58.—Mon zen no kozō narawanu kyō wo yomu.
The shop-boy in front of the temple-gate repeats the sutra which he never learned.[[50]]
[50] Kozō means “acolyte” as well as “shop-boy,”“errand-boy,” or “apprentice;” but in this case it refers to a boy employed in a shop situated near or before the gate of a Buddhist temple. By constantly hearing the sutra chanted in the temple, the boy learns to repeat the words. A proverb of kindred meaning is, Kangaku-In no suzumé wa, Mōgyū wo sayézuru: “The sparrows of Kangaku-In [an ancient seat of learning] chirp the Mōgyū,”—a Chinese text formerly taught to young students. The teaching of either proverb is excellently expressed by a third:—Narau yori wa naréro: “Rather than study [an art], get accustomed to it,”—that is to say, “keep constantly in contact with it.” Observation and practice are even better than study.
59.—Mujō no kazé wa, toki erabazu.
The Wind of Impermanency does not choose a time.[[51]]
[51] Death and Change do not conform their ways to human expectation.
60.—Neko mo Busshō ari.
In even a cat the Buddha-nature exists.[[52]]
[52] Notwithstanding the legend that only the cat and the mamushi (a poisonous viper) failed to weep for the death of the Buddha.
61.—Néta ma ga Gokuraku.
The interval of sleep is Paradise.[[53]]
[53] Only during sleep can we sometimes cease to know the sorrow and pain of this world. (Compare with No. 83.)
62.—Nijiu-go Bosatsu mo soré-soré no yaku.
Even each of the Twenty-five Bodhisattvas has his own particular duty to perform.
63.—Nin mité, hō toké.
[First] see the person, [then] preach the doctrine.[[54]]