Signs of war and reality of death

The chief priest was lying down in the main hall, looking exactly the same as before.

"Sorry to bother you again," he said. "I just can't seem to stand."

"Are you still dizzy?"

"Yes. Whenever I stand up, my sight becomes pitch black."

Dr. Tokuhon asked, waving his hand in front of the young priest, "Can you see my hand now?"

"Yes, I can see it when I lie down."

The situation is almost the same as before: When he tried to stand up, his head wobbled, preventing him to do so.

My sensei gives me instructions while examining the patient's pulse.

"Nisuke, get the acupuncture ready... Hmm, on second thoughts, let's give it a go with the medicine."

"I got it."

I carried my medicine bag and tool bag to the doctor's side. Upon hearing the word "medicine," the chief priest became uneasy and asked the doctor, "Do I have a serious illness?"

"No. Same thing as before: kanka jōen (syndrome of the upward flaming of the liver fire). There is nothing to worry about. Apparently, you have a new affliction: samurais."

The young priest asked in awe, "How did you find out?"

"I heard that it happened right after a samurai left, so I thought that maybe he gave you hard time."

"And you're exactly right."

From his medicine bag, Dr. Tokuhon took out a ryutan (Japanese gentian), an ougon (Baikal skullcap root), a sansisi (gardenia fruit), among other things, crushed them finely with a yagen (druggist's mortar). He proceeded to ask the patient, "Please, tell me what happened."

"Yes, sir. The samurai I mentioned earlier was a messenger of Oda Gifu no Chusho Nobutada, and it seems that an attack on Takato Castle is about to begin."

"Hmm, just as I thought", said my sensei nodding with a stern face.

Oda Nobutada was Nobunaga's heir son. If Nobutada takes an active role in the battlefield, the Oda forces will certainly attempt to destroy the Takeda forces.

"At that time, they wanted to make of our temple a military base," he said. "They want us to station their troops there, of course, but they also want us to provide them food. If the high priest is in such a state and even just busy, what should I do if such a thing happens?"

"Couldn't you refuse?"

"No, I couldn't. They threatened to burn the temple down if I did so."

"Those bastards."

Dr. Tokuhon crushed the herbal medicine with strength, as if he was channeling his anger into the yagen.

He then added some tōki (Japanese angelica root), some jiō (rehmannia root), and shazenshi (plantain seed).

The chief priest commented, "In four days, thirty thousand soldiers are expected to arrive."

"Thirty thousand!"

The doctor seemed surprised at the number.

Thirty thousand was indeed a large army. If only one samurai was enough to make my sensei lose his cool, I couldn't imagine what would happen if there were 30,000 of them.

"Nisuke."

"Yes."

"Can you decoct this for me?"

"Right away."

The doctor handed me the dobin (earthenware teapot) with a face that was surprisingly unconcerned. Deep down inside, he must have been very upset.

"By the way, I would like to talk about our departure..."

I stood up, listening to the teacher stating that he wanted to leave soon.

There was a lit homa-mandala (fire altar) in the main hall, but I couldn't use it. I took the dobin and headed for the kuri (temple kitchen).

As I proceeded down the corridor, I passed by the high priest's room, so I glanced at him. As before, he was peacefully sleeping.

On the way, I could see the keep of Takato Castle. It looked magnificent contrasting the blue sky. There was a large black cloud in the western sky.

While I was placing the dobin on the fire at the kuri, a little monk came in and said, "There's something wrong with the high priest."

"What is it?"

"I don't know how to describe it."

"I checked on him just a few minutes ago, and he was just like before."

The little monk was trying to convey something and said it this way: "Yes, that's right. No change. But can you please come anyway?"

"Okay, when I finish the treatment of the chief priest, I will visit the high priest with my sensei."

"Please, take care of him," said the little monk and left.

I take a dobin off the fire and checked the infusion of the medicine. The amount of the decoction was about half of what it was before. That was enough. I hurried to the main hall.

"This medicine is called ryūtan-shakantō (Gentian Liver-Purging Decoction). Let's have you take one dose first."

The doctor poured a cup of it and handed it to the chief priest. The patient still felt dizzy and could not get up. He lied down and took a small sip. A gurgling sound echoed through the room.

"This has the effect of clearing the fire in the liver that has risen to the head. The dizziness will soon subside," the doctor said.

"Oh, thank you."

The fire on the homa-mandala (fire altar) was about to go out.

"I know your job is not an easy one, but you'd better get rid of your stress regularly. It's okay to express your anger when you are angry. If you hold it all inside, the liver ki will become stagnant again, it will take on the nature of fire and rise to your head."

"I understand. Now that you have listened to me, I feel somewhat better."

"I'm glad to hear that. Now please lie down for a while. I will check on the high priest."

"Thank you very much."

The young priest moved his prone head slightly. He must have bowed.

My sensei did not feel like he was bowing, so he did not have to smile ambiguously as usual.

"I will be back," said the doctor, and he left the main hall. I followed him. The corridor seemed awfully long.

I had a strange feeling when I entered the room of the high priest.

The statue of Amitabha Tathagata, the position of the futon and the way the high priest was sleeping were all the same, but something was decidedly different. The little monk I mentioned earlier seemed to be referring to this feeling.

The teacher puts his ear to the patient's chest. Then he shook his head and said, "He's on his deathbed."

"I see."

"Did you perceive it when you walked into the room?"

"I did."

"Remember that feeling because it's important for a doctor to have such sensitive insight."

"Yes, sensei".

I looked at the high priest's face. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly and he seemed to be smiling. The corners of his mouth turned up slightly and resembled the smiling mouth of the statue of Amitabha Tathagata.

The high priest had become a Buddha. For a monk, becoming a Buddha is his true desire.

"It shows that he had a very peaceful death."

"I think so too."

My sensei must have seen many deaths in his life. I am sure that I will also have to see them. When I thought about it, a sudden sense of fear took over me.

However, the peaceful face of the high priest seemed to tell me that death was not something to be so feared.