The Three Kinds of Treasure
Background
This letter was written at Minobu in the ninth month of 1277 and addressed to Shijō Nakatsukasa Saburō Saemon-no-jō Yorimoto, commonly known as Shijō Kingo, in Kamakura. Sometime around 1274, Shijō Kingo had begun making efforts to convert his lord, who was named Ema, to the Daishonin’s teachings. Lord Ema, however, did not respond positively. Instead, he reduced the size of Kingo’s landholdings and threatened to send him to the remote province of Echigo. Kingo’s colleagues spread scurrilous reports about him, and Kingo was accused of fomenting trouble at a debate in the sixth month of 1277, during which the Tendai priest Ryūzō-bō was bested by the Daishonin’s disciple Sammi-bō.
Nichiren Daishonin cautions Shijō Kingo and instructs him on the best course of behavior in his trying circumstances. Later that year Lord Ema fell ill, and Kingo, applying his medical skills, helped cure him. The lord was most grateful and in 1278 restored, and later even increased, Kingo’s landholdings.
At the outset of this letter, the Daishonin tells Kingo that he should remember his debt of gratitude to his lord, and stresses the Buddhist teaching that fundamental changes within oneself inevitably result in changes in the environment. He mentions that when he was about to be executed at Tatsunokuchi, Kingo vowed to die by his side. Now Kingo is undergoing a severe ordeal and the Daishonin is exerting all his powers to protect him. The Daishonin says that, since Kingo was fortunate enough to have been born human and encountered the true teaching, he should accumulate “the treasures of the heart” and win the respect of others. Finally, through historical references to Emperor Sushun and others, the Daishonin teaches Kingo that as a Buddhist he should conduct his daily life admirably and be considerate of others.
Chapter1(Citing the Doctrine of Inner Virtue and Outer Protection)
Main Text
I HAVE received various articles from your messenger, including a white quilted robe and a string of coins, and the goods mentioned in Toki’s letter.1 The persimmons, pears, and fresh and dried seaweed are particularly welcome.
I am most grieved over your lord’s illness. Although he has not professed faith in the Lotus Sutra, you are a member of his clan, and it is thanks to his consideration that you are able to make offerings to the sutra. Thus, these may become prayers solely for your lord’s recovery. Think of a small tree under a large one, or grass by a great river. Though they do not receive rain or water directly, they nonetheless thrive, partaking of dew from the large tree or drawing moisture from the river. The same holds true with the relationship between you and your lord. To give another example, King Ajātashatru was an enemy of the Buddha. But because Jīvaka, a minister in the king’s court, believed in the Buddha and continually made offerings to him, the blessings accruing from his actions are said to have returned to Ajātashatru.
Buddhism teaches that, when the Buddha nature manifests itself from within, it will receive protection from without. This is one of its fundamental principles. The Lotus Sutra says, “I have profound reverence for you.”2 The Nirvana Sutra states, “All living beings alike possess the Buddha nature.” Bodhisattva Ashvaghosha’s Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana says, “Because the true abiding Law invariably permeates one’s life and exerts its influence, illusions are instantly extinguished, and the Dharma body manifests itself.” Bodhisattva Maitreya’s Treatise on the Stages of Yoga Practice contains a similar statement. What is hidden turns into manifest virtue.
Notes
1. Toki refers to Toki Jōnin, one of the Daishonin’s leading followers. He lived in Shimōsa Province and served as a retainer to Lord Chiba, the constable of that province.
2. Lotus Sutra, chap. 20.
Lecture
Background & Overview
This letter is dated September 11, 1277 (the third year of Kenji). Regarding the fact that his lord, Ema, had fallen ill, Nichiren Daishonin points out that it was a penalty for persecuting Shijō Kingo, an upholder of the Correct Law. At the same time, he strictly cautions Kingo to brace his mind, exercise prudence, and refrain from taking rash actions out of short-temperedness. To teach him the importance of patience, the Daishonin cites the historical example of Emperor Sushun, who destroyed himself due to his quick temper; hence, this letter is traditionally titled The Three Types of Treasure (or The Letter to Emperor Sushun).
Furthermore, there is a point to recall regarding Lord Ema’s illness. In a letter given to Shijō Kingo in July of the same year, the Daishonin had instructed Kingo to tell the magistrate: “If my estate is confiscated, the lord’s severe illness, which was cured through the medicine of the Lotus Sutra, will surely return.” Just two months later, events transpired exactly as the Daishonin had indicated.
Because of this, there was a strong danger that Shijō Kingo might carelessly boast about this outcome. Should that happen, not only would it reignite his lord’s anger, but colleagues who held grudges against Kingo might even attempt to take his life. Deeply concerned about this possibility, the Daishonin wrote this letter to issue a stern admonition.
Moreover, the Daishonin’s heart by no means rejoiced over the fulfillment of his prediction or the clear manifestation of actual punishment, as evidenced by his words in this letter: “Above all, I am deeply grieved by the lord’s illness.” He genuinely sympathized with the suffering of the individual—even one hostile to Buddhism—feeling that person’s suffering as his own. We must learn from this spirit of a true practitioner of Buddhism.
Furthermore, from the viewpoint of Buddhist philosophy, the reason Shijō Kingo was able to make various offerings to the Daishonin and dedicate himself to Buddhist practice was entirely due to the favor and patronage extended to him by his lord, Ema. In other words, it is no exaggeration to say that, fundamentally, Kingo’s acts stemmed from Lord Ema. Therefore, all the merit of the Mystic Law accumulated by Kingo ultimately redounded upon Lord Ema as well.
Reflecting upon this principle in modern democratic society, it demonstrates that the benefit of an individual’s faith and practice manifests as the prosperity of society as a whole. An individual’s actual proof through Buddhism does not remain confined to that person alone; it exerts a profound influence on their family, local community, and ultimately human society as a whole. This is because an individual’s existence is supported by the immeasurable blessings of society.
Gosho Passage
“Buddhism teaches that, when the Buddha nature manifests itself from within, it will receive protection from without. This is one of its fundamental principles.“
Commentary: The Teaching of Inner Transformation and Outer Protection
The principle of “internal manifestation and external protection” (naikun gaigo), as the characters literally suggest, means “manifesting from within and protecting from without.” Applied to Shijō Kingo’s situation, Kingo was a retainer of the Ema family. If Kingo clearly perceived that his ability to live a complete life was thanks to Lord Ema, and that it was because of Lord Ema that he could make offerings to the Lotus Sutra, then in turn, Lord Ema would cherish Kingo and naturally fulfill the role of protecting the faith of the Mystic Law from without. Kingo’s inner faith and feelings of gratitude would awaken the pure life-function in Lord Ema to protect him from the outside.
Originally, the term “internal manifestation and external protection”—as indicated by citations from the “Bodhisattva Never Disparaging” chapter of the Lotus Sutra, the Nirvana Sutra, and The Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana—expresses the principle of the manifestation of Buddha nature within the individual. That is to say, Buddha nature is inherently present within the life of all living beings; when this is aroused from within, surrounding people and environmental phenomena act to help strengthen and support this newly emerging Buddha nature.
However, the vital point to remember is that the foundation lies strictly in “internal manifestation”—the transformation and development of one’s own inner life. The aspect of “external protection” appears as a reflection of that inner change. Seeking only “external protection” while forgetting “internal manifestation” is akin to seeking a shadow while ignoring the body itself. We must never forget that this is a crucial principle applicable to an individual’s path to attaining Buddhahood, to family transformation, and to the transformation of society and the world.