Kamo No Chopmei Summary

Kamo no Chomei is a Japanese Buddhist who wrote a memoir An Account of My Hermitage. Written in 1212, Chomei accounts his experience from detaching himself from loss and society by simplifying his life and living in a ten-by-ten-foot cabin. There, he protects himself from loss and prevailing from misery. “Zen Stories” from Sand and Pebbles are a compilation of wisdom stories written by Muju, a Zen priest. Written in the thirteenth century, these Buddhist wisdom stories are told in wacky, humorous, and startling ways. Detachment is a recurring theme in the Zen stories and a subtle theme in Chomei’s memoir. In the beginning of Account of My Hermitage, Chomei discusses the Buddhist concept of temporariness in life, specifically of possession
“Friends esteem wealth and look for favors; they do not necessarily value sincere friendship of probity. I prefer to make friends with music and nature” (Course Packet. An Account of My Hermitage. Pg. 79). Friendship to Chomei are just people who ask you for favors and possessions. Chomei enjoys the silence of isolation, where he can pray and do what he pleases without being judged by others. Although Chomei believes friendships are not necessarily friendships, he makes an acquaintance with a ten-year-old boy. What separates, this from friendship is that they do not plan to meet nor keep in touch on a regular basis, they meet just by chance. The difference Chomei involving human relationships and the Zen stories have is that the Zen stories focus on the attachment and detachment of humans. In “Muddy Road”, two men, Tanzan and Ekido, find a girl stuck at an intersection trying to cross, Ekido helps carry her across. Tanzan is bothered all through the rest of their journey showing that he did not detach himself from the girl while Ekido did. In this Zen story, human relationships are a form that should stay detached. Both stories do deal with a type of detachment, but Chomei is more of a personal believe that incorporates the Buddhist belief of