Letter to Kōnichi-bō

Background and Summary（Short Story）

This letter, written by Nichiren Daishonin in 1276, is a response to Kōnichi-bō’s concerns about her deceased son’s actions as a samurai and his fate in the next life. The Daishonin reassures her that her strong faith in the Lotus Sutra can save him from the evil paths. The letter also chronicles the Daishonin’s exile and eventual residence at Mount Minobu. He advises Kōnichi-bō on the importance of repentance and offers examples of redemption. The Daishonin urges her to pray to Shakyamuni Buddha and warns against the influence of enemies of the Lotus Sutra. Kōnichi-bō remains a devoted believer in the Daishonin’s Buddhism despite her sorrow.

Main Text

Those who believe in the Lotus Sutra should beware of and guard themselves against the sutra’s enemies. You should know that the Nembutsu priests, the observers of the precepts, and the teachers of the True Word school—in fact, all those who refuse to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo—are the enemies of the Lotus Sutra, no matter how earnestly they may read it. If you do not know your enemies, you will be deceived by them.

Letter to Kōnichi-bō

Background

IN the ninth month of the eighth year of Bun’ei (1271), with the cyclical sign kanoto-hitsuji, I incurred the wrath of the ruler and was exiled to Sado Island in the northern sea. While I was living in Kamakura in Sagami Province, I somehow longed for Awa Province since it was my birthplace. Yet though it was my homeland, something about how the people there felt toward me made it difficult for me to be on close terms with them, so I rarely went to visit. I then incurred the ruler’s wrath and was to have been put to death, but instead I was banished from Sagami Province. It seemed that, unless some extraordinary circumstance arose, I could never return to Kamakura, and therefore I would never again be able to visit my parents’ grave. As I continued to think this way, I was consumed by remorse, feeling that I wanted to go there immediately. Why, I lamented, before finding myself in this predicament, had I not crossed seas and traversed mountains every day, or even once a month, to visit my parents’ grave and to inquire after my teacher?1

Su Wu2 was a prisoner in the land of the northern barbarians for nineteen years. He envied the wild geese as they migrated southward. Nakamaro3 went to T’ang China as an emissary of the Japanese imperial court. Years passed, but he was not permitted to return home. Whenever he saw the moon rise in the east, he would console himself by thinking that the same moon must be shining above Mount Mikasa in his native province, and that the people there must even at that moment be gazing at it. Just when I was overwhelmed by similar longings for home, I received from my native province the robe you had entrusted to someone journeying to Sado Island. Su Wu’s life was sustained by a mere letter tied to a wild goose’s leg, while I actually received such clothing! His joy could not possibly have compared to mine.

～（omitted)～

There was a wicked man named Ajita in the city of Vārānasī. Falling in love with his own mother, he killed his father and made her his wife. When the arhat who had been his father’s teacher admonished him, he killed that arhat, and when his mother took another man for a husband, he killed her as well. Thus he committed three of the five cardinal sins. Shunned by his neighbors, he had no place to turn. He went to Jetavana Monastery and sought admittance to the Buddhist Order, but the monks refused. The evil in his heart grew more rampant than ever, and he burned down many of the monks’ quarters. Finally, however, he met Shakyamuni Buddha and was permitted to become a monk.

There was a kingdom called Small Stones in northern India that was ruled by a king named Dragon Seal.20 Dragon Seal killed his father, but later, horrified by his own act, he abandoned his country, presented himself before the Buddha, and repented of his wrongdoing; thereupon the Buddha forgave him.

King Ajātashatru was by nature given to the three poisons of greed, anger, and foolishness, and was forever committing one or another of the ten evil acts. Moreover, he killed his father, attempted to take his mother’s life, and, accepting Devadatta as his teacher, massacred countless disciples of the Buddha. Due to his accumulated misdeeds, on the fifteenth day of the second month, the very day on which the Buddha was to pass away, virulent boils broke out in seven areas of his royal body, a sign that he would fall into the hell of incessant suffering. The king writhed in agony; he felt as if he were being burned by a great fire or doused with boiling water. His six ministers presented themselves before him and insisted that he should summon the six non-Buddhist teachers in order to have them cure his foul sores. This was just like the people of Japan today relying on leaders of the Zen and Precepts schools or priests of the Nembutsu and True Word schools as good teachers in the belief that the prayers of these men can subdue the Mongols and help them in their next life. Moreover, Devadatta, whom Ajātashatru regarded as his primary teacher, had memorized the sixty thousand non-Buddhist and eighty thousand Buddhist teachings. His understanding of both secular and religious matters was as clear as the sun, the moon, or a burnished mirror. He was like the learned priests of the Tendai school in the world today who are well versed in both the exoteric and esoteric teachings and know all the Buddhist scriptures by heart. Because Ajātashatru was guided by such teachers and ministers, he had refused to become the Buddha’s follower. And for this reason, his country, Magadha, had suffered repeated disturbances in the heavens and frequent strange occurrences on earth, being ravaged incessantly by violent winds, severe droughts, famines, and epidemics. Moreover, it had been attacked by another country. Now, in addition to all this, he was suffering from virulent boils, and his kingdom appeared to be on the verge of ruin. It was at this time that he suddenly presented himself before the Buddha and repented of his evildoings, and his offenses were eradicated.

In any event, even though the parents may be evildoers, if the child is good, the parents’ offenses will be forgiven. On the other hand, although the child may be an evildoer, if the parents are good persons, their child’s faults will be pardoned. Hence, even though your late son, Yashirō, committed evil, if you, the mother who gave birth to him, grieve for him and offer prayers for him day and night in the presence of Shakyamuni Buddha, how could he not be saved? Moreover, because he believed in the Lotus Sutra, he may have become the one who will lead his parents to Buddhahood.

Those who believe in the Lotus Sutra should beware of and guard themselves against the sutra’s enemies. You should know that the Nembutsu priests, the observers of the precepts, and the teachers of the True Word school—in fact, all those who refuse to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo—are the enemies of the Lotus Sutra, no matter how earnestly they may read it. If you do not know your enemies, you will be deceived by them. How I wish I could see you personally and talk to you about these matters in detail! Whenever you see Sammi-bō or Sado-kō,21 who will visit your area from Minobu, have them read this letter to you. Place it in the custody of Myōe-bō.22 Those lacking in wisdom would no doubt mock me or criticize this letter as mere clever words on my part. Or they would compare me with others, saying, “This priest could never match the Great Teacher Kōbō, or surpass the Great Teacher Jikaku!” Consider those who say such things ignorant.

Nichiren

Written in the third month in the second year of Kenji (1276), cyclical sign hinoe-ne, in the mountains of Hakiri Village in the Nambu area of Kai Province.

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Background

This letter was written at Minobu in the third month, 1276, to Kōnichi-bō, a widow who lived in Amatsu in Awa Province. Her son, Yashirō, had converted earlier to Nichiren Daishonin’s teachings, and through him she became a believer herself. While the Daishonin was in exile on Sado Island, she sent him robes and other articles, and continued to make offerings to him after he took up residence at Mount Minobu. She enjoyed the Daishonin’s trust and received several works from him, including The Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra.

Some time after Kōnichi-bō’s conversion, Yashirō died. This letter is the Daishonin’s reply to a letter from Kōnichi-bō expressing anxiety about the fact that her son, as a samurai, had killed others and asking what would happen to him in his next life. The Daishonin encouraged her by saying that Yashirō had converted her to faith in the Lotus Sutra and could be saved from the evil paths by her strong faith. Kōnichi-bō overcame her deep sorrow and remained a sincere believer in the Daishonin’s Buddhism throughout her life.

The former part of this letter chronicles some of the events that took place from the ninth month of 1271, when Nichiren Daishonin incurred the wrath of the government and was exiled to Sado Island, to 1274, when he was pardoned and retired to Mount Minobu. In the next part, the Daishonin who received the news of the death of Yashirō recounts his impressions of Yashirō and expresses his deep sympathy for Kōnichi-bō’s sorrow. In reply to her question, the Daishonin explains the Buddhist principle of repentance, or acknowledging and striving to correct one’s past misdeeds, by saying, “Even a small error will destine one to the evil paths if one does not repent of it. Yet even a grave offense can be eradicated if one repents of it sincerely.” Citing the examples of Ajita and King Ajātashatru, he assures Kōnichi-bō that even though her late son, Yashirō, committed evil, if she offers prayers for him day and night in the presence of Shakyamuni Buddha, he can be saved, and that he will surely lead his parents to Buddhahood. Finally, the Daishonin cautions her against being influenced by any enemy of the Lotus Sutra.

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Notes

1. “My teacher” refers to Dōzen-bō, a priest of Seichō-ji temple in Tōjō Village of Awa Province, where Nichiren Daishonin entered the priesthood.

2. Su Wu (140–60 b.c.e.) was a minister of Emperor Wu of the Former Han dynasty. Su Wu was imprisoned, and Wu’s successor, Emperor Chao, demanded Su Wu’s release, but his captors falsely reported that he had already died. Then one of Su Wu’s retainers instructed the emperor’s envoy to tell the barbarians that the emperor had shot down a wild goose near the capital and that tied to its leg was a letter reporting that Su Wu was still alive. Finally, the chief of the northern barbarians was compelled to return Su Wu nineteen years after his imprisonment.

3. Nakamaro is Abe no Nakamaro (698–770), who went to T’ang China as a student envoy in 717 and later served Emperor Hsüan-tsung as an official of the Chinese government. In 733 he attempted to return to Japan, but the T’ang authorities would not permit it. Later, he obtained permission to return, but his ship was wrecked and he was forced to go back to China, where he died.

20. This story appears in the Nirvana Sutra, but little is known about the country Small Stones or its king Dragon Seal.

21. Sado-kō was another name for Nikō (1253–1314), one of the Daishonin’s six senior priest-disciples.

22. Myōe-bō was one of the Daishonin’s followers who had some connection with Seichō-ji temple. Little else is known about him.

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