The Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra

Chapter5(Remonstrating with the Benevolent Deities at Wakamiya Hachiman)

Main Text

That night of the twelfth, I was placed under the custody of the lord of the province of Musashi¹⁰ and around midnight was taken out of Kamakura to be executed. As we set out on Wakamiya Avenue,¹¹ I looked at the crowd of warriors surrounding me and said, “Don’t make a fuss. I won’t cause any trouble. I merely wish to say my last words to Great Bodhisattva Hachiman.” I got down from my horse and called out in a loud voice, “Great Bodhisattva Hachiman, are you truly a god? When Wake no Kiyomaro¹² was about to be beheaded, you appeared as a moon ten feet wide. When the Great Teacher Dengyō lectured on the Lotus Sutra, you bestowed upon him a purple surplice as an offering. Now I, Nichiren, am the foremost votary of the Lotus Sutra in all of Japan, and am entirely without guilt. I have expounded the doctrine to save all the people of Japan from falling into the great citadel of the hell of incessant suffering for slandering the Lotus Sutra. Moreover, if the forces of the great Mongol empire attack this country, can even the Sun Goddess and Great Bodhisattva Hachiman remain safe and unharmed? When Shakyamuni Buddha expounded the Lotus Sutra, Many Treasures Buddha and the Buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions gathered, shining like so many suns and moons, stars and mirrors. In the presence of the countless heavenly gods as well as the benevolent deities and sages of India, China, and Japan, Shakyamuni Buddha urged each one to submit a written pledge to protect the votary of the Lotus Sutra at all times. Each and every one of you gods made this pledge. I should not have to remind you. Why do you not appear at once to fulfill your solemn oath”? Finally I called out: “If I am executed tonight and go to the pure land of Eagle Peak, I will dare to report to Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, that the Sun Goddess and Great Bodhisattva Hachiman are the deities who have broken their oath to him. If you feel this will go hard with you, you had better do something about it right away!” Then I remounted my horse.

Notes

10. The lord of the province of Musashi refers to Hōjō Nobutoki, the governor of Musashi Province (1267–1273) and concurrently the constable of Sado Province. He is also referred to as “the former governor of Musashi” in this letter.

11. The main street in Kamakura, running from north to south. Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine stands along the street, where Nichiren Daishonin reprimanded Great Bodhisattva Hachiman.

12. Wake no Kiyomaro (733–799) was a high-ranking court official who thwarted the attempt of the priest Dokyō to usurp the throne and suffered persecution as a result.

Lecture

The Doctrine of the Protective Deities Abandoning the Nation

The concept of Shin-tenjo (the deities ascending to heaven) is described in On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land (Rissho Ankoku Ron):

“I have turned the matter over in my mind… I have peered through my small tube at the heavens… I see that the world is everywhere turning away from the correct teaching, and that all people have fallen into evil. Therefore, the benevolent deities have abandoned the nation and departed, and the sages have left their places and will not return. In their stead, demons and devils have come, and disasters and calamities have arisen.” (Gosho, p. 17)

This means that when a nation turns against the correct Law and slanders the True Way, the protective deities—who are supposed to guard the Votary of the Lotus Sutra—are deprived of the “flavor” of the Law (Nam-myoho-renge-kyo). Weakened and starving, they lose their spiritual power and abandon the land they were sworn to protect.

Nikko Shonin, in his Twenty-six Admonitions, warned future disciples:

“Followers should be prohibited from visiting Shinto shrines… Still more, is it not regrettable for those who possess the ‘vessel’ of the Law to visit temples and shrines where demons have taken up residence? This is not my own personal view; it is based on the sutras and the Daishonin’s writings.” (Gosho, p. 1617)

Furthermore, the third successor, Nichimoku Shonin, stated in his petition: “Our nation is a land of the gods, but the gods do not accept improper etiquette.” Anything other than the “flavor” of the Mystic Law is considered improper etiquette (hirei), causing the deities to lose their brilliance.

In Japan, “clan deity” (ujigami) worship has existed since ancient times, where tribes formed cults around ancestral spirits. Eventually, Sun Goddess Amaterasu and Great Bodhisattva Hachiman were established as the national deities. However, since the introduction of Buddhism in 538 AD and the eventual victory of the pro-Buddhist faction over the Shinto-exclusive faction, Japan began its path as a Buddhist nation. The fundamental flaw in Shinto is making the deities themselves the object of devotion. Deities only gain power and protect the land when they “taste” the correct Law. From this principle, it is clear that the defeat of the anti-Buddhist faction was inevitable, and even modern national tragedies can be viewed as the consequence of forcing the entire nation to worship Amaterasu by government mandate.

Is Bodhisattva Hachiman a True Deity?

In this passage, Nichiren Daishonin rebukes Great Bodhisattva Hachiman, demanding to know why there is no protection while he, the foremost Votary of the Lotus Sutra, is facing such great persecution. According to the doctrine of Shin-tenjo, Hachiman was clearly absent from the shrine at that time. So, what was the Daishonin’s true intent?

In this context, a deity like Hachiman does not refer to a physical entity, but rather a function or an operation of life force. Therefore, whether or not a “god” is physically present in a shrine is not the point. Rather, the Daishonin summoned the “Hachiman within his own life” and directed that function toward the shrine. The Hachiman of the Daishonin’s life is identical to the life force that permeates the entire universe.

In the “Introduction” (1st) chapter of the Lotus Sutra, the benevolent deities gather immediately to hear Shakyamuni’s preaching. This included Shakra, the four heavenly kings, and the great deities of the sun and moon. The Sun Goddess Amaterasu and Great Bodhisattva Hachiman were also among this assembly. These deities vowed in the “Peaceful Practices” (14th) and “Entrustment” (22nd) chapters to protect the Votary of the Lotus Sutra day and night.

In the Daishonin’s time, as well as today, traditional shrines and temples have become places where “demons” reside because they lack the correct Law. Visiting such places only stains one’s life with the “three evil paths” and “four evil paths,” leading to suffering. Thus, the Daishonin’s rebuke at the shrine was not directed at a physical building, but was an act based on the principle of “the universe is the self, and the self is the universe”—a profound perspective on life philosophy.

The Foremost Votary of the Lotus Sutra in Japan

The declaration, “Nichiren is the foremost Votary of the Lotus Sutra in Japan,” expresses his absolute conviction as the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law.

In The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings (OTT), it is stated:

“The Object of Devotion (Honzon) is the entity of the life of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra.” (Gosho, p. 760)

This reveals that the Daishonin’s very being is the Gohonzon—it is the declaration that he is the Object of Devotion in terms of the Person (Nin-honzon). His behavior is identical to the behavior of the Buddha of Self-Enjoyment (Ji-juyu-hoshin) from the remote past (kuon ganjo).

High Priest Nichikan explained this: “The Honzon of the Person is the reincarnation of the Buddha of Self-Enjoyment of the remote past… the compassionate Nichiren Daishonin.” He also taught that “fact” (ji) means to practice exactly as things are. To practice the “fact” means to act out the behavior of the original Buddha in the Latter Day without the slightest deviation.

Further scriptural proof can be found in The Entity of the Mystic Law:

“The practice performed by Shakyamuni… at the stage of ‘name and function’ in the remote past was transferred to the person of Nichiren… in the present time.” (Gosho, p. 877)

Also, in The One Hundred and Six Articles:

“Nichiren’s practice today does not differ in the slightest from the behavior of the stage of ‘name and function’ in the remote past.” (Gosho, p. 863)

And: “I, Nichiren, am the one who is solely worthy of honor throughout heaven and earth from the remote past.”