Attainment - Jōbutsu

Japanese: 成仏 - じょうぶつ

〘Noun〙 Buddhist term. 1. To be free from worldly desires and attain enlightenment. ※Hokke Gisho (before the 7th century) 4 "Since _{the three} years of the Meiji Era, I have not attained Buddhahood in _eternity , but _it has been more than forty years." ※Reader, Harusame Monogatari (1808), Miyagigazuka "Do not doubt the nembutsu. Do not doubt that you will attain enlightenment, as he showed me at the bottom of the waves and entered the boat." 2. To die with no regrets in this world. To die having attained enlightenment. It also simply means to die. ※Taiheiki (late 14th century) 14 “May the cutting of Sakamoto-sama’s robes bring you to enlightenment.”※An’ya Koro (1921-37 ) by Shiga Naoya 4 “I also feel very at ease knowing that my baby is healthy. It means that one can attain enlightenment without getting lost.”[Essay](1)The original meaning of the Buddhist term is ①, which literally means to become a Buddha, but what constitutes enlightenment varies depending on the sect and scripture. Generally speaking, the Hinayana teaches that enlightenment is possible only through training (attainment), while the Mahayana teaches that sentient beings have the causes for enlightenment, and therefore can attain enlightenment without necessarily through training (nature).
(2) Although there are exceptions such as esoteric Buddhism, which preaches immediate enlightenment, in most Japanese Buddhism, the death of the body is a prerequisite for enlightenment. This led to the term being used to mean simply dying after the Muromachi period, as in (2).

Source: The Selected Edition of the Japanese Language Dictionary About the Selected Edition of the Japanese Language Dictionary Information

Japanese:

〘名〙仏語。① 煩悩を脱して悟りをひらくこと。※法華義疏（７Ｃ前）四「明_三成仏已来久遠非_二但四十余年_一」※読本・春雨物語（1808）宮木が塚「念仏うたがふな。成ぶつ疑がふなと、波の底に示して舟に入りたまへば」② 死んでこの世に未練を残さぬこと。悟りきって死ぬこと。単に死ぬことをもいう。※太平記（１４Ｃ後）一四「坂本様の袈裟切りに成仏せよ」※暗夜行路（1921‐37）〈志賀直哉〉四「俺も赤坊(あかんぼう)が丈夫でゐると思へば、非常に気が楽だよ。迷はず成仏(ジャウブツ)出来ると云ふものだ」[語誌](1)仏語としての本来の意味は①であり、文字通り仏になることであるが、何を以て成仏というかについては、宗派、経典によってまちまちである。概して、小乗は修行によってのみ成仏が可能（修得）とするのに対し、大乗は衆生には成仏の因があるから、必ずしも修行によらなくても成仏できる（性得）とするという違いがある。
(2)即身成仏を説く密教等の例外はあるものの、大抵の日本仏教においては、成仏するにはまず肉体の死が前提となっているために、室町期以降に②のように単に死ぬという意味でも用いられる下地ともなった。

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