Symposium of Post-mysticism/Part 5

Pages 124-135

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Part 4: Yuugi Hoshiguma  Part 4: The Present and Future of the Hated

Symposium of Post-mysticism

Part 5: Shou Toramaru  Part 6: Youkai Extermination: What's the Right Thing to Do?

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The kanji in the left side of Shizuha: "静" - a kanji in "Shizuha" (静葉). The kanji in the left side near Minoriko's right arm: "穣" - kanji in "Minoriko" (穣子). The kanji in the right side of Shizuha's head: "(Sweet) potato seller" (芋売). The word in the right side of Minoriko's head: "Bake, bake" (焼焼). The romaji in both sides of Minoriko: "PATA PATA" (an onomatopoeia for "flapping" sound). The word on Minoriko's fan: "Fan" (うちわ). The kanji written on the sweet potatoes: "(Sweet) potato". The "IMO" written on the sweet potato is the romaji for "potato" (芋). The kanji written on the board of the stand: "Hot stones" (石焼)

	第五部 宗教と信仰は幻想郷に必要なのか	Part V Are Religion and Faith Necessary to Gensokyo?
Marisa	地底に比べると幻想郷は平和で良い場所だな。	Compared to the underground, Gensokyo sure is a nice, peaceful place.
Byakuren	平和、かしら。	Is it really peaceful?
Kanako	一見牧歌的でもその実、殺伐とした何かが渦巻いているわね。ただ、信仰を集めるには丁度良いくらいだけど。	It may seem idyllic at first glance, but there's always a hint of danger in the air. Well, that does make it the perfect atmosphere for gathering faith, though.
Miko	平和と言っても、絶えず妖怪の恐怖にさらされている里の人間の生活は楽ではないと思う。妖怪だって妖怪同士のいがみ合いが絶えないし。これからもっと均衡を崩すような存在が現れないとも限らないし……。	While you say it's peaceful, I can't imagine the human villagers being comfortable with the constant threat of youkai. And the youkai never cease quarreling amongst themselves either. And we can't assume that an even more destabilizing being won't appear in the future...
Marisa	それはお前らの事じゃないのか？	Aren't you talking about yourselves?
Kanako	増える分には仕方が無いでしょう。幻想郷の存在は外の世界依存ですし。	Well, there is nothing we can do about the increase. Because one's existence in Gensokyo depends on the outside world.
Miko	ただ、人間だけはそうもいかない。幻想郷では人間が特別な存在であるからして――。	It doesn't for humans, because they are a special kind of being in Gensokyo...
Marisa	特別な存在？	Special?
Miko	だってそうでしょ？　他の妖怪達は外で忘れ去られた存在、必要とされなくなった存在であるのに対し、人間は外の世界と同じように存在している。つまり、妖怪を生かす為だけに存在しているんだから……。人間にとっての獣や魚、という事になるでしょう。	Aren't they? The youkai and the like are beings who have been forgotten or are no longer needed by the outside world, while humans exist just the same as the outside world. So if humans only exist to keep the youkai alive... then that means that to youkai they are the same as beasts or fish are to humans.
Kanako	それだとただの食料みたいな言い方になるけど、獣や魚が存在しなければ人間も窮する、という互助関係ね。例えば、私は人間から信仰を得られないと力を発揮することが出来ないの。信仰を得る為には人間の生活を支えていかなければならないのだから、持ちつ持たれつの関係ってわけ。だから幻想郷で妖怪同士が争ったりしたとしても、人間が消えて無くなる事はない筈なの。	You're trying to make it sound as if they are just food, but if beasts or fish did not exist then the humans would be destitute; they have that kind of symbiotic relationship. For example, I can use my power only if I receive faith from humans. Since I have to support the humans' livelihood in order to obtain faith, we enter a give-and-take relationship. So even if the youkai of Gensokyo start some strife, there shouldn't be any chance of the humans disappearing.
Miko	本来、人間は無力であるが、消される危険性が無いという意味では安心かも知れない。	Essentially humans are powerless, but if you look at it from the angle that they can't be eliminated, you could say that they're safe.
Marisa	あれ？　ちょっと前に、人間は妖怪の恐怖にさらされている、って言ってなかったか？　それに実際に妖怪に攫われたとか襲われたとかって話もチラホラ聞くし。	Huh? Didn't you say earlier that humans were threatened by youkai? I actually hear stories of people being abducted or attacked by youkai, you know.
Miko	危険性が無いのは個々の人間の話では無く、種としての人間です。個々人はやはり怯えながら暮しているのでしょう。	The safety refers not to individual humans, but to the race as a whole. I suspect individual humans will, of course, continue to live in fear.
Marisa	何だよそれ、意味の無い安心だな。	Seriously? That's a pretty lame peace of mind.
Miko	そう考えるのは人間や一部の妖怪だけで、殆どの妖怪は自分が攻撃されたり倒されたりする事に余り恐怖を感じていません。	That's how humans and some youkai think, but most youkai don't feel much fear of being attacked or defeated.
Kanako	そう、なのかしら？	Is that so?
Miko	もし殺されたとしてもまた復活すれば良い、それが叶わなければ幽霊として存在しても良い。その程度に考えている筈です。それより怖いのが、完全に存在が否定されてしまう事。	"Even if I die I'll just be reborn, and if I can't be reborn I'll be fine as a phantom." That's their line of reasoning. Rather than that, what they're scared of is their existence being denied completely.
Byakuren	生き残るという意味ではその通りだと思いますが……。しかし、負けた妖怪として印象付けられてしまうので、余り喜ばしい事じゃないかと……。	When it comes to survival I believe that's true... However, being defeated can leave a stigma on their reputation, so it's not a pleasant thing to experience...
Miko	そう？　人間みたいに消えて無くなるよりはマシかと。	Is it? It still sounds better than disappearing like the humans would.
Byakuren	私は消えて無くならない為に妖怪に仏教を教えているのです。	I teach Buddhism to youkai so that they won't disappear.
Miko	へえ。	Really...
	［妖怪仏教］	Youkai Buddhism
Byakuren	仏教の世界では人間が死を迎えても消えて無くなる訳ではありません。その考え方を妖怪にも教えていく事で、人に忘れられても自我を保てる存在へと高めていくのです。	In the Buddhist world, even death does not cause humans to disappear. I teach that way of thinking to youkai, so that even if they are forgotten they can become beings that preserve their own existence.
Miko	なる程、だから貴方のお寺に居る妖怪は古くさい奴ばかりなのね。	I see, so that's why the youkai at your temple all seem so old-fashioned.
Byakuren	何か言いました？	Did you say something?
Miko	正直言って仏教は政治に利用するものだと思っているの。人心の乱れを正し、全てを受け入れる事が修行だなんて、為政者の為にあると言っても過言では無いわ。私からしてみたら、妖怪に仏教を教えるなんてナンセンス。ただのおままごとみたい。	To be honest, I think of Buddhism as a political tool. It corrects the disorder in human nature, and teaches people to accept everything bad as a personal test, so really it's all for the benefit of those in power. From my perspective, teaching Buddhism to youkai is nonsense. It's just like playing pretend.
Byakuren	仏教は自分の存在を否定する事で自分の存在を再確認する、いわば哲学です。確固たる肉体、精神を持っていない妖怪こそ、この哲学を学びやすいと思いませんか？　その結果、人間にも妖怪にも良い未来が見えて来ると考えられないとしたら残念な事です。それを政治利用にしか使えないのは、使う者が未熟である証拠。	Buddhism is a philosophy that makes you reaffirm your existence by denying it once. Don't you think that the youkai, who are strong physically yet weak spiritually, are the perfect match to learn this philosophy? It's most unfortunate if you cannot understand the bright future for both humans and youkai that this would result in. To use this only for political ends is evidence of the user's immaturity.
Kanako	でも、お寺にはよく妖怪が出るという話が多いわよね。證誠寺の狸囃子（＊１）とか、茂林寺の分福茶釜（＊２）とか。	But there are many stories of youkai showing up at temples, like the Shoujou Temple's Tanuki Bayashi(*1), or the Morin Temple's Bunbuku Chagama(*2).
Byakuren	わざと狸ばっかり選んでません？　まあ確かにうちにも化け狸が住み着きましたが。	Have you intentionally chosen only stories about tanuki? Well, it is true that we've also had a bake-danuki settle down in our temple.
Kanako	何か、狸とお寺の相性って良いのよねぇ。よく森の中に在るからかしら？	Somehow it seems as though tanuki have an affinity for temples. Could it be because so many live in forests?
Byakuren	それを言うなら神社と狐もね。	In that case, you should say the same about shrines and foxes.
Marisa	道場とゾンビもだな。	And about dojos and zombies.
Miko	ゾンビじゃ無くてキョンシーです。てか、もっとそれっぽい動物は思いつかなかったの？	She's not a zombie, she's a Jiang Xi. And couldn't you have at least come up with a more fitting animal?
Everybody	（笑）	(Laughs)
	［命蓮寺の毘沙門天］	Myouren Temple's Bishamonten
Kanako	そう言えば貴方のお寺に、修行僧とは異なった雰囲気の妖怪がいるよねぇ。ずっと気になってたんだけど。	By the way, isn't there a youkai who projects a different atmosphere than the other monks at your temple? I've been wondering about her for a while now.
Byakuren	誰でしょう？	Who could that be?
Kanako	ほら、仏像っぽい奴。	You know, the one like a Buddhist statue.
Byakuren	寅丸星ですか？　確かに彼女は他の妖怪とは異なります。実は最初はただの虎だったのです。	Shou Toramaru? She certainly is different from the other youkai. Actually, in the beginning she was just a tiger.
Kanako	ただの虎？　妖怪じゃ無いの？	A tiger? So she's not a youkai?
Byakuren	ただの虎というのも変ですが、知っての通り日本には虎は棲んでいませんでした。大陸から学問が伝わった時に、虎という生き物も言葉だけ伝わりました。みんなどのような姿をしているのだろう、と想像した結果生まれたのが星だったのです。	It's not quite right to say she was just a tiger. As you know tigers are not native to Japan. Back when scholarship was being brought over from the continent, an animal called a tiger was introduced too, but only as a word. The imagination of people wondering what they looked like was what gave birth to Shou.
Marisa	ただの虎じゃないじゃん。	That's not what I'd call just a tiger.
Byakuren	おほん。でも名前のあるような妖怪じゃありませんでした。だからいつ消えてもおかしくないような状態だったのです。ですが私や毘沙門天様が留守の間、お寺を守ってくれるようにお願いしたところ、その存在は確固たるものとなったのです。	Ahem. But she wasn't a youkai with a solid identity. It wouldn't have been strange for her to disappear at any moment. But when Lord Bishamonten and I asked her to guard our temple in our absence, her existence became firmly established.
Miko	偉そうに言っているけど、要は留守番を任せただけでしょ？	That sounds great and all, but basically you just made her your house-sitter, right?
Byakuren	まあ、そうなんですが……。彼女は、毘沙門天の化身となって信仰を集める存在そのものにもなっていますので……強いて言えば神奈子さんと同類でしょう。	Well, that's true... but because she also became a being that gathers faith as an avatar of Bishamonten... If I had to label her, I'd say she's the same as Ms. Kanako.
Kanako	やっぱりそうなのね。修行しているだけの妖怪達と違って、何か商売敵っぽい匂いがしたので……。	I assumed it was something like that. Unlike the other youkai who were just doing their training, she had the scent of a competitor...
Miko	信仰に敏感なのね……。それにしてもあれが毘沙門天の化身ねぇ。随分と変化（＊３）したもんねぇ。	You're sensitive to faith... But still, she's an avatar of Bishamonten? That's quite a change(*3)...
Kanako	七福神ですからね。これは気を引き締めないといけないかも。	It's because he's one of the Seven Lucky Gods. I may have no choice but to get serious against her.
Byakuren	そう言えば、神奈子さんの御神徳（＊４）って何ですか？	Speaking of which, what is Ms. Kanako's divine blessing(*4)?
	［八坂の神］	The Goddess Yasaka
Kanako	わ、私？　えーっと、山の神ですので、地形を作ったりする事かしら。	M-me? Umm... well I am a mountain goddess, so I suppose I can create terrain and the like.
Byakuren	随分と曖昧ですね。	That's extremely vague.
Kanako	神は妖怪と違って自分で自分の性質を変えてしまっても良いのです。性質を変える為に作られるストーリーを『神話』と呼びます。これを使って自由に性質を変える事が出来るのです。今は幻想郷の人間や妖怪と共に神話を作り上げている途中ですが、山の神という存在では信仰が得にくいという事で、徐々に技術革新の神に変化させようとしています。	Unlike youkai, gods can change their own nature themselves. The stories that are created to do so are called "myths". Using these, we can freely change our own natures. Currently, I'm in the middle of creating a myth together with the humans and youkai of Gensokyo, but because I'm not receiving faith well as a mountain god, I am gradually planning to become a god of technological innovation.
Miko	神様ってそんなに簡単に御神徳変えられたんだ。	Gods can change their divine blessings that easily?
Kanako	ま、私ぐらいになればね。	Well, if they are at my level.
Miko	では、もっと信仰を得やすい御神徳にすれば良いんじゃないんですか？　働かなくても食べていける御利益（＊５）とかあったらみんなもりもり信仰するわ、きっと。	If so, wouldn't it be better to choose a blessing that could allow you to gather faith more easily? You'd definitely be brimming with faith if you were giving out a blessing of free food to those who don't work (*5).
Kanako	大きい御利益の為には、当然その分働かなきゃいけないのです。それに……やっぱり能力的に出来ない事は出来ないし。	In order to bestow large blessings, naturally you have to work just as hard. Moreover, I simply cannot do what I cannot do.
Miko	ですよねー。	I know what you mean.
Kanako	でもそれも、信仰さえあれば実現可能かも知れない。まさに妖怪巫女かの如く。	But even so, things may be realized if there is more faith. Like the youkai shrine maiden.
Miko	妖怪巫女って？	The youkai shrine maiden?
Kanako	街に行っては妖怪が出たーって吹聴して、神社に戻っては妖怪退治を引き受ける事よ（＊６）。	She attempts to create extermination requests by spreading rumors of a youkai showing up every time she goes to town and then accepting the requests when she returns to the shrine(*6).
Byakuren	それでは、博麗神社の巫女も同じような物だという事ですか？	So are you saying that the Hakurei shrine maiden shares the same nature as you?
Kanako	ま、そこまで頭が回る人間じゃ無さそうだけどね。それに巫女は信仰を集めると言っても、人間なんだから信仰を集めたってしょうが無いし、精々、五斗米の為に働いているだけでしょ。	Well, she doesn't seem like a person who is clever enough to plan out all of that. And even though you say a shrine maiden gathers faith, she's a human so there is really no point to it. I believe she's just doing it for the sake of earning at most a meager salary.
Miko	喰っていく為のお賽銭を頂くのに、妖怪を退治して信仰を集めているだけだと。	So you're saying that she's collecting faith by exterminating youkai only to earn the donations she lives off of.
Kanako	そうね。もの凄く信仰が集まれば、もしかしたら神のような存在になるのかも知れないけど……。	That's right. If she somehow gathered tremendous faith, maybe she could become something like a goddess though....
Byakuren	今だと、どちらかと言うと妖怪に近い存在に見えますけどね（笑）。	But as she is now, she looks like she's closer to a youkai. (laugh)
	［神と妖怪の差］	The Difference Between Gods and Youkai
Marisa	そう言えば、神と妖怪の差って何なんだ？	By the way, what's the difference between gods and youkai?
Kanako	神道から見た場合、神とは全ての物に宿る本質です。本来、神とは名前も付けられていないあるがままの自然だったり、道具だったりするものです。	From the Shinto perspective, gods are the true nature within all things. Originally, gods exist namelessly in nature or in tools.
Byakuren	名前の付いている貴方と矛盾しません？	Doesn't that contradict the fact that you yourself have a name?
Kanako	神は名前を付けられると力は制限されてしまいますが、自我が持てるようになるのです。何にでも宿る能力を失い、妖怪とほぼ差が無くなりますが……、逆に神話によって生まれ変わる能力を得ます。	When gods are named their powers are restricted, but they receive an identity. They lose the ability to exist within anything, becoming almost the same as youkai, but in return receive an ability to be reborn by their myths.
Byakuren	つまり、神とは神話による変化能力を持つ妖怪だという事ですか。	So basically, gods are youkai whose ability changes according to myths?
Kanako	しかし、信仰を失うと元の存在に戻っていきます。妖怪の場合は忘れ去られると消える、ですが……それは脅したり騒ぎを起こしたりしていれば防げますが、信仰の方はそうはいかない。脅していてばかりでは信仰を失い、ただの妖怪になってしまうのです。	However, if they lose their faith, they will gradually return to their former existence. As for youkai, they disappear when forgotten, so they threaten people in order to prevent that. However for faith, it does not work the same. If a god did nothing but threaten people, it would lose faith and become a mere youkai.
Marisa	そう言えば豊穣の神に出会ったが、あいつ等、妖怪と区別が付かなかったぜ。	Now that you mention it, I met a harvest goddess before, but I couldn't tell her apart from a youkai.
Kanako	神社も持たないような野良神様（＊７）は、殆ど妖怪と化しています。信仰を集めようったって難しいですからね。ちなみにその豊穣の神って誰の事です？	Nearly all stray gods without shrines(*7) get reduced to youkai. Gathering faith is a difficult task, after all. Out of curiosity, who was this harvest goddess?
Marisa	えっと、秋穣子だったかな。	Um... I think it was Minoriko Aki.
Kanako	ああ、あの野生の神様ね……。確か紅葉の神である姉妹（＊８）が居たと思いますが、正直、豊穣の神は有名な神様が沢山居ますからね。倉稲魂(うかのみたま)とか……。信仰は全部そっちに持って行かれてしまったのでしょう。まだ紅葉の神の方が商売敵が少なく、信仰を集めやすいと思うわ。落ち葉と芋を合わせて焼き芋の神々、とかにして人間の里の隅にでも移動販売すればそれなりに信仰（＊９）が集まると思うんですけどね。	Ah, that feral goddess... I believe she had a sister(*8) too, a goddess of autumn leaves, but frankly it's because there are so many other more famous harvest gods, like Ukanomitama, and all the faith ends up going to them. There isn't much competition in the autumn leaves market though, so it's probably easier to gather faith with that. I think they should become something like "the goddesses of roasted sweet potatoes" by combining their powers, and set up a nice kiosk in some corner of the human village to earn a moderate amount of faith(*9).
Marisa	そうなのか。それを聞いたらあいつ等喜ぶと思うぜ。冬が来てまた落ち込んでたからな。	Is that so? I'm sure they'd love to hear that. They've been in a slump again since winter came in.
Byakuren	他にも野良化した神様が色々居そうね。	It seems there are quite a few other gods who have lost their place.
Kanako	最近の人間は簡単に神様に名前を付けるのに、信仰しないからねぇ。まったく。	This is because even though modern humans will easily attach names to gods, they don't have faith in them. At all.
Byakuren	ちょっと前の妖怪の話と似てますね。	That sounds like our earlier conversation about youkai.
Kanako	人間が飽きっぽくなったのかもね。あと私が気になっていたのは神子さんの事ですが……貴方は何を目指しているのですか？	Maybe humans lose interest in things more easily nowadays. What I'm interested in is you though, Ms. Miko. What are your goals?
	［道教と仙人］	Taoism and Hermits
Miko	え？　何をって？	Huh? What do you mean by my goals?
Kanako	人間を超える力を持って何をしたいのかしら。さっき為政者になりたいって言ってましたが、人間を支配したいのですか？	What do you want to accomplish by having superhuman powers? Earlier you said you wanted to become an administrator, so do you want to rule humanity?
Miko	あーいや、為政者になりたいって言ったのは、放って置いたら幻想郷が崩壊するかも知れないと思ったからです。大丈夫ならばわざわざやりたいとは……そんなに思いませんよ。私は宇宙の真理である道(タオ)を追求したいという欲望を満たす為に修行しています。	Ah, no, I said I wanted to become an administrator because I thought Gensokyo might collapse if left unsupervised. If it's going to be fine without me then.... I'm not that interested in actually going ahead with it. In order to fulfill my desire to pursue the Cosmic Truth called Tao, I'm doing training.
Kanako	道って真理の事なんですか？	Is Tao something like the truth?
Miko	そう、それを知る事で、自らの力を高める事が道教の基本思想なのです。十分な力を得た人間を仙人と呼びます。私はさらに修行を続け不老不死となり、行く行くは天人になる事を目指しています。	Yes, the basic principle of Taoism is that by knowing Tao you can increase your own power. Humans who have obtained enough power are called hermits. I plan to continue my training to achieve immortality, and someday I hope to become a celestial.
Marisa	天人、ねぇ。天界に行った事あるけど、あんまり良い場所じゃ無かったぜ。	A celestial, eh? I've been to Heaven but it didn't seem like that great of a place.
Miko	え？　行った事があるんですか？	Huh? You've been there?
Marisa	ちょっとね。	For a bit.
Miko	羨ましいですね。私もそれを目指して修行するとしましょう。	How nice. I should keep on training with that as the goal.
	［邪仙現る］	A Wicked Hermit's Appearance
Byakuren	そう言えば、神子さんと一緒に出てきた仙人、霍青娥さんでしたっけ？　あの方から非常に非常に強い邪気を感じるのですが、あの方は一体……？	Now that you mention it, wasn't there another hermit who showed up with Ms. Miko? Ms. Seiga Kaku, correct? I've felt an extraordinarily strong evil from her, but what exactly is she...?
Miko	私に道を教えてくれた、いわば師匠の様な方です。	She's the one who taught me the Tao, so you could call her my master.
Byakuren	死体を思い通りに操ったり、自然の摂理を乱す事を行うのが仙人だとすると、ちょっと私には受け入れられない思想ですが……。	I can't really bear the thought of calling one who manipulates corpses as she pleases and disrupts the providence of nature with her actions a hermit....
Miko	道はあくまで宇宙の真理です。それをどう利用するかまでは道教では教えません。邪心を抱く者が利用すれば邪に、善心を持つ者なら善に。青娥はその事を、身を以て私に教えてくれました。	In the end, Tao is the Cosmic Truth. How to use this Truth isn't something that Taoism teaches. It is evil when used by the evil, and good when used by the good. That is something Seiga taught me through her actions.
Byakuren	人それぞれだと言うのですか？　私には力を持つと、欲望に身を滅ぼされるだけだと思えてなりません。それが自分自身、身に染みて判った事なんですが、貴方とは異なるのですね。	Are you saying it's up to the person? I can only think that when you obtain power, you just get yourself destroyed by desires. Personally, that is what I've come to deeply understand, unlike you.
Miko	欲望も自分自身の一つ、切っても切り離せない真理です。その事がお経を唱えてるだけで満足する、枯れたお坊さんには判らないのですか。	Desires are also a part of one's self. The truth is that it is impossible to separate from them. But maybe this is something that can't be understood by a senile old nun who becomes satisfied by merely chanting sutras.
Byakuren	現に、青娥さんはあちこちに迷惑を掛けています。あのままでは誰かの手によって滅ぼされるかも知れない。いや他ならぬ私の手によって……。	Anyway, Ms. Seiga has been going around bothering people. At this rate, it wouldn't be surprising if someone destroyed her. If other people don't, I might do it myself...
Marisa	確かにな。最近、私の家に忍び込まれてビックリしたぜ。思わず殺めるところだった。	That's true. Recently she snuck into my house and surprised me. I almost murdered her by accident.
Miko	忍び込まれて何をされたの？	What was she doing there?
Marisa	羽衣を持って行かれた。折角綺麗だったから自分の物にしたのに。	She was stealing a veil, even after I took it for myself, too. It was so beautiful I couldn't resist.
Miko	羽衣って……青娥の羽衣？	By "veil"... do you mean Seiga's veil?
Marisa	ああ。	Yeah.
Byakuren	見事なまでの――。	A perfect example...
Miko	自業自得。	...Of reaping what you sow.
	［宗教家の思想］	The Religious' Ideologies
Marisa	ま、それは置いておいて。折角宗教家三人に集まって貰ったんだが話が一向に進まんな。さっきからお前達の主張が交わったり、相容れなかったりと行ったり来たりしているように見えるが、とどのつまり宗教って何なんだ？	Well, let's leave that aside. Even though we went through the trouble of gathering three religious figures, we haven't really gotten anywhere. I can see you've all been going back and forth with your sometimes-agreeing, sometimes-conflicting opinions, but in the end what exactly is religion?
Byakuren	哲学だと思っています。苦しみから解放される為の。	I believe it's a philosophy, to free us from suffering.
Miko	同じく、哲学です。自らを高みへと導くための。	I have the same idea. It's a philosophy, but to guide us towards improving ourselves.
Kanako	じゃあ哲学です。何となく。	So it's a philosophy. Somehow or other.
Marisa	哲学って何だよ（笑）。	What's a philosophy? (laugh)
Kanako	冗談はさておき、宗教ってのはこの世を理解する為の手段なのよ。科学も魔法もみんな同じ、ただ一つの学問。	Jokes aside, religion is a method of understanding the world. Science and magic are also the same, they're all forms of study.
Marisa	じゃあ、なんで種類があるんだ？　喧嘩したり色々と。	Then why are there many different ones? You know, causing fuss and stuff.
Kanako	種類があるのは使っている言語が違う、というレベルよ。言葉が異なれば主義主張も歪んで伝わってしまい、喧嘩する事もあるでしょう。でも全宗教を通してみんなが望む事はただ一つ。自分に不利益な事が起きないようにする事なの。自分の身は自分で守る為に、神に頼ったり、仏にすがったりするのよ。	Saying that there are many forms of religion is no different from saying that people speak many different languages. If the words differ then the principles will be distorted in the transmission, which may cause fighting. But for all religions there is but one desire which people have for them: to save themselves from hardship. In order to protect themselves, people rely on gods or cling to Buddhas.
Byakuren	確かに、そういう事かも知れませんね。時には宗教戦争など起きる事はあれど、それも自分を守る為に起きるのでしょう。	That may certainly be true. Even if it may sometimes cause religious wars, it only happens because they want to protect themselves.
Marisa	人に迷惑を掛けて何が自分の身を守る為、なんだか判らんが、宗教家はみんな平和主義って訳か？	I don't see how bothering other people is protecting yourself, but does that mean that all religious people are pacifists?
Byakuren	そう、私のお寺に居る妖怪達も、必要がなければ戦いません。被害を被っていなければ戦う必要は無いからです。	Yes, the youkai that live in my temple won't fight unless necessary. It's never necessary to fight unless you've been harmed.
Miko	確かにそこは共通してますね。どちらかというと、何の思想も持っていない、何の宗教も信仰していない人間が目先の欲や嫉妬で争い、傷つけ合うものです。	There's some common ground there. If I had to say it, humans without ideologies or religious faith tend to start fights and hurt each other with their short-sighted greed or jealous rivalries.
Kanako	幻想郷もみんな平和に暮らせるようになると良いですね。	It would be nice if everyone in Gensokyo could live together in peace.
Akyuu	あ、霊夢さん。ちょっと待ってください。まだ取材中ですので……	Ah, Reimu? Could you please wait for a moment? We're still having a discussion...
Marisa	あれ？　霊夢じゃないか。どうした？　そんな剣幕で。	Oh? It's Reimu. What's up with that angry look?
Reimu	さっきから聞いていれば好き勝手言ってばかり！　あんた達がどれだけ迷惑を掛けているのか私が見せてあげるわ！	I've been listening for a while now, and you're all just saying whatever you like! I'll show you exactly how troublesome you really are!
	＊１　破れるまでお腹を叩いた、攻撃力の高い狸のお話。	1: The story about a high attack power tanuki who ends up tearing its own belly by striking it.
	＊２　中途半端に茶釜に変身した、防御力の高い狸のお話。	2: The story about a high defense power tanuki who partly transforms into a tea pot.
	＊３　神子は大昔は毘沙門天を信仰していた。現在は富をもたらす七福神の一つだが、当時は護国、戦勝の神だった。	3: Miko believed in Bishamonten in the ancient past. Though he is now one of the Seven Lucky Gods who gives wealth, he was the god of national defense and victory at the time.
	＊４　神様のお仕事内容。仕事の結果の事を御利益という。	4: The actual jobs that gods do. The results of their jobs are called divine blessings.
	＊５　ニートの御利益と言うそうです。	5: Said to be a divine blessing for NEETs.
	＊６　いわゆるマッチポンプ。片手にマッチを持って火をつけ、片手にポンプを持って火を消す事。	6: It's what's called a matchpump. Starting a fire with a match in one hand, extinguishing it with a pump in the other.
	＊７　信仰を失い、野生化した神様。	7: Gods who have lost their faith and become feral.
	＊８　秋静葉。怒ると真っ赤になる。	8: Shizuha Aki. Turns red when angry.
	＊９　……信仰？　お小遣い？	9: ...Faith? Or pocket money?

Notes

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4: Yuugi Hoshiguma  Part 4: The Present and Future of the Hated

Symposium of Post-mysticism

Part 5: Shou Toramaru  Part 6: Youkai Extermination: What's the Right Thing to Do?

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