Letter to Shimoyama（3rd of 13th paragraph）
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At present, the events that I predicted in the past are now little by little coming true, and as a result these people are beginning to wonder in their hearts just what they should do. But for so many years now they have slandered and reviled me in so excessive a manner that it is difficult for them suddenly to turn about and put their faith in my teaching. Moreover, the threat of Mongol invasion becomes ever more pressing until, like Taira no Munemori or Minamoto no Yoshitomo, they are filled with despair.
How vital it is that people should think about what they are doing! Confucius thought nine times before he spoke one word, and Tan, the Duke of Chou, would interrupt his hair-washing three times or spit out his food three times in the course of one meal [in order not to keep visitors waiting].83 Such is the care and caution with which worthies such as these conduct their affairs. It is also customary in the world to harbor doubts about anything excessive. When persons are in the position of governing a nation, if someone offers them advice, they should investigate the matter thoroughly and with care. Yet in my case, they summarily assumed I must be at fault and sent me into exile. They must have deeply regretted this error.
When King Chieh of the Hsia dynasty was hard pressed by King T’ang [the founder of the Yin dynasty], or when the king of Wu was taken prisoner by the king of Yüeh,84 they regretted then that they had not heeded the words of warning that had been given them by worthies earlier. When King Ajātashatru’s body broke out in virulent sores and he faced attack from abroad, he swore he would no longer permit Devadatta into his sight or listen to Devadatta’s advice. And when Taira no Munemori, defeated in battle and taken prisoner by Minamoto no Yoshitsune, was being escorted to Kamakura to suffer the shame of execution, he bewailed his earlier actions in setting fire to Tōdai-ji temple and shooting arrows that struck the sacred carriage of Mountain King, the god of Mount Hiei.85
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Notes
83. These anecdotes are mentioned in Analects and Records of the Historian, respectively. Tan, the Duke of Chou, was a younger brother of Emperor Wu of the Chou dynasty. He implemented a number of reforms in state affairs and established a firm foundation for the dynasty. He was so eager to find able persons and anxious not to overlook anyone that he would receive visitors even while washing his hair or during the course of a meal. The Daishonin cites this example to explain the importance of being conscientious.
84. King Chieh, the seventeenth ruler of the Hsia dynasty, perpetrated various atrocities. When Kuan Lung-feng, a loyal minister, admonished him, the king had him beheaded. Eventually, Chieh was overthrown by his enemy, King T’ang, and the Hsia dynasty came to an end. The king of Wu refers to Fu-ch’a, the twenty-fifth ruler of the state of Wu. His father was killed by Kou-chien, ruler of the state of Yüeh, and Fu-ch’a took revenge two years later by defeating Yüeh in battle. Kou-chien proposed a peaceful settlement with Fu-ch’a, but secretly planned to attack the state of Wu again. Wu Tzu-hsü, a loyal minister of Fu-ch’a, discovered the plot and urged the king to kill Kou-chien, but the king would not listen. Instead, in 485 b.c.e., he compelled Wu Tzu-hsü to commit suicide.
85. In 1177, the Taira clan attempted to control the shrine keepers and the Buddhist priests of Japan, as a result of which they aroused the enmity of the priests of Mount Hiei and of the seven major temples of Nara. It is said that the arrows shot by the Taira clan struck the carriage of Mountain King at Hie Shrine at the foot of Mount Hiei. In 1180, the Taira clan uncovered a plot against them in Nara and had Taira no Shigehira burn Tōdai-ji and Kōfuku-ji temples as punishment for their support of the conspirators.