宝珠 Jewel
「さてまた過去世に食りの罪にむくわれ身にまとう…」と、彼は静かに口ずさむ。夜の帳が降りた山間の小道を一人歩きながら、その言葉を何度も繰り返していた。耳に残る響きは、まるで遠い時の音色のように、胸に染み渡る。
彼の名は泰一（たいち）。昔、名を売ったこともあったが、今はただひっそりと暮らしている。ある日、突然、無心で歩く途中に目の前に広がった小さな寺に引き寄せられるように足を運んだ。その寺の名は「室生（むろう）」、知る人ぞ知る、古くから信仰の対象となっている場所だった。村人の話によると、この寺には解宝珠（かいほうしゅ）と呼ばれる、願いをかなえる不思議な力を持つ宝物が祀られているという。
泰一はその話を聞いて心の中で思った。「もし、あの宝珠が本当にあるなら、これまでの苦しみから解放されるかもしれない」。彼は、何もかもを捨てて、ただひたすらに信じ、祈り、供養を続けた。
貧しさと孤独が彼を襲い続けた。生活に困窮し、貴族のような贅沢はおろか、食事すら満足に取ることができなかった。だが、心の中で何かが動き始めていた。彼は一心に祈り続け、懸命に供養を行った。その時、ふと気づくと、空気が変わり始め、心地よい風が吹いてきた。彼はしばらくその風に包まれ、ただ立ち尽くしていた。
その夜、夢の中で彼は見た。そこに現れたのは、法身如来（ほっしんにょらい）という尊い仏像であり、彼の前に宝の雨が降り注ぐ光景だった。まるで、彼の祈りが通じたかのように。珍しい宝石が降り注ぎ、その輝きが彼の心を満たしていった。
目を覚ますと、どこか現実感のないような気持ちに包まれていたが、その瞬間、彼の胸の内で何かが決定的に変わった。彼は知っていた。供養の徳を積むことで、確実に運命が変わり始めているのだと。
そしてその日から、泰一の周りに奇跡が起こり始めた。長い間苦しんでいた病も、癒え、体力が戻り、商売も繁盛し、やがて大きな富を得ることができた。彼は不思議に思いながらも、心からの感謝を述べて、さらに信心を深めていった。
「信心を持ち続けること、供養を積むことが大切だ」と、彼は何度も思い出す。そしてまた、先祖や父母、祖父母が背負っていた因縁を解き、彼自身の運命を切り開くために行動し続ける。
泰一は、悪因がどれほど深いものであろうとも、それを断ち切る力を信じていた。そして、家系の因縁が重くのしかかる中、彼は自分の人生を歩み直し、解脱へと進む道を選んだ。
日々の祈りと供養が彼を導き、家系の業障も次第に除かれていった。最初は小さな一歩から始まったその道が、やがて壮大なものとなり、彼の運命を変えていった。
人は過去世の業に苦しむことがある。しかし、それに立ち向かうことで、新たな希望を見つけることができるのだと、泰一は深く実感していた。
“So, I have once again been punished for my sins of gluttony in a past life…” he hummed quietly. As he walked alone along a mountain path as the veil of night fell, he repeated the words over and over again. The ringing sound in his ears penetrated his heart like a sound from a long time ago.
His name was Taiichi. He had made a name for himself in the past, but now he lives a quiet life. One day, while walking absentmindedly, he was drawn to a small temple that unfolded before him. The name of the temple was “Muro”, a place that only a few in the know knew about and had been the object of worship since ancient times. According to the villagers, this temple enshrines a treasure called Kaihoshu, which has the mysterious power to grant wishes.
Taichi thought to himself after hearing this story. “If that jewel really exists, maybe I can be freed from the suffering I have suffered up until now.” He threw away everything and simply believed, prayed, and continued to offer prayers.
Poverty and loneliness continued to assail him. He was struggling to make ends meet, and could not even eat enough, let alone enjoy the luxuries of the nobles. But something began to move in his heart. He continued to pray wholeheartedly and made offerings to the dead. Then, he suddenly noticed that the air was starting to change, and a pleasant breeze was blowing. He stood there, enveloped in the breeze for a while.
That night, he had a dream. A sacred Buddha statue called Hosshin Nyorai appeared, and a rain of treasures fell on him. It was as if his prayer had been answered. Rare jewels rained down, and their brilliance filled his heart.
When he woke up, he felt something unreal, but at that moment, something in his heart changed decisively. He knew. By accumulating the virtue of offerings to the dead, his destiny was definitely beginning to change.
And from that day on, miracles began to happen around Taiichi. The illness he had suffered for a long time was cured, his strength returned, his business prospered, and he was able to acquire great wealth. He was amazed, but he expressed his heartfelt gratitude and deepened his faith.
“It is important to maintain faith and make offerings,” he remembered many times. And he continued to act to break the karma that his ancestors, parents, and grandparents had carried, and to carve out his own destiny.
Taiichi believed in the power to break away from evil, no matter how deep it was. And with the karma of his family weighing heavily on him, he chose to walk his life anew and move towards liberation.
Daily prayers and offerings guided him, and the karma of his family was gradually removed. The path that began with small steps at first eventually became grand and changed his destiny.
People can suffer from the karma of their past lives. However, Taiichi deeply felt that by facing it, he could find new hope.
