Letter to Shimoyama（2nd of 11th paragraph）
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In the presence of Many Treasures and the Buddhas of the ten directions, Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, described in his own words the situation that would prevail in the latter age. The sutra records that at that time the bodhisattvas said, “Evil demons will take possession of others and through them curse, revile, and heap shame on us. . . . Again and again we will be banished.”64
Again, the Sovereign Kings Sutra, which was expounded by Shakyamuni and the four Buddhas of the four directions,65 says, “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.”
Even though the rulers may look with scorn and contempt on Nichiren, they cannot invalidate the golden words of Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, or the affirmations of those words by Many Treasures and the Buddhas of the ten directions. But, although they have from times past lent their support and allegiance to all these True Word teachers and men of the Zen and Nembutsu schools, evil monks who slander the Law, because they were unaware that in doing so they were committing a grave error, the heavenly gods have pardoned them to some extent and the benevolent deities have not abandoned them altogether.
Nichiren, however, has now made his appearance in the world, he who fears no person whatsoever and who is prepared to cast aside body and life in order to point out the truth. If these men were truly worthy rulers of the nation, they would listen carefully to what he says. They do not listen or heed his advice, however, but, incredible as it may seem, go so far as to contemplate cutting off his head. This is a most astounding matter!
Thus we see that two evils have appeared side by side, the grave error of giving heed to men of great evil, and the grave crime of heaping shame on men of great goodness who uphold the correct teaching. It is as though one were to pay honor and respect to the asuras and shoot arrows at the god of the sun! This is why grave disorders occur now in this country such as have never been known in the past.
But such a situation is not without precedents in history. For example, King Chieh of the Hsia dynasty cut off the head of his minister Kuan Lung-feng, King Chou of the Yin dynasty tore open the breast of his minister Pi Kan, the Second Emperor of the Ch’in dynasty put to death his minister Li Ssu,66 King Udayana heaped insult on the Venerable Pindola,67 King Dammira cut off the head of the Venerable Āryasimha, Emperor Wu of the Northern Chou dynasty engaged in controversy with the Dharma Teacher Hui-yüan, Emperor Hsien-tsung of the T’ang dynasty condemned Po Chü-i to exile,68 and Emperor Hui-tsung of the Sung dynasty branded the face of the Tripitaka Master Fa-tao.
All these rulers not only failed to heed the admonitions of others, but on the contrary vented their wrath on the admonishers. In this life they lost both their kingdoms and their lives, and thereafter they fell into the evil paths. This was because they showed contempt for others, heeded the words of slanderers, and failed to abide by reason.
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Notes
65. The four Buddhas are Akshobhya (east), Jewel Sign (south), Infinite Life (west), and Subtle and Wonderful Voice (north). They preach about the long life of Shakyamuni in the sutra. Hence the Daishonin says Shakyamuni and these Buddhas expounded the sutra.
66. For Kuan Lung-feng, see Glossary. The story of Pi Kan is found in Records of the Historian. King Chou was so absorbed in his affection for his consort, Ta Chi, that he totally neglected affairs of state. When Pi Kan remonstrated with him, King Chou flew into a rage and killed him. The Second Emperor of Ch’in refers to Hu Hai (229–207 b.c.e.). A puppet ruler, he was controlled by the eunuch official Chao Kao. Instigated by Chao Kao’s slanderous tongue, he had Li Ssu executed, and later Hu Hai himself perished at the hands of Chao Kao.
67. This story appears in The Fourfold Rules of Discipline. Udayana was the king of Kaushāmbī in Shakyamuni’s time. Pindola was the son of a minister to Udayana, but renounced secular life to enter the Buddhist Order. King Udayana revered the Buddha’s disciple Pindola and visited him every day. His jealous minister persuaded the king that Pindola was insufficiently respectful and urged him to kill the disciple if the latter did not rise to greet him. Knowing this with his supernatural powers, Pindola rose from his seat to save the king from the offense of killing a disciple of the Buddha, but as a result of his own ill intent, the king was soon captured by an enemy ruler and died within seven years.
68. Po Chü-i (772–846) was a Chinese poet-official noted for his Hsin Yüeh-fu, “New Ballads,” a series of poems in p.717yüeh-fu, or ballad, form criticizing social and political ills of the time. Partly as a result of his criticisms against the government of Emperor Hsien-tsung, he was deprived of his government posts in 815 and exiled to Hsün-yang in Kiangsi on the south bank of the Yangtze River.