春には見渡すかぎりの桜山にうもれ、夏には蛍が飛び交い、その清らかな湧き水で満たされた池の中を龍の赤子と云われる色とりどりの鯉が泳いでいる。
また水路には自生したわさびやクレソンが季節感をよりいっそう深くしています。
この幽玄な地にある瀧澤禅寺では「顕密瑜伽」
の修行寺であったことから、言葉（愛言）をとても
大切なものと考えております。
【顕密瑜伽】（けんみつゆか）
瞑想による静寂の境地に見入って言語や文字で明らかに説いて記した教え。
Ryutakuzenji
Ryutakuzenji offers a spectacular view of cherry blossoms all around the mountains in spring, while countless fireflies dance beautifully around the night sky in summer.
Multicolored “Nishikigoi” carps, known as baby dragons, also swim gracefully in the spring-fed pond. Naturally grown wasabi (horseradish) and watercress along the water passage intensify the sense of the season.
With a mystical atmosphere, the temple was originally a place where monks would receive messages while in a meditative state, and then preach these messages and leave them in writing. Therefore, all forms of words are considered as sacred and important at Ryutakuzenji.
比叡山第二世慈覚大師が開山駐錫の聖地として人皇第五十一代、平城天皇（806
～809）の時代に一堂をこの地（現、高崎
市箕郷町）に建立し不動尊と二童子が安置され、ここに初めて満行山不入院瀧澤禅寺の歴史が1200年前に始まりました。
その550年後、厚山慶淳和尚が曹洞宗に改宗し『大嶽山瀧澤禅寺 三十五世 蓬観典道和尚』に至っております。
その550年後、厚山慶淳和尚が曹洞宗に改宗し『大嶽山瀧澤禅寺 三十五世 蓬観典道和尚』に至っております。
History of Ryutakuzenji (Mangyou-zan Funyuin)
Ryutakuzenji was built some 1,200 years ago, when the 2nd Head Priest Jikaku-Daishi, teaching master at HIEIZAN “Master Temple of Tendai Sect of Buddhism,” built a sacred training temple for monks and enshrined FUDOSON (Fierce Buddhist Deity) and his two attendants in Misato, Takasaki.
600 years later, Tatsuyoshi Naito, a regional domain head known as a brave samurai, retired and passed on his position to his son Nobutatsu to become Priest Kouzan Keijyun Osho at Ryutakuzenji, at which time he converted from the Tendai sect of Buddhism to the Soto sect.
During a provincial war period, his son continuously fought bravely as the head to protect his domain but was defeated in his third war at the age of 18, after which he returned to the temple. Samurai valued honor above all else and would even commit Harakiri (a form of ritual suicide by disembowelment) to keep it. As Nobutatsu was too young to make such an important decision, the Priest Kouzan Keijyun Osho, as his father, made it for him, and as heart-wrenching as it was, ordered him to commit Harakiri so that he would keep his honor instead of living with the shame and humiliation of defeat. It was the most honorable gift a father could give to his son. Before the act of Harakiri was carried out, his son asked him to place his armor in the main temple hall in front of his subordinate warriors’ spirit tablets so that he could protect them even after his death.
Today, the 35th Head Priest Houkan-Tendo Roshi at Daikokuzan Ryutakuzenji continues to pray for the deceased souls with the samurai spirit, and carries all the sacred wisdom from the priests that came before.
釈迦三尊(しゃかさんぞん)
当寺の本尊は釈迦三尊であり、中尊は釈迦如来､左脇侍が文殊菩薩、右脇侍が普賢菩薩となります。お釈迦様は約2500年前に実在され、人々に仏法を説かれた仏様です｡文殊菩薩は数ある菩薩の中で最も優れた智慧を持つ菩薩です。普賢菩薩は究極の慈悲を司る法華経の守護者とされる菩薩です。
Shaka-Sanzon Statue - Buddha flanked by two attendants
The principal image of Ryutakuzenji is a Shaka Sanzon (statue of Shakyamuni flanked by two attendants). Buddha is in the center, Monju-Bosatsu who controls wisdom is on the left, and Fugen-Bosatsu who practices Buddhism is on the right. Buddha lived approximately 2,500 years ago and preached Buddhism. Monjyu-Bosatsu is the wisest of all of the Buddhist saints. Fugen-bosatsu controls ultimate mercy, and is also known as the guardian of the Lotus Sutra (one of the sacred Buddhist scrolls).
厚山慶淳和尚(こうざんけいじゅんおしょう)
300年間無住だった当寺に瀧澤禅寺を開山した初代住職。
夫婦龍(めおとりゅう)
明治初期､相沢比吉 作
離ればなれになった母親を新潟より捜し訪れた当寺にて、目の不自由だった相沢比吉が手探りで三年間の時間をかけ彫り上げた夫婦龍です。現在境内にある銀杏の木の親木から掘り出しました。
写真上で玉を握っているのが男龍です。
Married Dragon Couple
Carved by Hikichi Aizawa in the Meiji Era
Hikichi stayed at Ryutakuzenji while he was traveling from Niigata in search of his mother from whom he had become separated. While there, he selected a mother tree of the temple’s symbolic maidenhair tree as the base material, and carved a married dragon couple with his bare hands by feel as he was blind. It took him three years to complete. The picture above shows a male dragon clutching a ball with his claws.
地蔵菩薩(じぞうぼさつ)
釈迦如来が入滅して、次の如来がこの世に現れるまで56億年という永い時間が必要であり、その間、人々を救う如来が存在しないため、次の如来がこの世に誕生するまで、地蔵菩薩が人々の苦しみを救ってくださっています。地蔵菩薩はこの世で弱いものを救済すると考えられており、賽の河原で水子たちを保護しているとも考えられています。
Buddhist Guardian Deity
It is said that after the death of Buddha, the next Buddha will not be born for another 56 billion years. Until then, there will be no Buddha to save people. Therefore, the Buddhist Guardian Deity assumes the role of saving people from agony on Buddha’s behalf. He saves the vulnerable people in this life as well as protects the spirits of aborted or miscarried fetuses in Children’s Limbo.
盧尊(びんずるそん)
通称｢おびんずる様｣病んでいる部位をなでると除病の功徳があるといわれています。お釈迦様の弟子の一人で､特別な神通力の持ち主でありましたが､その神通力を世間の人々にみだりに用いたため､お釈迦様がお怒りになって、｢お前は悟りを得ず､この世にとどまって仏法を守り、人々の病を癒し､多くの衆生を救いなさい｣と命され、今でもお釈迦様の言葉を守り人々を救う菩薩です。お酒好きだったので赤いとも云われています
Binzuru-Son
Commonly called “Obinzuru-sama”, it is believed that your disease or sickness will be healed if you rub the corresponding part of your body. Binzuru was one of the Buddha’s pupils, who possessed a special divine power. He used his power on general people without any good reason. Buddha became upset at this and ordered him to remain in this life to protect Buddhism, heal people from disease and sickness, and save mankind. Today, Binzuru keeps his promise with Buddha as a Buddhist saint. His red appearance is attributed to the fact that he was fond of drinking.
Translation by Atsushi Alex Otsuki
〒370-3117 群馬県高崎市箕郷町白川1583
Gunmaken Takasakishi Misatomachi Shirakawa 1583
