歸去來の辭について

Abstract

The phrase kuei-ch'ü-lai 歸去來 is a translation of the Sanskrit word namah. Among the "hymns invoking Buddha" of the T'ang period and after, a number containing the refrain kuei-ch'ü-lai are still extant, and it may be supposed that they were already in use in the time of T'ao Yüan-ming. From the fact that T'ao Yüan-ming was a contemporary of Hui Yuan, the monk who first used songs to popularize Buddhist teachings, the close resemblance of much of T'ao's vocabulary to Buddhist terminology, the relationship between the death of his younger sister and the composition of the "Kuei-ch'ü-lai" as related in the preface, and other factors, we may surmise that the poem was considerably influenced by the Buddhism of the time. Yet although Buddhist influence may be recognized in the thought of T'ao Yüan-ming, to the end of his life he never became a believer, for he had found a different kind of peace and understanding from that of the usual Buddhist follower. It is precisely in this fact that the depth of T'ao Yüanming's humanity lies.