Shumisen to Gokuraku Futsu Kyo No Uchu Kan (Chiku Ma Gakugei Bunko)

[Machine Translation] The Kusha Ron, a Buddhist treatise written in India around the 5th century, describes the grandeur of the universe centered on Mount Sumeru and explains in detail how Buddhism views the universe. This book is based on the "Kusha Theory" and refers to other Buddhist treatises to provide a simple description of the Buddhist view of the universe. What kind of being is the heavenly god, who is superior to human beings but is a prisoner of desire? He also explains the suffering of hell, such as "being entombed by maggots," the four great and the infinitesimal that make up the world, and the cycle of annihilation and rebirth of the universe. The book also traces the evolution of this unique system, which is based on the idea of reincarnation and liberation, and which regards life as suffering, by also taking up the idea of the Pure Land of Paradise that emerged in later generations. This is an introductory book that has been read for many years.

須弥山とは、高さ約56万キロメートル、天神らが暮らす想像上の高峰である。5世紀頃インドで書かれた仏教論書『倶舎論』はこの須弥山を中心とする壮大な宇宙を描き出し、仏教が宇宙をどう捉えたかを詳細に解説した。本書は、『倶舎論』を基礎に他説も参照し、仏教宇宙観を簡明に記す。人間より優るが欲望の虜である天神とはいかなる存在か。「蛆虫に骨をうがたれる」といった地獄の責苦、世界を構成する四大と極微、宇宙の消滅と生成のサイクルなど、幅広く解説。後代に現れる極楽浄土の思想をも取り上げて、人生を苦とし、輪廻と解脱の思想を根底とするこのユニークな体系の変遷をたどる。長年読み継がれてきた入門書。