On Repaying Debts of Gratitude

Nichiren

Table of contents

Chapter22(Clarifying the Slander of the Law Throughout the Nation)

Chapter22(Clarifying the Slander of the Law Throughout the Nation)

Main Text

In the Decline of the Law Sutra the Buddha speaks as follows: “After I have entered nirvana, in the troubled times when the five cardinal sins prevail, the way of the devil will flourish. The devil will appear in the form of Buddhist monks and attempt to confuse and destroy my teachings. . . . Those who do evil will become as numerous as the sands of the ocean, while the good will be extremely few, perhaps no more than one or two persons.”

And the Nirvana Sutra says, “Those who thus are able to take faith in works such as this Nirvana Sutra will be as few as the specks of dirt that can be placed on a fingernail. . . . But those who are not able to take faith in this sutra will be as numerous as the specks of dirt in all the worlds of the ten directions.”

These passages from the scriptures are extremely apt, considering the times we live in, and they are deeply etched in my mind. Nowadays in Japan one hears people everywhere declaring, “I believe in the Lotus Sutra,” and “I, too, believe in the Lotus Sutra.” If we took them at their word, we would have to conclude that there is not a soul who slanders the Law. But the passage from the sutra that I have just quoted says that in the Latter Day the slanderers of the Law will occupy all the lands in the ten directions, while those who uphold the correct teaching will take up no more land than can be placed on top of a fingernail. What the sutra says and what the people of the world today say are as different as fire is from water. People these days say that, in Japan, Nichiren is the only one who slanders the Law. But the sutra says that there will be more slanderers of the Law than the great earth itself can hold.

The Decline of the Law Sutra says that there will be only one or two good persons, and the Nirvana Sutra says that the believers can fit into the space of a fingernail. If we accept what the sutras say, then in Japan Nichiren is the only good person, the one who fits into the space of a fingernail. Therefore, I hope that people who are seriously concerned about the matter will consider carefully whether they want to accept what the sutras say, or what the world says.

Someone might object that the passage in the Nirvana Sutra speaks about the votaries of the Nirvana Sutra being as few as the specks of dirt that can be placed on a fingernail, while I am talking about the Lotus Sutra. I would reply to this as follows.

The Nirvana Sutra itself says, “[When this sutra was preached . . . the prediction had already been made] in the Lotus Sutra [that the eight thousand voice-hearers would attain Buddhahood].” The Great Teacher Miao-lo says, “The Nirvana Sutra is itself pointing to the Lotus Sutra and saying that it is the ultimate.”⁷⁷ The Nirvana Sutra is calling the Lotus Sutra the ultimate. Therefore, when followers of the Nirvana school state that the Nirvana Sutra is superior to the Lotus Sutra, it is the same as calling a retainer a lord or a servant a master.

To read the Nirvana Sutra means to read the Lotus Sutra. For the Nirvana Sutra is like a worthy who rejoices to see another holding his sovereign in esteem even when he himself is treated with contempt. Thus the Nirvana Sutra would despise and regard as its enemy anyone who tried to demote the Lotus Sutra and praise the Nirvana Sutra instead.

Notes

77. On “The Words and Phrases.”

Lecture

This section of the commentary transitions into the refutation of the Shingon (True Word) school. It serves as a bridge, linking the preceding arguments to the points that follow.

The Sutra of the Ultimate Extinction of the Law

The Sutra of the Ultimate Extinction of the Law (Homonmetsujin-kyo) was preached between the Universal Worthy Sutra and the Nirvana Sutra. This is evident from the text itself, which states: “Once the Buddha was in the city of Kushinagara. The Buddha was to enter Parinirvana in three months.”

The Timing: End of the Middle Day vs. Beginning of the Latter Day

The sutra contains the phrase, “When the Law is about to perish after my passing.” This raises a question: Does the phrase “when the Law is about to perish” refer to the end of the Middle Day of the Law (zoho) rather than the beginning of the Latter Day (mappo)?

Regarding this, Dengyo the Great’s Clarification of the Precepts (Kenkairon) states:

“He revealed the clear basis for living in the mountains by knowing the time. The Sutra of the Ultimate Extinction of the Law says: The Buddha told the wise Ananda, ‘After my parinirvana, in the impure world of the five impurities, the way of the devil will flourish… evil people will be as numerous as the sands of the sea… while virtuous people will be very few—perhaps one or two… they will enter the mountains to dwell in a land of good fortune, keeping to themselves in quiet contentment.’ Having known the time through this sutra, who would not climb the mountain?”

Thus, the “one or two virtuous people” referred to Dengyo and Gishin at the end of the Middle Day of the Law. How then can we say it refers to Nichiren Daishonin at the start of the Latter Day? High Priest Nikkan Shonin answers that this doubt is indeed valid.

However, the reason for citing this sutra to describe the Latter Day is that the conditions at the end of the Middle Day and the beginning of the Latter Day are identical. Furthermore, it implies a “how much more so” logic: if even at the end of the Middle Day there were only one or two virtuous people, then at the beginning of the Latter Day, the situation must be even more dire.

The “One or Two Virtuous People” in Modern Times

The description of “one or two virtuous people” in the Extinction of the Law Sutra, and the phrase “believers are like the dirt on a fingernail” from the Nirvana Sutra, perfectly describe the Soka Gakkai during World War II. At that time, the individuals who purely protected the Daishonin’s righteousness and carried out the “remonstration with the state” were the first president, Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, and his disciple, Josei Toda.

The Nirvana Sutra is calling the Lotus Sutra the ultimate.

The Nirvana Sutra is like a servant or a person of low birth (gero), whereas the Lotus Sutra is like a lord or a person of high birth (joro). Therefore, the Lotus Sutra is called the “pinnacle” (goku).

While the terms “high-born” and “low-born” may not feel like appropriate examples in modern society, they were used in the Gosho to demonstrate the supremacy of the Lotus Sutra based on the social structures of the time.

In What It Means to Slander the Law” (Ken-Houbou-sho): “It is like the terms “lord” and “underlings,” which have no fixed meaning. In the countryside, the peasants and the attendants of the samurai refer to the samurai as “lords.” But in the capital, even the members of the Minamoto and Taira families are called “underlings,” while the term “lords” is reserved for members of the three families of court nobles.” (WND-2, p.265)

What it Means to “Read” the Nirvana Sutra

The phrase “To read the Nirvana Sutra means to read the Lotus Sutra.” refers to the act of praising and upholding the sutra. Does this mean that reading only the Lotus Sutra and not the Nirvana Sutra can be called “reading the Nirvana Sutra“? No. It means that when one reads the Nirvana Sutra and finds it praising the Lotus Sutra, the Lotus Sutra accords with the true intent of the Nirvana Sutra. Thus, to uphold the Lotus is to truly “read” the Nirvana.

The relationship between the two sutras can be summarized by several metaphors:

The Great Army vs. the Remnants: The Lotus Sutra is like a great army that defeats the enemy, while the Nirvana Sutra is like the remnants that follow.
Harvesting vs. Gleaning: The Lotus Sutra is like the autumn harvest and winter storage (shushu tozo), while the Nirvana Sutra is like gleaning (kunju) the fallen grains left behind.
Lord vs. Retainer: The Lotus Sutra is the sovereign; the Nirvana Sutra is the subject.

Daily Gosho