Propagation by the Wise
Background
This letter was sent from Minobu to Shijō Kingo in the ninth month of 1276. Because Lord Ema disapproved of his retainer Shijō Kingo’s belief in the Daishonin’s teachings, he harassed Kingo in various ways. At one point he even threatened to transfer the samurai to the remote province of Echigo on the Sea of Japan if he refused to renounce his allegiance to the Daishonin. This letter was the Daishonin’s answer to Kingo’s request for guidance in these circumstances.
The letter clarifies the two necessary elements for the propagation of Buddhism: a person of wisdom and supporters to aid him.
Chapter1(Describing the Relationship between the Wise Person and the Lay Believer)
THE correct teaching of the time can be propagated only by a person of wisdom. This is why Shakyamuni Buddha, after expounding all the sutras, entrusted the Hinayana sutras to Ānanda and the Mahayana sutras to Manjushrī. Concerning the heart of the Lotus Sutra, however, the Buddha refused to transfer it to any of the voice-hearers [such as Ānanda] or to bodhisattvas such as Manjushrī. The Buddha instead summoned Bodhisattva Superior Practices and entrusted it to him.
Even if a person of wisdom who embraces the correct teaching existed, how could he propagate it without lay believers who supported him? Shakyamuni Buddha had the support of Brahmā and Shakra, who were his patrons in heaven. From among the six paths, the Buddha chose the worlds of human and heavenly beings, and of these two, he chose to be born among human beings. Of all the places in the major world system inhabited by human beings, he appeared in the center, the five regions of India, and within the five regions, in the kingdom of Magadha.
The king of this land should have been a patron of the Buddha, but instead the country’s ruler, King Ajātashatru, was an evil man. The most unfortunate destiny for a sage is to be born during the reign of an evil monarch. King Ajātashatru had murdered his father, a worthy ruler. Even worse, he had taken Devadatta as his mentor. Devadatta had committed three cardinal sins, the worst of which was injuring the Buddha and causing him to bleed. The unfilial and evil king joined forces with this blasphemous teacher, thus laying a double burden on the people.
Not only for one or two years but for several decades, this king repeatedly harassed the Buddha and killed countless numbers of his disciples. This infuriated the heavenly gods, and the skies reacted violently. Moreover, the earthly gods were so provoked that great disasters occurred on earth. Month after month violent gales raged, and year after year famines and epidemics struck, killing the majority of the people. Furthermore, neighboring kingdoms attacked on all sides, driving Magadha to the brink of ruin.
Then, motivated by a revelation in a dream, by the advice of Jīvaka and, finally, by his own inner doubts, King Ajātashatru left Devadatta and presented himself before the Buddha to repent of his sinful deeds. As a result, his illness was cured immediately, the invasions ceased, and the entire country became peaceful. Not only that, he was also able to thwart the prophecy that he would die on the seventh day of the third month and in fact prolonged his life by forty years. In gratitude, he assembled a thousand arhats to record all the Buddha’s teachings, especially the Lotus Sutra, for future generations. It is therefore owing to King Ajātashatru that we have the Lotus Sutra we embrace today.
Lecture
1. The Propagation of the Correct Law Depends on a Wise Person
No matter how great a Law may be, it cannot spread naturally on its own. This is equally true of the Mystic Law (Myoho). Without the right person to advocate for it, the Law would remain buried. Therefore, the Daishonin teaches: “The Law does not spread by itself. Because people spread it, both the person and the Law are worthy of respect” (GoshoZenshuu, p. 856), and ” All the various teachings of the Buddha are spread by persons.” (WND-1, Questions and Answers about Embracing the Lotus Sutra, p. 61).
The person who spreads the Correct Law must be a “wise person” (chijin). While the conditions for being a “wise person” can be discussed in many ways, the fundamental requirement here is to deeply and correctly understand and embody the Law that is meant to be spread in that specific era. This is why the Daishonin notes that different figures were designated for different teachings: Ananda for the Hinayana sutras, Manjushri for the Mahayana, and Bodhisattva Superior Practices (Jogyo) for the essence of the Lotus Sutra.
In the current era of the Latter Day of the Law, the “wise person” must be someone who correctly understands and embodies the Three Great Secret Laws. A practitioner of propagation must, first and foremost, be a person of wisdom who has internalized the philosophy of Buddhism. Based on this internalization, they must also be able to recognize the times, discern the capacity and thought of the people, and wisely and freely expound and implement the Law. This ability is defined by correctly discerning the “Five Guides for Propagation”: the teaching, the capacity of the people, the time, the country, and the sequence of propagation.
2. Though there be a Wise Person, How Can the Law Spread Without a Patron?
“Patron” (Danna) is translated as “almsgiver” or “benefactor”—one who supports the wise person materially and economically. Since those who preserve and propagate the Law are removed from secular production, they cannot provide for their own livelihood. Thus, they cannot survive without the support of those who respect and sustain them.
While the propagators depend on the patrons for material needs, they reciprocate by providing spiritual enrichment to society through the power of Buddhism. This is a principle of “division of labor,” a system by which not only religion but also art, politics, and science have been maintained and developed throughout history.
However, from the perspective of actively “spreading” Buddhism, the mission of the patron must be viewed more broadly. A patron who lives in secular society yet deeply understands Buddhism serves as the vital “pivot” (kaname) for reflecting and implementing Buddhist values in the real world. For Buddhism to become a Law for all people rather than the exclusive domain of monks, the patron must be an active practitioner who works for social prosperity and human happiness, rooted in the Law.
In Shakyamuni’s Buddhism, the primary practitioners were monks, while kings and wealthy donors provided “outer protection” as patrons. Most of his sutras were addressed to disciples who had renounced the world. In contrast, almost all of Nichiren Daishonin’s writings were addressed to secular laypeople. Even the Gohonzon, the purpose of his advent, was inscribed for lay practitioners as petitioners. This clearly illustrates the socially engaged nature of Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism.
3. The Two Misfortunes of Human Society
The Daishonin writes that the greatest disasters for humanity occur when a ruler—the decider of secular society—is an “evil king” who has failed as a human being, and when the religious leaders who define spiritual foundations are “slandering teachers” who destroy the Correct Law.
An “unfilial evil king” refers to someone who lacks even the most basic human quality: repaying debts of gratitude (ho-on) to the parents who gave them life. In a monarchical system, the ruler’s will decided the fate of society; thus, an “evil king” was the root of social suffering. In a modern democracy, this “king” corresponds to society itself.
Human beings do not live by material things alone. Our happiness is not determined solely by external factors. In fact, internal, spiritual factors carry even more weight. These internal factors are determined by one’s philosophy and religion. From the perspective of the three existences of life (past, present, and future), material and external factors are limited to this lifetime, whereas spiritual and internal factors span across the future.
This is why the Daishonin states that the meeting of an “unfilial evil king” and a “slandering teacher” constitutes the “two misfortunes of humanity.” This passage clearly presents the two essential pillars—political/social integrity and spiritual/religious truth—that are indispensable for a healthy human society.