The Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra

Chapter14(The Mongol Invasion Strikes After the Retreat to Mount Minobu)

Main Text

I had been determined all along that, if after three attempts to warn the rulers of the nation my advice still went unheeded, I would leave the country. With that thought in mind, I accordingly left Kamakura on the twelfth day of the fifth month and came here to Mount Minobu.

In the tenth month of the same year (1274), the Mongols launched their attack. Not only were the islands of Iki and Tsushima³¹ assaulted and captured, but the forces of the Dazaifu government office in Kyushu were defeated as well. When the military leaders, the lay priest Shōni and Ōtomo,³² received word of this, they fled, and the remaining warriors were struck down without difficulty. [Though the Mongol forces withdrew,] it was apparent just how weak Japan’s defenses would be if they should launch another attack in the future.

The Benevolent Kings Sutra says, “Once the sages have departed, then the seven disasters are certain to arise.” The Sovereign Kings Sutra states, “Because evil people are respected and favored and good people are subjected to punishment, marauders will appear from other regions, and the people of the country will meet with death and disorder.” If these pronouncements of the Buddha are true, then evil men certainly exist in our country, and the ruler favors and respects such men while treating good men with enmity.

The Great Collection Sutra states, “The sun and moon no longer shed their light. All the four directions will be afflicted by drought. . . . The wicked rulers and monks who perform these ten evil acts will curse and destroy my correct teaching.” In the Benevolent Kings Sutra we read, “Evil monks, hoping to gain fame and profit, in many cases appear before the ruler, the crown prince, or the other princes, and take it upon themselves to preach doctrines that lead to the violation of the Buddhist Law and the destruction of the nation. The ruler, failing to perceive the truth of the situation, listens to and puts faith in such doctrines. . . . In this way he brings about the destruction of Buddhism and of the nation.” And the Lotus Sutra speaks of the “evil monks of that muddied age.”³³ If these passages in the sutras are true, then there must unquestionably be evil monks in this country. The crooked trees are destined to be cut down on a treasure mountain, and dead bodies are rejected by the great sea. Though the great sea of the Buddhist Law and the treasure mountain of the one vehicle may admit the shards and rubble of the five cardinal sins or the dirty water of the four major offenses,³⁴ they have no room for the “dead bodies” of those who slander the Law, or for the “crooked trees” who are icchantikas, persons of incorrigible disbelief. Therefore, those who endeavor to practice the Buddhist Law and who care about what happens to them in future lives should know what a fearful thing it is to slander the Lotus Sutra.

Notes

31. Iki and Tsushima are islands off the coast of Kyushu in southern Japan. The Dazaifu office was the administrative center of Kyushu, Iki, and Tsushima, and served as a foreign affairs conduit as well as a rallying point in the case of foreign invasion. During the Mongol attack of 1274, it was a focal point of defense against the Mongols.

32. Shōni is Shōni Sukeyoshi (1198–1281), the constable of Chikuzen. Ōtomo is Ōtomo Yoriyasu (1222–1300), the constable of Bungo.

33. Lotus Sutra, chap. 13.

34. The four major offenses are precepts for monks, dealing with killing, theft, sexual misconduct, and lying.

Lecture

Nichiren Daishonin, after offering three warnings to the nation that went unheeded, finally departed from Kamakura to settle in a simple hermitage deep within Mount Minobu. While this appeared on the surface to be a departure from a nation that slandered the Correct Law, his true intent was to pray for the security of Japan and to await the time for future Kosen-rufu (worldwide propagation). Furthermore, for the sake of the eternal preservation of the Law, he sought with profound foresight to firmly and deeply establish the foundation for the training of his disciples.

The Ninno, Saishoo, and Daishuju Sutras all teach that the unhappiness of individuals and families stems from erroneous ideologies and philosophies. They further explain that the ruin of an entire nation originates from low-grade and evil systems of thought.

Our daily existence is the manifestation of our life activities, and that which governs the deepest part of life is ideology, philosophy, and religion. Therefore, if one’s life is based on evil ideologies or low-grade philosophies—or if one lives according to a mistaken view of life and society—life itself becomes tainted and habituated to states such as the Three Evil Paths (Hell, Hunger, and Animality) or the Four Evil Paths.

Such inner impurity forms narrow personalities in individuals and exposes distortions within the fabric of society. Consequently, the leaders born from such families, societies, and nations will, like madmen, misdirect the country’s future and lead the world into chaos.

The influence of ideology upon human life is terrifying precisely because it is invisible. By the time its impact becomes visible to the eye, the ideology or philosophy has already penetrated deeply into both individual lives and society.

Among all influences, that of religion is the most profound. Should a religion be erroneous, the spiritual vibration emanating from the object of devotion is transmitted strongly to our lives through the power of faith, weakening our life force without us even realizing it. Such life activities no longer harmonize with the rhythm of the universe, and the results manifested in one’s life become a continuous cycle of suffering and misfortune.

History demonstrates the horror of erroneous ideologies and religions. Western Christianity has a history of suppression and persecution against heretics and pagans that completely ignored the sanctity of life. Islam shares a similar history. Nazi racial theory gave rise to individuals who committed atrocities. Soviet Communism used military force to block the liberalization of Czechoslovakia, ruthlessly trampling upon humanity. There are countless other historical facts of tragedies that can only be described as madness or cruelty.

Beyond these, the poisonous effects of religion in India, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, as well as the erroneous religions in Japan, fundamentally result from the destruction of human goodness and the clouding of life by evil sects, false doctrines, and distorted wisdom.

This is not merely a matter of history; we must recognize that modern society is rife with the poisonous influence of low-grade, evil religions. The lethargy of modern people, bouts of insanity, split personalities, and the manifestations of Animality, Hunger, and the world of Anger (Asura) are playing out before our eyes. The demonic power that religion exerts over human life is truly formidable.

The era of the “Five Impurities” in the Latter Day of the Law is underpinned by simultaneous confusion in the religious world. From such soil, evil and low-grade religions proliferate, giving rise to monks skilled in distorted wisdom. In response, arrogant and tyrannical leaders and politicians emerge. Thus, the nation follows a tragic path toward its downfall.

The representative of the “evil monks” described in the Daishuju and Ninno Sutras was Ryokan of Gokuraku-ji Temple. While adhering to an utterly low-grade religion, he enjoyed immense fame, status, and reverence. The “evil rulers” were the authorities of the Shogunate, most notably Hei no Saemon-no-jo Yoritsuna, who wielded absolute power, including control over military and police forces.

Ryokan and Hei no Saemon conspired for their own self-interest and committed the outrage of persecuting Nichiren Daishonin, the Buddha of the Latter Day. Once these three elements—evil Law, evil monk, and evil ruler—were all present, the crisis of national survival became an absolute certainty.