Background

This letter was written at Minobu to the believer Yasaburō. One explanation identifies Yasaburō with a man named Saito Yasaburō, who lived at Numazu in Suruga Province. The wording of the last paragraph suggests that he may have been a samurai.

Yasaburō had evidently sought the Daishonin’s advice in preparation for an upcoming debate with a priest of the Pure Land school. This letter is the Daishonin’s reply. It can be roughly divided into two parts. The first and longer part outlines the general argument that the Daishonin suggests Yasaburō should present in debating with a follower of the Pure Land school. The second, beginning from “Now if that priest objects . . . ,” instructs Yasaburō in how to press his opponent on specific points and urges him to muster up a resolute spirit.

The letter states that only Shakyamuni possesses the three virtues of sovereign, teacher, and parent with respect to the people of this sahā world. In the Daishonin’s day, due to the growing influence of the Pure Land school, people tended increasingly to place their trust in Amida Buddha of the Western Paradise, hoping to win rebirth in his Pure Land after death. But the Daishonin stressed the importance of reverence for Shakyamuni, the historical founder of Buddhism who actually appeared in this world. Here he asserts that to worship Amida and slight Shakyamuni is an act of utter disloyalty. Thus, though the believers in Amida may seem to be devoted to pious acts, they are in fact guilty of an offense far worse than that of impious men with no religious awareness whatsoever. Their grave error, the Daishonin says, is bringing disaster on the country in the form of famine, epidemics, and the impending Mongol invasion.