On Repaying Debts of Gratitude
Nichiren
Chapter24(Refuting the Three Founders of the True Word School in China)
Main Text
The Tripitaka Master Shan-wu-wei in his youth was the ruler of a kingdom in central India. But he abdicated the throne and traveled to other lands, where he met two men named Shushō and Shōdai from whom he received instruction in the Lotus Sutra.81 He built hundreds and thousands of stone stupas, and appeared to be a votary of the Lotus Sutra. Later, however, after he had received instruction in the Mahāvairochana Sutra, he seems to have concluded that the Lotus Sutra is inferior to the Mahāvairochana Sutra. He did not insist on this opinion at first, but came to do so later when he went to China and became a teacher to Emperor Hsüan-tsung of the T’ang dynasty.
Perhaps because he was consumed by jealousy of the T’ien-t’ai school, he died very suddenly and found himself bound with seven cords of iron and dragged by two wardens of hell to the court of Yama, the lord of hell. But he was told that his life span had not reached its conclusion and therefore was sent back to the human world.
While in hell, he suspected that he had been brought before Yama because he had slandered the Lotus Sutra, and he therefore quickly set aside all his True Word mudras, mantras, and methods of concentration, and instead chanted the passage from the Lotus Sutra that begins, “Now this threefold world is all my [Shakyamuni Buddha’s] domain,”82 whereupon the cords that bound him fell away and he was returned to life.
On another occasion, he was ordered by the imperial court to recite prayers for rain, and rain did in fact suddenly begin to fall, but a huge wind also rose up and did great damage to the country.
Later, when he really did die, his disciples gathered around his deathbed and praised the remarkable way in which he died, but in fact he fell into the great citadel of the hell of incessant suffering. You may ask how I know that this is so. I would reply that, if you examine his biography, you will find it stated, “Looking now at Shan-wu-wei’s remains, one can see that they are gradually shrinking, the skin is turning blackish, and the bones are exposed.”83
Shan-wu-wei’s disciples perhaps did not realize that this was a sign that after his death he had been reborn in hell, but supposed that it was a manifestation of his virtue. Yet in describing it, the author of the biography exposed Shan-wu-wei’s guilt, recording that after his death his body gradually shrank, the skin turned black, and the bones began to show.
We have the Buddha’s own golden word for it that, if a person’s skin turns black after he dies, it is a sign that he has done something that destined him for hell. What was it, then, that the Tripitaka Master Shan-wu-wei did that would destine him for hell? In his youth he gave up the position of ruler, showing that he had an incomparable determination to seek the way. He traveled about to more than fifty different lands in India in the course of his religious practice, and his unbounded compassion even led him to visit China. The fact that the True Word teachings have been transmitted through India, China, Japan, and the other lands of Jambudvīpa and numerous practitioners ring bells in prayer is due to the merit of this man, is it not? Those who are concerned about their own destiny after death should inquire carefully as to the reason why Shan-wu-wei fell into hell.
Then there was the Tripitaka Master Chin-kang-chih, who was a son of the ruler of a kingdom in southern India. He introduced the Diamond Crown Sutra to China, and his virtue was similar to that of Shan-wu-wei. He and Shan-wu-wei acted as teachers to one another.
The Tripitaka Master Chin-kang-chih received an imperial order to conduct prayers for rain. Within the space of seven days, rain did in fact fall, and the emperor was very pleased. Suddenly, however, a violent wind arose, and the ruler and his ministers, much disillusioned, sent men to drive Chin-kang-chih out of the country, though in the end he managed to remain in China under one pretext or another.
Sometime later, when one of the emperor’s favorite daughters lay dying, he was ordered to pray for her recovery. He selected two seven-year-old girls who served at the court to be substitutes for the dying lady and had piles of firewood lighted all around them so that they burned to death. It was indeed a cruel thing to do. Moreover, the emperor’s daughter failed to return to life.
The Tripitaka Master Pu-k’ung came to China together with Chin-kang-chih.84 But perhaps because his suspicions were aroused by the happenings I have just mentioned, after Shan-wu-wei and Chin-kang-chih died, he returned to India and studied the True Word doctrines all over again, this time under Nāgabodhi. In the end, he became a convert to the teachings of the T’ien-t’ai school. But although he acknowledged allegiance to these teachings in his heart, he would never do so in his outward actions.
Pu-k’ung, too, was ordered by the emperor to pray for rain, and within three days, rain did in fact fall. The emperor was pleased and dispensed rewards with his own hand. But shortly after, a huge wind descended from the sky, buffeting and damaging the imperial palace and toppling the quarters of the upper noblemen and high ministers until it seemed that not a building would be left standing. The emperor, astounded, issued an imperial command for prayers that the wind be stopped. But though it would stop for a time, it would start blowing again and again, until in the end it blew uninterrupted for a space of several days. Eventually, messengers were dispatched to drive Pu-k’ung out of the country, and then at last the wind subsided.
The evil winds of these three men have become the huge wind of the True Word leaders that blows throughout all of China and Japan. And if that is so, then the great gale that arose on the twelfth day of the fourth month in the eleventh year of Bun’ei (1274) must have been an adverse wind brought about by the Dharma Seal Kaga of the Amida Hall, one of the most learned priests of Tō-ji temple, when he was praying for rain. We must conclude that the evil teachings of Shan-wu-wei, Chin-kang-chih, and Pu-k’ung have been transmitted without the slightest alteration. What a strange coincidence indeed!
Notes
81. This story appears in The Sung Dynasty Biographies of Eminent Priests. Shushō and Shōdai were men of India, but their Sanskrit names are not known.
82. Lotus Sutra, chap. 3. The line following in the verse reads, “The living beings in it are all my children.”
83. Sung Dynasty Biographies.
84. A comparison of dates would indicate that Pu-k’ung did not meet Chin-kang-chih and become his disciple until after he had arrived in China, but this may not have been known in the Daishonin’s time.
Lecture
This section of the commentary moves from the general refutation of the Shingon (True word) school to a specific refutation of its founders. It first addresses the “Three Tripitaka Masters” of China, followed by the Japanese founders, Kobo and Jikaku.
Refuting the Three Tripitaka Masters through Actual Proof
While the previous chapter refuted the Shingon school in general terms, this chapter offers a specific refutation. Here, the text refutes the three founders of Chinese Shingon; the following chapter will refute the Japanese founders, Kobo and Jikaku.
The three Chinese masters are Shan-wu-wei (Subhakarasimha), Chin-kang-chih (Vajrabodhi), and Pu-k’ung (Amoghavajra). The Daishonin refutes their erroneous teachings by pointing to actual proof (gensho), specifically their failure to pray for rain and the poor state of their bodies at the time of death.
The importance of actual proof is emphasized throughout the Gosho:
In “Three Tripitaka Masters Pray for Rain”: “In judging the relative merit of Buddhist doctrines, I, Nichiren, believe that the best standards are those of reason and documentary proof. And even more valuable than reason and documentary proof is the proof of actual fact.” (WND-1, 599)
The failures of the three masters regarding rain-making are noted as follows:
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Shan-wu-wei: Under Emperor Hsuan-tsung, he brought forth heavy rain, but it was accompanied by a violent gale that devastated the land.
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Chin-kang-chih: Within seven days, rain fell, but it was followed by an unprecedented windstorm, leading to an order for his deportation.
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Pu-k’ung: Rain fell within three days, but a fierce wind blew for several tens of days.
Similar failures occurred in the Daishonin’s time. In 1274, the gale that struck Japan was a “contrary wind” resulting from the failed prayers of Hoin Kaga of the Amida-do. Likewise, it is well-known that Ryokan of Gokuraku-ji temple, after being challenged by the Daishonin to a rain-making contest and failing, harbored deep resentment and instigated the government’s persecution of the Daishonin.
The fundamental reason for droughts is the absence of the True Law and the prevalence of slanderous sects. Therefore, using those same slanderous sects to pray for rain only invites disaster. Instead of bringing peace, such prayers destroy the nation and the people, accumulating the causes for falling into hell.
As the Daishonin stated:
In “The Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra”: “If a person cannot cross a moat one chang wide, how can he be expected to cross one that is ten or twenty chang wide? … Even when hundreds of thousands of people [following the 250 precepts] gathered and prayed for seven or fourteen days, no rain fell, and instead a fierce wind blew. This is proof enough. You should realize that none of you will achieve rebirth in the Pure Land.” (WND-1, 764)
By the accuracy of his prophecies—such as the prediction of internal strife and foreign invasion—the Daishonin demonstrated the validity of his teaching. He proved that he alone held the “Great Path” to Buddhahood for all people.
The Signs of Falling into Hell After Death
The text notes that when Shan-wu-wei died, his body shrank, turned black, and his bones became visible. These are the physical signs of one who has fallen into hell. The Daishonin provides extensive scriptural evidence regarding the appearance of the deceased (shiso):
In “Letter to Sennichi-nyo”: “When a person falls into hell, their body turns black, and moreover, becomes as heavy as a stone that requires a thousand men to move. But if a person is virtuous… even if she were a woman seven or eight feet tall and of dark complexion, at the moment of death her color will change and become white. Moreover, her body will be light as a swan’s feather and soft as a cloth of fine wool.” (WND-1, 941)
In “Letter to the Lay Nun Myoho”: “The Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra says, ‘One whose color is black at the time of death falls into hell.’ … The Shogaku Sutra says there are fifteen signs for those falling into hell… the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai said in Great Concentration and Insight, ‘A black complexion is compared to the darkness of the hellish realms.'” (WND-1, 1104)
Buddhism is based on the relationship of mentor and disciple. If the mentor falls into hell, the disciples must follow. One should carefully consider that the founders of the Shingon, Nembutsu, and Zen schools in China and Japan all manifested signs of falling into hell upon their deaths.
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Shingon: As mentioned, the three Chinese masters manifested terrible physical signs. The Japanese founders, Kobo and Jikaku, also died in a state indicative of the realms of suffering.
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Nembutsu: The Chinese founder, Shan-tao, is said to have committed suicide by hanging himself from a willow tree in front of his temple, dying in great agony. The Japanese founder, Honen, had his grave desecrated by dog-handlers (inu-gannin) after his death, and his remains were cast into the Kamo River.
Such is the reality of those who lead others into slander of the True Law.
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