The Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra

President Ikeda’s Lecture, June Issue (From the April–June 2012 Daibyakuenge)

Stand as the “Pillars” for Kosen-rufu and the Transformation of Humanity’s Karma!

In May 1972, I visited the home of Dr. Arnold Toynbee, the greatest historian of the 20th century, in London, beginning a dialogue that would span two years. While our themes were diverse, I asked him a question related to his research: “Dr. Toynbee, what is it that you wish to do most right now?”

It may have been a sudden question, but the Doctor replied with a gentle, deep gaze:

“I would like to continue doing exactly what we are doing in this room right now. In other words, what our dialogue here represents is an effort to unite all of humanity as a single family. I believe this is of the utmost importance; for humanity to survive, we must become one single, great family.”

All of humanity as one family! Dialogue for that purpose! Dialogue to the very end! In those words, I felt I caught a glimpse of the inner fighter and the profound compassion of Dr. Toynbee, who believed so deeply in human potential.

Becoming the “Spiritual Pillar” of Humanity

Can the “world” where this great family resides truly become one “home”? What Dr. Toynbee and I confirmed was the hope that religion—specifically Mahayana Buddhism—would surely play a major role in the future of humanity.

Without a “spiritual pillar,” neither a home, nor a society, nor humanity itself can truly prosper. Nichiren Daishonin sought to build a society based on the spirit of the Lotus Sutra—the essence of Mahayana Buddhism—as its fundamental pillar. To that end, he stood up alone to awaken the rulers and save the nation through the spirit of Buddhist wisdom and compassion.

In the midst of persecution, the Daishonin cried out: “I will be the pillar of Japan” (WND-1, p. 280) “Nichiren is the pillar and beam of Japan. To lose me is to topple the pillar of Japan” (WND-1, p. 579)

In The Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra, the Daishonin demonstrated this soulful message through his own behavior, both for his disciples struggling against hardship and for the future of all humanity. Let us learn from the “faith of the disciple” that follows the Daishonin’s spirit of protecting the people.

The Gosho Passage (1)

I then summarized the teachings of the Great Concentration and Insight and the True Word, Zen, and Nembutsu schools, and asked my challengers to state their own positions. I pressed them to support their views, but they were silenced after only one or two exchanges. You can imagine how it was. It was as if a sharp sword were cutting through a melon, or a great wind were bending the grass. They were not only ignorant of Buddhist teachings, but they also contradicted themselves. They confused the sutras with the commentaries, or the commentaries with the sutras. (WND-1, p. 771)

Commentary

The Conduct of a “King”

At the Sanmai-do in Tsukahara, Sado—a place closed in by deep snow and biting winds—the Daishonin spent his days chanting Nam-myoho-ren-ge-kyo and discussing the profound meaning of the Lotus Sutra with the moon and stars. Because he possessed the vast state of life of a King of Lions who feared nothing, he made the “Law” his fundamental standard even in exile.

As we confirmed previously, the Daishonin viewed his persecutors as “good friends” (zenchishiki) who helped him prove his identity as the Votary of the Lotus Sutra. Meanwhile, hundreds of priests from other schools in Sado were in a frenzy, plotting to take his life.

Honma Rokuro Saemon-no-jo, the official in charge, restrained them, saying: “The Shogunate has sent orders not to kill him. He is no ordinary exile. If an accident happens, it is my responsibility. Challenge him with doctrine instead.”

Thus, on January 16, 1272, the “Tsukahara Debate” took place. Priests from Sado and neighboring provinces gathered in massive numbers. Their hatred was so intense it was described as “like thundering lightning”—an extraordinary scene of abuse and shouting.

However, the Daishonin remained composed. After letting them speak, he admonished them: “Be quiet. You came for a debate, did you not? Abusive language is meaningless.” Even the officials agreed and restrained the rowdy Nembutsu priests.

Once the debate began, it was a one-sided victory. The Daishonin would clarify their positions and then point out their errors. They were silenced instantly. He described it as “a sharp sword cutting a melon.” They were so ignorant they confused the basic categories of Buddhist texts. Many were so moved by his logic and dignity that they discarded their prayer beads and vowed never to chant the Nembutsu again.

Following the debate, the Daishonin asked Honma when he would return to Kamakura. When Honma replied he would go in July after the farming was done, the Daishonin told him: “A warrior should rush to his master’s side during an emergency to win fame and land. While you speak of farming, a war is about to break out.”

Honma could not understand this at the time. But the Daishonin was certain that “internal strife” (jikai hangyaku-nan) would occur. Within a month, the “February Rebellion”—an internal conflict within the ruling Hojo clan—became a reality. Stunned by the fulfillment of this prophecy, Honma became a devoted follower.

The Gosho Passage (2)

After everyone had left, I began to put into writing a work in two volumes called The Opening of the Eyes, which I had been reflecting on since the eleventh month of the previous year. I wanted to record the wonder of Nichiren in case I should be beheaded. The main theme of this work is that the survival of Japan depends on Nichiren. A house cannot stand without pillars, and a person is but a corpse without a soul. Nichiren is the soul of the people of Japan. Hei no Saemon has already toppled the pillar of Japan. Because the country is now in chaos, and rumors like nightmares are being told, internal strife will break out within the ruling clan, and later the country will be attacked by a foreign power. I have described this in detail in On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land. I wrote this down and gave it to a messenger of Nakatsukasa Saburo Saemon-no-jo [Shijo Kingo]. My disciples thought the claims were too strong, but they could not stop me. On the eighteenth day of the second month, a ship arrived at the island with news that a battle had broken out in Kamakura and Kyoto. The chaos was beyond description. (WND-1, p. 772)

Commentary

Presenting The Opening of the Eyes to Disciples

Though he had escaped execution at Tatsunokuchi, the Daishonin remained an exile whose life could be taken at any moment. With this resolve, he authored The Opening of the Eyes (Kaimoku Sho) to record his state of life—his “casting off the transient and revealing the true” (hossaku kenpon).

The “heart of The Opening of the Eyes” is this: “Nichiren is the pillar of Japan; the soul of its people.” To persecute him was to topple the very pillar of the nation. He predicted that the “two disasters” of internal strife and foreign invasion were now inevitable.

When he sent this work to Shijo Kingo and other disciples in Kamakura, the disciples nearby were worried that his claims were too provocative. Yet, the Daishonin’s resolve was unshakable. Why did he speak so strongly? Because the “Law” of the Mystic Law is supreme. As he wrote elsewhere: “If the Law one embraces is supreme, then the person who embraces it must also be supreme” (WND-1, p. 61).

His “soul” was the “vow for Kosen-rufu”—the “heart of the Buddha.” It is the burning passion that says, “I will not let a single person be unhappy.”

Sixty years ago, President Toda published an essay titled “Humbly Reading a Passage from The Opening of the Eyes.” He wrote:

“Rather than trying to understand the words, I seek to touch the Buddha’s great compassion, his magnificent conviction, and his solemn spirit of Kosen-rufu… Every time I read the Gosho, his heart pierces mine like the midsummer sun.”

Proclaiming Kosen-rufu from the Depth of Adversity

The Daishonin’s declaration of being the “Pillar,” the “Eyes,” and the “Great Ship” of Japan was a great vow to save all people. Even in the worst adversity of exile, he loudly proclaimed the realization of Kosen-rufu in the Latter Day. This was the “soul” of the Sado period. He sought to raise all people to the state of Buddhahood and save the world.

The Gosho Passage (3)

When the former Governor of Musashi [Hojo Nobutoki] heard of this, he said: “There is no need to report this to the Shogunate. If any people in Sado follow Nichiren, exile them or put them in prison!” He issued his own private orders… Disciples were put in prison just for passing by my hut, or exiled for offering me gifts. Their wives and children were taken away. While Nobutoki was doing this, an official pardon from the Shogunate arrived on the eighth day of the third month. The Nembutsu priests plotted together: “This enemy of Amida Buddha, who slanders the Great Teacher Shan-tao and Honen, was lucky to be exiled here. We cannot let him return alive!” They made various plots, but a favorable wind blew and I left the island. Though the crossing usually takes three days even with a good wind, I crossed in a moment… On the twenty-sixth day of the third month, I entered Kamakura. (WND-1, pp. 772-773)

Commentary

 Overcoming Persecution and Returning to Kamakura

Fearing the Daishonin’s increasing influence, Nembutsu priests slandered him to Hojo Nobutoki, claiming he was cursing the government. Nobutoki issued illegal orders to persecute anyone who supported the Daishonin.

But conspiracy is the proof of evil. No despicable plot could trap the Daishonin. His disciples endured with all their might. On March 8, 1274, the pardon arrived. Despite the priests’ attempts to ambush him during his journey, the Daishonin was protected by many soldiers. On March 26, he finally returned to Kamakura. This was a “triumphant return” for the disciples who had waited so long.

The Gosho Passage (4)

On the eighth day of the fourth month, I met with Hei no Saemon-no-jo. His manner was completely different from before; he was polite and respectful… He asked me: “When do you think the great Mongol empire will attack?” I replied: “It will surely be this year… You should not have the True Word priests or other priests of the present day offer prayers. If you do, this country will surely lose the war… If I am not used, the country will certainly be destroyed… Since I am the messenger of the Lord Shakyamuni, even the Sun Goddess and Great Bodhisattva Hachiman should bow their heads and join their hands before me… If you use me but treat me poorly, the country will perish. How much more so if you cause hundreds of people to hate me and exile me twice! There is no doubt the country will perish.” I told him this very firmly. (WND-1, pp. 774-775)

Commentary

The Third Remonstrance with the Sovereign

This was the Daishonin’s third and final remonstrance. The Shogunate’s attitude had changed to one of courtesy, but it was merely a tactic to co-opt him. They asked for his prophecy on the Mongol invasion. The Daishonin warned that relying on the misleading prayers of the True Word priests would only lead to ruin.

Hei no Saemon offered the Daishonin a temple in an attempt to make him a state priest, but the Daishonin refused to be used for the preservation of power. He maintained his lofty spirit: “Though my body may be under your command, my heart will never be” (WND-1, p. 579).

He stood by his vow to be the “Pillar of Japan,” refusing to compromise. His purpose was the happiness and peace of the people. Having remonstrated three times without being heeded, he followed the custom of the ancients and left for Mount Minobu in May. In October of that year, the first Mongol invasion (the Bun’ei Incident) occurred.

Kosen-rufu Is a Movement from One Person to the Next

While the Shogunate made the wrong choice, the Daishonin poured his life into fostering disciples at Minobu. The struggle for Kosen-rufu never ends.

“At first only Nichiren chanted Nam-myoho-ren-ge-kyo, but then two, three, and a hundred followed, chanting and teaching others. So it will be in the future as well. Is this not the meaning of ’emerging from the earth’?” (WND-1, p. 385)

When a disciple stands up with the same vow as the mentor, Kosen-rufu advances. This is the path to transforming the karma of humanity. The three presidents of Soka have taught us this through their own actions. Because of their spirit, Buddhism has spread to 192 countries and territories.

The Mentor’s Words: “Youth Are the Pillars of the Nation”

Dr. Lokesh Chandra, director of the International Academy of Indian Culture, once shared how his father, Dr. Raghu Vira, was deeply moved by the Daishonin’s words: “I will be the pillar of Japan, I will be the eyes of Japan, I will be the great ship of Japan.” He saw the Daishonin as a model of human greatness in the face of adversity.

Humanity now stands at a crossroads. Can we transform our karma? President Toda cried out: “Youth are the pillars of the nation!” Today, I call out again: “Youth are the pillars of the 21st century! Youth of the world, stand up alone!”

Kosen-rufu is an unprecedented movement where each individual, through their “behavior” as a practitioner of the Mystic Law, stands up as a “pillar” for the transformation of humanity’s karma.

Together with the youth who shoulder the glorious future of the Soka Gakkai—directly linked to the True Buddha—the time has come to let the flowers of victory bloom!