On Persecutions Befalling the Buddha
- Shonin Gonanji -
Now in the second year of Koan (1279), it is twenty seven years since I first proclaimed the true teaching
at Seicho-ji temple. It was noon on the twenty-eighth day of the fourth month in the fifth year of Kencho (1253), on the southern
side of Jibutsu-do Hall in the Shobutsu-bo of the temple, located in Tojo Village. Tojo is now a district, but was then a
part of Nagasa District in Awa Province. Here is located what was the second, but is now the country's most important shrine
to the Sun Goddess, built by Minamoto no Yoritomo, founder of the Kamakura shogunate. The Buddha fulfilled the purpose of
his advent in a little over forty years; T'ien-t'ai took about thirty years, and Dengyo, some twenty years. I have repeatedly
spoken of the indescribable persecutions they suffered during those years. For me it took twenty-seven years, and the persecutions
I faced during this period are well known to you all.
The Lotus Sutra reads, "Since hatred and jealousy abound even during the lifetime of the Buddha, how
much worse will it be in the world after his passing?" Shakyamuni Buddha suffered innumerable persecutions: For ninety days
he was forced to eat horse fodder; a huge boulder was dropped on him, and though it missed him, his foot was injured and bled;
a group of eight priests led by Sunakshatra, outwardly acting as the Buddha's disciples but in spirit siding with Brahmans,
watched every moment of the day and night for a chance to kill him; King Virudhaka killed great numbers of the Shakya clan;
King Ajatashatru had many of Shakyamuni's disciples trampled to death by wild elephants and subjected the Buddha to a series
of severe tribulations. Such were the persecutions that took place "in the Buddha's lifetime."
In the more than two thousand years "after his passing, "no one, not even Nagarjuna, Vasubandhu, T'ien-t'ai
or Dengyo, encountered any of the still greater persecutions predicted to occur. No one can say they were not votaries of
the Lotus Sutra, but if they were, why did none shed even a drop of blood, as did the Buddha, nor suffer even greater trials?
Could the sutra's predictions be false and the Buddha's teachings nothing but great lies?
However, in these twenty-seven years, Nichiren was exiled to the province of Izu on the twelfth day
of the fifth month in the first year of Kocho (1261), was wounded on the forehead and had his left hand broken on the eleventh
day of the eleventh month in the first year of Bun'ei (1264). He was to be executed on the twelfth day of the ninth month
of the eighth year of Bun'ei (1271), but was instead exiled to the province of Sado. In addition, many of his disciples were
murdered or executed, banished or heavily fined. I do not know whether these trials equal or surpass those of the Buddha.
Nagarjuna, Vasubandhu, T'ien-t'ai and Dengyo came nowhere near me in what they endured. Had it not been for the advent of
Nichiren in the Latter Day of the Law, the Buddha would have been a great liar and the testimony given by Taho and all the
other Buddhas would have been false. In the twenty-two hundred and thirty years since the Buddha's death, Nichiren is the
only person in the whole world to fulfill the Buddha's prophecy.
In the Latter Day of the Law of both Shakyamuni and the Buddhas before him, the rulers and people who
despised the votaries of the Lotus Sutra seemed to be free from punishment at first, but eventually they were all doomed to
fall. Among those who attacked Nichiren, there were at first no signs of punishment. During these twenty-seven years, the
Buddhist gods who vowed to protect the votary of the Lotus Sutra--Bonten, Taishaku, the gods of the sun and moon, and the
Four Heavenly Kings--did little to help Nichiren. But by now they have realized in terror that unless they fulfill the oath
they swore before the Buddha, they will fall into the hell of incessant suffering. Consequently they are now earnestly carrying
out their vow by punishing those who attacked the votary of the Lotus Sutra. The deaths of Ota Chikamasa, Nagasaki Tokitsuna
and Daishin-bo, for example, who were all thrown from their horses, can be attributed to their treachery against the Lotus
Sutra. There are four kinds of punishment: general and individual, conspicuous and inconspicuous. The massive epidemics, nationwide
famines, insurrections and foreign invasion suffered by Japan are general punishment. Epidemics are also inconspicuous punishment.
The tragic deaths of Ota and the others both conspicuous and individual.
Each of you should summon up the courage of a lion and never succumb to threats from anyone. The lion
fears no other beast, nor do its cubs. Slanderers are like howling jackals, but Nichiren's followers are like roaring lions.
Hojo Tokiyori and Hojo Tokimune, the past and present regents, pardoned me when they found I was innocent of the accusations
against me. The regent will no longer take action on any charge without confirming its validity. You may rest assured that
nothing, not even a person possessed by a powerful demon, can harm Nichiren, because Bonten, Taishaku, the gods of the sun
and moon, the Four Heavenly Kings, Tensho Daijin and Hachiman are safeguarding him. Strengthen your faith day by day and month
after month. Should you slacken even a bit, demons will take advantage.
We common mortals are so foolish that we do not fear the warnings in the sutras or treatises so long
as they do not concern us directly. But you must be fully prepared for the havoc Hei no Saemon and Adachi Yasumori, in their
outrage, will wreak upon us. People are now being sent to Tsukushi to fight the Mongols; consider yourself in the same position
as those who are on their way or who are already at the battlefield. So far our believers have not experienced anything so
terrible. The warriors in Tsukushi, however, now face a dreadful fate, and if they are killed in battle, they will be doomed
to fall into hell. Even if we too should meet such severe trials, we will attain Buddhahood in the future. Our present tribulations
are like moxa cautery, minor pain necessary to remove greater pain.
You need not frighten those peasant believers from Atsuhara, but you should encourage them in every
way possible. Tell them to be prepared for the worst. Do not expect good times, but take the bad times for granted. If they
complain of hunger, tell them about the hell of starvation. If they grumble that they are cold, tell them of the eight freezing
hells. If they say they are frightened, explain to them that a pheasant sighted by a hawk, or a mouse stalked by a cat, is
as desperate as they are. I have repeated the foregoing almost daily for the past twenty-seven years. Yet with Nagoe no Ama,
Shofu-bo, Noto-bo, Sammi-bo and others, who are so cowardly, close-minded, greedy, and filled with doubt, it is like pouring
water on lacquerware or slicing at thin air.
There was something very strange about Sammi-bo. However, I was afraid that any admonition would be
taken by the ignorant as mere jealousy of his wisdom, and therefore, I refrained from speaking out. In time his wicked ambition
led to treachery, and finally to his doom during the Atsuhara Persecution. If I had scolded him more strictly, he might have
been saved. I did not mention this before because no one could understand it. Even now the ignorant will say that I am speaking
ill of the deceased. Nevertheless, I mention this for the benefit of other believers. I am sure that those who persecuted
the believers at Atsuhara were frightened by the fate of Sammi-bo.
Even if others are clad in armor and instigate, my disciples should never do the same. If there are
some who prepare for fighting, please write to me immediately.
With my deep respect,
Nichiren
The first day of the tenth month
This letter should be kept by Shijo Kingo.
On Practicing the Buddha's Teachings
- Nyosetsu Shugyo Sho -
It is now clear that those who are born in this land and believe in this sutra when its propagation
is undertaken in the Latter Day of the Law will suffer persecutions even more severe than those which occurred in the Buddha's
lifetime. In that age the master was a Buddha, and his disciples were great bodhisattvas and arhats. Moreover, the Buddha
expounded the Lotus Sutra only after he had thoroughly taught and trained everyone who was to hear it, including the gods,
humans both lay and ordained, and the eight kinds of lowly beings. Still, some of his followers rejected it.
Now in the Latter Day of the Law, even though the teaching, the people's capacity and the time for propagation
are in accord, we must expect all the more hostility. For this is the age of conflict in which the Pure Law has been lost.
Moreover, the teacher is but a common person, and his disciples come from among impious men defiled by the three poisons.
For this reason, people reject the virtuous teacher and seek out evil priests instead.
What is more, once you become a follower of the Lotus Sutra's true votary whose practice accords with
the Buddha's teachings, you are bound to face the three powerful enemies. Therefore, from the very day you take faith in this
teaching, you should be fully prepared to face the three kinds of persecutions which are certain to be more terrible now after
the Buddha's passing. Although my disciples had already heard this, some became so terrified when both great and small persecutions
confronted us that they even forsook their faith. Did I not warn you in advance? I have been teaching you day and night directly
from the sutra, which says, "Since hatred and jealously abound even during the lifetime of the Buddha, how much worse will
it be in the world after his passing?" You have no reason to be suddenly frightened when you witness me driven from my home,
wounded, or officially censured and exiled--this time to a distant province.
Question: The votary who practices according to the Buddha's teachings should live a peaceful life in
this world. Why then are you beset by the three powerful enemies?
Answer: Shakyamuni faced the nine great persecutions for the sake of the Lotus Sutra. In the distant
past, Bodhisattva Fukyo was attacked with sticks and stones. Chu Tao-sheng was exiled to Mount Su, Priest Fa-tao was branded
on the face, and Aryasinha was beheaded. The Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai was opposed by the seven northern and three southern
sects, and the Great Teacher Dengyo was vilified by the six sects in the old capital of Nara. The Buddha and these bodhisattvas
and great saints were all votaries of the Lotus Sutra, yet they suffered great persecutions. If you deny that they practiced
according to the Buddha's teachings, then where can you find those who did? This is the age of conflict in which the Pure
Law has been lost. Moreover, in this evil country, the ruler, his ministers and even the general public are without exception
tainted by slander. They have opposed the true teaching and revered heretical doctrines and priests instead. Therefore, demons
have invaded the land furiously, causing the three calamities and seven disasters to strike again and again.
This is indeed an accursed time to live in this land. However, the Buddha has commanded me to be born
in this age, and it would be impossible to go against his decree. And so, I have put complete faith in the sutra and launched
the battle of the provisional and true teachings. Donning the armor of endurance and girding myself with the sword of the
true teaching, I have raised the banner of Myoho-renge-kyo, the essence of the entire eight volumes of the Lotus Sutra. Then
drawing the bow of the Buddha's declaration, "I have not yet revealed the truth" and notching the arrow of "honestly discarding
the provisional teachings," I have mounted the cart drawn by the great white ox and battered down the gates of the provisional
teachings. Attacking first one and then another, I have refuted the Nembutsu, Shingon, Zen, Ritsu and other sects. Some of
my adversaries have fled headlong while others have retreated, and still others have been captured to become my disciples.
I continue to repulse their attacks and defeat them, but there are legions of enemies opposing the single king of the Law
and the handful who follow him. So the battle goes on even today.
"The practice of the Lotus Sutra is shakubuku, the refutation of the provisional doctrines." True to
the letter of this golden saying, the believers of all provisional teachings and sects will ultimately be defeated and join
the followers of the king of the Law. The time will come when all people, including those of Learning, Realization and Bodhisattva,
will enter on the path to Buddhahood, and the Mystic Law alone will flourish throughout the land. In that time because all
people chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo together, the wind will not beleaguer the branches or boughs, nor will the rain fall hard
enough to break a clod. The world will become as it was in the ages of Fu Hsi and Shen Nung in ancient China. Disasters will
be driven from the land, and people will be rid of misfortune. They will also learn the art of living long, fulfilling lives.
Realize that the time will come when the truth will be revealed that both the Person and the Law are unaging and eternal.
There cannot be the slightest doubt about the sutra's solemn promise of a peaceful life in this world.
Question: How should one practice if he is to be faithful to the Buddha's teachings?
Answer: The Japanese people of this age are one in their opinion of what practice accords with the Buddha's
teachings. They believe that since all vehicles are incorporated in the one supreme vehicle, no teaching is superior or inferior,
shallow or profound, but that all are equal to the Lotus Sutra. Hence the belief that repeating the Nembutsu chant, embracing
Shingon esotericism, practicing Zen meditation, or professing and chanting any sutra or the name of any Buddha or bodhisattva
equals following the Lotus Sutra.
But I insist that this is wrong. The most important thing in practicing Buddhism is to follow and uphold
the Buddha's golden teachings, not the opinions of others. Our master, Shakyamuni Buddha, wished to reveal the Lotus Sutra
from the moment of his enlightenment. However, because the people were not yet mature enough to understand, he had to employ
provisional teachings for some forty years before he could expound the true teaching of the Lotus Sutra. In the Muryogi Sutra,
which served as an introduction to the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha clearly distinguished the provisional teachings from the true
teaching. He declared, "I have preached the Law in many ways, devising many means. But in these more than forty years, I have
not yet revealed the truth." The eighty thousand bodhisattvas, including Bodhisattva Daishogon, fully understood why Shakyamuni
had preached the provisional teachings, demonstrated that they were nothing more than means, and finally discarded them entirely.
They expressed their understanding by declaring that no one can attain supreme enlightenment by embracing any of the provisional
sutras, which expound bodhisattva austerities spanning millions of aeons. Finally the Buddha came to reveal the Lotus Sutra
and stated, "The World-Honored One has long expounded his doctrines and now must reveal the truth." He also warned, "In all
the Buddha's lands of the universe there is but one supreme vehicle, not two or three, and it excludes the provisional teachings
of the Buddha," and "Honestly discarding the provisional teachings, I will expound the Supreme Law," and "Never accept even
a single phrase from the other sutras." Thus, ever since that time, the supreme vehicle of the Mystic Law has been the only
teaching profound enough to enable all people to attain Buddhahood. Even though no sutra other than the Lotus Sutra can provide
even the slightest benefit, the Buddhist scholars of the Latter Day claim that all sutras must lead to enlightenment because
they were expounded by the Buddha. Therefore, they arbitrarily profess faith in any sutra and follow whatever sect they choose,
whether Shingon, Nembutsu, Zen, Sanron, Hosso, Kusha, Jojitsu, or Ritsu. The Lotus Sutra says of such people, "One who refuses
to take faith in this sutra and instead slanders it immediately destroys the seeds for becoming a Buddha in this world....After
he dies he will fall into the hell of incessant suffering." Thus the Buddha himself concluded that one's practice accords
with the Buddha's teachings only when he bases his faith precisely on the standard of the sutra, believing that there is but
one Supreme Law.
Question: Then it would be wrong to say that faith in any sutra or any Buddha of the provisional teachings
equals faith in the Lotus Sutra. But what of one who believes only in the Lotus Sutra and carries out the five practices of
the Hosshi chapter or follows the easy practices of the Anrakugyo chapter? Could we not say that his practice accords with
the Buddha's teachings?
Answer: Anyone who practices Buddhism should first understand the two types of practice--shoju and shakubuku.
Any sutra or treatise must be practiced in one of these two ways. Although scholars in this country may have studied Buddhism
extensively, they do not know which practice accords with the time. The four seasons continually repeat themselves, each in
turn manifesting its own characteristics. In summer it is hot; in winter, cold. Flowers blossom in spring, and fruit ripens
in autumn. Therefore, it is only natural to sow seeds in spring and reap the harvest in fall. If one sowed in autumn, could
he harvest in spring? Heavy clothing is useful in bitter cold, but of what use is it in sweltering heat? A cool breeze is
pleasant in summer, but what good is it in winter? Buddhism works in the same way. There are times when Hinayana Buddhism
should be disseminated for the benefit of humanity, times when the provisional Mahayana doctrines are necessary, times when
the true Mahayana teaching must spread to lead people to Buddhahood. The two millennia of the Former and Middle Days of the
Law required the spread of Hinayana and provisional Mahayana Buddhism, while the first five hundred years of the Latter Day
call for the kosen-rufu of the perfect, supreme teaching of the Lotus Sutra. As predicted by the Buddha, now is the age of
conflict when the Pure Law has been lost, and the provisional and true teachings of Buddhism are hopelessly confused.
When one must face enemies, he needs a sword, staff or a bow and arrows. However, when he has no enemies,
such weapons are of no use at all. In this age the provisional teachings have turned into enemies of the true teaching. When
the time is right to propagate the supreme teaching, the provisional teachings become enemies. If they are a source of confusion,
they must be thoroughly refuted from the standpoint of the true teaching. Of the two types of practice, this is shakubuku,
the practice of the Lotus Sutra. With good reason T'ien-t'ai stated: "The practice of the Lotus Sutra is shakubuku, the refutation
of the provisional doctrines." The four easy practices in the Anrakugyo chapter are shoju. To carry them out in this day would
be as foolish as sowing seeds in winter and expecting to reap the harvest in spring. It is natural for a rooster to crow in
the morning but strange for him to crow at dusk. Now when the true and provisional teachings are utterly confused, it would
be equally unnatural for one to seclude himself in the mountains, carrying out the easy practice of shoju, and avoid refuting
the enemies of the Lotus Sutra. He would lose all chance to practice the Lotus Sutra. Now in the Latter Day of the Law, who
is carrying out the practice of shakubuku in strict accordance with the Lotus Sutra? Suppose someone, no matter who, should
loudly proclaim that the Lotus Sutra alone can lead people to Buddhahood and that all other sutras, far from enabling them
to attain enlightenment, only drive them into hell. Observe what happens should he thus try to refute the teachers and doctrines
of all the other sects. The three powerful enemies will arise without fail.
The true master, Shakyamuni Buddha, practiced shakubuku during the last eight years of his lifetime,
the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai for more than thirty years, and the Great Teacher Dengyo for more than twenty, Nichiren has been
refuting the provisional teachings for more than twenty years, and the great persecutions he has suffered during this period
are beyond number. I do not know whether they are equal to the nine great persecutions suffered by the Buddha, but surely
neither T'ien-t'ai nor Dengyo ever faced persecutions as great as Nichiren's for the sake of the Lotus Sutra. They encountered
only envy and slander, whereas I was twice exiled by the regent, this time to a remote province. Furthermore, I was nearly
beheaded at Tatsunokuchi, wounded on the forehead at Komatsubara, and slandered time and again. My disciples have also been
exiled and thrown into prison, while my lay followers have been evicted and had their property confiscated. How can the persecutions
faced by Nagarjuna, T'ien-t'ai or Dengyo possibly compare with these? Understand then that the votary who practices the Lotus
Sutra exactly as the Buddha teaches will without fail be attacked by the three powerful enemies. Shakyamuni himself, T'ien-t'ai
and Dengyo were the only three who perfectly carried out the Buddha's teachings in these more than two thousand years. Now
in the Latter Day of the Law, the only such votaries are Nichiren and his disciples. If we cannot be called votaries faithful
to the Buddha's teachings, then neither can Shakyamuni, T'ien-t'ai nor Dengyo. Could Devadatta, Kokalika, Sunakshatra, Kobo,
Jikaku, Chisho, Shan-tao, Honen, Ryokan and others like them be called votaries of the Lotus Sutra? Could Shakyamuni Buddha,
T'ien-t'ai, Dengyo or Nichiren and his disciples be followers of the Nembutsu, Shingon, Zen, Ritsu or other sects? Could the
Lotus Sutra be called a provisional teaching, and the Amida Sutra and others be the Lotus Sutra? None of this could ever be
possible, even if east were to become west and west become east; even if the earth and all its trees and plants were to fly
up and become the heavens, while the sun, the moon and the stars tumbled down and became the earth.
What a great pity it is that all the Japanese people are delighted to see Nichiren and his disciples
suffer at the hands of the three powerful enemies! What befell another yesterday may befall oneself today. Nichiren and his
disciples have but a short time to endure, the time it takes for frost or dew to vanish in the morning sun. When our prayers
for Buddhahood are answered and we dwell in the land of eternal enlightenment where we will experience the boundless joy of
the Law, what pity we will feel for those suffering incessantly in the depths of hell! How they will envy us then!
Life flashes by in but a moment. No matter how many terrible enemies we may encounter, banish all fears
and never think of backsliding. Even if someone were to cut off our heads with a saw, impale us with lances, or shackle our
feet and bore them through with a gimlet, as long as we are alive, we must keep chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
Then, if we chant until the very moment of death, Shakyamuni, Taho and all other Buddhas in the universe will come to us instantly,
exactly as they promised during the ceremony at Eagle Peak. Taking our hands and bearing us upon their shoulders, they will
carry us to Eagle Peak. The two saints, the two heavenly gods, and the Ten Goddesses will guard us, while all the Buddhist
gods raise a canopy over our heads and unfurl banners on high. They will escort us under their protection to the Buddha land.
How can such joy possibly be described! Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
Nichiren
The fifth month of the tenth year of Bun'ei (1273)
Postscript: Keep this letter with you at all times and read it over and over.
On Prayer
- Kito Sho -
Nichiren, the shramana of Japan
Question: Of the types of prayer that one offers based upon the teachings of the Kegon sect, the Hosso sect,
the Sanron sect, the three Hinayana sects, the Shingon sect or the Tendai sect, which type is effective?
Answer: Since they represent the preaching of the Buddha, they can all in some sense be considered prayer.
But prayers that are based upon the Lotus Sutra are certain to be true prayers.
Question: What is the reason for that?
Answer: The persons of the two vehicles, though they spent kalpas numerous as the dust particles of
the earth practicing the sutras that correspond to the first four flavors, could never attain Buddhahood. But by listening
to the Lotus Sutra for just an instant they became Buddhas. For this reason, Shariputra, Mahakashyapa and the others who make
up the twelve hundred persons and the twelve thousand persons, and all the other persons of the two vehicles who attained
Buddhahood, will certainly respond to the prayers of those who practice the Lotus Sutra. And they will take upon themselves
the pains of such practitioners.
Therefore it is stated in the Shinge chapter [of the Lotus Sutra]:
The World-Honored One in his great mercy makes use of a rare thing,
in pity and compassion teaching and converting,
bringing benefit to us.
in numberless millions of kalpas who could ever repay him?
Though we offer him our hands and feet,
bow our heads in respectful obeisance,
and present all manner of offerings,
none of us could repay him.
Though we lift him on the crown of our heads,
bear him on our two shoulders,
for kalpas numerous as Ganges sands
reverence him with all our hearts;
though we come with delicate foods,
with countless jeweled robes,
with articles of bedding,
various kinds of potions and medicines;
with ox-head sandalwood and all kinds of rare gems,
construct memorial towers and spread the ground with jeweled robes;
though we were to do all this by way of offering for kalpas numerous as Ganges sands,
still we could not repay him.
In this passage from the sutra, the four great voice-hearers, having heard the message of the Hiyu chapter
and learned how they can become Buddhas, are expounding on how difficult it is to repay one’s debt of gratitude to the
Buddha and to the Lotus Sutra. Therefore, we can understand that, to persons of the two vehicles, the practitioners of this
sutra are more important than a father or a mother, than a beloved child, than their own two eyes or their body and life itself.
Though I do not think that the great voice-hearers such as Shariputra and Maudgalyayana would actually
cast aside a practitioner who praised any of the teachings put forth by the Buddha in the course of his lifetime, still it
is likely that they feel a small degree of resentment toward the various sutras that were preached previous to the Lotus Sutra.
This is because a strong warning has been given that "Within the Buddha’s teachings ... they are like seeds that have
already been spoiled." But now these voice-hearers have become the Buddha Flower Glow, the Buddha Rare Form and the Buddha
Universal Brightness, a most unexpected stroke of good fortune. They must feel as though the K’un-lun Mountains had
crumbled apart and they were able to enter those mountains of jewels. That is why the passage of appreciation says: "This
cluster of unsurpassed jewels has come to us unsought."
So there can be no doubt that all persons of the two vehicles will protect the practitioner of the Lotus
Sutra. Even lowly creatures know enough to repay a debt of gratitude. Thus the bird known as the wild goose will invariably
carry out its filial duty to the mother bird when she is about to die. And the fox never forgets its old hillock. If even
creatures such as these will do so, then how much more so a human being?
A man named Wang Shou was traveling along a road when he became hungry and weary. Beside the road was
a plum tree that was loaded with fruit. Wang Shou ate the fruit and thereby satisfied his hunger. But he said to himself,
"I have eaten the fruit of this plum tree and thus restored my strength and spirits. It would not be right if I failed to
repay this debt of gratitude." So saying, he took off his robe and hung it on the plum tree before going on his way.
A man named Wang Yin was traveling along a road when he became thirsty for a drink of water. Crossing
a river, he drank some of the water, and then he tossed a coin into the river as payment for the water he had drunk.
A dragon will invariably protect a monk who is wearing a Buddhist surplice. The reason is that a dragon
once received a Buddhist surplice from the Buddha and, placing it around its beloved child in the dragon palace, was able
to prevent the child from being eaten by garuda birds.
A garuda bird will invariably protect a person who carries out his filial duty toward his parents. Dragons
would eat the beloved chicks of the garuda bird after shaking them off Mount Sumeru. But the Buddha instructed the garuda
bird to take the offerings of rice that Buddhist monks set aside from the alms given them by filial persons, and to place
these offerings on top of Mount Sumeru. In this way, the garuda bird was able to prevent its chicks from being eaten by dragons.
Heaven will invariably protect a person who observes the precepts and practices good. If persons who
are born into the human realm do not observe the precepts or practice good, then when these persons in the human realm die,
they will in most cases be reborn in the realm of the asura. And if the persons in the realm of the asura become very numerous,
they will grow arrogant and will inevitably offend against heaven.
However, if persons who are born into the human realm observe the precepts and practice good, when they
die they will invariably be reborn in the realm of heavenly beings. And if those in the realm of heavenly beings become very
numerous, the asuras will be frightened and will not dare to offend against heaven. That is the reason why heaven invariably
protects persons who observe the precepts and practice good.
Persons of the two vehicles are more excellent in the virtue gained from their observance of the precepts
and more astute in wisdom than ordinary persons in the six paths. Therefore, how could they possibly ever abandon those who
practice the Lotus Sutra, since the Lotus Sutra is the means that has enabled them to attain Buddhahood?
Moreover, none of the bodhisattvas and ordinary persons, though in order to become a Buddha they practiced
the teachings of the various sutras preached in the forty and more years previous to the Lotus Sutra for a period of countless
kalpas, could ever succeed in attaining Buddhahood. But by practicing the Lotus Sutra, they were able to attain Buddhahood.
And now these Buddhas of the worlds of the ten directions are endowed with the thirty-two distinctive features and eighty
characteristics that distinguish a Buddha, and are looked up to by persons in the other nine realms just as the stars cluster
about the moon, as the eight mountains surround Mount Sumeru, as the persons of the four continents look up to the sun, or
as the common people look up to the wheel-turning king. And the fact that these Buddhas are looked up to in this manner is
due, is it not, to the benefit and blessing bestowed by the Lotus Sutra?
Therefore, in the Lotus Sutra the Buddha gives this warning: "There is no need to enshrine the relics
of the Buddha there." And the Nirvana Sutra says: "What the Buddhas take as their teacher is the Law. Therefore the Buddhas
honor, respect and make offerings to it." In the passage from the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha is saying that his relics need not
be enshrined in the stupa alongside the Lotus Sutra. And the passage from the Nirvana Sutra indicates that the Buddhas should
honor, respect and make offerings to the Lotus Sutra.
The Buddhas, because they were enlightened by the Lotus Sutra, were able to attain Buddhahood. Therefore,
if they should fail to preach the sutra to others, they would be withholding from others the seeds of Buddhahood and would
be committing a fault. For this reason, Shakyamuni Buddha made his appearance in this saha world and prepared to preach it.
But the Devil of the Sixth Heaven, who is a manifestation of fundamental darkness, entered into the bodies of all the various
people and caused them to hate the Buddha and impede his preaching.
Thus the king known as Virudhaka killed five hundred persons of the Shakya clan; Angulimala chased after
the Buddha; Devadatta rolled a huge stone down on him; and Chincha, the daughter of a Brahman, tied a bowl to her belly and
claimed to be pregnant with the Buddha’s child.
The lord of a Brahman city proclaimed that a fine of five hundred ryo of gold should be levied against
anyone who invited the Buddha into the city. As a result, the people of the city blocked the road with thorns, threw filth
into the wells, built a barricade of spikes at the gate, and put poison in the Buddha’s food, all because of their hatred
of him.
The nun Utpalavarna was murdered, Maudgalyayana was killed by the Brahmans of the Bamboo Staff school,
and Kalodayin was buried in horse dung, all because of animosity toward the Buddha.
Nevertheless, the Buddha managed to survive these various ordeals, and, at the age of seventy-two, forty-two
years after he first began preaching the Buddhist Law, at a mountain called Gridhrakuta northeast of the city of Rajagriha
in central India, he began to preach the Lotus Sutra. He preached it for a period of eight years. Then, on the bank of the
Ajitavati River at the city of Kushinagara in eastern India, in the middle of the night on the fifteenth day of the second
month, when he was eighty years of age, he entered nirvana.
But before that, he had revealed his enlightenment in the form of the Lotus Sutra. Therefore, the words
of this sutra are indeed the very soul of Shakyamuni Buddha. And since every single word constitutes the soul of the Buddha,
Shakyamuni Buddha will protect persons who practice this sutra as though he were protecting his very own eyes. He will accompany
such persons just as a shadow accompanies a body. How then could the prayers of such persons not be answered?
During the first forty and more years of the Buddha’s teaching life, the various bodhisattvas
had tried to attain Buddhahood through the sutras beginning with the Kegon Sutra, but they were unable to do so. But when
the Hoben chapter of the Lotus Sutra was preached, announcing the concise replacement of the three vehicles with the one vehicle,
then:
The bodhisattvas seeking to be Buddhas in a great force of eighty thousand, as well as the wheel-turning
kings [who] come from ten thousands of millions of lands, all press their palms and with reverent minds wish to hear the teaching
of perfect endowment.
And when, in response to this desire, they heard the expanded replacement of the three vehicles with
the one vehicle, then, we are told, "When the bodhisattvas hear this Law, they will be released from all entanglements of
doubt."
After that, bodhisattvas from this world and from other regions gathered round like clouds and were
ranged in ranks like stars. And when the Hoto chapter was preached, the Buddhas of the ten directions gathered round, each
accompanied by countless numbers of bodhisattvas.
Monju appeared from the sea accompanied by countless bodhisattvas, and in addition there were the eighty
myriads of millions of nayutas of bodhisattvas, and the bodhisattvas who were more numerous than the sands of eight Ganges
rivers, and the bodhisattvas numerous as the dust particles of one thousand worlds who emerged from the earth, and in the
Fumbetsu kudoku chapter, the bodhisattvas numerous as the sands of the six hundred and eighty myriads of millions of nayutas
of Ganges rivers, the bodhisattvas multiplied a thousand times, the bodhisattvas numerous as the dust particles of a world,
the bodhisattvas numerous as the dust particles of a major world system, the bodhisattvas numerous as the dust particles of
an intermediate world system, the bodhisattvas numerous as the dust particles of a minor world system, the bodhisattvas numerous
as the dust particles of four four-continent worlds, or the dust particles of three four-continent worlds, two four-continent
worlds or one four-continent world and the persons numerous as the dust particles of eight worlds.
There were the eighty-four thousand bodhisattvas of the Yakuo chapter; the eighty-four thousand bodhisattvas
and the forty-two thousand heavenly sons of the Myoon chapter; the eighty-four thousand persons of the Fumon chapter; the
sixty-eight thousand persons of the Dharani chapter; the eighty-four thousand persons of the Myoshogonno chapter; and the
bodhisattvas numerous as the Ganges sands and the bodhisattvas numerous as the dust particles of a major world system of the
Kambotsu chapter.
If we were to count up all these bodhisattvas, they would be as numerous as the dust particles of the
worlds of the ten directions, as the plants and trees in the worlds of the ten directions, as the stars in the worlds of the
ten directions, or as the drops of rain in the worlds of the ten directions. And all of these beings attained Buddhahood through
the Lotus Sutra, and are dwelling on the earth, under the earth or in the sky of this present major world system.
The Venerable Mahakashyapa lives on Mount Kukkutapada, Monjushiri lives on Mount Clear and Cool, Bodhisattva
Jizo lives on Mount Kharadiya, Kannon lives on Mount Potalaka, Bodhisattva Miroku lives in the Tushita heaven, Nanda and the
countless other dragon kings and asura kings live at the bottom of the sea or at the seaside, Taishaku lives in the Trayastrimsha
heaven, Bonten lives in the Summit of Being heaven, Makeishura lives in the sixth heaven of Freely Enjoying Things Conjured
by Others, the Four Heavenly Kings live on the slopes of Mount Sumeru, and the, sun, the moon and the crowds of stars appear
before our eyes and shine over our heads. The river gods, the stream gods and the mountain gods were all among the honored
ones present at the assembly when the Lotus Sutra was preached.
It has now been over twenty-two hundred years since the Buddha preached the Lotus Sutra. Human beings
have a short life span, and therefore there are no persons alive today who have seen the Buddha with their own eyes. But in
the heavenly realm the span of a day is long and the beings there have long lives, and, as a result, there are uncountably
numerous heavenly beings still alive who have seen the Buddha and listened to him preach the Lotus Sutra.
Fifty years in the life of a human being is equivalent to no more than one day and one night in the
lives of beings in the Heaven of the Four Heavenly Kings. And these heavenly beings, passing such days and nights, with thirty
such days to a month and twelve such months to a year, live to be five hundred years old. Therefore, twenty-two hundred or
more years in the lives of human beings will be equivalent to only forty-four days in the lives of beings in the Heaven of
the Four Heavenly Kings.
Hence from the point of view of the deities of the sun and the moon and the heavenly king Bishamon,
it has been only forty-four days, or less than two months, since the Buddha passed away. And from the point of view of Taishaku
and Bonten, not even a month, not even a brief period has passed since the Buddha departed. In such a short time, how could
these heavenly beings have forgotten the vow that they took in the presence of the Buddha, or the debt of gratitude they owe
to the sutra that allowed them to attain Buddhahood, and thus abandon the practitioners of the Lotus Sutra? When we think
of it in this way, we can feel greatly assured.
Therefore we know that the prayers offered by a practitioner of the Lotus Sutra will be answered just
as an echo answers a sound, as a shadow follows a form, as the reflection of the moon appears in clear water, as a mirror
collects dewdrops, as a lodestone attracts iron, as amber attracts particles of dust, or as a bright mirror reflects the color
of an object.
Concerning the ways of the ordinary world, though a person may not be inclined to a certain act, if
he is urged to it by his parents, his sovereign, his teachers, his wife and children, or his close friends, and if he is a
person of conscience, he will overlook his own inclinations and will sacrifice his name and profit, and even his life, in
order to perform the act. How much more earnest will he be, then, if the act is something that springs from his own heart.
In such a case, even the restraints of his parents, his sovereign or his teachers cannot prevent him from carrying out the
action.
Thus it was that a worthy man named Fan Yu-ch’i cut off his own head so that it could be presented
to Ching K’o, and Chi-cha, having pledged to present his sword to the lord of Hsu, hung it on the lord’s grave.
Similarly, at the gathering on Eagle Peak, the dragon king’s daughter attained Buddhahood in her
present form. In the Hinayana sutras women were despised because they are hindered by the thick clouds of the five obstacles
and bound by the strong chords of the three obediences; and in the Mahayana sutras expounded in the first forty and more years
of the Buddha’s preaching, women were rejected, since they were thought to be incapable of carrying out religious practice
over many kalpas. Or, though it had been stated that "The first time they conceive the desire to do so, they can attain enlightenment,"
this was indicated as a possibility in name only, with no actual examples to support it. So, in effect, the attainment of
Buddhahood by women was denied.
Thus, even a woman who was in the realm of human or heavenly beings had no hope of ever finding the
way to become a Buddha. How much less hope was there for this woman [described in the Lotus Sutra], a humble being born among
the creatures known as dragons, who had not yet reached maturity but was only eight years old. And yet, contrary to all expectations,
through the instruction of Monju, in the short space of time between the Hosshi and Devadatta chapters when the Buddha was
preaching the Hoto chapter, in the midst of the ocean she attained Buddhahood. This was a most wonderful happening! If it
had not been for the power of the Lotus Sutra, the foremost among all the teachings of the Buddha’s lifetime, how could
such a thing have come about?
Therefore, Miao-lo remarks of the event: "Practice is shallow but the results are profound, which is
evidence of the power of the sutra." And because the dragon girl was able to attain Buddhahood through this sutra, even if
she had not been admonished against it by the Buddha, how could she ever abandon someone who is a practitioner of the Lotus
Sutra? Therefore, in the verse that she uttered in praise of the Buddha, she stated: "I unfold the doctrines of the great
vehicle to rescue living beings from suffering."
Her oath was the oath taken by her retinue, or all the creatures known as dragons, whose number is so
vast that "it can be neither expressed by the mouth nor fathomed by the mind." The dragon king Sagara, though only a lowly
creature, cared profoundly for his daughter. Therefore he took the finest treasure in all the great ocean, a wish-granting
jewel, and had his daughter present it to the Buddha as alms, in recognition of the fact that she had attained Buddhahood
in her present form. This jewel was equivalent in value to a major world system.
Devadatta was the grandson of King Simhahanu, the son of Shakyamuni Buddha’s uncle, King Dronodana,
and an elder brother of the Venerable Ananda. His mother was a daughter of the rich man Suprabuddha. He was thus a member
of the family of a wheel-turning king and held a high social position in the southern continent of Jambudvipa.
While he was still an ordinary member of society, the woman he had intended to marry, Yashodhara, was
taken away by Prince Siddhartha, and he thereafter looked upon him as he would an enemy from a past existence.
Later, he broke his ties with his family and joined the Buddhist order, but when there were large gatherings
of human beings and heavenly beings, the Buddha would censure him, calling him a fool or one who eats others’ spit.
In addition, being a man who cared deeply about fame and personal profit, he envied the attention that /was paid to the Buddha.
He then began observing the five ascetic practices in an attempt to appear more admirable than the Buddha. He pounded iron
to make a thousand-spoked wheel pattern to imprint on his feet, gathered together fireflies to form a tuft of white hair between
his eyebrows, and committed to memory sixty thousand and eighty thousand jeweled teachings. He erected an ordination platform
on Mount Gayashirsha and lured many of the Buddha’s disciples over to his side. He painted his fingernails with poison
and attempted to smear the poison on the feet of the Buddha. He beat the nun Utpalavarna to death, and rolled a huge rock
down on the Buddha, injuring the latter on the toe. He was guilty of committing three of the cardinal sins, and in the end
gathered about him all the evil men of the five regions of India and strove to harm the Buddha and his disciples and lay supporters.
King Bimbisara was the foremost of the Buddha’s lay supporters. Each day he dispatched five hundred
wagons, day after day supplying alms to the Buddha and his disciples. But Devadatta, driven by his intense jealousy, talked
to Prince Ajatashatru, and in time persuaded him to attack his father, King Bimbisara, whereupon he killed his father by pinning
him down with seven foot-long nails.
In the end, the earth in front of the northern gate of the capital city of Rajagriha split open and
Devadatta fell into the great citadel of the Avichi hell. There was not a single being in the entire major world system who
did not witness the event.
One would suppose that as a result, he would never be able to escape from the great citadel of incessant
suffering, even though as many kalpas should pass as there are particles of dust on the earth. And yet, amazing as it is,
and admirable as well, in the Lotus Sutra he became a Buddha called Heavenly King. And if Devadatta can become a Buddha, then
all the countless other evil persons who were enticed by him, since they shared with him the same karmic cause and effect,
must surely have been able to escape from the pains of the hell of incessant suffering.
This is entirely due to the benefit and blessing of the Lotus Sutra. Thus Devadatta and all the
countless
persons who attended him now can dwell in the house of the practitioners of the Lotus Sutra [in order to protect them]. What
a comforting thought!
The various bodhisattvas, who were as numerous as the particles of dust on the earth, had advanced to
the level of near-perfect enlightenment, which means they had freed themselves of everything but their fundamental darkness.
When they were fortunate enough to encounter Shakyamuni Buddha, they thought that they would be able to smash this great boulder
of fundamental darkness. But in the first forty and more years of his preaching life Shakyamuni, the lord of teachings, explained
that while he could expound on the causes of enlightenment, he could not expound on its effects. Therefore he did not make
clear to them the benefits of perfect enlightenment. Hence not a single one of them was able to advance to the stage of perfect
enlightenment. This was contrary to their expectations.
But during the eight years when he preached at Eagle Peak, the Buddha expounded on the effects of enlightenment,
which are called the one vehicle of Buddhahood. All the bodhisattvas were then able to advance to the stage of perfect enlightenment,
so that their enlightenment was equal to that of Shakyamuni Buddha. It was as though they had climbed to the very top of Mount
Sumeru and could see in all four directions. All became bright and clear, as though the sun had appeared in the midst of a
long night. Even if the Buddha had not instructed them to do so, could they have failed to resolve to spread the teachings
of the Lotus Sutra, or to take upon themselves the sufferings of its practitioners?
Therefore, they made a vow, saying, "We care nothing for our bodies or lives but are anxious only for
the unsurpassed way," "We… never begrudging our bodies or lives," or "We will preach this sutra far and wide."
Furthermore, Shakyamuni Buddha, who is like a kind father, and Taho Buddha, who is like a loving mother,
and the Buddhas of the ten directions, who had appeared in order to add their testimony and who are like affectionate parents,
were ranged together in the assembly, so that it was as though two moons had come together or two suns had appeared side by
side.
At that time the Buddha spoke three times in warning, saying: "So I say to the great assembly: After
I have passed into extinction, who can guard and uphold, read and recite this sutra? Now in the presence of the Buddha let
him come forward and speak his vow!"
Then the great bodhisattvas who filled four hundred myriads of millions of nayutas of worlds in each
of the eight directions bent their bodies, bowed their heads, pressed their palms together, and all raised their voices in
unison, saying, "We will respectfully carry out all these things just as the World-Honored One has commanded." Three times
they cried out, not sparing their voices. How then could they fail to take upon themselves the sufferings of the practitioner
of the Lotus Sutra?
Fan Yu-ch’i gave his head to Ching K’o, and Chi-cha hung his sword on the grave of the lord
of Hsu; in both cases they acted so as not to go back on promises that had been made. If even these persons, foreigners in
the far-off land of China, could, because of a promise made to a friend, sacrifice their own lives or hang on a grave a sword
that meant more to them than life itself, then how much more can one expect from the great bodhisattvas, who from the first
have been beings of great compassion and have taken profound vows to undergo suffering on behalf of others? Even if the Buddha
had not admonished them against such action, how could they ever cast aside the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra?
What is more, it was through the Lotus Sutra that these bodhisattvas attained Buddhahood, and the Buddha
fervently admonished them concerning it, so that they took solemn vows in the presence of the Buddha. There can be no doubt,
therefore, that they will aid its practitioner.
The Buddha is the sovereign of the human and heavenly realms and the parent of all living beings. Moreover,
he is the teacher who leads and opens the way. Though a person may be a parent if he is of humble social position, he cannot
at the same time fulfill the function of sovereign. And though one may be a sovereign, if he is not also a parent, he will
inspire only awe and fear. And though one may be both a parent and a sovereign, he cannot be a teacher as well.
The various Buddhas [other than Shakyamuni], since they are known as World-Honored Ones, may be regarded
as sovereigns. But since they do not make their appearance in this saha world, they are not teachers. Nor do they declare
that "… the living beings in it [this threefold world] are all my children." Thus Shakyamuni Buddha alone fulfills the
three functions of sovereign, teacher and parent.
Nevertheless, during the first forty and more years of his preaching life, Shakyamuni cursed Devadatta,
censured the various voice-hearers and refused to teach the bodhisattvas the doctrines pertaining to the fruits of enlightenment.
Though people did not actually say so to others, they sometimes wondered in their hearts whether this Buddha was not in fact
the Devil of the Sixth Heaven, or Papiyas, so greatly did he trouble them.
They continued to harbor these doubts for forty and more years, until the preaching of the Lotus Sutra
began. But then, during the eight years at Eagle Peak, the Treasure Tower appeared in the air with the two Buddhas seated
side by side in it like the sun and the moon. The various other Buddhas ranged themselves over the ground like so many great
mountains gathered together, the bodhisattvas, numerous as the dust particles of one thousand worlds, who had emerged from
the earth ranged themselves in the air like so many stars, and the Buddha revealed the blessings that the various Buddhas
enjoy as the result of their enlightenment. It was as though a storehouse of treasures had been unlocked and the contents
presented to poor people, as though the K’un-lun Mountains, with all their riches, had broken open.
During these eight years, the hearts of the persons who were present at the assembly were filled with
awe when they observed these rare and wonderful events, as if they were gathering up nothing but treasures. The bodhisattvas,
unbegrudging of their lives, unstinting with their words, vowed to do as the Buddha had encouraged them. And then, in the
Zokurui chapter, Shakyamuni Buddha emerged from the Treasure Tower and closed its doors. The various other Buddhas thereupon
returned to their respective lands, and the bodhisattvas who had appeared with them followed along in company with the Buddhas.
The people were feeling increasingly lonely, when the Buddha announced, "Three months from now I will
enter nirvana." The announcement astounded them and made them even more depressed.
Ever since the various bodhisattvas, persons of the two vehicles, and human and heavenly beings had
heard the Lotus Sutra, they had all been imbued with a heartfelt sense of the benefit and blessing bestowed on them by the
Buddha, and yearned to show the Buddha how willing they were to sacrifice their bodies and lives for the sake of the Lotus
Sutra. How terrible it would be, they thought, their hearts in a turmoil, if the Buddha would really enter nirvana as he had
said he would!
At that time, on the fifteenth day of the second month, during the Hour of the Tiger and the Hour of
the Hare (3:00 to 7:00 A.M.), when the Buddha was eighty years old, on the bank of the Ajitavati River at the city of Kushinagara
in the country of Shravasti- in eastern India, the Buddha’s voice was heard, announcing that he would pass into extinction.
His voice radiated upward as far as the Summit of Being heaven, and echoed abroad throughout the entire major world system.
Eyes grew dim and hearts sank.
Throughout the five regions of India, its sixteen major states, its five hundred middle-sized states,
its ten thousand smaller states and its countless tiny states, the people gathered together, no one having the time to prepare
clothing or food, and regardless of higher or lower social rank. Oxen and horses, wolves and dogs, eagles and vultures, gnats
and gadflies, to the number of fifty-two different species, gathered together. The number of any one species was more than
the particles of dust on the earth, to say nothing of the number of all fifty-two species together.
All these different species of beings brought flowers, incense, clothing and food as their final offerings
to the Buddha. Their voices resounded, crying out that the jeweled bridge for all living beings was about to break, that the
eye of all living beings was about to be put out, that the parent, sovereign and teacher of all living beings was about to
die. Not only did their hair stand on end, but their tears flowed. Not only did their tears flow, but they beat their heads,
pressed their hands to their chests, and cried aloud, not sparing their voices. The blood of their tears and the blood of
their sweat fell upon Kushinagara more heavily than a torrential rain and flowed more abundantly than a mighty river. All
this they did solely because the Lotus Sutra had opened for them the way to Buddhahood, and they could never repay the debt
of gratitude they owed the Buddha.
Even in this scene of such grief, there were those who declared angrily that the enemies of the Lotus
Sutra should have their tongues cut out, that they should never be allowed to sit with the others in the assembly. The bodhisattva.
Kasho Doji vowed that he would appear in the form of frost and hail in the lands of the enemies of the Lotus Sutra. At that
time the Buddha raised himself slightly from his reclining position and praised him, saying happily, "Well spoken! Well spoken!"
The other bodhisattvas, guessing where the Buddha’s wishes lay, supposed that if they declared
their intention to attack the enemies of the Lotus Sutra, this might prolong the Buddha’s life a little, and one by
one they vowed to do so. In this way the bodhisattvas and the heavenly and human beings called upon the enemies of the Lotus
Sutra to appear, hoping that if they could fulfill the oath they had taken in the presence of the Buddha, then Shakyamuni
Buddha as well as Taho and the other Buddhas and Thus Come Ones would understand that, faithful to the vow they had made before
the Buddha, they would begrudge neither their reputations nor their lives in defense of the Lotus Sutra.
One may ask why the results of these vows should be so long in appearing. And yet, though one might
point at the earth and miss it, though one might bind up the sky, though the tides might cease to ebb and flow and the sun
rise up from the west, it could never come about that the prayers of the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra would go unanswered.
If the bodhisattvas, the human and heavenly beings, the eight kinds of nonhuman beings, the two sages, the two heavenly deities
and the ten demon daughters would by some unlikely chance fail to appear and protect the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra,
then they would be showing disdain for Shakyamuni and the other Buddhas above, and below they would be guilty of deceiving
the beings of the nine realms.
It makes no difference if the practitioner himself is lacking in worth, defective in wisdom, impure
in his person and lacking in virtue derived from observing the precepts. So long as he chants Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, they will
invariably protect him. One does not throw away gold because the bag that holds it is dirty, one does not ignore the sandalwood
trees because of the foul odor of the eranda trees around them, and one does not refuse to gather lotuses because the pond
in the valley where they grow is filthy. If they ignore the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra, they will be going against their
vow.
Now that the Former and Middle Days of the Law are over, persons who observe the precepts are as rare
as tigers in a marketplace, and men of wisdom are harder to find than the horns of a ch’i-lin. While waiting for the
moon to rise, one must rely upon a torch, and when there are no true gems or treasures at hand, gold and silver must serve
for treasures. The debt of gratitude one owes to the white crow may be repaid to the black crow, and the debt one owes to
the holy priest may be repaid to the ordinary priest. So if you earnestly pray that blessings be given to you without delay,
how can your prayers fail to be answered?
Question: When I examine the reasoning and the textual proofs you have presented above, I would have
to say that, if there are a sun and a moon in the sky, if there are plants and trees on the earth, if there are day and night
in this country of ours, then so long as the earth fails to turn upside down and the tides of the ocean continue to ebb and
flow, there can be no doubt that the prayers of the person who puts his faith in the Lotus Sutra will be answered in this
world, and that in his next existence he will enjoy good circumstances.
Nevertheless, during the past twenty years and more the eminent Tendai and Shingon leaders have in many
cases offered prayers regarding important matters of state, but such prayers have by no means proved effective. Indeed, the
efforts of these priests would seem to be even less efficacious than those of persons who support the teachings of non-Buddhist
scriptures. This sets me to wondering if the pronouncements of the [Lotus] sutra are in some way false, if the actions of
the practitioners of the sutra are to blame, or if the time or the people’s capacity is not appropriate for such actions.
And this puts me in doubt regarding my future existence.
But leaving that point aside for the moment, I am told that you were a disciple of the priests of Mount
Hiei. They say that the offenses of the fathers are visited upon the sons, and those of the teachers are visited upon the
disciples. When the priests of Mount Hiei burned the halls and pagodas of Onjo-ji temple and of the mountain temple, along
with thousands and tens of thousands of Buddhist images and sutras, those were terrible deeds! They threw the people of the
time into turmoil and turned them against Mount Hiei. What is your opinion? I have heard a little about these events in the
past, but I would like now to hear you speak in greater detail. I am full of questions. When priests behave in such an evil
manner, it seems to me that they are no longer acting in accord with the spirit of the three treasures and that heaven and
earth should no longer lend them shelter. I would suppose, therefore, that their prayers would not be answered. What is your
opinion?
Answer: I have touched on this matter in the past, but this time I will summarize the issues. This is
a matter of vital concern to the country of Japan, and because many people fail to understand it, they create negative karma
through their words.
First of all, as to the origin of the temple on Mount Hiei, it was founded by the Great Teacher Dengyo
in the reign of Emperor Kammu, some two hundred years after Buddhism was introduced to this country. Earlier, Prince Shotoku
had declared that Kyoto, which was later to become the capital, appeared to be highly suitable for the royal residence. But
the actual founding of the capital at that location was delayed until after the Tendai school had been introduced to Japan.
According to the records of Prince Jogu, or Shotoku, the prince stated: "Two hundred or more years after my passing, the Buddhist
Law will spread throughout Japan." Later, in the Enryaku era, the Great Teacher Dengyo founded the temple on Mount Hiei, and
Emperor Kammu established the capital Heiankyo. Thus the prophecy of Prince Shotoku was fulfilled.
In this way the mountain temple and the royal house were like the pine and the cypress, and resembled
the orchids and the grasses. When the pine withers, the cypress is bound to wither, too, and when the orchids wilt, the grasses
wilt as well. Thus it seemed that the prosperity of the royal reign brought joy to the mountain temple, and that the decline
of royal power brought sadness to the mountain. And now that the world has changed and power has passed to the government
in the Kanto region, what must be their thoughts?
In the third year of the Jokyu era (1221), the year with the cyclical sign kanoto-mi, on the nineteenth
day of the fourth month-around the time of the disturbance between the court and the barbarian warriors --by command of the
Retired Emperor of Oki, altars were set up and the fifteen secret ceremonies were carried out for the first time by forty-one
practitioners of such secret ceremonies in an attempt to overcome the Kanto government through the power of incantation.
These ceremonies included the one-character gold-wheel ceremony (carried out by the Tendai chief priest
Jien, the administrator of monks, and twelve attendant priests at the command of Imperial Regent Motomichi); the ceremony
of the Four Heavenly Kings (carried out by the imperial administrator of monks of Joko-ji temple [Shinsho] with eight attendant
priests at the Hirose Palace at the command of Lady Shumeimon’in); the ceremony of Fudo Myoo (carried out by the administrator
of monks Joho and eight accompanying priests at the command of Lord Kazan’in Zemmon [Fujiwara Tadatsune]); the ceremony
of Daiitoku (carried out by the administrator of monks Kangon with eight accompanying priests at the command of Lady Shichijoin);
the ceremony of the wheelturning king (carried out by the administrator of monks Joken with eight accompanying priests at
the command of the same person as above); the ten-altar ceremony of Daiitoku (carried out by the ten priests--the administrator
of monks Kakucho, the Dharma seal Shunsho, the Dharma seal Eishin, the Dharma seal Goen, the supervisor of monks Yuen, the
administrator of monks Jiken, the supervisor of monks Kenjo, the supervisor of monks Senson, the supervisor of monks Gyohen
and the Dharma eye Jikkaku--along with six attendant priests each, carried out for the most part at the main temple-building);
the ceremony of Nyoirin (carried out by the administrator of monks Myokoin with eight accompanying priests at the command
of Lady Gishumon’in); and the ceremony of Bishamon (carried out by the administrator of monks Jojuin [Roson] of Mii
with six accompanying priests at the command of Shichin).
And there were also objects of worship that were fashioned in a single day. The secret ceremonies based
on them included the ceremony of Aizen’o of the prescribed method (carried out by the head of Ninna-ji temple in the
Shishin-den palace from the third day of the fifth month and for the following fourteen days); the ceremony of the Buddha
eye (carried out by the administrator of monks Daijo for twenty-one days); the ceremony of the six characters (carried out
by the supervisor of monks Kaiga); the ceremony of Aizen’o (carried out by the administrator of monks Kangon for seven
days); the ceremony of Fudo (carried out by Kanju-ji temple’s administrator of monks with eight accompanying priests,
all holding supervisory posts in the priesthood); the ceremony of Daiitoku (carried out by the administrator of monks Aki);
and the ceremony of Kongo Doji (carried out by the same person). This completes the list of the fifteen ceremonies performed
before altars.
On the fifteenth day of the fifth month, Iga Taro Hogan Mitsusue was attacked and defeated in the capital.
On the nineteenth day of the same month, word of this reached Kamakura. When the news arrived in the capital that a large
force of troops had been dispatched on the twenty-first day to attack the capital, the remainder of the ceremonies were performed,
beginning on the eighth day of the sixth month. These consisted of the ceremony of the Honorable Star King (Performed by the
administrator of monks Kakucho), the ceremony of Taigen (Performed by the supervisor of monks Zou), the ceremony of the five
altars (performed by the administrator of monks Daijo, the Dharma seal Eishin, the supervisor of monks Zenson, the supervisor
of monks Yuen and the supervisor of monks Gyohen), and the ceremony of the Shugo Sutra (presided over by the head of Ninna-ji,
it was the second time this ceremony was performed in our country).
On the twenty-first day of the fifth month, the governor of Musashi started for the capital on the Tokaido
road, while the leader of the Genji clan of Kai set out on the Tosando road, and Lord Shikibu advanced via the Hokuriku road.
On the fifth day of the sixth month the defending forces at Otsu were defeated by the Genji of Kai, and on the thirteenth
and fourteenth days of the sixth month the two sides engaged in battle at the Uji Bridge. On the fourteenth the defenders
of the capital suffered defeat, and on the fifteenth of the same month the governor of Musashi entered the Rokujo headquarters
along with his followers.
On the eleventh day of the seventh month the Retired Emperor Gotoba was banished to the island province
of Oki, the Retired Emperor Tsuchimikado was banished to the province of Awa, and the Retired Emperor Juntoku was banished
to the island province of Sado. In addition, seven members of the court were put to death.
The great evil doctrine of these ceremonies over the years steadily made its way to the Kanto region,
where it was embodied in the form of the superintendents or attendant priests of various temples who repeatedly performed
these ceremonies. The performers of these ceremonies from the beginning could not distinguish between correct and heretical
teachings, between superior and inferior doctrines, but assumed that it was sufficient merely to revere the three treasures.
So without a thought they employed these ceremonies. And now not only the provinces of Kanto but the chief priests and superintendents
of Mount Hiei, To-ji and Onjo-ji have all come under the jurisdiction of the Kanto authorities, so that as a result, the latter
are in the position of supporting these ceremonies.
Question: Why do you insist upon referring to the Shingon teaching as a heretical doctrine?
Answer: The Great Teacher Kobo has stated: "The Dainichi Sutra is first, the Kegon Sutra is second,
and the Lotus Sutra is third." But one should examine this ranking carefully. In what sutra did the Buddha discuss the relative
worth of these three sutras and deliver this judgment? If there is in fact a sutra that declares that the Dainichi Sutra ranks
first, the Kegon Sutra second, and the Lotus Sutra third, then we should accept that statement as true. But if there is no
such passage, then it is not possible to accept this assertion.
The Lotus Sutra states: "Yakuo, now I say to you, I have preached various sutras, and among those sutras
the Lotus is the foremost!" Here the Buddha is referring to all the teachings that he has expounded and stating that among
these the Lotus ranks in first place. The Buddha’s preaching of the Law and the writings of the Great Teacher Kobo are
as much at variance with each other as fire and water. We must investigate and clarify this matter.
Over a period of several hundred years, ordinary priests and high-ranking priests have studied the writings
of Kobo, and eminent and humble, high and low, have put their faith in them and honored the Dainichi Sutra as the foremost
among all the sutras, which does not accord with the intention of the Buddha. Persons who are concerned at heart about this
should examine the matter with great care. For if we put faith in writings that do not accord with the intention of the Buddha,
how can we hope to attain Buddhahood? And if we follow such writings in offering prayers for the nation, how can we fail to
bring about misfortune?
Moreover, Kobo writes: "The Buddhist teachers of China have vied with one another to steal the ghee."
The meaning of this statement is that the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai and others stole the ghee of the Shingon teaching
and called it the ghee of the Lotus Sutra. This statement is the most important point.
When the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai applied the simile of ghee to the Lotus Sutra, basing
himself on a passage in the Nirvana Sutra, he declared that among all the sutras the Lotus Sutra is worthy to be compared
to ghee. The Shingon teaching was introduced to China from India some two hundred years or more after the time of T’ien-t’ai.
How then could T’ien-t’ai possibly have stolen the ghee of the Shingon teaching and called it the ghee of the
Lotus Sutra? Of all strange events, this would be the strangest!
What evidence is there then for calling persons who lived two hundred years or more before the Shingon
teaching was even introduced to China thieves? Are we to put faith in these writings of the Great Teacher Kobo? Or are we
to put faith in the Nirvana Sutra where the Buddha likens the Lotus Sutra to ghee?
If we are to regard the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai as a thief, then how are we to interpret
the passage in the Nirvana Sutra? And if we accept the passage in the Nirvana Sutra as reliable and conclude that the writings
of Kobo are heretical in nature, then what are we to think of persons who put faith in such heretical teachings? All I can
say is that one should compare the writings of the Great Teacher Kobo and the pronouncements of the Buddha concerning the
Law, and then put one’s faith in the one that proves to be correct.
Question: I am still in doubt. The Dainichi Sutra represents the teaching as expounded by Dainichi Buddha.
And if that is so, then to use the teaching as expounded by Shakyamuni Buddha to attempt to controvert the teaching as expounded
by Dainichi Buddha is surely not at all in accord with reason, is it?
Answer: Who were the parents of Dainichi Buddha, and in what country did he appear when he expounded
the Dainichi Sutra? If he had no parents but simply appeared in the world, then in what sutra is it recorded that such a Buddha
will appear in the world to expound the teaching during the 5,670 million years between the passing of Shakyamuni Buddha and
the appearance of Miroku, the honored one of compassion? If there are no passages of proof, then who would put faith in such
an assertion? The Shingon doctrines are full of mistaken assertions of this kind, which is why I spoke of them as a heretical
teaching.
The list of errors is all but inexhaustible. I have done no more than give one or two examples. In addition
to Shingon, the authorities rely on the Zen and Nembutsu sects. These doctrines all represent provisional teachings of the
type set forth before the truth had been fully revealed. They are not the tenets that lead to the attainment of Buddhahood,
but rather will create karma that condemns one to the hell of incessant suffering. Persons who practice them are guilty of
slandering the Law, so how could their prayers possibly be answered?
One who is a ruler of a nation has become so because in the past he upheld the correct teaching and
served the Buddha. It is through the calculations of the heavenly kings Bonten and Taishaku, the deities of the sun and moon,
the Four Heavenly Kings and others that all rulers, great and small, succeed in acquiring their districts and domains. Thus
the sutra says: "Now when I use the five types of vision to clearly perceive the three existences, I see that all the kings
in their past existences served five hundred Buddhas, and that is the reason they were able to become emperors and sovereigns."
But if one turns his back on the Lotus Sutra and follows the heretical teachers of Shingon, Zen and
Nembutsu, then although he may carry out all kinds of good deeds, these will never accord with the will of the Buddha and
will go against the intention of the gods. One should give very careful thought to this matter.
It is a rare thing to be born as a human being. And if, having been born as such, you do not do your
best to distinguish between the correct doctrine and the heretical so that in the future you may attain Buddhahood, then you
are certainly not fulfilling your true worth as a human being.
Moreover, after the Great Teacher Jikaku had visited China, he turned against the doctrines of his original
teacher, the Great Teacher Dengyo, and worked to spread the Shingon doctrines on Mount Hiei. In order to do so, he offered
up prayers, and claimed that as a result he had had a dream in which he shot an arrow at the sun and caused the sun to roll
over and over. For four hundred or more years now, the people have all looked upon this as an auspicious dream. But in a country
such as Japan, it is in fact a dream of a particularly ill-omened nature. King Chou of the Yin dynasty shot an arrow at the
sun, and as a result he perished. Although this dream may be recounted by a provisional manifestation of a Buddha, one should
ponder it very carefully.
I have only touched upon a small fraction of the matters that I could speak about--like a single hair
from among nine cows.
On Prolonging Life
There are two types of illness: minor and serious. Early treatment by a skilled physician can cure even
serious illnesses, not to mention minor ones. Karma also may be divided into two categories: mutable and immutable. Sincere
repentance will eradicate even immutable karma, to say nothing of karma which is mutable. The seventh volume of the Lotus
Sutra states, "This sutra is beneficial medicine for the illnesses of all mankind." These words can be found in no other sutra.
All the Buddha's teachings are golden words of truth; for countless aeons, they have never contained the slightest falsehood.
The Lotus Sutra is the truth of all truths taught by the Buddha, for it includes his declaration that he would now honestly
discard the provisional teachings. Taho Buddha confirmed the truth of the Lotus Sutra and all other Buddhas lent their tongues
in testimony. How, then, could it be false? Moreover, this sutra contains the greatest of all secrets. Many women suffer from
illness, and now in the fifth five-hundred-year period or a little more than twenty-five hundred years after the Buddha's
death, the Lotus Sutra is "beneficial medicine" for them also.
King Ajatashatru broke out in huge leprous sores all over his body on the fifteenth day of the second
month of his fiftieth year. Not even the skills of his renowned physician Jivaka were enough to cure him. It was foretold
that he would die on the seventh day of the third month and fall into the hell of incessant suffering. All the pleasures of
his more than fifty years suddenly vanished, and the sufferings of an entire lifetime were gathered into three short weeks.
His death was predetermined by his immutable karma. But then the Buddha taught him the Lotus Sutra once more, through the
teachings that became the Nirvana Sutra. The king immediately recovered from his illness, and the heavy sins which had burdened
his heart vanished like dewdrops in the sun.
More than fifteen hundred years after the Buddha passed away, there lived a man in China called Ch'en
Ch'en. It was prophesied that he would die at the age of fifty, but by following the precepts of the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai,
he was able to prolong his life by fifteen years, and lived to be sixty-five. The Buddha taught that Bodhisattva Fukyo also
transformed his immutable karma and prolonged his life through his practice of the Lotus Sutra. Ajatashatru, Ch'en Ch'en and
Fukyo were men, not women, but they did prolong their lives by practicing the Lotus Sutra. Ch'en Ch'en lived before the fifth
five-hundred-year period, so his change of karma was as extraordinary as rice ripening in winter or chrysanthemums blossoming
in summer. Today it is as natural for a woman to change her immutable karma by practicing the Lotus Sutra as it is for rice
to ripen in fall or chrysanthemums to bloom in winter.
When I, Nichiren, prayed for my mother, not only was her illness cured, but her life was prolonged by
four years. Now you too have fallen ill, and as a woman, it is all the more timely for you to try believing in the Lotus Sutra
and see what it will do for you. In addition, you can go to Shijo Kingo, who is not only an excellent physician but a votary
of the Lotus Sutra.
Life is the most precious of all treasures. Even one extra day of life is worth more than ten million
ryo of gold. The Lotus Sutra surpasses all other teachings because of the Juryo chapter. The greatest prince in the world
would be of less consequence than a blade of grass if he died in childhood. If he died young, even a man whose wisdom shone
as brilliantly as the sun would be less than a living dog. Hasten to accumulate the treasure of faith and quickly conquer
your illness.
I should speak to you frankly, but while some people will accept advice, others feel they are not being
correctly understood. It is extremely difficult to fathom another person's mind. I have experienced difficulties on many occasions.
You do not readily accept advice, so I will not counsel you directly. Just pray to the Gohonzon frankly and sincerely, without
help from anyone. When Shijo Kingo came to see me in the tenth month of last year, I told him how grieved I was about your
illness. He replied that you were probably not overly concerned then because your illness was not yet serious, but that it
would definitely become critical by the first or the second month of this year. His words saddened me deeply. Your husband
also told me that he depends on you as a staff to lean on and a pillar for support. He is very worried about you. He is a
man who never gives in to defeat and shows the greatest concern for his own kin.
If you are unwilling to take proper care of yourself, it will be very difficult to cure your illness.
One day of life is more valuable than all the treasures of the universe, so first you must muster sincere faith. This is the
meaning of the passage in the seventh volume of the Lotus Sutra which states that burning one's little finger as an offering
to the Buddha and the Lotus Sutra is better than donating all the treasures of the universe. A single life is worth more than
the universe. You still have many years ahead of you, and moreover, you have found the Lotus Sutra. If you live even one day
longer, you can accumulate that much more good fortune. How precious life is!
Write down your name and age in your own handwriting and send it to me quickly, so I can pray to the
gods of the sun and moon. Your son Iyo-bo is also extremely worried about you, so together we will offer the jigage to those
gods.
Respectfully,
Nichiren
On the Buddha's Behaviour
On the eighteenth day of the first intercalary month of the fifth year of Bun'ei (1268), an official
announcement arrived from the great Mongol Empire in which those barbarians of the west declared their intention to attack
Japan. My prediction in the Rissho Ankoku Ron, which I wrote in the first year of Bun'o (1260), has been completely fulfilled.
My prophecy has surpassed even those in the yueh-fu poems of Po Chu-i or the prophecies of Shakyamuni Buddha. Can there be
anything more wondrous in this, the Latter Day of the Law? If our land were ruled by a wise and virtuous sovereign, the highest
honors in Japan, the title of Great Teacher, would be bestowed upon me. I had expected to be consulted about the Mongols,
invited to the war council, and asked to defeat them through the power of prayer. However, since that did not happen, I sent
letters of warning to eleven of our country's leaders in the tenth month of the same year.
If there were a wise leader among us, he would immediately think, "What a wonder! What unusual foresight!
The deities Tensho Daijin and Hachiman must be offering a way to save Japan through this priest." In actuality, however, government
officials slandered and deceived my messengers. They ignored or refused to reply to my letters, and even when they did reply,
they purposely neglected to report the matter to the Regent. Their behavior was highly irregular. Even if the letters concerned
only some personal matter of mine, those in the government should still report it to the Regent, as is only proper for an
official. However, the letters were a warning of dire things to come that would affect the destiny of not only the Regent's
government but every other official as well. Even if they did not heed my warning, to slander my messengers was going too
far. All Japanese, high and low, have for a long time now shown hostility toward the Lotus Sutra. Disaster after disaster
has befallen them, and they have become possessed by devils. The Mongols' ultimatum has deprived them of the last remnants
of sanity.
In ancient China, Emperor Chou of the Yin dynasty refused to listen to the admonitions of his loyal minister
Pi Kan and in a rage had Pi Kan's heart cut out. Later his dynasty was overthrown by Kings Wen and Wu of the Chou. King Fu-ch'a
of the state of Wu instead of heeding the remonstrances of his minister Wu Tzu-hsu, forced the latter to commit suicide. Eventually
Fu-ch'a was killed by King Kou-chien of the state of Yueh.
Thinking how tragic it would be if our country should meet the same fate, I risked my reputation and life
to remonstrate with the authorities. But, just as a high wind creates high waves or a powerful dragon brings forth torrential
rains, so my admonitions called forth increasing animosity. The Regent's Supreme Council met to discuss whether to behead
me or banish me from Kamakura and whether to confiscate the estates of my disciples and lay supporters, or to imprison, exile
or execute them.
Hearing of this, I rejoiced, saying that I had long expected it to come to this. In the past, Sessen Doji
willingly offered his life to learn half a verse, Bodhisattva Jotai gave everything he had, Zenzai Doji threw himself into
a fire, Gyobo Bonji tore off a piece of his own skin, and Bodhisattva Yakuo burned his own elbow, all in order to attain enlightenment.
Bodhisattva Fukyo was beaten with sticks, Aryasinha was beheaded, and Bodhisattva Kanadeva was killed by a Brahman, all because
of their propagation of Buddhism.
These events should be considered in terms of the times and circumstances in which they occurred. T'ien-t'ai
declared that the practice should "accord with the times." His disciple Chang-an interpreted this to mean, "You should distinguish
between shoju and shakubuku and never adhere solely to one or the other." The Lotus Sutra represents a single truth, but its
practice and propagation vary according to the people and the time.
Shakyamuni Buddha states: "After my death, during the beginning of the Latter Day of the Law that follows
the two millennia of the Former and Middle Days, a person will appear who will propagate the heart of the Lotus Sutra, the
five characters of the daimoku. At that time an evil king will be in power and evil priests, more numerous than particles
of dust, will contend with one another over the various Mahayana and Hinayana sutras. When the votary of daimoku challenges
these priests, they will incite their lay believers to abuse, beat or imprison him, to confiscate his lands, to exile or behead
him. In spite of such persecutions, he will continue his propagation without ceasing. Meanwhile the ruler who persecutes him
will be beset by rebellion, and his subjects will devour each other like hungry demons. Finally the land will be attacked
by a foreign country, for the Buddhist gods Bonten and Taishaku, the gods of the sun and moon, and the Four Heavenly Kings
ordained that other countries shall assault a land that is hostile to the Lotus Sutra."
None of you who declare yourselves to be my disciples should ever be cowardly. Neither should you allow
concern for your parents, wives or children to hold you back, or be worried about your property. Since the infinite past you
have thrown away your life more times than the number of dust particles on earth in order to save your parents, your children
or your property. But you have not once given your life for the Lotus Sutra. You may have tried to practice its teachings
to some extent, but whenever you were persecuted, you ceased to live by the sutra. That is like boiling water only to pour
it into cold water, or like trying to strike fire but giving up halfway. Each and every one of you should be certain deep
in your hearts that sacrificing your life for the Lotus Sutra is like trading rocks for gold or filth for rice.
Now we are at the beginning of the Latter Day of the Law and I, Nichiren, am the first to set out on the
worldwide propagation of Myoho-renge-kyo. These five characters are the heart of the Lotus Sutra and the source of the enlightenment
of all Buddhas. During the more than twenty-two hundred years that have passed since Shakyamuni entered nirvana, no one has
ever embarked on this mission, not even the greatest of his followers, Mahakashyapa, Ananda, Ashvaghosha, Nagarjuna, Nan-yueh,
T'ien-t'ai, Miao-lo or Dengyo. My disciples, form your ranks and follow me, and you shall surpass even Mahakashyapa or Ananda,
T'ien-t'ai or Dengyo! If you quail before the threats of the rulers of this little island country and abandon your faith,
how will you face the even more terrible anger of Emma, the King of Hell? You have proclaimed yourselves to be the messengers
of the Buddha. But if you falter, there will be no one more despicable than you.
While the Regent's government could not come to any conclusion, priests of the Jodo, Ritsu, Shingon and
other sects, who realized they could not surpass me in religious debate, sent petitions to the government. Finding their petitions
unaccepted, they approached the wives and widows of high-ranking officials to vilify me. The women reported the slander to
the officials, saying, "According to what some priests told us, Nichiren declared that the deceased officials Hojo Tokiyori
and Hojo Shigetoki have fallen into the hell of incessant suffering. He said that Kencho-ji, Jufuku-ji, Gokuraku-ji, Choraku-ji
and Daibutsu-ji temples should be burned down and high priests such as Doryu and Ryokan beheaded. His statements prove that
he is guilty on every account, and even though the Regent's Supreme Council has been unable to decide on his punishment, he
should be called to confirm whether or not he made these statements." Thus, I was summoned to the court.
At the court, the magistrate said, "You have heard what the Regent stated. Did you or did you not say those
things?" I answered, "Every word is mine except the statement that the late officials Hojo Tokiyori and Hojo Shigetoki have
fallen into hell. Yet I most certainly have been exposing the heresies of the sects they followed when they were alive.
"Everything I said was with the future of our country in mind. If you wish to maintain this land in peace
and security, it is imperative that you summon the priests of the other sects for a debate in your presence. If you ignore
this advice and punish me unreasonably, the entire country will regret your decision. If you condemn me, you will be rejecting
the Buddha's envoy. Then you will have the punishment of Bonten and Taishaku, the gods of the sun and moon, and the Four Heavenly
Kings. One hundred days after my exile or execution, and again on the first, third and seventh anniversary, there will occur
what the sutras call 'internal strife'--rebellions in your clan. These will be followed by foreign invasion from all sides,
especially from the west. Then you will regret what you have done." Hearing this, the magistrate Hei no Saemon, forgetting
all the dignity of his rank, became wild with rage like Taira no Kiyomori.
On the night of the twelfth day of the ninth month in the eighth year of Bun'ei (1271), I was arrested in
a manner which was extraordinary and unlawful, even more outrageous than the arrest of Ryoken and the priest Ryoko who had
actually rebelled against the government. Hei no Saemon led hundreds of armor-clad warriors to take me. Wearing the headgear
of a court noble, he glared in anger and spoke in a rough voice.
These actions were no different from those of the Prime Minister Taira no Kiyomori, who seized power only
to lead the country to destruction. I immediately recognized the dire portent of this event and thought to myself, "I expected
something like this to happen sooner or later. How fortunate that I can give my life for the Lotus Sutra! If I am to lose
this worthless head for Buddhahood, it will be like trading sand for gold or rocks for jewels!"
Shofu-bo, Hei no Saemon's chief retainer, rushed up, snatched the fifth scroll of the Lotus Sutra from inside
my robe, and struck me in the face with it three times. Then he threw it on the floor. Warriors seized the nine other scrolls
of the sutra, unrolled them and trampled on them or wound them around their bodies, scattering the scrolls all over the matting
and wooden floors until every corner of the house was strewn with them.
I said in a loud voice, "See how insanely Hei no Saemon is acting! You all have just toppled the pillar
of Japan!" Hearing this, the assembled troops were taken aback. When they saw me standing before the fierce arm of the law
unafraid, they must have realized that they were in the wrong, for the color drained from their faces.
Both on the tenth, when I was summoned, and on this night, the twelfth, I fully described to Hei no Saemon
the heresies of the Shingon, Zen and Jodo sects, as well as Ryokan's failure in his prayers for rain. As his warriors listened,
they would burst into laughter, and other times they grew furious. However, I will not go into the details here.
Ryokan prayed for rain from the eighteenth day of the sixth month to the fourth day of the following month,
but my power held his prayers in check. Ryokan worked himself into a sweat, yet nothing fell save his own tears. No rain fell
in Kamakura, but on the contrary, strong gales blew continually.
At this news, I sent a messenger to him three times, saying, "If one cannot get across a river ten feet
wide, how can he cross one that is a hundred or two hundred feet? Izumi Shikibu, an unchaste poetess, violated one of the
eightfold precepts by writing poetry, but still she caused rain with a poem. The priest Noin was successful in bringing rainfall
with a poem although he broke the precepts. How is it possible then that hundreds and thousands of priests, all of whom observe
the two hundred and fifty precepts, gather to pray for rain and can do no more than cause a gale, even after one or two weeks
of prayer? It should be clear from this that none of you will be able to attain Buddhahood." The priest Ryokan read the message
and wept in vexation, and to others he reviled me.
When I reported what had happened with Ryokan, Hei no Saemon attempted to defend him, but it was hopeless.
In the end he was unable to utter a word.
That night of the twelfth, I was placed under the custody of Hojo Nobutoki, lord of the province of Musashi,
and around midnight was taken away to be executed. Entering Wakamiya Avenue, I looked at the crowd of warriors surrounding
me and said, "I will not cause any trouble. Don't worry. I merely wish to say my last words to Bodhisattva Hachiman." I got
down from the horse and called out, "Bodhisattva Hachiman, are you truly a god? When Wake no Kiyomaro was about to be beheaded,
you appeared as a moon ten feet wide. When the Great Teacher Dengyo lectured on the Lotus Sutra, you bestowed upon him a purple
surplice. I, Nichiren, am the greatest votary of the Lotus Sutra in Japan, and entirely without guilt. I have expounded the
Law to save all people from falling into the hell of incessant suffering for opposing the Lotus Sutra. Moreover, if the forces
of the great Mongol empire attack this country, can even the Buddhist gods Tensho Daijin and Hachiman remain safe and unharmed?
When Shakyamuni Buddha expounded the Lotus Sutra, Taho Buddha and many other Buddhas and bodhisattvas appeared shining like
so many suns, moons, stars and mirrors. In the presence of the countless Buddhas and gods of India, China and Japan, the Lord
Buddha urged each Buddhist god to pledge to protect the votary of the Lotus Sutra at all times. Each and every one of you
Buddhist gods made this pledge. I should not have to remind you. Why are you not here to fulfill your oath now that the time
has come?" Finally I called out, "If I am executed tonight and go to the pure land of Eagle Peak, I shall report at once to
Shakyamuni Buddha that Tensho Daijin and Hachiman have broken their oath to him. If you feel this will go hard on you, you
had better do something about it right away!" Having spoken, I remounted my horse.
As the party passed the shrine on Yui beach, I spoke again. "Stop a minute, gentlemen. I have a message
for someone living near here," I said. A boy called Kumao was sent to Shijo Kingo, who rushed to meet me. I told him, "Tonight,
I go to be beheaded. This wish I have cherished these many years. This world has seen pheasants born only to be caught by
hawks, mice born only to be eaten by cats, and men born to be killed attempting to avenge the murder of their wives and children.
Such things have occurred more times than there are specks of dust on earth. But until now, no one has ever lost his life
for the sake of the Lotus Sutra. I myself was born to become a poor priest, unable fully to repay the debt of gratitude I
owe to my parents and to my country. Now I will present my severed head to the Lotus Sutra and share the blessings therefrom
with my parents, and with my disciples and believers, just as I have promised you." Then the four Shijo brothers, holding
on to my horse's reins, went with me to Tatsunokuchi at Koshigoe.
Finally we came to a place that I knew must be the site of my execution. Indeed, the soldiers stopped and
began to mill around in excitement. Shijo Kingo, in tears, said, "These are your last moments." I replied, "How thoughtless
you are! You should be delighted at this great fortune. Don't you remember your promise?" I had no sooner said this when a
brilliant orb as bright as the moon burst forth from the direction of Enoshima, shooting across the sky from southeast to
northwest. It was shortly before dawn and still too dark to see anyone's face, but the radiant object clearly illuminated
everyone like bright moonlight. The executioner fell on his face, his eyes blinded. The soldiers were terrified and panic-stricken.
Some ran off into the distance, some jumped from their horses and knelt on the ground, and others crouched down in their saddles.
I called out, "Here, why do you shrink from this miserable prisoner? Come nearer! Come closer!" But no one would approach.
"What if the dawn should break? You must hasten to execute me, for you will find it unbearable to do so after sunrise." I
urged them on, but they made no response.
They waited a short time, and then someone requested that I proceed to Echi in the same province of Sagami.
I replied that since none of us knew the way, someone would have to guide us there. No one was willing to lead the way, but
after we had waited for a while, one soldier finally said, "That is the road you must take."
Setting off, we followed the road and by noon reached Echi. We then proceeded to the residence of Homma
Rokurozaemon. There I ordered sake for the soldiers. When the time came for them to leave, some bowed their heads, joined
their hands as though in prayer, and said in a most respectful manner, "We did not realize what kind of person you are. We
hated you because we were told that you slandered Amida Buddha, whom we worship. But now that we have seen your greatness
with our own eyes, we will discard the Nembutsu that we have practiced for so long." Some of them even took their Nembutsu
rosaries from their tinder bags and flung them away. Others pledged that they would never again chant the Nembutsu. After
they left, Rokurozaemon's retainers took over the guard. Then Shijo Kingo and his brothers departed.
That evening, at the Hour of the Dog (7-9 pm), a messenger from Kamakura arrived with a decree from the
Regent. The soldiers were sure that it would be an order to behead me. Umanojo, Homma's magistrate, came running with the
letter, knelt, and said, "We were fearful that you would be executed tonight, but now this letter has brought wonderful news.
The messenger said that since the lord of Musashi had left for a spa in Atami this morning at the Hour of the Hare (5-7 am),
he rode four hours to get here directly because he feared that something might happen to you. The messenger will leave immediately
to take this message to the lord of Atami tonight." The accompanying letter read, "This person is not guilty. He will shortly
be pardoned. If you execute him, you will have cause to regret."
Now it was the night of the thirteenth. There were scores of warriors stationed around my lodging and in
the main garden. Because it was almost the middle of the ninth month, the moon was very round and full. I went out into the
night garden and there, turning toward the moon, recited the jigage portion of the Juryo chapter. Then I spoke briefly about
the merits and faults of the various sects and about the teachings of the Lotus Sutra. I said, "You, the gods of the sun and
moon, participated in the ceremony of the Lotus Sutra, did you not? When the Buddha expounded the Hoto chapter, you obeyed
his order, and in the Zokurui chapter, when the Buddha laid his hand on your head three times, you vowed to fulfill the command
to transmit and protect the Lotus Sutra. Are you not the same god? Would you have an opportunity to fulfill your vow if it
were not for me? Now that you see me in this situation, you should joyfully rush forward to shield the votary of the Lotus
Sutra and thereby fulfill your vow to the Buddha. It is incredible that you have not yet done anything. If nothing is done
to bring this country to justice, I will never return to Kamakura. If you do not intend to do anything for me, how can you
continue to shine on complacently? How do you read the following passages from the sutras? The Daijuku Sutra states, 'The
sun and moon do not show their brightness.' The Ninno Sutra reads, 'Both the sun and the moon shall act discordantly.' The
Saisho-o Sutra says, 'The thirty-three heavenly gods will be enraged.' What is your answer, moon? What is your answer?"
Then, as though in answer, a large star bright as the Morning Star fell from the sky and struck a branch
of the plum tree in front of me. The soldiers, astounded, jumped down from the verandah, fell on their faces in the garden,
or ran behind the house. Immediately a fierce wind started up, raging so violently that the whole island of Enoshima seemed
to roar. The sky shook, echoing with a sound like pounding drums.
At dawn of the fourteenth day, around the Hour of the Hare (5-7 am), a man called Juro Nyudo came and said
to me, "Last night there was a huge commotion in the Regent's residence at the Hour of the Dog (7-9 pm). They summoned a diviner,
who said, 'The country is going to erupt in turmoil because you punished that priest. If you do not call him back to Kamakura,
there is no telling what will befall this land.' At that, some said, 'Let's pardon him!' Others said, 'Since he predicted
that war would break out within a hundred days, we should wait and see what happens."
I was kept at Echi for more than twenty days. During that period seven or eight cases of arson and an endless
succession of murders took place in Kamakura. Slanderers went around saying that my disciples were setting the fires. Government
officials thought this might be true and made up a list of over 260 of my followers who they believed should be expelled from
Kamakura. Word spread that those persons were all to be exiled to remote islands and that those disciples already in prison
would be beheaded. It turned out, however, that the fires were set by the Nembutsu and Ritsu believers to implicate my disciples.
There were other things that happened, but they are too numerous to mention here.
I left Echi on the tenth day of the tenth month (1271) and arrived on Sado Island on the twenty-eighth day.
On the first day of the eleventh month, I was taken to a small hut that stood in a field called Tsukahara behind Homma Rokurozaemon's
residence in Sado. Only two meters square, it stood on some land where corpses were abandoned, a place like Rendaino in Kyoto.
Not a single statue of the Buddha was enshrined there and the roof and walls were full of holes. The snow fell and piled up,
never melting away. I spent my days there, sitting in a straw cape or lying on a fur skin. At night it hailed and snowed and
there were occasional flashes of lightening. Even in the daytime, the sun hardly shone. It was a wretched place to live.
I felt like Li Ling in China, who was imprisoned in a rocky cave in the land of the northern barbarians,
or the priest Fa-tao, who was branded on the forehead and exiled to the area south of the Yangtze by Emperor Hui-tsung of
the Sung. Nevertheless, King Suzudan received severe training under the hermit sage Ashi to obtain the blessings of the Lotus
Sutra, and even though Bodhisattva Fukyo was beaten by the staffs of arrogant priests, he achieved honor as the votary of
the supreme vehicle. Therefore, nothing is more joyful to me than to have been born in the Latter Day of the Law and to suffer
persecutions because I propagate the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo. For more than twenty-two hundred years after the
death of Shakyamuni, no one, not even T'ien-t'ai, experienced the truth of the verse in the sutra that says: "The people will
be full of hostility, and it will be extremely difficult to believe." Only I have fulfilled the prophecy from the sutra, "We
will be banished again and again." The Buddha promises that one who embraces even a single phrase or verse from the sutra
will attain Buddhahood. There can be no doubt that I will reach perfect enlightenment. It is Regent Hojo Tokimune above all
who has been of greatest aid to me. Hei no Saemon is to me what Devadatta was to Shakyamuni. The Nembutsu priests are comparable
to Kokalika and the Ritsu followers to Sunakshatra. Shakyamuni lives today; this is the age of the Buddha. This is what the
Lotus Sutra describes as the true nature of life, or more precisely as consistency from beginning to end.
The fifth volume of the Maka Shikan states: "As practice progresses and understanding grows, the three obstacles
and four devils emerge, vying with one another to interfere." It also states: "A wild boar scraping a gold mountain only makes
it glitter, rivers flowing into an ocean increase its volume, fuel added to fire only makes it burn higher, and the wind inflates
the body of the gura." If, with the mind of the Buddha, one practices the Lotus Sutra as the Buddha taught, in the right manner
and at the right time, then these seven obstacles and devils will confront him. The Devil of the Sixth Heaven is the most
powerful. He will possess one's sovereign, parents, wife or children, fellow believers or evil men, and through them will
attempt in a friendly manner to divert him from his practice of the Lotus Sutra, or will oppose him outright. The practice
of Buddhism is always accompanied by persecutions and difficulties that become more severe as one moves to the practice of
more profound sutras. To practice the Lotus Sutra, the highest sutra of all, will provoke particularly harsh persecutions.
To practice as the Buddha taught, and at the right time, will incite truly agonizing ordeals.
The eighth volume of the Guketsu states, "So long as a person does not try to depart from the cycle of birth
and death and seek enlightenment, the devil will watch over him like a parent." Though one may practice sincerely in the spirit
of the Buddha, so long as he practices Nembutsu, Shingon, Zen, Ritsu, or any teaching other than the Lotus Sutra, he will
have only the devil for a parent. The devil will cause other persons to respect that man and give him alms, and people will
be deluded into believing he is a truly enlightened priest. If he is honored by the sovereign, for instance, the people are
sure to offer him alms. Conversely, if a priest practices the Lotus Sutra, he will be persecuted by the sovereign and others.
Official persecution is indeed the proof that he is practicing the true teaching.
Devadatta more than anyone else proved the validity of Shakyamuni's teaching. In this age as well, it is
not one's friends but one's enemies who assist his progress. The Kamakura government could not have firmly established itself
as the ruler of Japan had it not been for the challenges posed by Wada Yoshimori and the Retired Emperor Gotoba. In this sense
these men were the best allies the government could have. For me, my best allies in the attainment of enlightenment are Hei
no Saemon and Regent Hojo Tokimune, as well as Tojo Kagenobu and the priests Ryokan, Doryu and Doamidabutsu. I am grateful
when I think that without them I could not have proven myself the votary of the Lotus Sutra.
In the yard around the hut the snow piled deeper and deeper. No one came to see me; my only visitor was
the piercing wind. The Maka Shikan and the Lotus Sutra lay open before my eyes and Nam-myoho-renge-kyo flowed from my lips.
My evenings passed in discourse to the moon and stars on the fallacies of the other sects and the profundity of the Lotus
Sutra. One year gave way to the next.
One finds people of mean spirit wherever one goes. The rumor reached me that the Ritsu and Nembutsu priests
on the island of Sado, including Yuiamidabutsu, Shoyu-bo, Insho-bo and Jido-bo and hundreds of their followers, had met to
decide what to do about me. One of them is reported to have said, "Nichiren, the notorious enemy of Amida Buddha and deceiver
of all people, has been exiled to our province. As we all know, exiles to this island are seldom able to survive. Even if
they do, they never return home. So no one is going to be punished for killing an exile. Nichiren lives all alone at a place
called Tsukahara. No matter how strong and powerful he is, if there's no one around, what can he do? Let's go together and
kill him!" Another said, "He was supposed to be beheaded, but his execution has been postponed for a while because the Regent's
wife is about to have a child. The postponement is just temporary, though. I hear he is eventually going to be executed."
A third said, "Let's ask Lord Homma to behead him. If he refuses, we can plan something ourselves." There were many proposals
about what to do with me, and eventually several hundred people gathered at the constable's office.
Homma Rokurozaemon addressed them, saying, "An official letter has arrived from the government directing
that the priest shall not be executed. This is no ordinary, contemptible criminal, and if anything happens to him, I will
be guilty of grave dereliction. In stead of killing him, why don't you confront him in religious debate?" Following this suggestion,
the Nembutsu and other priests, accompanied by apprentice priests, carrying the three Jodo sutras, the Maka Shikan, the Shingon
sutras and the literature under their arms or hanging from their necks, gathered at Tsukahara on the sixteenth day of the
first month. They came not only from the province of Sado but also from the nearby provinces of Echigo, Etchu, Dewa, Mutsu
and Shinano. Several hundred priests and others gathered in the spacious yard of the hut and in the adjacent field. Homma
Rokurozaemon, his brothers and his entire clan came, as well as lay priest farmers, all in great numbers. The Nembutsu monks
uttered streams of abuse, the Shingon priests turned pale with rage, and the Tendai priests vowed to vanquish the opponent.
The lay believers cried out with hatred, "There he is--the slanderer of our Amida Buddha!" The uproar and jeering resounded
like thunder and seemed to shake the earth. I let them clamor for a while and then said, "Silence, all of you! You are here
for a religious debate. This is no time for abuse." At this, Homma and the others voiced their accord, and some of them grabbed
the slanderous Nembutsu priests by the neck and pushed them back.
The priests proceeded to cite the doctrines of Maka Shikan, Shingon and Nembutsu. I responded to each, establishing
the exact meaning of what had been said, then coming back with questions. However, I needed to ask only one or two at most
before they were completely silenced. You can imagine how the debate went. They were far inferior even to the priests in Kamakura,
and I overturned them as easily as a sharp sword cutting through a melon or a gale bending the grass. They were not only poorly
versed in Buddhism but contradicted themselves. They confused sutras with treatises and commentaries with treatises. I discredited
Nembutsu by telling the story of how Shan-tao fell out of the willow tree. I exposed the falsity of Shingon's claim that the
scepter Kobo had cast into the sea on his way back from China later appeared on Mount Koya and the contention that Kobo transfigured
himself into Dainichi Buddha. As I demonstrated the falsities of each sect, some of the priests swore, some were struck dumb,
while others turned pale. There were Nembutsu adherents who admitted the error of their sect; some threw away their robes
and beads on the spot and pledged never to chant Nembutsu again.
The members of the group all began to leave, as did Rokurozaemon and his men. As they were walking across
the yard, I called the lord back to make a prophecy. I first asked him when he was departing for Kamakura, and he answered
that it would be around the seventh month, after his peasants had finished cultivating the land. Then I said, "For a warrior,
cultivation means to assist his lord in times of peril and to receive lands for his service. Fighting is about to break out
in Kamakura. You should hasten there to distinguish yourself in battle, and then you will be rewarded with fiefs. Since your
warriors are renowned throughout the province of Sagami, if you remain here in the countryside tending to your farming and
arrive too late for the battle, your name will be disgraced." Without saying a word about what he thought of this, Homma hurried
away. The Nembutsu and Ritsu priests and lay believers looked bewildered, not comprehending what I had said.
After everyone had gone, I began to put into shape a work in two volumes, called Kaimoku Sho, or The Opening
of the Eyes, which I had been working on since the eleventh month of the previous year. I wanted to record the wonder I had
experienced, in case I should be beheaded. The essential message in this work, which I entrusted to Shijo Kingo's messenger,
is that the destiny of Japan depends solely upon me. A house without pillars collapses and a man without a soul is dead. I
am the soul of the people of Japan. Hei no Saemon has already toppled the pillar, and the country grows turbulent as unfounded
rumors and speculation rise up like phantoms to cause dissention in the Hojo clan. Further, Japan is about to be attacked
by a foreign country, as I described in my Rissho Ankoku-ron. The disciples around me thought that the letter in which I explained
these ideas was too provocative, but they could not do anything about it.
Just then a ship arrived at the island on the eighteenth of the second month. It carried the news that fighting
had broken out in Kamakura and then in Kyoto, causing indescribable suffering. Homma Rokurozaemon, leading his men, left on
fast ships that night for Kamakura. Before departing, he humbly begged for my prayers.
He said, "I doubted the truth of the words you spoke on the sixteenth day of last month, but they have come
true in less than thirty days. I see now that the Mongols will surely attack us, and it is equally certain that believers
in Nembutsu are doomed to the hell of incessant suffering. I will never again chant the Nembutsu."
To this I replied, "Whatever you may do, unless Regent Hojo Tokimune embraces the true faith, the people
of Japan will not embrace it either, and in that case our country will surely be ruined. Although I may be rather insignificant,
I propagate the Lotus Sutra and therefore am the envoy of Shakyamuni Buddha. Tensho Daijin and Hachiman are respected as tutelary
gods of this country, but they are only minor gods compared with Bonten, Taishaku, the gods of the sun and moon and the Four
Heavenly Kings. It is said, however, that to kill someone who serves those two gods is equal to the sin of killing seven and
one-half men. Taira no Kiyomori and Emperor Gotoba perished because they did so. Thus, persecuting me is incomparably worse
than molesting the servants of those two gods. I am the envoy of Shakyamuni Buddha, and those gods should prostrate themselves
before me with their palms joined. As votary of the Lotus Sutra, Bonten and Taishaku attend me on either side, and the gods
of the sun and moon illuminate my path before and behind. One may make use of my counsel, but if I am not given due respect
as the votary of the Lotus Sutra, then the country will perish. How ominous that the authorities have turned hundreds of persons
against me and have even banished me twice! This country is surely doomed, but since I have asked the Buddhist gods to withhold
their punishment on our land, it has survived until now. However, that punishment will surely descend if these unreasonable
actions continue. And if my counsel is not heeded in the future, Japan will undoubtedly be destroyed by the attacks of the
Mongol forces. That would seem to be the kind of disaster that Hei no Saemon is intent upon calling forth. When it happens,
I doubt that you and your followers can find any safety even on this island!" After I had finished speaking, Homma, looking
deeply perplexed, set off on his way.
The lay believers, hearing of this, said to one another, "Perhaps this priest has some kind of spiritual
powers. How terrifying! From now on, we had better cease giving any alms and support to the Nembutsu and Ritsu priests!" The
Ritsu priests, who were followers of Ryokan, and the Nembutsu priests said, "Since this priest predicted the outbreak of rebellion
in Kamakura, perhaps he is one of the conspirators himself." After this, things grew somewhat quieter.
Then the Nembutsu priests gathered in council. "If things go on this way," they said, "we will die of starvation.
How can we rid ourselves of this priest? Already more than half of the people in the province have gone over to his side.
What are we to do?"
Yuiamidabutsu, the leader of the Nembutsu priests, along with Dokan, a disciple of Ryokan, and Shoyu-bo,
who were leaders of the Ritsu priests, journeyed in haste to Kamakura. There they reported to Hojo Nobutoki, lord of the province
of Musashi. "If this priest remains on the island of Sado, there will soon be not a single Buddhist hall left standing or
a single monk remaining! He takes the statues of Amida Buddha and throws them in the fire or casts them into the river. Day
and night he climbs the high mountains, bellows to the sun and moon, and curses the authorities. The sound of his voice can
be heard throughout the entire province."
When Hojo Nobutoki heard this, he decided there was no need to report it to the Regent. Instead he sent
private orders that any followers of Nichiren in the province of Sado should be driven out of the province or imprisoned.
He also sent official letters containing similar instructions. He did so three times. I will not attempt to describe what
happened thereafter--you can probably imagine. Some people were thrown into prison because they were said to have walked past
my hut, others were exiled because they were reported to have given me presents, or their wives and children were taken into
custody. Hojo Nobutoki then reported what he had done to the Regent. But quite contrary to his expectations, the Regent issued
a letter of pardon on the fourteenth day, the second month, of the eleventh year of Bun'ei (1274), which reached Sado on the
eighth day of the third month.
The Nembutsu priests held another council. "This man, the enemy of the Buddha Amida and slanderer of Priest
Shan-tao and Saint Honen, has incurred the displeasure of the authorities and was banished to this island. How can we bear
to see him pardoned and allowed to return home alive!"
While they were engaged in various plots, for some reason there was an unexpected change in the weather.
A favorable wind began to blow and I was able to leave the island. The strait can be crossed in three days with a favorable
wind, or fifty or a hundred days when the weather is bad. I crossed over in no time at all.
Thereupon the Nembutsu, Ritsu and Shingon priests of Ko in Echigo and Zenko-ji temple in Shinano gathered
from all directions to hold a meeting. "What a shame that the Sado priests should have allowed Nichiren to return alive! Whatever
we do, we must not let this man make his way past the living body of the Buddha Amida!"
But in spite of their machinations, a number of warriors from the Ko government office in Echigo were dispatched
to escort me. Thus I was able to pass safely by Zenko-ji, and the Nembutsu priests were powerless to stop me. I left the island
of Sado on the thirteenth day of the third month, and arrived in Kamakura on the twenty-sixth day of the same month.
On the eighth day of the fourth month, I had an interview with Hei no Saemon. In contrast to his behavior
on previous occasions, his manner was quite mild and he treated me with courtesy. An accompanying priest asked me about the
Nembutsu, a layman asked about the Shingon sect, and another person asked about Zen, while Hei no Saemon himself inquired
whether it was possible to attain enlightenment through any of the sutras preached before the Lotus Sutra. I replied to each
of these questions by citing passages from the sutras.
Then Hei no Saemon, apparently acting on behalf of the Regent, asked when the Mongol forces would invade
Japan. I replied, "They will surely come within this year. I have already expressed my opinion on this matter, but it has
not been heeded. If you try to treat someone's illness without knowing what the cause of the illness is, you will only make
the person sicker than before. In the same way, if the Shingon priests are permitted to try to overcome the Mongols with their
prayers and imprecations, they will only make the country more susceptible to military defeat. Under no circumstances whatever
should the Shingon priests, or the priests of any other sects for that matter, be allowed to offer up prayers. It would be
different if any of them had a real understanding of Buddhism, but they do not, even when it is explained to them.
"Also, I notice that, although advice from others is heeded, when I offer advice, it is for some strange
reason invariably ignored. However, I would like to state certain facts here so that you may think them over later. Emperor
Gotoba was the sovereign of the nation and Hojo Yoshitoki was his subject, and yet the latter attacked and defeated the emperor.
Why would the Sun Goddess Tensho Daijin permit a subject to attack an emperor, who should be like a father to him? Why would
Bodhisattva Hachiman allow a vassal to attack his lord with impunity? And yet, as we know, the emperor and the courtiers supporting
him were defeated by Hojo Yoshitoki. That defeat was no mere accident. It came about because they put faith in the misleading
teachings of Kobo Daishi and the biased views of Jikaku Daishi and Chisho Daishi, and because the monks of the monasteries
of Mount Hiei, To-ji and Ono-ji sided with the courtiers in their opposition to the Kamakura shogunate. Thus their curses
'returned to the originators,' as the Lotus Sutra says, and, as a consequence, the emperor and his courtiers were forced to
suffer defeat. The military leaders in Kamakura knew nothing of such rituals, so no prayers or curses were offered. But if
they now offer prayers they will meet the same doom as the courtiers.
"The Ezo people of northern Japan have no understanding of the doctrine of karma. Ando Goro was a man of
devout faith who knew the laws of cause and effect and erected many Buddhist halls and towers. And yet the Ezo cut off his
head for some reason. In view of these events, I have no doubt that if these priests are allowed to go on offering their prayers
for victory, Your Lordship too will meet with some untoward event. And when that happens, you must not under any circumstances
say that I failed to warn you!" Such was the stern manner in which I addressed him.
When I returned home, I heard that the priest Hoin of the Amida Hall had been ordered to pray for rain from
the tenth day of the fourth month. This Hoin is the most learned priest of To-ji and the teacher of Dojo of Ninna-ji. He adheres
with absolute fidelity to the esoteric Shingon teachings of Kobo, Jikaku and Chisho and has memorized all the doctrines of
the Tendai and Kegon sects. He began praying for rain on the tenth day, and on the eleventh a heavy rain fell. There was no
wind, but only a gentle rain that fell for a day and a night. Hojo Tokimune, the lord of the province of Sagami, was said
to have been so deeply impressed that he presented Hoin with thirty ryo in gold, a horse and other gifts as a reward.
When the people of Kamakura, both eminent and humble, heard of this, they clapped their hands, pursed their
lips and laughed with derision, saying, "That Nichiren preached a false kind of Buddhism and came near to getting his head
cut off. He was finally pardoned in the end, but instead of learning a lesson, he goes on slandering the Nembutsu and Zen
sects, and even dares to speak ill of the esoteric teachings of Shingon. How fortunate now that we have had this rain to serve
as proof of the power of Shingon prayers!"
Faced with these criticisms, my disciples became quite downcast and complained that I had been too provocative
in my attacks on the other sects. But I said to them, "Just wait a while. If the evil teachings of Kobo Daishi could in fact
produce effective prayers for the welfare of the nation, then Emperor Gotoba would surely have been victorious in his struggle
with the Kamakura shogunate, and Setaka, the favorite boy attendant of Dojo of Ninna-ji, would not have had his head cut off.
Kobo in his Jujushin-ron states that the Lotus Sutra is inferior to the Kegon Sutra. In his Hizo Hoyaku he claims that the
Shakyamuni Buddha of the Juryo chapter of the Lotus Sutra is an ordinary mortal, and in his Kemmitsu-nikyo Ron he calls the
Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai a thief. Moreover, the Shingon priest Kakuban in his Shariko-shiki states that the Buddha who preached
the Lotus Sutra is not even worthy to be the sandal-bearer of a Shingon master. Hoin of the Amida Hall is a follower of the
men who taught these perverse doctrines. If such a man could show himself superior to me, then the Dragon Kings who send down
the rain must be the enemies of the Lotus Sutra, and they will surely be chastised by the gods Bonten and Taishaku and the
Four Heavenly Kings. There must be more to this than meets the eye!"
"What do you mean by 'more than meets the eye'?" my disciples asked with a scornful smile.
I replied, "Shan-wu-wei and Pu-k'ung both caused rain to fall in answer to their prayers, but it appears
that they also brought about high winds. When Kobo prayed for rain, it fell after twenty-one days had passed. But under such
circumstances, it is the same as though he had not caused it to rain at all, since some rain is naturally bound to fall in
the course of a twenty-one day interval. The fact that it happened to rain while he was praying for it is in no way remarkable.
What is really impressive is to cause it to fall through a single ceremony, the way T'ien-t'ai and Senkan did. That is why
I say there must be something peculiar about this rain."
I had not even finished speaking when a great gale began to blow. Houses of every size, temples and shrines,
old trees and government buildings all were swept up into the air or toppled to the ground. A huge shining object flew through
the sky, and the earth was strewn with beams and rafters. Men and women were blown to their death, and many cattle and horses
were struck down. One might have excused such an evil wind if it had come in autumn, the typhoon season, but this was only
the fourth month, the beginning of summer. Moreover, this wind struck only the eight provinces of the Kanto region, and in
fact only the two provinces of Musashi and Sagami. It blew strongest in Sagami; and within Sagami, it blew strongest in Kamakura;
and within Kamakura, it blew strongest at the government headquarters, Wakamiya, and the temples of Kencho-ji and Gokuraku-ji.
It was apparent that it was no ordinary wind, but rather the result of Hoin's prayers alone. The people who had earlier pursed
their lips and laughed at me suddenly turned sober, and my disciples too were astonished.
As I had expected all along, my warnings had gone unheeded. If after three attempts to warn the rulers of
the nation one's advice is still unheeded, one should leave the area. With that thought in mind, I accordingly left Kamakura
on the twelfth day of the fifth month and came here to Mount Minobu.
In the tenth month of the same year (1274), the Mongols launched their attack. Not only were the islands
of Iki and Tsushima assaulted and captured, but the forces at the Dazaifu government office in Kyushu were defeated as well.
When the military leaders Shoni Sukeyoshi and Otomo Yoriyasu received word of this, they fled from the scene, and the remaining
warriors were taken captive without difficulty. Though the Mongol forces withdrew, it was apparent just how weak Japan's defenses
would be if they should launch another attack in the future.
The Ninno Sutra says, "When the sage departs, the seven types of calamity will invariably arise." The Saisho-o
Sutra states, "Because evil men are respected and favored and good men are subjected to punishment, marauders will appear
from other regions and the people of the country will meet with death and disorder." If these pronouncements of the Buddha
are true, then evil men certainly exist in our country and the rulers favor and respect such men while they treat good men
with enmity.
The Daijuku Sutra states, "The sun and moon do not show their brightness and there is drought on every side.
Thus do evil kings and evil monks who commit unrighteous acts bring destruction upon my True Law." In the Ninno Sutra we read,
"The evil monks, seeking for all the fame and gain they can get, will appear in the presence of the ruler, the heir apparent,
and the princes and expound doctrines that lead to the destruction of Buddhism and the destruction of the state. The ruler,
unable to discern the true nature of the monks' words, listen to them with trust, and thus they become the cause for the destruction
of Buddhism and the destruction of the state." And the Lotus Sutra speaks of the "evil monks of this defiled world." If these
passages in the sutras are true, then there must unquestionably be evil monks in the country. The crooked trees should be
cut down on a treasure-filled mountain, and dead bodies should not be consigned to the great sea. Though the Great Sea of
the Buddhist Law and the Treasure Mountain of the Supreme Vehicle may admit the rubble and trash of the five cardinal sins
or the dirty water of the four major offenses, they have no room for the dead bodies of those who slander the Lotus Sutra,
or for the "crooked trees," the men of incorrigible disbelief. Therefore those who endeavor to practice the Buddhist Law and
who care about what happens to them in future lives should know what a fearful thing it is to slander the Lotus Sutra.
Many people wonder why anyone should pay heed to a person like myself who speaks ill of Kobo, Jikaku and
the others of their group. I do not know about other regions, but I know that the people of Tojo and Saijo in the province
of Awa have good reason to believe what I say. They have seen the proof right before their eyes. Endon-bo of Inomori, Saigyo-bo
and Dogi-bo of Seicho-ji temple, and Jitchi-bo of Kataumi were all eminent monks. But one should inquire what kind of death
they met with. However, I will say no more of them. Enchi-bo, another monk of Seicho-ji, spent three years in the great hall
of the temple copying the text of the Lotus Sutra in a laborious fashion, bowing three times as he copied each character.
He had memorized all ten volumes, and every day and night recited the entire sutra twice for a period of fifty years. Everyone
predicted that he would surely become a Buddha. But I alone said that he, along with Dogi-bo, was even more certain to fall
into the hell of incessant suffering than were the Nembutsu priests. You would do well to inquire carefully just what kind
of death these men met with, and to see if the manner of their death did not support my predictions. If it had not been for
me, people would have believed that these monks had attained Buddhahood. You should realize from this the accuracy of my prophecies!
Kobo, Jikaku and the others died in a manner indicating that a truly miserable fate was in store for them,
but their disciples contrived to keep the matter secret so that even the members of the Imperial Court never learned of it.
Hence these men have been looked up to with increasing reverence in later ages. And if there had been no one like me to reveal
the truth, they would have gone on being honored in that manner for endless ages to come. The heretical teacher Uluka turned
to stone at his death, but eight hundred years later his errors were brought to light and the stone melted and turned to water.
And in the case of another heretical teacher, Kapila, a thousand years passed before his faults were brought to light.
A person is able to be born in human form because he or she has observed the five precepts in a previous
existence. And if he continues to observe the five precepts in this life, then the twenty-five benevolent deities will protect
him and Dosho and Domyo, the two heavenly messengers who have been with him since birth on his left and right shoulders respectively,
will guard him. So long as he commits no fault, the demons will have no chance to do him harm. And yet in this country of
Japan, there are countless people who cry out in misery. We know, too, what the people of the islands of Iki and Tsushima
had to suffer at the hands of the Mongols, and what befell the defenders of the Dazaifu in Kyushu. What fault were the people
of these regions guilty of that they should meet with such a fate? One would surely like to know the answer. One or two of
the persons there may have been guilty of evil, but is it possible that all of them could have been?
The blame lies entirely in the fact that this country is filled with Shingon priests who follow the doctrines
handed down from Kobo, Jikaku and Chisho; with Nembutsu priests who are the latter-day disciples of Shan-tao and Honen; and
with the followers of Bodhidharma and the other patriarchs of the Zen sect. That is why the gods Bonten and Taishaku, the
Four Heavenly Kings and the other deities, true to the vows they took to protect the Lotus Sutra and split into seven pieces
the head of anyone who is at fault, have sent down this punishment.
Some people may be perplexed at this point and object that, although those who do harm to a votary of the
Lotus Sutra are supposed to have their heads split into seven pieces, there are men who slander Nichiren and yet do not have
broken heads. Are we to conclude, they may ask, that Nichiren is not a true votary of the Lotus Sutra?
I would reply by saying that, if Nichiren is not a votary of the Lotus Sutra, then who is? Is Honen, who
in his writings ordered people to throw the Lotus Sutra away, a votary? Is Kobo Daishi, who said that Shakyamuni was still
in the darkness, a votary? Or are Shan-wu-wei and Jikaku, who taught that although the Lotus Sutra and Shingon are equal in
theory, the latter is superior in practice, votaries?
Again, this matter of the head being split into seven pieces--one need not imagine the kind of split made
by a sharp sword. On the contrary, the Lotus Sutra says that the split is like that of the "branches of the arjaka tree."
In a person's head there are seven drops of liquid and seven demons. If the demons drink one drop, the person's head begins
to ache. If they drink three drops, his life will be endangered, and if they drink all seven drops, he will die. People in
the world today all have heads that have split apart like the branches of the arjaka tree, but they are so steeped in evil
karma that they are not even aware of the fact. They are like persons who have been injured while they were asleep or in a
state of drunkenness and have not yet become conscious of their injury.
Rather than saying that the head is split into seven pieces, we sometimes say that the mind is split into
seven pieces. The skull bone under the scalp breaks apart because of the reverberations of the mind. There are also splittings
of the skull that take place only after death. Many people of our own period had their heads split open in the great earthquake
of the Shoka era (1257) or at the time of the appearance of the great comet in the Bun'ei era (1264). At the time their heads
split open, they had difficulty breathing, and when their five major internal organs failed to function correctly, they suffered
from dysentery. How could they have failed to realize that they were being punished because they slandered the votary of the
Lotus Sutra!
Because venison is tasty, the deer is hunted and killed; because oil can be obtained from the turtle, the
turtle loses his life. If a woman is attractive, there will be many who envy her. The ruler of a nation has much to fear from
other nations, and the life of a man with great wealth is constantly in danger. He who abides by the Lotus Sutra will inevitably
attain Buddhahood. Therefore the Devil of the Sixth Heaven, the lord of this threefold world, will become intensely jealous
of anyone who abides by the sutra. This devil king, we are told, attaches himself like a plague demon to people in a way that
cannot be detected by the eye. Thereafter, like persons who gradually become drunk on fine old wine, rulers, fathers and mothers,
wives and children gradually become possessed by him and are filled with envy of the votary of the Lotus Sutra. And that is
precisely the situation we face today in the world around us. Because I chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, I have, for over twenty
years, been driven from place to place. Twice I have incurred the wrath of the authorities, and in the end I have retired
to this mountain.
This mountain is in fact made up of four mountains, Shichimen to the west, Tenshi-no-take to the east, Minobu
to the north, and Takatori to the south. Each is high enough to touch the sky and so steep that even flying birds have trouble
crossing them. In their midst are four rivers called Fujigawa, Hayakawa, Oshirakawa, and Minobugawa. In the middle, in a ravine
some hundred yards or so across, I have built my hut. I cannot see the sun in the daytime or the moon at night. In winter
there is deep snow, and in summer the grass grows thick. Because so few people come to see me, the trail is very hard to travel.
This year, especially, the snow is so deep that I have no visitors at all. Knowing that my life may end at any time, I put
all my trust in the Lotus Sutra. In these circumstances, your letter was particularly welcome. It seemed almost like a message
from Shakyamuni Buddha or from my departed parents, I cannot tell you how grateful I was.
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo
On the Buddha's Prophecy
- Kembutsu Mirai Ki -
Nichiren, the Shramana of Japan
The seventh volume of the Lotus Sutra states, "In the fifth five hundred years after my death, accomplish
worldwide kosen-rufu and never allow its flow to cease." On the one hand, it is deplorable to me that more than twenty-two
hundred and twenty years have already passed since the Buddha's death. What evil karma prevented me from being born in his
lifetime? Why couldn't I have seen the four ranks of saints in the Former Day of the Law, or T'ien-t'ai and Dengyo in the
Middle Day? On the other hand, I rejoice at whatever good fortune enabled me to be born in the fifth five hundred years and
read these words of the Buddha.
Even if I had been born in the Buddha's lifetime, it would have served no purpose, for those who embraced
the first four tastes of teachings had not yet heard of the Lotus Sutra. Again, my being born in either the Former or Middle
Day of the Law would have been meaningless, for neither the scholars of the three sects to the south or the seven sects to
the north of the Yangtze River, nor those of the Kegon, Shingon or any other sects, believed in the Lotus Sutra.
The Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai said, "In the fifth five hundred years, the Mystic Way shall spread and benefit
mankind far into the future." Doesn't this describe the time of kosen-rufu? The Great Teacher Dengyo said, "The Former and
Middle Days are almost over, and the Latter Day is near at hand." These words reveal how he longed to live at the beginning
of the Latter Day of the Law. When one compares the rewards of living in the three different periods, it is clear that mine
surpass not only those of Nagarjuna and Vasubandhu, but those of T'ien-t'ai and Dengyo.
Question: You are not the only person living in this five-hundred-year period; why are you in particular
so overjoyed to be living now?
Answer: The fourth volume of the Lotus Sutra reads, "Since hatred and jealousy abound even during the lifetime
of the Buddha, how much worse will it be in the world after his passing?" The Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai stated, "It will be
'much worse' in the future because the Lotus Sutra is so hard to teach." The Great Teacher Miao-lo explained, "T'ien-t'ai
calls the Lotus Sutra 'hard to teach' to let us know how hard it is to enable people to understand it." Priest Chih-tu stated,
"It is said that good medicine tastes bitter. Similarly, this sutra dispels attachments to the five vehicles and establishes
the one supreme teaching. It reproaches common mortals and censures saints, denies Mahayana and refutes Hinayana... All those
who are repudiated persecute the believers in the Lotus Sutra." The Great Teacher Dengyo said, "The propagation of the true
teaching will begin in the age when the Middle Day of the Law ends and the Latter Day opens, in a land to the east of T'ang
and to the west of Katsu, among people stained by the five impurities who live in a time of conflict." The sutra says, "Since
hatred and jealousy abound even during the lifetime of the Buddha, how much worse will it be in the world after his passing?'
There is good reason for this statement." The Great Teacher Dengyo wrote as though describing his own day, but actually, he
was referring to the present time. That is what gives such profound meaning to his words, "The Former and Middle Days are
almost over, and the Latter Day is near at hand."
The sutra states, "Devils, people under their influence, spirits of the heavens and seas, sinister demons
called Yasha, demons which drain human vitality and others will seize the advantage." Another portion of the sutra details
these "others": "Yasha, nimble demons, hungry demons, demons of filth, vengeful demons, red, orange, black, and blue demons,
and so on." These passages explain that those who in previous lifetimes embraced the four tastes or the three teachings, Brahmanism,
or the doctrines of Humanity and Heaven appear in this life as devils, spirits or human beings who persecute the votary of
the true and perfect teaching when they see or hear of him.
Question: In comparing the Former and Middle days with the Latter Day of the Law, it seems to me that the
first two periods were far superior in terms of both time and the people's inborn capacity. Why are these factors of time
and capacity ignored in the Lotus Sutra which refers exclusively to this age?
Answer: The Buddha's thoughts are difficult to fathom. Indeed, even I am still unable to do so. We may attempt
to understand, however, by taking Hinayana Buddhism as a point of clarification. During the thousand years of the Former Day
of the Law, Hinayana was fully endowed with teaching, practice and proof. In the subsequent thousand years of the Middle Day,
teaching and practice still remained, but no longer was there any proof. Now in the Latter Day of the Law, the teaching remains,
but there is neither practice nor proof. To examine this from the standpoint of the Lotus Sutra: In the thousand years of
the Former Day of the Law, those who possessed all three had most probably formed a bond of faith with the Lotus Sutra during
the Buddha's lifetime. They were born again in the Former Day and were able to obtain the proof of Hinayana through its teaching
and practice. Those born in the Middle Day had not developed strong ties to the Lotus Sutra during the Buddha's lifetime and
were therefore unable to attain proof through Hinayana. They turned instead to provisional Mahayana and were thus able to
be born in pure lands throughout the universe. In the Latter Day of the Law, there is no longer any benefit to be gained from
either Mahayana or Hinayana. Hinayana retains nothing but its teaching; it has neither practice nor proof. Mahayana still
has its teaching and practice but no longer provides any benefit whatsoever, either conspicuous or inconspicuous.
Furthermore, the sects of Hinayana and provisional Mahayana established during the Former and Middle Days
of the Law cling all the more stubbornly to their doctrines as they enter the Latter Day. Those who espouse Hinayana reject
Mahayana, and those who espouse provisional teachings attack the true teachings, until the country is overrun with people
who slander. Those who fall into the evil paths because of their mistaken practice of Buddhism outnumber the dust particles
which comprise the earth, while those who attain Buddhahood by practicing the true teachings are fewer than the dust specks
you can hold on a fingernail. The gods have now abandoned the country, and only demons remain, possessing the minds and bodies
of the ruler, his subjects, priests and nuns, and causing them to vilify and humiliate the votary of the Lotus Sutra.
If, however, in this time period after the Buddha's death, one renounces his attachments to the four tastes
and three teachings and converts to faith in the Lotus Sutra which is true Mahayana, all the gods and countless Bodhisattvas
of the Earth will protect him as the votary of the Lotus Sutra. Under their protection, he will establish the true object
of worship represented by the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo and bring it to the entire world.
It was the same with Bodhisattva Fukyo who lived in the Middle Day of the Buddha Ionno's Law. He propagated
the teaching of twenty-four characters which begins, "I deeply respect...," and was persecuted and attacked with staves. The
words of the twenty-four characters of Fukyo are different from the five characters of Nichiren, but their spirit is the same.
The method of propagation is also exactly the same both at the end of the Buddha Ionno's Middle Day and now at the beginning
of the Latter Day. Bodhisattva Fukyo was a person of shozuiki and Nichiren is a common mortal of myoji-soku, which are both
the initial stages of practice.
Question: How can you be certain that you are the votary of the Lotus Sutra prophesied to appear at the
beginning of the Latter Day of the Law?
Answer: A passage from the Lotus Sutra states, "...how much worse will it be in the world after his passing?"
Another passage reads, "There are many ignorant people who will vilify and attack us, the votaries of the Lotus Sutra, with
swords and staves." A third passage says, "We will be banished again and again." A fourth reads, "The people will be full
of hostility, and it will be extremely difficult to believe." A fifth reads, "They will stone him and beat him with staves."
A sixth reads, "Devils, people under their influence, spirits of the heavens and seas, sinister demons called Yasha, demons
which drain human vitality and others will seize the advantage."
That the people might believe in the Buddha's words, I have sought throughout Japan, among the sovereign
and his subjects, among priests and nuns, lay men and women, for one who has fulfilled these explicit predictions, but I can
find none other than myself. Now is most certainly the beginning of the Latter Day of the Law, but had Nichiren not appeared,
the Buddha's predictions would be false.
Question: You are an extremely arrogant priest--even more arrogant than Mahadeva or Sunakshatra. Is this
not so?
Answer: Slandering Nichiren is a sin even graver than those of Devadatta or Vimalamitra. My words may sound
arrogant, but my sole purpose is to fulfill the Buddha's predictions and reveal the truth of his teachings. In all Japan,
who but Nichiren can be called the votary of the Lotus Sutra? By denouncing Nichiren, you will make lies of all the Buddha's
prophecies. Are you not then an extremely evil man?
Question: You certainly fit the Buddha's prophecies. But are there perhaps not other votaries of the Lotus
Sutra in India or China?
Answer: There cannot be two suns in the world. Can there be two sovereigns in one country?
Question: What proof do you have of this?
Answer: The moon appears in the west and gradually shines eastward, while the sun rises in the east and
casts its rays to the west. The same is true of Buddhism. It spread from west to east in the Former and Middle Days of the
Law, but will travel from east to west in the Latter Day. The Great Teacher Miao-lo said, "Buddhism has been lost in India,
and they are seeking it abroad." Thus there is no Buddhism in India anymore. One hundred fifty years ago in China, during
the reign of Emperor Kao-tsung, barbarians from the north invaded the Eastern Capital and put an end to what little was left
of both Buddhism and the political order there. Now, not one Hinayana sutra remains in China and most Mahayana sutras have
also been lost. Even when Jakusho and other priests set out from Japan to take some sutras to China, there was no one there
to whom these sutras could be taught. Their efforts were as meaningless as trying to teach Buddhism to wooden or stone statues
garbed in priests' robes and carrying mendicants' bowls. That is why Tsun-shih said, "Buddhism was first transmitted from
the west, just as the moon first appears in the west. Now Buddhism returns from the east like the sun rising in the east."
The words of Miao-lo and Tsun-shih make it clear that Buddhism is lost in both India and China.
Question: Now I can see there is no Buddhism in either India or China, but how do you know there is no Buddhism
in the other three lands--to the east, west and north?
Answer: The eighth volume of the Lotus Sutra states, "After the Buddha's death, I will spread this sutra
within the entire southern land and never allow it to perish." The word "within" indicates that the other three lands were
excluded.
Question: You have fulfilled the Buddha's prophecy; now what do you yourself predict?
Answer: There can be no doubt that the fifth five-hundred-year period has already begun as prophesied by
the Buddha. I say that, without fail, Buddhism shall arise and flow forth from the east, from the land of Japan. Omens will
occur in the form of natural disasters of a magnitude greater than ever before witnessed in the Former or Middle Day of the
Law. When the Buddha was born, when he turned the wheel of doctrine, and also when he entered nirvana, the omens, both auspicious
and inauspicious, were greater than any ever observed. The Buddha is the teacher of all saints. The sutras describe how, at
the time of his birth, five colors of light shone forth in all directions, and the night became as bright as noon. At the
time of his death, twelve white arcs crossed the sky from north to south, the sun's light was extinguished, and the day became
as dark as midnight. There followed the two thousand years of the Former and Middle Days of the Law; saints, some Buddhist
and some not, were born and died, but never were there any omens of such magnitude.
However, from the beginning of the Shoka period through this year, there have been tremendous earthquakes
and extraordinary phenomena in the heavens, exactly like the signs which marked the Buddha's birth and death. Know that a
saint like the Buddha has been born. A great comet crossed the sky, but for which sovereign or subject did this omen come?
The earth tilted, and gaping fissures opened three times, but for which saint or sage did this occur? You should realize that
these great omens, both good and bad, are of no ordinary significance. They are signs that the Great Pure Law is ascending
and the Pure Law is in decline. T'ien-t'ai stated, "By observing the fury of the rain, we can tell the greatness of the dragon
that caused it, and by observing the flourishing of the lotus flowers, we can tell the depth of the pond they grow in." Miao-lo
said, "Wise men can see omens and what they foretell, as snakes know the way of snakes."
Twenty-one years ago I, Nichiren, understood what was to come. Since then I have suffered persecution day
after day and month after month. In the last two or three years, among other things, I was almost put to death. The chances
are one in ten thousand that I will survive the year or even the month. If anyone questions these things, let him ask my disciples
for details. What joy is ours to expiate in one lifetime our slanders from the eternal past! How fortunate to serve the Buddha
who has never been known until now! I pray that before anything else I can guide to the truth the sovereign and those others
who persecuted me. I will tell the Buddha about all the disciples who have aided me, and before they die, I will share the
great blessings of this faith with my parents who gave me life. Now as if in a dream I understand the heart of the Hoto chapter,
which reads, "To hurl Mount Sumeru into countless Buddha lands would not be difficult...but to spread this sutra in the evil
age after the Buddha's death is difficult." The Great Teacher Dengyo stated, "Shakyamuni taught that the shallow is easy to
embrace, but the profound is difficult. To discard the shallow and seek the profound requires courage." The Great Teacher
T'ien-t'ai practiced in a manner true to Shakyamuni's teachings and spread the Hokke sect throughout China. Dengyo and his
followers received the doctrine from T'ien-t'ai and disseminated it throughout Japan. Nichiren of Awa Province inherited the
lineage of Buddhism from these three teachers and propagated the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Day of the Law. Together they should
be called "the four masters of Buddhism in the three countries." Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
The eleventh day of the fifth intercalary month in the tenth year of Bun'ei (1273)
