BUDDHISM AND TIME

To study Buddhism, first of all we must know the right time.

In the past, the Great Universal Wisdom Buddha appeared in the world, but he did not preach at all for as long as ten small kalpa. It is said in the Lotus Sūtra, chapter 7 on “The Parable of a Magic City”: “He sat in meditation for ten small kalpa;” and “Though begged to preach, the Buddha sat in silence because He knew the time was not yet ripe.” Our Lord Śākyamuni Buddha, did not expound the Lotus Sūtra for more than forty years. As said in the Sūtra, chapter 2 on “Expedients,” it was because “the time was not ripe.” Lao-tzu is said to have spent as long as eighty years in his mother’s womb before he was born. Bodhisattva Maitreya, future Lord Buddha of this Sahā World, is expected to stay in the inner chamber of the Tuṣita Heaven (Tōsotsu-ten) for as long as 5,670,000,000 years, waiting for the time to attain perfect enlightenment. As nightingales wait for summer to sing and roosters wait for dawn to crow, even beasts know the time. How much more should we choose the right time in practicing Buddhism?

When the Buddha preached the Flower Garland Sūtra at the Hall of Enlightenment, various Buddhas appeared from the worlds in ten directions, and all great bodhisattvas gathered together. Moreover, the Great King of the Brahma Heaven, Indra, and the Four Heavenly Kings danced for joy; eight kinds of gods and semi-gods such as dragon gods held their hands together in reverence; the wiser among ordinary men bent their ears to Him; and various bodhisattvas such as Moon of Emancipation (Vimuki-candra), who have attained enlightenment during the present life, begged Him to preach. However, Śākyamuni did not even reveal the names of His two most important teachings: “Obtaining Buddhahood by men of the Two Vehicles, śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha” (nijō-sabutsu) and “Śākyamuni’s attaining Enlightenment in the eternal past” (kuon-jitsujō). Nor did He expound the fundamental doctrines of the “becoming a Buddha with one’s present body” (sokushin-jōbutsu) and “3,000 existences contained in one thought” (ichinen-sanzen). It was not that He did not speak of those doctrines because no one had the capacity to understand them. It was solely because, as stated in the Lotus Sūtra, chapter 2 on “Expedients”, “the time was not ripe. ”

When the Lotus Sūtra was preached on Mt. Sacred Eagle, King Ajātaśatru, the most unfilial man in the world, attended the meeting; even Devadatta, who had abused the True Dharma throughout his life, was guaranteed to be Tennō (Heavenly King) Buddha in the future. Furthermore, a dragon girl, though females were considered incapable of becoming a King of the Brahma Heaven, an Indra, a King of Devils, a Wheel-turning Noble King, or a Buddha, became a Buddha without changing her dragon-body. Attainment of Buddhahood by men of the Two Vehicles, and those with fixed natures who had been considered definitely incapable of becoming Buddhas, was as wondrous as a toasted seed germinating, flowering and bearing fruit. When Śākyamuni Buddha’s “attaining Enlightenment in the eternal past” was revealed, the audience was so astonished as to wonder how a hundred-year old man could be the son of a twenty-five year old man. The “3,000 existences contained in one thought” doctrine explained that unenlightened beings in the Nine Realms and enlightened ones in the Realm of the Buddha are one and inseparable, opening the way for the unenlightened to attain Buddhahood. Therefore, each letter of this sūtra represents a wish-fulfilling gem that pours out 10,000 treasures; each phrase of it is the seed of Buddhahood. The preaching of these most profound teachings was not done because of the capacity of the audience, their intelligence to understand or faith to uphold them. It was because the time was ripe. The Lotus Sūtra, chapter 2 on “Expedients,” therefore says: “Now is the time to expound the Mahayana teaching definitely.”

Senji-shō, Selecting the Right time: A Tract by Nichiren, the Buddha’s Disciple, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1,
Pages 188-189

Indeed, now is the time to expound the Mahayana teaching definitely.

In order to see our own faces we have to look at them reflected upon a spotless mirror. Likewise, in order to see the rise and fall of a country, there is no way better than to see them reflected upon the mirror of the Buddhist dharma. As we respectfully read such Mahayana sūtras as the Sūtra of the Benevolent King, Sūtra of the Golden Splendor, Guardian Sūtra, Nirvana Sūtra, and Lotus Sūtra, it is preached that the rise and fall of a country and the life span of people in it depend on the Dharma they believe, whether they believe in the True Dharma or a false dharma. It is like water that keeps a boat afloat but also destroys it, or staple grains which nourish human bodies but often damage them. Small winds and waves would not damage large ships, but small ships can easily be destroyed by gale winds and huge waves. Unjust government, like small winds and waves, would not cause the downfall of a great country and a great man; however, there is no doubt that a false dharma in Buddhism, like gale winds and huge waves destroying small boats, will destroy a country. …

Of the spotless mirrors of the holy teachings preached in His lifetime, the Lotus Sūtra is the special divine mirror. A copper mirror can show the figure of a man but not his mind. The divine mirror of the Lotus Sūtra shows not only a man’s figure but also his mind. Not only the current mind of a man but also his karma in the previous life and his reward and retribution in the future can clearly be spotlighted.

The Lotus Sūtra, fascicle 7, the 21st chapter on “The Divine Powers of the Buddha,” preaches: “Suppose that after the Buddha passed away, someone who knows the causes and conditions and proper sequence of the sūtras expounded by the Buddha will preach them truthfully according to the true meaning. As the light of the sun and moon can eliminate all darkness, so this person will wipe out the darkness of living beings as he walks about in the world.”

This scriptural passage means that he who expounds even a word or a phrase of the Lotus Sūtra should know well the comparative profundity of the holy teachings preached during His lifetime and the sequence of preaching them. For instance, speaking of the calendar consisting of more than 360 days a year, a mistake by one day will cause mistakes for 10,000 days. In a 31-syllable Japanese poem, a mistake in a syllable or a phrase makes the whole 31 syllables unpoetic. Likewise, in reading or reciting a sūtra, if one is confused about the sequence and comparative profundity of the holy teachings of the Buddha beginning with the Flower Garland Sūtra preached first at the Hall of Enlightenment to the Nirvana Sūtra expounded last in the śāla forest, one will inevitably fall into the Hell of Incessant Suffering without committing the five rebellious sins. Those who believe in him will also fall into the Hell of Incessant Suffering.

Therefore, when a wise man appears in the world to correctly declare the comparative profundity of the holy teachings preached during His lifetime, those priests who have transmitted false doctrines from the founders of their respective sects and are revered as the teachers of the state or aristocratic families will make a false charge against the wise man to the rulers of the country or incite a popular protest against him. Otherwise, the weakness of their sects would be revealed, causing them to be despised by the people. Then, it is preached, the protective deities of Buddhism will be so enraged that they will destroy this country just as gale winds tear up the leaves of banana plants or high waves overturn small boats.

Shinkoku-ō Gosho, Sovereigns of Our Divine Land, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Pages 141-142

Underscore “Of the spotless mirrors of the holy teachings preached in His lifetime, the Lotus Sūtra is the special divine mirror. A copper mirror can show the figure of a man but not his mind. The divine mirror of the Lotus Sūtra shows not only a man’s figure but also his mind. Not only the current mind of a man but also his karma in the previous life and his reward and retribution in the future can clearly be spotlighted.”

The Lotus Sūtra, fascicle 2, the 3rd chapter on “A Parable” states:

He who does not put faith in this sūtra and slanders it, [will commit the sin of exterminating the seed of Buddhahood in all the people in the whole world. Or, suppose those who frown at and harbor doubt about the teaching of this sūtra . . . despise, hold in contempt, hate, envy, and bear a deep grudge against those who read, recite, copy, and uphold this sūtra. What would such people get in return? You should listen carefully.] Such people will fall into the Hell of Incessant Suffering upon death, [where their suffering will last endlessly, for a kalpa after another… , until they fall into the world of beasts becoming a huge serpent as long as 500 yojana in length.]

The same sūtra, fascicle 7, the 20th chapter on the “Never Despising Bodhisattva” also asserts: “[Some of the four categories of Buddhists (monks, nuns, laymen and laywomen) had impure minds. They got angry, spoke ill of him, saying, ‘Where did this ignorant monk come from?’ They struck him with a stick, a piece of wood, a piece of tile or a stone.] They were tormented in the Hell of Incessant Suffering for as long as 1,000 kalpa for the sin of persecuting a practicer of the Lotus Sūtra.”

The Nirvana Sūtra, too, declares: “If one avoids good teachers who preach the True Dharma and instead takes refuge in false dharmas, one will sink into the Hell of Incessant Sufferings, undergoing all the sufferings with his huge body of 84,000 square yojana.”

Examining many sūtras, we thus see they all regard slandering the True Dharma the most serious crime. How sad it is that people [in Japan] all should wander out of the gate of the True Dharma into the prison of evil dharma! Such ignorance is causing everyone [in Japan, high and low,] to be pulled by the rope of evil teachings and caught forever by the net of slandering the True Dharma! In this life such wanderers are lost in the mist of delusions; in the next life they will sink to the bottom of flaming hell. How sad it is! How terrible it is!

You should promptly discard your false faith and take up the true and sole teaching of the Lotus Sūtra at once. Then this triple world of the unenlightened will all become Buddha lands. Will Buddha lands ever decay? All the worlds in the universe will become Pure Lands. Will Pure Lands ever be destroyed? When our country does not decay and the world is not destroyed, our bodies will be safe and our hearts tranquil. Believe these words and revere them!

Risshō Ankoku-ron, Treatise on Spreading Peace Throughout the Country by Establishing the True Dharma, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Pages 141-142

I have added an extensive quote from Risshō Ankoku-ron and another from Senji-shō, Selecting the Right time, to the postscript in Day 43 of 100 illustrating Nichiren’s doctrinal rationale for his belief that slanderers of the Lotus Sūtra should be put to death.

Below are some notes I want to include for future reference:

Three Ages after the death of the Buddha

In the Age of the True Dharma (the first ten-century period), the Buddha’s teaching is practiced and enlightenment can be attained; in the Age of the Semblance Dharma (the second ten-century period), the teaching is practiced but enlightenment is not possible; in the last period of 10,000 years (the Latter Age of Degeneration), the teaching exists but it is no longer practiced.

Six transcendental faculties of a Buddha, bodhisattva, or arhat

1. ability to go anywhere
2. heavenly eye
3. heavenly ear
4. ability to read other people’s mind
5. ability to know former lives
6. ability to destroy all evil passions.

Four stages of sainthood in Theravada Buddhism

1. sudaon, one entering the stream of enlightenment
2. shidagon, one who has destroyed gross evil passions and will be reborn in the human and heavenly realms once more before entering Nirvana
3. anagon, one who has destroyed more of his evil passions, and will not be reborn in the realm of desire (world of transmigration)
4. arakan (arhat), who has destroyed all his evil passions.

I denounced the nembutsu, which people in Japan respect more than their parents and admire more highly than the sun and moon, as an act that causes people to fall into hell. I criticized Zen as the work of heavenly demons, and Shingon as an evil teaching destroying our country. I insisted Nembutsu, Zen and Ritsu temples be burned down and the nembutsu followers be beheaded. I even asserted that both the late Lay Priests Lord Saimyōji Tokiyori and Lord Gokurakuaji Shigetoki had fallen into the Avīci Hell. This was the extent of my offense. Since I forwarded such serious allegations to all the people, high and low, I won’t be pardoned from this exile even if they turn out not to be true. Moreover not only did I continue to voice these charges day and night, I also preached them in front of Hei no Saemonnojō and hundreds of officers on the tenth day of the ninth month in the eighth year of Bun’ei (1271), strongly declaring that I will never stop repeating them no matter what the punishment.

Kōnichi-bō Gosho, A Letter to Nun Kōnichi, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Biography and Disciples, Volume 5, Page 48

I knew when I began this 100-day journey that I would reach this point. Years ago I read Nichiren’s letters, first as translated by Nichiren Shoshu and later as translated by Soka Gakkai. Before I started this new study, I had already read the first volume of the Nichiren Shu translation of Nichiren’s writings.

I insisted Nembutsu, Zen and Ritsu temples be burned down and the nembutsu followers be beheaded.

Is there a historical context, a Japanese context, anything that would justify advocating the death and destruction of all who disagree with Nichiren? This is a question I’ve long puzzled over, wondering how to place this in a modern context. [See postscript below]

Centuries of turmoil roiled Japan as people faithful to Nichiren’s words battled those who disagreed. The History of Japanese Buddhism includes this:

The last and bitterest of the combats was fought in Miyako in 1536, when the soldier-monks of Hiei in alliance with the Ikkō fanatics attacked the Nichirenites and burnt down twenty-one of their great temples in the capital and drove them out of the city. Shouts of “Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō,” the slogan of the Nichirenites, vied with “Namu Amida Butsu,” the prayer of the Ikkō men; many died on either side, each believing that the fight was fought for the glory of Buddha and that death secured his birth in paradise.

In November last year at the Komatsubara Persecution Service at the Sacramento Nichiren Buddhist Church, Ven. Kenjo Igarashi offered this lesson (paraphrased by me based on a recording of the lecture):

Nichiren Shonin used “strong words” in establishing the supremacy of the Lotus Sutra and Sakyamuni Buddha because he was trying to save the suffering people of Japan. But those strong words provoked many people to attack Nichiren Shonin.

Today we don’t use shakubuku to break people’s ideas and then teach them the correct view. Now we teach using shoju to lead and convince them respectfully, accepting and understanding their viewpoints and situations.

In Nichiren’s time, however, the calamities and unhappiness were seen as the consequence of failing to embrace the Lotus Sutra and Sakyamuni. Strong words were necessary to break the wrong views and to enable the embracing of the supreme teaching of the Lotus Sutra. Only then would the protective deities return to Japan and make peace for the people.

As I continue through Nichiren Shu’s seven volumes of Nichiren’s writings, I’ll come across more “strong words.” It will jar my modern sensibilities but not temper in any way my faith in the teaching of the Eternal Śākyamuni in the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

I believe just as Rev. Igarashi said in his lecture:

If everyone follows Nichiren Shonin, then Sakyamuni Buddha and the deities are going to protect us all the time. Then we will be happy. Then we will have world peace.

Postscript

Postscripts to this day’s entry have been added in order to gather in one place examples of Nichiren’s reasoning in advocating violence against his opponents.

Day 87 of 100

These quotes come from Shugo Kokka-ron, Treatise on Protecting the Nation, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1

SECTION 2, SCRIPTURAL STATEMENTS TO SHOW WHY SLANDERERS OF THE TRUE DHARMA MUST BE DEALT WITH

Here, I would like to present passages in sūtras stating that slanderers in the royal domain should be dealt with. It is stated in the Nirvana Sūtra, fascicle 3: “The Buddha asked, ‘The king and ministers of a state and four categories of Buddhists (monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen) should severely deal with those who are idle in practicing Buddhism, break Buddhist precepts, and slander the True Dharma. Gentlemen, do you think this king and others who punish such people are committing a sin?’ ‘No, World Honored One, we do not think so,’ answered Kāśyapa and others. The Buddha stated, ‘Gentlemen, such a king and the four categories of Buddhists are innocent of any sin.’ ”

The sūtra also states in fascicle 12: “In a past life I had once been born to this Sahā World as King Sen’yo of a great state. I cherished and revered Mahayana sūtras, having a pure and virtuous mind without a bad temper and jealousy. … Gentlemen, as I firmly believed in Mahayana, as soon as I heard Brahmans slander Mahayana sūtras, I killed them. Gentlemen, because of this merit of protecting the True Dharma, I have never again fallen into hell.”

… [In the Nirvana Sutra] the Buddha warned His disciples, “Those who do not reprimand slanderers of the True Dharma are not His disciples.” Thus it is stated in the Nirvana Sutra, fascicle 3: “Suppose after My extinction there will be a monk who strictly observes Buddhist precepts, acts with dignity, and believes in the True Dharma. Upon seeing those who destroy the True Dharma, he should at once chase, chastise and punish them. Then he will gain immeasurable happiness.” The sūtra says also, “Suppose there is a virtuous monk who, upon seeing slanderers of the True Dharma, leaves them alone without reprimanding, chasing, and punishing them, you should know that he is an enemy of Buddhism. If he chases, reprimands, and punishes them, he is My disciple and a true śrāvaka.”

Hoping to be counted a disciple of the Buddha, I wrote this book to define the sin of slandering the True Dharma and propagate it among the people. May Buddhas in all the worlds in the universe help me disseminate this book and stop the worst dharma spreading further in order to save all people from the sin of slandering the True Dharma!

Shugo Kokka-ron, Treatise on Protecting the Nation, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Pages 51-53

These quotes come from Risshō Ankoku-ron, Treatise on Spreading Peace Throughout the Country by Establishing the True Dharma

In the text below, words inside square brackets [] are found only in the “expanded edition” of Risshō Ankoku-ron. Words inside curly brackets {} are inserted for clarity. Words in parentheses () were inserted by translators.

The {Nirvana} sūtra also states that when the Buddha was a king practicing the bodhisattva way once in His previous life, He killed many Brahmans. The same sūtra explains the killing:

There are three categories in killing: the lower, the intermediate, and the upper. The lower category means killing all beasts beginning with an ant, except those into which bodhisattvas transformed themselves in order to save others. For committing a killing of the lower category one will fall into hell, the realm of hungry spirits, or that of beasts and birds, where he will undergo all the sufferings of the lower category. Why is it? Because each beast possesses the Buddha-nature, though it may be little, those who kill such a beast will receive full punishment for this offense.

The intermediate category means murdering people, including ordinary people, as well as those sagacious people, who have reached the stage of not being reborn in the world of transmigration. Those who commit this sin will fall into hell, the realm of hungry spirits or that of beasts and birds to bear all the sufferings of the intermediate category.

The upper category of killing means to kill one’s parents, arhats, pratyekabuddha, or bodhisattvas who have reached the stage of no regression. He who commits this sin will fall into the Hell of Incessant Suffering. Good man! Killing a man of icchantika, however, is not included in these three categories. Good man! Those Brahmans who slander the True Dharma are all without exception men of icchantika; murdering them does not constitute a sin.

The Buddha addressed King Prasenajit in the Sūtra of the Benevolent King: “Therefore, I will transmit this sūtra to kings, not to monks or nuns, who are not as powerful as kings.”

The Nirvana Sūtra restates this: “Now I will transmit this supreme True Dharma to kings, ministers, prime ministers, and the four categories of Buddhists (monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen). Ministers and the four categories of Buddhists should chastise those who slander the True Dharma.”

The Buddha preached to Kāśyapa Bodhisattva in the same sūtra: “Kāśyapa! Because of the karma from upholding the True Dharma in My previous lives, I was able to attain Buddhahood with My body as indestructible as a diamond. Good man! Those who wish to uphold the True Dharma should arm themselves with swords, bows and arrows, and halberds, instead of observing the five precepts (against killing, stealing, adultery, lying, and drinking alcohol), and keeping propriety.”

It also states: “Those who keep the five precepts are not necessarily practicers of Mahayana Buddhism. Even those who do not observe the five precepts can be called the men of Mahayana if they protect the True Dharma. Protectors of the True Dharma should arm themselves with swords and sticks. Even if they carry swords and sticks, they should be called the keepers of the precepts.”

The Buddha then related to Kāśyapa in the same sūtra the merit of His having defended the True Dharma in His previous lives:

Good man! Once in the past a Buddha named the Buddha of Joy lived in the City of Kuśinagara. The True Dharma of this Buddha lasted for countless hundreds of millions of years after His death. During the last forty years of this period, a monk called Virtue Consciousness appeared, and he strictly observed the precepts. As it was toward the end of the Age of the True Dharma, there were many monks who violated the precepts. Upon hearing Monk Virtue Consciousness preach the True Dharma, these evil monks hated and persecuted him with swords and sticks.

The king, named Virtuous, heard about this. In order to protect the dharma he hurried to this preacher and battled to the utmost of his power against those evil monks who did not keep the precepts. The preacher, Virtue Consciousness, was rescued unharmed but the king was wounded by swords and halberds so not any part of his body, even the size of a poppy seed, was left unharmed. Virtue Consciousness praised the king saying, “Excellent! Excellent! Now you, King Virtuous, are truly the protector of the True Dharma. You will be able to become a preacher of immeasurable strength.”

Hearing this, the king felt great joy in his heart and passed away. He was reborn in the land of Immovable Buddha to be the first disciple of this Buddha. Those of the king’s generals, soldiers, people, and clansmen who followed him in the battlefields or felt happy at seeing the king fight for the True Dharma all aspired for Buddhahood without ever falling back. When they died, they all were reborn in the land of Immovable Buddha. When Monk Virtue Consciousness died, he, too, was reborn in the land of Immovable Buddha, becoming the second disciple of this Buddha among all those who heard Him preach.

When the True Dharma is about to disappear, this is the way one should uphold and defend it. Listen, Kāśyapa! King Virtuous then was I, Śākyamuni Buddha, today; and Preacher Virtue Consciousness was Kāśyapa Buddha. Kāśyapa! Those who defend the True Dharma will gain such an immeasurable reward as this. Due to this karma of Mine in the past, I was able to attain various physical characteristics and attain Buddhahood with the indestructible Dharma Body.

The Buddha continued to instruct Kāśyapa Bodhisattva. Therefore, those laymen who wish to defend the True Dharma should arm themselves with swords and sticks in order to defend it just as King Virtuous did. Good man! In the decadent world after My (Śākyamuni’s) death, countries will be in chaos, plundering one another, and the people will be at the brink of starvation. Faced with starvation, many will aspire to enter the priesthood. Such people should be called “shaven-heads”, monks in form only. These “shaven-heads”, will chase out, harm, or even kill those who defend the True Dharma. Therefore, I now allow monks who keep precepts to ally with lay people who arm themselves with swords and sticks for the purpose of defending the True Dharma. Although these people may hold swords and sticks, it is for the purpose of defending the True Dharma. Therefore, I call them keepers of the precepts. Although they may hold weapons for the defense of the True Dharma, they may not kill people at random.

The third chapter, “A Parable,” of the Lotus Sūtra points out the graveness of the sin of slandering the True Dharma: “He who does not put faith in this sūtra and slanders it will destroy the seed of Buddhahood of all the people in the world. [ Also, he who slights, hates, envies, and bears a grudge against those who read, recite, copy and uphold this sūtra . . . will fall into the Hell of Incessant Suffering upon death.”

The meaning of the above citations is quite clear. Yet, how they need my words of explanation! According to the Lotus Sūtra, slandering the Mahayana sūtras is more sinful than committing the five rebellious sins, such as killing one’s own parents, countless times. Therefore, such sinners will fall into the Hell of Incessant Suffering, from which they will never be able to escape.

According to the Nirvana Sūtra, even if offerings to offenders of the five rebellious sins are permitted, it is not permitted to give offerings to slanderers of the True Dharma. One who kills an ant will fall into the three evil realms (hell, the realm of hungry spirits, and that of beasts and birds) without fail, but one who eliminates a slanderer of the True Dharma will reach the stage of non-regression, and eventually will attain Buddhahood. Monk Virtue Consciousness, who preached the True Dharma in the past despite persecution by slanderers of the True Dharma, became the Kāśyapa Buddha, and King Virtuous, who killed slanders to defend the True Dharma, was reborn in this world as Śākyamuni Buddha. …

VIII. OUTLAWING THE SLANDERERS

THE TRAVELER THEN ASKED THE MASTER: In order to eliminate the slanderers of the True Dharma in compliance with commandments of the Buddha, is it necessary to put them to death as preached in the Nirvana Sutra? If so, killing will beget killing. What should we do about sinful karma then? …

THE MASTER STATED IN RESPONSE: You, my guest, have seen clear statements in the Nirvana Sūtra outlawing slanderers of the True Dharma. Yet you ask me such a question. Is it because you don’t understand them, or is it because you don’t know the reason for them? What the Nirvana Sūtra means is not that we should outlaw disciples of the Buddha at all but that we should solely chastise slanderers of the True Dharma.

[The scriptural statements you cited above concerns monks with right views who may or may not observe precepts, and who have not received them, while what I am urging to eliminate are those with evil views who may or may not keep precepts and who have not received them.]

Speaking of the previous lives of Śākyamuni Buddha, the Nirvana Sūtra states that the Buddha, appearing as King Sen’yo and King Virtuous, killed slanderers of the True Dharma. However, the present Śākyamuni Buddha preaches not to give offerings to such slanderers. [Nevertheless, this is a special method applicable only to certain occasions. King Śīlāditya of ancient India was a sage who protected Buddhism. Punishing only the ringleader, the king spared the lives of all other members who rebelled against him, banishing them from his kingdom. Emperor Hsüan-tsung of T’ang China was a wise ruler who protected Buddhism. He executed 12 Taoist masters, eliminating enmies of the Buddha and restoring Buddhism.

These examples in India and China are of non-Buddhists and Taoist masters trying to destroy Buddhism. Their sins were comparatively light. On the contrary today in Japan, a disciple of the Buddha is about to destroy Buddhism. His sin is extremely grave; he must be strictly punished without delay.] Therefore, if all the countries in the world and the four kinds of Buddhists (monks, nuns, laymen and laywomen) all stop giving offerings to the evil priests who slander the True Dharma, putting all their faith instead in the defenders of the True Dharma, how can anymore calamities arise or disasters confront us?

Risshō Ankoku-ron, Treatise on Spreading Peace Throughout the Country by Establishing the True Dharma, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Pages 131-137

While this suggests that in 1260, when submitting the Risshō Ankoku-ron, Nichiren only wanted to deprive opponents of the Lotus Sūtra of financial support, the “Senji-shō, Selecting the Right time: A Tract by Nichiren, the Buddha’s Disciple” suggests that by 1271 he was advocating beheading opponent priests.

It is said in a non-Buddhist writing that those who can predict things before they actually take place can be called sages. In Buddhism, those who see life in the past, present, and future are called sages. I made three outstanding predictions. First on the 16th of the seventh month in the first year of Bunnō (1260), upon presenting my “Risshō ankoku-ron (Treatise on Spreading Peace Throughout the Country by Establishing the True Dharma)” to the former Shogunal Regent, Hōjō Tokiyori, I told Lay Priest Yadoya, an entourage of Tokiyori: “Please tell the former Regent to probibit the Zen and Pure Land Schools. Otherwise fighting will break out within the Hōjō Clan and Japan will be attacked by foreign powers. ”

In the second place, at about 4p.m. on the 12th of the ninth month in the eighth year of Bun’ei (1271) I declared to Hei no Saemonnojō when he came to arrest me at Matsubagayatsu:

I, Nichiren, am the chief support of Japan. When you kill me, you will cut the pillar of Japan. Before long, there will be a civil war, in which the Japanese people fight among themselves, and foreign invasion, in which many people in Japan will not only be killed but also captured by foreign invaders. Unless all the temples of the Pure Land and Zen Schools such as Kenchōji, Jufukuji, Gokurakuji, Great Buddha, and Chōrakuji are burned down and their priests all beheaded at Yuigahama Beach, Japan will be bound to be destroyed.

Senji-shō, Selecting the Right time: A Tract by Nichiren, the Buddha’s Disciple, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Page 242-243

While it is difficult from a modern standpoint to imagine justification for vowing to behead opponents, the context at the time was framed in a historical record of such acts by governments. These examples of Nichiren’s historical view come from Gōnin-jō Go-henji, Response to Gōnin’s Letter:

King Puṣyamitra of India burned down as many as 84,000 Buddhist temples and towers, beheaded countless number of Buddhist priests while Emperor Wu-tsung of T’ang China destroyed more than 4,600 Buddhist temples and secularized priests and nuns in nine states. Though wrongdoers of magnitude, they nevertheless cannot compare to those slanderers of the True Dharma in Japan. Thus, gods in heaven glare at the country and deities on earth tremble with rage, causing strange phenomena in the sky and natural calamities on earth.

Gōnin-jō Go-henji, Response to Gōnin’s Letter, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Page 255

VI. APPEALING TO THE AUTHORITIES

HAVING CALMED DOWN SOMEWHAT, THE TRAVELLER STATED: Though I am unable to understand you completely, I think I understand what you mean roughly. However, from Kyoto, the seat of the imperial court, to Kamakura, the capital of the shogunate, none of the eminent priests and able leaders of the Buddhist world has yet presented a written statement on this matter or made an appeal to the emperor or the shogun. It is not for you, a mere low-ranking priest, to venture to do so with your spiteful words. I can see your intention, but if you submit your appeal, you will be violating proprieties.

IN RESPONSE, THE MASTER DECLARED: Although I am a man of little capability, fortunately I have studied Mahayana Buddhism. It is said that a blue fly which rides on the tail of a fine horse can travel even 10,000 miles, and a green ivy vine which clings to a tall pine tree can climb up to 1,000 yards high. Likewise, born to be a disciple of the Buddha, I put my faith in the Lotus Sūtra, the king of all the Buddhist sūtras. Seeing the Buddhist dharma declining, how can I not feel sorrow?

The sorrow is even more so [ in view of what the Buddha preached in the Lotus Sūtra, the 10th chapter on “The Teacher of the Dharma”: “Medicine King Bodhisattva, listen carefully. Of the numerous sūtras I have preached, this Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma is the supreme;” and “The sūtras I have preached number immeasurable thousands, ten thousands, and hundred millions. Of the sūtras I have preached, am now preaching, and will preach, this Lotus Sūtra is the most difficult to believe and to understand.” In the 14th chapter on the “Peaceful Practices”: ” Mañjuśrī, this Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma is treasured by all Buddhas and it is the supreme of all the sūtras.” In the 23rd chapter on the “Previous Life of the Medicine King Bodhisattva”: “As Mt. Sumeru is the highest of all mountains in the world, this Lotus Sūtra is the supreme of all sūtras. As the moon shines brighter than any other stars, this Lotus Sūtra shines the brightest of all the sūtras. As the sun eliminates all darkness, this Lotus Sūtra eliminates all kinds of darkness. As the Great King of the Brahma Heaven is the king of all the people, those who uphold this Lotus Sūtra are the prime of all the people.”]

The Buddha also warns us in the Nirvana Sūtra: “Suppose there is a monk, to all appearances ‘good’, who encounters a destroyer of the dharma but does not take any measures in accusing him, chasing him out or punishing him. You had better know that such a man is not a ‘good’ monk at all but an enemy of Buddhism. On the other hand, if he accuses the destroyer of the dharma, chases him out, or punishes him strictly, such a man is My disciple, one who truly hears Me.”

[Numerous bodhisattvas, 80 trillions in number, vow in the 13th chapter on the “Encouragement for Upholding This Sūtra” of the Lotus Sūtra: “We will not spare even our lives; we treasure only the unsurpassed way.”

The Nirvana Sūtra preaches: “Suppose an eloquent speaker was sent to a foreign country as a royal emissary. Even at the cost of his life, he must convey the words of his king without concealing anything. Likewise, without sparing even his own life, a wise man must widely spread among the ignorant people the true teaching of the Buddha, the existence of the Buddha-nature in all. “]

Although I am not a man worthy of being called a good monk, I do not want to be accused of being a foe of Buddhism. Therefore, I must tell them some principles showing just a portion of the Buddha’s teaching.

Risshō Ankoku-ron, Treatise on Spreading Peace Throughout the Country by Establishing the True Dharma, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Pages 82-84

Nichiren was 38 years old when he wrote this. It is awe inspiring to imagine the confidence he had in what he believed. There was no doubt.
100 Days of Study

QUESTION: What proof do you have to say that the five virtues prior to the introduction of Buddhism into China were the “five precepts” of Buddhism?

ANSWER: The Sūtra of the Golden Splendor states, “All the teachings in the world encouraging to do good, stem from this sutra;” the Lotus Sūtra, chapter 19 on the “Merits of the Teacher of the Dharma, “When they (devout people) expound scriptures of the secular world, talking about the government, or teaching the way to earn a livelihood, they all will be in accordance with the True Dharma;” in the Sūtra of Meditation on the Universal Sage Bodhisattva, “Ruling the country by the True Dharma without oppressing the people unjustly is the practice of the third repentance;” and in the Nirvana Sūtra , “All the non-Buddhist scriptures in the world are of the teachings of the Buddha, not of the teachings of non-Buddhists.”

The Great Concentration and Insight, of Grand Master T’ien-t’ai declares, “One who knows the true way of the world knows the Buddhist dharma.” In the Annotations on the Great Concentration and Insight, Grand Master Miao-lê states, “Such worldly teachings as courtesy and music spread first, opening the way of the Buddha,” and Priest Annen’s Comprehensive Interpretations says this:

The Buddha sent three wise men to China to teach the five precepts by means of the five virtues. In the past, when the prime minister of the Sung State asked Confucius whether or not the Three Emperors and Five Sovereigns in ancient China were sages, Confucius answered that they were not. The prime minister then asked whether Confucius himself was a sage, and he said he was not. The prime minister asked again whether or not there was anyone who was considered a sage. Confucius replied that he heard that there was a sage known as Śākyamuni in the land to the west.

The Heterodox History of the Chou Dynasty states:

On the eighth of the fourth month in the 24th year in the reign of King Chao of the Chou, rivers, springs, ponds and wells all suddenly overflowed while palaces, houses, mountains, rivers and the great earth all quaked. At night, rays of five colors went through the T’ai-wei Constellation, shining in four directions. In the day, the rays turned blue-red. King Chao asked Historian Su-yu what caused this strange phenomenon. Su-yu replied that it was an omen of the birth of a great sage in the land to the west. Answering the king who asked what would be the effect upon the world, Su-yu declared that there would be no immediate effect, but his teaching would prevail over this land in 1,000 years. King Chao is said to have at once sent a man to Komen to have it (Su-yu’s prediction) inscribed on a stone and buried in the ground. It is in front of a heavenly shrine in the western outskirts.

Also on the 15th of the second month in the 52nd year during the reign of King Mu, a storm occurred suddenly destroying houses and toppling trees; mountains, rivers and the great earth all trembled at once; in the afternoon the sky turned dark with black clouds; 12 white rainbows hanging over the western sky passing from north to south, did not disappear for many nights. King Mu inquired of the Historian Hu-to about what these phenomena foretold. Hu-to replied that they predicted the death of a sage in the land to the west.

Now, as I contemplate these citations, the Sūtra of the Golden Splendor assures us, “All the teachings in this world encouraging to do good, stem from this sūtra.” Before Buddhism was introduced into China, ancient rulers such as the Yellow Emperor first learned the five virtues from Hsüan-nü. The Buddha caused them to learn the teachings of the Eternal Buddha through learning Hsüan-nü’s five virtues in order for them to govern the country. As their capacities for comprehension were not yet developed, they would not have understood the relationship between causes in the past and effects in the future, even if the five precepts of Buddhism had been preached. So, they concentrated on governing the country and establishing themselves by strictly observing the moral codes of loyalty and filial piety in this world.

Sainan Kōki Yurai, The Cause of Misfortunes, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Pages 82-84

Again, I find this background information foundational in understanding Nichiren’s writings.

A few notes:

Five virtues

benevolence, justice, courtesy, wisdom and fidelity

five precepts (gokai)

(1) not to kill, (2) not to steal, (3) not to commit adultery, (4) not to lie, and (5) not to drink intoxicants

ten virtuous acts (jūzen)

(1) to (4) are the same as the first 4 of gokai, (5) not to speak harsh words, (6) not to say words causing enmity, (7) not to engage in idle talk, (8) not to be greedy, (9) not to be angry, and (10) not to have wrong views.

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We, ignorant icchantika of the Latter Age, always drowned in the sea of life and death, are desirous of believing the Lotus Sūtra. It forecasts our inherent Buddha-nature being revealed. Grand Master Miao-lê explains this in his Annotations on the Great Concentration and Insight, fascicle 4, “Unless the Buddha-nature in each of us develops gradually to fill our minds, how can we attain Buddhahood? It is this wonderful power of the Buddha-nature in each of our minds that enlightens us. Therefore, we call this wonderful power of the Buddha nature our teacher-protector.”

The doctrine of the “mutual possession of the ten realms” is not explained in any sūtras expounded during forty years or so of the Buddha’s preaching except in the Lotus Sūtra. Since the “mutual possession of the ten realms” doctrine is not preached, believers of those sūtras do not know about the realm of Buddhas inherent in their minds. Unaware of the realm of Buddhas in their minds, they do not know of other Buddhas outside of their minds either. Namely, practicers of expedient sūtras preached in the pre-Lotus period of forty years or so do not know of Buddhas. Even if they see Buddhas, they merely see Buddhas in other worlds, not real Buddhas.

Practicers of the two teachings, śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha, are unaware of the Buddha within their own minds, so they cannot become Buddhas. Bodhisattvas of the pre-Lotus sūtras, unaware of the “mutual possession of the ten realms,” themselves deny the attainment of Buddhahood by practicers of śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha teachings. Thus, they are unable to fulfill their vow of saving all people. These bodhisattvas do not see the Buddha. Likewise, ignorant people do not know the “mutual possession of the ten realms,” so the Buddha realm inherent in them is not revealed. As a result, the Buddha of Infinite Life will not come to welcome them at the last moment of life, and Buddhas will not come to help them upon request. They are like the blind who cannot see their own shadow.

Now in the Lotus Sūtra, it was clarified that the Buddha realm is inherently possessed by even those in the unenlightened nine realms, enabling those who had listened to the expedient pre-Lotus sūtras— bodhisattvas, Two Vehicles (śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha ), and those in the six realms of illusion—all to see for the first time the Buddha realm in themselves. It was the first time that those people were able to become true Buddhas, true bodhisattvas and true śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha. It was the first time that bodhisattvas and śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha attained Buddhahood and ignorant people were able to be reborn in the Pure Land. Regardless, during or after the lifetime of the Buddha, the true, trustworthy teacher (“good friend”) of all the people is the Lotus Sūtra. Tendai scholars in general assert that one can achieve enlightenment through pre-Lotus sūtras, but I, Nichiren, do not accept it. Having no time to discuss this thoroughly in this book, I merely mention it here briefly. I hope to discuss it in detail someday.

Shugo Kokka-ron, Treatise on Protecting the Nation, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Page 31

The power of the Lotus Sūtra’s teaching of the universal possession of the 10 worlds is underscored with the realization: Practicers of the two teachings, śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha, are unaware of the Buddha within their own minds, so they cannot become Buddhas. Bodhisattvas of the pre-Lotus sūtras, unaware of the “mutual possession of the ten realms,” themselves deny the attainment of Buddhahood by practicers of śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha teachings. Thus, they are unable to fulfill their vow of saving all people.

Grand Master Miao-lê, in explaining the practice of the Lotus teaching in his Annotations on the Great Concentration and Insight, declared that the Lotus Sūtra would be easy to practice for the ignorant and slow in the Latter Age because they would be able to meet Universal Sage Bodhisattva, the Buddha of Many Treasures and Buddhas manifested in various worlds throughout the universe, by simply practicing the teaching of the sūtra. In addition, Miao-lê declared, “You may recite the Lotus Sūtra inattentively; you don’t have to meditate or concentrate; with your whole heart pray to characters of the Lotus Sūtra all the time whether sitting, standing or walking.”

The aim of this interpretation is solely to save the ignorant in the Latter Age. The “inattentive mind” meaning the mind of an ordinary person engaged in daily routines is contrasted to the “concentrated mind.” “Reciting the Lotus Sūtra” means to recite either the whole eight fascicles or just one fascicle, one character, one phrase, one verse or the daimoku; it means also to rejoice upon hearing the Lotus Sūtra even for a moment or the joy of the fiftieth person who hears the sūtra transmitted from one person to the next. “Whether sitting, standing or walking” means regardless of what you are doing in daily life. “Whole heart” means neither spiritual concentration nor the rational faculty of the mind; it is the ordinary inattentive mind. “Praying to characters of the Lotus Sūtra” means that each character of the Lotus Sūtra, unlike that of other sūtras, contains all the characters of all the Buddhist scriptures and the merit of all Buddhas.

Grand Master T’ien-t’ai, therefore, states in his Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sūtra, fascicle 8, “Without opening this sūtra he who believes in the Lotus Sūtra reads it all the time; without uttering a word, recites various sūtras widely; without the Buddha preaching, always listens to the resounding voice of the Buddha; and without contemplating, shines over the entire dharma world.” The meaning of this statement is that, those who believe in the Lotus Sūtra are upholders of this sūtra twenty-four hours a day, even if a person does not hold the eight fascicles; that those who believe in the Lotus Sūtra are the same as those who continuously read all the Buddhist scriptures every day, hour and second even if they do not raise their voices in reciting the sūtras; that it has already been more than 2,000 years since the passing of the Buddha, whose voice remains in the ears of those who believe in the Lotus Sūtra, reminding them every hour and minute that the Buddha has always been in this Sahā World; and that without contemplating the doctrine of the “3,000 existences contained in one thought,” those who believe in the Lotus Sūtra observe all the worlds throughout the universe.

These merits are endowed solely to those who practice the Lotus Sūtra. Therefore, those who believe in the Lotus Sūtra have the virtue of shining over the dharma world without intention, reciting all the scriptures of Buddhism without voice, and upholding the eight-fascicled Lotus Sūtra without touching it, although they do not pray to the Buddha at the moment of death, do not recite sūtras by voice or enter
an exercise hall.

Shugo Kokka-ron, Treatise on Protecting the Nation, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Pages 39-40

I am reminded of the importance of Faith, Practice and Study. We begin with Faith, knowing nothing else. We Practice and Study. With Practice and Study our initial Faith ripens and becomes nourishment for our daily life.