A Guide to the - Rissho Kosei-kai

ways. Whatever anyone said, he would not give up his immoral life, so his friends and relativeswent to Ryokan, who was at the hermitage Gogo‐an on a nearby mountain. They persuadedhim to return to his home village to talk to Umanosuke and try to straighten him out. Ryokanwent back home for three days, but in all that time he uttered not a word of rebuke toUmanosuke. As he prepared for the return journey and started to put on his sandals, hecouldn't seem to tie them properly. He turned to Umanosuke and asked him to tie the thongsfor him. Relieved that Ryokan had said nothing at all during his visit, Umanosuke kneeled downand tied the thongs. But as he was doing this, a teardrop fell on his hand. Startled, he looked upand saw tears running down Ryokan's face. Umanosuke completely gave up his old ways thatvery day.Deep inside, however wayward a person might be, he or she is endowed with the buddhanature(the potential for buddhahood). In this case, Umanosuke was awakened to his buddhanatureby Ryokan's tears of great compassion. From within his dissolute and unruly transientself, his true self rose to the surface. Ryokan was known to appreciate an old poem that asked ifone could see into someone's heart by looking them in the eye. Someone whose face shows notrace of sorrow may yet be full of grief. Ryokan undoubtedly saw Umanosuke's grief in his eyes.That was why he prepared to return without a word of rebuke. I think it was when Ryokan feltUmanosuke's troubles as his own that he began to weep.People may differ about the right way to live, but might we not agree that it amounts to themanifestation of the seeing self? There are many ways of becoming aware of the seeing self,but I believe that in the end they are all found in our relationships with people.Let your "seeing self" watch over what you say and do, and you will know what is the right thingto do.18