Reading Japanese novel in English - The Spider's Thread

Summary

In a tale of redemption and selflessness, Shakyamuni Buddha observes the torments of Hell from a heavenly pond. He notices a sinner, Canda, who once spared a spider's life. Buddha attempts to save Canda by lowering a spider's thread from heaven. As Canda climbs, he becomes greedy and tries to prevent others from following, causing the thread to break and sending him plummeting back to Hell. The story serves as a moral lesson on the importance of compassion and the consequences of selfishness.

Takeaways

• 🌺 Shakyamuni Buddha was wandering by a heavenly pond filled with lotus flowers, which had a pleasant fragrance.
• 🔭 Through the lotus leaves, Buddha saw the lower realm and the bottom of Hell, where the sinner Canda was suffering.
• 🕷️ Canda, a master thief and murderer, had one good deed to his name: sparing the life of a spider.
• 🌟 Shakyamuni Buddha, recalling Canda's good deed, sought to rescue him from Hell using a thread from a heavenly spider.
• 🧵 The spider's thread was dropped from the lotus pond to the bottom of Hell, providing Canda a chance to escape.
• 😱 Canda, upon seeing the thread, began climbing it, hoping to reach Heaven and escape his torment.
• 👥 As Canda climbed, he noticed other sinners following him up the thread, causing him to fear it would break.
• 🚫 In a moment of selfishness, Canda yelled at the other sinners to get off 'his' thread, causing the thread to snap.
• 💔 Canda fell back into Hell, a consequence of his lack of compassion and his attempt to save only himself.
• 🌅 Despite Canda's failure, the heavenly lotus flowers remained unchanged, symbolizing the constancy of the divine.

Q & A

Who is Shakyamuni Buddha in the script?

Shakyamuni Buddha is a reference to Siddhartha Gautama, who is the founder of Buddhism, also known as the Buddha. In the script, he is wandering around the rim of a Heavenly Pond filled with lotus flowers.

What is significant about the lotus flowers in the pond?

The lotus flowers in the pond are described as being all white like a gem and emitting an indescribably pleasant fragrance from their golden pistils, symbolizing purity and spiritual enlightenment.

What does the pond represent in the script?

The pond in the script serves as a boundary between the realms of Heaven and Hell, with the lotus flowers at the top and the bottom of Hell beneath.

Who is Canda in the story?

Canda is depicted as a master thief, murderer, arsonist, and a sinner who committed many evil deeds but also had one good deed of sparing the life of a spider.

What was the one good deed that Canda did?

Canda's one good deed was sparing the life of a tiny spider he found in the woods, deciding not to kill it as it too had a life like other creatures.

Why did Shakyamuni Buddha want to rescue Canda from Hell?

Shakyamuni Buddha wanted to rescue Canda from Hell as a reward for his good deed of saving the spider's life, hoping to give him a chance at redemption.

What is the significance of the spider's thread in the story?

The spider's thread represents a chance of salvation and an opportunity for Canda to escape from Hell and ascend to Heaven.

Why did Canda fail to climb to Heaven using the spider's thread?

Canda failed to climb to Heaven because he became selfish, yelling at the other sinners who were also climbing the thread, and as a result, the thread broke where he was hanging.

What lesson does Canda's story convey?

Canda's story conveys the lesson that selfishness and a lack of compassion can lead to failure, even when given a chance at redemption.

How does the story end for Canda?

The story ends with Canda falling back into the darkness of Hell,象征着 his failure to achieve salvation due to his own actions.

What is the final scene described in the script?

The final scene describes Shakyamuni Buddha standing by the Lotus Pond, watching as the spider's thread remains hanging in the dark sky, and the lotus flowers continue to sway, unaffected by the events, as if it were close to noon in Heaven.