Repaying Debts of Gratitude
- Ho-on Sho -
Nichiren
The old fox never forgets the hillock where he was born; the white turtle repaid the kindness he had
received from Mao Pao. If even lowly creatures know enough to do this, then how much more should human beings! Thus Yu Jang,
a worthy man of old, fell on his sword in order to repay the debt he owed his lord Chih Po, and the minister Hung Yen for
similar reasons cut open his stomach and inserted the liver of his dead lord, Duke Yi of Wei. What can we say, then, of persons
who are devoting themselves to Buddhism? Surely they should not forget the debts of gratitude they owe to their parents, their
teachers, and their country.
But if one intends to repay these great debts of gratitude, he can hope to do so only if he studies
and masters the Buddhist teachings, becoming a person of wisdom. If he does not, he will be like a man who attempts to lead
a company of the blind over bridges and across rivers when he himself has sightless eyes. Can a ship steered by someone who
cannot even tell the direction of the wind ever carry the traveling merchants to the mountains where treasure lies?
If one hopes to study and master the Buddhist teachings, then he cannot do so without devoting time
to the task. And if he wants to have time to spend on the undertaking, he cannot continue to wait on his parents, his teachers,
and his sovereign. Until he attains the road that leads to emancipation, he should not defer to the wishes and feelings of
his parents and teachers, no matter how reasonable they may be.
Many people may think that counsel such as this runs counter to secular virtues and also fails to accord
with the spirit of Buddhism. But in fact secular texts such as the Classic of Filial Piety make clear that there are times
when one can be a loyal minister or a filial child only by refusing to obey the wishes of one's sovereign or parents. And
in the sacred scriptures of Buddhism it is said, "By renouncing one's obligations and entering nirvana one can truly repay
those obligations in full." Pi Kan refused to go along with his sovereign's wishes and thereby came to be known as a worthy
man. Crown Prince Siddhartha disobeyed his father King Shuddhodana and yet became the most outstanding filial son in all the
threefold world. These are examples of what I mean.
Once I had understood this and prepared to cease deferring to my parents and teachers and instead to
delve into the truths of Buddhism, I found that there are ten bright mirrors that reflect the sacred doctrines of the Buddha's
lifetime of teachings. These are the ten sects of Buddhism known as the Kusha, Jojitsu, Ritsu, Hosso, Sanron, Shingon, Kegon,
Jodo, Zen, and Tendai-Hokke sects. Scholars today believe that, with these ten sects as enlightened teachers, one should understand
the heart of all the sacred scriptures, and claim that these ten mirrors all in an accurate manner reflect the path of the
Buddha's teachings. However, we may set aside for now the three Hinayana sects [Kusha, Jojitsu, and Ritsu]. They are like
a message that is somehow sent to a foreign country by a private citizen and therefore lacks authority.
But the seven Mahayana sects are a great ship that can carry us across the vast sea of suffering and
take us to the shore of the pure land. By studying and understanding them, we can save ourselves and at the same time lead
others to salvation. When, with this thought in mind, I began to examine them, I found that each of the seven Mahayana sects
sings its own praises, saying, "Our sect and our sect alone represents the very heart of the Buddha's lifetime of teaching!"
There are men such as Tu-shun, Chih-yen, Fa-tsang, and Ch'eng-kuan of the Kegon sect; Hsuan-tsang, Tz'u-en,
Chih-chou and Chisho of the Hosso sect; Hsing-huang and Chia-hsiang of the Sanron sect; Shan-wu-wei, Chin-kang-chih, Pu-k'ung,
Kobo, Jikaku and Chisho of the Shingon sect; Bodhidharma, Hui-k'o and Hui-neng of the Zen sect; and Tao-ch'o, Shan-tao, Huai-kan
and Genku [Honen] of the Jodo sect. Basing themselves on the particular sutras and treatises favored by their respective sects,
these leaders of the various sects all claim that "our sect" understands all of the myriad sutras, that "our sect" has grasped
the innermost meaning of the Buddha's teachings.
Thus, some of these men claim, "The Kegon Sutra is first among all the sutras; other sutras such as
the Lotus and the Dainichi are its underlings." Again, the leaders of the Shingon sect claim, "The Dainichi or Great Sun Sutra
is first among all the sutras; the other sutras are like crowds of little stars." The men of the Zen sect say, "The Ryoga
Sutra is first among all the sutras." And so forth for the men of the various other sects. The many Buddhist teachers whose
names I have listed above are honored by the people of our time, who pay reverence to them in the way that all the heavenly
deities pay reverence to the god Taishaku and follow them in the way the hosts of stars follow the sun and the moon.
For ordinary people like us, whomever we may take as our teacher, if we have faith in him, then we will
not think him inadequate in any way. But though others may still revere and believe [in the teachers of their respective sects],
I, Nichiren, have found it difficult to dispel my doubts.
When we look at the world, we find each of the various sects saying, "We are the one, we are the one!"
But within a nation, there can be only one man who is sovereign. If two men try to be sovereign, the country will know no
peace. Likewise, if one house has two masters, it will surely face destruction. Must it not be the same with the sutras?
Among the various sutras, there must be one which is the monarch of all. Yet the ten sects and seven
sects I have mentioned all argue with each other over which of the sutras it is and can reach no consensus. It is as though
seven men or ten men were all trying to be the monarch of a single nation, thus keeping the populace in constant turmoil.
Wondering how to resolve this dilemma, I made a vow. I decided that I would not heed the claims of these
eight or ten sects, but would do as the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai did and let the sutras themselves be my sole teacher, in
this way determining which of the various teachings of the Buddha's lifetime are superior and which are inferior. With this
in mind, I began to read through all the sutras.
In a scripture called the Nirvana Sutra, the Buddha says, "Rely on the Law and not upon persons." Relying
on the Law here means relying on the various sutras. Not relying upon persons means not relying on persons other than the
Buddha, such as Bodhisattvas Fugen and Monjushiri or the various Buddhist teachers I have enumerated earlier.
In the same sutra, the Buddha also says, "Rely on the sutras that are complete and final and not on
those which are not complete and final." When he speaks of the "sutras that are complete and final," he is referring to the
Lotus Sutra, and when he speaks of "those which are not complete and final," he means the Kegon, Dainichi, Nirvana and other
sutras preached before, during, and after the preaching of the Lotus Sutra.
If we are to believe these dying words of the Buddha, we must conclude that the Lotus Sutra is the only
bright mirror we should have, and that through it we can understand the heart of all the sutras.
Accordingly, let us turn to the text of the Lotus Sutra itself. There we find it stated that "This Lotus
Sutra [is the secret storehouse of Buddhas]. Among the sutras, it holds the highest place." If we accept these words of the
sutra, then, like Taishaku dwelling on the peak of Mount Sumeru, like the wish-granting jewel that crowns the wheel-turning
kings, like the moon that dwells above the forest of trees, like the fleshy protuberance that tops the head of a Buddha, so
the Lotus Sutra stands like a wish-granting jewel crowning the Kegon, Dainichi, Nirvana and all the other sutras.
If we set aside the pronouncements of the scholars and teachers and rely upon the text of the sutra,
then we can see that the Lotus Sutra is superior to the Dainichi, Kegon and all the other sutras as plainly and as easily
as a sighted person can distinguish heaven form earth when the sun is shining in a clear blue sky.
And if we examine the texts of the Dainichi, Kegon, and the other sutras, we will find that there is
not a word or even a dot in them that resembles the above-cited passage of the Lotus Sutra. True, at times they speak about
the superiority of the Mahayana sutras as compared to the Hinayana sutras, or of the Buddhist truth as opposed to secular
truth, or they praise the truth of the Middle Way as opposed to the various views that phenomena are non-substantial or that
they have only provisional existence. But in fact they are like the rulers of petty kingdoms who, when addressing their subjects,
speak of themselves as great kings. It is the Lotus Sutra that, in comparison to these various rulers, is the true Great King.
The Nirvana Sutra alone of all the sutras has passages that resemble those of the Lotus Sutra. For this
reason, the Buddhist scholars who preceded T'ien-t'ai in both northern and southern China were led astray into declaring that
the Lotus Sutra is inferior to the Nirvana Sutra. But if we examine the text of the Nirvana Sutra itself, we will find that,
as in the Muryogi Sutra, the comparison is being made between the Nirvana Sutra and the sutras of the Kegon, Agon, Hodo and
Hannya periods that were expounded during the first forty or more years of the Buddha's preaching life. It is in comparison
to these earlier sutras that the Nirvana Sutra declares itself to be superior.
Moreover, the Nirvana Sutra, comparing itself with the Lotus Sutra, says, "When this [Nirvana] sutra
was preached,... the prediction had already been made in the Lotus Sutra that the eight thousand shomon disciples would attain
Buddhahood, a prediction which was like a great harvest. Thus, the autumn harvest was over and the crop had been stored away
for winter [when this Nirvana Sutra was expounded], and there was nothing left for it [but a few gleanings]." This passage
from the Nirvana Sutra is saying that the Nirvana Sutra is inferior to the Lotus Sutra.
The above passages [from the Lotus and Nirvana sutras] are perfectly clear on this point. Nevertheless,
even the great scholars of northern and southern China went astray, so students of later ages should take care to examine
them very thoroughly. For the passage [from the Lotus Sutra] not only establishes the superiority of the Lotus Sutra over
the Nirvana Sutra, but indicates its superiority over all other sutras in the worlds of the ten directions.
Earlier, there were those who were misled concerning these passages, but after such great teachers as
T'ien-t'ai, Miao-lo, and Dengyo had clearly indicated their meaning, one would suppose that any person with eyes would understand
them. Nevertheless, even such men as Jikaku and Chisho of the Tendai sect failed to understand these passages correctly, so
what can one expect from the members of the other sects?
Someone might doubt my words, saying that, although the Lotus Sutra is the finest among all the sutras
that have been brought to China and Japan, in India and in the realms of the dragon kings, the Four Heavenly Kings, the sun
and the moon, the Trayastrimsha Heaven, or the Tushita Heaven, there are as many sutras as there are sands in the Ganges.
Among these, may there not be one that is superior to the Lotus Sutra?
I would reply that by looking at one thing, you can surmise ten thousand. This is what is meant by the
statement that you can come to know all under heaven without ever going out of your garden gate. But a fool will have doubts,
saying, "I have seen the sky in the south, but I have not seen the sky in the east or west or north. Perhaps the sky in those
other three directions has a different sun in it from the one I know." Or he will see a column of smoke rising up beyond the
hills, and, although the smoke is in plain sight, because he cannot see the fire itself, he will conclude that the fire may
not really exist. Such a person is my questioner, an icchantika or man of incorrigible disbelief, no different from a man
with sightless eyes!
In the Hosshi chapter of the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha, uttering words of absolute sincerity from
his golden mouth, establishes the relative superiority of the various sutras he expounded during the fifty or more years of
his preaching life, saying, "The scriptures I preach number in the countless millions. Among all those I have preached, now
preach and will preach, this Lotus Sutra is the most difficult to believe and the most difficult to understand."
Though this scripture, the Lotus Sutra, was preached by a single Buddha, Shakyamuni, all the bodhisattvas
from the stage of togaku on down should honor it and have faith in it. For the Buddha Taho came from the east and testified
to the truth of the sutra, and all other Buddhas assembled from the ten directions and stretched their long, broad tongues
up to the Brahma Heaven just as Shakyamuni did. Afterward, they all returned to their respective lands.
The words "have preached, now preach and will preach" include not only the sutras preached by Shakyamuni
in his fifty years of teaching, but all the sutras preached by all the Buddhas of the ten directions and three existences
without setting aside a single character or even a single dot. It is in comparison to all of these that the Lotus Sutra is
proclaimed to be superior. At that time all the Buddhas of the ten directions indicated their agreement. If, after they had
returned to their respective lands, they had told their disciples that there was in fact a sutra that is superior to the Lotus
Sutra, do you suppose their disciples would ever have believed them?
If there are those who, though they have not seen it with their own eyes, nevertheless suspect that
there may be a sutra superior to the Lotus Sutra somewhere in India or in the palaces of the dragon kings, the Four Heavenly
Kings, or the gods of the sun and moon, I would say this. Were not Bonten and Taishaku, the gods of the sun and moon, the
Four Heavenly Kings and the dragon kings present when Shakyamuni preached the Lotus Sutra? If the sun and the moon and the
other deities should say, "There is a sutra superior to the Lotus Sutra; you merely do not know about it," then they would
be a sun and moon who speak great falsehoods!
In that case, I would berate them, saying, "Sun and moon, you dwell up in the sky rather than on the
ground as we do, and yet you never fall down--this is because of the power you gain by observing most strictly the precept
of never telling a lie. But now if you tell this great lie by saying there is a sutra superior to the Lotus Sutra, I am certain
that, even before the Kalpa of Decline arrives, you will come plummeting down to earth. What is more, you will not stop falling
until you have reached the depths of the great citadel of the hell of incessant suffering which is surrounded by solid iron!
Beings who tell such great lies should not be allowed to remain a moment longer in the sky, circling above the four continents
of the earth!" That is how I would berate them.
Yet such men of great wisdom, such great teachers and learned doctors as Ch'eng-kuan of the Kegon sect
or Shan-wu-wei, Chin-kang-chih, Pu-k'ung, Kobo, Jikaku and Chisho of the Shingon sect, proclaim that the Kegon and Dainichi
sutras are superior to the Lotus Sutra. Though it is not for me to judge in such matters, I would say that, in the light of
the higher principles of Buddhism, such men would appear to be archenemies of the Buddhas, would they not? Beside them, evil
men such as Devadatta and Kokalika are as nothing. In fact they are in a class with Mahadeva and the Great Arrogant Brahman.
And those who put faith in the teachings of such men--they too are a fearful lot indeed.
Question: Do you really proclaim that Ch'eng-kuan of the Kegon sect, Chia-hsiang of the Sanron sect,
Tz'u-en of the Hosso sect, and Shan-wu-wei and the others of the Shingon sect on down to Kobo, Jikaku and Chisho are the enemies
of the Buddha?
Answer: This is a very important question, a matter of the gravest concern to the Buddhist Law. Yet,
on examining the text of the sutra, I find that if someone should declare that there is a sutra superior to the Lotus Sutra,
then, regardless of who that person may be, he cannot escape the charge of slandering the Law. Therefore, if we go by what
the sutra says, then persons such as this must be regarded as enemies of the Buddha. And if out of fear I fail to point out
this fact, then the distinctions of relative merit made among the various sutras will all have been made in vain.
If, out of awe of these great teachers of the past, I should simply point at their latter-day followers
and call them enemies of the Buddha, then these latter-day followers of the various sects would say, "The assertion that the
Dainichi Sutra is superior to the Lotus Sutra is not something that we ourselves invented on their own. It is the doctrine
taught by the patriarchs of our sect. Though we may be no match for them in observing the precepts, in wisdom and understanding,
or in status, when it comes to the doctrines that they taught, we never diverge from them in the slightest." And in that case,
one would have to admit that they are guilty of no fault.
Nevertheless, if I know that this assertion is false and yet, out of fear of others, I fail to say so,
then I will be ignoring the stern warning of the Buddha, who said, "He should never hold back any of the teachings, even though
it may cost him his life."
What am I to do? If I speak up, I face fearful opposition from the world at large. But if I am silent,
I can hardly escape the condemnation of failing to heed the Buddha's stern warning. Forward or backward, my way is blocked.
Yet perhaps it is only to be expected. For, as the Lotus Sutra states, "Since hatred and jealousy toward
this sutra abound even during the lifetime of the Buddha, how much worse will it be in the world after his passing?" Again
elsewhere, "The people will be full of hostility, and it will be extremely difficult to believe."
When Shakyamuni Buddha had been conceived by his mother Queen Maya, the Devil of the Sixth Heaven gazed
down into Queen Maya's womb and said, "My archenemy, the sharp sword of the Lotus Sutra, has been conceived. Before the birth
can take place, I must do something to destroy it!" Then the devil transformed himself into a learned physician, entered the
palace of King Shuddhodana and said, "I am a learned physician and I have brought some excellent medicine that will insure
the safe delivery of the child." In this way he attempted to poison the queen.
When the Buddha was born, the devil caused stones to rain down on him and mixed poison in his milk.
Later, when the Buddha left the palace to enter the religious life, the devil changed himself into a black venomous serpent
and tried to block his way. In addition, he entered the bodies of such evil men as Devadatta, Kokalika, King Virudhaka and
King Ajatashatru, inciting them to hurl a great stone at the Buddha which injured him and drew blood, or to kill many of the
Shakyas, the Buddha's clansmen, or murder his disciples.
These great persecutions were planned long ago, schemes that were designed to prevent the Buddha, the
World-Honored One, from preaching the Lotus Sutra. It is persecutions such as these that the sutras mean when it says, "Hatred
and jealousy ... abound even during the lifetime of the Buddha."
In addition to these troubles arising long before the Buddha preached the Lotus Sutra, there were others
that occurred later when he expounded the sutra itself. [These were the doubts that arose when Shakyamuni revealed that] for
forty-some years, Shariputra, Maudgalyayana and the great bodhisattvas had in fact been among the archenemies of the Lotus
Sutra.
But the sutra says, "How much worse will it be in the world after his passing?" By this we know that,
in a latter age after the death of the Buddha, there are bound to be persecutions and difficulties even greater and more fearful
than those that occurred during his lifetime. If even the Buddha had difficulty bearing up under such persecutions, how can
ordinary human beings be expected to bear them, particularly when these troubles are destined to be even greater than those
that occurred during the Buddha's lifetime?
Though one might wonder what great persecutions could possibly be more terrible than the huge rock thirty
feet long and sixteen feet wide that Devadatta rolled down on the Buddha or the drunken elephant that King Ajatashatru sent
charging after him, if persecutions greater than those that arose during the Buddha's lifetime keep occurring again and again
to someone who is not guilty of the slightest fault, then one should realize that that person is a true votary of the Lotus
Sutra in the age after the Buddha's passing.
The successors of the Buddha were among the four ranks of bodhisattvas; they were messengers of the
Buddha. Yet Bodhisattva Aryadeva was killed by a Brahman, the Venerable Aryasimha had his head cut off by King Dammira, Buddhamitra
had to stand for twelve years under a red flag before he could attract the notice of the ruler, and Bodhisattva Nagarjuna
had to stand for seven years under a similar flag. Bodhisattva Ashvaghosha was sold to an enemy country for the sum of three
hundred thousand coins, and the scholar Manoratha died of chagrin. These are examples of troubles that took place in the thousand
years of the Former Day of the Law.
We come now to a time five hundred years after the beginning of the Middle Day of the Law or one thousand
five hundred years after the death of the Buddha. At that time in China there was a wise man who was at first known as Chih-i
and later as the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai Chih-che. He determined to spread the teachings of the Lotus Sutra in their true
form. There had been thousands and thousands of wise men who preceded T'ien-t'ai, and they had held various opinions concerning
the teachings set forth by the Buddha in his lifetime, but in general, they were grouped into ten schools or traditions, the
so-called three schools of southern China and seven schools of northern China. Of these, one school emerged as foremost among
them. This was the third of the three southern schools, the school of the Dharma Teacher Fa-yun of the temple called Kuang-che-ssu.
Fa-yun divided the teachings of the Buddha's lifetime into five periods. From among the teachings of
these five periods, he selected three sutras, the Kegon, the Nirvana and the Lotus. He declared that, among all the sutras,
the Kegon Sutra ranks first and is comparable to the monarch of a kingdom. The Nirvana Sutra ranks second and is like the
regent or prime minister, while the Lotus Sutra ranks third and is like one of the court nobles. All the other sutras are
inferior to these and are comparable to the common people.
Fa-yun was by nature a man of outstanding wisdom. Not only did he study under such great teachers as
Hui-kuan, Hui-yen, Seng-jou and Hui-tz'u, but he refuted the doctrines of various teachers of the northern and southern schools,
and retired to the seclusion of the mountain forest, where he devoted himself to the study of the Lotus, Nirvana and Kegon
sutras.
As a result, Emperor Wu of the Liang dynasty summoned him to court and had a temple called Kuang-che-ssu
built for him within the palace grounds, paying him great honor. When Fa-yun lectured on the Lotus Sutra, flowers fell down
from the heavens just as they had done when Shakyamuni Buddha first preached it.
In the fifth year of the T'ien-chien era (A.D. 506), there was a great drought. The emperor had the
Dharma Teacher Fa-yun lecture on the Lotus Sutra, and when he reached the verses in the Yakusoyu chapter that read, "The rain,
spread equally,/in all four directions comes down," soft rain began to fall from the sky. The emperor was so overwhelmed with
admiration that he appointed Fa-yun on the spot to the rank of Administrator of Monks (sojo), and he served him in person
as the various deities serve the god Taishaku and as the common people look up in awe to their sovereign. In addition, it
was revealed to someone in a dream that Fa-yun had been lecturing on the Lotus Sutra ever since the time of the Buddha named
Nichigatsu Tomyo in the distant past.
Fa-yun wrote a commentary in four volumes on the Lotus Sutra. In this commentary he stated, "This sutra
is not truly eminent," and spoke of it as "an unusual expedient." By this he meant that the Lotus Sutra does not fully reveal
the truth of Buddhism.
Was it because Fa-yun's teachings met with the approval of the Buddha that the flowers and the rain
came down on him from the sky? In any event, as a result of the wonderful and unusual things that happened to him, the people
of China came to believe that the Lotus Sutra was in fact perhaps inferior to the Kegon and Nirvana sutras. This commentary
by Fa-yun disseminated to the kingdoms of Silla, Paekche and Koguryo in Korea and to Japan, where people in general came to
hold the same opinion as that prevalent in China.
Shortly after the death of Fa-yun, in the latter years of the Liang dynasty and the early years of the
Ch'en, there appeared a young priest known as the Dharma Teacher Chih-i. He was a disciple of the Great Teacher Nan-yueh,
but perhaps because he wished to clarify his understanding of his teacher's doctrines, he entered the storehouse where the
scriptures were kept and examined the texts again and again. He singled out the Kegon, Nirvana and Lotus sutras as worthy
of special attention, and of these three, he lectured on the Kegon Sutra in particular. In addition, he compiled a book of
devotional exercises in honor of the Buddha Vairochana of the Kegon Sutra and day after day furthered his understanding of
this sutra. The people of his time supposed that he did this because he considered the Kegon Sutra to be the foremost of all
sutras. In fact, however, he did it because he had grave doubts about Fa-yun's assertion that the Kegon Sutra was to be ranked
first, the Nirvana Sutra second, and the Lotus Sutra third, and he therefore wished to make a particularly close examination
of the Kegon Sutra.
After he had done so, he concluded that, among all the sutras, the Lotus Sutra was to be ranked first,
the Nirvana Sutra second, and the Kegon Sutra third. He also announced in sorrow that, although the sacred teachings of the
Buddha had spread throughout the land of China, they had failed to bring benefit to its inhabitants but on the contrary caused
people to stray into the evil states of existence. This, he concluded, was due to the errors of their teachers.
It was as though the leaders of the nation had told the people that east is west, or that heaven is
earth, and the common people had accepted their assertions and believed accordingly. Later, if some person of humble stature
should come forward and tell them that what they called west was really east, or that what they called heaven was really earth,
they would not only refuse to believe him, but they would curse and attack him in order to ingratiate themselves with their
leaders.
Chih-i pondered what to do about the situation. He felt that he could not remain silent, and he therefore
spoke out in severe condemnation of Fa-yun of Kuang-che-ssu temple, asserting that, because of his slanders against the True
Law, he had fallen into hell. With that, the Buddhist teachers of the north and south rose up like angry hornets and descended
on him like a flock of crows.
Some proposed that Chih-i should have his head smashed; others, that he should be driven out of the
country. The ruler of the Ch'en dynasty, hearing of what was going on, summoned a number of Buddhist leaders from north and
south and had them appear in his presence along with Chih-i so that he could listen to the proceedings. There were such monks
as Hui-yung, a disciple of Fa-yun, and Fa-sui, Hui-k'uang and Hui-heng, over a hundred men, all of the rank of Supervisor
of Monks (sozu), Administrator of Monks or higher. They struggled to outdo each other in speaking ill of Chih-i, raising their
eyebrows and glaring angrily, or clapping their hands in an impatient rhythm.
Chih-i, though he was seated in a humble position far below the others, showed no sign of emotion and
made no slip of speech. Instead, with quiet dignity he took notes on each of the charges and assertions made by the other
monks and succeeded in refuting it. Then he began to attack his opponents, saying, "According to the teachings of Fa-yun,
the Kegon Sutra ranks first, the Nirvana Sutra second, and the Lotus Sutra third. In what sutra is the proof of this to be
found? Please produce a passage that gives clear and certain proof of this!" Pressed in this way, the other monks all lowered
their heads and turned pale, unable to say a word in reply.
He continued to press them, saying, "In the Muryogi Sutra, the Buddha mentions how he 'then preached
the twelve divisions of the Hodo sutras, the Makahannya Sutra, and the Kegon Sutra deriving from the [Buddha's] ocean-imprint
meditation.' Thus the Buddha himself mentions the Kegon Sutra by name and denies its worth, saying that in these sutras preached
before the Muryogi Sutra, 'I have not yet revealed the truth.' If in the Muryogi Sutra, which is inferior to the Lotus Sutra,
the Kegon Sutra is attacked in this way, then what grounds could there be for asserting that the Kegon Sutra represents the
highest achievement of the Buddha's preaching life? Gentlemen, if you wish to show your loyalty to your teacher, then please
produce some scriptural passage that will refute and override this passage I have cited from the Muryogi Sutra and vindicate
your teacher's doctrines!
"And on what passage of scripture do you base your assertion that the Nirvana Sutra is superior to the
Lotus Sutra? In the fourteenth volume of the Nirvana Sutra, there is a discussion of the relative merit of the Nirvana Sutra
in comparison to the sutras of the Kegon, Agon, Hodo and Hannya periods, but no mention whatsoever of its merit in comparison
to the Lotus Sutra.
"Earlier in the same sutra, however, in the ninth volume, the relative merits of the Nirvana and Lotus
sutras are made abundantly clear. The passage states, 'When this [Nirvana] sutra was preached,... the prediction had already
been made in the Lotus Sutra that the eight thousand shomon disciples would attain Buddhahood, a prediction which was like
a great harvest. Thus, the autumn harvest was over and the crop had been stored away for winter [when this Nirvana Sutra was
expounded], and there was nothing left for it [but a few gleanings].'
"This passage makes clear that the other sutras were the work of spring and summer, while the Nirvana
and Lotus sutras were like a ripening or fruition. But while the Lotus Sutra was like a great fruition in which the harvest
is gathered in autumn and stored away for winter, the Nirvana Sutra was like the gleaning of the fallen grain that takes place
at the end of autumn and the beginning of winter.
"In this passage, the Nirvana Sutra is in effect acknowledging that it is inferior to the Lotus Sutra.
And the Lotus Sutra speaks about the sutras that have already been preached, are presently being preached, and are to be preached
in the future. By this, the Buddha is indicating that the Lotus Sutra is not only superior to the sutras preached before it
as well as those preached at the same time, but is also superior to those he will preach afterward.
"If the Lord Shakyamuni laid it down so clearly, what room could there be for doubt? Nevertheless, because
he was concerned about what might happen after his passing, he determined to have Taho Buddha of the land of Treasure Purity
in the east act as a witness to the truth of his words. Therefore, Taho Buddha sprang forth from out of the earth and testified
to the verity of the Lotus Sutra, saying, 'All that you [Shakyamuni Buddha] have expounded is the truth.' In addition, various
Buddhas from the ten directions who were emanations of Shakyamuni Buddha gathered around and put forth their long, broad tongues
until the tips reached to the Brahma Heaven, as did Shakyamuni's, in witness to the truth of the teachings.
"After that, Taho Buddha returned to the land of Treasure Purity, and the various Buddhas who were emanations
of Shakyamuni returned to their respective lands in the ten directions. Then, when neither Taho Buddha nor the emanations
were present, Lord Shakyamuni preached the Nirvana Sutra. If he had claimed that he Nirvana Sutra is superior to the Lotus
Sutra, would his disciples in fact have believed such a thing?"
This was the way Chih-i, the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai, chided them. He was like the brilliant light
of the sun and moon striking the eyes of the asuras, or the sword of the King of Han pressing against the necks of his barons,
and his opponents accordingly closed their eyes tightly and let their heads droop. In his appearance and manner, T'ien-t'ai
was like the lion king roaring at foxes and rabbits, or like a hawk or an eagle swooping down on doves and pheasants.
As a result, the fact that the Lotus Sutra is superior to the Kegon and Nirvana sutras became known
not only throughout the whole of China, but word of it also spread to the five regions of India. There the Indian treatises
of both the Mahayana and Hinayana divisions of Buddhism were inferior to T'ien-t'ai's doctrine, and the people there praised
him, wondering if the Lord Shakyamuni had appeared in the world once again, or whether Buddhism would now have a second beginning.
In time the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai passed away, and the Ch'en and Sui dynasties came to an end and
were replaced by the T'ang dynasty. T'ien-t'ai's successor, the Great Teacher Chang-an, also passed away, and there were few
who continued to study the type of Buddhism taught by T'ien-t'ai.
Then, in the reign of Emperor T'ai-tsung, there appeared a monk named the Learned Doctor Hsuan-tsang.
He journeyed to India in the third year of the Chen-kuan era (629) and returned in the nineteenth year of the same era (645).
During his journey, he conducted a thorough investigation of Buddhism in India and on his return introduced to China the school
known as Hosso.
This school is to the T'ien-t'ai or Tendai sect as fire is to water. Hsuan-tsang brought with him works
such as the Jimmitsu Sutra, the Yuga Ron and the Yuishiki Ron that were unknown to T'ien-t'ai, and claimed that, although
the Lotus Sutra is superior to the other sutras, it is inferior to the Jimmitsu Sutra. Since this was a text that T'ien-t'ai
had never seen, his followers in these later times, shallow as they were in wisdom and understanding, seemed inclined to accept
this allegation.
Moreover, Emperor T'ai-tsung was a wise ruler, but he placed extraordinary faith in the teachings of
Hsuan-tsang. As a result, though there were those who might have wished to speak out in protest, they were, as is too often
the case, awed by the authority of the throne and held their peace. Thus, regrettable as it is to relate, the Lotus Sutra
was thrust aside. Hsuan-tsang taught that if people have the capacity to understand the three vehicles, then the one vehicle
can be no more than an expedient to instruct them, and the three vehicles, the only true way of enlightening them, along with
the theory of the five natures into which all beings are inherently divided.
Though these new teachings came from India, the home of Buddhism, it was as though the non-Buddhist
teachings of India had invaded the land of China. The Lotus Sutra was declared to be a mere expedient teaching, and the Jimmitsu
Sutra, the embodiment of the truth. Thus the testimony given by Shakyamuni, Taho and the other Buddhas of the ten directions
was totally ignored, and instead Hsuan-tsang and his disciple Tz'u-en were looked upon as living Buddhas.
Later, during the reign of Empress Wu, a monk called the Dharma Teacher Fa-tsang appeared who, in order
to vent his anger over the attacks that had been made earlier by the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai on the Kegon Sutra, founded
a new school called the Kegon school. In doing so, he utilized a new translation of the Kegon Sutra that had recently been
completed, using it to supplement the older translation of the Kegon Sutra that had been the target of T'ien-t'ai's attack.
This school proclaimed that the Kegon Sutra represents the "root teaching" of the Buddha, while the Lotus Sutra represents
the "branch teachings."
To sum up, the teachers in northern and southern China [such as Fa-yun who preceded T'ien-t'ai] ranked
the Kegon Sutra first, the Nirvana Sutra second, and the Lotus Sutra third. T'ien-t'ai ranked the Lotus first, the Nirvana
second, and the Kegon third. And the newly founded Kegon school ranked the Kegon first, the Lotus second, and the Nirvana
third.
Later, in the reign of Emperor Hsuan-tsung, the Learned Doctor Shan-wu-wei journeyed to China from India,
bringing with him the Dainichi and Soshisuji sutras. In addition, the Learned Doctor Chin-kang-chih appeared with the Kongocho
Sutra. Moreover, Chin-kang-chih had a disciple named the Learned Doctor Pu-k'ung.
These three men were all Indians who not only came from very distinguished families but who were in
character quite different from the priests of China. The doctrines that they taught appeared highly impressive in that they
included mudras and mantras, something that had never been known in China since the introduction of Buddhism in the Later
Han. In the presence of this new Buddhism, the emperor bowed his head and the common people pressed their palms together in
reverence.
These men taught that, whatever the relative merits of the Kegon, Jimmitsu, Hannya, Nirvana and Lotus
sutras might be, they were all exoteric teachings, the various preachings of Shakyamuni Buddha. The Dainichi Sutra which they
had newly introduced, on the other hand, represented the royal pronouncements of Dainichi or Mahavairochana, the Dharma King.
The other sutras were the multiple sayings of the common people; this sutra was the unique pronouncement of the Son of Heaven.
Works such as the Kegon and Nirvana sutras could never hope to reach as high as the Dainichi Sutra even with the help of a
ladder. Only the Lotus Sutra bears some resemblance to the Dainichi Sutra.
Nevertheless, the Lotus Sutra was preached by Shakyamuni Buddha and thus represents merely the truth
as spoken by a commoner, whereas the Dainichi Sutra represents the truth as spoken by the Son of Heaven. Hence, although the
words resemble each other, the persons who spoke them are as far apart as the clouds in the sky and the mud on the earth.
The difference between them is like the moon that is reflected in muddy water on the one hand and in clear water on the other.
Both alike are reflections of the moon, yet the nature of the water that catches the reflection is vastly different.
Such were the assertions put forth by these men, and no one attempted to examine them carefully or make
clear their true nature. Instead, the other schools of Buddhism all bowed down and acknowledged themselves subservient to
this new school called the Shingon.
After Shan-wu-wei and Chin-kang-chih died, Pu-k'ung made a trip to India and brought back to China a
treatise entitled Bodaishin Ron, and the Shingon school grew all the more influential.
In the Tendai school, however, there appeared a priest known as the Great Teacher Miao-lo. Though he
lived more than two hundred years after the time of the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai, he was extremely wise and had a clear understanding
of the teachings of T'ien-t'ai. Thus he perceived, from the heart of T'ien-t'ai's interpretations, that the Lotus Sutra is
superior to the Jimmitsu Sutra and the Hosso school--which had been introduced to China after T'ien-t'ai's time--as well as
to the Kegon school and the Shingon school with its Dainichi Sutra, both schools which had first been established in China.
Up until then, either because T'ien-t'ai's followers lacked the wisdom to see what was wrong, or because
they feared others or were in awe of the ruler's power, no one had spoken out. It was clear that a correct understanding of
the teachings of T'ien-t'ai was about to be lost, and that the errors and heresies that were rife surpassed even those that
had prevailed in northern and southern China in the period before the Ch'en and Sui dynasties. Therefore Miao-lo compiled
commentaries on T'ien-t'ai's works in thirty volumes, the writings known as Guketsu, Shakusen and Shoki. These thirty volumes
of commentary served not only to eliminate passages of repetition in T'ien-t'ai's works and to elucidate points that were
unclear, but at the same time in one stroke they refuted the Hosso, Kegon and Shingon schools, which had escaped T'ien-t'ai's
censures because they did not exist in China during his lifetime.
Turning now to Japan, we find that in the reign of the thirtieth sovereign Emperor Kimmei, on the thirteenth
day of the tenth month in the thirteenth year of his reign (552), cyclical sign mizunoe-saru, a copy of the Buddhist scriptures
and a statue of Shakyamuni Buddha were brought to Japan from the Korean kingdom of Paekche. And in the reign of Emperor Yomei,
Crown Prince Shotoku began the study of Buddhism. He dispatched a court official named Wake no Imoko to go to China and bring
back a copy of the Lotus Sutra in one volume that had belonged to him in a previous life, and expressed his determination
to honor and protect the sutra.
Later, by the reign of the thirty-seventh sovereign Emperor Kotoku, the Sanron, Kegon, Hosso, Kusha
and Jojitsu sects were introduced to Japan, and in the time of the forty-fifth sovereign Emperor Shomu, the Ritsu sect was
introduced, thus making a total of six sects. But during the time from Emperor Kotoku to the reign of the fiftieth sovereign
Emperor Kammu, a period of over 120 years during which fourteen sovereigns reigned, the Tendai and Shingon sects had not yet
been introduced.
During the reign of Emperor Kammu, there was a young priest named Saicho who was a disciple of the Administrator
of Monks Gyohyo of Yamashina-dera temple. He made a thorough study of Hosso and the others of the six sects mentioned above,
but he felt that he had yet to reach a true understanding of Buddhism. Then he came upon a commentary which the Dharma Teacher
Fa-tsang of the Kegon school had written on the Kishin Ron, and in it were quotations from the works of the Great Teacher
T'ien-t'ai.
These works of T'ien-t'ai seemed to be worthy of special attention, but Saicho did not even know whether
they had yet been brought to Japan or not. When he questioned someone about this, the person replied that there had been a
priest named Ganjin of the temple called Lung-hsing-ssu in Yang-chou in China who had studied the T'ien-t'ai teachings and
had been a disciple of the Discipline Master Tao-hsien. In the latter part of the Tempyo-Shoho era (753), he came to Japan,
where he worked to spread a knowledge of the Hinayana rules of monastic discipline. He had brought with him copies of the
works of T'ien-t'ai, but had not attempted to disseminate them. All this took place, Saicho was told, during the time of the
forty-fifth sovereign Emperor Shomu.
When Saicho asked if he could see these writings, they were brought out and shown to him. On his first
perusal of them, he felt as though he had been awakened from all the delusions of birth and death. And when he began to consider
the basic doctrines of the six sects of earlier Buddhism in the light of what he found in these writings, it became apparent
that each of the sects was guilty of doctrinal error.
Immediately he vowed to do something about the situation, saying, "Because the people of Japan are all
patrons of those who are slandering the True Law, the nation will surely fall into chaos!" He thereupon expressed his criticisms
of the six sects, but when he did so, the great scholars of the six sects and the seven major temples of Nara rose up in anger
and flocked to the capital, until the nation was in an uproar.
These men of the six sects and seven major temples were filled with the most intense animosity toward
Saicho. But as it happened, on the nineteenth day of the first month of the twenty-first year of the Enryaku era (802), Emperor
Kammu paid a visit to the temple called Takao-dera, and he summoned fourteen eminent priests--namely, Zengi, Shoyu, Hoki,
Chonin, Kengyoku, Ampuku, Gonso, Shuen, Jiko, Gen'yo, Saiko, Dosho, Kosho and Kambin--to come to the temple and debate with
Saicho.
These various men of the Kegon, Sanron, Hosso and other sects expounded the teachings of the founders
of their respective sects just as they had learned them. But Saicho took notes on each point put forward by the men of the
six sects and criticized it in the light of the Lotus Sutra, the works of T'ien-t'ai, or other sutras and treatises. His opponents
were unable to say a word in reply, their mouths as incapable of speech as if they were noses.
The emperor was astounded and questioned Saicho in detail on various points. Thereafter he handed down
an edict criticizing the fourteen men who had opposed Saicho.
They in turn submitted a memorial acknowledging their defeat and apologizing, in which they said, "We,
students of the seven major temples and six sects,... have for the first time understood the ultimate truth."
They also said, "In the two hundred or more years since Crown Prince Shotoku spread the Buddhist teachings
in this country, a great many sutras and treatises have been lectured upon and their principles have been widely argued, but
until now, many doubts still remained to be settled. Moreover, the lofty and perfect doctrine of the Lotus Sura had not yet
been properly explained and made known."
They also said, "Now at last the dispute that has continued so long between the Sanron and Hosso sects
has been resolved as dramatically as though ice had melted. The truth has been made abundantly clear, as though clouds and
mist had parted to reveal the light of the sun, moon and stars."
Saicho, in his appraisal of the teachings of his fourteen opponents, wrote as follows: "You each lecture
upon the single scripture [of your own sect], and though you sound the drums of the Dharma within the deep valleys, both lecturer
and hearers continue to go astray on the paths of the three vehicles. Though you fly the banners of doctrine from lofty peaks
and both teachers and disciples have broken free from the bonds of the threefold world, you still persist on the road of the
enlightenment that takes countless kalpas to achieve, and confuse the three kinds of carts with the great white ox cart outside
the gate. How could you possible attain the first stage of security and reach enlightenment in this world that is like a house
on fire?"
The two officials Wake no Hiroyo and his younger brother Matsuna [who were present at the debate] commented
as follows: "Through Nan-yueh, the Mystic Law of Eagle Peak was made known, and through T'ien-t'ai, the wonderful enlightenment
of Mount Ta-su was opened up. But one regrets that the single vehicle of the Lotus is impeded by provisional teachings, and
one grieves that the unification of the three truths has yet to be made manifest."
The fourteen priests commented as follows: "Zengi and the others of our group have met with great good
fortune because of karmic bonds and have been privileged to hear these extraordinary words. Were it not for some profound
karmic tie, how could we have been born in this sacred age?"
These fourteen men had in the past transmitted the teachings of the various Chinese and Japanese patriarchs
of their respective sects such as Fa-tsang and Shinjo of the Kegon sect, Chia-hsiang and Kanroku of the Sanron sect, Tz'u-en
and Dosho of the Hosso sect, or Tao-hsuan and Ganjin of the Ritsu sect. Thus, although the vessel in which the water of doctrine
was contained had changed from generation to generation, the water remained the same.
But now these fourteen men abandoned the erroneous doctrines that they had previously held and embraced
the teachings of the Lotus Sutra as expounded by Saicho, the Great Teacher Dengyo. Therefore, how could anyone in later times
assert that the Kegon, Hannya or Jimmitsu Sutra surpasses the Lotus Sutra?
These fourteen men had of course studied the doctrines of the three Hinayana sects, [Jojitsu, Kusha
and Ritsu]. But since the three Mahayana sects [of Kegon, Sanron and Hosso] had suffered a doctrinal defeat, we need hardly
mention the Hinayana sects. However, there are some persons today who, being unaware of what actually happened, believe that
one or another of the six sects did not suffer a doctrinal defeat. They are like blind men who cannot see the sun and moon,
or deaf men who cannot hear the sound of thunder, and who therefore conclude that there are no sun and moon in the heavens,
or that the skies emit no sound.
With regard to the Shingon sect, during the reign of the forty-fourth sovereign Empress Gensho, Shan-wu-wei
brought the Dainichi Sutra to Japan, but returned to China without spreading a knowledge of it. Moreover, Gembo brought back
from China a commentary on the Dainichi Sutra, the Dainichikyo Gishaku in fourteen volumes, as did the Preceptor Tokusei of
Todai-ji.
These works were studied by the Great Teacher Dengyo, but he had doubts about what they said concerning
the relative worth of the Dainichi and Lotus sutras. Therefore, in the seventh month of the twenty-third year of the Enryaku
era (804), he went to China, where he met the priests Tao-sui of Hsi-ming-ssu temple and Hsing-man of Fo-lung-ssu, and received
the Shikan teachings and the great precepts for perfect and immediate enlightenment. He also met the priest Shun-hsiao of
Ling-kan-ssu and received instruction in the Shingon teachings. He returned to Japan in the sixth month of the twenty-fourth
year of Enryaku (805). He was granted an audience with Emperor Kammu, and the emperor thereupon issued an edict instructing
the students of the six sects to study the Shikan and Shingon teachings and to preserve them in the seven major temples of
Nara.
In China there were various theories concerning the relative superiority of these two teachings, the
Shikan and the Shingon. Moreover, the Dainichikyo Gishaku claims that, though they are equal in terms of principle, the Shingon
is superior in terms of practice.
The Great Teacher Dengyo, however, realized that this was an error on the part of Shan-wu-wei and understood
that the Dainichi Sutra is inferior to the Lotus Sutra. Therefore he did not establish the Shingon teachings as an eighth
sect, but instead incorporated them into the teachings of the seventh sect, the Hokke sect, after removing from them the label
"Shingon sect." He declared that the Dainichi Sutra is to be regarded as a supplementary sutra of the Hokke-Tendai sect and
ranked it along with the Kegon, Daibon Hannya and Nirvana sutras. However, at the time there was much dispute over whether
or not a vitally important Mahayana specific ordination platform of perfect and immediate enlightenment should be established
in Japan. Perhaps because of the trouble that arose on this account, it seems that the Great Teacher Dengyo did not give his
disciples clear instructions concerning the relative superiority of the Shingon and Tendai teachings.
In a work called the Ebyo Shu, however, he clearly states that the Shingon school stole the correct
doctrines of the Hokke-Tendai school and incorporated them into its interpretation of the Dainichi Sutra, thereafter declaring
that the two schools were equal in terms of principle. Thus the Shingon school had in effect surrendered to the Tendai school.
This is even more evident when we consider that, after the death of Shan-wu-wei and Chin-kang-chih,
the Shingon patriarch Pu-k'ung went to India, where he met Bodhisattva Nagabodhi. Nagabodhi informed him that there were no
treatises or commentaries in India that made clear the Buddha's intent, but that in China there was a commentary by a man
named T'ien-t'ai that enabled one to distinguish correct from incorrect teachings and to understand the difference between
partial doctrines and those that are complete. He exclaimed this in admiration and repeatedly begged that a copy of the work
be brought to India.
This incident was reported to the Great Teacher Miao-lo by Pu-k'ung's disciple Han-kuang, as is recorded
at the end of the tenth volume of Miao-lo's Hokke Mongu Ki. It is also recorded in Dengyo's Ebyo Shu. From this it is perfectly
evident that the Great Teacher Dengyo believed the Dainichi Sutra to be inferior to the Lotus Sutra.
Thus it becomes apparent that Shakyamuni Buddha, the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai, the Great Teacher Miao-lo
and the Great Teacher Dengyo were of one mind in regarding the Lotus Sutra as the greatest of all the sutras, including the
Dainichi Sutra. Moreover, Bodhisattva Nagarjuna, who is regarded as the founder of the Shingon sect, held the same opinion,
as becomes obvious if we carefully examine his Daichido Ron. Unfortunately, however, the Bodaishin Ron produced by Pu-k'ung
is full of errors and has led everyone astray, bringing about the present condition.
We come now to the disciple of the Administrator of Monks Gonso of Iwabuchi named Kukai, known in later
ages as Kobo Daishi or the Great Teacher Kobo. On the twelfth day of the fifth month in the twenty-third year of Enryaku (804),
he set out for China. After arriving there, he met the priest Hui-kuo, whose teacher belonged to the third generation of the
Shingon lineage beginning with Shan-wu-wei and Chin-kang-chih. From Hui-kuo he received the transmission of the two Shingon
mandalas. He returned to Japan on the twenty-second day of the tenth month in the second year of Daido (807).
It was then the reign of Emperor Heizei, Emperor Kammu having passed away a short time before. Kukai
was granted an audience with Emperor Heizei, who placed great confidence in him and embraced his teachings, valuing them above
all. Not long after (809), Emperor Heizei ceded the throne to Emperor Saga, with whom Kukai likewise ingratiated himself.
The Great Teacher Dengyo passed away on the fourth day of the sixth month of the thirteenth year of Konin (822), during the
reign of Emperor Saga. From the fourteenth year of the same era (823), Kukai served as teacher to the sovereign. He established
the Shingon sect, was given supervision of the temple known as To-ji, and was referred to as the Shingon Priest. Thus Shingon,
the eighth sect of Buddhism in Japan, had its start.
Kukai commented as follows on the relative merit of the teachings of the Buddha's lifetime: "First is
the Dainichi Sutra of the Shingon sect, second is the Kegon Sutra, and third are the Lotus and Nirvana sutras.
"In comparison to the Agon, Hodo and Hannya sutras, the Lotus is a true sutra, but from the point of
view of the Kegon and Dainichi sutras, it is a doctrine of childish theory.
"Though the Lord Shakyamuni was a Buddha, in comparison to the Buddha Dainichi or Mahavairochana, he
was still in the region of darkness. The latter is as exalted as an emperor; the former, by comparison, is as lowly as a subjugated
barbarian.
"The Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai is a thief. He stole the ghee of the Shingon and claimed that the Lotus
Sutra is ghee."
This is the sort of thing that Kukai, or Kobo Daishi, wrote. As a result, though people may previously
have believed that the Lotus is the greatest of all sutras, after hearing of Kobo, they no longer regarded it as worthy of
notice.
I will set aside the heresies propounded by Brahmans in India. But these pronouncements of Kukai are
certainly worse than those put forward by the priests of northern and southern China who declared that, in comparison to the
Nirvana Sutra, the Lotus Sutra is a work of heretical views. They go even farther than the assertions of those members of
the Kegon school who stated that, in comparison to the Kegon Sutra, the Lotus Sutra represents the "branch teachings." One
is reminded of that Great Arrogant Brahman of India who fashioned a tall dais with the deities Maheshvara, Narayana and Vishnu,
along with Shakyamuni Buddha, as the four legs to support it, and then climbed up on it and preached his fallacious doctrines.
If only the Great Teacher Dengyo had still been alive, he would surely have had a word to say on the
subject. But how could his disciples Gishin, Encho, Jikaku and Chisho have failed to question the matter more closely? That
was a great misfortune to the world!
Jikaku Daishi went to China in the fifth year of Jowa (838) and spent ten years there studying the doctrines
of the Tendai and Shingon schools. With regard to the relative merit of the Lotus and Dainichi sutras, he studied under Fa-ch'uan,
Yuan-cheng and others, eight Shingon teachers in all, and was taught by them that, although the Lotus and Dainichi sutras
are equal in principle, the latter is superior in terms of practice. He also studied under Chih-yuan, Kuang-hsiu and Wei-chuan
of the Tendai school, and was taught that the Dainichi Sutra belongs to the Hodo group of sutras [which are inferior to the
Lotus Sutra].
On the tenth day of the ninth month in the thirteenth year of Jowa (846), he returned to Japan, and
on the fourteenth day of the sixth month of the first year of Kajo (848), an imperial edict was handed down [permitting him
to conduct the Shingon initiation ceremonies]. Perhaps because he had had difficulty determining the relative merit of the
Lotus and Dainichi sutras when he was studying in China, he proceeded to write a seven-volume commentary on the Kongocho Sutra
and a seven-volume commentary on the Soshitsuji Sutra, making a total of fourteen volumes. The gist of these commentaries
is that the doctrines set forth in the Dainichi, Kongocho and Soshitsuji sutras and the doctrines expounded in the Lotus Sutra
ultimately indicate the same principle, but because of the ritual use of mudras and mantras associated with the former, the
three Shingon sutras just mentioned are superior to the Lotus Sutra.
In essence, this agrees exactly with the view of Shan-wu-wei, Chin-kang-chih and Pu-k'ung set forth
in their commentary on the Dainichi Sutra. But perhaps Jikaku still had doubts in his mind, or perhaps, having resolved his
own doubts, he wished to clear up the doubts of others. In any event, he placed his fourteen volumes of commentary before
the object of worship in the temple where he resided and made this appeal in prayer: "Though I have written these works, the
Buddha's intention is very difficult to determine. Are the Dainichi Sutra and the other two Shingon sutras associated with
it superior? Or are the Lotus Sutra and the two sutras associated with it to be ranked higher?"
While he was earnestly praying in this manner, on the fifth day, early in the morning at the time of
the fifth watch, a sign suddenly came to him in a dream. He dreamed that the sun was up in the blue sky, and that he took
an arrow and shot at it. The arrow flew up into the sky and struck the sun. The sun began to roll over and over, and when
it had almost fallen to the earth, Jikaku woke from his dream.
Delighted, he said, "I have had a very auspicious dream. These writings, in which I have declared that
Shingon is superior to the Lotus Sutra, are in accord with the Buddha's will!" He then requested that an imperial edict be
issued to this effect, and he disseminated his teaching throughout the country of Japan.
But the edict that was handed down as a result of this request says in effect, "It has at last become
known that the Shikan doctrines of the Tendai sect and the doctrines of the Shingon sect are in principle in perfect agreement."
Jikaku had prayed to confirm that the Lotus Sutra is inferior to the Dainichi Sutra, but the edict that was issued says that
the Lotus Sutra and the Dainichi Sutra are the same!
Chisho Daishi in his youth in Japan was a disciple of the priest Gishin, Encho Daishi, the Superintendent
Kojo and Jikaku. Thus he received instruction in both the exoteric and esoteric doctrines as they were taught in Japan at
the time. But presumably because he was in doubt as to the relative superiority of the Tendai and Shingon sects, he journeyed
to China. He arrived in China in the second year of Ninju (852), where he studied under the Shingon priests Fa-ch'uan and
Yuan-cheng. In general, their teachings accorded with the view held by Jikaku, namely that the Dainichi Sutra and the Lotus
Sutra are equal in terms of principle but that the former is superior in terms of practice.
Chisho also studied under the priest Liang-hsu of the Tendai school, who taught him that, with regard
to the relative merit of the Shingon and Tendai schools, the Dainichi Sutra of the Shingon school cannot compare with the
Kegon and Lotus sutras.
After spending seven years in China, Chisho returned to Japan on the seventeenth day of the fifth month
in the first year of Jogan (859).
In his commentary on the Dainichi Sutra entitled the Dainichikyo Shiiki, Chisho states: "Even the Lotus
Sutra cannot compare [to the Dainichi Sutra], much less the other doctrines." In this commentary, therefore, he argues that
the Lotus Sutra is inferior to the Dainichi Sutra. On the other hand, in another work, the Juketsu Shu, he states: "The doctrines
of Shingon and Zen ... can at best serve as a kind of introduction to the Kegon, Lotus and Nirvana sutras." And he repeats
this same view in his Fugenkyo Ki and Hokke Ron Ki.
On the twenty-ninth day, the day of the cyclical sign mizunoe-saru, of the fourth month of the eighth
year of Jogan, the year hinoe-inu (866), an imperial edict was handed down which stated: "We have heard that the two sects,
Shingon and Tendai, and their teachings are both worthy to be called the ghee of Buddhism, and to be described as profound
and recondite."
Again, on the third day of the sixth month, an edict proclaimed: "Ever since the Great Teacher Dengyo
in former times established the two disciplines as the proper way for the Tendai sect, the successive heads of the sect in
generation after generation have all followed this practice and transmitted both types of doctrines. Why then should their
successors in later times depart from this old and established tradition?
"And yet we hear that the priests of Mount Hiei do nothing but turn against the teachings of the patriarch
Dengyo and instead follow the prejudices and inclinations of their own hearts. It would appear that they give themselves almost
entirely to promulgating the doctrines of other sects and make no attempt to restore the old disciplines of the Tendai sect.
"On the path inherited from the master, one cannot neglect either the Shikan or the Shingon teachings.
In diligently transmitting and spreading the doctrine, must not one be proficient in both types of teachings? From now on,
only a person who is thoroughly familiar with both teachings shall be appointed as head of the Tendai sect at Enryaku-ji,
and this shall become a regular practice for future times."
These two men, Jikaku and Chisho, as we have seen, were disciples of Dengyo and Gishin, and in addition
they journeyed to China and met eminent teachers of the Tendai and Shingon schools there. And yet it appears that they could
not make up their minds as to the relative merit of these two sects. Sometimes they declared that the Shingon is superior,
sometimes that the Lotus Sutra is superior, and sometimes they said that the two are equal in terms of principle but that
the Shingon is superior in terms of practice. Meanwhile, an edict warned that anyone attempting to argue the relative merit
of the two sects would be judged guilty of violating the imperial decree.
These pronouncements of Jikaku and Chisho were clearly inconsistent, and it would appear that the followers
of the other sects placed no trust in them whatsoever. Nevertheless, an imperial edict, as we have seen, states that the two
sects are equal, putting this forward as the doctrine of the Tendai patriarch, the Great Teacher Dengyo. But in what work
of the Great Teacher Dengyo is this view to be found? This is something that must be looked into carefully.
For me, Nichiren, to be challenging Jikaku and Chisho because of doubts over a matter pertaining to
the Great Teacher Dengyo is like a person confronting his parents and arguing with them over who is older, or a person confronting
the god of the sun and claiming that his own eyes shine more brilliantly. Nevertheless, those who would defend the views of
Jikaku and Chisho must produce some sort of clear scriptural of evidence to support their case. Only if they do so can they
hope to gain credence for such views.
The Learned Doctor Hsuang-tsang had been to India and seen a copy of the Daibibasha Ron there, but that
did not prevent him from being criticized by the Dharma Teacher Fa-pao, who had never been to India. The Learned Doctor Dharmaraksha
saw a copy of the Lotus Sutra in India, but that did not prevent a man of China from pointing out that the Zokurui chapter
was out of place in the translation he made of it, though that man had never seen the original text.
In like manner, though Jikaku may have studied under the Great Teacher Dengyo and received instruction
from him, and though Chisho may have obtained the oral transmission from the priest Gishin, if they go against the teachings
recorded in the authentic writings of Dengyo and Gishin, then how can they help but incur suspicion?
The work entitled Ebyo Shu by Dengyo is the most secret of his writings. In the preface to that work,
he writes: "The school of Shingon Buddhism that has recently been brought to Japan deliberately distorts its teachings to
suit its purposes, while the Kegon school that was introduced earlier attempts to disguise the fact that it was influenced
by the doctrines of T'ien-t'ai. The Sanron sect, which is so infatuated with the concept of Emptiness, has forgotten Chia-hsiang's
humiliation, and conceals the fact that he was completely won over to the T'ien-t'ai teachings by Chang-an. The Hosso sect,
which clings to the concept of being, denies that its leader Chih-chou was converted to the teachings of the Tendai school,
and that Liang-p'i used those teachings in interpreting the Ninno Sutra ... Now with all due circumspection I have written
this work entitled Ebyo Shu in one volume to present to wise men of later times who share my convictions. The time is the
reign of the fifty-second sovereign of Japan, the seventh year of the Konin era, the year hinoe-saru (816)."
Farther on, in the main text of the same work, he writes: "There was an eminent monk in India who had
heard that the teachings of the T'ang priest T'ien-t'ai were most suitable for distinguishing correct from incorrect doctrines,
and expressed a longing to become better acquainted with them."
He continues: "Does this not mean that Buddhism has been lost in India, the country of its origin, and
must now be sought in the surrounding regions? But even in China there are few people who recognize the greatness of T'ien-t'ai's
teachings. They are like the people of Lu."
This work, as may be seen from these quotations, criticizes the Hosso, Sanron, Kegon and Shingon sects.
Now if the Great Teacher Dengyo believed that the Tendai and Shingon sects are of equal worth, then why would he criticize
the latter? Furthermore, he compares the Shingon patriarch Pu-k'ung and others to the ignorant people of the state of Lu.
If he really approved of the Shingon teachings as formulated by Shan-wu-wei, Chin-kang-chih and Pu-k'ung, then why would he
speak ill of these men by comparing them to the people of Lu? And if the Shingon teachings of India were identical with or
superior to the teachings of the Tendai sect, then why did the eminent monk of India question Pu-k'ung about them and say
that the True Law had been lost in India?
Be that as it may, these two men, Jikaku and Chisho, in words claimed to be the disciples of the Great
Teacher Dengyo, but at heart they were not. That is why Dengyo wrote in the preface to his work, "Now with all due circumspection
I have written this work entitled Ebyo Shu in one volume to present to wise men of later times who share my convictions."
The words "who share my convictions" mean in effect "those who share my conviction that the Shingon sect is inferior to the
Tendai sect."
In the edict quoted earlier, which Jikaku himself had requested, it says that they "do nothing but turn
against the teachings of the patriarch Dengyo and instead follow the prejudices and inclinations of their own hearts." It
also states, "On the path inherited form the master, one cannot neglect either the Shikan or the Shingon teachings." But if
we are to accept the words of the edict, we would have to say that Jikaku and Chisho themselves are the ones who have turned
against their teacher Dengyo. It is with grave trepidation that I make charges of this kind, but if I do not do so, then the
relative merit of the Dainichi and Lotus sutras will continue to be misunderstood as it is at present. That is why I risk
my life to bring these charges.
[Since they themselves were mistaken,] it is altogether natural that these two men, Jikaku and Chisho,
did not venture to accuse Kobo Daishi of doctrinal error. Instead of wasting all those supplies and making work for other
people by insisting upon traveling all the way to China, they should have made a more careful and thorough study of the doctrines
of the Great Teacher Dengyo, who was their own teacher!
It was only in the time of the first three leaders of the Tendai sect, the Great Teacher Dengyo, the
priest Gishin, and the Great Teacher Encho, that the True Law was taught on Mount Hiei. Thereafter the chief priests of the
Tendai sect were transformed into Shingon leaders. The area continued to be called Mount Tendai, but was presided over by
a Shingon master.
Jikaku and Chisho, as we have seen, contradict the passage in the Lotus Sutra concerning all the sutras
that the Buddha "has preached, now preaches, and will preach." And having contradicted that passage of the scripture, are
they not to be regarded as the archenemies of Shakyamuni, Taho and the other Buddhas of the ten directions? One might have
thought that Kobo was the foremost slanderer of the Law, but Jikaku and Chisho taught errors that far surpass those of Kobo.
When an error is as far from the truth as water is from fire or the earth from the sky, people will
refuse to believe it, and such errors will have no chance of acceptance. Thus, for example, the doctrines of Kobo Daishi are
so full of such errors that even his own disciples would not accept them. As for the practices and ceremonies of the sect,
they accepted his instructions, but they could not bring themselves to accept his doctrines concerning the relative merits
of the sutras. Therefore, they substituted for them the doctrines of Shan-wu-wei, Chin-kang-chih, Pu-k'ung, Jikaku and Chisho.
It is the doctrine of Jikaku and Chisho that declares the Shingon and Tendai sects to be identical in principle, and all the
people have accepted that declaration.
Recognizing this situation, even followers of the Tendai sect, hoping to be asked to perform the "opening
of the eyes" ceremony for the dedication of Buddhist paintings or statues, adopt the mudras and mantras in which the Shingon
sect is believed to excel. Thus in effect the whole of Japan goes over to the Shingon sect, and the Tendai sect is left without
a single follower.
A monk and a nun, a black object and a dark blue object, are so easily confused that a person with poor
eyesight might well mistake one for the other. But a priest and a layman, or a white object and a red object, even a person
with poor eyesight would never confuse, much less someone with good eyes. Now the doctrines of Jikaku and Chisho are as easy
to mistake for the truth as a monk is for a nun, or a black object for a dark blue one. Therefore, even wise men are led astray,
and the ignorant fall into error. As a result, for the past four hundred years and more, on Mount Hiei, in Onjo-ji and To-ji
temples, in Nara, the five provinces surrounding the capital, the seven outlying regions, and indeed throughout the whole
land of Japan, all the people have been turned into slanderers of the Law.
In the fifth volume of the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha states: "Monjushiri, this Lotus Sutra is the secret
storehouse of Buddhas. Among the sutras, it holds the highest place."
If this passage of the scripture is to be believed, then the Lotus Sutra must represent the True Law
that dwells supreme above the Dainichi and all the numerous other sutras. How then, one wonders, would Shan-wu-wei, Chin-kang-chih,
Pu-k'ung, Kobo, Jikaku and Chisho interpret this passage in the sutra and reconcile it with their beliefs?
Again, the seventh volume of the Lotus Sutra states: "He who can accept and uphold this sutra will be
like this too--he will be the first among the multitude of living beings." If this passage of the sutra is to be believed,
then the votary of the Lotus Sutra must be like the great sea as compared to the various rivers and streams, like Mount Sumeru
among the host of mountains, like the god of the moon amid the multitude of stars, like the great god of the sun amid the
other shining lights, like the wheel-turning kings [among all minor kings], like the god Taishaku [among the thirty-three
gods] and the great god king Bonten among all various kings.
The Great Teacher Dengyo in his work entitled Hokke Shuku writes: "This sutra is like this too ... it
is first among all the sutras. He who can accept and uphold this sutra will be like this too--he will be the first among all
the multitude of living beings."
After quoting this passage from the Lotus Sutra, Dengyo notes a passage from the work entitled Hokke
Gengi by T'ien-t'ai [which interprets] the same passage of scripture, and explains its meaning as follows: "One should understand
that the sutras on which the other sects base their teachings are not the first among the sutras, and those persons who uphold
such sutras are not the first among the multitude. But the Lotus Sutra, which is upheld by the Tendai-Hokke sect, is the foremost
of all the sutras, and therefore those who embrace the Lotus Sutra are first among the multitude. This is borne out by the
words of the Buddha himself. How could it be mere self-praise?"
Later in the work just mentioned, Dengyo says, "Detailed explanations concerning the texts on which
the various sects base their teachings are given in a separate work." The separate work he is referring to, the Ebyo Shu,
states: "Now the founder of our sect, the Great Teacher T'ien-T'ai, preached the Lotus Sutra and interpreted the Lotus Sutra
in a way that placed him far above the crowd; in all of China, he stood alone. One should clearly understand that he was a
messenger of the Buddha. Those who praise him will receive blessings that will pile up as high as Mount Sumeru, while those
who slander him will be committing a fault that will condemn them to the hell of incessant suffering."
If we go by the Lotus Sutra and the interpretations of it put forward by T'ien-t'ai, Miao-lo and Dengyo,
then, in Japan at the present time, there is not a single votary of the Lotus Sutra!
In India, when Shakyamuni Buddha was preaching the Lotus Sutra as described in the Hoto chapter, he
summoned all the various Buddhas and had them take their seats upon the ground. Only Dainichi Buddha was seated within the
Treasure Tower, on the lower seat to the south, while Shakyamuni Buddha was seated on the upper seat to the north.
This Dainichi Buddha is the master of the Dainichi of the Womb World described in the Dainichi Sutra,
and of the Dainichi of the Diamond World described in the Kongocho Sutra. This Dainichi or Taho Buddha, who has as his vassals
the Dainichi Buddhas of the two worlds just mentioned, is in turn surpassed by Shakyamuni Buddha, who sits in the seat above
him. This Shakyamuni Buddha is a true votary of the Lotus Sutra. Such was the situation in India.
In China, in the time of the Ch'en emperor [Shu-pao], the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai defeated in debate
the Buddhist leaders of northern and southern China, and was honored with the title of Great Teacher while still alive. As
Dengyo says of him, he was "far above the crowd; in all of China, he stood alone."
In Japan, the Great Teacher Dengyo defeated in debate the leaders of the six sects and became the founder
and first leader of the Tendai sect in Japan.
In India, China and Japan, these three persons alone--Shakyamuni, T'ien-t'ai and Dengyo--were what the
Lotus Sutra calls "the first among all the multitude of living beings."
Thus the Hokke Shuku by Dengyo states: "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 trusted
and obeyed Shakyamuni Buddha and worked to uphold the Hokke school, spreading its teachings throughout China. We of Mount
Hiei inherited the doctrine from T'ien-t'ai and work to uphold the Hokke school and to disseminate its teachings throughout
Japan."
In the eighteen hundred years or more since the passing of the Buddha, there has been only one votary
of the Lotus Sutra in China and one in Japan. If Shakyamuni himself is added to the number, that makes a total of three persons.
The secular classics of China claim that a sage will appear once every thousand years, and a worthy
man once every five hundred. In the Yellow River where the Ching and Wei rivers flow into it, the flow of the two tributary
rivers remains separate. But it is said that once every five hundred years, one side of the river will flow clear, and once
every thousand years, both sides of the river will flow clear. [In the same way, sages and worthy men appear at fixed intervals.]
In Japan, as we have seen, only on Mount Hiei in the time of the Great Teacher Dengyo was there a votary
of the Lotus Sutra. Dengyo was succeeded by Gishin and Encho, the first and second chief priests of the sect, respectively.
But only the first chief priest Gishin followed the ways of the Great Teacher Dengyo. The second chief priest Encho was half
a disciple of Dengyo and half a disciple of Kobo.
The third chief priest, Jikaku, at first acted like a disciple of the Great Teacher Dengyo. But after
he went to China at the age of forty, though he continued to call himself a disciple of Dengyo and went through the motions
of carrying on Dengyo's line, he taught a kind of Buddhism that was wholly unworthy of a true disciple of Dengyo. Only in
the matter of the precepts for perfect and immediate enlightenment established by Dengyo did he conduct himself like a true
disciple.
He was like a bat, for a bat resembles a bird yet is not a bird, and resembles a mouse yet is not a
mouse. Or he was like an owl or a hakei beast. He ate his father the Lotus Sutra, and devoured his mother, those who embrace
the Lotus Sutra. When he dreamed that he shot down the sun, it must have been a portent of these crimes. And it must be because
of these acts that, after his death, no grave was set aside for him.
The temple Onjo-ji, representing Chisho's branch of the Tendai sect, fought incessantly with the temple
Enryaku-ji on Mount Hiei, which represented Jikaku's branch of the sect, the two going at each other like so many asuras and
evil dragons. First Onjo-ji would be burned down, then the buildings on Mount Hiei. As a result, the image of Bodhisattva
Miroku that had been the special object of worship of Chisho was burned, and the special object of worship of Jikaku, as well
as the great lecture hall on Mount Hiei, were likewise burned. The monks of the two temples must have felt as though they
had fallen into the hell of incessant suffering while they were still in this world. Only the Main Hall on Mount Hiei remained
standing.
The lineage of Kobo Daishi has likewise ceased to be what it should have been. Kobo left written instructions
that no one who had not received the precepts at the ordination platform [established by Ganjin] at Todai-ji should be allowed
to become head of To-ji temple. The Retired Emperor Kampyo, however, founded a temple [in Kyoto] called Ninna-ji and moved
a number of monks from To-ji to staff it, and he also issued a decree clearly stating that no one should be allowed to reside
in Ninna-ji unless he had received the precepts for perfect and immediate enlightenment at the ordination platform on Mount
Hiei. As a result, the monks of To-ji are neither disciples of Ganjin, nor are they disciples of Kobo. In terms of the precepts,
they are Dengyo's disciples. However, they do not behave like true disciples of Dengyo. They turn their backs on the Lotus
Sutra, which Dengyo considered to be supreme.
Kobo died on the twenty-first day of the third month in the second year of the Jowa era (835), and the
imperial court sent a representative to offer prayers at his funeral. Later, however, his disciples gathered together and,
bent on deception, announced that he [had not died at all but] had entered a state of deep meditation, and some of them even
claimed that they had had to shave his head [because his hair had grown long]. Others asserted that while he was in China,
he had hurled a three-pronged diamond-pounder all the way across the ocean to Japan; that in answer to his prayers, the sun
had come out in the middle of the night; that he was an incarnation of Dainichi Buddha; or that he had instructed the Great
Teacher Dengyo in the eighteen paths of esoteric Buddhism. Thus by enumerating their teachers's supposed virtues and powers,
they hoped to make him appear wise, in this way lending support to his false doctrines and deluding the ruler and his ministers.
In addition, on Mount Koya there are two main temples, the original temple and the Dembo-in. The original
temple, which includes the great pagoda, was founded by Kobo and is dedicated to the Buddha Dainichi [of the Womb World].
The temple called Dembo-in was founded by Shokaku-bo and is dedicated to the Dainichi of the Diamond World. These two temples
fight with each other day and night, in the same way as Onjo-ji at the foot of Mount Hiei and Enryaku-ji on top of Mount Hiei.
Was it the accumulation of deceit that brought about the appearance in Japan of these two calamities, [these quarrelsome temples
of Mount Koya and Mount Hiei]?
You may pile up dung and call it sandalwood, but when you burn it, it will give off only the fragrance
of dung. You may pile up a lot of great lies and call them the teachings of the Buddha, but they will never be anything but
a gateway to the great citadel of the hell of incessant suffering.
The stupa built by the non-Buddhist leader Nigantha Nataputta over a period of several years conferred
great benefit upon living beings, but when Bodhisattva Ashvaghosha bowed to it, it suddenly collapsed. The Brahman Devil Eloquence
taught from behind a curtain and for a number of years succeeded in fooling others, but Bodhisattva Ashvaghosha attacked him
and exposed his falsehoods. The Brahman leader Uluka turned himself into a stone and remained in that form for eight hundred
years, but when Bodhisattva Dignaga berated him, he turned into water. The Taoist priests for several hundred years deceived
the people of China, but when they were rebuked by the Buddhist monks Kashyapa Matanga and Chu-fa-lan, they burned their own
scriptures that purported to teach the way of the immortals.
Just as Chao Kao seized control of the country and Wang Mang usurped the position of emperor, so the
leaders of the Shingon sect deprived the Lotus Sutra of the rank it deserves and declared that its domain belongs instead
to the Dainichi Sutra. If the monarch of the Law has been deprived of his kingdom in this manner, can the monarch of men hope
to remain peaceful and unharmed?
Japan today is filled with followers of Jikaku, Chisho and Kobo--there is not a single person who does
not slander the Law!
If we stop to consider the situation, it is very much like that which prevailed in the Latter Day of
the Buddha Daishogon or the Latter Day of the Law of the Buddha Issai Myoo. In the Latter Day of the Law of the Buddha Ionno,
even though people repented of their wrongdoings, they still had to suffer for a thousand kalpas in the Avichi Hell. What,
then, of the situation today? The Shingon priests, the people of the Zen sect and the followers of the Nembutsu show not the
slightest sign of repentance in their hearts. Can there be any doubt that, as the Lotus Sutra says, "In this way they will
be reborn again and again [in hell] for kalpas without number"?
Because Japan is a country where the Law is slandered, Heaven has abandoned it. And because Heaven has
abandoned it, the various benevolent deities that in the past guarded and protected the nation have burned their shrines and
returned to the City of Tranquil Light.
Now there is only Nichiren who remains behind, announcing and giving warning of these things. But when
I do so, the rulers of the nation treat me like an enemy. People by the hundreds curse me and speak ill of me, attack me with
staves and sticks, swords and knives. Door after door is closed to me, house after house drives me away. And when the authorities
find that even such treatment does not stop me, they intervene in the matter. Twice they sent me into exile, and once, on
the twelfth day of the ninth month in the eighth year of Bun'ei (1271), they very nearly cut off my head.
The Saishoo Sutra says, "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."
The Daijuku Sutra states, "There may perhaps be various kings of the kshatriya class who act in a way
contrary to the Dharma, causing anguish to the shomon disciples of the World-Honored One. Perhaps they may curse and revile
them or beat and injure them with swords and staves, or deprive them of their robes and begging bowls and the other things
they need. Or perhaps they may restrain and persecute those who give alms to the disciples. If there should be those who do
such things, then we [the benevolent deities] will see to it that their enemies in foreign lands rise up suddenly of their
own accord and march against them, and we will cause uprisings to break out within their states. We will bring about pestilence
and famine, unseasonable winds and rains, and contention, wrangling [and slander]. And we will make certain that those rulers
do not last for long, but that their nations are brought to destruction."
As these passages from the sutras indicate, if I, Nichiren, were not here in Japan, then one might suppose
that the Buddha was a teller of great lies for making such predictions and that he could not escape falling into the Avichi
Hell.
On the twelfth day of the ninth month in the eighth year of Bun'ei, I stood in the presence of Hei no
Saemon and several hundred others and declared, "Nichiren is the pillar of Japan! If you lose Nichiren, you will be toppling
the pillar that supports Japan!"
The passages of scripture I have quoted indicate that if the rulers, heeding the slanders of evil monks
or the vicious talk of others, should inflict punishment on men of wisdom, then warfare will immediately break out, great
winds will blow, and attackers will appear from foreign lands. In the second month of the ninth year of Bun'ei (1272), fighting
did in fact break out between two factions of the Hojo family; in the fourth month of the eleventh year of Bun'ei (1274),
there were violent winds; and in the tenth month of the same year, the Mongol forces attacked Japan. Has not all of this come
about because of the treatment that has been given to me, Nichiren? This is exactly what I have been predicting from times
past. Can anyone be in doubt about the matter?
The errors preached by Kobo, Jikaku and Chisho have for many long years been spread about the country,
and then on top of them have come the confusions propagated by the Zen and Nembutsu sects. It is as though, in addition to
adverse winds, one should be visited by huge waves and earthquakes as well. With all this, the nation has been brought to
the verge of destruction.
In the past the grand minister of state and lay priest Taira no Kiyomori usurped the power of government,
and after the Jokyu Disturbance the imperial court ceased to exercise its rule and the seat of authority shifted east to Kamakura.
But these were no more than internal disturbances; the nation as yet had not faced invasion from abroad.
Moreover, though at that time there were those who slandered the Dharma, there were also a few persons
who continued to uphold the True Law of the Tendai sect. And in addition, at that time no wise man had appeared who would
attempt to remedy the situation. As a result, things were relatively peaceful.
If the lion is sleeping and you do not wake him, he will not roar. If the current is swift but you do
not pull against it with your oar, no waves will rise up. If you do not accuse the thief to his face, he will remain unruffled;
if you do not add fuel to the fire, it will not blaze up. In the same way, though there may be those who slander the Law,
if no one comes forward to expose their error, then the government will continue for the time being on its regular course
and the nation will remain undisturbed.
For example, when the Buddhist Law was first introduced to Japan, nothing out of the ordinary occurred.
But later, when Mononobe no Moriya began burning Buddhist statues, seizing monks and putting the torch to Buddhist halls and
pagodas, then fire rained down from heaven, smallpox broke out in the nation, and there were repeated military clashes.
But the situation now is far worse. Today those who slander the Law fill the entire country, and I,
Nichiren, attack them, strong in my determination to uphold what is right and just. We battle no less fiercely than the asura
demons the god Taishaku, or the Buddha and the Devil King.
The Konkomyo Sutra states, "There will be times when enemies among the neighboring states will begin
to have thoughts as follows: 'We must call out all our four types of troops and destroy that country [where the slanderers
of the Law live.]'"
The same sutra also says, "There will be times when the rulers of neighboring states, observing the
situation and mobilizing their four types of troops, will make ready to set out for the country [where the slanderers of the
Law live], determined to subdue it. At that time we [the great deities] will instruct all the countless, limitless numbers
of yakshas and other deities who are our followers to assume disguises and protect these rulers, causing their enemies to
surrender to them without difficulty."
The Saishoo Sutra states the same thing, as do the Daijuku and Ninno sutras. According to the statements
of these various sutras, if the ruler of a state persecutes those who practice the True Law and instead sides with those who
practice erroneous teachings, then the heavenly kings Bonten and Taishaku, the gods of the sun and the moon, and the Four
Heavenly Kings will enter the bodies of the wise rulers of neighboring states and will attack his state. For example, King
Krita was attacked by King Himatala, and King Mihirakula was overthrown by King Baladitya. Kings Krita and Mihirakula were
rulers in India who attempted to eradicate Buddhism. In China, too, all those rulers who tried to destroy Buddhism were attacked
by worthy rulers.
But the situation in Japan today is much worse. For here the rulers appear to be supporters of the Buddhist
Law, but they assist the priests who are destroying Buddhism and persecute the votary of the True Law. As a result, ignorant
people all fail to realize what is happening, and even wise persons, if they are no more than moderately wise, have difficulty
grasping the situation. Even the lesser deities of heaven, I suspect, do not understand. For this reason, the confusion and
depravity in Japan today are even greater than those in India or China in the past.
In the Hometsujin Sutra the Buddha speaks as follows: "After I have entered nirvana, in the troubled
times when the five cardinal sins prevail, the way of the Devil will flourish. The Devil will appear in the form of Buddhist
monks and attempt to confuse and destroy my teachings.... Those who do evil will become as numerous as the sands of the ocean,
while the good will be extremely few, perhaps no more than one or two persons."
And the Nirvana Sutra says, "In this way, those who believe in the Nirvana Sutra will take up no more
land than can be placed on top of a fingernail.... those who do not believe in the sutra will occupy all the lands in the
ten directions."
These passages from the scriptures are extremely apt, considering the times we live in, and they are
deeply etched in my mind. Nowadays in Japan one hears people everywhere declaring, "I believe in the Lotus Sutra," and "I,
too, believe in the Lotus Sutra." If we took them at their word, we would have to conclude that there is not a soul who slanders
the Law. But the passage from the sutra which I have just quoted says that in the Latter Day, the slanderers of the Law will
occupy all the lands in the ten directions, while those who uphold the True Law will take up no more land than can be placed
on top of a fingernail. What the sutra says and what the people of the world today say are as different as fire is from water.
People these days say that in Japan, Nichiren is the only one who slanders the Law. But the sutra says that there will be
more slanderers of the Law than the great earth itself can hold.
The Hometsujin Sutra says that there will be only one or two good persons, and the Nirvana Sutra says
that the believers can fit into the space of a fingernail. If we accept what the sutras say, then in Japan Nichiren is the
only good person, the one who fits into the space of a fingernail. Therefore I hope that people who are seriously concerned
about the matter will consider carefully whether they want to accept what the sutras say, or what the world says.
Someone might object that the passage in the Nirvana Sutra speaks about the votaries of the Nirvana
Sutra being so few that they can fit into the space of a fingernail, while I am talking about the Lotus Sutra. I would reply
to this as follows.
The Nirvana Sutra defines itself as being contained in the Lotus Sutra. The Great Teacher Miao-lo says,
"The great sutra is itself pointing to the Lotus Sutra and saying that it is the ultimate." The words "the great sutra" here
refer to the Nirvana Sutra. The Nirvana Sutra is calling the Lotus Sutra the ultimate. Therefore, when followers of the Nirvana
sect state that the Nirvana Sutra is superior to the Lotus Sutra, it is the same as calling a retainer a lord or a servant
a master.
To read the Nirvana Sutra means to read the Lotus Sutra. For the Nirvana Sutra is like a worthy man
who rejoices to see another holding his sovereign in esteem even when he himself is treated with contempt. Thus the Nirvana
Sutra would despise and regard as its enemy anyone who tried to demote the Lotus Sutra and praise the Nirvana Sutra instead.
With this example in mind, one must understand the following point. If there are likewise those who
read the Kegon Sutra, the Kammuryoju Sutra, the Dainichi Sutra, or some other sutra, and they do so thinking that the Lotus
Sutra is inferior to those sutras, then they are doing violence to the very heart of those sutras! One must also understand
the following point. Even though one reads the Lotus Sutra and appears to believe in it, if he thinks that he may also attain
enlightenment through any other sutra as well, then he is not really reading the Lotus Sutra!
For example, the Great Teacher Chia-hsiang wrote a work in ten volumes entitled the Hokke Genron in
which he praised the Lotus Sutra. But Miao-lo criticized the work, saying, "There are slanders in it--how can it be regarded
as true propagation and praise?"
Chia-hsiang was in fact an offender against the Lotus Sutra. Thus, when he was defeated by the Great
Teacher T'ien-t'ai and served him, he no longer lectured on the Lotus Sutra. "If I were to lecture on it," he said, "I could
not avoid falling back into the paths of evil." And for seven years, he made his own body a bridge for T'ien-t'ai to walk
on.
Similarly, the Great Teacher Tz'u-en wrote a work in ten volumes entitled the Hokke Genzan in which
he praised the Lotus Sutra, but the Great Teacher Dengyo criticized it, saying, "Even though he praises the Lotus Sutra, he
destroys its heart."
If we consider these examples carefully, we will realize that, among those who read the Lotus Sutra
and sing its praises, there are many who are destined for the hell of incessant suffering. Even men like Chia-hsiang and Tz'u-en
were actually slanderers of the one vehicle of the Lotus Sutra. And if such can be said of them, it applies even more to men
like Kobo, Jikaku and Chisho, who displayed open contempt for the Lotus Sutra.
There are those like Chia-hsiang, who ceased giving lectures, dispersed the group of disciples that
had gathered around him, and became a disciple of T'ien-t'ai, even making his body into a bridge for his teacher. But in spite
of these actions, the offense of his earlier slanders of the Lotus Sutra was not, I expect, so easily wiped out. The crowd
of people who despised and attacked Bodhisattva Fukyo, although they later came to believe in his teachings and became his
followers, still carried the burden of their former actions and had to spend a thousand kalpas in the Avichi Hell as a result.
Accordingly, if men like Kobo, Jikaku and Chisho had lectured on the Lotus Sutra, even if they had repented
of their errors, they would still have had difficulty making up for their former grave offenses. And of course, as we know,
they never had any such change of heart. On the contrary, they completely ignored the Lotus Sutra and spent day and night
carrying out Shingon practices and morning and evening preaching Shingon doctrine.
The bodhisattvas Vasubandhu and Ashvaghosha were both on the point of cutting out their tongues because
of the offense they had committed [in their younger days] by adhering to Hinayana doctrines and criticizing Mahayana. Vasubandhu
declared that, although the Agon sutras of the Hinayana were the words of the Buddha, he would not let his tongue utter them
even in jest. And Ashvaghosha, as an act of penance, wrote the Kishin Ron in which he refuted the Hinayana teachings.
Chia-hsiang in time went to the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai and begged for his lectures. In the presence
of a hundred or more distinguished Buddhists, he threw himself on the ground, and, with sweat pouring from every part of his
body and tears of blood streaming from his eyes, he declared that from then on he would not see his disciples any more and
would no longer lecture on the Lotus Sutra. For, as he said, "If I were to go on facing my disciples and lecturing on the
Lotus Sutra, they might suppose that I have the ability to understand the sutra correctly, when in fact I do not."
Chia-hsiang was both older and more eminent than T'ien-t'ai, and yet, in the presence of others, he
deliberately put his teacher T'ien-t'ai on his back and carried him across a river. Whenever T'ien-t'ai was about to ascend
the lecture platform, Chia-hsiang would take him on his back and carry him up to the platform. After T'ien-t'ai's death, when
Chia-hsiang was summoned into the presence of the emperor of the Sui dynasty, he is said to have wept and dragged his feet
like a little child whose mother has just died.
When one examines the work entitled Hokke Genron by Chia-hsiang, one finds that it is not the kind of
commentary that speaks slanderously of the Lotus Sutra. It merely says that, although the Lotus Sutra and the other Mahayana
sutras differ in the profundity of their teachings, they are at heart one and the same. Is this statement perhaps the source
of the charge that the work slanders the Law?
Both Ch'eng-kuan of the Kegon school and Shan-wu-wei of the Shingon school declared that the Lotus Sutra
and the Dainichi Sutra reveal the same principle. Therefore, if Chia-hsiang is to be blamed for the statement I have just
referred to, then Shan-wu-wei can hardly escape being blamed as well.
Shan-wu-wei in his youth was the ruler of a kingdom in central India. But he abdicated the throne and
traveled to other lands, where he met two men named Shusho and Shodai from whom he received instruction in the Lotus Sutra.
He built a thousand stone stupas, and appeared to be a votary of the Lotus Sutra. Later, however, after he had received instruction
in the Dainichi Sutra, he seems to have concluded that the Lotus Sutra is inferior to the Dainichi Sutra. He did not insist
on this opinion at first, but came to do so later when he went to China and became a teacher to Emperor Hsuan-tsung of the
T'ang dynasty.
Perhaps because he was consumed by jealousy of the Tendai school, he died very suddenly and found himself
bound with seven cords of iron and dragged by two guardians of hell to the court of Emma, the king of hell. But he was told
that his life span had not yet reached its conclusion and therefore was sent back to the world of men.
While in hell, he suspected that he had been brought before Emma because he had slandered the Lotus
Sutra, and he therefore quickly set aside all his Shingon mudras, mantras and methods of concentration and instead chanted
the passage from the Lotus Sutra that begins, "Now this threefold world is all my [the Buddha's] domain," whereupon the cords
that bound him fell away and he was returned to life.
On another occasion, he was ordered by the imperial court to recite prayers for rain and rain did in
fact suddenly begin to fall, but a huge wind also rose up and did great damage to the country.
Later, when he really did die, his disciples gathered around his deathbed and praised the remarkable
way in which he died, but in fact he fell into the great citadel of the hell of incessant suffering. You may ask how I know
that this is so. I would reply that, if you examine his biography, you will find it stated, "Looking now at Shan-wu-wei's
remains, one can see that they are gradually shrinking, the skin is turning blackish and the bones are exposed.
Shan-wu-wei's disciples perhaps did not realize that this was a sign that after his death he had been
reborn in hell, but supposed that it was a manifestation of his virtue. Yet in describing it, the author of the biography
exposed Shan-wu-wei's guilt, recording that after his death his body gradually shrank, the skin turned black and the bones
began to show.
We have the Buddha's own golden word for it that, if a person's skin turns black after he dies, it is
a sign that he has done something that destined him for hell. What was it, then, that Shan-wu-wei did that would destine him
for hell? In his youth he gave up the position of ruler, showing that he had an incomparable determination to seek the Way.
He traveled about to more than fifty different lands in India in the course of his religious practice, and his unbounded compassion
even led him to visit China. The fact that the Shingon teachings have been transmitted throughout India, China, Japan and
the other lands of the world and numerous practitioners ring bells in prayer is due to the merit of this man, is it not? Those
who are concerned about their own destiny after death should inquire carefully as to the reason why Shan-wu-wei fell into
hell.
Then there was Chin-kang-chih, who was a son of the ruler of a kingdom in southern India. He introduced
the Kongocho Sutra to China, and his virtue was similar to that of Shan-wu-wei. He and Shan-wu-wei acted as teachers to one
another.
Chin-kang-chih received an imperial order to conduct prayers for rain. Within the space of seven days,
rain did in fact fall, and the Son of Heaven was very pleased. Suddenly, however, a violent wind arose, and the ruler and
his ministers, much disillusioned, sent men to drive Chin-kang-chih out of the country, though in the end he managed to remain
in China under one pretext or another.
Sometime later, when one of the emperor's favorite daughters lay dying, he was ordered to pray for her
recovery. He selected two seven-year-old girls who had served at the court to be substitutes for the dying lady and had piles
of firewood lighted all around them, so that they burned to death. It was indeed a cruel thing to do. Moreover, the emperor's
daughter failed to return to life.
Pu-k'ung came to China together with Chin-kang-chih. But, perhaps because his suspicions were aroused
by the happenings I have just mentioned, after Shan-wu-wei and Chin-kang-chih died, he returned to India and studied Shingon
doctrine all over again, this time under Nagabodhi. In the end, he became a convert to the teachings of the T'ien-t'ai school.
But although he acknowledged allegiance to these teachings in his heart, he would never do so in his outward actions.
Pu-k'ung, too, was ordered by the emperor to pray for rain, and within three days, rain did in fact
fall. The emperor was pleased and dispensed rewards with his own hand. But shortly after, a huge wind descended from the sky,
buffeting and damaging the imperial palace and toppling the quarters of the upper noblemen and high ministers until it seemed
that not a building would be left standing. The emperor, astounded, issued an imperial command for prayers that the wind be
stopped. But though it would stop for a little, it would start blowing again and again, until in the end it blew uninterrupted
for a space of several days. Eventually, messengers were dispatched to drive Pu-k'ung out of the country, and then at last
the wind subsided.
The evil winds of these three men have become the huge wind of the Shingon leaders that blows throughout
all of China and Japan! And if that is so, then the great gale that arose on the twelfth day of the fourth month in the eleventh
year of Bun'ei (1274) must have been an adverse wind brought about by Kaga Hoin of the Amida Hall, one of the most eminent
monks of To-ji temple, when he was praying for rain. We must conclude that the evil teachings of Shan-wu-wei, Chin-kang-chih
and Pu-k'ung have been transmitted without the slightest alteration. What a strange coincidence indeed!
Let us turn now to Kobo Daishi. At the time of the great drought in the second month of the first year
of Tencho (824), the emperor first ordered Shubin to pray for rain, and within seven days Shubin was able to make rain fall.
But the rain fell only in the capital and did not extend to the countryside.
Kobo was then ordered to take over the prayers for rain, but seven days passed and there was no sign
of it. Another seven days passed and there still were no clouds. After seven more days had passed, the emperor ordered Wake
no Matsuna to go and present offerings in the Shinsen'en garden, whereupon rain fell from the sky for a period of three days.
Kobo and his disciples thereupon proceeded to appropriate this rain and claim it as their own, and for more than four hundred
years now, it has been known as "Kobo's rain."
Jikaku said he had a dream in which he shot down the sun. And Kobo told a great falsehood, claiming
that, in the spring of the ninth year of the Konin era (818), when he was praying for an end to the great epidemic, the sun
came out in the middle of the night.
Since the Kalpa of Formation, when the earth took shape, down to the ninth kalpa of decrease in the
Kalpa of Continuance, twenty-nine kalpas have passed by, but in all that time, the sun has never been known to come out at
night! And as to Jikaku's dream of the sun, where in all the five thousand or seven thousand volumes of the Buddhist scriptures
or the three thousand or more volumes of the secular classics is it recorded that to dream of shooting the sun is auspicious?
The king of the asuras, angered at the deity Taishaku, shot an arrow at the sun god, but the arrow came back and struck the
king himself in the eye. Chou, the last ruler of the Yin dynasty, used the sun as a target for his arrows, and in the end
he was destroyed.
In Japan, in the reign of Emperor Jimmu, the emperor's elder brother Itsuse no Mikoto engaged in battle
with the chieftain of Tomi, Nagasunebiko, and Itsuse no Mikoto was wounded in the hand by an arrow. He said, "I am a descendent
of the sun deity. But because I have drawn my bow while facing the sun, I have incurred this punishment from the sun deity."
In India, King Ajatashatru renounced his earlier mistaken views and became a follower of the Buddha.
He returned to his palace and lay down to sleep, but later rose up in alarm and said to his ministers, "I have dreamed that
the sun has left the sky and fallen to the earth!" His ministers said, "Perhaps this means the passing away of the Buddha."
Subhadra also had the same kind of dream just before the Buddha passed away.
It would be particularly inauspicious to dream, [as Jikaku claims he did,) of shooting the sun in Japan,
since the supreme deity in Japan is Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess, and the name of the country, Japan, means "the Land of the
Rising Sun." In addition, Shakyamuni Buddha is called the "Sun Seed" because his mother Queen Maya dreamed that she conceived
the sun and in time gave birth to this child, the crown prince, [who later became the Buddha].
Jikaku Daishi established Dainichi Buddha as the object of worship on Mount Hiei and rejected Shakyamuni
Buddha. He paid honor to the three Shingon sutras and acted as an enemy to the Lotus Sutra and its two companion sutras. That
was no doubt the reason why he dreamed this dream of shooting the sun.
On the subject of dreams, there is also the case of the priest Shan-tao in China. In his youth he met
a priest named Ming-sheng of Mi-chou and received instruction in the Lotus Sutra. Later, however, when he met Tao-ch'o, he
threw aside the Lotus Sutra and put all his trust in the Kammuryoju Sutra. He even wrote a commentary on this sutra, which
asserted that with the Lotus Sutra, not one person in a thousand can be saved, whereas the Nembutsu practice insures that
ten persons out of ten or a hundred persons out of a hundred will be reborn in the Pure Land. In order to prove his point,
he prayed before Amida Buddha to confirm whether or not his views accorded with the Buddha's intent. His commentary says,
"Every night in a dream a priest would appear and tell me what to write," and, "Therefore this commentary should be regarded
with the same respect as the sutra itself." It also says, "The Kannen Homon should also be revered as though it was a sutra."
The Lotus Sutra says, "Among those who hear of this Law, there is not one who shall not attain Buddhahood."
But Shan-tao says that not one in a thousand will be saved. The Lotus Sutra and Shan-tao are as different as fire is from
water. Shan-tao says that the Kammuryoju Sutra can save ten persons out of ten, or a hundred persons out of a hundred. But
in the Muryogi Sutra the Buddha says that in the Kammuryoju Sutra, "I have not yet revealed the truth." The Muryogi Sutra
and this priest of the Willow Cloister are as far apart as heaven and earth.
In view of this, can we really believe that Amida Buddha took on the form of a priest and appeared to
Shan-tao in dreams to assure him that his commentary represented the truth? Was not Amida among those present when the Lotus
Sutra was preached, and did he not extend his tongue along with the others and testify to the truth of the sutra? Were his
attendants, the bodhisattvas Kannon and Seishi, not also present when the Lotus Sutra was preached? The answers to these questions
are obvious, and in like manner, if we stop to think of it, we can see that Jikaku's dream was a portent of evil.
Question: Kobo Daishi in his Shingyo Hiken or Secret Key to the Heart Sutra writes: "In the spring of
the ninth year of Konin (818), the empire was troubled by a great plague. Thereupon the emperor in person dipped his writing
brush in gold, took a piece of dark blue paper in his hand, and wrote out a copy of the Hannya Shin, or Heart, Sutra, in one
roll. I had been appointed by the ruler to lecture on the Heart Sutra. Having compiled my explanations of its meaning, I [was
delivering the lecture but] had not yet reached my concluding remarks, when those who had recovered from the plague began
to fill the streets of the capital. Moreover, when night came, the sun continued to shine bright and red.
"This was certainly not the result of any virtuous observance of the precepts on the part of an ignorant
person like myself, but was due rather to the power of faith manifested by the sovereign as the gold-wheel-turning king. Nevertheless,
those who go to pray at the shrines of the gods should recite this commentary of mine. For I was present long ago at Eagle
Peak when the Buddha preached the Heart Sutra, and I personally heard him expound its profound doctrines. How, then, could
I fail to understand its meaning?"
Again in the work entitled Kujakukyo no Ongi, or Annotations on the Peacock Sutra, we read: "After Kobo
Daishi returned from China, he desired to establish the Shingon sect in Japan, and representatives of all the various sects
were summoned to the imperial court. But many of them had doubts about the Shingon doctrine of the attaining of Buddhahood
in one's present form. Kobo Daishi thereupon formed his hands in the wisdom mudra and faced south. Suddenly his mouth opened
and he turned into the golden-colored Buddha Mahavairochana--that is, he reverted to his original form. In this way he demonstrated
that the Buddha is present in the individual and the individual is present in the Buddha, and that one can immediately attain
Buddhahood in this very existence. On that day, all doubts concerning the matter were completely resolved, and from that time
the Shingon or Yuga sect with its doctrines of secret mandalas was established."
The same work also says, "At this time the leaders of the other sects all bowed to the opinion of Kobo
Daishi and for the first time received instruction in Shingon, sought its benefit and practiced it. Dosho of the Sanron sect,
Gennin of the Hosso sect, Doo of the Kegon sect, and Encho of the Tendai sect were all among those who did so."
In addition, the biography of Kobo Daishi states: "On the day when he set out by ship from China, he
voiced a prayer, saying, 'If there is a spot that is particularly suitable for the teaching of these doctrines that I have
learned, may this three-pronged pounder land there!' Then he faced in the direction of Japan and threw the pounder up into
the air. It sailed far away and disappeared among the clouds. In the tenth month, he returned to Japan."
The same work states, "He journeyed to the foot of Mount Koya and determined to establish his place
of meditation there .... and later it was discovered that the three-pronged pounder which he had thrown out over the sea was
there on the mountain."
It is clear from these two or three incidents that Kobo Daishi was a person of inestimable power and
virtue. Since he was a person of such great power, why do you say that one should not believe in his teachings, and that anyone
who does so will fall into the Avichi Hell?
Answer: I, too, admire and believe in these various accomplishments of his. There are other men of old
who possessed such uncanny powers. But the possession of such power does not indicate whether that person's understanding
of the Buddhist Law is correct or not. Among the Brahman believers of India there have been men who could pour the water of
the Ganges River into their ear and keep it there for twelve years, who could drink the ocean dry, grasp the sun and moon
in their hands, or change the disciples of Shakyamuni Buddha into oxen or sheep. But such powers only made them more arrogant
than ever and caused them to create further karma to suffer in the realm of birth and death. It is men like these whom T'ien-t'ai
is referring to when he says, "They seek after fame and profit and increase their illusions of thought and desire."
The Chinese priest Fa-yun of Kuang-che-ssu temple could make it rain suddenly or cause flowers to bloom
immediately, but Miao-lo writes of him, "Though he could bring about a response in this way, his understanding still did not
accord with the truth [of the Lotus Sutra]." When the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai read the Lotus Sutra, soft rain began to fall
in an instant, and the Great Teacher Dengyo caused the rain of amrita to fall within the space of three days. However, they
did not say that because of such powers their understanding of the truth coincided with that of the Buddha.
Regardless of what unusual powers Kobo may have had, he described the Lotus Sutra as a doctrine of childish
theory, and wrote that Shakyamuni Buddha was still in the region of darkness. Men of wisdom and understanding should have
nothing to do with such writings!
Say what you may, there are surely doubtful points in the accounts of Kobo's powers you have just cited.
The text says, "In the spring of the ninth year of Konin (818), the empire was troubled by a great plague." But spring is
ninety days long. On which day of which month of spring did this happen? This is the first doubtful point.
Secondly, was there in fact an outbreak of plague in the ninth year of Konin?
Thirdly, the text says, "When night came, the sun continued to shine bright and red." If it really did
so, then this is an occurrence of major importance. During the ninth year of Konin, Emperor Saga reigned. But did the court
historians of the left and right record any such event?
Even if they had, it would be difficult to believe. During the twenty kalpas of the Kalpa of Formation,
as well as nine kalpas of the Kalpa of Continuance, a total of twenty-nine kalpas, never once has such a thing occurred. What
then is this about the sun appearing in the middle of the night? In all the teachings expounded by Shakyamuni Buddha during
his lifetime, there is no mention of any such thing. And in the Three Records and Five Canons of China which describe the
three sovereigns and five emperors of antiquity, there is no prediction that at some future date the sun will come out in
the middle of the night. In the scriptures of Buddhism, we are told that in the Kalpa of Decline, two suns, three suns, or
even seven suns will appear, but these will appear in the daytime, not at night. And if the sun should appear at night in
our own region, the continent of Jambudvipa in the south, then what about the other three regions of the east, west and north?
Regardless of what the Buddhist scriptures or the secular works may have to say about such an event,
if in fact there were some entry in the diaries of the courtiers, the other families of the capital, or the priests of Mount
Hiei saying that in the spring of the ninth year of Konin, in such and such a month, on such and such a day, at such and such
an hour of the night the sun appeared, then we might perhaps believe it. [But no such record exists.]
Later, the text says, "I was present long ago at Eagle Peak when the Buddha preached the Heart Sutra,
and I personally heard him expound its profound doctrines." This is surely a wild falsehood that is intended to make people
have faith in his commentary. If not, are we to believe that at Eagle Peak the Buddha announced that the Lotus Sutra was a
piece of "childish theory" and that the Dainichi Sutra represented the truth, and that Ananda and Monju were simply mistaken
in saying that the Lotus Sutra represents the truth?
As for making it rain, even a promiscuous woman and a breaker of the precepts were able by their poems
to cause rain to fall. Yet Kobo prayed for twenty-one days and still it did not rain, so what sort of powers could he have
possessed? This is the fourth doubtful point.
The Kujakukyo no Ongi states, "Kobo Daishi thereupon formed his hands in the wisdom mudra and faced
south. Suddenly his mouth opened and he turned into the golden-colored Buddha Mahavairochana." Now in what year of the reign
of what ruler did this happen?
In China from the time of the Chien-yuan era (140-134 B.C.), and in Japan from the time of the Taiho
era (701-704), among the records of events kept by priests and the laity, those of important occurrences have always been
accompanied by the name of the era in which they took place. With an event as important as that described, why then is there
no mention of who the ruler was, who his high ministers were, what the name of the era was, or what day and hour the event
took place?
The passage goes on to list "Dosho of the Sanron sect, Gennin of the Hosso sect, Doo of the Kegon sect,
and Encho of the Tendai sect" [as those who learned the Shingon doctrines from Kobo]. Encho is known posthumously as Jakko
Daishi and was the second chief priest of the Tendai sect. Now at that time, why were Gishin, the first chief priest, or the
Great Teacher Dengyo, the founder of the sect, not invited to be present? Encho, the second chief priest of the Tendai sect,
was a disciple of the Great Teacher Dengyo and also became a disciple of Kobo. Rather than inviting a disciple or rather than
inviting men of the Sanron, Hosso and Kegon sects, why did Kobo not invite the two most important men of the Tendai sect,
Dengyo and Gishin?
Speaking of the time when these men were invited, the Kujakukyo no Ongi states, "From that time the
Shingon or Yuga sect with its doctrines of secret mandalas was established." This would seem to refer to a time when both
Dengyo and Gishin were still alive. From the second year of Daido (807), in the reign of Emperor Heizei, until the thirteenth
year of Konin (822) [when Dengyo died], Kobo was very active in spreading the Shingon doctrines, and during this period both
Dengyo and Gishin were still alive. Moreover, Gishin lived on until the tenth year of Tencho (833). Is it possible that Kobo
waited until after then before trying to introduce his Shingon teachings to a leader of the Tendai sect? The whole matter
is very strange.
The Kujakukyo no Ongi was written by Shinzei, a disciple of Kobo, and therefore it is difficult to trust
what it says. Is it likely that a person of such deluded views would have troubled to read the writings of the courtiers,
the other important families, or Encho on which to base his account? One should also check the writings of Dosho, Gennin and
Doo to see if they have anything to say on the matter.
The text says, "Suddenly his mouth opened and he turned into the golden-colored Buddha Mahavairochana."
What does it mean by the expression "his mouth opened"? The writer probably intended to write miken, meaning "the area between
the eyebrows," but he mistakenly wrote "mouth" instead. Because he wrote a book of fabrications, he quite likely made mistakes
of this kind.
The whole passage says, "Kobo Daishi thereupon formed his hands in the wisdom mudra and faced south.
Suddenly his mouth opened and he turned into the golden-colored Buddha Mahavairochana."
Now in the fifth volume of the Nirvana Sutra we read: "Mahakashyapa spoke to the Buddha, saying, 'World-Honored
One, I will no longer depend upon the four ranks of saints. Why is this? Because in the Ghoshila Sutra that the Buddha preached
for the sake of Ghoshila, it is said that the devil king in heaven, because he is determined to try to destroy the Buddhist
Law, will turn himself into the likeness of a Buddha. He will have all the thirty-two features and eighty characteristics
of a Buddha, will be solemn and imposing in appearance, and a round halo of light will radiate from him ten feet in all directions.
His face will be round and full like the moon at its fullest and brightest, and the white curl in the area between his eyebrows
will be whiter than snow.... From his left side will come water, and from his right side will come fire.'"
Again, in the sixth volume of the Nirvana Sutra, it is recorded, "The Buddha announced to Mahakashyapa,
'After I have passed into nirvana,... this Devil of the Sixth Heaven and other devils will in time try to destroy this True
Law of mine ... He will change himself into the form of an arhat or of a Buddha. The devil king, though still subject to illusion,
will assume the form of one who has been freed from illusion, and will try to destroy this True Law of mine.'"
Kobo Daishi declared that, in comparison with the Kegon and Dainichi sutras, the Lotus Sutra was a piece
of "childish theory." And this same man, we are told, appeared in the form of a Buddha. He must be the devil who, as the Nirvana
Sutra states, will change his shape, that is still subject to illusion, into that of a Buddha and attempt to destroy the True
Law of Shakyamuni.
This "True Law" referred to in the Nirvana Sutra is the Lotus Sutra. Therefore we find later on in the
Nirvana Sutra the statement, "It has already been a long time since I attained Buddhahood." The text also says that the sutra
itself is contained in the Lotus Sutra.
Shakyamuni, Taho and the other Buddhas of the ten directions declared with regard to the various sutras
that the Lotus Sutra represents the truth; the Dainichi and all the other sutras do not represent the truth. Yet Kobo appeared
in the form of a Buddha and announced that, compared to the Kegon and Dainichi sutras, the Lotus Sutra is a piece of "childish
theory." If the words of the Buddha are true, then Kobo must be none other than the Devil of the Sixth Heaven, must he not?
Again, this matter of the three-pronged pounder appears to be particularly suspicious. It would be difficult
to believe even if a Chinese [who had not known the circumstances] had come to Japan and happened to dig up the pounder. Surely
someone must have been sent earlier to bury it in that particular spot. Since Kobo was a Japanese, he could have arranged
such a thing. There are many such wild and absurd stories associated with his name. Such incidents hardly lend support to
the assertions that his teachings accord with the will of the Buddha.
Thus the doctrines of the Shingon, Zen and Nembutsu sects spread and prospered in Japan. Eventually,
Takanari, the Retired Emperor of Oki [the eighty-second emperor Gotoba], began making efforts to overthrow the Gon no Tayu.
Since he was the sovereign, the leader of the nation, people supposed that, even without assistance, it would be as easy as
a lion pouncing on a rabbit or a hawk seizing a pheasant. Moreover, for a period of several years appeals had been made at
Mount Hiei, the temples of To-ji, Onjo-ji and the seven major temples of Nara, as well as to the Sun Goddess, the Great Bodhisattva
Hachiman, and the deities of the Sanno, Kamo and Kasuga shrines, asking that the emperor's enemies be subdued and that the
gods lend their aid. Yet, when war broke out, the imperial forces were not able to hold out for more than two or three days.
In the end, the three retired emperors were exiled to the islands of Sado and Oki and the province of Awa, respectively, where
they ended their lives.
Moreover, Omuro, who was leading the prayers to subdue the enemies of the court, was not only driven
out of To-ji temple, but his favorite, the page Setaka, who was as dear to him as his very eyes, was beheaded. Thus, as the
Lotus Sutra says, the curses in the end "returned to the originators."
But this is a trifling matter compared to what is to come. Hereafter, I have no doubt that the court
officials and the countless common people of Japan will without exception suffer a fate like that of heaps of dry grass to
which a torch has been set, like huge mountains crumbling and valleys being filled up, for our country will be attacked by
enemies from abroad.
I, Nichiren, am the only one in the whole country of Japan who understands why these things will happen.
But if I speak out, I will be treated as King Chou of the Yin dynasty treated Pi Kan, tearing open his chest; as King Chieh
of the Hsia dynasty treated Lung-feng, cutting off his head; or as King Dammira treated Aryasimha, beheading him. I will be
banished like the priest Chu Tao-sheng, or branded on the face like the Learned Doctor Fa-tao.
In the Lotus Sutra, however, it is written, "We do not hold our own lives dear. We value only the supreme
Way." And the Nirvana Sutra warns, "He should never hold back any of the teachings, even though it may cost him his life."
If in this present existence I am so fearful for my life that I fail to speak out, then in what future
existence will I ever attain Buddhahood? Or in what future existence will I ever be able to bring salvation to my parents
and my teacher? With thoughts such as these uppermost in my mind, I decided that I must begin to speak out. And, just as I
had expected, I was ousted, I was vilified, I was attacked, and I suffered wounds. Finally, on the twelfth day of the fifth
month in the first year of the Kocho era (1261), the year with the cyclical sign kanoto-tori, having incurred the displeasure
of the authorities, I was banished to Ito in the province of Izu. Eventually, on the twenty-second day of the second month
of the third year of Kocho (1263), the year with the cyclical sign mizunoto-i, I was pardoned and allowed to return.
After that, I became more determined than ever to attain enlightenment and continued to speak out. Accordingly,
the difficulties I encountered became increasingly severe, like great waves that rise up in a gale. I experienced with my
own body the kind of attacks with sticks and staves that Bodhisattva Fukyo suffered in ancient times. It would seem that even
the persecutions suffered by the monk Kakutoku in the latter age after the death of the Buddha Kangi Zoyaku could not compare
to my trials. Nowhere in all the sixty-six provinces and the two offshore islands of Japan, not for a day, not for an hour,
could I find a place to rest in safety.
Even sages who persevere in their practice as earnestly as did Rahula in ancient times, strictly observing
all the two hundred and fifty precepts, or men who are as wise as Purna, speak evil of Nichiren when they encounter him. Even
worthy men who are as honest and upright as the officials Wei Cheng or Fujiwara no Yoshifusa, when they see Nichiren, forsake
reason and treat him unjustly.
How much more so is this the case with the ordinary people of the day! They behave like dogs who have
seen a monkey, or hunters in pursuit of a deer. Throughout the whole of Japan there is not a single person who says, "Perhaps
this man has some reason for his behavior."
But that is only to be expected. For whenever I come upon a person who recites the Nembutsu, I tell
him that those who put their faith in the Nembutsu will fall into the hell of incessant suffering. Whenever I come upon a
person who honors the Shingon teachings, I tell him that Shingon is an evil doctrine that will destroy the nation. And to
[Hojo Tokimune,] the ruler of the nation, who honors the Zen sect, I, Nichiren, declare that Zen is the creation of devils.
Since I willingly bring these troubles upon myself, when others vilify me, I do not rebuke them. Even
if I wanted to rebuke them, there are too many of them. And even when they strike me, I feel no pain, for I have been prepared
for their blows from the very beginning.
And so I went about with ever increasing vigor and ever less concern for my safety, trying to persuade
others to change their ways. As a result, several hundred Zen priests, several thousand Nembutsu believers, and even more
Shingon teachers went to the magistrate or the men of powerful families, or to their wives or their widows who had taken holy
orders, and filled their ears with endless slanders concerning me.
Finally, all were convinced that I was the gravest offender in the entire nation, for it was said that
in my capacity as a priest, I was saying prayers and spells for the destruction of Japan, and that I had reported that the
deceased officials Hojo Tokiyori and Hojo Shigetoki had fallen into the hell of incessant suffering. Their widows insisted
that investigation was unnecessary; rather, I should have my head cut off, and my disciples should likewise be beheaded or
exiled to distant lands or placed in confinement. So infuriated were they that their demands for punishment were immediately
carried out.
On the night of the twelfth day of the ninth month in the eighth year of Bun'ei (1271), the year with
the cyclical sign kanoto-hitsuji, I was to have been beheaded at Tatsunokuchi in the province of Sagami. But for some reason
the execution was postponed and that night I was taken to a place called Echi. On the night of the thirteenth day, people
made a great uproar, saying I had been pardoned. But, again for reasons that are unclear, I was ordered into exile on the
island of Sado.
While people speculated from one day to the next if I would be beheaded, I passed four years on Sado.
Then, on the fourteenth day of the second month in the eleventh year of Bun'ei (1274), the year with the cyclical sign Jupiter
kinoe-inu, I was pardoned. On the twenty-sixth day of the third month of the same year, I returned to Kamakura, and on the
eighth day of the fourth month I had an interview with Hei no Saemon. I reported on various matters and informed him that
the Mongols would certainly invade Japan within that year. Then on the twelfth day of the fifth month, I left Kamakura and
came to this mountain where I am now living.
All these things I have done solely in order to repay the debt I owe to my parents, the debt I owe to
my teacher, the debt I owe to the three treasures of Buddhism, and the debt I owe to my country. For their sake, I have been
willing to destroy my body and to give up my life, though as it turns out, I have not been put to death after all.
If a wise man makes three attempts to warn the leaders of the nation and they still refuse to heed his
advice, then he should retire to a mountain forest. This has been the custom from ages past, and I have accordingly followed
it.
I am quite certain that the merit I have acquired through my efforts is recognized by everyone from
the three treasures of Buddhism on down to Bonten, Taishaku and the gods of the sun and moon. Through this merit I will surely
lead to enlightenment my parents and my teacher, the late Dozen-bo.
But there are certain doubts that trouble me. Maudgalyayana, a disciple of the Buddha, attempted to
save his mother Shodai-nyo, but he could not do so, and she remained in the realm of hungry spirits. The monk Sunakshatra
was a son of the World-Honored One, and yet he fell into the Avichi Hell. Thus, although one may exert one's full effort to
save others, it is very difficult to save them from the karmic retribution that they have brought upon themselves.
The late Dozen-bo treated me as one of his favorite disciples, so I cannot believe that he bore any
hatred toward me. But he was a timid man, and he could never bring himself to give up his position at the temple where he
lived, Seicho-ji. Moreover, he was fearful of what Tojo Kagenobu, the steward of the region, might do if he gave ear to my
teachings. And at Seicho-ji he had to live in the midst of priests like Enchi and Jitsujo, who were as evil as Devadatta or
Kokalika, and to put up with their intimidations, so that he became even more fearful than ever. As a result, he turned a
deaf ear to the disciple he had been fondest of, one who had followed him for many years. One wonders what will become of
such a man in the next life.
There is one thing to be thankful for. Kagenobu, Enchi and Jitsujo all died before Dozen-bo did, and
that was something of a help. These men all met an untimely death because of the chastisement of the Ten Goddesses who protect
the Lotus Sutra. After they died, Dozen-bo began to have some faith in the Lotus Sutra. But it was rather like obtaining a
stick after the fight is over, or lighting a lamp at midday--the proper time had already passed.
In addition, I cannot keep from thinking that, whatever happens, one ought to feel pity and concern
for one's own children or disciples. Dozen-bo was not an entirely helpless man, and yet, though I was exiled all the way to
the island of Sado, he never once tried to visit me. This is hardly the behavior of one who believes in the Lotus Sutra.
In spite of all that, I thought a great deal of him, and when I heard the news of his death, I felt
as though, whether I had to walk through fire or wade through water, I must rush to his grave, pound on it, and recite a volume
of the Lotus Sutra for his sake.
However, it often happens with worthy men that, although they do not think of themselves as having retired
from the world, other people assume that they have, and therefore, if they were to come rushing out of retreat for no good
reason, people would suppose that they had failed to accomplish their purpose. For this reason, no matter how much I might
wish to visit his grave, I feel that I cannot do so.
Now you two, Joken-bo and Gijo-bo, were my teachers in my youth. You are like the Administrators of
Monks Gonso and Gyohyo who were the teachers of the Great Teacher Dengyo, but later, on the contrary, became his disciples.
When Tojo Kagenobu was bent on harming me and I decided that I must leave Mount Kiyosumi [on which Seicho-ji is located],
you helped me escape in secret. You have performed an unrivaled service for the Lotus Sutra. There can be no doubt about the
reward that awaits you in your next rebirth.
Question: Within the eight volumes and twenty-eight chapters that constitute the entirety of the Lotus
Sutra, what part represents the true heart of the work?
Answer: The heart of the Kegon Sutra is the title Daihokobutsu Kegon Sutra. The heart of the Agon sutras
is the title Bussetsu Chu-agon Sutra. The heart of the Daijuku Sutra is the title Daihodo Daijuku Sutra. The heart of the
Hannya Sutra is the title Makahannya Haramitsu Sutra. The heart of the Muryoju Sutra is the title Bussetsu Muryoju Sutra.
The heart of the Kammuryoju Sutra is the title Bussetsu Kammuryoju Sutra. The heart of the Amida Sutra is the title Bussetsu
Amida Sutra. The heart of the Nirvana Sutra is the title Daihatsunehan Sutra. It is the same with all the sutras. The daimoku
or title of the sutra, which appears before the opening words nyoze gamon or "Thus have I heard," is in all cases the true
heart of the sutra. This is true whether it is a Mahayana sutra or a Hinayana sutra. As for the Dainichi Sutra, the Kongocho
Sutra, the Soshitsuji Sutra and so forth--in all cases the title constitutes the heart.
The same is true of the Buddhas. Dainichi Buddha, Nichigatsu Tomyo Buddha, Nento Buddha, Daitsuchisho
Buddha, Unraionno Buddha--in the case of all these Buddhas, the name itself contains within it all the various virtues that
pertain to that particular Buddha.
The same, then, applies to the Lotus Sutra. The five characters Myo-ho-ren-ge-kyo that appear before
the opening words "Thus have I heard" comprise the true heart of the eight volumes of the work. Moreover, they are the heart
of all the sutras, as well as the True Law that stands above all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas, the people of the two vehicles,
and all the heavenly deities and human beings, asuras and dragon gods.
Question: If one person should chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo without understanding its meaning, and another
person should chant the words Namu Daihokobutsu Kegonkyo without understanding their meaning, would the merit acquired by
the two persons be equal, or would one acquire greater merit than the other?
Answer: One would acquire greater merit than the other.
Question: Why do you say so?
Answer: A small river can accommodate the water flowing into it from dew, brooks, wells, ditches and
little streams, but it cannot accommodate the water from a big river. A big river can accommodate the water from a small river
with its dew, brooks and so forth, but it cannot accommodate the water from the great ocean. Now the Agon sutras are like
the small river with its wells, streams, brooks and dew, while the Hodo sutras, the Amida Sutra, the Dainichi Sutra and the
Kegon Sutra are like the big river that accommodates the small river. But the Lotus Sutra is like the great ocean that can
hold all the water from dew, brooks, wells, streams, small rivers, big rivers and the rains from heaven, without losing a
single drop.
Suppose that a person is burning with fever. If he sits down beside a large body of cold water and stays
there for a while, his fever will abate, but if he lies down beside a little body of water, he will continue to suffer as
before. In the same way, if an icchantika or person of incorrigible disbelief, who has committed the five cardinal sins and
has slandered the Law, should try to cool himself beside the little bodies of water that are the Agon, Kegon, Kammuryoju and
Dainichi sutras, the raging fever caused by his great offenses would never be dispelled. But if he should lie down on the
great snowy mountain that is the Lotus Sutra, then the raging fever caused by the five offenses, his slander of the Law, and
his incorrigible disbelief, would be dispelled instantly.
Therefore, ignorant people should by all means have faith in the Lotus Sutra. For although one may think
that all the titles of the sutras are the same in effect and that it is as easy to chant one as another, in fact the merit
acquired even by an ignorant person who chants the title of the Lotus Sutra is as far superior to that acquired by a wise
man who chants some other title as heaven is to earth!
To illustrate, even a person with great strength cannot break a strong rope with his bare hands. But
if one has a little knife, then even a person of meager strength can sever the rope with ease. Even a person with great strength
cannot cut through a piece of hard stone with a dull sword. But if one has a sharp sword, then even a person of meager strength
can cut the stone in two.
Or, to give another example, even though one may not know what is in the medicine, if one takes a dose
of it, he can cure his illness. But if he takes only ordinary food, his illness will never be cured. Or to give yet another
example, a medicine with supernatural properties can actually increase one's life span, whereas ordinary medicine, though
it can cure illness, can never prolong one's life.
Question: Of the twenty-eight chapters of the Lotus Sutra, which is the heart, which is the most essential?
Answer: Some would say that each chapter is essential to the matter that it deals with. Some would contend
that the Hoben and Juryo chapters are the heart, others that the Hoben alone is the heart, or that the Juryo alone is the
heart. Some would say that the passage, "to awaken in all beings the Buddha wisdom, to reveal it, to let all beings know it
and enter into it," is the heart, others that the "true entity" is the heart.
Question: What is your opinion?
Answer: I believe that the words Nam-myoho-renge-kyo constitute the heart.
Question: What is your proof?
Answer: The fact that Ananda, Monju and the others wrote, "Thus have I heard."
Question: What do you mean by that?
Answer: Over a period of eight years, Ananda, Monju and the others listened to the innumerable principles
of the Lotus Sutra, never missing a single sentence, a single verse, a single word. Yet, after the Buddha had passed away,
at the time of the compilation of his teachings, when the 999 arhats took up their writing brushes and dipped them in ink,
they first of all wrote the words Myoho-renge-kyo, and after that they intoned the words, "Thus have I heard." Therefore these
five words Myo-ho-ren-ge-kyo must be the heart of the eight volumes and twenty-eight chapters that compose the work, must
they not?
Therefore the Dharma Teacher Fa-yun of Kuang-che-ssu temple, who is said to have lectured on the Lotus
Sutra ever since the distant age of Nichigatsu Tomyo Buddha, states: "The words 'Thus have I heard' indicate that one is going
to transmit the doctrines he has heard preached. The title, which precedes these words, sums up the sutra as a whole.
The Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai, who was present on Eagle Peak when the Lotus Sutra was preached and heard
it in person, writes, "The word 'thus' indicates the essence of a doctrine heard from the Buddha." And the Great Teacher Chang-an
writes, "The transcriber [Chang-an] comments on [T'ien-t'ai's explanation of the title of the Lotus Sutra], saying, 'Hence
[his explanation of the title in] the preface conveys the profound meaning of the sutra as a whole, and the profound meaning
indicates the heart of the work.'"
In this passage, the words "heart of the work" signify that the daimoku or title of the work is the
heart of the Lotus Sutra. As the Great Teacher Miao-lo states, "It is the heart of the Lotus Sutra that encompasses all the
doctrines preached by the Buddha in the course of his lifetime."
India comprises seventy states, but they are known collectively by the name Gasshi [the Land of the
Moon], or India. Japan comprises sixty provinces, but they are known collectively by the name Nihon [the Land of the Sun],
or Japan. Within the name India are contained all the seventy states, as well as all their people, animals, treasures, and
so forth. Within the name Japan are contained all the sixty-six provinces. The feathers sent as tribute from Dewa, the gold
of Oshu, and all the other treasures of the nation, as well as the people and animals, temples and shrines, are all contained
within the two characters that form the name Ni-hon or Japan.
One who possesses the Heavenly Eye can look at the two characters of the name Japan and see all the
sixty-six provinces along with their people and animals. One who possesses the Dharma Eye can see all the people and animals
now dying in one place, now being born in another place.
It is like hearing someone's voice and knowing what the person must look like, or seeing someone's footprints
and judging whether the person is large or small. Or it is like estimating the size of a pond by looking at the lotuses that
grow in it, or imagining the size of the dragons by observing the rain that they cause to fall. Each of these examples illustrates
the principle that all things are expressed in one.
It might appear from this that the daimoku or title of any Agon sutra must contain all the teachings
of the Buddhas, but in fact it contains only one Buddha, the Shakyamuni of the Hinayana teachings. It might also appear that
the titles of the Kegon, Kammuryoju and Dainichi sutras must contain all the teachings of the Buddhas, but in fact they do
not include the doctrine concerning the attainment of Buddhahood by people in the two realms of shomon and engaku, or the
Shakyamuni Buddha who gained enlightenment in the far distant past. They are like flowers that bloom but are followed by no
fruit, thunder that rolls but brings no rain, a drum that has no sound, eyes that cannot see, a woman who bears no child,
or a person who has no life or spirit in him.
The mantras associated with the Buddhas Dainichi, Yakushi and Amida and Bodhisattva Kannon are of the
same nature. Though in the various sutras containing these mantras they are said to be like a great king, Mount Sumeru, the
sun and moon, good medicine, a wish-granting jewel or a sharp sword, they are as far beneath the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra
as mud is beneath the clouds.
Not only are they vastly inferior, but all of them have lost their respective inherent functions. When
the sun comes up, the light of the crowds of stars is completely eclipsed; when bits of iron are placed near a magnet, they
lose their property. When a great sword is exposed to even a small fire, it ceases to be of any use; when cow's milk or donkey's
milk comes into the presence of lion king's milk, it turns to water. A pack of foxes will forget all their tricks if they
meet up with a dog; a band of dogs will all quake with fright if they encounter a small tiger.
In the same way, if one chants Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, then the power of the words Namu Amida Butsu, the
power of the mantras invoking Dainichi, the power of Bodhisattva Kannon, and the power of all the Buddhas, all the sutras
and all the bodhisattvas will without exception vanish before the power of Myoho-renge-kyo.
Unless these other sutras manage to borrow the power of Myoho-renge-kyo, they will all become worthless
things. This is a fact that stands before our very eyes in the present age.
Because I, Nichiren, chant and spread Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the power of Namu Amida Butsu will be like
a moon waning, a tide running out, grass withering in autumn and winter, or ice melting in the sun. Watch and see!
Question: If this Law that you have been describing is in fact so wonderful, why is it not better known?
Why have not Mahakashyapa, Ananda, Ashvaghosha, Nagarjuna, Asanga, Vasubandhu, Nan-yueh, T'ien-t'ai, Miao-lo and Dengyo spread
it abroad the way Shan-tao spread the practice of Namu Amida Butsu throughout China or the way Eshin, Yokan and Honen spread
it in Japan, turning the whole country into worshipers of Amida Buddha?
Answer: This is an old criticism, not by any means one that is raised here for the first time.
Bodhisattvas Ashvaghosha and Nagarjuna were great scholars who lived, respectively, six hundred and
seven hundred years after the death of the Buddha. When these men appeared in the world and began spreading the doctrines
of the Mahayana sutras, the various followers of the Hinayana raised objections.
"Mahakashyapa and Ananda," they said, "lived on for twenty or forty years after the death of the Buddha,
preaching the True Law. Presumably they conveyed the heart of all the teachings that the Buddha had propounded during his
lifetime. Now we find that what these two men emphasized were simply the concepts of suffering, emptiness, impermanence and
non-self. Ashvaghosha and Nagarjuna may be very wise, but are we to suppose that they are superior to Mahakashyapa and Ananda?
This is our first objection.
"Mahakashyapa obtained his enlightenment through direct encounters with the Buddha. But these two men,
Ashvaghosha and Nagarjuna, have never encountered the Buddha. This is our second objection.
"The Brahman philosophers who preceded the Buddha taught that life is permanent, joyful, endowed with
self and pure. Later, when the Buddha appeared in the world, he declared that life is marked by suffering, emptiness, impermanence
and non-self. Now Ashvaghosha and Nagarjuna insist that it is permanent, joyful, endowed with self and pure. This being so,
we must suppose that, since both the Buddha and Mahakashyapa have passed away from the world, the Devil of the Sixth Heaven
has taken possession of these two men and is trying to overthrow the teachings of Buddhism and replace them with the teachings
of the Brahman heretics.
"If that is so, then these men are the enemies of Buddhism! We must smash their skulls, cut off their
heads, put an end to their lives, see that they get no more to eat! Let us drive them from the country!"
Such were the declarations of the Hinayana believers. And Ashvaghosha and Nagarjuna, being two men alone,
were forced day and night to listen to these shouts of calumny, and morning and evening to bear the attacks of sticks and
staves.
But these two men were in fact messengers of the Buddha. For in the Maya Sutra, it is predicted that
Ashvaghosha will appear six hundred years, and Nagarjuna, seven hundred years, after the Buddha's death. The same prediction
is also recorded in the Ryoga Sutra, and of course in the Fuhozo Sutra as well.
But the Hinayana believers would not heed these predictions, and instead attacked the Mahayanists blindly
and without reason. "Since hatred and jealousy abound even during the lifetime of the Buddha, how much worse will it be in
the world after his passing?" says the Lotus Sutra. Looking at the time of Ashvaghosha and Nagarjuna, one begins to have a
little understanding of what these words of the sutra really mean. Moreover, Bodhisattva Aryadeva was killed by a Brahman,
and the Venerable Aryasimha had his head cut off. These events, too, give one cause for thought.
Then, some fifteen hundred years or more after the death of the Buddha, in the country of China, which
lies east of India, the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai appeared in the world during the years of the Ch'en and Sui dynasties. He
declared that among the sacred teachings put forth by the Buddha, there were the Mahayana and the Hinayana, the exoteric and
the esoteric, the provisional and the true. Mahakashyapa and Ananda had concentrated on spreading the Hinayana teachings,
he explained. Ashvaghosha, Nagarjuna, Asanga and Vasubandhu had spread the provisional Mahayana teachings. But with regard
to the true Mahayana teaching of the Lotus Sutra, they had merely touched on it briefly but concealed its meaning, or had
described the surface meaning of the sutra but failed to discuss the differences that mark the Buddha's teachings expounded
throughout his lifetime. Or they had described the theoretical teaching but not the essential teaching, or they had understood
the theoretical and essential teachings but not kanjin, or the method for observing the mind.
When the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai expounded these views, the millions of followers of the ten schools
of Buddhism, three in southern China and seven in northern China, all with one accord gave a great laugh of derision.
"Here in these latter days, a truly amazing priest has made his appearance among us!" they exclaimed.
"Though there have at times been persons who adhered to biased views and opposed us, never has there been anyone who maintained
that all the 260 or more learned doctors and teachers of Buddhism who have lived since the introduction of Buddhism in the
tenth year of the Yung-p'ing era (A.D. 67) of the Later Han, the year with the cyclical sign hinoto-u, down to these present
years of the Ch'en and Sui, were ignorant. And on top of that, he says that they are slanderers of the Law who are destined
to fall into the evil states of existence. Such is the kind of person that has appeared!
"He is so insane that he even maintains that the Learned Doctor Kumarajiva, the man who introduced the
Lotus Sutra to China, was an ignorant fool! Whatever he may say about the men of China, imagine his saying that the great
scholars of India such as Nagarjuna and Vasubandhu and the several hundred others, all of them bodhisattvas of the four ranks,
did not teach the true doctrine! Anyone who killed this man would be doing no more than killing a hawk! In fact he would be
more praiseworthy than someone who kills a demon!"
This was the way they railed at the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai. And later, in the time of the Great Teacher
Miao-lo, when the Hosso and Shingon doctrines were introduced from India and the Kegon school was first established in China,
Miao-lo spoke out against these teachings and was met with a similar uproar.
In Japan, the Great Teacher Dengyo made his appearance 1,800 years after the Buddha had passed away.
After examining the commentaries of T'ien-t'ai, he began to criticize the six sects of Buddhism that had flourished in Japan
in the 260 or more years since the time of Emperor Kimmei. People in turn slandered him, saying that the Brahmans who lived
in the time of the Buddha or the Taoists of China must have been reborn in Japan.
Dengyo also proposed to set up an ordination platform for administering the great precepts of perfect
and immediate enlightenment, such as had never existed in India, China or Japan in the 1,800 years since the Buddha's death.
Indeed he went further than this, declaring that the ordination platform at Kannon-ji temple in the western region of Tsukushi,
the ordination platform at Ono-dera temple in the eastern province of Shimotsuke, and the ordination platform at Todai-ji
temple in the central province of Yamato all stank with the foul odor of the Hinayana precepts and were as worthless as broken
tile and rubble. And the priests who upheld such precepts, he said, were no better than foxes and monkeys.
In reply, his critics exclaimed, "Ah, how amazing! This thing that looks like a priest must in fact
be a great swarm of locusts that has appeared in Japan and is about to gobble up the tender shoots of Buddhism in one swoop.
Or perhaps the tyrant Chou of the Yin dynasty or Chieh of the Hsia has been reborn in Japan in the shape of this priest. Perchance
Emperor Wu of the Later Chou and Emperor Wu-tsung of the T'ang have reappeared in the world. At any moment now, Buddhism may
be wiped out and the nation overthrown!"
As for the ordinary people, they clapped their hands in alarm and waggled their tongues, saying, "Whenever
the priests of these two types of Buddhism, Mahayana and Hinayana, appear together, they fight like Taishaku and the asuras,
or like Hsiang Yu and Kao-tsu disputing possession of the kingdom!"
Dengyo's opponents continued to revile them, saying, "In the time of the Buddha, there were two ordination
platforms, one belonging to the Buddha and the other to Devadatta, and a number of people were killed in the dispute over
them. This man may well defy the other sects, but he declares that he must set up an ordination platform for administering
the precepts of perfect and immediate enlightenment such as even his mater, the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai, was unable to establish.
How strange! And how frightening, how frightening!"
But Dengyo had his passages of scripture to support him, and as you know, the Mahayana ordination platform
was eventually set up and has been in existence for some time now on Mount Hiei.
Thus, although their enlightenment may have been the same, from the point of view of the teaching which
they propagated, Ashvaghosha and Nagarjuna were superior to Mahakashyapa and Ananda, T'ien-t'ai was superior to Ashvaghosha
and Nagarjuna, and Dengyo surpassed T'ien-t'ai. In these latter times, people's wisdom becomes shallow, while Buddhism becomes
more profound. To give an analogy, a mild illness can be cured with ordinary medicine, but a severe illness requires a medicine
with supernatural properties. A man who is weak must have strong allies to help him.
Question: Is there a True Law that was not propagated even by T'ien-t'ai and Dengyo?
Answer: Yes, there is.
Question: What sort of teaching is it?
Answer: It consists of three things. It was left behind by the Buddha for the sake of those who live
in the Latter Day of the Law. It is the True Law that was never propagated by Mahakashyapa or Ananda, Ashvaghosha or Nagarjuna,
T'ien-t'ai or Dengyo.
Question: What form does it take?
Answer: First, in Japan and all the other countries throughout the world, the object of worship should
in all cases be the Lord Shakyamuni of true Buddhism. The Shakyamuni Buddha and Taho Buddha who appear in the Treasure Tower,
as well as all other Buddhas, along with the four bodhisattvas including Jogyo, shall act as attendants to this Buddha. Second,
there is the high sanctuary of true Buddhism. Third, in Japan, China, India and all the other countries of the world, every
person, regardless of whether he is wise or foolish, shall set aside other practices and join in the chanting of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
This teaching has never been taught before. Here in the world, in all the 2,225 years since the passing of the Buddha, not
a single person chanted it. Nichiren alone, without sparing his voice, now chants Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
The size of the waves depends upon the wind that raises them, the height of the flames depends upon
how much firewood is piled on, the size of the lotuses depends upon the pond in which they grow, and the volume of rain depends
upon the dragons that make it fall. The deeper the roots, the more prolific the branches. The farther the source, the longer
the stream.
The Chou dynasty lasted for seven hundred years because of the propriety and filial devotion of its
founder, King Wen. The Ch'in dynasty, on the other hand, lasted hardly any time at all, because of the perverse ways of its
founder, the First Emperor of the Ch'in. If Nichiren's compassion is truly great and encompassing, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo will
spread for ten thousand years and more, for all eternity, for it has the beneficial power to open the blind eyes of every
living being in the country of Japan, and it blocks off the road that leads to the hell of incessant suffering. Its benefit
surpasses that of Dengyo and T'ien-t'ai, and is superior to that of Nagarjuna and Mahakashyapa.
A hundred years of practice in the Land of Perfect Bliss cannot compare to the benefit gained from one
day's practice in this impure world. Two thousand years of propagating Buddhism during the Former and Middle Days of the Law
are inferior to an hour of propagation in this, the Latter Day of the Law. This is in no way because of Nichiren's wisdom,
but simply because the time makes it so. In spring the blossoms open, in autumn the fruit appears. Summer is hot, winter is
cold. The season makes it so, does it not?
"In the fifth five hundred years after my death, accomplish worldwide kosen-rufu and never allow its
flow to cease. And do not allow the devil, the devil's people, or the deities, dragons, yakshas, kumbhandas or their kind
to seize the advantage."
If [the Buddha's prophecy expressed in] this passage of the Lotus Sutra should prove to be in vain,
then Shariputra will never become the Flower Light Tathagata, the Venerable Mahakashyapa will never become the Light Bright
Tathagata, Maudgalyayana will never become the Tamalapattra Sandalwood Fragrance Buddha, Ananda will never become the Mountain
Sea Wisdom Unrestricted Power King Buddha, the nun Mahaprajapati will never become the Beheld with Joy by All Sentient Beings
Buddha, and the nun Yashodhara will never become the Form Resplendent with Ten Million Lights Buddha. All the talk of sanzen-jintengo
is then likewise mere nonsense, and gohyaku-jintengo, too, is a lie. Very likely the Lord Shakyamuni has fallen into the hell
of incessant suffering, Taho Buddha is gasping amid the flames of the Avichi Hell, the Buddhas of the ten directions have
their home now in the eight major hells, and all the various bodhisattvas are being forced to suffer in the 136 hells.
But how could such a thing ever be? Since the sutra's prediction was not made in vain, then it is certain
that all the people of Japan will chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!
Thus the flower will return to the root, and the essence of the plant will remain in the earth. The
benefit that I have been speaking of will surely accumulate in the life of the late Dozen-bo. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
Written on the twenty first day, seventh month of the second year of Kenji (1276), Jupiter in the cyclical
sign hinoe-ne.
Respectfully sent from Mount Minobu, Hakiri Village, in Koshu, to Joken-bo and Gijo-bo of Mount Kiyosumi,
district of Tojo, province of Awa.
Cover Letter
I have received your letter. One should never speak of matters pertaining to the Buddhist doctrine to
someone who has no faith, regardless of whether the person is a close friend or relation or a stranger. This is something
you should keep in mind.
I have inscribed the Gohonzon for you. Even more in the years after the passing of the Buddha than during
his lifetime, even more during the Middle Day of the Law than during the Former Day, and even more now in the beginning of
the Latter Day of the Law than during the Middle Day, the enemies of this Lotus Sutra are bound to grow in power. If you understand
this, you as well as anyone else will realize that there is no one in Japan other than myself who is a true votary of the
Lotus Sutra.
A sketchy report of the death of Dozen-bo reached me last month. I felt that I should go in person as
quickly as possible, as well as sending the priest who bears this letter, Niko. However, though I do not think of myself as
one who has retired from the world, other people seem to look at me in that way, and so I make it a rule not to leave this
mountain.
This priest Niko informed me of private reports from various people that there are likely to be doctrinal
debates with the other sects in the near future. I have therefore been sending people to a number of temples in the different
provinces in order to search out sutras and doctrinal writings from all over the country. I had sent this priest Niko on such
a mission to the province of Suruga, and he has just now returned [so I am sending him with this letter].
In the enclosed treatise, I have written matters of the utmost gravity. It would be wrong, therefore,
to make the contents known to persons who do not understand the essence of Buddhism. And even if they are make known only
to persons who do, if there are too many people involved, then word of the contents is likely to reach the ears of outsiders.
That would not be conducive to your welfare, nor to mine.
Therefore, I ask that just the two of you, you and Gijo-bo, have the work read aloud two or three times
at the summit of Kasagamori, with this priest Niko to do the reading. Please have him read it once before the grave of the
late Dozen-bo as well. After that, leave it in the possession of Niko and have him read it to you repeatedly. If you listen
to it again and again, I believe you will come to understand and appreciate its meaning.
With my deep respect,
Nichiren
The twenty-sixth day of the seventh month
To the priest of Kiyosumi
Reply to Myoho Bikuni Gozen
I have received your gift of a light summer
robe.
You are a woman, and your husband has
passed away, leaving you behind. You are
separated from
your relatives, and your one
or two daughters are undependable and
provide you with little support. Moreover, you
are a woman who has been hated by others
on account of this teaching. Thus you are like
Bodhisattva Fukyo.
The Buddha's aunt, the nun Mahaprajapati,
was also a woman. Nevertheless, she
attained the state
of arhat and gained a name
as a shomon disciple. Thus she entered the
path by which Buddhahood can never be
attained.
She transformed her woman's
appearance [and became a nun],
abandoning her status as royal consort, and
honored
the exhortations of the Buddha. For
more than forty years, she upheld the five
hundred precepts. By day she waited
by the
roadside [begging for alms], and by night she
sat beneath a tree [in meditation], aspiring to
salvation
in her life to come. Yet she was
denied the road that leads to Buddhahood,
and her name was bruited about as someone
who would never become a Buddha - a
mortifying thing indeed. Being a woman, she
had, whether with or without cause,
been the
subject of unsavory rumors throughout long
kalpas past, which surely caused her shame
and vexation. Loathing
her [female] body, she
clad herself in rags and became a nun,
thinking that in this way she had divorced
herself
from such sorrows. But on the
contrary, she learned that, having become a
person of the two vehicles, she was never
to
attain Buddhahood. How wretched she must
have felt! By means of the Lotus Sutra,
however, she was absolved
from the
displeasure of the Buddhas of the three
existences and was able to become a
Buddha called Beheld with
Joy by All Sentient
Beings. How happy, how joyful she must
have been! Thus, no matter what might
happen, were
it for the sake of the Lotus
Sutra, she would surely never turn away.
Then the Buddha in a loud voice addressed
the four categories of Buddhists at large,
saying,
"Who can broadly preach the Lotus
Sutra in this saha world?" When everyone
responded with the thought, "I will, I
will!" the
Buddha fully three times admonished that
nuns and laywomen desirous of repaying
their debt to all the
Buddhas should
persevere through any difficulty to spread the
Lotus Sutra in this saha world after his
passing.
But they did not pay attention, and
vowed instead "to declare this sutra widely in
the lands of the other directions."
Thus these
nuns did not clearly understand the Buddha's
intent. How exasperated he must have been!
Thereupon the
Buddha turned aside and
instead looked earnestly to the eighty myriad
of millions of nayutas of bodhisattvas.
I had therefore thought that, although women
might tarnish their names and throw away
their
lives for the sake of insignificant matters,
they were weak in pursuing the path of
Buddhahood. But now you, born
a woman in
the evil world of the latter age, have been
reviled, struck and persecuted by the barbaric
inhabitants
of these islands [of Japan], who
are so ignorant of reason, and have endured
it all to propagate the Lotus Sutra.
The
Buddha on Eagle Peak surely perceives that
you far surpass that nun [Mahaprajapati]. The
name of that nun
[when she attained
Buddhahood], the Buddha Beheld with Joy by
All Sentient Beings, refers to none other; it
belongs
to you, Myoho-ama Gozen of the
present time.
A person who becomes a king is reputed to
be one who in both past and present has
observed the
ten good precepts. Though the
names of individual rulers change, the lion
throne they sit upon is only one. Likewise,
this
name [Beheld with Joy by All Sentient Beings]
is the same for you both.
Even a nun who went against the Buddha's
words received the name Buddha Beheld
with Joy by All
Sentient Beings. You have not
deviated from the Buddha's words; you are a
nun who, right here in the saha world, has
lost her good name and been willing to
discard her life [for the sake of the Lotus
Sutra]. The Buddha did not
abandon the nun,
his foster mother. Were he to abandon you
because you are no relation to him, he would
be a biased
Buddha indeed. But how could
that ever be? Moreover, the sutra states,
"The living beings in it [the threefold world]
are all my children." If we go by this sutra
passage, then you are the Buddha's
daughter, while that other nun
was merely his
foster mother. If the Buddha did not abandon
his foster mother, then how could he intend to
abandon
his own daughter? Please
understand this thoroughly. Before this letter
becomes too involved, I will stop here.
Nichiren
Reply to a Believer
I have just received your letter. Considering how
disasters have struck one after another in the
wake of Nichiren’s exile, would they dare attempt
to harass us any further? I feel they will do no
more, but people on the brink of ruin are capable
of anything. Should some persecution be about to
occur, there will certainly be signs. Even if I were
to be exiled again, it would bring ten billion times
greater good fortune than if my teachings were to
be accepted. The next exile would be my third.
Should it happen, the Lotus Sutra could never
accuse me of being a fainthearted votary. I might
well become heir to the blessings of Shakyamuni,
Taho and all the other Buddhas of the ten
directions, as well as those of the countless
Bodhisattvas of the Earth. How wonderful if that
were to come about!
I will follow in the path of Sessen Doji and live as
did Bodhisattva Fukyo. In comparison to such a
life, how wretched and meaningless it would be to
fall victim to an epidemic or simply die of old age!
I would far rather suffer persecution from this
country’s ruler for the sake of the Lotus Sutra and
thereby free myself from the sufferings of birth
and death. Then I could test the vows that the Sun
Goddess, Hachiman, the gods of the sun and the
moon, Taishaku and Bonten made in the
presence of the Buddha. Above all, I will urge
them to protect every one of you.
If you continue living as you are now, there can be
no doubt that you are practicing the Lotus Sutra
twenty-four hours each day. Regard your service
to your lord as the practice of the Lotus Sutra.
[The Hokke Gengi makes precisely this point
when it says:] "No affairs of life or work are in any
way different from the ultimate reality."
I fully understand what you have said in your letter.
With my deep respect,
Nichiren
The eleventh day of the fourth month.
Reply to Hoshina Goro Taro
After Emperor Ming of the Han dynasty dreamed at night of a golden man [and dispatched emissaries
to the western region], the two sages, Kashyapa Matanga and Chu-fa-lan, came to China and stood for the first time at
the gates of Ch'ang-an. From that time until the reign of Emperor Hsuan-tsung of the T'ang dynasty, the Buddhist teachings
of India spread throughout China. During the Liang dynasty, Buddhism was first introduced to Japan by King Songmyong
of the Korean kingdom of Paekche. This occurred during the reign of Kimmei, the thirtieth emperor of our country. Thereafter,
all the sutras and treatises were circulated widely, and various Buddhist sects arose throughout Japan. Fortunately,
therefore, even though we were born in the Latter Day of the Law, we are able to hear the teachings preached at
Eagle Peak, and even though we live in a remote corner of the world, we are able to scoop up with our hands the water
of the great river of Buddhism.
However, a close examination shows that there are distinctions to be made among the Buddha's teachings,
such as the Hinayana and the Mahayana or the provisional and true teachings, or those of the sequence of preaching.
If one is confused about these distinctions, he will fall into erroneous views, and even though he may practice Buddhsim,
his offense will be greater than that of committing the ten evil acts or the five cardinal sins. For this reason,
those who abhor the secular world and seek the Way should understand this standard of evaluation before anything else.
Otherwise, they are destined to follow the path of the monk Kugan and other slanderers. As the Nirvana Sutra says: "If
one clings to distorted views, at the time of his death he will surely fall into the Avichi Hell.
Question: How can we discern the error of distorted views? Although I am a humble person, I am nevertheless
anxious about my next life and have resolved to seek the Buddhist Law to the best of my ability. Therefore, I wish to
know this standard of evaluation by all means. Should it be that I am adhering to distorted views, I will reflect on
them and turn to the correct view.
Answer: It can be neither discerned with one's mortal eyes nor clarified with one's shallow wisdom.
One should use the sutras as his eyes and give precedence to the wisdom of the Buddha. Surely, however, if this standard
is made clear, people will become enraged and harbor indignation in their minds. Let them do as they will. What matters
most is that we honor the Buddha's command. As a rule, people in the world value what is distant and despise what
is near, but this is the conduct of the ignorant. Even the distant should be repudiated if it is wrong, while that which
is near should not be discarded if it accords with the truth. Even though people may revere [their predecessors' doctrines],
if those doctrines are in error, how can we employ them today?
I am told that the scholars of the ten schools - three in southern China and seven in northern China
- were so outstanding in authority and virtue that they were revered by the general populace for more than five hundred
years. However, the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai, who lived during the reigns of emperors of the Ch'en and Sui dynasties,
examined their doctrines and denounced them as erroneous. Hearing of this, the people hated him intensely, but the Ch'en
and Sui emperors, being worthy rulers, summoned T'ien-t'ai to debate with the priests of the ten schools and settle
the matter. Truth and error were thereby made clear, and in consequence, the priests all revised the distorted views
that their schools had upheld over a period of five hundred years and became followers of the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai.
And in our own country, the Great Teacher Dengyo of Mount Hiei, the founder of the Tendai sect, debated with the
scholars of Nara and Kyoto and distinguished between right and wrong in the Buddhist teachings. In every case, T'ien-t'ai
and Dengyo based their arguments on the sutras.
However, the people of our time - whether clergy or laity, nobles or commoners - all revere persons
and do not value the Law. They make their own mind their teacher, and do not rely on the sutras. Consequently, they
take up the provisional teachings of the Nembutsu and discard the mystic scripture of the Mahayana, or employ the heretical
doctrines of Shingon to slander the True Law, the one supreme teaching. Are they not slanderers of the Mahayana? If
what is written in the sutras is true, how can they escape the sufferings of hell? And those who follow their
erroneous teachings will also suffer the same fate.
Question: You claim that the Nembutsu and the Shingon should be denounced as provisional or erroneous
doctrines, and that their followers are people of distorted views or slanderers. This seems very doubtful. Kobo Daishi
was a manifestation of Kongosatta and a bodhisattva of the third stage of development. The Shingon is the most powerful
secret teaching. Moreover, Priest Shan-tao was an incarnation of Amida Buddha, the lord of the Western Land, and
Priest Honen was an incarnation of Bodhisattva Seishi. How can you call such eminent priests men of erroneous views?
Answer: Such criticism must of course not be leveled on the grounds of one's personal opinion; the
matter must be clarified on the basis of the sutras. The statement that the Shingon teaching represents the most profound
of all secrets derives from the assertion that the Soshisuji Sutra should be ranked as the king among the three Shingon
sutras. Nowhere in the sutras themselves do we read that the Shingon is the highest of all the Buddha's teachings.
In Buddhism, that teaching is judged supreme which enables all people, whether good or evil, to become
Buddhas. So reasonable a standard can surely be grasped by anyone. By means of it, we can compare the various sutras
and ascertain which is superior. The Lotus Sutra reveals that even the people of the two vehicles can attain enlightenment,
but the Shingon sutras do not. Rather, they categorically deny it. The Lotus Sutra teaches that women are capable
of attaining Buddhahood, but the Shingon sutras make no mention of this at all. In the Lotus Sutra, it is written that
evil people can attain enlightenment, but in the Shingon sutras we find nothing about this. How can one say that the
Shingon sutras are superior to the Lotus Sutra?
Moreover, if we discuss this matter in terms of the omens occurring at the time of preaching, six
portents preceded the preaching of the Lotus Sutra. Among them, flowers rained down from the heavens, the earth trembled,
and a beam of light emanated from the tuft of white hair between the Buddha's brows, reaching as high as the Akanishtha
Heaven and illuminating as deep as the Avichi Hell. Moreover, the Treasure Tower rose from the earth, and all the
emanations of the Buddha assembled from the ten directions. In addition, the Bodhisattvas of the Earth led by Jogyo
emerged from beneath the earth, each with his followers equaling in number the sands of sixty thousand Ganges Rivers,
fifty thousand, forty thousand, thirty thousand, and so forth, down to the sands of one Ganges River, one half, and
so forth. When such awesome and wondrous events are considered, how can one still maintain that the Shingon sutras
surpass the Lotus Sutra? I have no time to dwell on these matters. I have brought up only one drop of the ocean.
I have here a copy of the one-volume work called Bodaishin Ron, which is attributed to Bodhisattva
Nagarjuna. This work says, "Only in the teachings of Shingon can one attain Buddhahood in his present form. Accordingly,
the Shingon expounds the method of entering samadhi. This doctrine is neither found nor recorded in any of the other
teachings." As I thought this statement extremely doubtful, I examined it in light of the sutras. I discovered that
although the Shingon sutras contained the words "attaining Buddhahood in one's present form," they gave no example of
anyone who had actually done so. And even if they had, because the attainment of Buddhahood in one's present form is
also taught in the Lotus Sutra, Nagarjuna should not have proclaimed that this principle is "neither found nor recorded
in any of the other teachings." This is a gross error.
In truth, however, this treatise is not the work of Nagarjuna. I will explain this in detail on another
occasion. Yet, even if it were the work of Bodhisattva Nagarjuna, an error is still an error. In the Daichido Ron, Nagarjuna
refers to a vital point in differentiating among the teachings expounded by Shakyamuni during his lifetime: "The Hannya
sutras are not secret teachings because they contain no mention of the attainment of Buddhahood by persons of
the two vehicles. The Lotus Sutra is the secret teaching because it does." It also says, "Those sutras which expound
the attainment of Buddhahood by those of the two vehicles are esoteric teachings, and those which do not are exoteric
teachings."
If one goes by the words of the Bodaishin Ron, then he must not only specifically contradict Nagarjuna's
Daichido Ron, but more generally deny the one great reason why all Buddhas make their advent in the world. Nagarjuna,
Vasubandhu and others all appeared in this world in order to propagate the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha. Nagarjuna
was one of the Buddha's twenty-four successors. Could he really have put forth such an erroneous interpretation?
The Shingon sutras are inferior even to the Hannya sutras. How can we compare them with the Lotus
Sutra? Nevertheless, in the Hizo Hoyaku, Kobo claims that all the teachings expounded during the Buddha's lifetime are
contained within the teachings of Shingon. He not only relegates the Lotus Sutra to third place, but even dismisses
it as "childish theory." Yet, when I reverently open the Lotus Sutra, I find that it declares itself to be the highest
among the teachings of all Buddhas, as well as the sutra supreme "among all those I [Shakyamuni] have preached, now
preach and will preach." In the ten comparisons of the Yakuo chapter, the Lotus Sutra is likened to the ocean, the sun
and Mount Sumeru. This being the case, could anything be deeper than the ocean, brighter than the sun or higher than
Mount Sumeru? One should realize the truth through such comparisons. On what basis can Kobo claim that the Shingon sutras
are superior to the Lotus Sutra? We find no such passages whatsoever in the Dainichi or other sutras. Trusting only
to his own view, he has violated the Buddha's intention for a long time.
The Great Teacher Miao-lo states, "I call upon those with eyes to examine this thoroughly." Is he
not without eyes, who regards the Lotus Sutra as inferior to the Kegon Sutra? The Nirvana Sutra reads: "If there is
a person who slanders the True Law of the Buddha, his tongue should be cut off." Ah, how pitiful that the tongue which
slanders shall utter no words in world after world, and that the eye attached to false views shall fall out in lifetime
after lifetime, seeing nothing! Moreover, the Lotus Sutra says, "One who refuses to take faith in this sutra and
instead slanders it ... After he dies, he will fall into the hell of incessant suffering." If this statement is valid,
Kobo will surely fall into the great citadel of the hell of incessant suffering where he will undergo agony for countless
kalpas. One should also recognize the fate of Shan-tao and Honen through his example. Who, among those endowed with
wisdom, will dip into the stream of such slanderous teachings and be consumed together with these men in the flames
of the Avichi Hell? Truly, the votary should fear this. These are all persons of profoundly distorted views. In this
connection, we find, among the true and golden words of the Buddha: "[This Devil of the Sixth Heaven and other devils
will in time try] to destroy this True Law of mine. They will be like a hunter who wraps his body in a priestly robe.
They will assume the forms of stream-winners, once-returners, non-returners, arhats, pratyekabuddhas or Buddhas,
and will try to destroy this True Law of mine."
Shan-tao and Honen, displaying a variety of majestic powers, deceived ignorant priests and lay believers,
and schemed to destroy the Buddha's True law. And the Shingon schools in particular make it a point to emphasize worldly
benefits exclusively. Using animals as objects of worship, they conduct prayers not only to satisfy the passions of
man and woman, but also to fulfill desires for estates and the like. They claim such trifling results as wondrous benefits.
However, if they are going to assert the supremacy of Shingon on these grounds, they are no match for the Brahmans of
India. Hermit Agastya kept the waters of the Ganges River in his ear for twelve years. Hermit Jinu swallowed up the
four great oceans in a day, and Brahman Uluka turned into a stone and remained that way for eight hundred years. How
could the results of the Shingon prayers surpass these? Hermit Kudon assumed the form of the god Taishaku and
preached for twelve years, while Kobo transformed himself into Vairochana for an instant. Judge for yourself whose powers
are the greater. If you believe that such transformations confer great benefit, you might just as well believe in the
Brahmans.
Yet it should be known that, while the Brahmans possessed such impressive powers, they could not escape
the flames of the Avichi Hell, not to mention those with only trivial powers of transformation. Even less can slanderers
of the Mahayana avoid this fate. The Shingon priests are evil friends to all living beings. Avoid them; fear them. The
Buddha states: "Have no fear of mad elephants. What you should fear are evil friends! Why? Because a mad elephant
can only destroy your body; it cannot destroy your mind. But an evil friend can destroy both body and mind. A mad elephant
can only destroy a single body, but an evil friend can destroy countless bodies and countless minds. A mad elephant
merely destroys an impure stinking body, but an evil friend can destroy both pure body and pure mind. A mad elephant
can destroy the physical body, but an evil friend destroys the Dharma body. Even if you are killed by a mad elephant,
you will not fall into the three evil paths. But if you are killed by an evil friend, you are certain to fall into them.
A mad elephant is merely an enemy of your body, but an evil friend is an enemy of the good Law." Therefore, even more
than venomous serpents or malevolent demons, one should fear evil friends who follow Kobo, Shan-tao and Honen.
This is just a brief clarification of the error of holding distorted views.
The messenger is in such a great hurry that I have written only a small part of what I had to say.
When an opportunity arises in the future, I will write to you again, examining sutras and treatises in detail. Never
show this letter to anyone. If I survive until then, I will visit and talk with you in the fall of next year, as you
requested.
With my deep respect,
Nichiren
The fifth day of the twelfth month
