佐賀　伊万里　英語塾　TOEIC 英検　通訳ガイド　大学高校受験　ホームページ作成　イケダオフィス　

Hanamizuki

Needless to say, you know what love is. But I ask you what love is indeed. Love has a wide range of meanings. The definition of love completely depends on people and situations. For instance, some female insects take the lives of their mates. After mating, females eat their mates to lay their eggs. Some birds bring food to their offspring to nurture them at the expense of their own lives. These amazing activities are driven by instinct: nature’s way of ensuring the preservation of species. Hmmm… Is this a kind of love? Humans have this kind of instinct just as animals do. But the implications of human love must be far more complex, sophisticated and profound.　

An incredibly beautiful song “Hanamizuki “sung by Hitoto-Yo, a half-Japanese half-Taiwanese female singer, surely illustrates one aspect of human love. The word “Hanamizuki” is “dogwood” in English and its syllables can be written as “a flower looking upon the moon” or “flower water tree” in Chinese characters. These words would make for some beautiful lyrics, wouldn’t they? This song sounds like a movie portraying platonic love. Even though I’m not sure of the background of this song, I can vividly picture some beautiful scenery from this song thanks to its delicate words, phrases and melody (all of which appeal to Asian sensibilities). Now, let me translate selected parts of the lyrics of this song. (I will interpret some parts in my own ways. Please forgive me if my interpretations differ from yours.)

“Please come here. I‘ll give you a Hanamizuki bud that appeared in my yard.
I’d pray that your endless slight pinkish desire will stop someday.
I’d pray that you and the one you love would live happily together for 100 years.
My heart toward you is too heavy to board the same boat with you.
Please go ahead, please.
My self-restraint will someday bear fruit, which will lead to the end of the endless waves of your desire.
When you become a mother, send me a Hanamizuki leaf.
You don’t need to wait for me.
You don’t need to know (my hidden) love.
I’d pray that your endless desire will stop some day.
I’d pray that you and the one you loved would live happily together for 100 years.”

How do you feel about this? Well, does it sound too naive? Maybe … but I strongly feel that love is pure. This makes me think of how love is viewed in Buddhism; especially the concept of ”MU” which literally means “nothing”. Of course the concept of “MU” can be interpreted in various ways from person to person. The other day, I read a book written by Jakuchou Setouchi, a famous Buddhist nun in Japan. She said, according to Buddha, our lives force us to face an indefinite number of hardships arising from hunger, diseases, disputes, inequalities and a desire for love. Life is a process of trials and tribulations including death.

Therefore, life is meaningful. life is worth living because of love. The meaning of life lies in no other mind but your own mind. This is a path leading to ”MU” including no greed, no desire, no ego, no jealousy, etc. I.e., you are just living for others. You might think that’s great, but it is easier said than done! In addition, it sounds quite challenging without painstaking practice to reach this stage. She said that you must either have been or are involved in love-related complexities such as jealousy, expectations of recognition and rewards for your love, psychological games, politics, etc…That’s like demanding the love of a child which is unconditional. Children need to be loved by their parents, particularly during their stage of emotional development. Even after entering adulthood, your desire for love may never cease. You might feel that no one has ever given as much love as you have….you become greedy for love. You become convinced that you are the most loving person in the world, but the love you are giving is only love for yourself. Jakuchou Setouchi said, instead of expecting recognition and rewards for your contributions, you should appreciate the person who gave you a chance to do something good. When you develop this kind of mindset you can be completely satisfied when others are happy regardless of your own concerns or interests. At these moments you can be free from your struggles with such love complexities. Yes, love makes you grow indeed. “MU” is not just limited to love relationships between men and women. The concept applies to all the relationships between people and nature. What do you think of Jakuchou Setouchi’s ideas?

Well, I heard that books related to Hanya-Shinkyo, the teachings of Buddha, have been selling well lately in Japan Why? Many people might feel the healing power of love when they discover its meaning. Well it’s shame that I have inadequate information and knowledge about Buddhism even though I ‘m a Buddhist. Thus, I ‘m going to do more in-depth research on the teachings of Buddha…Have you ever seen a true “Hanamizuki”?