The Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra

Chapter2(Inspiring Disciples with the Spirit of Propagation at the Cost of One’s Life)

Main Text

Hearing this, I rejoiced, saying that I had long expected it to come to this. In the past, the boy Snow Mountains offered his body for the sake of half a verse, Bodhisattva Ever Wailing sold his body, the boy Good Treasures threw himself into a fire, the ascetic Aspiration for the Law peeled off his own skin, Bodhisattva Medicine King burned his own arms, Bodhisattva Never Disparaging was beaten with sticks and staves, the Venerable Āryasimha was beheaded, and Bodhisattva Āryadeva was killed by a non-Buddhist, [all because of their devotion to Buddhism].

These events should be considered in terms of the time in which they occurred. The Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai declared that practice “should be that which accords with the time.”⁴ The Great Teacher Chang-an states, “You should let your choices be fitting and never adhere solely to one or the other.”⁵ The Lotus Sutra represents a single truth, but the way of its practice varies greatly according to the people’s capacity and the time.

The Buddha made a prophecy, saying: “After my death, during the beginning of the Latter Day of the Law that follows the two millennia of the Former and Middle Days, a person will appear who will propagate only the heart of the Lotus Sutra, the five characters of the daimoku. At that time an evil ruler will be in power, and evil monks, more numerous than the dust particles of the land, will argue with one another over the various Mahayana and Hinayana sutras. When the votary of the daimoku challenges the monks, they will incite their lay supporters to abuse, beat, or imprison him, to confiscate his lands, to exile or behead him. In spite of such persecutions, he will continue his propagation without ceasing. Meanwhile the ruler who persecutes him will be beset by rebellion, and his subjects will devour each other like hungry spirits. Finally the land will be attacked by a foreign country, for Brahmā, Shakra, the gods of the sun and moon, and the four heavenly kings have ordained that other countries shall assault a land that is hostile to the Lotus Sutra.”⁶

None of you who declare yourselves to be my disciples should ever give way to cowardice. Neither should you allow concern for your parents, wife, or children to hold you back, or be worried about your property. Since countless kalpas in the past you have thrown away your life more times than the number of dust particles of the land for the sake of your parents, your children, or your lands. But not once have you given up your life for the Lotus Sutra. You may have tried to practice its teachings to some extent, but whenever you were persecuted, you backslid and ceased to live by the sutra. That is like boiling water only to pour it into cold water, or like trying to strike fire but giving up halfway. Each and every one of you should be certain deep in your heart that sacrificing your life for the Lotus Sutra is like exchanging rocks for gold or dung for rice.

Now, at the beginning of the Latter Day of the Law, I, Nichiren, am the first to embark on propagating, throughout Jambudvīpa, the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo, which are the heart of the Lotus Sutra and the eye of all Buddhas. During the 2,220 or more years since the Buddha’s passing, not even Mahākāshyapa, Ānanda, Ashvaghosha, Nāgārjuna, Nan-yüeh, T’ien-t’ai, Miao-lo, or Dengyō has propagated them. My disciples, form your ranks and follow me, and surpass even Mahākāshyapa or Ānanda, T’ien-t’ai or Dengyō! If you quail before the threats of the ruler of this little island country [and abandon your faith], how will you face the even more terrible anger of Yama, the lord of hell? If, while calling yourselves the Buddha’s messengers, you give way to fear, you will be the most despicable of persons!

Notes

4. The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra.

5. The Annotations on the Nirvana Sutra.

6. This is not an actual quotation, but Nichiren Daishonin’s view of what Shakyamuni must have believed, based on various passages in the Lotus Sutra and other sutras.

Lecture

The Single Law and the Diversity of Practice

“The Lotus Sutra represents a single truth, but the way of its practice varies greatly according to the people’s capacity and the time.“

This passage explains the fundamental spirit of Buddhist practice. In the Letter to the Sage Nichimyo, Nichiren Daishonin quotes Great Master Chang-an: “You should let your choices be fitting and never adhere solely to one or the other.” He further explains that the practice to attain Buddhahood depends on the age. In ancient times, if there was no paper, practitioners would use their own skin; if there was no oil, they would burn their own arms to provide light for the Law. However, in an age where paper is abundant, there is no need to peel off one’s skin (WND-1, p.324).

This comparison highlights the difference between the severe austerities of Boy Snow Mountains (Sessen Doji) or Bodhisattva Medicine King (Yakuo) and the practice required in the Latter Day of the Law. Today, the Mystic Law of the “depths of the text” has appeared. Our practice is to believe in this Law and immediately perceive the truth. While we do not need to perform the physical sacrifices of the past, the Daishonin mentions them to teach that the fundamental spirit of practice lies in a dedicated seeking mind (kudo-shin).

In the two thousand years of the Former and Middle Days of the Law, people were born with “already planted seeds of goodness” (hon-i-u-zen). They could reach enlightenment through Shakyamuni’s Buddhism. During that time, Shoju (the gentle method of leading others) was appropriate. However, in the Latter Day, people have no such seeds (hon-mi-u-zen). Shakyamuni’s teachings have lost their power to save. The only path to Buddhahood is the Nam-myoho-renge-kyo of the Three Great Secret Laws.

Nichiren Daishonin explains in The Opening of the Eyes: “These two methods of shōju and shakubuku are like water and fire. Fire hates water, water detests fire. The practitioner of shōju laughs with scorn at shakubuku. The practitioner of shakubuku laments at the thought of shōju. When the country is full of evil people without wisdom, then shōju is the primary method to be applied, as described in the “Peaceful Practices” chapter. But at a time when there are many people of perverse views who slander the Law, then shakubuku should come first, as described in the “Never Disparaging” chapter. “ (WND-1, 285).

Today, Japan and the world are lands where slander of the Law prevails. Therefore, the essence of Buddhist practice in this age is summarized in two words: Shakubuku.

Propagation at the Cost of One’s Life (Shishin Guho)

The current momentum of the Soka Gakkai is like the rising sun, and the waves of Shakubuku have reached the entire world. This great development was built solely upon the practice of “not begrudging one’s life” by the first three presidents.

The Daishonin’s words to his disciples are severe: “Neither should you allow concern for your parents, wife, or children to hold you back, or be worried about your property. “ What a profound state of mind it must have taken for the Buddha of the Latter Day to say this to his followers! True faith is the resolve to remain dedicated to propagation even when facing life-threatening obstacles.

He writes: “Since countless kalpas in the past you have thrown away your life more times than the number of dust particles of the land for the sake of your parents, your children, or your lands. But not once have you given up your life for the Lotus Sutra.” No matter how hard one works for family happiness or material wealth, these provide no absolute solution; life remains a cycle of delusions. However, the Human Revolution achieved through Buddhism offers a fundamental solution that never crumbles. In a modern society where life is often treated lightly—lost in wars or accidents—people are searching for a philosophy that provides a true sense of fulfillment. That eternal, unchanging philosophy is the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin.

The Heart of the Sutra Unspread for 2,220 Years

Shakyamuni Buddha predicted the future in the Great Collection Sutra, dividing the time after his passing into five 500-year periods:

1. Age of Enlightenment

2. Age of Meditation

3. Age of Reading, Reciting, and Listening

4. Age of Building Temples and Stupas

5. Age of Quarrel and Dispute (The start of the Latter Day), when the “Pure Law” would be lost.

For over two thousand years, great teachers like Mahakashyapa, Ananda, Nagarjuna, Vasubandhu, T’ien-t’ai, and Dengyo appeared. They understood the Law of three thousand realms in a single moment of life (ichinen sanzen), but they did not spread it openly. As noted in The Opening of the Eyes: “Nagarjuna and Vasubandhu knew it in their hearts but did not speak of it.”

There are four reasons why they remained silent:

1. They themselves were not the ones commissioned to spread it.

2. The capacity of the people at that time was not ready.

3. The Buddha had not yet transferred the Law to them.

4. The correct time had not yet arrived.

They were “Theoretical Bodhisattvas” (shakko no bosatsu), whereas the Latter Day required the “Bodhisattvas of the Earth” (jiyu no bosatsu). Now, in the Fifth Five-Hundred-Year Period, the world is filled with conflict and greed. Shakyamuni’s Buddhism has lost its efficacy.

Just as predicted in the Medicine King chapter—“In the last five-hundred-year period, propagate it widely (Kosen-rufu) throughout the world”—Nichiren Daishonin appeared as the Buddha of the Latter Day to reveal Nam-myoho-renge-kyo for the salvation of all living beings.