4)On Repaying Debts of Gratitude
Nichiren
Chapter31(Repaying Debts of Gratitude to Dozen-bo)
Main Text
I am quite certain that the merit I have acquired through my efforts is recognized by everyone from the three treasures on down to Brahmā, Shakra, and the gods of the sun and moon. Through this merit I will surely lead to enlightenment my parents and my teacher, the late Dōzen-bō.
But there are certain doubts that trouble me. The Venerable Maudgalyāyana attempted to save his mother, Shōdai-nyo, but he could not do so, and she remained in the realm of hungry spirits. The monk Sunakshatra was a son of the World-Honored One of Great Enlightenment, and yet he fell into the Avīchi hell. Thus, although one may exert one’s full effort to save others, it is very difficult to save them from the karmic retribution that they have brought upon themselves.
The late Dōzen-bō treated me as one of his favorite disciples, so I cannot believe that he bore any hatred toward me. But he was a timid man, and he could never bring himself to give up his position at the temple where he lived, Seichō-ji. Moreover, he was fearful of what Kagenobu, the steward of the region, might do if he gave ear to my teachings. And at Seichō-ji he had to live in the midst of priests like Enchi and Jitsujō, who were as evil as Devadatta or Kokālika, and to put up with their intimidations, so that he became more fearful than ever. As a result, he turned a deaf ear to the longtime disciples he was fondest of. I wonder what will become of such a man in the next life.
There is one thing to be thankful for. Kagenobu, Enchi, and Jitsujō all died before Dōzen-bō did, and that was something of a help. These men all met an untimely death because of the chastisement of the ten demon daughters who protect the Lotus Sutra. After they died, Dōzen-bō began to have some faith in the Lotus Sutra. But it was rather like obtaining a stick after the fight is over, or lighting a lantern at midday—the proper time had already passed.
In addition, whatever happens, one ought to feel pity and concern for one’s own children or disciples. Dōzen-bō was not an entirely helpless man, and yet, though I was exiled all the way to the province of Sado, he never once tried to visit me. This is hardly the behavior of one who believes in the Lotus Sutra.
In spite of all that, I thought a great deal of him, and when I heard the news of his death, I felt as though, whether I had to walk through fire or wade through water, I must rush to his grave, pound on it, and recite a volume of the Lotus Sutra for his sake.
However, it often happens with worthies that, although they do not think of themselves as having retired from the world, other people assume that they have, and therefore, if they were to come rushing out of retreat for no good reason, people would suppose that they had failed to accomplish their purpose. For this reason, no matter how much I might wish to visit his grave, I feel that I cannot do so.
Now you two, Jōken-bō and Gijō-bō, were my teachers in my youth. You are like the administrators of priests Gonzō and Gyōhyō, who though they were at one time the teachers of the Great Teacher Dengyō, later instead became his disciples. When Kagenobu was bent on harming me and I decided that I must leave Mount Kiyosumi [on which Seichō-ji is located], you helped me escape in secret. You have performed an unrivaled service for the Lotus Sutra. There can be no doubt about the reward that awaits you in your next rebirth.
Lecture
This passage describes the profound feelings of Nichiren Daishonin as he sought to repay the debt of gratitude he owed to his late teacher, Dozen-bo. From the perspective of the Daishonin’s lifelong conduct of great compassion, there is no doubt that Dozen-bo would be led to enlightenment. However, the Daishonin also strictly observes the principle of causality: just as the mother of Maudgalyayana fell into the realm of hungry spirits and the Buddha’s son, Sunaksatra, fell into the Great Citadel of Avichi Hell, the results of one’s own actions (self-cause and self-effect) cannot be easily overturned. Truly, the law of cause and effect is uncompromising.
It was by no means an accident that Dozen-bo became the Daishonin’s teacher; it was the result of a deep and profound Buddhist karmic connection. Yet, Dozen-bo appears to have been an excessively timid, selfish, and small-minded man who prioritized safety above all else. Driven by a fear of authority, he trembled before the local steward (jitō) and figures like Enchi and Jitsujo, thinking only of his own self-preservation as the chief priest of Seicho-ji temple.
Even when his own disciple, Nichiren Daishonin, was expelled by the steward or exiled to Sado Island, Dozen-bo made no effort to assist or comfort him. This was despite the fact that the Daishonin, according to his writings to the community at Seicho-ji, had fought to protect the temple and the interests of its proprietors by neutralizing the schemes of Tojo Saemon Kagenobu. Dozen-bo surely should have felt a debt of gratitude for this.
While it is noted that later in life, Dozen-bo’s heart was moved to the extent that he “came to believe a little,” this chapter initially states that from the standpoint of individual karma, he was beyond salvation. Nevertheless, the Daishonin concludes “On Repaying Debts of Gratitude” with the words: “The merit [of this work] must surely gather in the spirit of the late Dozen-bo.” This conclusion is reached based on the Daishonin’s absolute conviction in the greatness of the Three Great Secret Laws and his own great compassion to save all living beings throughout the ten thousand years of the Latter Day of the Law and the eternal future.
Nichiren Daishonin During the Mt. Kiyosumi Period
Let us reflect on the period when Nichiren Daishonin studied as a youth under Dozen-bo at Mt. Kiyosumi. The Daishonin was born on the 16th day of the second month in 1222—not long after the Jokyu War—into a fisherman’s family in Kominato, Tojo Village, Awa Province. His father was Mikuni-no-Tayu Shigetada, and his mother was Umekiku-nyo of the Kiyohara clan. While it is evident that he was exceptionally brilliant and resolute from a young age, few documents from that time remain. However, based on his own writings, we can discern his motivations for entering the priesthood.
First, he observed that people who fervently practiced the popular Nembutsu (Pure Land) teachings often manifested a terrible appearance and died in great agony. Seeing those who sought happiness through Buddhism instead fall into the realms of suffering filled him with profound doubt. Furthermore, he questioned which of the eight or ten sects of Japanese Buddhism was truly correct and led to genuine happiness. He also wondered why the Imperial Court had been defeated in the Jokyu War, resulting in the exile of three retired emperors.
Driven by a desire to resolve these doubts and save all living beings, he decided to enter the priesthood in 1233 at the age of twelve. He ascended Mt. Kiyosumi to study and was formally ordained at sixteen. At the time, Mt. Hiei was the center of Buddhism, while Kamakura was the political capital. Though Kominato was a remote region far from the capital with few renowned scholars, he happened to ascend nearby Mt. Kiyosumi and took Dozen-bo as his teacher. It is famous that, to solve his questions, he prayed to Bodhisattva Space Treasury (Kokuzo) from his youth to “become the wisest person in Japan.”
After four years of study, he was ordained at sixteen and took the name Zesho-bo Rencho, intensifying his pursuit of Buddhist truth. Seicho-ji followed the Tendai and Shingon traditions, and his teacher Dozen-bo was also influenced by Nembutsu. Eventually, the Daishonin expressed his intent to travel for further study. He first went to Kamakura to investigate the doctrines of the Pure Land and Zen sects, followed by Mt. Hiei, Onjo-ji, Mt. Koya, Tenno-ji, and various temples in Kyoto and the provinces. Through this, he realized that the Lotus Sutra is the core of the Buddha’s fifty years of teachings and his ultimate purpose for appearing in this world. He awakened to the mission of spreading the Great Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo—the Three Great Secret Laws—to save all people in the Latter Day of the Law. Finally, on the 28th day of the fourth month in 1253, at age thirty-two, he declared his teachings on the southern grounds of the Seicho-ji temple’s image hall.
Excerpts from the Gosho (Writings of Nichiren Daishonin)
From Questions and Answers on the Object of Devotion (Honzon Mondo-sho):
“I, Nichiren, was born in the province of Awa, the twelfth of the fifteen provinces of Tōkaidō, the son of a fisherman in Kataumi in the village of Tōjō, the district of Nagasa. At the age of twelve I was sent to the mountain temple called Seichō-ji in the same village, where I took up residence. But though it was called a temple, since it was located in such a distant and outlying province, there was no one there who was capable of giving me proper instruction. I thereupon took it upon myself to go about to various other provinces, studying as I went along. Being a person of limited abilities, however, and having no one to teach me, I found it difficult to determine the exact origin of the ten schools of Buddhism and their relative worth.
As it happened, I prayed to the Buddhas and bodhisattvas that I would gain an understanding of these matters and made a thorough study of all the sutras and treatises, and on that basis examined the doctrines of the ten schools.” (WND-2, p. 794)
From The Tripitaka Master Shan-wu-wei (Zenmuei Sanzo-sho):
“I, Nichiren, was a resident of [Seichō-ji on] Mount Kiyosumi in Tōjō Village in the province of Awa. From the time I was a small child, I prayed to Bodhisattva Space Treasury, asking that I might become the wisest person in all Japan. The bodhisattva transformed himself into a venerable priest before my very eyes and bestowed upon me a jewel of wisdom as bright as the morning star. No doubt as a result, I was able to gain a general mastery of the principal teachings of the eight older schools of Buddhism in Japan, as well as of those of the Zen and Nembutsu schools.” (WND-1, p.175)
From Refuting Ryokan and Others (Ha Ryokan-to Gosho):
“After that, I lent my ear first of all to the teachings of the Pure Land and Zen schools, and later I traveled to Mount Hiei, Onjō-ji, Mount Kōya, and various other places in the capital and the countryside, carrying out religious practice and studying the doctrines of the various schools of Buddhism. But I found it difficult to resolve my doubts.
When I offered up my original prayer, I vowed that I would approach the various schools of Buddhism without prejudice or partiality regarding any particular one, but would judge them on the basis of proofs to be found in the Buddha’s own words and the light of reason. I would rely not upon the writings of the scholars, the translators, or the teachers of doctrine, but solely upon the sutra texts themselves.” (WND-2, p.1050)
From Condolences on a Deceased Husband (Myoho Bikuni Gohenji):
“Though I could not acquaint myself with all the details of doctrine associated with each school, I felt that I would like to learn something of their essentials.
Therefore, for a period of some twenty years, from the time I was twelve or sixteen until I was thirty-two, I traveled from province to province, from temple to temple, visiting Kamakura, Kyoto, Mount Hiei, Onjō-ji, Mount Kōya, and Shitennō-ji and studying their doctrines.” (WND-2, p. 767)
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