregation listening to the priest's voice, afraid to open her eyes, is Tomoko Komiyama, a young widow with a small daughter and no means of support. I won't say what the connection is between her and the priest, I don't want to spoil the book's surprises, it's enough just to say that this is a great read.
Niwa, partly through allowing himself time for relaxed diversions, presents each character so fully that we really get to know them. Ryokun and his friend floating for miles on a swollen river, for example, letting the water sweep them along over submerged fields and escaping just before getting swept to sea, is a delight.
But at the heart of this book is Soshu and his struggle with his illicit relationship, the guilt he feels, and his despair at finding a way out. He cycles through the town, reciting the Gutoku Hitan Jukkai: "Outwardly, what man is there may not appear pious and steadfast? Within, he is the slave of evil passions, a creature of deceit and cunning. How can I rid myself of my sinful nature?"
The town is changing, there is a new road that roars with traffic, a senior member of the congregation is engaged in land-deals involving the cemetery and threatens to leave if he doesn't get his way. The priest, on his bicycle, looks like something from a past era, but his struggles are timeless: "If I put not my trust in Amida, I am lost for ever, sin's slave irredeemable!"
Meetings are arranged by townsfolk and farmers who have been coming to the temple for generations, to force a decision. They know what has been going on and want things settled. After the priest's wife leaves, they suggest a new marriage and imply they can remove Mineyo. The pressure builds and finally Soshu is forced to act. The resolution of his spiritual crises being the key.
"It was nearly time for the evening service; the old priest was waiting in the hall. Soshu fetched his robe and stole and went across to the temple, as he had done on so many hundred evenings before - but wondering bitterly now, each step driving the question deeper home, how many more times he would walk the familiar connecting corridor."
A gripping story with beautiful descriptions of post-war Japanese life, considered thoughts on Pure Land Buddhism, and a detailed sympathetic exploration of one man's struggle with his faith and mistakes, this is a rich and magnificent book. As a novel, as a Buddhist text, as a snapshot of Japan, and for the sheer loveliness of the writing, Fumio Niwa's The Buddha Tree is a masterpiece.
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Photo: Shibamata Taishakuten - by Ikumi
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