michael lambe's scrapbook

That’s it. My last class of the year is over and for the next couple of weeks at least I am more or less free. I still have the Saturday morning job at the clinic of course, but that’s far too much fun to be actually considered work. Anyway, now that my teaching year is up, I have plenty of time to look back and reflect on how things went. Not a bad year really. Not bad at all. I was blessed with lots of nice students to teach and I actually enjoyed myself a lot in my classes this year. I think I have a lot to be grateful for. Speaking of which… this is written on the signboard at the front of my school this month:

And this was written at the back entrance:

Together they form a waka style poem by the founder of the Jodo Shinshu Buddhist sect, Shinran. The title is 恩徳讃 (ondokusan) or “Thanks and Praise”.

如来大悲の恩徳は
nyourai daihi no ondokuha
身を粉にしても　報ずべし
mi wo ko ni shite mo hou zubeshi
師主知識の恩徳も
shishu chishiki no ondoku mo
骨を砕きても
hone wo kudakite mo
謝すべし
sha subeshi

Many of the words and phrases in this poem aren’t even in my dictionary so I asked Koike sensei to help me.

如来 (Nyorai) is the name of the Amida Buddha or Buddha of Infinite Light, and 大悲 (daihi) is the boundless compassion he feels for all sentient beings. 報ずべし (houzubeshi) means we are duty bound to repay this kindness with gratitude. Now the two lines 身を粉にしても and 骨を砕きても are a poetic rearrangement of the common idiom: 粉骨砕身 (funkotsusaishin) literally one’s flesh and bones are smashed to powder... but which actually means to make one’s best exertions. Finally, 師主知識 (shishu chishiki) refers to the knowledge of a teacher or Buddhist master for which we must 謝する (shasuru) or express our gratitude. However, Koike was at pains to point out that it is not the teacher but the knowledge that is important, and that in this respect anyone who leads us onto the right path in life can be considered a Buddhist master. Here’s my rough attempt at a translation:

We should give our all to repay
The Buddha’s boundless compassion.
We should do our best to give thanks
For the teachings that save us.

Shinran wrote this in his later years when he was looking back on his life and reflecting on all that he had to be grateful for. Now, at the end of the year it is timely for us to reflect on the same. What are you grateful for this year? And who was your best teacher?