My life may be a dream just like the Noh play

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In Buddhism, people’s souls are born again and again.

I’m not interested in the world after death, but I believe that my soul will be reincarnated as something after my death.

If my soul is born again and again, this body is like a temporary residence for my soul. 

My life is very short compared to the eternity of the soul that dwells in my body.

When I think of this, I can be freed from worldly desires.

A Noh play called, “Eguchi” is based on this Buddhist teaching.

In the Noh play, a traveling monk meets the ghost of Lady Eguchi.

During her life, Lady Eguchi was “Yujo” in the late Heian era of Japan, and she was the master of a red-light district.

She says to the traveling monk, “We leave our hearts in this temporary world, and we form attachments to it.

So our minds are shaken by waves of delusions.

You are not to become attached to this temporary world”.

After that, the ghost transforms into Fugen Bodhisattva.

This Noh play is beautiful and suggestive.

This world is a temporary world for my soul, so my life may be a dream just like this Noh play.

Incidentally, “Yujo” is translated as courtesan in English.

However, Yujo in ancient times seemed to be completely different.

The ladies called Yujo were accomplished in various arts, and they had great educations.

On the other hand, they served as shamans.

Sexual intercorse was closely linked to Shinto rituals at that age.

So, prostitution to Yujo seemed to be a kind of Shinto ritual.

Originally, Yujo wasn’t a woman who engages in sexual intercourse for money.

In ancient times, attitudes regarding sexual intercourse were completely different from modern times.

The view of life and death was also different from modern times.

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