The Influence of “The Tale of Genji” on Buddhism during the Heian Period
Literature has played a pivotal role in influencing much of the world’s culture. Whether fiction or true stories, the message they deliver is powerful enough to reshape a society’s structure. “The Tale of Genji” is one such influential material written by Murasaki Shikibu in the tenth century. In the eyes of many, it is the oldest surviving novel to date, and it remains a refreshing source of information of a simple time, many lifetimes ago. Several modern authors appreciate the quality of work and draw inspiration from the efforts to produce a lasting masterpiece. The period described in the book focuses on social behaviours, particularly around love, religion and loyalty and family ties. Buddhism was the dominant religion at this time. Additionally, the narrative offers a great window to analyze a better description of this religion, especially in conjunction with the Heian Period. Therefore, Shikibu’s display of Buddhism in her novel had a significant impact on the Heian Period in Japan that led to a cultural change in that time.
To fully comprehend the extent of this influence, it is crucial to understand the plot of the narrative. Based on Royall Tyler’s translation, the story revolves around an emperor’s son, Genji born from a mistress. He gains the favour of his father and is the envy of his elder siblings as his father is ready to crown him heir the throne. He is a man of honour, loyalty, love and a source of admiration to many. Through this character, the identity of women is exploited in their experiences, passions and fates. Genji’s wit and charm lead him to experience different love escapades with many women. On a political level, there are intense power struggles through sibling rivalry and Genji is persecuted and nearly died at the hands of his brother. Nonetheless, the epic tale has strong rooting in Buddhism, a religion widespread in the Chinese and Japanese groups. Aside from the superior depiction of human sensitivities, through feelings and beauty of nature, the narrative trails down a path of darkness of the Buddhist belief of this world’s shortness.
The Heian period is famous for the autocratic system. During this period of moderate conflict and plenty of prosperity, the elites enjoyed all the pleasures of the world. The empires were characterized by an infusion of poetry, literature and music, all of which were dominated by men. This immense cultural production was concentrated in the courts. Miyabi is an aesthetic describing the quiet pleasure, enjoyed mostly by the aristocrats whose tastes were more refined (Hurst and Cameron, 20). Similarly, Mujo refers to a state of impermanence, where nothing lasts forever. Ideally, in Buddhist teachings, all things exist in a limited timeline and are always subject to change. Another essential term of consideration is mono no aware, an epiphany of the brevity of life. Humanity’s endless effort to seek happiness while clinging to temporary things has resulted in more suffering. Genji’s countless love affairs are a symbolic representation of humanity’s absurd desire to attain lasting satisfaction.
Religious activities could be conducted in court. Here, different kind of Buddhist rituals were performed such as prayers, interceding for the sick to the deities, or exorcisms. The people viewed diseases as alien attacks from evils spirits. It was the duty of monks to conduct intense prayer to drive these unfriendly spirits away (Shikibu, 176). During this rites, prayers and chants were part of the process. The Buddhist priests, holy men, called hijiri, mainly performed the lotus sutra. Official public or private ceremonies could be officiated by priests as well and ordered by individuals born from the nobility. Chapter 5, Lavender has a great reference to Buddhist allusions as Genji is advised to travel to the northern hillside to seek a cure for his high fever. Here, he meets an old holy man, well-known for his healing capabilities. However, the man has lived in a lengthy period of isolation, freeing his life from worldly attachments. This livelihood is nothing new in this particular religion, as Buddhist priest was known to detach themselves from the rest of the people but live close enough to provide religious services (Shikibu, 183). Consequently, this act was practised during the Heian period, with monks leading exemplary lives, residing in isolation in temples and shrines, where they learned more about the religion.
High-ranking nobles turned to the guidance priests and monk during difficult times. Oigimi, the royal princess, was unwell and was brought to the monks for healing. Her declining health was a visible result of her father, the Eight Prince’s, recent demise. Before his death, he became a monk. A great convoy of monks gathered in her chambers, to chant the Lotus Sutra, in attempts to heal her. In almost all conventional forms of Buddhism, the use of scriptures was more common than indicated in several pieces of research (Greens, 209). These monks were highly trained practitioners, which was a necessity before venturing into rituals. They were supposed to be pure, which would contribute to the quality of their prayers in dispensing the afflicting karma. In modern times, these practices are still in use. However, the influence of modern medicine and science has affected much of people’s inclination to seek out such services.
Dreams and their interpretations in the Buddhist view are seen differently. Life, in all its preciousness, is fragile, and death is not the end of life. In its teachings, Buddhism supports the belief in rebirth after death, referred to as samsara (Greens, 210). Life is cyclic in nature, and each stage has a purpose in reaching the ultimate state of nirvana, freedom from suffering. The abbot leading Oigimi’s rituals visited her with news of a dream regarding her father. He stated that her father, recently passed was unable to reach nirvana as he was aggrieved with his daughter’s ailing state. While the abbot believes that her father is reborn in the heavens, he also believes that his spirit can revisit his previous dwellings to deliver essential messages via dreams. This scene asserts what is universally supported by many regarding the difficulties in leaving earthly attachments. As the visiting spirit claimed in the dream, these attachments are never permanently destroyed, and it is reason enough to disrupt the path to an afterlife of peace.
Buddhism, as a practice, has never existed independently. In Japan, Shinto was a religious practice dating back to the eighth century (Morris, 89). The people in this mode of worship believed in revering ancestors, spirits and sacred power from both living and non-living things. Subsequently, in this story, there is no distinctive separation between Shinto and Buddhism as priests were called forth to perform rituals. Purification rituals were conducted on the heir’s daughter in her transition to be a priest. Comparison to North American religious practices links Buddhist fused with Judaism and Christianity. In the Shinto practice, ethical conduct and continuous worship would earn people favour in the spirit’s eyes. However, as the book pertains, possessive spirits were a nuisance, a product of evil spirits and karma. Even the mightiest of healers were challenged by the abstinence, some evil spirits possessed (Shikibu, 175). To rid them from interfering with human lives, purification and dedication ceremonies were mandatory. In reality, as well, the Buddhist sect in Japan made these adjustments to deal with issues of possession and karma.
Gathering merit is a crucial component of Buddhist teachings. The more virtuous acts an individual does, the better the chances of avoiding karma and ascending to a fulfilling afterlife (ZHANG, Ru-Yi, and Chun-Liu, 6). What wrong a person does has a direct impact not only on the living but the dead too who could get disappointed and compromise their chances of reaching nirvana. Monks and nuns were presumed to be morally upright and role models. For many nobles, it was a regular affair to commit to the monastery upon old age. It was an act of high merit that had the potential to cure sickness, prolong life and prevent ancestors from suffering in the eternal flames. In the narrative, nobles ventured into this new life to relieve themselves of social duties and prepare for the afterlife. Oigimi, after her prolonger suffering, wanted to become a nun. But, her efforts were cut short due to the court culture. The decision to join the ministry for a young noble was not a decision they could make by themselves. Thus, a woman of her status could not be allowed to become a nun, yet she had royal responsibilities to the throne. Ultimately, she passed away without getting ordained. Apparently, the implication of this on her is a less successful afterlife, a great contradiction to the most Buddhist believers who aim to attain peace.
Light and darkness are popular themes purporting human life. As featured in the narrative, the element of darkness is depicted from the aspect of ailments and possession. Illnesses were often considered the works of a malign spirit, who used a person’s karma to take control and inflict diseases. However, Buddhist practices take the element of light, as they draw teachings of conserving humanity, purification, desire for a peaceful afterlife, and seeking favour from the deities. In both cases, they are co-dependent as the onset of sufferings drives people closer to religion. People came together to fight a common enemy. It is through these chaotic times that they turned to spiritual interventions, and refrained from doing anything that would lead to more suffering.
In conclusion, for most of the fiction work, it draws direct significance to the Heian period. The practices in the book, particularly in Buddhism, share several similarities to what was taking place in reality. As described herein, these religious practices, such as cleansing were conducted in the courts. High-born and members of royalty retired into the monastery at the end of their tenure and priest engaged in ritual to wade off evil spirits born from karma, ailments and prayers. Additionally, living up to a life of few earthly commitments is challenging. In the Japanese culture, particularly the Heian period, these practices were applied in reality for the listed reasons.
