SHUNDO AOYAMA 79
occurred to me that simply being a bridge was not enough; one has
to become a ferryman. People who are about to cross the bridge
called Buddhism know that the Other Shore is a more splendid
world than this mundane, deluded world. They also know that the
way to reach it is by crossing that bridge.
Some people live in misery on This Shore without even knowing
that the Other Shore exists. There are many people like this. There
are also many others who know about the Other Shore but do not
want to cross over, saying that This Shore is better. To let them know
of the Other Shore, to have them see its splendor, and to awaken in
them the desire to reach it, it is not enough simply to be a bridge.
One must reach out. This is the role of the ferryman. In other words,
one must be kind enough to remain for a while on This Shore with
the desire to guide others toward salvation by helping them satisfy
their present needs and desires, such as food, wealth, fame, and
love. At the same time, one tries to draw them to a world beyond, of
higher things. If one is a Buddhist monk or priest, one must throw
aside one’s robes and become involved in the world in order to weep,
suffer, and laugh with other people. Gradually people will become
aware of the true Way and be drawn toward it. Undertaking a vow
and discipline to help people in that manner is symbolized by the
thirty-three forms of Kannon.
It is written in the Kannon Sutra: “In the lands of the universe
there is no place where [Kannon] is not manifested.” Always and
everywhere, the working of Kannon is revealed. If only we open our
mind’s eye, we find that the person we thought we disliked is actu-
ally a manifestation of Kannon in disguise, helping us to recognize
our selfishness. Sickness, failure, and separation from those we love
are the Buddha’s means of showing us that we must end our self-
indulgence, that we must awaken to the truth of life. We are sur-
rounded by the Buddha’s arrangements to help us.
Reflecting thus far, I realized that my thinking I was a bridge that
helped anyone across was presumptuous. I saw that actually I, too,
am being helped across.