What kind of god is Enma the Great? ? | blog | Shimanami Memory for the ocean scatter of the Seto Inland Sea

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In my previous blog, I talked about "Memorial Service/Memorial Service".

In it, I wrote that when you die, you will be judged by King Enma and be led to the Pure Land of Pure Land. There is a famous saying that if you lie, the Great King Enma will pull out your tongue.

Life of King Enma

King Enma is the god of law and light in Indian mythology. It is thought to be the god of death, and in Buddhism, it is said to judge good and evil after death as the king of the underworld and hell.

"Emma" is a transliteration of the Sanskrit word "Yama". In ancient Indian mythology, there was Yama, the son of Visvat. Yama had a twin sister, Yammy, who was a twin god. However, Yama chose death himself and left for the underworld. Said to be the first human to die, he pioneered the path to the Underworld. In ancient India, it was not considered evil to choose one's own death. After the death of her brother Yama, Yammy continued to mourn that Yama had died. In those days, it was a world where there was only daytime and the day never ended. The other gods took pity on him and created the night to let time settle their sorrows. Then, I used to say, "Yesterday Yama died." "The day before yesterday, Yama died." After that, Yammy also died and left for Yama in the Underworld. From then on, the male deceased was judged by Yama, and the female deceased by Yami.

the dog that protects the soul

When a person dies, he crosses the Sanzu River and meets King Enma. There are two dogs "Sara" and "Meya" near King Enma. With four eyes and a wide nose, it travels between the human world and the underworld, sniffs out mortals, protects the souls of the dead, and guides them to the underworld.

reincarnation

King Enma is said to be a terrifying god who gives suffering to the good and bad deeds of the dead. Responsible for the reincarnation of the "Rokudo" through actions during life.

〇"Jigokudo"・・・It is said to be the most painful world filled with hatred where those who have done many evil deeds are tortured, and it lasts for a long time. There is a way to hell to atone for the sins of those who did bad things during their lifetime, so the severity of their suffering varies depending on the severity of their sins.

〇 "Gaki-do" ・・・ A world where those who have too strong desires are reborn. There are demons called "gaki" who are skinny and skinny and consist of only skin and bones. It's a world where people have food but can't eat, and are constantly suffering from hunger and thirst.

〇 "Chikusho-do": A world where people who neglected the lives of animals and plants during their lifetime are reborn. It is a world of animals and insects other than humans, and is always in danger of life from the strong and weak. Because we live only by instinct, we cannot listen to the words of the Buddha, and there is little salvation in this world.

〇"Shura-do": A world in which people who kicked others down during their lifetime, acquired their own status, or fought ugly fights are reborn. "Ashura", a demon god who likes to fight, continues to fight in vain against the gods of Heaven. It is a world where people lose themselves in anger and repeatedly fight fierce battles, where pain and anger never end.

〇"Humanity"・・・The human world in which we live. Although it is full of suffering, it is the only world among the six realms where one can receive the Buddha's teachings and be liberated from the six realms.

〇"Heavenly Way"・・・The world where "heavens" live, filled with happiness and pleasure without suffering or hesitation. A celestial person is a person who performed good deeds during his lifetime, and is said to be superior to humans. They have a lifespan many times longer than humans and can live a long life, but someday their lifespan will come to an end and the cycle of transmigration will repeat.

It is not necessarily reborn as a human being.

ten kings

According to Buddhism, after death, the human soul is judged seven times every seven days by ten gods. And the destination of Rokudo is decided.

〇 "Kinko Ou" 7 days after his death, he met a judge named "Kinkou Ou" at the first trial. You will be charged with murder during your lifetime. When a person is born, "Gushojin" dwells on both shoulders, and it seems that one god only monitors good things and one god only evil.

〇 "Shokou": 14 days after his death, he meets a judge named "Hatsueou" at the second trial. Here, there are demons called "Datsuba" and "Ken-eou" who strip off the clothes of the deceased as they pass by. The clothes are hung on the branches of the tree, and the weight of the sin is weighed in front of Hatsue no Ou. Those with light sins will not bend their branches, and those with heavy sins will bend their branches.

A deliberation is held on whether the deceased, who was judged by King Qin Guang, correctly crossed the Sanzu River. In addition, animals that were involved in life are called to hear testimony about the deceased.

〇 "Emperor Song" ... 21 days after his death, he meets a judge named "Emperor Song" at the third trial. The crime of adultery will be judged by many evil cats and big snakes.

〇 ``Gokan-o'': 28 days after his death, in the fourth trial, he meets a judge named ``Gokan-o''. It examines wrongdoings and crimes based on the five human senses (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and body), and especially deliberations on lies. At that time, a scale is used to measure the weight of the deceased's sins, and it is said that the more sinful a person is, the easier it is to lift a large stone with a heavy weight. This will be the first place of judgment, which will determine your fate in Hell.

〇"Enma the Great" 35 days after his death, he finally meets "Enma the Great" at the fifth trial. Even if the five kings are sentenced to hell, Enma the Great will check whether the judgment was correct. There is a mirror called joruri, and all the sins committed during life are reflected. Enma Daio judges Rokudo's destination based on the results of past trials and the images reflected in the mirror. Among kings, King Enma has absolute authority, and judgments made by King Enma are almost final.

One theory is that when they saw their sins reflected in the mirror, they were taken to hell and were violently accused, saying, "Go to hell and atone for your sins!" is projected. Then, there is a legend that says, "Your bereaved family and friends are thinking of you and putting their hands together. I will forgive this person."

〇"Henjou": 42 days after his death, at the 6th trial, he meets a judge named "Henjou". The deceased, who was assigned to one of the six realms by Enma the Great, will be reborn into what kind of place among them. It is said that he is relatively tolerant among kings and grants the opinions and wishes of the deceased.

〇 ``Taizanou'': 49 days after his death, in the seventh and final trial, he meets a judge named ``Kinzanou''. This is where the final verdict will be handed down. Six roads are indicated, each leading to six roads. Here the reincarnation of the afterlife is determined.

If the verdict is not decided even by King Qinshan, the 8th Hundred Days ``Byodo-o'', the 9th ``Toshio'' on the 1st anniversary of his death, and the 10th ``Third-anniversary'' A re-deliberation will be carried out by "Godo Tenrinou". Ultimately, the destination of Rokudo is decided by the King of Five Roads on the third anniversary.

However, it seems that it is quite difficult to overturn the judgment of Enma Daio, who is the center of the Ten Kings.

This time, I would like to talk about King Enma and his life after his death. The gods will also carefully look at the memorial service of the bereaved family and decide the destination of Rokudo. In order to reincarnate and lead a happy life again, a heartfelt memorial service is necessary. Thinking about the deceased and ancestors who were important to you, why don't you put your hands together by visiting the grave once more?