The translation of chapter on Shin-gon of (the eighth school in succession) the Hassho-koyo-kogi by Gyonen was undertaken by me at the University of Tokyo, Tokyo, in 1964 as a Government of Japan Scholar in the Intergovernmental Exchage Programme. It was undertaken at the suggestion of Professor Akira Hirakawa, then Reader in the Department of Sanskrit Literature and Indian philosophy. The procedure that we set up was that we used to read it together and later I used to translate it into English, which took a little more than two years. On the completion of the translation, Professor Hirakawa checked it. As he decided to write the foot-notes, I wrote the introduction. As I left Japan in 1966 it became difficult to discuss matters personally. Both of us were involved in our respective academic pursuits which caused delay.
However, years passed - what with new assignments, diversification of interests and opening of new, intellectually alluring pastures-before I could return to this work. The opportunity came in 1983 when I spent some time in Japan, and revised the whole translation, sorted out the last few knotty points through discussion and then set to work on it again. But that was not the last, though the passage of time is hardly felt by me.
All this delay is indeed unforgivable. But now I am overjoyed to place this work before the readers. I share the joy of fulfillment with them.
I must even if delayed, acknowledge my debt of deepest gratitude to institutions, colleagues and friends.
I acknowledge with thanks the cooperation I received from the Ministry of Education, Government of Japan, Tokyo and the economic support by way of Fellowship without which this work would not have been undertaken.
I am deeply indebted to Professor A. Hirakawa who was always very understanding, helpful and patient. He has supplied the footnotes to the translation. As a Dean of the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Tokyo, Professor Hajime Nakamura was also helpful and keenly interested in the work. I am grateful to him for his appreciation and quick recognition which I have cherished over years. It has served as a beacon. I would also like to express heartfelt gratitude to Late Professor Shunkyo Katsumata, then of Toyo University, who has taken keen interest in my studies from the beginning. His family, especially Mrs. F. Katsumata, gave me great affection and emotional support during my stay there. The tie continued through the years. But alas they are no more there. The Late Professor Gisho Nakano, then Principal of the Koyasan University, was instrumental in my visit and a stay at the University of Koyasan, that ancient seat of Shingon which has left its lasting impression on my mental horizon. I feel extremely unhappy that they are not with us today to see the fruit of the encouragement and attention they bestowed on this foreign scholar. There were many other scholars with whom I came in contact and benefited by it. I would also like to thank the chief priest Rev Kaiun Tatebe of Hamamatsu for supporting the work.
All ancient religions had a twofold orientation as far as their goal was concerned. In the earlier millennia, with man still in the barbaric state, survival itself was the goal of all his activities. In fact as man tried to find lasting solutions to his material needs he developed a plethora of customs, practices, knowledge of himself and the nature around him that he exploited for the fulfillment of his needs. These all put together developed into a conglomeration called 'culture' (which is now renamed as 'civilization'). However, even when man was doing all this he was actually aware of his helplessness vis-a-vis the forces of nature which he constantly faced and which created awe in his mind by their sheer power. This feeling was the beginning of religion. With every occasion on which he was forced to acknowledge the tremendous power in natural forces, he wanted to propitiate this power to make it his own or work for his good. This power was all in all he could feel. This power was directly embodied by the sun around whom as the illuminator of the world veered early man's life. So, the first source of power to early man was the sun, and naturally, he was the lord and master of this universe. This observation was further confirmed by the discovery of fire, agriculture, and so on. So, first came the discovery of the power and use of the sun. Then came the observation of order in the universe, which in a way centred on the sun. This was the second great discovery.
Even after being a civilized, cultured creature man’s difficulty were not over (not even are they to date). In fact they multiplied by the formation of various social institutions like family, settlement, smooth running of the settlement, the development of crafts and the distribution of their products, trade, etc. Who was there to help man? No one. So he with the simple logic turned to the all-powerful looking forces in nature, the sun, the plain land he tilled, the river which gave him water, the rain which cooled him, then after agriculture the sowing and harvesting etc. He pleaded with them to be merciful, to give him what he wanted, he gave them a share of what he had and so on. When these ideas and practices took firm roots, there were gods, the particular mode of pleasing them, giving them offerings in return, etc. This was the beginning of religion. The central goal of these practices was that these forces in nature should help man to live in comfort, though he could not avoid the toil; they should be pleased to allow his effort to bear the desired fruit. This is one type of religion or the first goal. This can be seen in composition like the Rgveda of the Hindus.
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