The Blessings of the Lotus Sutra

Background

This letter was written at Minobu in the intercalary third month of the second year of Kenji (1276) and addressed to Myōmitsu, a believer who lived at Kuwagayatsu in Kamakura. While detailed information about Myōmitsu is not available, it appears that he and his wife frequently made offerings to the Daishonin at his small dwelling in the wilderness of Mount Minobu.

Around the time this letter was written, the number of converts was growing due to the propagation efforts led by Nikkō, the Daishonin’s closest disciple, in Suruga and other provinces. In Kamakura as well, lay believers had become more active in propagation. However, as the number of new believers increased, so did government repression. But Myōmitsu and his wife, with other followers centering around Shijō Kingo, maintained their sincere faith in the Daishonin’s teachings.

In the beginning of this letter, Nichiren Daishonin stresses the Buddhist spirit of absolute reverence for life, and also the Buddhist practice of almsgiving, which sustains life. In response to the Honorable Myōmitsu’s sincere offering, he explains that by providing another with sustenance one obtains three kinds of benefit. To “sustain one’s own life,” “bring color to one’s face,” and “gain strength” might be thought of as the benefits enjoyed by the recipient of such offerings. The Daishonin, however, interprets them as the blessings that accrue to the donor. He also correlates these blessings with the three bodies of a Buddha.

Next, the Daishonin briefly recounts the history of Buddhism in Japan and proclaims that, in the Latter Day of the Law, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra, will without fail spread widely.

Nichiren Daishonin suggests in this letter that he is in fact fulfilling the mission of Bodhisattva Superior Practices entrusted by the Buddha, in that he has begun to chant and propagate Nam-myoho-renge-kyo before anyone else. He then declares that he alone reads the Lotus Sutra in a way that accords with the Buddha’s spirit and intention. The Daishonin voices his conviction that the difficulties he has endured serve to verify the truth of the Lotus Sutra and also confirm that he is the true sage whose appearance in the Latter Day of the Law was prophesied in the sutra.

In conclusion, the Daishonin declares that, although he alone has been chanting the daimoku, eventually the entire nation will chant it, just as a single speck of dust gives rise to Mount Sumeru, or a single drop of water grows to form the sea.

 

 

Chapter1(On the Benefits of Offering Food)

I HAVE received the five thousand blue-duck coins¹ you sent. The first of the five precepts is not to take life, and the first of the six pāramitās is that of almsgiving. The ten good precepts, the two hundred and fifty precepts, the ten major precepts, and all the other rules of conduct begin with the prohibition against the taking of life.

Every being, from the highest sage on down to the smallest mosquito or gnat, holds life to be its most precious possession. To deprive a being of life is to commit the gravest kind of sin.

When the Thus Come One appeared in this world, he made compassion for living things his basis. And as an expression of compassion for life, to refrain from taking life and to provide sustenance for living beings are the most important precepts.

In providing another with sustenance, one obtains three kinds of benefit. First, one sustains one’s own life. Second, one brings color to one’s face. Third, one gains strength.

“To sustain one’s own life” means to be born in the human or heavenly world and receive the karmic reward of long life. When one becomes a Buddha, one manifests oneself as the Thus Come One of the Dharma body, a body that is as vast as space.

Because one “gains strength,” having been born in the human or heavenly world, one becomes a person of virtue and influence, attracting many followers. When one becomes a Buddha, one manifests oneself as the Thus Come One of the reward body, dwelling on a lotus pedestal where one shines like the full moon in a clear sky on the fifteenth night of the eighth month.

And because one “brings color to one’s face,” having been born in the human or heavenly world, one acquires the thirty-two features and becomes as graceful and dignified as a lotus flower. When one becomes a Buddha, one displays oneself as the Thus Come One of the manifested body and comes to resemble Shakyamuni Buddha.

If we inquire into the origin of Mount Sumeru, we find that it began with a single speck of dust; and likewise, the great ocean began with a single drop of dew. One added to one becomes two, two becomes three, and so on to make ten, a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, a hundred thousand, or an asamkhya. Yet “one” is the mother of all.

 

Notes

1. At this time, coins had square holes in the center and were usually strung together in hundreds or thousands to form larger monetary units. Blue-duck coins were copper coins imported from Sung-dynasty China, with a square hole in the center that caused them to be likened to a duck’s eye.

 

Lecture

This writing is a letter composed by Nichiren Daishonin on the fifth day of the intercalary third month of Kenji 2 (1276), when he was fifty-five years old, at Mount Minobu.

The recipient, the Venerable Myōmitsu, lived at Kuwagayatsu in Kamakura. Although little is known about him in detail, it is evident from this letter that he and his wife were both deeply and sincerely devoted in faith.

The letter begins by expressing gratitude for the offering of five kanmon in “blue-蚨” coins and explains the three merits gained by offering food to others.

Nichiren then recounts the introduction of Buddhism to Japan and proclaims that, in the Latter Day of the Law, the daimoku of the Three Great Secret Laws — Nam-myoho-renge-kyo — will without fail spread widely. In the latter part of the letter, he declares that his appearance in the Latter Day and his propagation of the daimoku, accompanied by the severe persecutions he has suffered exactly as predicted in the sutras, constitute proof that he is the Original Buddha of the Latter Day. He expresses his unshakable conviction in the wide propagation of the Law.

In the first section, Nichiren offers thanks for the donation and clarifies that at the root of all Buddhist precepts, beginning with the Five Precepts, lies the precept against taking life (fusecchō).

This means that among all things that exist in this world, nothing is more precious than life. Therefore, as an expression of compassion for life, Nichiren explains the three merits that arise from the practice of offering food.

“Every being, from the highest sage on down to the smallest mosquito or gnat, holds life to be its most precious possession. To deprive a being of life is to commit the gravest kind of sin.

When the Thus Come One appeared in this world, he made compassion for living things his basis.”

Prompted by Myōmitsu’s offering, Nichiren emphasizes the supreme importance of life. A single human life, it is said, outweighs the entire earth. No matter how far science and medicine advance, humanity cannot create life itself.

Buddhism sees “life” not only in humans and animals but also in plants, trees, and even stones, and warns against destroying them thoughtlessly. That Buddhism is a teaching of the sanctity of life is beyond dispute.

However, merely regarding life as precious and refraining from killing are not the same. To sustain life, humans must eat — which means they must take the lives of animals and plants. If one were to insist that no life whatsoever may be taken, it would destroy the delicate balance of the natural ecosystem and make human survival impossible. The example of Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, who forbade killing dogs and exalted them above humans as “honorable dogs,” illustrates the tragedies caused by a fundamental misunderstanding of Buddhism’s intent.

Buddhism does not teach that one must never kill. Rather, it teaches that true respect for life lies in what Nichiren calls “compassion for life.” It is not the act of killing itself that is condemned, but the mind that kills.

The natural world is often described as “the strong devour the weak,” yet the idea that the eater is strong and the eaten is weak, or that herbivores are gentle while carnivores are fierce, oversimplifies the reality. From an ecological perspective, each species coexists for the preservation of life: plants draw nourishment from the earth, herbivores from plants, carnivores from herbivores — and even animals eventually return to the earth as nutrients. Pushed to its logical end, this means that soil microbes are “stronger” than carnivores and plants superior still — showing the absurdity of such simplistic notions. A new perspective beyond “might makes right” is needed.

In the animal world, creatures rarely kill others of their own species. Cannibalism may occur in times of scarcity, but even that serves the preservation of the species. Unlike humans, animals do not kill out of hatred. Since humanity holds the power of life and death in nature, it bears a grave responsibility not to destroy the ecosystem but to cherish life. When humans forget this mission and turn to slaughter, environmental destruction, and the extermination of species, they commit nothing less than grave offenses against the Law.

Killing means taking life, but it also includes actions that break the “web of life,” such as senselessly sacrificing plants and animals through environmental destruction.

Human beings live within this web of coexistence and cannot survive apart from other living beings. If we remain indifferent and unreflective about this fundamental fact, we come to take life for granted, leading to disregard for its value. Ultimately, nature exacts revenge: humans suffer as a result, and this disregard manifests as pollution that threatens the very survival of humanity.

Pollution is the process by which the destruction of nature leads to the destruction of life. Humanity and nature do not exist as opposing forces; they are one and the same living entity. Therefore, to destroy nature is to destroy our own lives. This awareness must become firmly established.

“In providing another with sustenance, one obtains three kinds of benefit.”

It is beyond question that food, clothing, and shelter are the basic necessities of life. Of these, “food” is the most fundamental, for without it life cannot be sustained. Nichiren identifies three merits of offering food and associates them with rewards in the human and heavenly realms, as well as in the Buddha realm.

The three are: “sustaining life,” “enhancing appearance,” and “imparting strength.”

• “Sustaining life” means preserving existence.

• “Enhancing appearance” means increasing vitality and health, resulting in a vibrant physical form.

• “Imparting strength” refers to the energy cultivated within, including not only physical power but also wisdom.

Nichiren emphasizes that by offering food to others, one is in effect offering food to one’s own life — sustaining, beautifying, and empowering it.

In the human and heavenly realms — our everyday world — these merits manifest as follows:

• “Sustaining life” appears as longevity.

• “Enhancing appearance” is described as possessing the thirty-two marks of a Buddha. These marks characterize a Buddha or a universal monarch, but here they signify the natural radiance and vitality that emerge from within an ordinary person.

• “Imparting strength” refers to inner power. As the sutras say, “One becomes a person of dignity and attracts many followers.” Such inner dignity and trustworthy virtue naturally draw people’s respect and confidence.

On the level of the Buddha body:

• “Sustaining life” corresponds to the Dharma-body Buddha (法身如来), the eternal life itself — a state as vast as the universe.

• “Enhancing appearance” corresponds to the Manifested-body Buddha (応身如来), the physical form and conduct of the Buddha, exemplified by Shakyamuni.

• “Imparting strength” corresponds to the Reward-body Buddha (報身如来), the Buddha’s wisdom.

Thus, the act of offering food — of protecting and cherishing life — forms the very foundation of Buddhist practice and ultimately manifests as the three bodies of the Buddha united as one.

 

 

Chapter2(Indicating the Beginnings of Buddhism’s Transmission to Japan)

As for the beginning of Buddhism in the country of Japan: After the seven reigns of the heavenly deities and the five reigns of the earthly deities, the hundred reigns of human sovereigns began, the first of whom was called Emperor Jimmu. In the time of Emperor Kimmei, the thirtieth sovereign following Jimmu, the Buddhist scriptures were introduced to Japan from the kingdom of Paekche, along with a statue of Shakyamuni Buddha, priests, and nuns.

Then Prince Jōgū, a son of Emperor Yōmei, began to study the Buddhist writings. He had a copy of the Lotus Sutra brought from China, wrote a commentary on the text, and endeavored to propagate its teachings.

Later, in the time of Emperor Kōtoku, the thirty-seventh sovereign, the Administrator of Priests Kanroku introduced the Three Treatises and Establishment of Truth schools from the kingdom of Silla to Japan. During the same period a priest named Dōshō introduced the Dharma Characteristics and Dharma Analysis Treasury schools from China, and the Preceptor Shinjō introduced the Flower Garland school.

In the reign of Empress Genshō, the forty-fourth sovereign, an honorable monk² from India introduced the Mahāvairochana Sutra, and in the time of Emperor Shōmu, the forty-fifth sovereign, the Reverend Ganjin came from China, introducing the Precepts school to Japan. At the same time, he brought with him copies of The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra, The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra, Great Concentration and Insight, commentaries on the Vimalakīrti Sutra, and other works of the T’ien-t’ai school. But he did not propagate the teachings of the True Word and [T’ien-t’ai] Lotus schools.

Notes

2. “An honorable monk” refers to the Indian monk Shan-wu-wei who first introduced the esoteric teachings to China. The tradition that Shan-wu-wei had visited Japan, mentioned in A Brief History of Japan and The Genkō Era Biographies of Eminent Priests, is now considered apocryphal, though it may have been widely accepted in the Daishonin’s time.

 

Lecture

This chapter discusses the introduction of Buddhism and various Buddhist schools into Japan.

During the reign of Emperor Kimmei, Buddhist scriptures, images of Shakyamuni Buddha, and monks and nuns were brought from the kingdom of Baekje. This was followed by Prince Shōtoku’s reverence for Buddhism, the introduction of the Sanron and Jōjitsu schools, the transmission of the Hossō and Kusha schools, the arrival of the Kegon school, the introduction of the Mahāvairocana Sūtra, and later the transmission of the Ritsu school and the three major treatises of the Tendai tradition.

Although it is believed that Buddhism may have been introduced informally even earlier, this section follows the conventional account of its official introduction (kōden).

 

 

Chapter3(Dengyō’s Study of the T’ien-t’ai and True Word schools)

In the reign of Emperor Kammu, the fiftieth sovereign, there was a young priest named Saichō, who was later to be known as the Great Teacher Dengyō. Before going to T’ang China, he spent fifteen years studying on his own the writings and commentaries of the True Word and T’ien-t’ai schools. Later, in the seventh month of the twenty-third year of the Enryaku era (804), he sailed for China. He returned to Japan in the sixth month of the following year, and thereafter instructed several dozen learned priests of the seven major temples of Nara in the teachings of the T’ien-t’ai and True Word schools.

 

Lecture

Through Saichō (Dengyō), the Tendai and Shingon schools were introduced to Japan, and Dengyō transmitted these teachings to the eminent scholars of the Seven Great Nara Temples.

Dengyō’s study of Shingon Esoteric Buddhism alongside the Tendai teachings was due to the strong interest in Esoteric Buddhism at the time, shared even by the emperor. Mastery of Esoteric doctrine had become, in effect, an essential qualification for a Buddhist monk. Following this trend, Dengyō also undertook the study of Esoteric Buddhism, and through this pursuit, he reached the conclusion that the Lotus Sutra is the most fundamental teaching for attaining Buddhahood.

However, as Shingon Esotericism spread rapidly through the skillful methods of Kūkai, it is deeply regrettable that Dengyō’s successors eventually forgot the essential principle that the Lotus Sutra is supreme and allowed themselves to drift toward Shingon.

 

 

Chapter4(Teaching the Widespread Propagation of the Daimoku in the Latter Day of the Law)

Four hundred years have passed since then. In all, it has been more than seven hundred years since Buddhism was first introduced to Japan. During that time, there have been persons who urged the populace to call upon the name of Amida, to call upon the name of Mahāvairochana, or to invoke the name of Shakyamuni. But there has never been anyone who urged them to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the daimoku, or title, of the Lotus Sutra.

This does not apply to Japan alone. In India, in the thousand years following the passing of the Buddha, there were great scholars such as Mahākāshyapa, Ānanda, Ashvaghosha, Nāgārjuna, Asanga, and Vasubandhu who worked to propagate Buddhism throughout the five regions of India. And in the first several hundred years after Buddhism was introduced to China, people such as Kāshyapa Mātanga, Chu Fa-lan, the Tripitaka Master Kumārajīva, Nan-yüeh, T’ien-t’ai, and Miao-lo wrote commentaries and expounded the teachings of the sutras. But none of these persons ever urged that the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra be chanted in the same manner as the name of Amida. They only chanted it themselves, or, when lecturing on the Lotus Sutra, the lecturer himself alone recited it.

The teachings of the eight schools and the nine schools³ differ from one another, yet generally speaking, we find that, in the majority of cases, the founders and leaders of these schools recited the name of Amida. Next in number were those who recited the name of Perceiver of the World’s Sounds, and next those who invoked the name of Shakyamuni Buddha, followed by those who called upon the name of Mahāvairochana, Medicine Master, or others. But for some reason there were none who chanted the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra, the heart and core of the Buddha’s entire lifetime of teachings.

You should inquire very carefully into the reason why this was so. A skilled physician, for example, may discern the causes of all kinds of illnesses as well as the relative efficacy of various medicines, but nevertheless refrains from indiscriminately applying the most powerful medicine and instead employs other medicines, depending upon the nature of the illness. Thus perhaps it was because, during the two thousand years of the Former and Middle Days of the Law following the Buddha’s passing, the sickness of delusion had not yet become critical, and therefore no one urged that the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo, the finest medicine in all the Buddha’s lifetime of teachings, be applied.

 

Notes

3. The nine schools here indicate the eight schools (Dharma Analysis Treasury, Establishment of Truth, Precepts, Dharma Characteristics, Three Treatises, Flower Garland, Tendai, and True Word) plus the Zen or Pure Land school.

 

Lecture

”During that time, there have been persons who urged the populace to call upon the name of Amida, to call upon the name of Mahāvairochana, or to invoke the name of Shakyamuni. But there has never been anyone who urged them to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the daimoku, or title, of the Lotus Sutra.”

During the time of Nichiren Daishonin, various schools such as the Nembutsu, Shingon, and Zen were in vogue, each promoting the chanting of the name of Amida Buddha or Mahāvairocana Buddha according to their respective doctrines. In contrast, the Daishonin designated the chanting of the title of the Lotus Sutra—the essence of Shakyamuni Buddha’s lifetime of teachings—as the supreme practice for the Latter Day of the Law.

In the text we find the phrase “the name of Shakyamuni,” but it is likely that only a handful of monks ever recited Shakyamuni’s name, while the common people rarely uttered it at all. Although people chanted the names of various Buddhas appearing in the Buddhist scriptures, the very Buddha who was their teacher had largely been forgotten. For this reason, the Daishonin had to begin his struggle by first proclaiming and exalting Shakyamuni and the Lotus Sutra in the society of his day. This explains why, when some of his followers enshrined a statue of Shakyamuni Buddha, he praised this as something remarkable. Nichikan Shonin later pointed to this as one of the reasons why such acts were so highly valued—it marked the very beginning of the propagation of a new movement.

Yet, even from this passage, we can already perceive that the Daishonin’s true intent lay in the principle of “seed and harvest” (shudatsu sōtai). In other words, he places the chanting of Shakyamuni’s name on the same level as chanting the names of Amida or Mahāvairocana. Although chanting the title of the Lotus Sutra may appear to conform to the realm of Shakyamuni’s teaching, it is not merely the “title” of the sutra in a superficial sense.

The title of the Lotus Sutra is not only the name but also the very essence of the sutra. As the Daishonin wrote in “This Is What I Heard”:

“Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is not only the core of the Buddha’s lifetime teachings, but also the heart, essence, and ultimate principle of the Lotus Sutra.” (WND-1, p. 860, l.43)

A title or heading usually encapsulates the content and purport of a text in a single phrase. Likewise, the title of the Lotus Sutra expresses in one phrase the fundamental principle that the twenty-eight chapters of the sutra seek to convey. It is, indeed, what might be called “the single phrase that encompasses all meaning.” If the twenty-eight chapters are comparable to the articles of a constitution, then the title is like the spirit of the respect for fundamental human dignity that those articles aim to express. What the Lotus Sutra teaches and aspires to go beyond the sutra itself; the daimoku transcends even the Lotus Sutra.

The Daishonin notes that earlier teachers had chanted the title themselves or recited it at the beginning of lectures, but most likely they did so not from the profound standpoint of “seed and harvest,” but simply to show reverence for the Lotus Sutra as the supreme preaching of Shakyamuni Buddha. Even priests of other schools regarded the Lotus Sutra as the Buddha’s final testament and as a sacred text expressing his eternal nature.

It is also important to note that the names chanted before Nichiren—such as Amida, Mahāvairocana, Yakushi, Kannon, or Shakyamuni—were all acts of taking refuge in the person of a Buddha. Only with the Daishonin did the object of devotion become the Law itself. Of course, a Buddha is “the most noble of beings” and the pioneer of human revolution; reverence for such a being is natural. But the term Buddha originally means “enlightened one,” referring to a person who has awakened to the fundamental Law of the universe. If one were to regard the Buddha merely as a being apart from the Law, one would lose sight of the true meaning of Buddhahood.

Moreover, in later ages, excessive reverence for the Buddha’s person led to his being perceived as a transcendent figure, far removed from ordinary beings, and the concept of “the most noble among living beings” gradually faded. As the Buddha became increasingly deified and transformed into an idol disconnected from living beings, Buddhism declined from a religion of human revolution into a faith of other-power reliance on the Buddha’s compassion. This was one of the causes of its degeneration.

By establishing the daimoku—the essence of the Lotus Sutra—as the object of devotion, Nichiren Daishonin in effect restored Buddhism to its original spirit. Even Shakyamuni himself was a human being who suffered deeply, and through the crucible of that suffering, he awakened to the truth of life. The Lotus Sutra, which reveals that awakening, is the true focus of devotion for all people. In shifting Buddhism from a faith centered on the Buddha’s person to one centered on the fundamental Law, Nichiren elevated it from a mystical religion of idol worship to a higher religion grounded in a philosophy of life. In this sense, the Daishonin’s declaration of the establishment of his teaching was a momentous proclamation that marked a turning point in the entire history of Buddhism.

 

 

Chapter5(Revealing the Time of the Propagation of the Daimoku)

But now we have entered the Latter Day of the Law, and people are all suffering from grave illness. This illness can hardly be cured by such minor medicines as invocations to Amida, Mahāvairochana, or Shakyamuni.

Though the moon is beautiful, the full splendor of its light can only be seen in autumn. Though the cherry blossoms are lovely, they open only in spring. All things depend on the time. Since that is so, may we not suppose that, during the two thousand years of the Former and Middle Days of the Law, the time had not yet come for the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra to spread?

Again, it is the Buddha’s messengers who propagate his teachings. These disciples of the Buddha have different doctrines that they received from him. Thus, the scholars who appeared during the thousand years of the Former Day of the Law and the teachers who appeared during the thousand years of the Middle Day of the Law were in most cases persons who had been entrusted with Hinayana or provisional Mahayana doctrines, or with the theoretical teaching of the Lotus Sutra or other ancillary doctrines. Bodhisattva Superior Practices, who is entrusted with the daimoku, the core of the essential teaching, had not yet appeared in the world.

But now he will appear in the Latter Day of the Law and propagate the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo to all the nations and people throughout Jambudvīpa. Surely it will spread just as the invocation of Amida’s name has spread throughout Japan at the present time.

Lecture

This chapter explains that the spread of Buddhism is entirely dependent upon time, and that the transmission of the teaching is entrusted to those designated by the Buddha. It further states that the propagation of the Law in the Latter Day of the Law awaits the appearance of Bodhisattva Superior Practices.

“All things depend on the time. Since that is so, may we not suppose that, during the two thousand years of the Former and Middle Days of the Law, the time had not yet come for the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra to spread?”

As this passage indicates, in Buddhism the element of time is regarded as paramount. In The Selection of the Time, the Daishonin says:

“When it comes to studying the teachings of Buddhism, one must first learn to understand the time. ” (WND I, p. 538, l.1)

And in On Practicing the Buddha’s Teaching, he writes:

“Though scholars in this country may have studied Buddhism extensively, they do not know which practice accords with the time. The four seasons continually repeat themselves, each in turn manifesting its own characteristics. In summer it is hot; in winter, cold. Flowers blossom in spring, and fruit ripens in autumn. Therefore, it is only natural to sow seeds in spring and reap the harvest in fall. If one sowed in autumn, could one harvest in spring? ” (WND I, p. 394, l.5)

“Buddhism works in the same way. There is a time when the Hinayana teachings are disseminated for the benefit of humanity, a time when the provisional Mahayana doctrines are disseminated for the benefit of humanity, and a time when the true Mahayana teaching is spread to enable people to obtain the fruit of Buddhahood. The two millennia of the Former and Middle Days of the Law required the spread of the Hinayana and provisional Mahayana teachings, but the first five hundred years of the Latter Day call for only the Lotus Sutra, the pure and perfect teaching of the one vehicle of Buddhahood, to be spread abroad widely. “(WNDⅠ, p.394 l.14)

From these passages we can see that “knowing the time” is what those who propagate Buddhism must most deeply understand. One must recognize the nature of the age, and know what teaching can transform that age. To contemplate how one should live in a particular era and how to shape one’s practice within it is to grasp the necessity of time as the formula for the spread of the Law.

The emphasis Buddhism places on “time” demonstrates its remarkable flexibility toward changing ages and societies. Religion is often seen—like medieval Christianity’s inquisitions—as something rigidly bound by dogma, rejecting new knowledge, new values, and social change. But in Buddhism, dogmatism is strongly admonished. It calls upon practitioners to discern the trends of the age and to consider how people can be led to correct understanding. While the fundamental doctrine must never be altered or distorted, its application and expression should adapt wisely to the flow of time. To cling stubbornly to outworn forms is to lose the living spirit of the Law itself.

Indeed, it was precisely because later Buddhism fell into dogmatism and estrangement from the people that the Mahayana revival movement arose, spreading the teaching of the Great Vehicle throughout Asia. The Vinaya principle of suifō binī—that one may follow local customs so long as they do not contradict the fundamental Law—also shows this flexibility. It was because Buddhism possessed this wise adaptability that it could endure for millennia, crossing many cultures and customs. In this sense, Buddhism embodies the essential qualities of a world religion.

Therefore, the movement to propagate the Buddha’s teaching is not transient but an enduring endeavor. In carrying it out, one must always bear in mind the factor of time. The essential spirit of Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism is pure and exacting, yet in its application it must manifest the wisdom of following circumstances yet abiding in the true suchness. To say that “all depends on time” does not mean to sit idly by and wait for it, or to surrender passively to the flow of events. Rather, it means to perceive the essence of the age and, with that insight, to exert oneself in creating a new age and a new society.

“But now he will appear in the Latter Day of the Law and propagate the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo to all the nations and people throughout Jambudvīpa. Surely it will spread just as the invocation of Amida’s name has spread throughout Japan at the present time.”

In these words, the Daishonin expresses his firm conviction of the eventual widespread propagation of the Mystic Law. Moreover, this passage reveals that he possessed a clear and realistic vision of kōsen-rufu. He did not view it as a utopian dream beyond reach, but as something both achievable and already foreshadowed by examples visible in his own lifetime.

To set forth an ideal is easy, but the gap between ideal and reality often leads to disillusionment; when one tries to bridge that gap by force, it ends in coercion and the corruption of the ideal itself. The Daishonin, instead, cited as a model the spread of the Nembutsu in his time. By “every country and every person,” he did not mean that all individuals were Nembutsu adherents; rather, the Nembutsu view of life, its end-of-the-world thought and its aversion to this defiled realm, had deeply permeated the culture and mindset of society. People interpreted natural disasters and social upheavals through the lens of Nembutsu fatalism. That pervasive worldview was what the Daishonin recognized as the “widespread propagation” of that teaching.

Because society was thus steeped in the thought of the Nembutsu, the people’s misery only deepened. In his On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land, the Daishonin cried out that unless society as a whole based itself upon the philosophy of the Mystic Law, it could never transform its destiny.

Kōsen-rufu, therefore, does not mean that belief is to be imposed by authority or written into law. Such coercion would only bring about the corruption of religion. True propagation means that the principles of the Daishonin’s Buddhism are deeply and immovably woven into the fabric of society and culture. When education is permeated with the ideal of respect for life, when politics is grounded in humanism, and when scientific progress advances in harmony with humanity and the planet, that is the true realization of kōsen-rufu. Such lasting transformation cannot be imposed from above; hence the Daishonin emphasized one-to-one propagation through shakubuku as the foundation.

A similar passage appears in The Selection of the Time:

“But after the pure Law is obscured and lost, the great pure Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the heart and core of the Lotus Sutra, will surely spread and be widely declared throughout the land of Jambudvīpa—with its eighty thousand kingdoms, their eighty thousand rulers, and the ministers and people in the domain of each ruler—just as the name of Amida is now chanted by the mouths of the priests, nuns, laymen, and laywomen in Japan.” (WND I, p. 541, l. 48)

These words imply that the global spread of the Law will proceed in precisely this manner. Thus it is clear that Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism sought not a revolution of political power, but a revolution in the underlying philosophy of civilization itself—a quiet yet fundamental transformation of the human spirit and society’s very foundation.

 

 

Chapter6(Revealing the Propagator of the Great Law in the Latter Day of the Law)

I, Nichiren, am not the founder of any school, nor am I a latter-day follower of any older school. I am a priest without precepts, neither keeping the precepts nor breaking them. I am an ordinary creature like an ox or a sheep, who is neither particularly wise nor ignorant.

Why did I first begin to chant as I do? Bodhisattva Superior Practices is the one destined to make his advent in this world to propagate the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo. But before he had even appeared, I began, as though speaking in a dream, hardly aware of what I was doing, to utter the words Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, and so I chant them now. In the end, is this a good thing I do, or a bad thing? I do not know, nor can anyone else tell for certain.

 

Lecture

In this section, Nichiren Daishonin, while outwardly expressing humility regarding his own position, inwardly reveals with unshakable conviction that he is the Original Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law—the first person ever to chant the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo.

“I, Nichiren, am not the founder of any school, nor am I a latter-day follower of any older school. I am a priest without precepts, neither keeping the precepts nor breaking them. I am an ordinary creature like an ox or a sheep, who is neither particularly wise nor ignorant.”

At first glance, these words may appear to express humility; yet upon deeper reflection, they reveal the Daishonin’s firm inner awareness as the Original Buddha (Honbutsu) embodying the principle of “ordinary person is identical with the highest enlightenment.”

When he states, “I am neither the founder of any sect nor a follower of its later branches,” this signifies that Nichiren Daishonin did not belong to any established school, but rather transcended them all. It is a declaration that he had directly awakened to the fundamental Law underlying the life of the universe—itself the realization of the Original Buddha.

In The Unanimous Declaration by the Buddhas of the Three Existences regarding the Classification of the Teachings and Which Are to Be Abandoned and Which Upheld, it is written:

“Numberless major world system dust particle kalpas in the past the Thus Come One Shakyamuni, who was then an ordinary mortal, came to realize that his body was made up of the elements of earth, water, fire, wind, and space, and having done so, he immediately attained enlightenment. ” (WND II, p. 850)

The phrase “Numberless major world system dust particle kalpas in the past the Thus Come One Shakyamuni” refers to the self-awakening (jikai butsujo) of Nichiren Daishonin in the infinite beginningless past (kuon ganjo). The Mystic Law he revealed is the source and wellspring from which all Buddhas of the three existences and ten directions arise, and the ultimate principle to which they all return. Hence, he can in no way be the “later branch” of any other teaching. This statement also expresses his conviction as a savior of all living beings, independent of secular authority—utterly distinct from the state-sanctioned religions of his day.

The Meaning of “A Monk Without Precepts”

The Daishonin describes himself as “a monk without precepts.” In the Buddha’s teaching, monks were originally classified as either keepers or breakers of precepts. Nichiren, however, takes a stance beyond both categories. In the Latter Day, the observance of Shakyamuni’s precepts loses all meaning—thus, “the Latter Day is without precepts.”

He states in Encouragement to a Sick Person:

“The thousand-year Middle Day is followed by the ten thousand years of the Latter Day of the Law. During this period, people neither uphold the precepts nor break them; only those without precepts fill the country.” (WND I, p. 78)

And in On the Four Stages of Faith and the five Stages of Practice, quoting Dengyō, he writes:

“If in the Latter Day of the Law there should be persons who keep the precepts, that would be something rare and strange, like a tiger in the marketplace. Who could possibly believe it?” (WND I, p. 787)

In other words, during the Latter Day, the detailed precepts of Shakyamuni’s time no longer function as a valid means of practice. Instead, the essential way is to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

“Question: For practitioners in the Latter Day of the Law, who have just aroused the aspiration for enlightenment, what types of practice are restricted?

Answer: Such persons are restricted from practicing almsgiving, the keeping of the precepts, and the others of the five pāramitās, and are directed to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo exclusively. This practice corresponds to the capacity of persons at the stages of “producing even a single moment of belief and understanding” and “rejoicing on hearing the Lotus Sutra.” It represents the true intention of the Lotus Sutra.” (WND I, p. 786)

Therefore, “the Latter Day without precepts” does not mean that one may act immorally or commit evil while merely chanting the daimoku. The virtues of all precepts are contained within the practice of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Through chanting and propagation, one naturally embodies the virtues of wisdom, diligence, patience, moral discipline, generosity, and meditation.

The Immeasurable Meanings Sutra says:

“The six perfections are naturally present before one.”

And in The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings (OTT）:

“Now Nichiren and his followers chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, putting into practice the doctrine that the provisional teachings do not lead to the attainment of the way but that the Lotus Sutra represents the real truth, and this corresponds to the precepts. The precepts are intended to prevent errors and put an end to evil.” (OTT, ｐ. 99)

In The Teaching, Practice, and Proof, the Daishonin also states:

“Then, pausing briefly, tell them that the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo, the heart of the essential teaching of the Lotus Sutra, contain the benefit amassed through the countless practices and meritorious deeds of all Buddhas throughout the three existences. Then, how can these five characters not include the benefits obtained by observing all of the Buddhas’ precepts? Once the practitioner embraces this perfectly endowed wonderful precept, he cannot break it, even if he should try. It is therefore called the precept of the diamond chalice. Only by observing this wonderful precept have the Buddhas of the three existences become Buddhas endowed with the three bodies—the Dharma body, the reward body, and the manifested body, which are each without beginning or end. ” (WND I, p. 481)

This Diamond Chalice Precept represents the perfect and indestructible precept of the Latter Day—embracing the Gohonzon of the Three Great Secret Laws and chanting the daimoku itself constitutes the complete observance of all precepts.

“Like an Ox or a Sheep” — The Humility and the Reality

The Daishonin’s statement that he is “like an ox or a sheep” expresses both humility and profound insight into his true identity.

The phrase “wise and unwise” refers to those with and without wisdom. The Meaning of the Sacred Teachings of the Buddha’s Lifetime defines:

“persons of wisdom by Shāriputra, persons of no wisdom by Chūdapanthaka”（WNDⅠ, p.54)

In Buddhist terms, wisdom (chi) differs from mere intellectual knowledge. The truly wise person is one who perceives the Law and transcends the cycle of birth and death. Even a scholar or philosopher, without the wisdom of enlightenment, is still considered “unwise” in Buddhism.

The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra (Vol. 5) explains:

“Wisdom breaks through delusion and reveals the truth. Mere principle cannot dispel delusion. All beings possess reason, yet they remain bound by illusion because they lack wisdom. Hence, wisdom is the vehicle itself.”

Thus, knowledge or logic cannot destroy illusion—only wisdom born of faith can. The gateway to wisdom is faith (ishin-dai-e). Even Śāriputra, foremost in wisdom, could attain enlightenment only through faith in the Lotus Sutra; and even the simple-minded monk Sudatta attained the Buddha’s wisdom through the same faith.

As the Daishonin writes in Letter to Niike:

“Even you, Shāriputra, in the case of this sutra were able to gain entrance through faith alone, not because of any wisdom of your own.” (WND Ⅰ, p. 1030)

And in The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings:

“ It is through the one word “belief” that we are able to purchase the wisdom of the Buddhas of the three existences. That wisdom is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.” (OTT, ｐ. 54)

Thus, in the Latter Day, embracing and believing in the Three Great Secret Laws—centered on Nam-myoho-renge-kyo—is the direct path to the Buddha’s wisdom.

When the Daishonin says he is “beyond the wise and the foolish,” it may sound self-effacing, but in truth, it signifies that he transcends the categories of wisdom defined by Shakyamuni’s or Tiantai’s doctrines. He stands in a realm beyond all previous enlightenment—a Buddha who has realized the supreme wisdom of the Lotus Sutra’s essential teaching alone.

The Buddha as an Ordinary Person

The expression “like an ox or a sheep” also reveals that the Daishonin, though appearing as an ordinary person, is in fact the Original Buddha. He declares of himself:

“Nichiren is the son of a chandāla family who lived near the sea in Tōjō in Awa Province, in the remote countryside of the eastern part of Japan.” (WND I,  Banishment to Sado, p. 202)

Whereas Shakyamuni was a prince, and the great scholars Nāgārjuna, Vasubandhu, Zhiyi, and Dengyō were all of the upper castes or nobility, Nichiren alone appeared from the lowest social class, despised by society. This very fact symbolizes the inseparable bond between the Original Buddha of the Latter Day and the common people. Through the appearance of the Buddha as a common person, all living beings can attain salvation.

In The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings it is stated:

“The “Buddha” spoken of in this passage, the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law, is an ordinary mortal and an ordinary priest. ” (OTT, p.157)

Because he is the Original Buddha who awakened to the Mystic Law itself, he manifests the principle:

“The truer the teaching, the lower the stage [of those it can bring to enlightenment].” (WND I, p. 784)

The Buddhas of former ages, adorned with majestic features, led by outward form. The Buddha of the Latter Day, appearing as an ordinary human being, leads by the power of his life and philosophy itself. The lower the outward status, the deeper the Law. The declaration that Nichiren is a “common mortal” is not humility but proof of the unsurpassed profundity of his teaching—transcending all established religions.

 

 

Chapter7(On the Difficulty of Upholding the Great Law)

But when I open the Lotus Sutra and reverently peruse it, I see that even the bodhisattvas Manjushrī, Maitreya, Perceiver of the World’s Sounds, and Universal Worthy, who had reached the stage of near-perfect enlightenment, were scarcely able to uphold so much as a single phrase or verse of this sutra, because the sutra itself states that it can “only be understood and shared between Buddhas.”⁴

The Flower Garland Sutra represents the first exposition of the sudden teaching preached immediately following the Buddha’s enlightenment. It is a sutra that embodies the complete and perfect teaching; yet it was entrusted to four bodhisattvas, including Dharma Wisdom, to expound.⁵ The Wisdom sutras, though not on the same level as the Flower Garland Sutra, nevertheless represent the loftiest among the other sutras that the Buddha had preached thus far. And yet Subhūti was the one entrusted with the task of expounding them.

Only the Lotus Sutra represents the wonderful teaching preached directly from the golden mouth of Shakyamuni Buddha, who is perfectly endowed with the three bodies. Therefore, even Universal Worthy and Manjushrī were hardly able to expound so much as a single phrase or verse of it. How much more difficult then must it be for us, who are no more than ordinary people living in this latter age, to embrace even one or two words of this sutra!

 

Notes

4. Lotus Sutra, chap. 2.

5. The Flower Garland Sutra takes the form of preaching by Dharma Wisdom and other bodhisattvas.

 

Lecture

This section explains—based on reason—how truly difficult it is for the Daishonin, a common mortal living in the Latter Day of the Law, to uphold and spread the five characters of Myōhō-renge-kyō that Bodhisattva Superior Practices was to propagate, as mentioned in the previous chapter.

The Lotus Sutra is the ultimate purpose for which Shakyamuni Buddha appeared in this world, and it expounds the very enlightenment of the Buddha. Therefore, only Buddhas can fully comprehend its profound meaning; even great bodhisattvas such as Universal Worthy (Fugen) and Manjushrī cannot preach a single verse or phrase of it. How much more difficult, then, for us ordinary people of the Latter Age to embrace even one or two characters of the sutra in our own lives.

As stated earlier, “To propagate the Buddha’s teachings is to act as the messenger of the Buddha.” Those who spread the Lotus Sutra must be messengers of the very Buddha who expounded it. A “messenger of the Buddha” must possess the same power and the same qualification as the Buddha himself to convey the teaching to humankind. From that standpoint, the ordinary people of the Latter Day appear far removed from such a lofty qualification.

However, that is only their outward appearance. In reality, the Daishonin and his disciples are upholding and propagating the great Law embodied in the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra, a Law so profound that even bodhisattvas of the stage of near-perfect enlightenment could not embrace it. From this fact alone, it is clear that we ordinary people of the Latter Day, in our essential nature, are none other than the bodhisattvas who emerged from the earth, and in the ultimate sense, the original disciples and companions of the Buddha from the infinite past.

 

 

Chapter8(The Founders of Other Schools Fail to Grasp the True Meaning of the Lotus Sutra)

Because the founders of the various schools read the Lotus Sutra, their respective disciples all assumed that their own teacher had grasped the sutra’s heart. However, if we look carefully into the essence of the matter, we find that the Great Teacher Tz’u-en read the Lotus Sutra while making the Profound Secrets Sutra and The Treatise on the Consciousness-Only Doctrine his teachers, and the Great Teacher Chia-hsiang read the Lotus Sutra while making the Wisdom sutras and The Treatise on the Middle Way his teachers. Men like Tu-shun and Fa-tsang read the Lotus Sutra while making the Flower Garland Sutra and The Commentary on the Ten Stages Sutra their teachers. And Shan-wu-wei, Chin-kang-chih, and Pu-k’ung read the Lotus Sutra while making the Mahāvairochana Sutra their teacher. All these men thought that they had read the Lotus Sutra. But in fact they had not read so much as a single phrase or verse of it.

In the end, it is as the Great Teacher Dengyō meant when he said, “Though he praises the Lotus Sutra, he destroys its heart.”⁶ They were like non-Buddhist believers who, though they read the Buddhist sutras, interpret them to be the same as non-Buddhist teachings; or like bats that, in their blindness, mistake day for night. Or they were like a red-faced man who, looking into a clear mirror, supposes that the whole mirror has turned red, or like a round-faced man who, seeing his reflection in a narrow sword blade, thinks that his face has become long and thin.

 

Notes

6. The Outstanding Principles of the Lotus Sutra. Dengyō made this remark specifically with respect to Tz’u-en’s Praising the Profundity of the Lotus Sutra, which praises the Lotus Sutra but interprets it in light of the doctrines of the Dharma Characteristics school.

 

Lecture

It is explained that although the founders of the various Buddhist schools claim to have read the Lotus Sutra, they have read it through the lens of the scriptures upon which their own schools are based. Therefore, they cannot attain realization of the heart, or essence, of the Lotus Sutra.

Furthermore, citing the words of the Great Teacher Dengyō (Saichō) from the Hokke Shuku, “Though they praise the Lotus Sutra, they in fact kill its heart,” the Daishonin refutes such erroneous views.

“Though he praises the Lotus Sutra, he destroys its heart.”

This statement, found in the Hokke Shuku under “The Superiority of the Lotus Sutra among the Five Categories of Comparison of All the Buddha’s Teachings,” was used by Dengyō to refute the mistaken doctrines of Cien (Jion), the patriarch of the Dharma Characteristics (Hosso) school.

Although Cien outwardly praised the Lotus Sutra in his ten-volume Hokke Genzan (Commentary on the Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra), in other works such as Cheng Weishi Lun Shuji and Cheng Weishi Lun Suyō, he declared that the doctrine of enlightenment for the two vehicles taught in the Lotus Sutra was only an expedient means. He even asserted the false view that persons of the two vehicles and those of incorrigible disbelief could never attain Buddhahood. Moreover, according to The Diagram of the Five Periods of the Buddha’s Teachings it is written, “In the Essential Teachings of the West by the Great Teacher Cien, it says, ‘In the ten thousand years of the Latter Day of the Law, all other sutras will perish and only the single teaching of Amida will remain.’” In this way, he slandered the Lotus Sutra.

Dengyō’s refutation, therefore, was not directed solely at Cien but serves also as a stern admonition for those who profess to embrace the Lotus Sutra. Indeed, even among those who outwardly praise Nichiren Daishonin while losing sight of his true intent, the same warning must be borne deeply in mind.

After the passing of Nichiren Daishonin, disputes arose concerning whether there was superiority or equality between the essential teaching and the theoretical teaching of the Lotus Sutra. The lineage that asserted their equality became what is now known as the Nichiren school, centered at Mount Minobu.

However, as clearly shown in the principle of the five comparisons, the Daishonin’s Buddhism teaches that the theoretical teaching is inferior while the essential teaching is supreme. Even though the theoretical teaching may merge into the essential, they are never equal. While one may speak of applying them from the standpoint of the “mutual possession of absolute identity,” the distinction between them remains strict and undeniable. Furthermore, even within the essential and theoretical teachings, what is expressed in words is still inferior, while the ultimate truth lies hidden in the depths of the text. Therefore, it is only the Nam-myoho-renge-kyo of the Buddhism of sowing, hidden in the depths of the Lotus Sutra, that represents the true Law for the Latter Day of the Law.

The confusion regarding the object of devotion (honzon) is common among all branches of Nichiren Buddhism, but it is most serious within the Minobu lineage. They regard the Shakyamuni Buddha of the transient teaching as the Buddha to be revered, and call the Daishonin merely a bodhisattva, treating him as belonging to the treasure of the priesthood. Yet, the Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings (Ongi Kuden) states:

“ The object of devotion is thus the entity of the entire life of the votary of the Lotus Sutra. （OTT, p.142)
and further,
“The “Buddha” spoken of in this passage, the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law, is an ordinary mortal and an ordinary priest. ”（OTT, p.157)

 

In an age when the Buddhist world had lost sight of the true object of devotion and worshiped images of Amida or Dainichi as supreme, the Daishonin thoroughly refuted such delusions and, by establishing the Gohonzon of the Three Great Secret Laws, opened the way of salvation for all living beings. Thus, apart from faith in this Gohonzon, there exists no path to true enlightenment.

All sects that bear the name “Nichiren” today, as well as the so-called new religions that proclaim his name and the daimoku, have already lost the righteous spirit of his teaching, even though they may still chant the daimoku in words. As the Letter to Niike states:

“The Great Teacher Dengyō states that though they praise the Lotus Sutra they destroy its heart. He means that, even if people embrace, read, and praise the Lotus Sutra, if they betray its intent, they will be destroying not only Shakyamuni Buddha but all the Buddhas in the ten directions.”

This is precisely what has come to pass. Even though they extol the Daishonin’s teaching, having lost sight of its original intent, they are, in fact, killing its very heart. The Daishonin’s warning—“Even if my counsel is heeded, if I am not given due respect as the votary of the Lotus Sutra, then the country will perish. (WND-Ⅰ, p.773)”—has come to be fulfilled, to our deep sorrow.

Moreover, even for us who believe and practice today, we must constantly reflect on whether there is any conduct of ours that might “kill the heart of the Lotus Sutra.” In our efforts to advance kosen-rufu and to spread the Daishonin’s Buddhism, we must vigilantly guard against acting in ways that, though seemingly praising the Law, might actually betray its true intent or cause others to misunderstand it.

No matter how earnestly one proclaims the righteousness of Buddhism, if one engages in irrational behavior—or worse, commits acts that violate the law—it produces no good effect but only destroys the very Law one claims to uphold.

Tracing the root of such mistaken and destructive conduct, one finds that it arises not from genuine faith but from self-centered views and deluded ideas that have no connection to Buddhism. As the Daishonin admonishes, “Those of non-Buddhist beliefs may read the Buddhist scriptures, yet they remain non-Buddhists.” Such people merely twist the Buddha’s teachings to conform to their preconceived notions.

Thus, actions that appear on the surface to be an expression of fervent faith may, in reality, remain within the realm of delusion, leading people to misunderstand and ultimately destroy the true teaching. This is an error that all who practice Buddhism must be strictly on guard against.

 

 

Chapter9(On the Distinction Between a Worthy and a Sage)

But I am different from such persons. I firmly uphold the teaching that the Lotus Sutra is supreme among the sutras the Buddha has preached, now preaches, and will preach.⁷ Moreover, I chant the daimoku, which is the heart and core of the entire sutra, and I urge others to do likewise. Although the mugwort growing in a hemp field or wood marked for cutting with an inked line⁸ may not be straight to begin with, they will as a matter of course become so.

In the same way, one who chants the daimoku as the Lotus Sutra teaches will never have a twisted mind. For one should know that, unless the mind of the Buddha enters into our bodies, we cannot in fact chant the daimoku.

The Buddhist teachings that have been disseminated by others are in all cases those that have been learned and received from their respective teachers. It is like the case of fiefs possessed by immediate vassals of the ruling house of Kamakura, or estates administered by the stewards of the districts. Though their lands may measure no more than one or two chō, in all cases they received them through the favor of the late shogun.⁹ How much more indebted to him are those whose holdings measure a hundred chō, a thousand chō, a whole province, or two whole provinces!

One who carries on the doctrines of a good teacher is called a worthy. One who realizes the truth for oneself without the aid of a teacher is called a sage. In the lands of India, China, and Japan since the passing of the Buddha, there have been two sages. They were T’ien-t’ai and Dengyō. These two men deserve to be called sages.

They also deserve to be called worthies. The Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai carried on the doctrines of Nan-yüeh; in that sense he was a worthy. But he also realized the supreme vehicle of Buddhahood by himself at the place of meditation; in this sense he was a sage.

Similarly, the Great Teacher Dengyō received instruction in the teachings on the practice of concentration and insight and on the great precepts of perfect and immediate enlightenment from his teachers Tao-sui and Hsing-man. In that sense he was a worthy. But even before he journeyed to China, while still in Japan, he had already understood and mastered all the doctrines of the True Word and the Concentration and Insight [T’ien-t’ai] schools without the aid of a teacher, and had come to realize that the wisdom of the T’ien-t’ai school surpassed that of the six or the seven schools. In this sense he was a sage.

So it is that one of the Confucian classics declares, “Those who are born with an understanding of this are the highest. (‘Highest’ indicates a sage.) Those who study and thereby reach this understanding are the next. (‘Next’ indicates a worthy.)”¹⁰ And one of the Buddhist sutras contains the passage, “In my religious practices, I am without the aid of a teacher.”¹¹

 

Notes

7. Lotus Sutra, chap. 10.

8. It is said that mugwort in a field of hemp grows upright because it is held up by the surrounding hemp plants. “Wood marked for cutting with an inked line” means that wood is straightened when it is planed or cut by a carpenter along an inked line.

9. The late shogun refers to Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147–1199), founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura government.

10. Analects.

11. Possibly a rephrasing of a passage in the Nirvana Sutra.

 

Lecture

Even though the founders of other schools claim to read the Lotus Sutra, they do so through the lens of their own subjective views or based on the doctrines of other sutras, thereby distorting its true meaning. In contrast, the Daishonin reads the Lotus Sutra precisely and faithfully, in accord with its own spirit and intent.

The phrase “Deeply cherish the passages of the sutras preached in the past, present, and future” has two layers of meaning.
First, the passage from the Teacher of the Law chapter — “Among the sutras I have preached, now preach, and will preach, this Lotus Sutra is the most difficult to believe and the most difficult to understand” — shows that the Lotus Sutra is supreme among all sutras. Therefore, “Deeply cherish the sutras preached in the past, present, and future” means to uphold the Lotus Sutra as the highest teaching, without equating it with, or mixing it among, other doctrines.

The second meaning stems from the words “most difficult to believe and most difficult to understand.” It signifies that to embrace and propagate this Lotus Sutra is exceedingly difficult, and that one must inevitably overcome countless obstacles and persecutions. Therefore, one must endure and triumph over the various devils and hindrances that arise in opposition, persevering in faith and propagation.

Because the Daishonin thus upholds and practices the Lotus Sutra exactly as it is, “one is noble because the Law is profound,” and “when one chants in accordance with the sutra, one’s mind will not be distorted.” In other words, by basing one’s life upon the true Law, one’s life becomes upright and undergoes a human revolution.

At the same time, being able to correctly accept and practice the true Law is possible only because “the Buddha’s mind has entered our lives.” That is, the life of the Buddha inherently exists within our own lives.

The attainment of Buddhahood is achieved through the mutual correspondence of these two aspects — the inherent possession of Buddhahood and the realization of it through the correct practice of the true Law. All living beings inherently embody the Wonderful Law and possess within themselves the life of the Buddha of the three enlightened bodies. Through the condition of embracing and practicing the true Law, this innate Buddhahood is manifested, and one attains enlightenment. To illustrate this principle, the Daishonin presents the contrasting concepts of “sage” and “wise man.”

“ Although the mugwort growing in a hemp field or wood marked for cutting with an inked line may not be straight to begin with, they will as a matter of course become so.

In the same way, one who chants the daimoku as the Lotus Sutra teaches will never have a twisted mind. For one should know that, unless the mind of the Buddha enters into our bodies, we cannot in fact chant the daimoku.

 

In the secular world there is a saying, “the nature of mugwort among hemp.” Hemp grows straight, while mugwort tends to bend. Yet when mugwort grows among hemp, supported by its surroundings, even such a bent plant straightens naturally. Similarly, when a crooked piece of wood is marked with an ink line to be sawn, it is ultimately cut straight along that line. These metaphors illustrate that through a wholesome environment, what is evil or bent can be corrected and transformed. Thus, by chanting the sutra as it is, the profound merit of the sutra purifies even a life defiled by erroneous teachings.

Here, “a mind that is not distorted” does not merely refer to an ordinary honest or obedient heart. It means a mind that directly realizes and practices the principle taught in the Lotus Sutra. The founders of other schools may read the Lotus Sutra with their mouths but not with their hearts; though they praise it, they actually kill its spirit. This is because their minds are distorted. In contrast, to grasp and practice the very essence of the Buddha’s teaching — this is what it truly means to have “a straight mind.”

The Daishonin further explains that the ability to realize the principle of the Lotus Sutra and chant the daimoku arises because “the Buddha’s mind has entered our lives.” The reason we can manifest the life-state of Buddhahood is that the Buddha realm inherently exists within our own lives. Thus, anyone who possesses this inherent Buddha nature is capable of chanting the daimoku.

The essential difference between the Lotus Sutra and the pre-Lotus teachings lies in whether they establish a fixed gap between the Buddha and ordinary beings. The pre-Lotus sutras fail to reveal the eternal Buddha (kuon jitsujō) and maintain distinctions among the realms of existence (gyōfu), thereby placing an unbridgeable separation between the Buddha and living beings. The Lotus Sutra, by teaching the mutual possession of the Ten Worlds, breaks through this limitation, and by revealing the eternal Buddha and the eternal nature of Buddhahood, it shows that the life of the Buddha inherently exists within all beings.

Although Shakyamuni Buddha’s true intent was to reveal that the Buddha realm resides within all living beings, in the pre-Lotus teachings he first demonstrated the noble appearance of the Buddha in order to inspire respect, since the people were not yet ready to grasp that the Buddha nature existed within themselves. However, the notion that only the Buddha is noble while the beings of the nine worlds and six paths are base and defiled is far from the Buddha’s true intent. The Lotus Sutra reveals that the exalted life of the Buddha exists within all beings.

From the standpoint of the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha is not a being detached from humanity. Rather, the most noble expression of beings within the nine worlds is the Buddha, and because all people inherently contain this Buddha life within, anyone can chant the daimoku. The faith in the Daishonin’s Buddhism thus exists universally in all living beings; in the depths of their hearts, everyone inherently longs for this Law. The reason why Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism is called the “Diamond Precept” — a precept that cannot be broken — is that the Wonderful Law pervades all life itself. There is no escaping it, for it is the very essence of existence.

 

 

Chapter10(Suggesting a True Saint)

Shakyamuni, the lord of teachings, is the foremost sage of this sahā world. T’ien-t’ai and Dengyō were both sages as well as worthies. Ashvaghosha and Nāgārjuna, Asanga and Vasubandhu, and Lao Tzu and Confucius were all both sages and worthies of either the Hinayana teachings, the provisional Mahayana teachings, or the non-Buddhist teachings; however, none of them was a sage or worthy of the Lotus Sutra.

Now I am neither a sage nor a worthy man; I neither adhere to the precepts, nor am I without precepts; I neither possess wisdom nor lack it. Nevertheless, I was born some 2,220 years after the Buddha’s passing, in the last five-hundred-year period, when the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra is destined to spread. Before any other person of the various schools—whether here in Japan or in the far-off lands of India and China—could begin to invoke the daimoku, I began chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo in a loud voice and have continued to do so for more than twenty years.

During that time, I have been cursed and beaten, and at times have sustained injury. Twice I have been exiled, once I was condemned to death,¹² and the other great trials that I have suffered are too numerous to mention; I have been like a soybean tossed into a large pot of boiling water, or a large fish in a tiny puddle.

 

Notes

12. The Daishonin was exiled to the Izu Peninsula and to Sado Island. “Once I was condemned to death” refers to the Tatsunokuchi Persecution of 1271, when the Daishonin narrowly escaped execution at Tatsunokuchi.

 

Lecture

The Buddha Shakyamuni, as well as various sages and wise men of non-Buddhist traditions, are cited as examples, and in contrast to them, the Daishonin speaks about himself, saying: “Now I am neither a sage nor a worthy man.”

The Daishonin then explains that his own conduct is the very proof of the Lotus Sutra—that his actions themselves embody and manifest its profound philosophy.

This means that the Daishonin cannot be confined within the conventional categories of “sages” or “wise men” of the past. He is the Buddha of the oneness of person and Law. In other words, while the so-called sages and wise men lead people by teaching the Law, in the case of the Daishonin, his very actions embody the Law itself, and thereby naturally serve as a model for others. The person and the Law are perfectly united—the person is the Law, and the Law is the person.

 

 

Chapter11(Expressing the Great Conviction of a True Sage)

The Lotus Sutra says, “Since hatred and jealousy toward this sutra abound even when the Thus Come One is in the world, how much more will this be so after his passing”?¹³ It also states, “It will face much hostility in the world and be difficult to believe.”¹⁴ And it says, “There will be many ignorant people who will curse and speak ill of us and will attack us with swords and staves, with rocks and tiles . . . again and again we will be banished.”¹⁵

If I, Nichiren, had not been born in the land of Japan, then these passages of the sutra would have been mere words on the Buddha’s part—empty of all significance. They would have been like blossoms that open but form no fruit, or like thunder that rumbles but never ushers in rain. These golden words of the Buddha would have been in vain, and the Lotus Sutra, which speaks honestly, would have been found to be tainted with great falsehoods. When I consider all this, it seems to me that I must equal the sages T’ien-t’ai and Dengyō, and that I stand above Lao Tzu and Confucius.

In this entire country of Japan, I am the only one who has been chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. I am like the single speck of dust that marks the beginning of Mount Sumeru or the single drop of dew that spells the start of the great ocean. Probably two people, three people, ten people, a hundred people will join in chanting it, until it spreads to one province, two provinces, and all the sixty-six provinces of Japan, and reaches even to the two islands of Iki and Tsushima. Those persons who have spoken slanderously of me will in time chant in the same way; and everyone from the ruler on down to the multitude of common people will, as described in the “Supernatural Powers” chapter of the Lotus Sutra,¹⁶ chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with a single voice. Though the trees may desire to be still, the wind will not cease to blow; though we may wish for spring to linger, it must give way to summer.

 

Notes

13. Lotus Sutra, chap. 10.

14. Ibid., chap. 14.

15. Ibid., chap. 13. The phrase “with rocks and tiles” appears not in this chapter. It is an interpolation from the “Never Disparaging” chapter.

16. In the “Supernatural Powers” chapter, the heavenly gods proclaim in open space that Shakyamuni is now preaching the Lotus Sutra in the sahā world. On hearing this, all the beings in the ten directions face the sahā world and, joining their palms in reverence, utter the words, “Hail, Shakyamuni Buddha! Hail, Shakyamuni Buddha!”

 

Lecture

In this chapter, it is explained that Nichiren Daishonin appeared in the Latter Day of the Law and, by propagating the invocation of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, encountered great persecutions exactly as predicted in the sutra. In thus fulfilling the Buddha’s prophecies, Nichiren Daishonin himself proved to be the true “sage,” the Original Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law. Moreover, he declared with absolute conviction that the widespread propagation (kosen-rufu) of the Nam-myoho-renge-kyo—which he was the first to chant—was an inevitable destiny.

“In this entire country of Japan, I am the only one who has been chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. I am like the single speck of dust that marks the beginning of Mount Sumeru or the single drop of dew that spells the start of the great ocean.”

This statement reveals that Nichiren Daishonin’s position is based entirely on the principle of hon-in-myo—the enlightenment inherent in the fundamental cause.

The expression “the first speck of dust of Mount Sumeru, the first drop of dew of the great ocean” means that the dust composing the mountain and the water forming the ocean are, in essence, of the same nature. Likewise, the Daishonin is completely equal in nature and position to all living beings in the Latter Day. The only distinction is that he was the first to chant the Mystic Law, thereby setting the model for all people to follow.

Ordinarily, one might think that a Buddha or a founder of religion occupies the position of shaping or creating the mountain itself in this analogy. However, the Daishonin identified himself as but one speck of dust making up that mountain—significantly, the very first speck.

At first glance, such a position might seem small or humble. But to regard it so would be a misunderstanding. The Mount Sumeru and the great ocean of kosen-rufu will be built only when each individual—each “speck of dust” and “drop of dew” representing the people—awakens, rises up of their own volition, and unites their strength. That is why this movement is so strong and enduring.

If, on the other hand, a transcendent being were to impose such a structure from above, and the people were reduced to mere passive materials without will or awareness, it might take shape for a moment but would soon collapse—it would be fragile and short-lived.

By identifying himself as the same as the people—as the first speck of dust and the first drop of dew—and by inspiring countless ordinary people with the same awareness to stand up and join together to build Mount Sumeru and the great ocean, the Daishonin presented a formula that embodies the true spirit of democracy. This principle is the great law of kosen-rufu that will endure forever, throughout the ten thousand years and into the eternal future.

 

 

Chapter12(Revealing the Persecutions Arising from Slander of the Law)

Though the people of Japan think highly of the Lotus Sutra, because of their animosity toward me, the priest Nichiren, they refuse to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. But when invaders from the great kingdom of the Mongols strike once or twice again as they did at Iki and Tsushima, attacking and killing the men and taking the women prisoner; when they battle their way as far as the capital Kyoto and the city of Kamakura, seizing the sovereign himself along with his high ministers and hundred officials, flinging them in the dirt before their oxen and horses, and violently abusing them—how then will the people of Japan be able to keep from chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo?

In the past, when I was struck several times in the face with the fifth scroll of the Lotus Sutra,¹⁷ I felt no resentment at it. In fact, I was actually delighted. For to be attacked in the manner described in the “Never Disparaging” chapter, to suffer assault as predicted in the “Encouraging Devotion” chapter, is indeed a high and precious honor.

But how vexing such attacks must be to Brahmā, Shakra, the gods of the sun and moon, and the four heavenly kings, who inscribed an oath in the presence of the Buddha that they would not permit evil men to strike the votary of the Lotus Sutra! It would be no small matter if those who slander me were to fail to incur punishment from the heavenly deities in their present existence. Not only will those deities [who fail to punish them] be destroyed throughout past, present, and future, but even now the Buddhas are surely taking an account of their actions. And when that happens, it will be no fault of Nichiren’s. Rather, by siding with those priests who slander the correct teaching, they are summoning great disaster upon themselves.

 

Notes

17. On the twelfth day of the ninth month, 1271, Hei no Saemon went to arrest the Daishonin, accompanied by his retainer Shō-bō and others. Shō-bō struck the Daishonin in the face with the scroll of the fifth volume of the Lotus Sutra. The Lotus Sutra consists of eight volumes, each of which was wound around a wooden roller. The Daishonin accordingly interpreted this assault as “attacked with staves,” one of the hardships predicted in the “Encouraging Devotion” chapter, a chapter contained in the fifth volume of the Lotus Sutra.

 

Lecture

The people of Japan say, “The Lotus Sutra is indeed noble, but we hate Nichiren; therefore, we will not chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.” Yet when the great Mongol Empire invades and presses upon them with overwhelming force, how could they possibly refrain from chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo? Here, the Daishonin expresses his unshakable conviction that the widespread propagation of the Mystic Law will inevitably be achieved.

Within this passage, there is revealed a tendency toward slandering the Law (hōbō). However, very few people actually slander the Law itself. In truth, most people do not even understand what that Law truly is. Instead, they judge by appearances—despising others based on outward looks, following rumors and public opinion, and allowing personal likes and dislikes to cloud their judgment.

Compared to the monks of noble birth or those connected to political power in his day, Nichiren Daishonin, born of the chandāla class and unaffiliated with any established Buddhist lineage, appeared to be an ordinary monk unworthy of respect. Moreover, because he fearlessly denounced the errors of the major sects allied with the ruling authorities, many came to regard him as arrogant and detestable. The common people, having no direct knowledge of him, could only rely on hearsay, and thus the labels “the evil priest Nichiren” or “the heretical monk Nichiren” naturally became entrenched.

Yet those who actually met and associated closely with the Daishonin came to revere him deeply, realizing how utterly false the rumors were. As recorded in The Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra (Shuju Onfurumai Gosho), even the soldiers who guarded him at the Tatsunokuchi Persecution cast away their nenbutsu rosaries the very next day and expressed their resolve to take faith. Likewise, followers such as Abutsu-bo of Sado, Honma Rokurōzaemon, and Ichigaya Nyūdō all inwardly converted. The fact that those who directly encountered him became devoted followers clearly shows how shallow and baseless the slanders against him truly were.

In essence, this is the very nature of slandering the Law. Such slander often arises from minor emotional conflicts, misunderstandings, or lack of sincere communication. For this reason, it is all the more vital to engage patiently and persistently in shakubuku—the compassionate propagation that conveys the true intent of Buddhism.

At the same time, since we uphold the Buddha’s Law, we must also conduct ourselves as people of wisdom and integrity within society. By behaving as thoughtful and considerate members of the community, we can prevent misunderstandings and avoid fueling further slander of the Law.

 

 

Chapter13(Praising the Benefits of Offerings)

 

 

Lecture

The offerings made to the Great Teacher Nichiren are said to correspond to propagating the daimoku. When the time comes that people throughout Japan and the entire world chant the daimoku, all the benefit derived from that daimoku will, it is said, gather upon Myōmitsu Shōnin. Nichiren also instructed that these points be carefully conveyed to the lay nun, encouraging husband and wife alike to advance together in faith.

“Bear in mind that the twenty-eight chapters of the Lotus Sutra contain only a few passages elucidating the truth, but a great many words of praise.”

This statement is given as an example to show that praising the Lotus Sutra is of great importance, and within it lies the very character of the sutra itself. The twenty-eight chapters refer to the eight volumes and twenty-eight chapters of the Lotus Sutra. In that scripture, the portions that directly set forth doctrinal principles are few. In the Trace Gate’s fourteen chapters, the Expedient Means chapter (the second) expounds doctrine, while in the Original Gate’s fourteen chapters, the Life Span of the Thus Come One chapter does so. The rest are largely “words of praise.”

The Introductory Chapter describes the great assembly gathered to hear the teaching; from the Parable Chapter onward, the principle of “three thousand realms in a single moment of life” taught in the Expedient Means Chapter is applied to confer predictions of Buddhahood upon the two vehicles who had been told they could never attain enlightenment. From the Teacher of the Law Chapter onward, the sutra urges propagation after the Buddha’s passing. In the Emerging from the Earth Chapter, the bodhisattvas who spring up from the earth are summoned, and in the following Life Span Chapter, the revelation of the Buddha’s original enlightenment since the remotest past is given. After that, the benefits of upholding the Lotus Sutra are described; the Never-Disparaging Bodhisattva Chapter expounds the practice of Bodhisattva Never Disparaging, and finally, in the Supernatural Powers and Entrustment chapters, the transmission of the teaching is entrusted. The chapters from Medicine King onward mark the close of the assembly in open space and merely indicate the practices of Bodhisattvas such as Medicine King, Wonderful Voice, and Perceiver of the World’s Sounds. When one surveys all twenty-eight chapters, one sees that “the direct doctrinal teaching is but little.”

Because of this, critics have at times asserted that the Lotus Sutra lacks substantial content, calling it merely a kind of “description of a medicine’s efficacy.” In Japan, the main figures who voiced such criticisms were the kokugaku scholars Motoori Norinaga and Hirata Atsutane. Yet these were groundless criticisms born of ignorance of the depth of the doctrine contained in the Lotus Sutra. Though the portions that state “direct doctrine” are few, their content far surpasses anything taught in the pre-Lotus scriptures.

That there are “many words of praise” serves, after all, to emphasize how profound the principles of the Lotus Sutra truly are.

The fundamental principles underlying things are not complicated. As the theories and applications of a system proliferate, they branch like the boughs and leaves of a great tree, yet all grow from a single root. Likewise, the essential doctrines of all the sutras—the universal principles that pervade heaven, earth, and nature—are simple and concise. Euclidean geometry forms an enormous system, yet rests upon only five axioms; Einstein’s intricate theory of relativity is built upon just two premises: “All motion is relative” and “The speed of light is constant.” From these, vast developments arise.

In the same way, the philosophy of the Lotus Sutra is, at its core, the principle that “the nine worlds inherently possess the Buddha world, and the Buddha world inherently possesses the nine worlds.” Nothing could be more concise. Yet this very fundamental law becomes the basis for all philosophies and all modes of thought. Buddhism does not aim for complexity or obscurity; rather, it shines light upon what is most ordinary and, at the same time, most essential, seeking to bring it to realization. It is for this reason that Buddhism is rightly called the true religion of humanism—and the framework of that humanism is none other than the Lotus Sutra itself.