The Fourteen Slanders
Chapter5(Illustrating the Determination of Boy Snow Mountains)
Main Text
Long, long ago there was a young man who lived in the Snow Mountains and was called the boy Snow Mountains. He gathered ferns and nuts to keep himself alive, made garments of deerskin to clothe his body, and quietly practiced the way. As he observed the world with care and attention, the boy came to understand that nothing is permanent and everything changes, and that all that is born is destined to die. This weary world is as fleeting as a flash of lightning, as the morning dew that vanishes in the sun, as a lamp easily blown out by the wind, or as the fragile leaves of the plantain that are so easily broken.
No one can escape this transience. In the end, all must take the journey to the Yellow Springs, the land of darkness. When we imagine the trip to the other world, we sense utter darkness. There is no light from the sun, the moon, or the stars; not even so much as fire to light a torch. And along that dark road, there is no one to keep you company. When one is in the sahā world, one is surrounded by parents and relatives, brothers and sisters, wife and children, and retainers. Fathers may show lofty compassion, and mothers, profound loving sympathy. Husband and wife may be as faithful as two shrimps of the sea who vow to share the same hole and never to part throughout life. Yet, though they push their pillows side by side and sport together under quilts embroidered with mandarin ducks,15 they can never be together on that journey to the land of darkness. As you travel alone in complete darkness, who will come to encourage you?
Though old and young alike dwell in the realm of uncertainty, it is part of the natural order for the elderly to die first and the young to remain awhile. Thus, even as we grieve, we can find some cause for consolation. Sometimes, however, it is the old who remain and the young who die first. No one feels more bitter resentment than a young child who dies before its parents. No one despairs more deeply than parents who see their child precede them in death. People live in this fleeting world where all is uncertainty and impermanence, yet day and night they think only of how much wealth they can amass in this life. From dawn to dusk they concentrate on worldly affairs, and neither revere the Buddha nor take faith in the Law. They ignore Buddhist practice and lack wisdom, idling their days away. And when they die and are brought before the court of Yama, the lord of hell, what can they carry as provisions on the long journey through the threefold world? What can they use as a boat or raft to ferry themselves across the sea of the sufferings of birth and death to the Land of Actual Reward or the Buddha Land of Tranquil Light? When one is deluded, it is as if one were dreaming. And when one is enlightened, it is as if one had awakened. Thinking in this way, the boy Snow Mountains resolved to awake from the dream of the transient world and to seek the reality of enlightenment. So he secluded himself in the mountains and devoted himself to deep meditation, sweeping away the dust of delusion and befuddlement in his single-minded pursuit of the Buddhist teaching.
Notes
15. Mandarin ducks: A symbol of conjugal happiness. The male and female are said to remain faithful to each other throughout their lives.
Lecture
This section describes the mental process through which Boy Snow Mountains (Sessen Doji) came to seek the Buddhist Law. In consideration of Matsuno Nyudo’s state of mind and the social climate of the time, Nichiren Daishonin draws upon the Hinayana (Small Vehicle) view of impermanence to attract the reader’s interest.
The essence is that no matter how much one is attached to this world, everyone must eventually die. Human beings cannot escape the logic of the impermanence of birth and death. Knowing the transience of the world, Boy Snow Mountains began his religious practice to seek the Law and find rest in the world of Tranquil Light. Through this story, the Daishonin teaches us the correct attitude toward life.
The story of Boy Snow Mountains offering his body to a demon (rakshasa) to hear the second half of the verse—“All is impermanent; this is the law of birth and death. When birth and death are extinguished, quiet extinction is joy”—is found in the seventh volume of the Nirvana Sutra. It is known as the story of “offering one’s body to hear a verse.” While this story describes the practice of Shakyamuni in a past existence, it illustrates the fundamental spirit of Buddhist practice regardless of the era: that seeking the Law without begrudging one’s life is the true way to achieve Buddhahood and attain eternal happiness.
However, we must understand that the specific actions of Buddhist practice differ according to the time. As stated in “Letter to the Sage Nichimyo” :
“The practice we should perform in order to master the correct teaching and attain Buddhahood depends upon the times. If there were no paper in Japan, then you should peel off your skin. If the Lotus Sutra had not yet been introduced to our country and a single demon were to appear who knew it, then you should offer your body to him. If there were no oil available in our country, then you should burn your arms. But of what use is it to peel off our skin when the country has an abundant supply of heavy paper?” (WND-1, p. 324).
In this Latter Day of the Law, the Dai-Gohonzon of the Three Great Secret Laws exists clearly in Japan. Yet, many people remain ignorant of the truth or falsehood of various religions. The practice of “not begrudging one’s life” (fujishaku shinmyo) suited for this age is to never abandon the Gohonzon throughout one’s life and to explain its greatness to those who do not yet understand it. One who carries out this practice for both oneself and others is a person who is in no way inferior to Boy Snow Mountains of the past.
On Impermanence
Let us examine the concept of impermanence (mujo). Boy Snow Mountains viewed the various phenomena of the world as impermanent, thinking: “When I observe the world, I see that the logic of birth and death is impermanent; those who are born must surely die.”
Impermanence is the opposite of permanence (jojo). In the conditioned world, all forms change and undergo birth and death. Everything is in a state of constant flux, circulating through birth and death without ever remaining fixed. This reality of birth, dwelling, change, and extinction is the providence of nature. This is the Hinayana view of impermanence.
Such a perspective, focusing on the constant circulation of the world, can lead to a pessimistic or world-weary outlook where life is seen as fleeting because it changes. The text says:
“This weary world is as fleeting as a flash of lightning, as the morning dew that vanishes in the sun, as a lamp easily blown out by the wind, or as the fragile leaves of the plantain that are so easily broken.
No one can escape this transience. In the end, all must take the journey to the Yellow Springs, the land of darkness.“
In alignment with Matsuno’s heart, the Daishonin intentionally emphasizes impermanence here. He uses natural metaphors like lightning, a lamp in the wind, and a banana leaf to illustrate the point. It is likely that the Daishonin used this as a precursor to teaching a life of attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime and the “four virtues” (Permanence, Joy, Self, and Purity) that span eternity.
The idea of impermanence itself is a fragment of the truth and is not “wrong.” However, it is an error to take that small fragment as the whole truth. This is called “distorted impermanence” (tendo mujo).
Indeed, the world is in flux. Hinayana teachings argue that because the world is impermanent, one cannot escape the four sufferings of birth, old age, sickness, and death. Thus, living beings can only flounder in the mud of earthly desires and must seek enlightenment by extinguishing those desires through asceticism. However, this is an escapist view that fails to face reality.
Nichiren Daishonin viewed the world of impermanence exactly as it is, but instead of escaping from it, he saw the “eternity” (honnu) that exists at the core of all transient things. He taught a way of life that is unshakable and not swayed by the changes of impermanence. This is the view of life as inherently eternal and a life of Permanence, Joy, Self, and Purity.
Comments