The Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra

Introduction

In providing this lecture on “The Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra,” I will divide this introductory session into three parts:

1. The origin and background of this work.

2. A summary of the main points of this work.

3. The fundamental intent (Gonen) of this work.

Part I: The Origin of the Work

This Gosho is also known as the “Sado Account” (Sado Sho). It was written in March of the second year of Kenji (1276), when Nichiren Daishonin was 55 years old. This was the third year since his retirement to Mount Minobu in May of the 11th year of Bun’ei (1274); thus, it is clear it was composed at Minobu.

The text describes the geography of his residence:

“Here I am surrounded by four mountains, Shichimen to the west, Tenshi to the east, Minobu to the north, and Takatori to the south. Each is high enough to touch the sky, and so steep that even flying birds have trouble crossing them. In their midst are four rivers called Fuji, Haya, Oshira, and Minobu. In the middle, in a ravine some hundred yards or so across, I have built my hut.”

This letter was addressed to the Lay Nun Konichi of Awa Province (modern-day Chiba Prefecture). She lived in Amatsu, below Mount Kiyosumi. While her husband was said to be from a warrior family, her exact biography remains unclear. Her devotion was exceptional; having lost her husband and then her young son, Yashiro, she nevertheless maintained a pure and sincere faith, which led the Daishonin to bestow such an important work upon her.

The work begins with the arrival of the Mongol envoy in 1268 and chronicles the nine years of the Daishonin’s “actions”—his struggles to fulfill the prophecies of the Rissho Ankoku Ron—until his entry into Mount Minobu. As stated in “The Persecutions Befalling the Sage,” his entire life was a fulfillment of the prophecies concerning the Buddha of the Latter Day. The nine years recorded here are the most critical, for as he wrote in The Opening of the Eyes: “On the twelfth day of the ninth month of last year, between the hours of the rat and the ox (11:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m.), this person named Nichiren was beheaded. It is his soul that has come to this island of Sado “ This indicates his Hosshaku Kempon (casting off the transient and revealing the true).

Part II: Summary of the Work

The work chronicles nine years of the Daishonin’s life from 1268 to 1276. The main points are as follows:

1. Fulfillment of Prophecy: The Daishonin declares that the prophecies in his Rissho Ankoku Ron were perfectly fulfilled with the Mongol threat, surpassing any “future record” of the Buddha.

2. Encouragement to Disciples: He admonishes his followers never to be cowardly. Discarding one’s life for the Law is the way to attain Buddhahood, transforming “stones into gold” and “dung into rice.”

3. Third Remonstration: The other sects, fearing defeat in debate, conspired with government authorities to eliminate the Daishonin. He warned Hei no Saemon that persecuting the “envoy of the Buddha” would lead to internal strife and foreign invasion.

4. The Arrest: On September 12, 1271, Hei no Saemon led hundreds of soldiers to arrest the Daishonin. A soldier named Sho-bo struck the Daishonin’s face with a scroll of the Lotus Sutra. The Daishonin shouted, “Look at Hei no Saemon gone mad! You are toppling the Pillar of Japan!”

5. Rebuke at Hachiman Shrine: On the way to his execution, he scolded the gods Tensho and Hachiman for failing to protect the Votary of the Lotus Sutra.

6. Tatsunokuchi Persecution: As the executioner raised his sword, a luminous object like a moon streaked across the sky. The soldiers were terrified and fled. Shijo Kingo accompanied him, prepared to die by his side.

7. Echi and Sado Decision: While staying at the residence of Homma Rokuro Saemon in Echi, celestial omens continued. News reached Kamakura that the country’s unrest was due to the Daishonin’s persecution, but his exile to Sado was finalized anyway.

8. The Principle of Obstacles: On Sado, the Daishonin faced extreme cold and hunger. He rejoiced, knowing he was fulfilling the sutra. He explained that those who practice correctly will inevitably encounter the “Three Obstacles and Four Devils,” the greatest being the “Devil of the Sixth Heaven” (the sovereign).

9. The Tsukahara Debate: Hundreds of priests from northern Japan gathered to debate the Daishonin. He defeated them all effortlessly, like “a sharp sword cutting a melon.” Many converted on the spot.

10. Internal Strife Prediction: He predicted that a battle would soon break out in Kamakura. Within 100 days, the “Hojo Disturbance” occurred. Homma Rokuro Saemon, seeing the prophecy come true, vowed never to chant the Nembutsu again.

11. Pardon: In 1274, he was pardoned and returned to Kamakura.

12. Final Remonstration: He told Hei no Saemon the Mongols would attack within the year and that Shingon prayers would only ruin the nation.

13. The Failed Rain Prayer: The government asked a Shingon priest to pray for rain. When it failed and was followed by a destructive windstorm, many realized the Daishonin was right.

14. Entry into Minobu: Following the rule of “leaving the country after three ignored warnings,” he moved to Minobu. In October, the Mongols attacked as predicted.

15. Retribution for Slander: He explains that the miserable aspects of death shown by corrupt priests are proof of their slander of the Law.

16. Seven Pieces: He explains “Head breaking into seven pieces” as a failure of spiritual and mental function, comparing himself to Honen and Kobo.

17. Conclusion: He praises Lay Nun Konichi for her faith, calling her an “envoy of Shakyamuni Buddha” for sending word to his lonely retreat.

Part III: The Fundamental Intent of the Work

The true intent of this Gosho is to reveal Nichiren Daishonin as the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law, possessing the three virtues of Sovereign, Teacher, and Parent.

His life of enduring great persecutions was for one purpose: to establish the Dai-Gohonzon of the High Sanctuary, bestowed upon all humanity on October 12, 1279. As he wrote in “On Repaying Debts of Gratitude”: “Nichiren’s compassion is so great that Nam-myoho-renge-kyo will flow for ten thousand years and more into the future.”

As President Ikeda stated in his lectures on The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind Established in the Fifth Five-Hundred-Year Period after the Thus Come One’s Passing :

“The essence of Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism is the Three Great Secret Laws, and among them, the core is the Great Object of Devotion (Gohonzon). Without knowing this core, any discussion of his teachings is like ‘blind men describing an elephant.’ If we view his entire life of propagation from the standpoint of the establishment of the Dai-Gohonzon on October 12, 1279, the true meaning of all his preachings and actions becomes clear.”