On Repaying Debts of Gratitude

Nichiren

Background

This lengthy treatise is one of Nichiren Daishonin’s five major writings. It is dated the twenty-first day of the seventh month, 1276, a little more than two years after the Daishonin had taken up residence at Minobu. It was prompted by the news of the death of Dōzen-bō, a priest of Seichō-ji temple in Awa Province, who had been the Daishonin’s teacher when he first entered the temple as a boy of twelve. Nichiren Daishonin wrote this treatise to express his gratitude to Dōzen-bō and sent it to Jōken-bō and Gijō-bō, senior priests at the time he entered the temple, who later became his followers. He entrusted this text to Nikō, one of his disciples, and requested that it be taken to Seichō-ji on his behalf and read aloud at Kasagamori on the summit of Mount Kiyosumi where he had first chanted Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, and again in front of the tomb of his late teacher.

In 1233, Nichiren Daishonin entered Seichō-ji temple to study under Dōzen-bō. At that time, temples served as centers of learning as well as religion. During his stay at this temple, the Daishonin developed his extraordinary literary skills that later proved so valuable in propagating his teachings. He also embarked on a lifelong journey to find and proclaim the unique truth of Buddhism, which had been all but obscured by the emergence of various misleading schools.

On the twenty-eighth day of the fourth month, 1253, the Daishonin proclaimed Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to be the sole teaching leading directly to enlightenment in the Latter Day of the Law, while denouncing the doctrines of the then prevalent Pure Land school. Tōjō Kagenobu, the steward of the area and a fervent Pure Land believer, became furious on hearing of this and sent his men to the temple to arrest the Daishonin. Dōzen-bō, a devotee of the Pure Land teaching, could not defend him openly, but instructed the two senior priests, Jōken-bō and Gijō-bō, to guide his young disciple to safety.

Nichiren Daishonin and his former teacher met again in 1264, when the Daishonin visited his home in Awa after returning from exile on the Izu Peninsula. He later wrote that Dōzen-bō had asked him on this occasion if his practice of the Pure Land teaching would lead him into the hell of incessant suffering. In reply, the Daishonin told Dōzen-bō that he could not free himself from the effects of his slander unless he revered the Lotus Sutra as the fundamental teaching. Afterward, though Dōzen-bō did not entirely abandon his belief in Amida, he carved a statue of Shakyamuni Buddha. The Daishonin rejoiced that Dōzen-bō was apparently beginning to see his error because he felt indebted to this man who had initiated him into the priesthood and earnestly desired to lead him to the correct teaching.

Nichiren Daishonin begins this treatise by emphasizing the need to repay one’s obligations to one’s parents, teacher, the three treasures of Buddhism, and one’s sovereign. He teaches the importance of repaying debts of gratitude as a fundamental aspect of human behavior. Of these four debts of gratitude, this work stresses specifically repaying the debt owed to one’s teacher. Next, the Daishonin states that to repay such debts one must master the truth of Buddhism and attain enlightenment. To accomplish this goal, one must dedicate oneself single-mindedly to the Buddhist practice. However, to attain enlightenment, one must also practice the correct Buddhist teaching. The Daishonin traces the development of the various schools of Buddhism in India, China, and Japan, and examines their doctrines in terms of the relative superiority of the sutras on which they are based, emphasizing the supremacy of the Lotus Sutra. In particular, he refutes the erroneous doctrines of the True Word school. He vehemently denounces Jikaku and Chishō who, though they were patriarchs of the Japanese Tendai school, corrupted the school’s profound teachings, which are based on the Lotus Sutra, by mixing them with esoteric elements. The Daishonin concludes that only the Lotus Sutra contains the ultimate truth and, moreover, that the essence of the sutra, and of the whole of Buddhism, is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. This is the teaching to be propagated in the Latter Day of the Law.

The concluding part of this work makes clear that the Buddha of the Latter Day is none other than Nichiren Daishonin himself, and that the Buddhism he teaches comprises the Three Great Secret Laws—the invocation or daimoku of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the object of devotion, and the sanctuary—which are implicit in the “Life Span” chapter of the Lotus Sutra but have never before been revealed. The Daishonin also makes it clear that, in establishing the Three Great Secret Laws for the enlightenment of all people, he is at the same time repaying his debt of gratitude to the deceased Dōzen-bō. Flowering and Bearing Grain, written two years later, states, “The blessings that Nichiren obtains from propagating the Lotus Sutra will always return to Dōzen-bō”. This passage restates the message of the concluding part of this letter.

The present treatise is particularly important because it is the first extant writing in which Nichiren Daishonin specifies each of the Three Great Secret Laws, declaring that this teaching will save people for the ten thousand years of the Latter Day and more, for all eternity. These three, the core of the Daishonin’s Buddhism, represent the Law that was transferred to the Bodhisattvas of the Earth in the “Supernatural Powers” chapter for propagation in the Latter Day. The object of devotion is the Gohonzon that enables all people to attain Buddhahood; the daimoku is the chanting of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with faith in the object of devotion; and the sanctuary is the place where the object of devotion is enshrined and the daimoku is chanted to it.

Introductory Lecture

Introduction

In giving a lecture on the On Repaying Debts of Gratitude (Hōon-shō), I will first, as a preliminary talk, briefly explain the following three points:

The circumstances under which this treatise was composed
The general purport of the treatise
The original intent and inner meaning of the treatise

The Circumstances of the Treatise’s Composition

This treatise was written by Nichiren Daishonin on the 21st day of the 7th month of Kenji 2 (1276), at Mount Minobu.
It was sent to Jōken-bō and Gijō-bō for the sake of posthumous offerings for the late Dōzen-bō of Seichō-ji in Awa.

At that time, three years had passed since Nichiren Daishonin had taken up residence at Minobu, and he was fifty-five years of age.
The original autograph of the treatise was kept at Minobu, but it was lost in a fire in 1875 (Meiji 8).

In On the Heritage of the One Single Transmission at Fuji by Nikko Shōnin, among the so-called “Ten Major Writings,” the entry for the Treatise on Repaying Debts of Gratitude is as follows:

“One fascicle, Hōon-shō.
Now opened and divided into an upper and lower section.
Written at Mount Minobu for the departed spirit of the master Dōzen-bō and sent to Seichō-ji.
I have heard that it is now in the possession of Hyūga.
The copy held by Nikko is a second-generation transcription and has not yet been collated against the original manuscript.” (1604)

From the above, it is clear that this treatise was written after Nichiren Daishonin heard of Dōzen-bō’s passing, in order to repay his kindness and express gratitude, and that it was sent to Jōken-bō and Gijō-bō.

The Former Teacher, Dōzen-bō

Nichiren Daishonin, from the age of twelve, went up to Seichō-ji in Awa Province and devoted himself to study.
His teacher at that time was Dōzen-bō, and his two senior fellow disciples were Jōken-bō and Gijō-bō.

On the 28th day of the 4th month of Kenchō 5 (1253), in the Buddha hall of the priests’ quarters at Seichō-ji, facing south, he first expounded the Three Great Secret Laws of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

However, the local steward (jitō), Tōjō Saemon Kagenobu, was a fervent Nembutsu believer and persecuted Nichiren Daishonin.
Most of the monks within Seichō-ji also opposed the Daishonin’s correct doctrine.
Nichiren Daishonin only barely managed to escape because Jōken-bō and Gijō-bō hid him and helped him flee.

The On Repaying Debts of Gratitude states:

However, it often happens with worthies that, although they do not think of themselves as having retired from the world, other people assume that they have, and therefore, if they were to come rushing out of retreat for no good reason, people would suppose that they had failed to accomplish their purpose. For this reason, no matter how much I might wish to visit his grave, I feel that I cannot do so.

Now you two, Jōken-bō and Gijō-bō, were my teachers in my youth. You are like the administrators of priests Gonzō and Gyōhyō, who though they were at one time the teachers of the Great Teacher Dengyō, later instead became his disciples. When Kagenobu was bent on harming me and I decided that I must leave Mount Kiyosumi [on which Seichō-ji is located], you helped me escape in secret. You have performed an unrivaled service for the Lotus Sutra. There can be no doubt about the reward that awaits you in your next rebirth. (WND1, p.729)

And in Questions and Answers on the Object of Devotion (Honzon Mondō-shō) it says:

At the time when the steward displayed his anger toward me, you, Jōken-bō, along with Gijō-bō, helped me to escape from Seichō-ji unharmed. Without doing anything further, you have already performed a service for the Lotus Sutra. I hope you will therefore take this opportunity to free yourselves from the sufferings of birth and death. (WND2, p.798)

Toward such Jōken-bō and Gijō-bō, their teacher Dōzen-bō, however, was timid and faint-hearted, fearing the authority of the steward and clinging above all to his own position as chief priest of Seichō-ji.
He thought Nichiren Daishonin’s teaching was correct and, especially in his later years, felt drawn to it, yet for the sake of his own safety he could not abandon the Nembutsu.
His attitude was such that he seemed to think, “Even if I fall into hell, it cannot be helped.”

The On Repaying Debts of Gratitude says:

The late Dōzen-bō treated me as one of his favorite disciples, so I cannot believe that he bore any hatred toward me. But he was a timid man, and he could never bring himself to give up his position at the temple where he lived, Seichō-ji. Moreover, he was fearful of what Kagenobu, the steward of the region, might do if he gave ear to my teachings. And at Seichō-ji he had to live in the midst of priests like Enchi and Jitsujō, who were as evil as Devadatta or Kokālika, and to put up with their intimidations, so that he became more fearful than ever. As a result, he turned a deaf ear to the longtime disciples he was fondest of. I wonder what will become of such a man in the next life.

There is one thing to be thankful for. Kagenobu, Enchi, and Jitsujō all died before Dōzen-bō did, and that was something of a help. These men all met an untimely death because of the chastisement of the ten demon daughters who protect the Lotus Sutra. After they died, Dōzen-bō began to have some faith in the Lotus Sutra. But it was rather like obtaining a stick after the fight is over, or lighting a lantern at midday—the proper time had already passed.

In addition, whatever happens, one ought to feel pity and concern for one’s own children or disciples. Dōzen-bō was not an entirely helpless man, and yet, though I was exiled all the way to the province of Sado, he never once tried to visit me. This is hardly the behavior of one who believes in the Lotus Sutra. (WND1, p.729)

In Questions and Answers on the Object of Devotion we also read:

The late priest Dōzen-bō was my teacher. In his heart he felt kindly toward me. But he was afraid that some trouble might arise between himself and the steward of the region because of the Lotus Sutra, and therefore he acted outwardly as though he were my enemy. I heard later that he seemed to manifest a certain degree of faith in the Lotus Sutra. But I do not know just what his condition was when he was on the point of death. (WND2, p.798)

And in The Tripitaka Master Shan-wu-wei (Zenmui Sanzō-shō):

To repay the debt that I owe to my former teacher Dōzen-bō, I desired to spread the teachings of the Buddha on Mount Kiyosumi and lead my teacher to enlightenment. But he is a rather ignorant man, and in addition he is a believer in the Nembutsu, so I did not see how he could escape the three evil paths. Moreover, he is not the kind of person who would listen to my words of instruction.

Nevertheless, in the first year of the Bun’ei era (1264), on the fourteenth day of the eleventh month, I met with him at the priests’ lodgings of Hanabusa in Saijō. At that time, he said to me: “I have neither wisdom nor any hope for advancement to important position. I am an old man with no desire for fame, and I claim no eminent priest of Nembutsu as my teacher. But because this practice has become so widespread in our time, I simply repeat like others the words Namu-Amida-butsu. In addition, though it was not my idea originally, I have had occasion to fashion five images of Amida Buddha. This perhaps is due to some karmic habit that I formed in a past existence. Do you suppose that as a result of these faults I will fall into hell?”

At that time I certainly had no thought of quarreling with him. But because of the earlier incident with the lay priest Tōjō Saemon Renchi, I had not seen my teacher for more than ten years, and thus it was in a way as though we had become estranged and were at odds. I thought that the proper and courteous thing would be to reason with him in mild terms and to speak in a gentle manner. On the other hand, when it comes to the realm of birth and death, neither young nor old know what fate awaits them, and it occurred to me that I might never again have another opportunity to meet with him. I had already warned Dōzen-bō’s elder brother, the priest Dōgi-bō Gishō, that he was destined to fall into the hell of incessant suffering if he did not change his ways, and they say that his death was far worse than what he had hoped. When I considered that my teacher Dōzen-bō might meet a similar fate, I was filled with pity for him and therefore made up my mind to speak to him in very strong terms.

I explained to him that, by making five images of Amida Buddha, he was condemning himself to fall five times into the hell of incessant suffering.(WND1, p.176)

From all this we see that Dōzen-bō was, in summary, a foolish, timid, small-minded Nembutsu believer.
The steward Tōjō Kagenobu, for his part, was not only stubborn in his attachment to heretical teachings but, as indicated in another writing, a villain who even killed Seichō-ji’s tame deer.
Moreover, within Seichō-ji there were priests such as Enchi-bō and Jitsujō-bō who strongly opposed Nichiren Daishonin.
Amid such circumstances, Dōzen-bō did show some faint signs of awakening to faith toward the end,
but he ultimately concluded his life in a most unreliable and pitiable manner.

Originally, Dōzen-bō and indeed the entire community of Seichō-ji should have been moved to profound admiration for the Daishonin’s virtue, especially in light of the following event.

Letter to the Priest of Seicho-ji states:

Above all, if the priests of Mount Kiyosumi treat me with less respect than they show their own parents or the three treasures, they will become wretched beggars in this life and will fall into the hell of incessant suffering in the next. I will explain why. The villainous Tōjō Saemon Kagenobu once hunted the deer and other animals kept by Seichō-ji, and tried to force the priests in the various lodging temples to become Nembutsu believers. At that time I pitted myself against Tōjō and supported the lord of the manor. I composed a fervent oath that read, “If the two temples Kiyosumi and Futama should come into Tōjō’s possession, I will discard the Lotus Sutra!” Then I tied it to the hand of the object of devotion, to which I prayed continuously. Within a year, both temples had been freed from Tōjō’s grasp. (WND1, p.652)

At that time the steward Tōjō Kagenobu, backed by Nembutsu followers such as Gokuraku-ji, sought to turn all of Seichō-ji—originally a Tendai temple—into a Nembutsu stronghold.
Moreover, he tried to take Nima-dera away from its estate-holders.
The killing of the tame deer can be seen as a kind of show of force against Seichō-ji.

Nichiren Daishonin therefore sided with the estate-holders and the Seichō-ji faction, while Tōjō’s side brought suit.
Within a year the case was won in favor of Seichō-ji and the estate-holders.

The estate-holders had also shown kindness to the Daishonin’s parents.
Thus this was a difficult problem that the Daishonin himself resolved.

The Recitation at Kasagamori

Although Dōzen-bō generally took positions contrary to Nichiren Daishonin’s guidance, and the situation at Seichō-ji was as described,
when the Daishonin heard of Dōzen-bō’s passing, he nevertheless said:

In On Repaying Debts of Gratitude:

In spite of all that, I thought a great deal of him, and when I heard the news of his death, I felt as though, whether I had to walk through fire or wade through water, I must rush to his grave, pound on it, and recite a volume of the Lotus Sutra for his sake.

However, it often happens with worthies that, although they do not think of themselves as having retired from the world, other people assume that they have, and therefore, if they were to come rushing out of retreat for no good reason, people would suppose that they had failed to accomplish their purpose. For this reason, no matter how much I might wish to visit his grave, I feel that I cannot do so. (WND1, P.729)

In the accompanying letter to the treatise he writes:

A sketchy report of the passing of the Reverend Dōzen-bō reached me last month. I felt that I should go in person as quickly as possible, as well as sending the priest who bears this letter. However, though I do not think of myself as one who has retired from the world, other people seem to look at me in that way, and so I make it a rule not to leave this mountain. (WND1, p.737)

Since the Daishonin himself could not leave Minobu under these circumstances,
he selected among his disciples Minbu Nikō (Hyūga), who was from the Bōsō region, to carry the treatise to Seichō-ji.
There he was to read it on the summit of Kasagamori and in front of Dōzen-bō’s grave.

The same letter says:

Therefore, I ask that just the two of you, you and Gijō-bō, have the work read aloud two or three times at the summit of Kasagamori, with this priest to do the reading. Please have him read it once before the grave of the late Dōzen-bō as well. (WND1, p.737)

These instructions of Nichiren Daishonin were carried out exactly as directed.

In Flowering and Bearing Grain (Keka Jōju-gosho) we read:

But I was very pleased to learn that you had read at Kasagamori the two documents I wrote in the Kenji era in memory of the late Sage Dōzen-bō. (WND1, p.909)

As for the term “Kasagamori” appearing in this sending letter, many older editions of the writings read it as “on the high mountain forest” or “on the high forest of the mountain,”
but these are serious misreadings.

The General Purport of the Treatise

The Title of the Treatise

The title Hōon-shō (“Treatise on Repaying Debts of Gratitude”) contains both a general and a specific meaning.

In general, it means repaying the four debts of gratitude;
in its specific sense, it means repaying the debt owed to one’s teacher.

The four debts referred to here differ somewhat from the four debts listed in The Four Debts of Gratitude (Shion-shō), as follows:

The four debts in this treatise:
1. The debt to one’s parents
2. The debt to one’s teacher
3. The debt to the Three Treasures
The four debts in The Four Debts of Gratitude:
1. The debt to all living beings
2. The debt to one’s parents
3. The debt to the sovereign
4. The debt to the Three Treasures

Why then does this treatise single out the debt to one’s teacher and omit explicit mention of the debt to all living beings?
It is because this writing was composed specifically to repay the kindness of his former teacher, Dōzen-bō;
therefore, Nichiren Daishonin especially highlights the teacher’s kindness.

At the same time, the debt to all beings is included within the debt to one’s parents.
In the Letter to Horen (Hōren-shō) it says:

Among the living beings of the six paths and the four forms of birth there are both men and women. And these men and women all were our parents at some point in our past existences. (WND1, p.512)

Thus, to repay the debt to one’s parents is to repay the debt to all living beings.

In its more specific aspect, the title indicates repaying the kindness of one’s teacher.
As stated earlier, the Daishonin composed this treatise to mourn the passing of his former teacher Dōzen-bō and to repay his kindness, and had it read on Kasagamori and before his grave.

At the conclusion of the treatise he writes:

Thus the flower will return to the root and the essence of the plant will remain in the earth. The benefit that I have been speaking of will surely accumulate in the life of the late Dōzen-bō. (WND1, p.737)

The Daishonin’s feelings as he remembered his teacher are far beyond what we ordinary people, with our shallow insight, can fathom.

For us in the Soka Gakkai, we have our own great teachers who devoted their entire lives to the propagation of the great Law—President Makiguchi and President Toda.
When we contemplate the Daishonin’s spirit in repaying even the “ignorant and timid” Dōzen-bō,
we must deeply reflect on how we ourselves can possibly repay even a ten-thousandth of the kindness of these noble mentors.

Now, as we commemorate the seventh anniversary of our mentor Josei Toda’s passing,
we straighten our collars in solemn feeling and our sense of gratitude deepens all the more.

One thing that gives us great confidence, however,
is the fact that after our mentor’s passing we have advanced exactly as he instructed along the broad path of kosen-rufu,
and have carried out a great propagation that has surpassed 4.6 million households worldwide.
I am firmly convinced that our mentor is unquestionably rejoicing over this.

The Essential Message of the Treatise

From what has been said about the circumstances of its composition,
it is evident that the central purport of this treatise is, in general, to explain how to repay the four debts of gratitude,
and in particular, how to repay the debt owed to his former teacher, Dōzen-bō.

How, then, are we to repay such great kindness?

As the treatise itself teaches,
we must “surely learn and thoroughly master the Buddha’s Law and become a person of wisdom.”
If one truly wishes to “learn and exhaust the Buddha’s Law,”
one must renounce the world and study the entire corpus of the Buddha’s lifetime teachings.

However, in Japan ten schools have arisen, each claiming to be supreme.
They argue back and forth, all saying “we are number one,” and it is unclear which is truly in accord with the Buddha’s intent.

Examining them in light of the whole of the Buddha’s lifetime teachings,
the relative superiority and inferiority of Mahayana and Hinayana, provisional and true, trace and origin, seed and harvest become completely clear.
It then becomes evident that, in the Latter Day of the Law, the Buddha of great compassion is Nichiren Daishonin himself,
and that the Great White Law he established is the Three Great Secret Laws.

In this treatise in particular, he strictly refutes the erroneous doctrines of Shingon.
Of the five major writings, On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land (Risshō Ankoku-ron) is a pre-Sado work mainly aimed at refuting Hōnen’s Nembutsu teaching on the basis of the relative standpoint of provisional and true.
In The Opening of the Eyes (Kaimoku-shō), he clarifies the Person as the Object of Devotion through the five levels of comparison;
in The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind (Kanjin no Honzon-shō), he reveals the Great Gohonzon to be propagated in the Latter Day.
Yet even in these works, the name “Three Great Secret Laws” does not explicitly appear.

In The Selection of the Time (Senji-shō), he refutes the errors of the various schools and concludes:

And, unbelievable as it may seem, there clearly appears in the text of the Lotus Sutra a correct Law that is supremely profound and secret, one that, though expounded in full by the Buddha, in the time since his passing has never yet been propagated by Mahākāshyapa, Ānanda, Ashvaghosha, Nāgārjuna, Asanga, or Vasubandhu, nor even by T’ien-t’ai or Dengyō. (WND1, p.560)

But even there, the Three Great Secret Laws are not fully elaborated.

In this Kenji-era treatise, however, he thoroughly exposes the mistaken doctrines of the three Tripiṭaka Masters—Śubhakarasiṃha, Vajrabodhi, and Amoghavajra—in China,
and those of Kōbō, Jikaku, and Chishō in Japan,
together with their deceptive miracles and ominous dreams.
In general, he refutes Zen and Nembutsu, but in particular he attacks the errors of Shingon,
and especially those of Jikaku and Chishō, who, while occupying the seat of T’ien-t’ai’s successor as heads of the Tendai school, fell into Shingon teachings.

At the same time, he clarifies the Three Great Secret Laws of the Original Doctrine (Honmon) and, out of his vast compassion, concludes that these Three Great Secret Laws will save living beings not only throughout the ten thousand years of the Latter Day, but for all eternity.
Because this treatise reveals the Three Great Secret Laws, the sending letter remarks:

I have written matters of the utmost importance. (WND1, p.737)

Finally, in the concluding passage he states:

The benefit that I have been speaking of will surely accumulate in the life of the late Dōzen-bō. (WND1, p.737)

In this way he makes clear that only by propagating the Three Great Secret Laws and thereby saving all living beings can one truly repay the great kindness of one’s deceased teacher.

The Original Intent, That Is, the Inner Realization of the Treatise

Genuine Knowing and Repaying of Debts of Gratitude

As we have seen, the essential method of repaying debts of gratitude lies in believing in and spreading the Three Great Secret Laws.

Thus, although on the surface this treatise discusses repaying the kindness of the late teacher Dōzen-bō,
its deeper intent—its inner realization—is that Nichiren Daishonin, as the Original Buddha of the Latter Day,
has established and will widely propagate the Three Great Secret Laws.

We, the disciples in later ages, must likewise, in a general sense, repay the debts we owe to our parents, teachers, the Three Treasures, and the sovereign,
and in a specific sense, repay the debt to our own teacher.
This is the message being impressed upon us.

Chapter1(Expounding the Principle of Repaying Debts of Gratitude)

Main Text

THE old fox never forgets the hillock where he was born;¹ the white turtle repaid the kindness he had received from Mao Pao.² If even lowly creatures know enough to do this, then how much more should human beings! Thus Yü Jang, a worthy man of old, fell on his sword in order to repay the debt he owed his lord Chih Po,³ and the minister Hung Yen for similar reasons cut open his stomach and inserted the liver of his dead lord, Duke Yi of Wei.⁴ What can we say, then, of persons who are devoting themselves to Buddhism? Surely they should not forget the debts of gratitude they owe to their parents, their teachers, and their country.

Note

1. This appears in “Nine Pieces” of Elegies of Ch’u and other Chinese works. A commentary on Elegies of Ch’u by Chu Hsi of the Sung dynasty states: “The old fox dies, invariably turning his head toward the hillock. This is because he never forgets the place of his birth.”

2. This story appears in A Collection of Stories and Poems. When the young Mao Pao, who later became a general of the Chin dynasty, was walking along the Yangtze River, he saw a fisherman about to kill a turtle he had caught. Moved to pity, he gave the fisherman his clothing in exchange for the turtle and thus saved its life. Later, pursued by enemies, he reached the banks of the Yangtze. There the turtle he had saved in his youth appeared and carried him to the opposite shore.

3. According to Records of the Historian, Yü Jang of Chin first served the Fan and Chung-hang families but was not given an important position. Later, Yü Jang served under Chih Po, who treated him with great favor. In time, Chih Po was killed by Hsiang-tzu, the lord of Chao. To avenge his lord, Yü Jang disguised himself as a leper by lacquering his body, made himself a mute by drinking lye, and in this way attempted to approach Hsiang-tzu. But his attempt at assassination failed, and he was caught. Hsiang-tzu, understanding his feeling of loyalty, gave Yü Jang his robe. Yü stabbed it three times to show his enmity for the man who had killed his lord and then turned his sword upon himself.

4. This story appears in Records of the Historian. While Hung Yen was away on a journey, enemies attacked the state of Wei and killed his lord, Duke Yi, and devoured his body, leaving only the duke’s liver. Then they left the land. When Hung Yen returned, he saw the disastrous scene and wept. He slit open his own stomach and inserted the liver to save his lord from dishonor, and so died.

Lecture

Repaying the Four Debts—Especially the Teacher’s Benevolence

This chapter clarifies the principle that a disciple of the Buddha must necessarily repay their debts of gratitude.True gratitude, as expounded in Buddhism, was already discussed in detail in the introductory section. In summary, one must repay the four debts of gratitude, and in particular, repay the debt owed to one’s teacher. There are two ways of grouping these “four debts of gratitude”:

(The four debts in this treatise)(The four debts in the “Treatise on the Four Debts”)

The debt to one’s parents 1. The debt to all living beings
The debt to one’s teacher 2. The debt to one’s parents
The debt to the Three Treasures 3. The debt to the sovereign
The debt to the sovereign 4. The debt to the Three Treasures

Why, then, does this treatise omit the debt owed to all living beings and instead emphasize the debt to one’s teacher? According to Nichikan Shōnin, this is because the Daishonin intentionally highlights the debt to one’s teacher, wishing to instruct that one must in particular repay the teacher’s benevolence. Moreover, the reason living beings’ debt is included within the category of “parents” is explained in the Letter to Horen:

Among the living beings of the six paths and the four forms of birth there are both men and women. And these men and women all were our parents at some point in our past existences. (WND1, p.512)

Echigo Nikkō teaches that the treatise first clarifies secular, worldly forms of repayment of gratitude, and that the passage beginning “How much more so for those who study Buddhism…” indicates supramundane, spiritual forms of repayment. Nichikan Shōnin refutes this understanding, stating:

“The purport of this treatise concerns repayment of gratitude solely in terms of supramundane, Buddhist principles. It concerns the repayment expected of a monk, not ordinary men and women. And even among the monks, it concerns Nichiren Daishonin’s own repayment of gratitude. How, then, could it be explained as referring to general, worldly forms of gratitude?”

Nichiren Daishonin’s teacher, Dōzen-bō, is described as “a foolish man, a Nembutsu practitioner, unlikely to escape the three evil paths,” and also as one who, “though inwardly he may have felt pity because of the Lotus Sutra, outwardly feared the steward and treated me as an enemy.” And yet, even toward such a foolish teacher, the Daishonin, upon hearing of his death, composed the Treatise on Repaying Debts of Gratitude for him, instructing that it be read before Dōzen-bō’s grave and again atop Kasagamori.

Furthermore, in the letter of transmission accompanying that work, the Daishonin indicated that he had expressed “the most important matter among important matters.” Nichikan Shōnin states that because this treatise is the first within the Five Major Works in which the three great secret laws are explicitly named, it indeed constitutes “the most important of important teachings.” Therefore, true repayment of gratitude lies in believing in the Three Great Secret Laws and practicing shakubuku.

Repaying Gratitude: An Eternal Ethical Principle for Humanity

Repaying debts of gratitude is not a relic of feudal times or any particular era. Although its meaning and outward forms have varied across ages, it remains an ethical duty that human beings must uphold eternally.

From the dawn of human history, East and West alike, the virtue of gratitude has been deeply rooted in human nature and woven into the lives of ordinary people. This is evident from the countless fables and moral tales preserved throughout the world.

For example, the Aesop’s Fables, composed around 620 BCE by Aesop of Greece and later quoted in works such as Plato’s Phaedo and the writings of Aristotle, used animal allegories to teach basic moral conduct. Many of these fables convey the lesson that one must feel gratitude and repay kindness. This mindset functioned as the everyday moral philosophy of ancient Greece—some have even called it “philosophy through example.” These fables appear to have spread widely among Eastern peoples, Germanic tribes, and others.

Roman proverbs declare: “A person without gratitude is like a tub full of holes.”
An Arabian proverb states: “Do not cut down the tree that has given you shade.”
Centuries later, the German philosopher Kant said: “There is nothing more evil than an ungrateful person.”

These examples show that the European populace clearly held the idea that “the ungrateful fall below even beasts.”

China also had, from ancient times, a powerful sense of gratitude and repayment. Nichiren Daishonin himself cites stories such as the “Old Fox,” the “White Tortoise,” “Yu Rang,” and “Hongyan” in the On Repaying Debts of Gratitude.

Japan, too, from its oldest literature—the Kojiki, the Manyōshū, and many traditional folktales—embedded the spirit of gratitude in narratives and songs. Thus, the virtue of repaying gratitude has long been praised as an inherent moral excellence of humankind.

In modern Japan, “repaying gratitude” often evokes images of feudal lord-vassal relationships. However, true repayment of gratitude is entirely different. Feudal interpretations were exaggerations introduced during the late Edo period by Confucian scholars. Because of such distortions, society has come to belittle true gratitude and foster forgetfulness of kindness—an unfortunate trend indeed.

True gratitude is that taught in the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin. The four debts of gratitude, and the essential principles revealed in this treatise, constitute an ethical foundation that should serve as a timeless guide for humanity.

True Democracy and Gratitude

Turning to modern society, we find a rampant confusion of democracy with permissiveness and irresponsibility. Such misguided notions—freedom without responsibility, personal rights without ethics, equality without order—are far from true democracy.

True democracy can only be taught and practiced through a true religious philosophy. Historically and in actual experience, democratic ideals originate in religion and stand upon that foundation.

We know, through reason and actual proof, that the principles of democracy cannot arise from idealistic monism or materialism. We are convinced that the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin is the true religion capable of establishing genuine democracy.

To believe in the great Law and live joyfully, unbound by suffering, is true freedom. Because all people inherently possess the life of three thousand realms, true equality is established. And because everyone has the Buddha nature and can bring it forth, true dignity arises.

Differences in Gratitude Among Religions and Philosophies

Different philosophies and religions present widely varying views on gratitude. To conclude: Christianity, Islam, Confucianism, and materialism do not teach true gratitude; in fact, they often undermine the natural gratitude found among common people. Only the essence of Eastern Buddhism—specifically, the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin—offers a correct view.

Christianity teaches that humans, created by God and stained with sin, receive grace solely from God; gratitude is directed only upward, not reciprocally among people.

Materialism may appear to teach gratitude toward society or the state, but in practice it often manifests as a search for enemies, fostering retaliation and hatred. Because its underlying ideology is flawed, even its outward expressions of gratitude do not truly benefit humanity.

In Buddhism, however, the principle of gratitude is explained with profound depth. Scriptures such as the Sutra of Gratitude, the Miscellaneous Āgamas, the Great Compilation Sutra, the Mahāratnakūṭa Sutra, the Inconceivable Liberation Sutra, and many others teach gratitude as a core virtue. The Sūtra on Mindfulness of the Right Dharma lists the four debts of gratitude: to one’s mother, father, the Tathāgata, and the preacher of the Law.

Among these teachings, the Lotus Sutra stands supreme. For this reason, Nichiren Daishonin says:

Since I have realized that only the Lotus Sutra teaches the attainment of Buddhahood by women, and that only the Lotus is the sutra of true requital for repaying the kindness of our mother, in order to repay my debt to my mother. (WND1, The Sutra of True Requital, p.931)
and
The Lotus Sutra is The Classic of Filial Piety of Buddhism. (WND1, The Opening of the Eyes, p.269)

Throughout India, China, and Japan, the true successors of Buddhism—Nāgārjuna, Vasubandhu, Tiantai, Dengyō—also emphasized gratitude after the Buddha’s passing. Ultimately, however, it was Nichiren Daishonin, the Buddha of the Latter Day, who most fundamentally expounded the principle of gratitude.

Confucianism, by contrast, seldom addressed gratitude directly. The “gratitude” described by Mencius to King Xuan of Qi refers more to benevolence or affection. And it was only in the mid-Edo period that Confucian scholars such as Nakae Tōju and Kaibara Ekken, reacting to Buddhism, attempted to formulate a Confucian theory of gratitude. This later became distorted into a tool for enforcing feudal obedience, causing the modern misunderstanding that gratitude is a feudal relic.

Buddhist gratitude is not coerced, restrictive, or feudal in nature. The gratitude taught by Nichiren Daishonin surpasses even the Buddha’s earlier teachings, presenting the highest principle of gratitude—one that should be revered as a universal ethic for all humankind.

Chapter2(Clarifying the Essential Method of Repaying Debts of Gratitude)

Main Text

But if one intends to repay these great debts of gratitude, one can hope to do so only if one learns and masters Buddhism, becoming a person of wisdom. If one does not, one will be like a man who attempts to lead a company of the blind over bridges and across rivers when he himself has sightless eyes. Can a ship steered by someone who cannot even tell the direction of the wind ever carry the traveling merchants to the mountains where treasure lies?

If one hopes to learn and master Buddhism, then one cannot do so without devoting time to the task. And if one wants to have time to spend on the undertaking, one cannot continue to wait on one’s parents, one’s teachers, and one’s sovereign. Until one attains the road that leads to emancipation, one should not defer to the wishes and feelings of one’s parents and teachers, no matter how reasonable they may be.

Many people may think that counsel such as this runs counter to secular virtues and also fails to accord with the spirit of Buddhism. But in fact secular texts such as The Classic of Filial Piety make clear that there are times when one can be a loyal minister or a filial child only by refusing to obey the wishes of one’s sovereign or parents. And in the sacred scriptures of Buddhism it is said, “By renouncing one’s obligations and entering the Buddhist life one can truly repay those obligations in full.”⁵ Pi Kan refused to go along with his sovereign’s wishes and thereby came to be known as a worthy man.⁶ Prince Siddhārtha disobeyed his father King Shuddhodana and yet became the most outstanding filial son in all the threefold world. These are examples of what I mean.

Note

5. Salvation by Men of Pure Faith Sutra. Though this sutra is no longer extant, this passage from it is quoted in The Forest of Gems in the Garden of the Law. “The Buddhist life” in the sutra’s context means a monastic life, but here the Daishonin interprets it as a life based on faith in the Mystic Law.

6. This story is found in Records of the Historian. King Chou of the Yin dynasty was so absorbed in his affection for his consort, Ta Chi, that he totally neglected affairs of state. When his minister Pi Kan remonstrated with him, King Chou flew into a rage and killed him.

Lecture

From this chapter onward, the text turns to clarifying the essential method for repaying debts of gratitude.

Even in ordinary society, it is important to recognize and repay one’s debts of gratitude; however, there are greater and lesser forms of repayment, shallow and profound forms, and much must be judged according to a correct sense of values.

Before this, let us first consider the matter of “good.” Since antiquity, many debates have arisen concerning the concept of good, and it remains a central issue in contemporary ethics. Yet no definition has ever been given that all people can accept. Plato discussed the “Idea of the Good,” yet avoided a clear definition. Kant stated that “good is to act in accordance with the moral law.” The Heibonsha Philosophy Dictionary defines good as “in a broad sense, that which is valuable, precious, or advantageous to us,” while the Iwanami Philosophy Handbook states that good is “that which is sought as suited to will, demand, or purpose.” Nishida Kitarō, in his A Study of the Good, says that “good is the self’s development and perfection.”

Tsunesaburō Makiguchi, first president of the Soka Gakkai, criticized Kantian philosophy and established a hierarchy of values—good, benefit, and beauty. Concerning the concept of good, he defined it as “that which contributes to the public welfare.” He further taught that there are small goods, medium goods, and great goods, and that “to cling to a small good and betray a great good becomes a great evil, while even a small evil that opposes a great evil becomes a great good.”

In the same way, the repayment of gratitude must also be discussed from the perspective of values. Repayment of gratitude also has great, medium, and small forms; shallow and deep forms; temporary forms and transcendent forms. For example, the Chūshingura (story of the Forty-seven Rōnin) became a famous play in the mid-Edo period because its protagonists avenged their lord and thereby repaid his favor. Many other examples in history show people giving up their lives to repay a lord’s favor. Likewise, many have died in war to repay their debt to the nation or society. However, even if one repays a lord’s favor, if the outcome becomes harmful to the nation and society, such repayment is merely temporary and cannot be called genuine repayment of gratitude. In modern elections, being bribed or supporting corrupt candidates out of a slight sense of obligation is, conversely, ingratitude toward society. Ultimately, repayment of gratitude must possess universal validity and lasting value. True pacifism and opposition to war, for example, are repayment of gratitude toward humanity as a whole.

Nichiren Daishonin states in the Letter from Sado :
“The way of the world dictates that one should repay a great obligation to another, even at the cost of one’s life. Many warriors die for their lords, perhaps many more than one would imagine. A man will die to defend his honor; a woman will die for a man. […] They give their lives for shallow, worldly matters but rarely for the Buddha’s precious teachings. Small wonder they do not attain Buddhahood.” (WND1, p. 301)

Here, the “lord’s favor” may be interpreted, in modern terms, as the favor of society as a whole. In any case, to uphold the great Law of Buddhism, to carry out human revolution, and to practice Buddhism for the prosperity and happiness of society—this is, he teaches, the highest form of repayment toward one’s teacher and the four debts of gratitude.

In ancient times, three thousand years ago, Shakyamuni Buddha left home and became a monk in order to repay the debts of gratitude to his parents, relatives, and all people of society. Likewise, the Buddha of the Latter Day, Nichiren Daishonin, left home to save all living beings; this was the supreme act of repayment of gratitude. Therefore, in modern times, we must be convinced that our practice for the propagation of the Mystic Law is the highest repayment of gratitude to the nation and society.

Regarding the text of this chapter: first, it teaches that in order to repay this great debt of gratitude, one must learn Buddhism thoroughly and become a wise person. To learn Buddhism thoroughly and become such a wise person would require studying the entire body of the sacred teachings and mastering the doctrinal treatises of the eight schools. However, how could people of the Latter Age, of inferior capacity, possibly engage in such study? Yet if they are unable to do so, would it not follow that no one at all can repay their debts of gratitude?

In answer to this doubt, Nikkō Shōnin teaches the following:

“People of other sects and other schools, even if they keep the entire body of sacred teachings in mind, can never be said to have mastered Buddhism; for they do not know the Threefold Secret Teachings, and are confused regarding provisional and true teachings, theoretical and essential teachings, and sowing and harvesting teachings. However, scholars of our lineage, because they follow the footsteps of the one true guide, Nichiren Daishonin, and know this from the outset, may be said to have mastered Buddhism. […] Yet even if scholars of our lineage know the profundity of the Threefold Secret Teachings, if they do not transmit the true Law and carry out shakubuku for the salvation of the people, they ultimately fail to repay their debts of gratitude. The Buddha teaches that only by widely teaching and transmitting the Law can one be said to repay debts of gratitude.

Question: Even within our lineage, there are uneducated lay men and women who do not know the Threefold Secret Teachings. Does that mean they cannot repay their debts of gratitude?
Answer: No. Uneducated men and women, by believing in the Gohonzon of the Essential Teaching and chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, indeed thereby repay this great debt of gratitude.”

As indicated above, true repayment of gratitude is to believe in the Buddhism of the Three Great Secret Laws, to chant the Daimoku, and to carry out shakubuku. Therefore, only members of the Soka Gakkai, who carry out shakubuku and fight for kosen-rufu, can fulfill the true repayment of gratitude.

“By renouncing one’s obligations and entering the Buddhist life one can truly repay those obligations in full.” refers to value judgment. Even in debts of gratitude, there are greater and lesser degrees of value. Nichiren states, “One cannot continue to wait on one’s parents, one’s teachers, and one’s sovereign.” (when such compliance obstructs the study of the Three Great Secret Laws and the practice of shakubuku).

The Letter to Brothers states:
“In all worldly affairs, it is the son’s duty to obey his parents, yet on the path to Buddhahood, disobeying one’s parents ultimately constitutes filial piety.” (WND1, p.499)

When we speak of the debt to parents, teachers, or rulers, it may remind one of feudal morality or relationships of lord and vassal—but that is not the case. Nichiren’s teaching of recognizing and repaying debts of gratitude is firmly grounded in the Buddhism of the Three Great Secret Laws. Naturally, gratitude to parents and one’s lord is included, but the foundation is the Gohonzon of the Three Great Secret Laws.

Repaying the debt to one’s parents is called filial piety, but in Buddhism there are lower, middle, and highest forms of filial piety. “There are three kinds of filial piety: supplying clothing and food is the lowest; acting in accordance with the parents’ wishes is the middle; directing one’s merits toward them is the highest.” Therefore, upholding the great Buddhism of the Three Great Secret Laws, leading one’s parents to the true Law, and for deceased parents dedicating the merit of practice to them morning and evening—this is the highest form of filial piety. Even if parents oppose the practice, if the first believer in the family steadfastly practices and manifests the benefits of the Gohonzon in daily life, eventually the opposing family members will embrace the faith and attain Buddhahood in this lifetime. This is genuine filial piety and benefits both family and nation. Nichiren states, “You must insure the safety of the nation, for in doing so you will be fulfilling your obligations of loyalty and those of filial piety.” (WND2 , The Day before Yesterday, p.392)

Thus, not only repayment toward parents but all forms of repayment of gratitude have degrees: highest, middle, and lower.