Thoughts on Moksa Esho Yamaguchi Moksa (emancipation) is used according to the Indian philosophic term (in Pali: mokkha), connoting the contemporary conception of "emancipation of man". As is known, moksa, as denoted in Indian philosophy, influenced the his- tory of thoughts of Japan through Buddhism. In the Buddhist sutras, moksa is manifested as emancipation (解 脱Gedatsu); it corresponds to nirvapa (浬 Nehan). Its central thought played a leading role for many hundreds of years in the development of the history of Japanese thoughts. However, the situation is different in contemporary thoughts. In contemporary thou- ghts,it appears that for the purpose of human emancipation, a campaign for reform of the social structure is emphasized; to destroy the social structure built by historical religions. The emancipation and nirvana mentioned in Buddhism is thought to be irrelevant. A qnestion arises whether or not the moksa of Buddhism can positively contribute to the emancipation of man. But leaving this problem aside, moksa occupied a central position not only in Buddhism, but in the various thoughts of Indian philosophy, and played a prominent role in the development of Indian thought. This serves as a prognostication of the future characteristic of Indian thoughts. How- ever, this does not mean that moksa is peculiar to Indian philosophy without any universality. Rather, standing on a universal dimension, it widely eman- cipates all living things; therefore it attempts to emancipate all human beings. According to the arya-satya of Buddhism the catuh-satya CSI Shi-tai), the fundamental truth that we know, has a double causa and effect rela- tionship, and is systematically organized. The double cause and effect rela- tionship is the karmic relations which manifests the actual existence of -1008- Thoughts on Moksa' (E. Yamaguchi) (24) the 'duhkha of all sentient beings and the karmic relations to manifest the idealistic existence of the nirodha of duhkha, i. e., the eradication of suffer- ing. These two types of cause and effect, originally was formed by the wis- dom of the Buddha's enlightenment, and the purpose was "to change illu- sion into enlightenment" (転 迷 開 悟Tenmei-kaigo); it shows the actual exis. tence of the suffering of sentient beings and the idealistic existence of the nirodha of duhkha. Simultaneously, there is manifested the way for sentient beings in the actual existence of duhkha to attain an idealistic existence which is the nirodha of duhkha; clearly, the purpose is for the moksa of sentient beings. In this case, the moksa of sentient beings is to clarify the path of the nirodha of duhkha, and would be realized by its practice, but the precondition is the poignant pranidhana of eternal emancipation of one's self from dnhkha and the cause of duhkha. If there is no pranidhana of this type, it would not be possible to arrive at the idealistic existence of the nirodha of duhkha by manifesting duhkha with the cause of duhkha, and the nirodha of duhkha with the path of the nirodha of duhkha. The important thing is the pranidhana of the nirodha of duhkha of sen- tient beings; i. e., the pranidhana of moksa of sentient beings; and this pranidhana upholds the teachings of the fundamental truth (arya-satya, the four noble truths). The tradition of the arya-satya becomes for the first time, the non-diminishing light (the ultimate teacher) for sentient beings by this pranidhana. In this case, the pranidhana of sentient beings is literally the pranidhana of sentient beings and the arya-satya- -the nirodha of duhkha of sentient beings; i. e., because it is the pranidhana of moksa, it originates from the enli- ghtened wisdom of the Buddha. The nirodha of duhkha of sentient beings; i.e., with the purpose of moksa, the purpose of the wisdom of the Buddha is activated. The Buddha will not cease until all sentient beings attain the nirodha of duhkha, and the Buddha will not rest until all sentient beings complete moksa, so there is a selfless (egoless) mendicancy. And the tea- chings of the dharma, arya-satya has been unfolded, so the pranidhana of -1007- (25) Thoughts on 'Moksa' (E. Yamaguchi) sentient beings ultimately relies on the purpose of the wisdom of the Bud- dha's enlightenment; i.e., it relies on the prapidhana-citta, (発 願 心) of the pranidhana of the moksa of sentient beings. Let us say, arbitrarily that the pranidhana of sentient beings is concerned with a single nirodha of duhkha of sentient beings. In the case of a single nirodha of duhkha of sentient beings, if the pranidhana of sentient beings listen to the teachings of arya-satya and is illuminated by arya-satya, the pranidana of sentient beings is embraced by the heart of pranidhana requiem of the Buddha. Then, all the nirodha of duhkha of sentient beings are ques- tioned of the pranidhana, criticized, and are placed in position. And yet, a singular nirodha of duhkha of senient beings always becomes respectively separate by the different nature of a singular duhkha of sentient beings-, and deviating from pranidhana, by the standpoint of the sentient being him- self, he is able to do it autocephalously. The duhkha of sentient beings. are in common conceptively on the points of birth, old age, sickness, death, separation from loved ones, contact with resentful and hateful ones, unfulfil- led desires, and skandha, etc., but usually by the individuality of each sentient being respectively, it becomes an event of individual counseling, and coun- seling of personal affairs. Though special cases, generally, we deviate from arya-satya, and seek an independent solution. However, if the single duhkha of a sentient being is the same as the duhkha of all sentient beings, the nirodha of duhkha must be devised to match the nirodha of duhkha of all sentient beings. It is indisputably sug- gested in the deeds of Gautama Sakyamuni; i. e., the fact of experiencingg the incident of leaving through four gates, before becoming a priest, and the process of: entering the' priesthood, searching for the dharma. and enlightenment, after becoming a priest. The motive of Gautama Sakyamuni'sa becoming a priest, 'as is well-known, after seeing birth, old age, illness, and death, was to loose the duhkha of all living things; and of all sentient beings. This shows that the motive of Sakyamuni's taking the tonsure iss not a problem of duhkha of Sakyamuni as an individual, but the standpoint of Sakyamuni's tonsure transcends Sakyamuni as an individual before his -1006- Thoughts on Moksa' (E. Yamaguchi) (26) tonsure. To rephrase it, the moksa of duhkha of all sentint beings is not from the standpoint limited to the laymen, but transcends the standpoint qof an individual; this is the standpoint of a priest who ponders on the prob - lem of duhkha of all sentient beings. The purpose of tonsure of Sakyamuni -was to determine such contents of priesthood. Therefore, the practice and :search for the dharma after the tonsure of Sakyamuni as a sramana (samana) is a process transcending Sakyamuni as an individual before taking the tonsure; and it can be said that the enlightenment of Sakyamuni manifests the objective to loose the duhkha of all sentient beings. The purpose of Sakyamuni's undergoing tonsure, search for the dharma, and enlightenmenment becomes all the more clearer when compared to the dharma of asrama. Asramal) partitions the entire life of a human be- ing into four periods; brahmacaryn, grhastha, vanaprastha, and samnyasin, . and resolves to find the meaning of studies and practices, but on the point of largely dividing life into the early and latter part, its characteristic is manifested. The first half of one's life is a period when one matures-into an adult and positively participates in the productivity of society. Studies and practices find their purposes in the mortification of brahmacarya, and the grhastha as presiding priest. Then, in the latter half of one's life, one retires from the active partipation of society and vows for a super-social universal value; i. e., the reality of an eternal life ; in a word, one engages in a new study and practice. This significance is manifested in the cogita- tion and search for the dharma in vanaprastha, and the mendicancy and =evangelizing in samnyasin. In this case, in contrast to manifesting a standpoint of restriction to a layman; i. e., a personal life of a sentient being restricted to his home and family in the first half of his life, if one regards that the latter half manifests a standpoint of surmounting these circumscriptions and takes the tonsure, it is found that the tonsure of Sakyamuni would correspond to the 1) 1st, Brahmacarin, student of the Veda'; 2nd, grhastha, householder'; 3rd, vanaprastha, "anchorite'; 4th, samnyasin, abandoner of all worldly concerns. (Cf. Monier-Williams, Skt-Eng. Dic., p. 158.) -1005- 27) Thoughts on Moksa' (E. Yamaguchi) dharma of asrama. By corresponding to the dharma of asrama, Sakyamuni digressed from the dharma of a layman, and predilicted the way of a priest. Sakyamuni chose the way of the priesthood because as long as he lived by the dharma of the laity, he could not solve the problem of duhkha con- fronting all sentient beings, so already at this time, there was the determi- nation of pranidhana of "eradicating duhkha and attaining happiness" ; to loose the duhkha of all sentient beings. Moreover, this pranidhana according to the former Muni, was in indomitable exertion-state2>. It is clear that this means that Sakyamuni's search for the dharma and his practices after taking the tonsure did not cease despite the fact that he was not satisfied with the various samadhi and tapas which were popular during those times.