On Repaying Debts of Gratitude

Nichiren

Table of contents

Chapter7(The Hardships Encountered in the Buddha’s Lifetime and in the Former Day of the Law)

Chapter7(The Hardships Encountered in the Buddha’s Lifetime and in the Former Day of the Law)

Main Text

Question: Do you really proclaim that Ch’eng-kuan of the Flower Garland school, Chia-hsiang of the Three Treatises school, Tz’u-en of the Dharma Characteristics school, and Shan-wu-wei and the others of the True Word school on down to Kōbō, Jikaku, and Chishō are the enemies of the Buddha?

Answer: This is a very important question, a matter of the gravest concern to the Buddha’s teachings. Yet, on examining the text of the sutra, I find that, if someone should declare that there is a sutra superior to the Lotus Sutra, then regardless of who that person may be, he or she cannot escape the charge of slandering the Law. Therefore, if we go by what the sutra says, then persons such as this must be regarded as enemies of the Buddha. And if, out of fear, I fail to point out this fact, then the distinctions of relative merit made among the various sutras will all have been made in vain.

If, out of awe of these great teachers of the past, I should simply point at their latter-day followers and call them enemies of the Buddha, then these latter-day followers of the various schools would say: “The assertion that the Mahāvairochana Sutra is superior to the Lotus Sutra is not something that we ourselves invented on our own. It is the doctrine taught by the patriarchs of our school. Though we may be no match for them in observing the precepts, in wisdom and understanding, or in status, when it comes to the doctrines that they taught, we never diverge from them in the slightest.” And in that case, one would have to admit that they are guilty of no fault.

Nevertheless, if I know that this assertion is false and yet, out of fear of others, I fail to say so, then I will be ignoring the stern warning of the Buddha, who said, “[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.”¹⁶

What am I to do? If I speak up, I face fearful opposition from the world at large. But if I am silent, I can hardly escape the condemnation of failing to heed the Buddha’s stern warning. Forward or backward, my way is blocked.

Yet perhaps it is only to be expected. For, as the Lotus Sutra states, “Since hatred and jealousy toward this sutra abound even when the Thus Come One is in the world, how much more will this be so after his passing?”¹⁷ Again elsewhere, “It will face much hostility in the world and be difficult to believe.”¹⁸

When Shakyamuni Buddha had been conceived by his mother, Lady Māyā, the devil king of the sixth heaven gazed down into Lady Māyā’s womb and said, “My archenemy, the sharp sword of the Lotus Sutra, has been conceived. Before the birth can take place, I must do something to destroy it!” Then the devil king transformed himself into a learned physician, entered the palace of King Shuddhodana, and said, “I am a learned physician, and I have brought some excellent medicine that will insure the safe delivery of the child.” In this way he attempted to poison Lady Māyā.

When the Buddha was born, the devil king caused stones to rain down on him and mixed poison in his milk. Later, when the Buddha left the palace to enter the religious life, the devil king changed himself into a black venomous serpent and tried to block his way. In addition, he possessed the bodies of such evil men as Devadatta, Kokālika, King Virūdhaka, and King Ajātashatru, inciting them to hurl a great stone at the Buddha that injured him and drew blood, or to kill many of the Shākyas, the Buddha’s clansmen, or murder his disciples.

These great persecutions were planned long ago, schemes that were designed to prevent the Buddha, the World-Honored One, from preaching the Lotus Sutra. It is persecutions such as these that the sutra means when it says, “Hatred and jealousy toward the sutra abound even when the Thus Come One is in the world.”

In addition to these troubles arising long before the Buddha preached the Lotus Sutra, there were others that occurred later when he expounded the sutra itself. [These were the doubts that arose when Shakyamuni revealed that] for forty-some years, Shāriputra, Maudgalyāyana, and the great bodhisattvas had in fact been among the archenemies of the Lotus Sutra.¹⁹

But the sutra says, “How much more will this be so after his passing?” By this we know that, in a future age after the passing of the Buddha, there are bound to be persecutions and difficulties even greater and more fearful than those that occurred during his lifetime. If even the Buddha had difficulty bearing up under such persecutions, how can ordinary people be expected to bear them, particularly when these troubles are destined to be even greater than those that occurred during the Buddha’s lifetime?

Though one might wonder what great persecutions could possibly be more terrible than the huge rock thirty feet long and sixteen feet wide that Devadatta rolled down on the Buddha or the drunken elephant that King Ajātashatru sent charging after him, if persecutions greater than those that arose during the Buddha’s lifetime keep occurring again and again to someone who is not guilty of the slightest fault, then one should realize that that person is a true votary of the Lotus Sutra in the age after the Buddha’s passing.

The successors of the Buddha²⁰ were among the four ranks of bodhisattvas; they were messengers of the Buddha. Yet Bodhisattva Āryadeva was killed by a non-Buddhist, the Venerable Āryasimha had his head cut off by the king Dammira, Buddhamitra had to stand for twelve years under a red flag [before he could attract the notice of the ruler], and Bodhisattva Nāgārjuna had to stand seven years under a similar flag. Bodhisattva Ashvaghosha was sold to an enemy country for the sum of three hundred thousand coins,²¹ and the Scholar Manoratha died of chagrin.²² These are examples of troubles that took place in the thousand years of the Former Day of the Law.

Notes

16. A part of the following passage from the Nirvana Sutra: “For example, it is like a royal envoy skilled in discussion and clever with expedient means who, when sent on a mission to another land, would rather, even though it costs him his life, in the end conceal none of the words of his ruler. Wise persons too do this. In the midst of ordinary people and without begrudging their lives, those who are wise should without fail proclaim the Thus Come One’s prize teaching from the correct and equal sutras of the great vehicle, that is, all living beings possess the Buddha nature.”

17. Lotus Sutra, chap. 10.

18. Ibid., chap. 14.

19. The translation has been expanded here for the sake of clarity. The two major revelations of the Lotus Sutra, that people of the two vehicles can attain Buddhahood and that Shakyamuni has been the Buddha since the remote past, awoke great doubts on the part of the voice-hearer disciples (represented by Shāriputra and Maudgalyāyana) and the great bodhisattvas, respectively. Because the two groups had been unaware of these crucial teachings before the Lotus Sutra was revealed, the Daishonin says they were its “archenemies.”

20. The successors of the Buddha are the twenty-four successors who inherited the lineage of Shakyamuni’s Buddhism and propagated it in India in the Former Day of the Law. See also twenty-four successors in Glossary.

21. This story appears in The Record of the Western Regions. When Ashvaghosha, the twelfth successor, was preaching Buddhism in Pātaliputra in Magadha, King Kanishka led his army against Pātaliputra and demanded a huge sum in tribute. The defeated king offered Ashvaghosha in place of the money. Later, with the support of Kanishka, Ashvaghosha propagated Buddhism in northern India.

22. This story appears in Record of the Western Regions. Manoratha is thought to have been the teacher of Vasubandhu. King Vikramāditya of Shrāvastī resented Manoratha and plotted to humiliate him. He assembled one hundred scholars from various schools to debate with Manoratha. Ninety-nine yielded, but the last, in collusion with the king, refused to yield to Manoratha. As a result, Manoratha is said to have bitten off his tongue and died.

Lecture

From this chapter onward, the text begins a broad denunciation of the slanderous doctrines of the various Buddhist schools.

The first question raised concerns the criticism that the founders of each school—Cheng-guan of the Huayan school, Jizang of the Sanron school, Ci’en of the Hosso school, Śubhakarasiṃha and others of the Shingon school—have been denounced as “enemies of the Buddha.”
Even in the present-day Japanese religious world, the founders of each sect are revered as if they were gods, Buddhas, or great leaders. Yet, because they all oppose the true Dharma, they must unavoidably be regarded as enemies of the Buddha.

The passage, “Though we may be no match for them in observing the precepts, in wisdom and understanding, or in status,” compares the founders of the schools with the teachers of the present day. Even if such differences exist, so long as they study the same doctrines and worship the same object of devotion, the founder’s error becomes the present teacher’s error; the founder’s slander of the Law means that those who follow him continue that slander even now. Therefore, in refuting erroneous doctrines and mistaken sects, one must begin by exposing the founder’s mistaken views and distorted wisdom, thereby clarifying why they are enemies of the Buddha.

The statement “[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.” is the commentary by Chang-an (Zhangan) on the following passage of the Nirvāṇa Sūtra:

“It is like a royal emissary, skilled in debate and adept in expedient means, who carries out the king’s command in foreign lands. Even if he loses his life, he will never conceal the king’s words. A wise person is the same: among ordinary people he does not begrudge his life. He must proclaim the secret treasury of the Tathāgata—the Mahāyāna teachings and the truth that all living beings possess the Buddha nature.”

In modern times, only the members of the Soka Gakkai—who carry out shakubuku—are faithfully upholding this admonition.

“Yet perhaps it is only to be expected. For, as the Lotus Sutra states,…”

From this passage, the text illustrates that encountering persecution is itself the mark of the true practitioner of the Lotus Sūtra.

The Teacher of the Law chapter states:
“Since hatred and jealousy toward this sutra abound even when the Thus Come One is in the world, how much more will this be so after his passing?”
And the Peaceful Practices chapter likewise states:
“It will face much hostility in the world and be difficult to believe.”

According to these predictions, anyone who spreads the Lotus Sūtra exactly as the Buddha taught after his passing will inevitably encounter great persecutions. By never begrudging one’s life, boldly denouncing slander of the Law, and enduring the arising of hardships, one proves oneself a true practitioner of the Lotus Sūtra and repays the immense debts of gratitude owed to parents and teachers.

The passage beginning with “When Shakyamuni Buddha had been conceived by his mother, Lady Māyā,…” enumerates the seven persecutions suffered by Śākyamuni during his lifetime:

Poison was placed in the womb of his mother.
Stones were hurled at him at birth.
His milk was poisoned.
A venomous serpent blocked his path when he left the castle.
Devadatta rolled a great boulder down upon him.
King Virūḍhaka slaughtered countless members of the Shākya clan.
King Ajātaśatru’s drunken elephant killed innumerable disciples.

These seven persecutions are called the “distant persecutions.” Those such as Śāriputra, Maudgalyāyana, and the great bodhisattvas suffered what are termed the “near persecutions.”
Concerning why even Śāriputra and others incurred persecution, Nichikan Shonin comments:

“In the Trace Gate, the two vehicles and dull-witted bodhisattvas become the source of jealousy. In the Original Gate, bodhisattvas who aspire to immediate enlightenment become the source of jealousy.”

Yet, no matter how great Śākyamuni’s persecutions were, he himself predicted, “How much more so after my passing.” He declared, “The hardships I faced in my lifetime are insignificant; after my extinction, the true practitioner will face far greater persecution.”

“But the sutra says, “How much more will this be so after his passing?” By this we know that, in a future age after the passing of the Buddha,…”

Just as the Buddha foretold, in the ages after his passing, people entirely innocent of worldly faults have repeatedly suffered great persecutions solely for upholding the Lotus Sūtra. Thus one can recognize the true practitioner of the Lotus Sūtra.

Those who inherited the Buddha’s teachings after his passing (the Patriarchs of the Dharma) served as the Buddha’s emissaries to save all beings. Yet even among them:

Bodhisattva Deva (Devadatta in Indian tradition) was killed by non-Buddhists,
The Venerable Lion (Siṃha) was beheaded by King Damiṣṭa,
Buddhamiṭra preached for twelve years carrying a red banner,
Nāgārjuna preached with a red banner for seven years, confronting the rulers of their nations.

The origin of the “red banner” is explained as the emblem of shakubuku in Buddhism.

A detailed account of Buddhamiṭra (Buddhamitra) is then given: how he inherited the Dharma, confronted a king steeped in heretical Brahmanical views, raised a red banner for twelve years, debated with scholars and ascetics, defeated them all in debate, and finally converted the king and nation to the correct teaching.

Likewise Nāgārjuna, seeing the king’s deep slander, raised a large red banner and walked before the palace for seven years, until the king summoned him. When the king asked, “What are the heavenly beings doing now?” Nāgārjuna replied, “They are battling the asuras.”
He caused signs—such as swords and the severed limbs of asuras—to appear, astonishing the king and converting him.

Even so, these persecutions—though severe—did not surpass those of Śākyamuni. Throughout the 1,000 years of the Former Day of the Law and the 1,000 years of the Middle Day, no one endured persecutions equal to or surpassing those of the Buddha.

But the phrase “How much more will this be so after his passing?” has both general and specific meanings: generally, it applies to all three periods (Former, Middle, Latter Day); specifically, it applies most of all to the Latter Day of the Law.

Thus the On Persecutions Befalling the Sage states:

I do not know whether these trials equal or surpass those of the Buddha. Nāgārjuna, Vasubandhu, T’ien-t’ai, and Dengyō, however, cannot compare with me in what they suffered. Had it not been for the advent of Nichiren in the Latter Day of the Law, the Buddha would have been a teller of great lies, and the testimony given by Many Treasures and by the Buddhas of the ten directions would have been false. In the 2,230 and more years since the Buddha’s passing, Nichiren is the only person in the entire land of Jambudvīpa who has fulfilled the Buddha’s words.(WND1, p.997)

This shows that Nichiren Daishonin alone manifested persecutions surpassing even those of the Buddha, thus proving with actual evidence that he is the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law.

The Opening of the Eyes states:

When it comes to understanding the Lotus Sutra, I have only a minute fraction of the vast ability that T’ien-t’ai and Dengyō possessed. But as regards my ability to endure persecution and the wealth of my compassion for others, I believe they would hold me in awe.(WND, p.242)

“Bodhisattva Ashvaghosha was sold to an enemy country for the sum of three hundred thousand coins, and the Scholar Manoratha died of chagrin. These are examples of troubles that took place in the thousand years of the Former Day of the Law.”

Even in the Former Day, when persecutions were relatively mild, great teachers such as Bodhisattva Aśvaghoṣa, the Venerable Siṃha, and others gave their lives for the propagation of the true Dharma. In Nichiren’s own time, the three martyrs of Atsuhara, Kudō Yoshitaka, Kyōnin-bō, and others demonstrated the spirit of sacrificing their lives for the Law.

After Nichiren’s passing, centuries of persecutions continued. In the Edo period numerous believers suffered for the Lotus Sūtra. In modern times, the Soka Gakkai, under the first president, experienced severe oppression; twenty-one senior leaders were imprisoned, and the first president died in prison.
All this accords precisely with the Buddha’s prediction of “how much more so after his extinction.”

Since the time of the second president, propagation has accelerated dramatically. After the devastation of World War II, the movement for worldwide kōsen-rufu began, and today—at the time of the teacher’s seventh memorial—the membership has exceeded several million households. We live in an age of favorable conditions for propagation, yet must never forget Nichiren’s injunction in the Document for Entrusting the Law to the Future:

“Until kōsen-rufu is achieved, you must be prepared to give your lives and propagate the Law to the full extent of your abilities.”

Daily Gosho