“Please help us move a grave-like object”… A monk receives a bizarre and mysterious request - Part 5

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❤️Updating Every Saturday Evening (Japan Time)

Christmas in Tokyo, 1974 

(Translated and Arranged by Saya)

⭐️READ previous episode from HERE

190(OP):

Please pardon me. I have been asked to be an assistant at another place tomorrow, so I will write as much as I can tonight, and if I don’t finish it, I will continue again tomorrow. 

So now I will resume my story. 

“Obōsan, here, here,” saying this, T san jumped out of the pit he had been digging (it was quite deep that he was buried up to his waist while he was in there), and I went over to that direction on reflex. 

T san: 

“Obōsan, the pit, the pit!”

He pointed at the bottom of the pit. 

But there was nothing there. Just a normal empty space where the soil had been dug out. 

“What’s happened?”

T san:

“Eh? What? … He’s gone! Only a moment ago, the man was standing right in there, with his hands pressed together, praying to me. He suddenly appeared out of nowhere, so naturally I was startled.” 

What about Okusama?

I quickly turned around to check the situation she was in. 

Okusama was looking up at the tree above our head. 

I went up to her, and asked, “are you alright?”

Okusama:

“Yes, I’m alright. Please forgive me for shouting so loudly. Er…Until a moment ago, the man was standing on that tree, and that was why I reacted like that. He seemed to be looking down at Shujin (Note: Husband). 

But when you came over to me, he disappeared… Obōsan, did you see him?”

“Not this time. I didn’t.”

Okusama: 

“Er… Has he gone to heaven?”

“Well… Heaven isn’t a term we use — we call it Jōdo (Note: Pure Land, Buddhist heaven). 

I’m sure you have heard the word Gokuraku Jōdo before?  That’s the same Jōdo we are talking about. 

Anyway, enough with the terms. I really do hope he has been sent there too.

Once we finish the burial, we may hold a proper memorial service.” 

I glanced up at the tree once again, but saw nothing unusual in there.

192(OP):

There is no instruction manual in our school for this kind of situation, so I chanted a sutra which I personally thought would be the most suitable and did what I could do to give them a proper burial. 

I had been extra prepared, and brought with me some makkō (I felt senkō would have been inappropriate for the situation) 1️⃣ made of (it may be an improper way of describing it but) high quality sandal wood, which I burned, and handed the couple sutra books. 

We then chanted the sutra together, praying that whatever were buried in the pit would all find their way to Jōdo. 

It was not yet evening, and I imagined I could go home while the sun was still out. 

After we returned to the sitting room, I gave the couple a few more advices: firstly, they should, even though it may prove futile, still go report to the town office that some human bones may possibly be hidden among the animal bones; secondly, when they reported to the town office, they should avoid mentioning the strange phenomena if they could help it; and lastly, they should not worry if the town office workers refused to take them seriously, and that they could call me anytime if anything happened again. 

When I finished talking, Okusama said:

“We cannot thank you enough for everything that you have done for our garden. You have dealt with it so well.”

“It is a strange fate that brought us together. I am glad that I was able to be of assistance.” 

T san: 

“I thank you from the bottom of my heart.” 

“The pleasure is entirely mine.”

Okusama:

“So now… About the problem of the “grave-like thing” which Shujin told you before —“

…….WHAT?

To Be Continued…

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Note:

1️⃣Makkō (抹香) is incense powder snf Senkō (線香) is an incense stick. Makkō is especially used at funerals and other memorial services for shōkō (焼香, offering incense to the deceased). See here for more information. 

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