True Meaning of 独尊

When affairs go awry, the human heart inevitably wavers. Even those who burn with passion and charge toward great ambitions when their mind and body are sound, once they fall into such a state, find themselves inverted; the world becomes exceedingly small, and they feel left behind by everything. In such a state, the very act of making a decision becomes a minor factor triggering a succession of greater errors, until eventually, matters spiral out of control, reaching a magnitude that cannot be handled alone. Thus, many people deplete time—that crucial asset of life. Personally, having just reached my mid-thirties, I feel my consciousness turning more strongly with each passing year toward time, the only asset equally bestowed upon all humanity.

Viewing life through the lens of ascetic cultivation, the ancient maxim that “cultivation never ends” rings entirely true. Rather, it is when we face such predicaments—or situations we deem the worst for ourselves—that the attitude we adopt becomes the decisive fork in the road determining our future. That very misfortune becomes the turning point that invites great opportunity.

However, even when we understand the importance of this, humans are indolent by nature and cannot easily translate this understanding into action when actually cast into such depths. As this time of stagnation prolongs, it is inevitable that the situation will deteriorate further. For in the realm of biology, stagnation is synonymous with regression.

The most critical issue in such times is that what one formerly enjoyed ceases to be enjoyable. Moreover, the most troublesome aspect is that one is driven into a state where they do not even realize they have become this way; they fail to notice that what they once enjoyed more than anyone else is gradually becoming a hollow shell, losing its momentum. While continuing to ponder these problems that everyone faces in life, right from the midst of the vortex, I recalled a single, significant word. It is the Japanese term [独尊者]—read as Dokusonsha—.

First, the character [独]—read as doku or hitori—has been used in various forms in Japan. Simply viewed, a [独尊者] is generally understood as “one who reveres solitude,” but this nuance is quite difficult to grasp. Indeed, while the reverence of solitude has been advocated by various predecessors across all ages and places, it is doubtful whether we truly understand its genuine meaning. What troubled me personally, above all, was the question: if every human is a true [独尊者] by nature, why are we not currently [独尊者]? Furthermore, if the essence of every human is to be a [独尊者], why is the world so broken?