The Bow and Arrow

Background

Nichiren Daishonin wrote this letter to the lay nun Toki in the third month of the second year of Kenji (1276) and entrusted its delivery to her husband, Toki Jōnin, who was visiting Minobu at the time.

Toki’s mother had passed away toward the end of the second month of the year. In the third month, Toki carried her ashes from his home in Wakamiya, Shimōsa Province, to distant Minobu, where a memorial service was performed for her. From a letter the Daishonin sent to Toki one year earlier, in 1275, it is clear that Toki’s mother was over ninety years old when she died. It is also thought that she had been extremely fond of her son.

The contents of this letter suggest that the lay nun Toki did her best to support and assist her husband. In addition, the Daishonin likens her faith to “the waxing moon or the rising tide,” suggesting that she was diligent in her practice. He also conveys Toki’s feelings regarding his mother’s death as well as his sense of gratitude toward the lay nun for her attentive care of her mother-in-law. Thus the Daishonin compassionately encourages the lay nun Toki during her illness, which she had been battling since the previous year.

It is possible that her illness was due at least in part to the exhausting effort of caring for her mother-in-law. The Daishonin expresses concern over her health in this letter and in another letter sent to Toki Jōnin in the eleventh month of 1276, in which he writes: “I think of your wife’s illness as if it were my own, and am praying to heaven day and night.” Although the year of the lay nun’s death is not certain, one source indicates 1303, which suggests that she was indeed able to recover and live many years longer.

 

 

Chapter1(Praising the Virtuous Support of the Lay Nun

IHAVE received one thousand coins and a bamboo container.

It is the power of the bow that determines the flight of the arrow, the might of the dragon that controls the movement of the clouds, and the strength of the wife that guides the actions of her husband. In the same way, it is your support that has enabled Toki to visit me here now. We know the fire by its smoke, discern the nature of the dragon by the rain, and recognize the wife by observing her husband. Thus, meeting here at this moment with Toki, I feel as if I were seeing you.

Toki has told me that, while grieved at his mother’s death, he was grateful that she passed away peacefully, and that you gave her such attentive care. He said joyfully that he would never be able to forget this in any lifetime to come.

Lecture

This letter was written on the twenty-seventh day of the third month in the second year of Kenji (1276), when Toki Jōnin of Wakamiya in Shimōsa Province visited Minobu carrying the ashes of his late mother. Hearing that the lay nun, his wife, was ill, the Daishonin wrote this letter to her. The original manuscript in the Daishonin’s own hand is still extant.

It is recorded in On Forgetting the Lotus Sutra that when Toki returned home carrying this letter, he accidentally left his copy of the Lotus Sutra behind at Minobu, and the Daishonin sent it to him later through one of his disciples.

After expressing gratitude for the offerings he had received, the Daishonin praises the lay nun’s devotion, stating that it was through her support that her husband was able to make the long journey to Minobu.

He also conveys to her that Toki had reported how peaceful his mother’s passing had been and how deeply grateful he was for the care the lay nun had given to his mother. Perhaps perceiving that Toki had not directly expressed these feelings to his wife, the Daishonin wrote this to let her know of his appreciation, wishing to strengthen the bond between husband and wife and to encourage her heart.

“The arrow flies by the strength of the bow,
the clouds move by the power of the dragon.
A man’s achievements depend upon a woman’s strength.
That Toki-dono has come here to visit me is entirely due to the power of the lay nun.”

Here, the Daishonin teaches that just as the arrow depends on the bow to fly and the clouds depend on the dragon’s power to move, a man’s accomplishments are due to a woman’s support.

Through Toki’s visit, the Daishonin sensed the unseen presence of his wife and said that it felt as though he had met her in person.

Such expressions of appreciation are also found in his letters to Shijō Kingo, who visited him on Sado, and to Abutsu-bō and the lay priest Kokufu, who came to Minobu. The Daishonin always acknowledged not only those who stood before him but also those who supported them from behind the scenes, praising their sincerity as though they themselves had made the journey. This reflects his deep wisdom and boundless compassion for people.

In many writings, the Daishonin uses analogies to teach the unity of husband and wife and the vital role and way of life of women. In this letter, he compares the wife to the bow and the husband to the arrow, emphasizing that a man’s success in society ultimately depends on the power of his wife, and that in this sense the wife plays the central role.

In another letter, Letter to Brothers, he writes, “Women support others and thereby cause others to support them”(WNDⅠ,ｐ.501,l.49),teaching that a woman’s true way of life lies in harmoniously guiding while outwardly following.

Of course, among the Daishonin’s followers there were widows and unmarried women, and this principle does not apply in every case. In modern society, it is natural that women, too, play active roles in the public sphere.

Nevertheless, within the home, for a woman in the position of wife, this teaching offers important guidance for building a harmonious family life.

A wife possesses the power to determine the happiness or misfortune of her family. How wisely she uses this power can move her husband’s heart and enable him to bring forth his full potential in society. If she fails to recognize this and instead imposes her ego upon him, she may wound his dignity, sap his vitality, and destroy the harmony of their marriage.

Both men and women must live with wisdom and independence, but each in a way that accords with their own nature and position.

In both family and society, when the unique qualities of men and women are fully expressed and harmonized, the ideal way of life is realized.

Thus, when Nichiren Daishonin praised the lay nun’s devotion, he was not only commending her personal virtue but also reminding men that behind every achievement lies the unseen strength of women, teaching the importance of harmony and cooperation between husband and wife.

 

 

Chapter2(Revealing the Way to Overcome Illness)

 

Note

1. Iki and Tsushima are islands off the coast of Kyushu in southern Japan that bore the brunt of the Mongol attack in 1274. The Dazaifu office was the administrative center for Kyushu, Iki, and Tsushima, and served as a foreign affairs conduit and as a rallying point in the case of foreign invasion. During the attack of 1274, it was a focal point of defense against the Mongols. Even after the attack had ended, many warriors were sent to Tsukushi, or Kyushu, from throughout the country to guard against a second attack.

 

Lecture

Hearing that the lay nun was afflicted with illness, the Daishonin expressed his deep concern. He first advised, saying, “Continue the moxibustion treatment as you did at the beginning for three full years,” thus urging her to persevere in medical treatment. At the same time, he expounded upon the most fundamental remedy—the faith that serves as the supreme medicine to strengthen one’s life force in the battle against illness. Because the lay nun is a votary of the Lotus Sutra and her faith is strong and steadfast, the Daishonin assured her that she would surely overcome any sickness and could even prolong her life span.

In this passage, Nichiren Daishonin clearly elucidates the basic principle for conquering illness. It is a treatment that encompasses both physical and mental healing, and, beyond these, the profound method of transforming one’s karma.

First, regarding physical treatment, he instructs her to continue the moxibustion for three years without neglect and to take care in nourishing her body. This indicates that one should make full use of the medical knowledge and methods available in Japan at that time.

Next, he teaches that when one believes strongly in the Mystic Law, one can increase the very power of life itself and, even when illness arises from karmic causes, one can change and overcome it. He cites the examples of King Ajātashatru from the time of the Buddha and Ch’en Ch’en, elder brother of the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai, showing that even fixed karma can be altered and one’s life span extended. These two examples also appear in On Prolonging One’s Life Span addressed to the same lay nun.

Third, he offers encouragement from the spiritual perspective. He tells her to recall the suffering of the people of Kamakura, who, because of the Mongol invasion, must part from their wives and children, and upon reaching Kyūshū, are attacked by the enemy. Whether they hide in the mountains or flee across the sea, they are captured, bound, and slain—either aboard enemy ships or carried away to Korea to be killed. The Daishonin teaches that such suffering and lamentation have befallen the people of Japan because they persecuted the votary of the Lotus Sutra and thereby incurred the wrath of the Ten Demon Daughters. He further warns that they will experience torments a hundred thousand million times more unbearable after death in the hell of incessant suffering.
In contrast, he assures the lay nun, who has unwavering faith in the true Law, that her attainment of Buddhahood is beyond doubt, and therefore she need not grieve over her present illness.

In matters of illness, grief, lamentation, and despair are one’s greatest enemies. Such emotions not only become causes of sickness but also aggravate existing disease. Every form of illness is deeply connected with the condition of the heart. When sorrow and lament dwell in the heart, the symptoms worsen; yet when the light of hope is kindled, the power to fight against illness wells forth.
In our present age, it is being scientifically demonstrated that emotions such as grief, despair, and hopelessness are closely related not only to heart disease but also to the onset and worsening of cancer. Needless to say, the state of the heart is deeply bound up with other illnesses such as leukemia, ulcers, diabetes, and many more.

Even deep sorrow can be borne if accompanied by the expectation of eventual recovery. But if one’s suffering is prolonged and without foreseeable end, the human spirit cannot endure; one loses the will and life force to battle disease. Nichiren Daishonin, by contrasting the lay nun’s grief with the suffering of the people of Kamakura and by teaching her the joy of attaining Buddhahood, sought to ignite within her the flame of courage and hope that shines from the depths of sorrow.

Thus, when one looks to the light of hope in the future and strengthens one’s faith in the Lotus Sutra ever more deeply, the effects of both physical and spiritual treatment unite, and one can overcome even karmic disease. Moreover, the struggle with illness grounded in faith in the Lotus Sutra is not limited merely to the healing of the body. The very act of confronting illness becomes the means for transforming one’s karma, overcoming all sufferings, and opening the path to enlightenment in this lifetime.

The state of Buddhahood thus attained surpasses by far the transient joys of queens or heavenly beings. The happiness of human and heavenly realms is shallow and impermanent, while the joy of enlightenment is eternal, diamondlike, and indestructible.

When one realizes that the struggle with illness through faith in the Mystic Law leads to such a state of unshakable happiness, present suffering is no longer cause for lamentation. The heart becomes enveloped in hope for the future, and that hope itself becomes the power that brings about recovery.

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Even those without illness cannot escape impermanence. Yet this does not mean the end of one’s allotted years. Because you are a practitioner of the Lotus Sutra, you cannot possibly suffer an untimely death. Nor do I believe this to be karmic disease. But even were it so, the power of the Lotus Sutra is truly dependable.

Karmic disease, as the Great Concentration and Insight states, arises either from deeds in past lives or from the breaking of precepts in this life, which activates the past karma and results in illness. If an illness is not due to karma, it may be cured through medical treatment. But karmic disease can only be healed through the transforming power of the Buddha’s Law.

Even fixed karma can be changed through strong faith in the Lotus Sutra. On Prolonging One’s Life Span says,
“ Sincere repentance will eradicate even fixed karma, to say nothing of karma that is unfixed. The seventh volume of the Lotus Sutra states, “This sutra provides good medicine for the ills of the people of Jambudvīpa.”(WND Ⅰ,p.954,l.4)
Thus, when one repents the slander of past lives before the Gohonzon, even the gravest of offenses can be extinguished.

Having embraced faith in the great Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, one’s enlightenment is assured. Therefore, the Daishonin concludes with words of joy:
“Even were you to become a queen, what joy would that bring? Rather, you will join the company of Mahāprajāpatī Bhikshunī—how joyful, how joyful indeed!”
In this spirit, he teaches her to chant the daimoku with gratitude and rejoicing, advancing ever more in faith.
This, indeed, is not merely the way to overcome illness but the very essence of the spirit of faith itself.