September 2009 Archives

Ise is a small town, but a very important place for the Japanese nation and the Japanese state. There is Ise Grand Shrine, which is the most sacred place in Japan. The Divines worshipped are Ama-terasu (the Queen of the Sun) and Toyo-uke (the Mistress of Foods). Ama-terasu, literally 'Shining one in the sky', is the ancestor of the Imperial Family. She lives in Takama-ga-hara, 'The field in the high sky', and her grandson, Ninigi, came down to the earth. His grandson, Iware-hiko, was the first Emperor of Japan. Toyo-uke, is the chef de cuisine of Ama-terasu. She is a guardian deity of all the farmers of Japan.

I held a four-day workshop of meditation there form September 19 to 22. Before the workshop, I went to Gekû, the Shrine of Toyo-uke, and after the workshop, to Naikû, the Shrine of Ama-terasu. Those buildings are rebuilt every twenty years. According to an ancient chronicle, the first rebuilding was performed in 690 C.E., the era of Emperor Jitô. I am very glad to know that the Japanese was continuing to reconstruct those buildings for more than 1,300 years, even in years of wars or in year of famines. They made them in totally the same shape to the ancient original; they use no nails, just putting logs together.

Eternity is not something unchanged here in Japan. As rice grows from seeds to grasses and reproduces new seeds, everything here is in eternal resurrection. Ise Grand Shrine is a symbol of this ever-changing eternity of agriculturalists.

When I went to Naikû after the workshop, I found ancient dances were performed. They are called gagaku, literally 'the graceful dance'. They are imported from the continent more than a thousand years ago. Some were from China, others were from other countries in Asia. Japanese preserved them without any change for incredible long times as a refrigerator. Of course they are transferred from teachers to students. This is also a Japanese image of eternity.

I wrote a paper titled "Social Interest and 'As-If'".

In the 16th and the 17th century, there were religious wars in Europe. It was battles between different justices. Totally intolerant without any compromise they fought with each other. Many people were killed but there was no hope of peace.

Jean Bodin wrote a book named "Les Six Livres de la Republique" (The Six Books of the Commonwealth) in 1576. There he referred to a theory of medieval theology about two kinds of power of God; the absolute power (potentia absoluta) and the ordinate power (potentia ordinata). The absolute power is transcendental and we, human beings, cannot understand it, while the ordinate power works in the realm of the nature and we can understand it by the reason. The realm of the nature can be understood through natural theology, natural science, natural law, etc. Then he regarded religion as a private affair that relates to the absolute power, and politics as a common matter that relates to the ordinate power that can be explained and regulated by the reason. Separation of the church and the state was established.

This is so-called "Descartes' Paradigm". As a consequence, the 18th and the 19th century was an era of peace. The international law was established, and war was regarded something like a personal duel. None of the concerned nation was thought to have justice. The only problem was the method of battle. The law prescribed the method of a right fight. If one of the parties violates the law, neutral countries punish it. As a consequence, the war can be treated as a matter of civil affairs. The peace was one of merchants.

The World War I destroyed this equilibrium. Both sides violated the law, and there was no neutral country that can judge. The War, however, was an inevitable consequence of Descartes' Paradigm.

During the War, Adler got the idea of the Social Interest. It was a new idea on justice. Adler, however, proposed it according to the 'As-If' philosophy of Hans Vaichinger. Social Interest is not the absolute truth, but it is just regarded 'as if' it is the absolute one. We should not forget this relative viewpoint; otherwise we might fall again into the hell of endless battles. He was going to overcome Descartes' Paradigm using the 'as if' concept.

One of my nieces got married. She is the second daughter of my younger brother. The bridegroom is a policeman.

They had a wedding party in a hotel in Osaka. At first there was a wedding ceremony in a Christian chapel in the hotel. Recently, many couples hold a Christian wedding ceremony, even if they are not Christians. We celebrate the birth of a new child in a ceremony of the Shinto, wedding ceremony is often in a Christian style, and the funeral is usually in a style of the Buddhism. What confusion! I am not sure whether this is religious tolerance or atheistic contamination.

After the ceremony, they had a big party. Many relatives and friends of the bride and the bridegroom came. Usually the parents of the both family pay for everything. It must be enormously expensive. My brother is not so rich that he must be suffered so much. Once a wedding party was not so gorgeous. It becomes more and more showy and costs a lot. This is not a good custom, I think.

I gave a speech as a representative of relatives. Before me, a detective director, who was a bridegroom's boss, gave an extremely boring speech. I tried to entertain people, but bridegroom's friends were already drunk and did not hear me. That is okay. Anyway, nobody will remember this kind of story.

At the end of the party, the bride and her elder sister played koto, the Japanese harp. The full moon rises in the sky and the music was so beautiful. I wish the couple to be happy for life long.