On Repaying Debts of Gratitude
Nichiren
Chapter30(Nichiren Daishonin’s “Knowing and Repaying Debts of Gratitude”)
Main Text
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 Kuan Lung-feng, cutting off his head; or as King Dammira treated the Venerable Āryasimha, beheading him. I will be banished like the priest Chu Tao-sheng, or branded on the face like the Tripitaka Master Fa-tao.
In the Lotus Sutra, however, it is written, “We care nothing for our bodies or lives but are anxious only for the unsurpassed way.”111 And the Nirvana Sutra warns, “[It is like a royal envoy who] would rather, even though it costs him his life, in the end conceal none of the words of his ruler.”
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 Kōchō era (1261), the year with the cyclical sign kanoto-tori, having incurred the wrath of the authorities, I was banished to Ito in the province of Izu. Eventually, on the twenty-second day of the second month in the third year of Kōchō, 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 Never Disparaging suffered in ancient times. It would seem that even the persecutions suffered by the monk Realization of Virtue in the latter age after the passing of the Buddha Joy Increasing 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 Rāhula in ancient times, strictly observing all the two hundred and fifty precepts, or men who are as wise as Pūrna, speak evil of Nichiren when they encounter him. Even worthies who are as honest and upright as the court officials Wei Cheng112 and Fujiwara no Yoshifusa,113 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 believe in the Nembutsu will fall into the hell of incessant suffering. Whenever I come upon a person who honors the True Word teachings, I tell him that True Word is an evil doctrine that will destroy the nation. And to the ruler of the nation, who honors the Zen school, I declare that Zen is the invention of the heavenly devil.
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 True Word teachers went to the magistrate or the men of powerful families, or to their wives or their widows who were lay nuns, 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 late lay priests of Saimyō-ji and Gokuraku-ji had fallen into the hell of incessant suffering. Those widows who were lay nuns insisted that investigation was unnecessary; rather, I should have my head cut off at once, 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), 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 in the province of Sado.
While people speculated from one day to the next if I would be beheaded, I passed four years114 on Sado. Then on the fourteenth day of the second month in the eleventh year of Bun’ei, cyclical sign 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 met with Hei no Saemon-no-jō. 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 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 worthy man makes three attempts to warn the rulers 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.
Notes
111. Ibid., chap. 13.
112. Wei Cheng (580–643) was a minister who faithfully served Emperor T’ai-tsung of the T’ang dynasty and gave counsel to his government.
113. Fujiwara no Yoshifusa (804–872) was the minister of the left and grandfather of the fifty-sixth emperor Seiwa. Having become a court official at an early age, he laid the foundation for the prosperity of the Fujiwara family.
114. The Daishonin means here that his exile on Sado spanned the years 1271 to 1274.
Lecture
This chapter reveals that Nichiren Daishonin, throughout his entire life, offered his very life to repay the four debts of gratitude: to his parents, to his teacher, to the Three Treasures (the Buddha, the Law, and the Priesthood), and to his nation. While this writing outlines these four virtues, it places a specific emphasis on the debt of gratitude to one’s teacher (mentor).
In a general sense, repaying these debts would require the study of Shakyamuni’s lifetime of teachings and the commentaries of the eight schools of Buddhism. However, in our lineage, the sole way to truly “know and repay gratitude” is to believe in the Gohonzon of the Three Great Secret Laws, chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, and exert oneself in the practice of “shishin gubo” (propagating the Law even at the cost of one’s life).
The life of Nichiren Daishonin—leading from his exile to Ito, the Tatsunokuchi Persecution, and his exile to Sado, to his eventual entry into Mount Minobu—was a life of great mercy and compassion, dedicated to saving all living beings throughout the eternal future as the True Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law.
The Soka Gakkai exists today solely because of the “shishin gubo” practice of its first and second presidents. How, then, can we repay the profound debt we owe these mentors? It is only by diligently exerting ourselves in faith and practice, cherishing every moment, and advancing along the great path of kosen-rufu with a renewed resolve to “not begrudge one’s life” (fujishaku shinmyo).
Here, however, we see a difference in the times. Beginning with the great persecutions throughout the Daishonin’s life, the history of this lineage has been one of constant oppression and legal trials. Even during the Edo period, imprisonments, banishments, and exiles never ceased.
Yet, following the death in prison of the first president, Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, and the inauguration of the second president, Josei Toda, the time for kosen-rufu has finally arrived. The reach of shakubuku is extending not only within Japan but to nations across the globe. Compared to previous eras where believers had to endure and persevere through sheer suppression and persecution, we now live in a time where individuals, families, and society as a whole can increasingly devote themselves to faith and practice while basking in the great benefit of the Gohonzon.
When we reflect on the predecessors who fought through these persecutions, we feel most poignantly that Soka Gakkai members must never for a single moment forget the sincerity of knowing and repaying their debts of gratitude.
“In all of Japan, Nichiren alone knew this”
In the Gosho The Opening of the Eyes, the Daishonin states: “I, Nichiren, am the only person in all Japan who understands this.” (WND-1, p. 239). “This” refers to the fact that erroneous religious doctrines are the fundamental cause of the people’s unhappiness. His grand declaration that he alone in Japan—nay, in the entire world—knew this terrifying truth is a testament to his incredibly powerful conviction.
In his lectures on The Opening of the Eyes, my mentor, Josei Toda, said:
“Therefore, without regard for fame or advancement, he took his place among the common people and stood up to save the masses, ready to discard his life. Because he alone in the Latter Day of the Law understood the great principle for the salvation of the people, he is truly a Sage and a Buddha. Does this single statement not reveal Nichiren Daishonin’s dauntless spirit and mental strength?”
Fortunately, we have come to know this truth as well. Therefore, as disciples of Nichiren Daishonin, let us join our mentor in leading the vanguard of kosen-rufu.
The Daishonin also writes:
“Even sages who persevere in their practice as earnestly as did Rāhula in ancient times, strictly observing all the two hundred and fifty precepts, or men who are as wise as Pūrna, speak evil of Nichiren when they encounter him. Even worthies who are as honest and upright as the court officials Wei Cheng and Fujiwara no Yoshifusa, when they see Nichiren, forsake reason and treat him unjustly.” (Ref: WND-1, p. 727)
This refers to people like Ryokan of Gokuraku-ji Temple. During the Kamakura period, Ryokan received protection from high-ranking shogunate officials and their wives. He performed charitable acts to cover for the powerlessness of his religion, successfully convincing the masses that he was a “living Buddha.” However, when confronted by the Daishonin’s profound refutation, the Daishonin’s “fundamental nature of enlightenment” (ganpon no hossho) caused Ryokan’s “fundamental darkness” (ganpon no munyo) to flare up violently. He came to hate and slander the Daishonin, using cowardly behind-the-scenes methods to persecute him. He is the representative figure of the “arrogant false saints” (sensho zojoman).
Similarly, in the modern day, we see people who usually seem respectable, yet once they become hostile toward the Soka Gakkai, they—just like Ryokan—resort to emotional and malicious slander. We feel that the underlying principle is exactly the same today as it was in the Kamakura period.
It is said: “To be praised by fools is the greatest shame,” and “To be praised by a Sage is the honor of a lifetime.” Whether we are praised or disparaged, we simply continue to advance along the great path of kosen-rufu, praying for world peace and the happiness of all humanity.
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