The Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra

Chapter13(Amidado Hoin’s Prayer for Rain: Invoking a Violent Storm)

Main Text

When I returned home, I heard that the Dharma Seal of the Amida Hall²⁶ had been asked to pray for rain from the tenth day of the fourth month. This Dharma Seal is the most learned priest of Tō-ji and the teacher of the prelate of Omuro.²⁷ He has mastered the True Word esoteric teachings of the great teachers Kōbō, Jikaku, and Chishō, and has memorized all the doctrines of the various schools such as Tendai and Flower Garland. He began praying for rain on the tenth day, and on the eleventh a heavy rain fell. There was no wind, but only a gentle rain that fell for a day and a night. The regent, the lord of Sagami, was said to have been so deeply impressed that he presented the Dharma Seal with thirty ryo in gold, a horse, and other gifts as a reward.

When the people of Kamakura heard this, eminent and humble alike clapped their hands, pursed their lips, and laughed with derision, saying: “That Nichiren preached a false kind of Buddhism and came near to getting his head cut off. He was finally pardoned, but instead of learning his lesson, he goes on slandering the Nembutsu and Zen schools, and even dares to speak ill of the esoteric teachings of True Word. How fortunate that we have had this rain to serve as proof of the power of True Word prayers!”

Faced with such criticisms, my disciples became quite downcast and complained that I had been too provocative in my attacks on the True Word school. But I said to them, “Just wait a while. If the evil teachings of the Great Teacher Kōbō could be correct and in fact produce effective prayers for the welfare of the nation, then the Retired Emperor of Oki would surely have been victorious in his struggle with the Kamakura shogunate, and Setaka,²⁸ the favorite boy attendant of the prelate of Omuro, would not have had his head cut off. Kōbō in his Treatise on the Ten Stages of the Mind states that the Lotus Sutra is inferior to the Flower Garland Sutra. In his Precious Key to the Secret Treasury he claims that the Shakyamuni Buddha of the ‘Life Span’ chapter of the Lotus Sutra is an ordinary person, and in his Comparison of Exoteric and Esoteric Buddhism he calls the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai a thief. Moreover, Shōgaku-bō²⁹ in his Rules of Rites for Revering the Buddha’s Relics states that the Buddha who preached the one vehicle of the Lotus Sutra is not even worthy to tend the sandals of a True Word master. The Dharma Seal of the Amida Hall is a follower of the men who taught these perverse doctrines. If such a man could show himself superior to me, then the dragon kings who send down the rain must be the enemies of the Lotus Sutra, and they will surely be chastised by the gods Brahmā and Shakra and the four heavenly kings. There must be more to this than meets the eye!”

“What do you mean by ‘more than meets the eye’?” my disciples asked with a scornful smile.

I replied: “Shan-wu-wei and Pu-k’ung both caused rain to fall in answer to their prayers, but it is recorded that they also brought about high winds. When Kōbō prayed for rain, it fell after twenty-one days had passed. But under such circumstances, it is the same as though he had not caused it to rain at all, since some rain is naturally bound to fall in the course of a twenty-one-day interval. The fact that it happened to rain while he was praying for it is in no way remarkable. What is really impressive is to cause it to fall through a single ceremony, the way T’ien-t’ai and Senkan³⁰ did. That is why I say there must be something peculiar about this rain.”

I had not even finished speaking when a great gale began to blow. Houses of every size, Buddhist halls and pagodas, old trees, and government buildings all were swept up into the air or toppled to the ground. A huge shining object flew through the sky, and the earth was strewn with beams and rafters. Men and women were blown to their death, and many cattle and horses were struck down. One might have excused such an evil wind if it had come in autumn, the typhoon season, but this was only the fourth month, the beginning of summer. Moreover, this wind did not blow throughout the country, but struck only the eight provinces of the Kanto region, and in fact only the two provinces of Musashi and Sagami. It blew strongest in Sagami; and within Sagami, it blew strongest in Kamakura; and within Kamakura, it blew strongest at the government headquarters, Wakamiya, and the temples Kenchō-ji and Gokuraku-ji. It was apparent that it was no ordinary wind, but rather the result of the Dharma Seal’s prayers alone. The people who had earlier pursed their lips and laughed at me suddenly turned sober, and my disciples too were astonished and expressed their wonder.

Notes

26. The Dharma Seal of the Amida Hall refers to the True Word priest Kaga Jōsei, who was the superintendent of the Amida Hall in Kamakura.

27. The prelate of Omuro refers to Prince Dōjō (n.d.), a son of Emperor Gotoba who had entered the priesthood. This generally means the title of a retired emperor or prince who entered the priesthood and lived at Ninna-ji, a True Word temple in Kyoto. Omuro is another name for Ninna-ji.

28. Setaka (d. 1221) was the sixth son of Sasaki Hirotsuna, a warrior who supported Emperor Gotoba. He was the cherished favorite of the prince-priest Dōjō at Ninna-ji, and was beheaded in 1221 at the time of the Jōkyū Disturbance.

29. Shōgaku-bō (1095–1143), also called Kakuban, was the precursor of the New Doctrine branch of the True Word school.

30. Senkan (918–983) was a priest of the Tendai school. In the summer of 962, when Japan was suffering from drought, the emperor ordered him to offer prayers for rain. It is said that, immediately after the imperial envoy reached him, he caused rain to fall.

Lecture

In response to the third national remonstration, the Shogunate defiantly answered by ordering Shingon practitioners to pray for rain. One could hardly imagine a more reckless act. At this point, the Daishonin abandoned the Shogunate and entered Mount Minobu. By rejecting the Correct Law and daring to utilize the erroneous teachings that lead to national ruin, the Shogunate determined its own destruction by its own hand. It was the height of folly.

Regarding the three national remonstrations, as previously stated, the “Selection of the Time” (Senji-sho) notes: “I have had three opportunities to gain distinction” (WND-1, p. 579). According to this passage, in the first and second instances, he refuted the Nembutsu and Zen sects, and in the third, he turned his refutation toward the Shingon sect.

Here, let us clarify how the Shingon sect, at its very source, established erroneous doctrines and became the cause of national ruin. In India, shortly after Shingon Esotericism was established, the land was invaded by Arab Muslims from the west, and the entirety of India fell under foreign rule for several hundred years. During this period, Buddhist and Hindu temples were destroyed, and monks were slaughtered. Consequently, practitioners of Indian esotericism fled to China in succession. This was the eighth century, and the proof of “Shingon leads to national ruin” had already clearly manifested in India. This was the reason why the “Three Tripitaka Masters” (Shan-wu-wei, Chin-kang-chih, and P’u-k’ung) traveled to China.

The Shingon sect as a distinct school was established in China, and its founder was Shan-wu-wei. Originally a prince of the kingdom of Udyāna in India, he was envied by his brothers and driven from the throne. He then entered the priesthood and studied esoteric teachings. The esotericism he learned was not a philosophical understanding of Buddhism but a school that sought attainment through physical ritual, heavily influenced by non-Buddhist traditions such as Yoga.

Shan-wu-wei traveled to China carrying the Mahavairocana Sutra. At that time, China maintained active diplomatic relations with India, and Buddhist monks from India were specially favored. However, in China, the erroneous “three schools of the south and seven of the north” had already been refuted by the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai, and the religious world had been unified under the T’ien-t’ai school. Under these circumstances, Shan-wu-wei manipulated the meditation master I-hsing, a T’ien-t’ai monk who harbored dissatisfaction with his own school. After learning the T’ien-t’ai doctrines from him, Shan-wu-wei taught utter nonsense, claiming: “The Mahavairocana Sutra I brought is identical to the Lotus Sutra in India. Shakyamuni Buddha, addressing Shariputra and Maitreya, discarded the mudras and mantras of the Mahavairocana Sutra to preach only the principle under the name of the Lotus Sutra. Conversely, Mahavairocana Buddha, addressing Vajrasattva, preached the Lotus Sutra under the name of the Mahavairocana Sutra.”

Deceived by these clever words, I-hsing wrote the Annotation on the Mahavairocana Sutra, thereby assisting Shan-wu-wei’s proselytization in China. Furthermore, Shan-wu-wei skillfully utilized his royal lineage to win the profound faith of Emperor Hsüan-tsung, rapidly spreading the Shingon errors. Following him, Chin-kang-chih and P’u-k’ung also arrived from India to spread Shingon esotericism. These three are known as the “Three Tripitaka Masters of Shingon” in China. Shan-wu-wei died showing signs of falling into hell. The Daishonin attributes this to two great slanders: claiming the Mahavairocana Sutra was superior to the Lotus Sutra, and asserting that Mahavairocana Buddha was superior to Shakyamuni Buddha. The Great Tang Empire, which had boasted unprecedented prosperity in Chinese history, declined and eventually perished as these evil Shingon laws became prevalent. In China as well, Shingon clearly manifested the actual proof of national ruin.

The founder of the Shingon sect in Japan was Kūkai (Kōbō). He traveled to Tang China in the same fleet as the Great Teacher Dengyō and studied Shingon esotericism under Hui-kuo at Ch’ing-lung-ssu temple. He returned to Japan with over two hundred volumes of sutras, treatises, and commentaries, including the Birushana and Diamond Crown sutras.

However, the methods Kūkai used to spread Shingon were nothing more than tricks to deceive the simple-minded. It is said that upon his departure from China, he stood on the beach at Ming-chou and threw a three-pronged ritual stick (sanko) toward Japan, vowing to establish his primary temple wherever it landed. This is how Mount Kōya was allegedly discovered. Furthermore, after returning to Japan, he gathered various sects at the imperial court to establish Shingon; it is claimed that when he formed the “wisdom fist” mudra and faced south, his mouth suddenly opened, and he transformed into the Dharma-body Buddha. It is also said that in the spring of the ninth year of Kōnin (818), when an epidemic ravaged the land, his prayers using the Heart Sutra stopped the plague, and the sun shone brilliantly even at night.

All of these are tales akin to child’s play. However, just as people returning from study abroad in the Meiji and Taishō eras were prized, he was able to use his status as a high priest returning from Tang China to easily delude the masses.

Kūkai’s erroneous doctrines are evident in his works such as The Ten Abodes of the Mind, The Precious Key to the Secret Treasury, and The Comparison of Exoteric and Esoteric Teachings. To list a few: First, in The Ten Abodes of the Mind, he claims that compared to the Flower Garland and Mahavairocana sutras, the Lotus Sutra is a “mere work of childish theory” (kiron). Second, in the Rules of the Rite for the Relics of the Buddha, he asserts that when compared to the Dharma-body Mahavairocana Buddha, Shakyamuni Buddha is in the “region of darkness” and is not even worthy of being a sandal-bearer. Third, he claimed the T’ien-t’ai school was a thief that had stolen the “daigo” (supreme butter) flavor from the Shingon Sutra of the Six Paramitas.

These were the great lies of Kūkai’s particular style—erroneous teachings born of arrogance and prejudice, found nowhere in the sutras. Regarding the third point, the Sutra of the Six Paramitas was first brought to China during the Tang dynasty. The Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai lived earlier, during the Chen and Sui dynasties. How could T’ien-t’ai, who had already passed away, have stolen from a sutra that had not yet arrived? The “daigo” flavor was established by T’ien-t’ai during his lifetime. Kūkai’s arguments were utterly nonsensical.

Was it not Kūkai, rather than T’ien-t’ai, who was the “thief of the Law”? The Shingon doctrine relies on the three sutras (Mahavairocana, Diamond Crown, and Susiddhikara), along with treatises such as The Treatise on the Mind Aspiring for Enlightenment and Kūkai’s own works. These claim that everything consists of the six great elements (earth, water, fire, wind, space, and consciousness), that Buddhas and ordinary beings are identical, and that all Buddhas and bodhisattvas are divided into the Diamond Realm (representing wisdom) and the Womb Realm (representing principle), unified ultimately by Mahavairocana Buddha. However, it is clear that these doctrines were constructed by stealing the T’ien-t’ai teachings of “three thousand realms in a single moment of life” (ichinen sanzen) and the Lotus Sutra’s philosophy of “opening the near and revealing the distant.”

Moreover, Kūkai gained fame not so much through Shingon itself but through civil engineering projects, such as building embankments for irrigation ponds to cultivate new fields. Spreading erroneous religious doctrines on the back of such worldly fame is a tactic no different from the low-level religions of today.

The theory that “Shingon leads to national ruin” was proven by the Jōkyū Disturbance in Japan. It was also made manifest in China during Emperor Hsüan-tsung’s reign, evidenced by the tragedy of Yang Kuei-fei and internal administrative chaos resulting from his devotion to the erroneous Shingon law, which ultimately forced his abdication. Therefore, the “Letter to Misawa” states: “As for the Zen, Nembutsu, and Precepts schools… I have mentioned them briefly before. It is the Shingon sect that will truly ruin this country and its people” (WND-1, p. 896).

In this way, the Shingon sect was extremely evil at its very source; how much worse are its later branches? While the Daishonin stated in various writings that Shingon ruins the nation, Zen is the work of heavenly devils, and Nembutsu leads to the hell of incessant suffering, High Priest Nikkan clarified that this was an initial categorization. Ultimately, all three sects lead to the incessant hell, are the work of heavenly devils, and cause national ruin. An evil law that casts people into hell cannot be anything other than the work of devils and a cause of ruin.

Rain Prayers and the Correctness of the Law

In June 1271, Ryōkan of Gokuraku-ji performed a rite for rain and failed spectacularly. Regarding this, the “Petition of Hyōe no Saemon no Jō Yoritomo” states: “On the eighteenth day of the sixth month in 1271, when there was a great drought, Nichiren heard that Ryōkan was performing a rite to save the people. He said, ‘Though this is a small matter, I will use it to let everyone know the power of my teaching.’ He sent a message to Ryōkan saying: ‘If you bring rain within seven days, I will discard my teaching… and become your disciple. If no rain falls, it will be clear that your claim to be a keeper of the precepts is a great deception.’ In ancient times, there were many examples of deciding the superiority of teachings through rain prayers, such as Gomyō versus Dengyō, and Shubin versus Kūkai.”

Nichiren Daishonin heard that Ryōkan publically claimed he would save the masses from the suffering of the drought. While praying for rain is a minor matter, it has historically been used to determine the correctness of Buddhist laws. To convince everyone of the truth of his Buddhism, the Daishonin predicted Ryōkan’s failure. He declared that if it rained within seven days, he would admit error and become Ryōkan’s disciple. He sought to decide the truth of the Law through actual proof.

“Praying for Rain by the Three Tripitaka Masters” states: “In judging the relative merit of Buddhist teachings, I, Nichiren, believe that the best standards are those of reason and documentary proof. And even more valuable than reason and documentary proof is the standard of actual proof” (WND-1, p. 599). Documentary, theoretical, and actual proof are the three criteria for judging a religion. This shows that the Daishonin sought to prove the correctness of his Buddhism through a rigorous, almost scientific method.

Whether in the “On Establishing the Correct Analysis for the Peace of the Land” or any other writing, the Daishonin always cites precise documentary evidence, clarifies Buddhist philosophy as theoretical proof, and invariably demonstrates actual evidence. He substantiated his public declarations without the slightest deviation.

There are many historical examples of rain prayers. In China, Shan-wu-wei brought rain during the reign of Hsüan-tsung, but a violent wind simultaneously arose and ravaged the land. In the case of Chin-kang-chih, rain fell on the seventh day, but a great gale blew so fiercely that an order for his deportation was even considered. P’u-k’ung also brought both rain and violent winds.

In Japan, during the great drought of 824, Kūkai was ordered by the Emperor to pray for rain. First, Shubin prayed and brought rain within seven days, but only in Kyoto and not in the countryside. Kūkai then prayed, but even after twenty-one days, no rain fell. Finally, the Emperor prayed himself, and it rained. Shockingly, Kūkai claimed credit for this rain—a truly appalling act.

In contrast, when the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai prayed using the Lotus Sutra, it was neither a deluge nor accompanied by wind; he brought a “sweet rain” that saved the land from a great drought during the Chen dynasty. Similarly, the Great Teacher Dengyō brought a moderate rain on the third day of a drought in 818, moistening the earth. The Emperor was so overjoyed that he permitted the establishment of the Mahayana Ordination Platform.

Thus, the contest between the Lotus Sutra and the erroneous Shingon law is unmistakable when judged by actual proof.

Furthermore, as shown in this era, in April 1274, Kaga Hoin (also known as Amida-dō Hoin), who was revered as the most learned man of Tō-ji temple, prayed and brought rain. However, a violent gale began to blow. Ironically, this wind struck most fiercely at the residences of the powerful who slandered the Correct Law—the Shogunate in Kamakura, the Wakamiya Shrine, and temples like Kenchō-ji and Gokuraku-ji where erroneous monks resided.

“The Letter to Hōren” states: “One should use proximate actual proof to gain faith in what is distant” (WND-1, p. 511). According to this passage, the “proximate actual proof” was the violent gale brought by Kaga Hoin’s Shingon prayers, which ravaged Kamakura. From this, one should have gained “faith in what is distant”—namely, that praying through Shingon would lead to national ruin. In October of that same year, just as the Daishonin had predicted, the first Mongol invasion took place.