made to the word "benevolence" in such well-known scriptures as Shinjinmei (the Epigram of Faith),

Shodoka * (the Songs of Enlightenment), Sando* kai (the Compliance with the Truth), and the Hokyo-
zanmai* (the Precious Mirror Meditation).106 To go back still further, nothing is said about it in what are
supposed to be the teachings of Bodhidharma. It is probably because the Chinese Zen sect, under the
influence of Taoism and other traditional ideologies of China, was inclined to strict clerical seclusion and
resignation, and neglected the positive approach of practicing deeds of benevolence. Such is my general
impression, though a final conclusion cannot be drawn until we have made a thorough study of the
general history of the Chinese Zen sect. At the time the Zen sect was brought into Japan, however, it
came to emphasize deeds of benevolence, just as the other sects in Japan did. Eisai,107 who introduced
Rinzai-zen, put the idea of benevolence first and foremost. In a reply to the question whether the Zen
sect was too much obsessed by the idea of the void, he says: "To prevent by means of self-discipline evil
from without and to help others with benevolence from within, this is what Zen is."108 As for the rules
for ascetics of the Zen sect, he teaches: "You should arouse the spirit of great benevolence . . . and save
mankind everywhere with the pure and supreme disciplines of the Great Bodhisattva, but you ought not
to seek deliverance for your own sake."109 Soseki (Muso* Kokushi), Shosan* Suzuki, Shido* Bunan, and
other Zen priests represent a positive repulsion against the seclusionist and self-satisfied attitude of the
traditional Zen sect. They stress, instead, the virtue of benevolence. Dogen* (1200–1253), although he
does not often use the word "benevolence" overtly, chooses for instruction the phrases "speak kindly to
others" and ''words of affection" from among the various Buddhist doctrines of the past. "Speaking
words of affection means to generate a heart of benevolence and bestow upon others the language of
affection, whenever one sees them. To speak with the heart, looking at mankind with benevolence as
though they were your own children, is to utter words of affection. The virtuous should be praised, the
virtueless pitied. To cause the enemy to surrender, or to make the wise yield, words of affection are
most fundamental. To hear words of affection in one's presence pleases and brightens one's
countenance and warms one's heart. To hear words of affection said in one's absence goes home to
one's heart and soul. You should learn to know that words of affection are powerful enough to set the
river on fire."110 In addition, he puts emphasis upon the virtues of altruism and cooperation beneath
which flows the pure current of affection. The spirit of benevolence was not only preached by the
Buddhists, but it also made its way into Shintoism and was tied up with one of the three divine symbols
of Previous Released By -TSJ5J- Next Previous Released By -TSJ5J- Next Page 383 the Japanese Imperial
family. It was also popularized among the general public and came to be regarded as one of the principal
virtues of the samurai.111 The love of others by no means comes out of self-complacency. On the
contrary, it goes with a humble reflection that I, as well as others, am an ordinary man. This had already
been stressed by Prince Shotoku * at the beginning of the introduction of Buddhism into Japan. "Forget
resentment, forsake anger, do not become angry just because someone opposes you. Everyone has a
mind, every mind comes to a decision, and decisions will not always be alike. If he is right, you are
wrong; if you are not quite a saint, he is not quite an idiot. Both disputants are men of ordinary mind;
who is decisively capable of judging an argument between them