On Reprimanding Hachiman Chapter1
WHEN a horse is still only one or two years old, though its joints are loose, its shanks thin and rounded, and its lower legs spindly, it does not look as though it is ailing. But by the time it gets to be seven or eight years old, it has grown fat, its blood vessels have thickened, and its legs are too frail to bear its upper body. Then it is like a big stone loaded on a small boat, or a large fruit growing on a little tree. It develops numerous ailments and is no longer fit for human use; its strength dwindles away and its life soon comes to an end.
The heavenly gods are like this. At the beginning of a kalpa of formation, the beings who accumulated good karma in their previous existence are born as gods in the realm of heaven, and there is little evil among human beings. The bodies of the heavenly gods have a bright glow, their minds are keen, they shine with a light like that of the sun and moon and are as powerful as lions or elephants.
But after the kalpa of formation has come to a close and the kalpa of continuance progresses, these same heavenly gods who were born earlier age with the years and wane like the moon in the closing third of the month. The gods newly born into the realm of heaven at that time have accumulated less good karma than those born earlier, and many beings of an inferior nature appear.
As a result, the three calamities in time appear in the world, and the region within the four seas is most likely to be beset by the seven disasters. At that time living beings for the first time learn the meaning of suffering and joy.
Background
Nichiren Daishonin wrote this work at Minobu in the twelfth month of 1280, and addressed it to the body of his followers, as is apparent from its closing line, “You who are my disciples, each of you should work diligently at this, work diligently at this!”
Hachiman, the subject of this letter, is a major god of Japan. The origins of this deity are unknown, but the first Hachiman shrine exists at Usa, Kyushu. When the great image of the Buddha was constructed in Nara in 749, Hachiman was seen as its protector and thereafter viewed as a protector of Buddhism. Belief in the deity was firmly established when the Hachiman shrine was built at Iwashimizu, Kyoto, as a derivative shrine of the Usa Hachiman shrine. Also Buddhist temples were built within the precincts of shrines to Hachiman so that he could “taste the flavor” of Buddhism, and the god was identified as a provisional manifestation of Shakyamuni Buddha. The syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism allowed the imperial court to bestow the Buddhist title of Great Bodhisattva upon Hachiman. Hachiman was also identified as the deified spirit of Emperor Ōjin, a legendary sovereign of Japan before Buddhism was introduced to the country. Hachiman had a special significance to the Kamakura shogunate as the patron deity of the Minamoto, or Genji, clan, who established the shogunate, and was worshiped by the warriors.
At the time of this writing, the Mongol Empire was preparing for a second invasion of Japan. For its part, the Kamakura shogunate was working intensively to shore up Japan’s system of defenses. At this critical time, a fire destroyed the Hachiman shrine at Tsurugaoka in Kamakura. The burning of the shrine to the patron deity of the shogunate was a cause for widespread alarm.
In this writing, Nichiren Daishonin addresses the significance of events such as the burning of the Hachiman shrine and the Mongol invasion of Japan from the viewpoint of the Buddhist teachings, particularly the Lotus Sutra. He identifies these disasters as punishment from the gods who protect Buddhism—punishment of Hachiman for his negligence in failing to protect the Lotus Sutra and its votary, the Daishonin, and of the nation of Japan for slandering them.
On the twenty-eighth day of the tenth month, one month before this writing, a great fire had engulfed the Kamakura area, and another fire broke out on the fourteenth day of the twelfth month, burning the shrine to Hachiman.
The current work can be divided into two parts. The first is a reprimand of Great Bodhisattva Hachiman for his negligence in failing to protect those who uphold and propagate the Lotus Sutra. Hachiman was believed to have vowed before the Buddha to protect those who uphold his correct teaching. But because he has failed to punish the Kamakura authorities for having consistently persecuted him, the Daishonin asserts, major gods such as Brahmā and Shakra, and the gods of the sun and moon, have seen fit to punish Hachiman by burning his shrine. He strictly admonishes Hachiman to take measures immediately to punish the Kamakura government for its slander of the Law, and to lend protection to the votary of the Lotus Sutra.
In the second part of this writing, the Daishonin addresses doubts and criticisms that arose because of his reprimanding a respected deity in this fashion. Those who viewed gods such as Hachiman as superlative beings would find anything short of reverence toward them hard to accept. To them, the Daishonin’s attitude would appear outrageous. But the Daishonin explains his actions based on the Buddhist sutras. He relates a Buddhist legend, which teaches that if one has sincerely and properly petitioned a tutelary god for some good purpose through prayer, and if that god fails to respond, one may reprimand the deity for negligence. He clarifies that his efforts to refute erroneous doctrines and spread the Lotus Sutra in spite of great persecutions have been for the sole purpose of leading all the people of Japan away from suffering. For that reason, Great Bodhisattva Hachiman should hasten to protect him, the votary of the Lotus Sutra; Hachiman’s failure to do so will invite punishment by the Buddha.
In closing, the Daishonin states, “The Land of the Moon is another name for India, the place where the Buddha made his appearance in the world. The Land of the Sun is another name for Japan. Is there any reason why a sage should not appear here? The moon moves from the west eastward, a sign of how the Buddhism of India spread in an easterly direction. The sun rises in the east, an auspicious sign of how the Buddhism of Japan is destined to return to the Land of the Moon.” Here he predicts the global spread of the “Buddhism of the Sun,” the great pure Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.