Forest, the truth cleans the lies away deep inside the heart. It's like a burden has been lifted, to have the courage to tell the truth. Onward my friend, forever, the chanting smiles with us.
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EasyMyohoDisco
Ohh Forest, that was the real deal! I got your back for sure.
Keep up the great work.
Keep up the great work.
Forest, I've said it already. Thank you for being in my life!
Much love and deepest respect!
T
T
TrichyTrichy
love you Forest!!!
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!!!
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!!!
Good Morning
Daily Wisdom
From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
Monday, September 6, 2010:
"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. How ominous that the authorities have turned hundreds of persons against me and have even banished me twice! This country is surely doomed, but since I have asked the gods to withhold their punishment on our land, it has survived until now. However, that punishment has finally descended because these unreasonable actions continued."
passage from: "The Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra"
Written to the lay nun Konichi in 1276
Background segment from WND p. 779
This work is an autobiographical account covering the events of an important period in Nichiren Daishonin’s life— from the time shortly before the Tatsunokuchi Persecution through his two-and-a-half-year exile on Sado Island to his eventual retirement to Mount Minobu. In the course of his struggles over this period of nine years, the Daishonin fulfilled the predictions in the Lotus Sutra concerning its votary and established himself in both word and deed as the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law.
This letter was written in the second year of Kenji (1276) and addressed to the lay nun Konichi, a widow who lived in Awa, the Daishonin’s native province. Her son had earlier converted to the Daishonin’s teachings, and through him she herself became a convert. Some time after her conversion, her son died. But she overcame her deep sorrow and remained a sincere believer in the Daishonin’s Buddhism to the end of her life.
The chronicle of events begins in when the Mongol empire sent a delegate to Japan to demand that the nation acknowledge fealty to the Mongols. The predictions of foreign invasion made in On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land had started to come true. The Daishonin once more remonstrated with the Kamakura authorities and religious leaders, but they ignored his repeated warnings and instead struck out against him and his followers. At this point the Daishonin urges his disciples never to yield to persecution but to devote their whole lives to propagating the Mystic Law. His undaunted struggle incurred further wrath from the regime and from the other religious schools and finally led to the Tatsunokuchi Persecution...
My Understanding of the Passage:
This passage is depicted from an amazing account and "Experience" of Nichiren of his near execution outlined in this letter so clearly conveying Nichiren's courage who put his life on the line to reveal the correct teaching and posture for all of us today. How can we forget Nichiren today and instead revere a teacher who is teaching The Keeping of the Precepts so we to influence society to become good and successful citizens and who forgot his teacher's spirit to emphasise explicitly that the purpose of our practice is to attain our reunion with the Law - the Gohonzon and Nam-myoho-renge-kyo through our connection to Nichiren is the proper posture in this practice and faith instead of the loyalty to him the teacher?
How can we escape the same doom or fate if we forget the purpose of our practice to prove the validity of the Gohonzon and Nam-myoho-renge-kyo in terms of our connection to the Law through Nichiren and shakyamuni and instead place our emphasis on our connection to the teacher who emphasises that our success in our mundane world through faith is how we become truly happy and enlightened.
Not even one word is suggested in Nichiren's writings that our attainment of Buddhahood and happiness is contingent to our actual proof in society therefor we should have faith.
It is the other way around. Because we have faith in the Gohonzon and Nam-myoho-renge-kyo through Nichiren's admonition to rely upon the Law and not upon Person(s), that we can lead others to attain supreme enlightenment through our actions and good fortune and by doing so we exhibit our roll in society for the sake of our connection to the Law not for the sake of our success in society or our connection to the teacher.
pb
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Link to the page:
The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 773
Segments...
The Buddha made a prophecy, saying: “After my death, during the beginning of the Latter Day of the Law that follows the two millennia of the Former and Middle Days, a person will appear who will propagate only the heart of the Lotus Sutra, the five characters of the daimoku. At that time an evil ruler will be in power, and evil monks, more numerous than the dust particles of the land, will argue with one another over the various Mahayana and Hinayana sutras.
When the votary of the daimoku challenges the monks, they will incite their lay supporters to abuse, beat, or imprison him, to confiscate his lands, to exile or behead him. In spite of such persecutions, he will continue his propagation without ceasing. Meanwhile the ruler who persecutes him will be beset by rebellion, and his subjects will devour each other like hungry spirits. Finally the land will be attacked by a foreign country, for Brahma, Shakra, the gods of the sun and moon, and the four heavenly kings have ordained that other countries shall assault a land that is hostile to the Lotus Sutra.”6
None of you who declare yourselves to be my disciples should ever give way to cowardice. Neither should you allow concern for your parents, wife, or children to hold you back, or be worried about your property. Since countless kalpas in the past you have thrown away your life more times than the number of dust particles of the land for the sake of your parents, your children, or your lands. But not once have you given up your life for the Lotus Sutra. You may have tried to practice its teachings to some extent, but whenever you were persecuted, you backslid and ceased to live by the sutra. That is like boiling water only to pour it into cold water, or like trying to strike fire but giving up halfway. Each and every one of you should be certain deep in your heart that sacrificing your life for the Lotus Sutra is like exchanging rocks for gold or dung for rice.
Now, at the beginning of the Latter Day of the Law, I, Nichiren, am the first to embark on propagating, throughout Jambudvipa, the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo, which are the heart of the Lotus Sutra and the eye of all Buddhas. During the 2,220 or more years since the Buddha’s passing, not even Mahakashyapa, Ananda, Ashvaghosha, Nagarjuna, Nan-yüeh, T’ient’ai, Miao-lo, or Dengyo has propagated them. My disciples, form your ranks and follow me, and surpass even Mahakashyapa or Ananda, T’ien-t’ai or Dengyo! If you quail before the threats of the ruler of this little island country [and abandon your faith], how will you face the even more terrible anger of Yama, the lord of hell? If, while calling yourselves the Buddha’s messengers, you give way to fear, you will be the most despicable of persons!...
...Observing this, I realized it was no ordinary event and thought to myself, “Over the past months I have expected something like this to happen sooner or later. How fortunate that I can give my life for the Lotus Sutra! If I am to lose this worthless head [for Buddhahood], it will be like trading sand for gold or rocks for jewels.”
Sho-bo, Hei no Saemon’s chief retainer, rushed up, snatched the scroll of the fifth volume of the Lotus Sutra8 from inside my robes, and struck me in the face with it three times. Then he threw it open on the floor. Warriors seized the nine other scrolls of the sutra, unrolled them, and trampled on them or wound them about their bodies, scattering the scrolls all over the matting and wooden floors until every corner of the house was strewn with them.
I, Nichiren, said in a loud voice, “How amusing! Look at Hei no Saemon gone mad! You gentlemen have just toppled the pillar of Japan.” Hearing this, the assembled troops were taken aback. When they saw me standing before the fierce arm of the law unafraid, they must have realized that they were in the wrong, for the color drained from their faces...
...That night of the twelfth, I was placed under the custody of the lord of the province of Musashi10 and around midnight was taken out of Kamakura to be executed. As we set out on Wakamiya Avenue,11 I looked at the crowd of warriors surrounding me and said, “Don’t make a fuss. I won’t cause any trouble. I merely wish to say my last words to Great Bodhisattva Hachiman.” I got down from my horse and called out in a loud voice, “Great Bodhisattva Hachiman, are you truly a god? When Wake no Kiyomaro12 was about to be beheaded, you appeared as a moon ten feet wide. When the Great Teacher Dengyo lectured on the Lotus Sutra, you bestowed upon him a purple surplice as an offering.
Now I, Nichiren, am the foremost votary of the Lotus Sutra in all of Japan, and am entirely without guilt. I have expounded the doctrine to save all the people of Japan from falling into the great citadel of the hell of incessant suffering for slandering the Lotus Sutra. Moreover, if the forces of the great Mongol empire attack this country, can even the Sun Goddess and Great Bodhisattva Hachiman remain safe and unharmed? When Shakyamuni Buddha expounded the Lotus Sutra, Many Treasures Buddha and the Buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions gathered, shining like so many suns and moons, stars and mirrors. In the presence of the countless heavenly gods as well as the benevolent deities and sages of India, China, and Japan, Shakyamuni Buddha urged each one to submit a written pledge to protect the votary of the Lotus Sutra at all times.
Each and every one of you gods made this pledge. I should not have to remind you. Why do you not appear at once to fulfill your solemn oath?” Finally I called out: “If I am executed tonight and go to the pure land of Eagle Peak, I will dare to report to Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, that the Sun Goddess and Great Bodhisattva Hachiman are the deities who have broken their oath to him. If you feel this will go hard with you, you had better do something about it right away!” Then I remounted my horse.
Out on Yui Beach as the party passed the shrine there, I spoke again. “Stop a minute, gentlemen. I have a message for someone living near here,” I said. I sent a boy called Kumao to Nakatsukasa Saburo Saemon-no-jo [Shijo Kingo], who rushed to meet me. I told him, “Tonight, I will be beheaded. This is something I have wished for many years. In this saha world, I have been born as a pheasant only to be caught by hawks, born a mouse only to be eaten by cats, and born human only to be killed attempting to defend my wife and children from enemies. Such things have befallen me more times than the dust particles of the land.
But until now, I have never given up my life for the sake of the Lotus Sutra. In this life, I was born to become a humble priest, unable to adequately discharge my filial duty to my parents or fully repay the debt of gratitude I owe to my country. Now is the time when I will offer my head to the Lotus Sutra and share the blessings therefrom with my deceased parents, and with my disciples and lay supporters, just as I have promised you.” Then the four men, Saemon-no-jo and his brothers, holding on to my horse’s reins, went with me to Tatsunokuchi at Koshigoe.
Finally we came to a place that I knew must be the site of my execution. Indeed, the soldiers stopped and began to mill around in excitement. Saemon-no-jo, in tears, said, “These are your last moments!” I replied, “You don’t understand! What greater joy could there be? Don’t you remember what you have promised?” I had no sooner said this when a brilliant orb as bright as the moon burst forth from the direction of Enoshima, shooting across the sky from southeast to northwest. It was shortly before dawn and still too dark to see anyone’s face, but the radiant object clearly illuminated everyone like bright moonlight. The executioner fell on his face, his eyes blinded. The soldiers were filled with panic. Some ran off into the distance, some jumped down from their horses and huddled on the ground, while others crouched in their saddles. I called out, “Here, why do you shrink from this vile prisoner?? Come closer! Come closer!” But no one would approach me. “What if the dawn should come? You must hurry up and execute me— once the day breaks, it will be too ugly a job.” I urged them on, but they made no response.
They waited a short while, and then I was told to proceed to Echi in the same province of Sagami. I replied that, since none of us knew the way, someone would have to guide us there. No one was willing to take the lead, but after we had waited for some time, one soldier finally said, “That’s the road you should take.”
Setting off, we followed the road and around noon reached Echi. We then proceeded to the residence of Homma Rokuro Saemon. There I ordered sake for the soldiers. When the time came for them to leave, some bowed their heads, joined their palms, and said in a most respectful manner: “We did not realize what kind of a man you are. We hated you because we had been told that you slandered Amida Buddha, the one we worship. But now that we have seen with our own eyes what has happened to you, we understand how worthy a person you are, and will discard the Nembutsu that we have practiced for so long.” Some of them even took their prayer beads out of their tinder bags and flung them away. Others pledged that they would never again chant the Nembutsu. After they left, Rokuro Saemon’s retainers took over the guard. Then Saemon-no-jo and his brothers took their leave.
That evening, at the hour of the dog (7:00–9:00 P.M.), a messenger from Kamakura arrived with an order from the regent. The soldiers were sure that it would be an official letter to behead me, but Uma-no-jo, Homma’s deputy, came running with the letter, knelt, and said: “We were afraid that you would be executed tonight, but now the letter has brought wonderful news. The messenger said that, since the lord of Musashi had left for a spa in Atami this morning at the hour of the hare (5:00–7:00 A.M.), he set off at once and rode for four hours to get here because he feared that something might happen to you.
The messenger has left immediately to take news to the lord in Atami tonight.” The accompanying letter read, “This person is not really guilty. He will shortly be pardoned. If you execute him you will have cause to regret.”
Now it was the night of the thirteenth. There were scores of warriors stationed around my lodging and in the main garden. Because it was the middle of the ninth month, the moon was very round and full. I went out into the garden and there, turning toward the moon, recited the verse portion of the “Life Span” chapter. Then I spoke briefly about the faults of the various schools, citing passages from the Lotus Sutra. I said: “You, the god of the moon, are Rare Moon, the son of a god, who participated in the ceremony of the Lotus Sutra. When the Buddha expounded the ‘Treasure Tower’ chapter, you received his order, and in the ‘Entrustment’ chapter, when the Buddha patted your head with his hand, in your vow you said, ‘We will respectfully carry out all these things just as the World-Honored One has commanded.’ You are that very god.
Would you have an opportunity to fulfill the vow you made in the Buddha’s presence if it were not for me? Now that you see me in this situation, you should rush forward joyfully to receive the sufferings of the votary of the Lotus Sutra in his stead, thereby carrying out the Buddha’s command and also fulfilling your vow. It is strange indeed that you have not yet done anything. If nothing is done to set this country to rights, I will never return to Kamakura. Even if you do not intend to do anything for me, how can you go on shining with such a complacent face? The Great Collection Sutra says, ‘The sun and moon no longer shed their light.’ The Benevolent Kings Sutra says, ‘The sun and moon depart from their regular courses.’ The Sovereign Kings Sutra says, ‘The thirty-three heavenly gods become furious.’ What about these passages, moon god? What is your answer?”
Then, as though in reply, a large star bright as the Morning Star fell from the sky and hung in a branch of the plum tree in front of me. The soldiers, astounded, jumped down from the veranda, fell on their faces in the garden, or ran behind the house.
Immediately the sky clouded over, and a fierce wind started up, raging so violently that the whole island of Enoshima seemed to roar. The sky shook, echoing with a sound like pounding drums.
The day dawned, and on the fourteenth day, at the hour of the hare, a man called the lay priest Juro came and said to me: “Last night there was a huge commotion in the regent’s residence at the hour of the dog. They summoned a diviner, who said, ‘The country is going to erupt in turmoil because you punished that priest. If you do not call him back to Kamakura immediately, there is no telling what will happen to this land.’ At that some said, ‘Let’s pardon him!’ Others said, ‘Since he predicted that war would break out within a hundred days, why don’t we wait and see what happens.’ ”
I was kept at Echi for more than twenty days. During that period seven or eight cases of arson and an endless succession of murders took place in Kamakura. Slanderers went around saying that Nichiren’s disciples were setting the fires. The government officials thought this might be true and made up a list of over 260 of my followers who they believed should be expelled from Kamakura. Word spread that these persons were all to be exiled to remote islands, and that those disciples already in prison would be beheaded. It turned out, however, that the fires were set by the observers of the precepts and the Nembutsu believers in an attempt to implicate my disciples. There were other things that happened, but they are too numerous to mention here.
I left Echi on the tenth day of the tenth month (1271) and arrived in the province of Sado on the twenty-eighth day of the same month. On the first day of the eleventh month, I was taken to a small hut that stood in a field called Tsukahara behind Homma Rokuro Saemon’s residence in Sado. One room with four posts, it stood on some land where corpses were abandoned, a place like Rendaino in Kyoto. Not a single statue of the Buddha was enshrined there; the boards of the roof did not meet, and the walls were full of holes. The snow fell and piled up, never melting away. I spent my days there, sitting in a straw coat or lying on a fur skin. At night it hailed and snowed, and there were continual flashes of lightning. Even in the daytime the sun hardly shone. It was a wretched place to live.
I felt like Li Ling,13 who was imprisoned in a rocky cave in the land of the northern barbarians, or the Tripitaka Master Fa-tao, who was branded on the face and exiled to the area south of the Yangtze by Emperor Hui-tsung. Nevertheless, King Suzudan received severe training under the seer Asita to obtain the blessings of the Lotus Sutra, and even though Bodhisattva Never Disparaging was beaten by the staves of arrogant monks and others, he achieved honor as votary of the one vehicle.14
Therefore, nothing is more joyful to me than to have been born in the Latter Day of the Law and to suffer persecutions because I propagate the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo. For more than twenty-two hundred years after the passing of the Buddha, no one, not even the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai Chih-che, experienced the truth of the passage in the sutra that says, “It [the Lotus Sutra] will face much hostility in the world and be difficult to believe.”15 Only I have fulfilled the prophecy from the sutra, “again and again we will be banished.”16 ...
...He said: “I have been doubting the truth of the words you spoke on the sixteenth day of last month, but they have come true in less than thirty days. I see now that the Mongols will surely attack us, and it is equally certain that believers in Nembutsu are doomed to the hell of incessant suffering. I will never chant the Nembutsu again.”
To this I replied: “Whatever I may say, unless the lord of Sagami heeds my words, the people of Japan will not heed them either, and in that case our country will surely be ruined. Although I myself may be insignificant, I propagate the Lotus Sutra and therefore am the envoy of Shakyamuni Buddha. The Sun Goddess and Great Bodhisattva Hachiman, who are insignificant, are treated with great respect in this country, but they are only petty gods as compared with Brahma, Shakra, the gods of the sun and moon, and the four heavenly kings. It is said, however, that to kill someone who serves these two gods is equal to the sin of killing seven and a half ordinary persons. The grand minister of state and lay priest and the Retired Emperor of Oki perished because they did so.
Thus, persecuting me is incomparably worse than molesting the servants of those two gods. As I am the envoy of Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, the Sun Goddess and Great Bodhisattva Hachiman should bow their heads before me, press their palms together, and prostrate themselves. The votary of the Lotus Sutra is attended by Brahma and Shakra on either side, and the gods of the sun and moon light his path before and behind.
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. How ominous that the authorities have turned hundreds of persons against me and have even banished me twice! This country is surely doomed, but since I have asked the gods to withhold their punishment on our land, it has survived until now.
However, that punishment has finally descended because these unreasonable actions continued. And if my counsel is not heeded on this occasion, the gods will cause the Mongol empire to send its forces to destroy Japan. That would seem to be the kind of disaster that Hei no Saemon is intent upon calling forth. When it happens, I doubt that you and your followers can find any safety even on this island.” After I had finished speaking, Homma, looking deeply perplexed, set off on his way.
The lay believers, hearing of this, said to one another, “Perhaps this priest has some kind of transcendental powers. How terrifying! From now on, we had better cease giving any alms or support to the Nembutsu priests and the observers of the precepts.” The observers of the precepts, who were followers of Ryokan, and the Nembutsu priests said, “[Since this priest predicted the outbreak of rebellion in our country,] perhaps he is one of the conspirators.” After this things grew somewhat quieter.
Then the Nembutsu priests gathered again in council. “If things go on this way,” they said, “we will die of starvation. By all means, let’s rid ourselves of this priest! Already more than half the people in the province have gone over to his side. What are we to do?”
Yuiamidabutsu, the leader of the Nembutsu priests, along with Dokan, a disciple of Ryokan, and Shoyu-bo, who were leaders of the observers of the precepts, journeyed in haste to Kamakura. There they reported to the lord of the province of Musashi: “If this priest remains on the island of Sado, there will soon be not a single Buddhist hall left standing or a single priest remaining. He takes the statues of Amida Buddha and throws them in the fire or casts them into the river. Day and night he climbs the high mountains, bellows to the sun and moon, and curses the regent. The sound of his voice can be heard throughout the entire province.”...
Daily Wisdom
From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
Monday, September 6, 2010:
"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. How ominous that the authorities have turned hundreds of persons against me and have even banished me twice! This country is surely doomed, but since I have asked the gods to withhold their punishment on our land, it has survived until now. However, that punishment has finally descended because these unreasonable actions continued."
passage from: "The Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra"
Written to the lay nun Konichi in 1276
Background segment from WND p. 779
This work is an autobiographical account covering the events of an important period in Nichiren Daishonin’s life— from the time shortly before the Tatsunokuchi Persecution through his two-and-a-half-year exile on Sado Island to his eventual retirement to Mount Minobu. In the course of his struggles over this period of nine years, the Daishonin fulfilled the predictions in the Lotus Sutra concerning its votary and established himself in both word and deed as the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law.
This letter was written in the second year of Kenji (1276) and addressed to the lay nun Konichi, a widow who lived in Awa, the Daishonin’s native province. Her son had earlier converted to the Daishonin’s teachings, and through him she herself became a convert. Some time after her conversion, her son died. But she overcame her deep sorrow and remained a sincere believer in the Daishonin’s Buddhism to the end of her life.
The chronicle of events begins in when the Mongol empire sent a delegate to Japan to demand that the nation acknowledge fealty to the Mongols. The predictions of foreign invasion made in On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land had started to come true. The Daishonin once more remonstrated with the Kamakura authorities and religious leaders, but they ignored his repeated warnings and instead struck out against him and his followers. At this point the Daishonin urges his disciples never to yield to persecution but to devote their whole lives to propagating the Mystic Law. His undaunted struggle incurred further wrath from the regime and from the other religious schools and finally led to the Tatsunokuchi Persecution...
My Understanding of the Passage:
This passage is depicted from an amazing account and "Experience" of Nichiren of his near execution outlined in this letter so clearly conveying Nichiren's courage who put his life on the line to reveal the correct teaching and posture for all of us today. How can we forget Nichiren today and instead revere a teacher who is teaching The Keeping of the Precepts so we to influence society to become good and successful citizens and who forgot his teacher's spirit to emphasise explicitly that the purpose of our practice is to attain our reunion with the Law - the Gohonzon and Nam-myoho-renge-kyo through our connection to Nichiren is the proper posture in this practice and faith instead of the loyalty to him the teacher?
How can we escape the same doom or fate if we forget the purpose of our practice to prove the validity of the Gohonzon and Nam-myoho-renge-kyo in terms of our connection to the Law through Nichiren and shakyamuni and instead place our emphasis on our connection to the teacher who emphasises that our success in our mundane world through faith is how we become truly happy and enlightened.
Not even one word is suggested in Nichiren's writings that our attainment of Buddhahood and happiness is contingent to our actual proof in society therefor we should have faith.
It is the other way around. Because we have faith in the Gohonzon and Nam-myoho-renge-kyo through Nichiren's admonition to rely upon the Law and not upon Person(s), that we can lead others to attain supreme enlightenment through our actions and good fortune and by doing so we exhibit our roll in society for the sake of our connection to the Law not for the sake of our success in society or our connection to the teacher.
pb
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Link to the page:
The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 773
Segments...
The Buddha made a prophecy, saying: “After my death, during the beginning of the Latter Day of the Law that follows the two millennia of the Former and Middle Days, a person will appear who will propagate only the heart of the Lotus Sutra, the five characters of the daimoku. At that time an evil ruler will be in power, and evil monks, more numerous than the dust particles of the land, will argue with one another over the various Mahayana and Hinayana sutras.
When the votary of the daimoku challenges the monks, they will incite their lay supporters to abuse, beat, or imprison him, to confiscate his lands, to exile or behead him. In spite of such persecutions, he will continue his propagation without ceasing. Meanwhile the ruler who persecutes him will be beset by rebellion, and his subjects will devour each other like hungry spirits. Finally the land will be attacked by a foreign country, for Brahma, Shakra, the gods of the sun and moon, and the four heavenly kings have ordained that other countries shall assault a land that is hostile to the Lotus Sutra.”6
None of you who declare yourselves to be my disciples should ever give way to cowardice. Neither should you allow concern for your parents, wife, or children to hold you back, or be worried about your property. Since countless kalpas in the past you have thrown away your life more times than the number of dust particles of the land for the sake of your parents, your children, or your lands. But not once have you given up your life for the Lotus Sutra. You may have tried to practice its teachings to some extent, but whenever you were persecuted, you backslid and ceased to live by the sutra. That is like boiling water only to pour it into cold water, or like trying to strike fire but giving up halfway. Each and every one of you should be certain deep in your heart that sacrificing your life for the Lotus Sutra is like exchanging rocks for gold or dung for rice.
Now, at the beginning of the Latter Day of the Law, I, Nichiren, am the first to embark on propagating, throughout Jambudvipa, the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo, which are the heart of the Lotus Sutra and the eye of all Buddhas. During the 2,220 or more years since the Buddha’s passing, not even Mahakashyapa, Ananda, Ashvaghosha, Nagarjuna, Nan-yüeh, T’ient’ai, Miao-lo, or Dengyo has propagated them. My disciples, form your ranks and follow me, and surpass even Mahakashyapa or Ananda, T’ien-t’ai or Dengyo! If you quail before the threats of the ruler of this little island country [and abandon your faith], how will you face the even more terrible anger of Yama, the lord of hell? If, while calling yourselves the Buddha’s messengers, you give way to fear, you will be the most despicable of persons!...
...Observing this, I realized it was no ordinary event and thought to myself, “Over the past months I have expected something like this to happen sooner or later. How fortunate that I can give my life for the Lotus Sutra! If I am to lose this worthless head [for Buddhahood], it will be like trading sand for gold or rocks for jewels.”
Sho-bo, Hei no Saemon’s chief retainer, rushed up, snatched the scroll of the fifth volume of the Lotus Sutra8 from inside my robes, and struck me in the face with it three times. Then he threw it open on the floor. Warriors seized the nine other scrolls of the sutra, unrolled them, and trampled on them or wound them about their bodies, scattering the scrolls all over the matting and wooden floors until every corner of the house was strewn with them.
I, Nichiren, said in a loud voice, “How amusing! Look at Hei no Saemon gone mad! You gentlemen have just toppled the pillar of Japan.” Hearing this, the assembled troops were taken aback. When they saw me standing before the fierce arm of the law unafraid, they must have realized that they were in the wrong, for the color drained from their faces...
...That night of the twelfth, I was placed under the custody of the lord of the province of Musashi10 and around midnight was taken out of Kamakura to be executed. As we set out on Wakamiya Avenue,11 I looked at the crowd of warriors surrounding me and said, “Don’t make a fuss. I won’t cause any trouble. I merely wish to say my last words to Great Bodhisattva Hachiman.” I got down from my horse and called out in a loud voice, “Great Bodhisattva Hachiman, are you truly a god? When Wake no Kiyomaro12 was about to be beheaded, you appeared as a moon ten feet wide. When the Great Teacher Dengyo lectured on the Lotus Sutra, you bestowed upon him a purple surplice as an offering.
Now I, Nichiren, am the foremost votary of the Lotus Sutra in all of Japan, and am entirely without guilt. I have expounded the doctrine to save all the people of Japan from falling into the great citadel of the hell of incessant suffering for slandering the Lotus Sutra. Moreover, if the forces of the great Mongol empire attack this country, can even the Sun Goddess and Great Bodhisattva Hachiman remain safe and unharmed? When Shakyamuni Buddha expounded the Lotus Sutra, Many Treasures Buddha and the Buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions gathered, shining like so many suns and moons, stars and mirrors. In the presence of the countless heavenly gods as well as the benevolent deities and sages of India, China, and Japan, Shakyamuni Buddha urged each one to submit a written pledge to protect the votary of the Lotus Sutra at all times.
Each and every one of you gods made this pledge. I should not have to remind you. Why do you not appear at once to fulfill your solemn oath?” Finally I called out: “If I am executed tonight and go to the pure land of Eagle Peak, I will dare to report to Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, that the Sun Goddess and Great Bodhisattva Hachiman are the deities who have broken their oath to him. If you feel this will go hard with you, you had better do something about it right away!” Then I remounted my horse.
Out on Yui Beach as the party passed the shrine there, I spoke again. “Stop a minute, gentlemen. I have a message for someone living near here,” I said. I sent a boy called Kumao to Nakatsukasa Saburo Saemon-no-jo [Shijo Kingo], who rushed to meet me. I told him, “Tonight, I will be beheaded. This is something I have wished for many years. In this saha world, I have been born as a pheasant only to be caught by hawks, born a mouse only to be eaten by cats, and born human only to be killed attempting to defend my wife and children from enemies. Such things have befallen me more times than the dust particles of the land.
But until now, I have never given up my life for the sake of the Lotus Sutra. In this life, I was born to become a humble priest, unable to adequately discharge my filial duty to my parents or fully repay the debt of gratitude I owe to my country. Now is the time when I will offer my head to the Lotus Sutra and share the blessings therefrom with my deceased parents, and with my disciples and lay supporters, just as I have promised you.” Then the four men, Saemon-no-jo and his brothers, holding on to my horse’s reins, went with me to Tatsunokuchi at Koshigoe.
Finally we came to a place that I knew must be the site of my execution. Indeed, the soldiers stopped and began to mill around in excitement. Saemon-no-jo, in tears, said, “These are your last moments!” I replied, “You don’t understand! What greater joy could there be? Don’t you remember what you have promised?” I had no sooner said this when a brilliant orb as bright as the moon burst forth from the direction of Enoshima, shooting across the sky from southeast to northwest. It was shortly before dawn and still too dark to see anyone’s face, but the radiant object clearly illuminated everyone like bright moonlight. The executioner fell on his face, his eyes blinded. The soldiers were filled with panic. Some ran off into the distance, some jumped down from their horses and huddled on the ground, while others crouched in their saddles. I called out, “Here, why do you shrink from this vile prisoner?? Come closer! Come closer!” But no one would approach me. “What if the dawn should come? You must hurry up and execute me— once the day breaks, it will be too ugly a job.” I urged them on, but they made no response.
They waited a short while, and then I was told to proceed to Echi in the same province of Sagami. I replied that, since none of us knew the way, someone would have to guide us there. No one was willing to take the lead, but after we had waited for some time, one soldier finally said, “That’s the road you should take.”
Setting off, we followed the road and around noon reached Echi. We then proceeded to the residence of Homma Rokuro Saemon. There I ordered sake for the soldiers. When the time came for them to leave, some bowed their heads, joined their palms, and said in a most respectful manner: “We did not realize what kind of a man you are. We hated you because we had been told that you slandered Amida Buddha, the one we worship. But now that we have seen with our own eyes what has happened to you, we understand how worthy a person you are, and will discard the Nembutsu that we have practiced for so long.” Some of them even took their prayer beads out of their tinder bags and flung them away. Others pledged that they would never again chant the Nembutsu. After they left, Rokuro Saemon’s retainers took over the guard. Then Saemon-no-jo and his brothers took their leave.
That evening, at the hour of the dog (7:00–9:00 P.M.), a messenger from Kamakura arrived with an order from the regent. The soldiers were sure that it would be an official letter to behead me, but Uma-no-jo, Homma’s deputy, came running with the letter, knelt, and said: “We were afraid that you would be executed tonight, but now the letter has brought wonderful news. The messenger said that, since the lord of Musashi had left for a spa in Atami this morning at the hour of the hare (5:00–7:00 A.M.), he set off at once and rode for four hours to get here because he feared that something might happen to you.
The messenger has left immediately to take news to the lord in Atami tonight.” The accompanying letter read, “This person is not really guilty. He will shortly be pardoned. If you execute him you will have cause to regret.”
Now it was the night of the thirteenth. There were scores of warriors stationed around my lodging and in the main garden. Because it was the middle of the ninth month, the moon was very round and full. I went out into the garden and there, turning toward the moon, recited the verse portion of the “Life Span” chapter. Then I spoke briefly about the faults of the various schools, citing passages from the Lotus Sutra. I said: “You, the god of the moon, are Rare Moon, the son of a god, who participated in the ceremony of the Lotus Sutra. When the Buddha expounded the ‘Treasure Tower’ chapter, you received his order, and in the ‘Entrustment’ chapter, when the Buddha patted your head with his hand, in your vow you said, ‘We will respectfully carry out all these things just as the World-Honored One has commanded.’ You are that very god.
Would you have an opportunity to fulfill the vow you made in the Buddha’s presence if it were not for me? Now that you see me in this situation, you should rush forward joyfully to receive the sufferings of the votary of the Lotus Sutra in his stead, thereby carrying out the Buddha’s command and also fulfilling your vow. It is strange indeed that you have not yet done anything. If nothing is done to set this country to rights, I will never return to Kamakura. Even if you do not intend to do anything for me, how can you go on shining with such a complacent face? The Great Collection Sutra says, ‘The sun and moon no longer shed their light.’ The Benevolent Kings Sutra says, ‘The sun and moon depart from their regular courses.’ The Sovereign Kings Sutra says, ‘The thirty-three heavenly gods become furious.’ What about these passages, moon god? What is your answer?”
Then, as though in reply, a large star bright as the Morning Star fell from the sky and hung in a branch of the plum tree in front of me. The soldiers, astounded, jumped down from the veranda, fell on their faces in the garden, or ran behind the house.
Immediately the sky clouded over, and a fierce wind started up, raging so violently that the whole island of Enoshima seemed to roar. The sky shook, echoing with a sound like pounding drums.
The day dawned, and on the fourteenth day, at the hour of the hare, a man called the lay priest Juro came and said to me: “Last night there was a huge commotion in the regent’s residence at the hour of the dog. They summoned a diviner, who said, ‘The country is going to erupt in turmoil because you punished that priest. If you do not call him back to Kamakura immediately, there is no telling what will happen to this land.’ At that some said, ‘Let’s pardon him!’ Others said, ‘Since he predicted that war would break out within a hundred days, why don’t we wait and see what happens.’ ”
I was kept at Echi for more than twenty days. During that period seven or eight cases of arson and an endless succession of murders took place in Kamakura. Slanderers went around saying that Nichiren’s disciples were setting the fires. The government officials thought this might be true and made up a list of over 260 of my followers who they believed should be expelled from Kamakura. Word spread that these persons were all to be exiled to remote islands, and that those disciples already in prison would be beheaded. It turned out, however, that the fires were set by the observers of the precepts and the Nembutsu believers in an attempt to implicate my disciples. There were other things that happened, but they are too numerous to mention here.
I left Echi on the tenth day of the tenth month (1271) and arrived in the province of Sado on the twenty-eighth day of the same month. On the first day of the eleventh month, I was taken to a small hut that stood in a field called Tsukahara behind Homma Rokuro Saemon’s residence in Sado. One room with four posts, it stood on some land where corpses were abandoned, a place like Rendaino in Kyoto. Not a single statue of the Buddha was enshrined there; the boards of the roof did not meet, and the walls were full of holes. The snow fell and piled up, never melting away. I spent my days there, sitting in a straw coat or lying on a fur skin. At night it hailed and snowed, and there were continual flashes of lightning. Even in the daytime the sun hardly shone. It was a wretched place to live.
I felt like Li Ling,13 who was imprisoned in a rocky cave in the land of the northern barbarians, or the Tripitaka Master Fa-tao, who was branded on the face and exiled to the area south of the Yangtze by Emperor Hui-tsung. Nevertheless, King Suzudan received severe training under the seer Asita to obtain the blessings of the Lotus Sutra, and even though Bodhisattva Never Disparaging was beaten by the staves of arrogant monks and others, he achieved honor as votary of the one vehicle.14
Therefore, nothing is more joyful to me than to have been born in the Latter Day of the Law and to suffer persecutions because I propagate the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo. For more than twenty-two hundred years after the passing of the Buddha, no one, not even the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai Chih-che, experienced the truth of the passage in the sutra that says, “It [the Lotus Sutra] will face much hostility in the world and be difficult to believe.”15 Only I have fulfilled the prophecy from the sutra, “again and again we will be banished.”16 ...
...He said: “I have been doubting the truth of the words you spoke on the sixteenth day of last month, but they have come true in less than thirty days. I see now that the Mongols will surely attack us, and it is equally certain that believers in Nembutsu are doomed to the hell of incessant suffering. I will never chant the Nembutsu again.”
To this I replied: “Whatever I may say, unless the lord of Sagami heeds my words, the people of Japan will not heed them either, and in that case our country will surely be ruined. Although I myself may be insignificant, I propagate the Lotus Sutra and therefore am the envoy of Shakyamuni Buddha. The Sun Goddess and Great Bodhisattva Hachiman, who are insignificant, are treated with great respect in this country, but they are only petty gods as compared with Brahma, Shakra, the gods of the sun and moon, and the four heavenly kings. It is said, however, that to kill someone who serves these two gods is equal to the sin of killing seven and a half ordinary persons. The grand minister of state and lay priest and the Retired Emperor of Oki perished because they did so.
Thus, persecuting me is incomparably worse than molesting the servants of those two gods. As I am the envoy of Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, the Sun Goddess and Great Bodhisattva Hachiman should bow their heads before me, press their palms together, and prostrate themselves. The votary of the Lotus Sutra is attended by Brahma and Shakra on either side, and the gods of the sun and moon light his path before and behind.
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. How ominous that the authorities have turned hundreds of persons against me and have even banished me twice! This country is surely doomed, but since I have asked the gods to withhold their punishment on our land, it has survived until now.
However, that punishment has finally descended because these unreasonable actions continued. And if my counsel is not heeded on this occasion, the gods will cause the Mongol empire to send its forces to destroy Japan. That would seem to be the kind of disaster that Hei no Saemon is intent upon calling forth. When it happens, I doubt that you and your followers can find any safety even on this island.” After I had finished speaking, Homma, looking deeply perplexed, set off on his way.
The lay believers, hearing of this, said to one another, “Perhaps this priest has some kind of transcendental powers. How terrifying! From now on, we had better cease giving any alms or support to the Nembutsu priests and the observers of the precepts.” The observers of the precepts, who were followers of Ryokan, and the Nembutsu priests said, “[Since this priest predicted the outbreak of rebellion in our country,] perhaps he is one of the conspirators.” After this things grew somewhat quieter.
Then the Nembutsu priests gathered again in council. “If things go on this way,” they said, “we will die of starvation. By all means, let’s rid ourselves of this priest! Already more than half the people in the province have gone over to his side. What are we to do?”
Yuiamidabutsu, the leader of the Nembutsu priests, along with Dokan, a disciple of Ryokan, and Shoyu-bo, who were leaders of the observers of the precepts, journeyed in haste to Kamakura. There they reported to the lord of the province of Musashi: “If this priest remains on the island of Sado, there will soon be not a single Buddhist hall left standing or a single priest remaining. He takes the statues of Amida Buddha and throws them in the fire or casts them into the river. Day and night he climbs the high mountains, bellows to the sun and moon, and curses the regent. The sound of his voice can be heard throughout the entire province.”...
E
EasyMyohoDisco
Yesterday I was talking about Faith, Practice and Study. Without Faith, the foundation of Buddhism, there really is no Practice or Reason to Study. You know PB is making sense because too often even I get consumed with earning "medals of honor as a result of my Buddhist practice", but I still revert to my foundation of faith. There has been so many floods of good fortune as a result of my chanting that today I'm sitting real pretty and about to graduate from college. This is a result of my assiduous practice focused on remaining faithful to my mission as a Bodhisattva of the Earth to chant abundant Daimoku to the Gohonzon.
In fact, in my geographic SGI Zone we have over 20 million people and I am chanting to help all of them realize the power of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism. This is true freedom my friends. Freedom from the shackles of your past, freedom from fear or regret, freedom from your own vices and weakness. This is all about the freedom of being a BADASS - ANSWER TO NOBODY - PROTECTOR OF THE MYSTIC LAW OF CAUSE AND EFFECT. I LIKE THAT.
Thomas recently inspired me and I shared my inspiration with my gf who in turn said that we also need to remain steadfast in our FAITH. We can never go wrong if our faith remains absolute and we turn to the Gohonzon when we need to. I tell you my friends I was utterly penniless and broke when I started reading this thread. No money, severe depression, no job, no education, no HOPE! The worst past was not having hope or a reason to keep living. However, I knew Babba was chanting for a few months and really gaining some traction emotionally and spiritually and that made sense to me.
Ever since, I have had my ups and down continue, but I keep redirecting my focus to Gohonzon. BULLSEYE!! I constantly feel like I'm stinking rich with benefit from my faith, but even prouder of the fact that I uphold, honor, protect, share and help others receive the Gohonzon. When I say Gohonzon, I don't mean a rosary or talis or lucky charm - I'm talking the real deal, get off your ass and get one already!
Over the years with my old screen names (Easy, EasyDisco, etc.) I have posted thousands of times on this topic. Especially in the beginning it is most important to start chanting immediately to your Gohonzon. Then almost immediately you will realize the optimal speed and set your cruise control accordingly.
Yesterday was an amazing world peace prayer meeting and I felt proud of being one of President Ikeda Young American Friends! Here is a Youtube Video to show a song that I really like which elaborates further on this sentiment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up-ZTlnBFyc&feature=related
*From the EAST COAST to the WEST COAST and VICE VERSA!*
In fact, in my geographic SGI Zone we have over 20 million people and I am chanting to help all of them realize the power of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism. This is true freedom my friends. Freedom from the shackles of your past, freedom from fear or regret, freedom from your own vices and weakness. This is all about the freedom of being a BADASS - ANSWER TO NOBODY - PROTECTOR OF THE MYSTIC LAW OF CAUSE AND EFFECT. I LIKE THAT.
Thomas recently inspired me and I shared my inspiration with my gf who in turn said that we also need to remain steadfast in our FAITH. We can never go wrong if our faith remains absolute and we turn to the Gohonzon when we need to. I tell you my friends I was utterly penniless and broke when I started reading this thread. No money, severe depression, no job, no education, no HOPE! The worst past was not having hope or a reason to keep living. However, I knew Babba was chanting for a few months and really gaining some traction emotionally and spiritually and that made sense to me.
Ever since, I have had my ups and down continue, but I keep redirecting my focus to Gohonzon. BULLSEYE!! I constantly feel like I'm stinking rich with benefit from my faith, but even prouder of the fact that I uphold, honor, protect, share and help others receive the Gohonzon. When I say Gohonzon, I don't mean a rosary or talis or lucky charm - I'm talking the real deal, get off your ass and get one already!
Over the years with my old screen names (Easy, EasyDisco, etc.) I have posted thousands of times on this topic. Especially in the beginning it is most important to start chanting immediately to your Gohonzon. Then almost immediately you will realize the optimal speed and set your cruise control accordingly.
Yesterday was an amazing world peace prayer meeting and I felt proud of being one of President Ikeda Young American Friends! Here is a Youtube Video to show a song that I really like which elaborates further on this sentiment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up-ZTlnBFyc&feature=related
*From the EAST COAST to the WEST COAST and VICE VERSA!*
kushkommander
Member
awesome story forest, thank you for sharing it
hey friends!
nam myoho renge kyo!
hey friends!
nam myoho renge kyo!
I am in awe of the last couple pages and its most incredible posts. Thank you all to help load my gun and determination in faith! Mugi Wasshin.
Especially seeing PB back after a little exit; Forest! PTD! EasyM! and on an on an on.
This thread is packing some powerful shit that allows all the Chanting Growers to shine in their respected communities and empower ones faith to really kick some devil ass.
I know it has for me and for this I just have to offer my sincerest gratitude again to all the Bodhisatvas here in the Chanting Growers thread. Our mission rocks! You all rock!
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo
Especially seeing PB back after a little exit; Forest! PTD! EasyM! and on an on an on.
This thread is packing some powerful shit that allows all the Chanting Growers to shine in their respected communities and empower ones faith to really kick some devil ass.
I know it has for me and for this I just have to offer my sincerest gratitude again to all the Bodhisatvas here in the Chanting Growers thread. Our mission rocks! You all rock!
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo
Part three of Story..In short I Graduated from the University...Worked as a Computer Tech/Help Desk for a corporation....Laid-off like most Americans...I have some money saved up so I'm OK for a while then.....I Never Sale any of my Ganja.... I rather smoke it with you, then profit from my time spent.....
I'm STILL chanting for Lapides! I hope we will all continue to do so until we know our Brother is safe and issues are resolved as his faith grows and he chants his way out of it.
Don't be afraid!
Don't be defeated!
Faith!
Victory of Gold!!!
Hang in there Brother!
Much love an deepest respect,
Thomas
Don't be afraid!
Don't be defeated!
Faith!
Victory of Gold!!!
Hang in there Brother!
Much love an deepest respect,
Thomas
"Arouse deep faith, and diligently polish your mirror day and night. How should you polish it? Only by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo."
(On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 4) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, September 6th, 2010
(On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 4) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, September 6th, 2010
The Daishonin states, "My wish is that all my disciples make a great vow."* Together with all of our Youth Division members from all over the world, let's rouse ourselves into action to accomplish kosen-rufu, with the great vigour of a magnificent sunrise!
Daisaku Ikeda
*"The Dragon Gate" - WND-I, page 1003
Daisaku Ikeda
*"The Dragon Gate" - WND-I, page 1003
"All disciples and lay supporters of Nichiren should chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with the spirit of many in body but one in mind, transcending all differences among themselves to become as inseparable as fish and the water in which they swim. This spiritual bond is the basis for the universal transmission of the ultimate Law of life and death."
(The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 217) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, September 4th, 2010
(The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 217) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, September 4th, 2010
Gosho Passage for today Tuesday September, 7th, 2010
Gosho Passage for today Tuesday September, 7th, 2010
Daily Wisdom
From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
Tuesday, September 7, 2010:
"The blessings from making offerings to a votary of the Lotus Sutra in the latter age exceed even those from making offerings to a Thus Come One endowed with the ten honorable titles, while those who persecute a votary of the Lotus Sutra in the defiled age will have their heads split into seven pieces."
Passage from: "Letter to the Lay Nun of Ko"
Written to the lay nun of Ko on June 16, 1275
Background from WND p. 596
This letter was written at Minobu in the sixth month of the first year of Kenji (1275) to a lay nun who lived in a village that was the seat of the provincial government of Sado Island. Ko means provincial office. Hence the name “the lay nun of Ko.” While the Daishonin was in exile on Sado, she and her husband, known as the lay priest of Ko, converted to his teachings, presented him with offerings, and helped protect him. After the Daishonin was pardoned and left Sado, her husband, like Abutsu-bo, made the long journey to Minobu to visit him.
My Understanding of the Passage:
Any one who chants the daimoku in essence praises the Buddha of the Life Span Chapter of the Lotus Sutra that is the life of Nichiren and all the Buddhas in the ten directions. The benefits driven from such a person who praises Nam-myoho-renge-kyo - and supports the Buddha of the Life Span who is Nichiren, surpasses those who made offering to Shakyamuni by leap and bound and is immeasurable beyond calculation.
Where can we find Nichiren's life today right now? it is none other than in front of the Gohonzon when we chant sincerely to see our life as equal to the Life Span of the Buddha's life.
pb
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Link to the page:
The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 595
I HAVE received three hundred coins from the wife of Abutsu-bo. Since you two are of the same mind, have someone read this letter to you and listen to it together.
I have also received the unlined robe you sent all the way from the province of Sado to the mountain recesses of Hakiri Village in Kai Province. The “Teacher of the Law” chapter in the fourth volume of the Lotus Sutra states: “If there is someone who seeks the Buddha way and for the space of a kalpa presses palms together in my presence and recites numberless verses of praise, because of these praises of the Buddha he will gain immeasurable blessings. And if one lauds and extols those who uphold this sutra, one’s good fortune will be even greater.” This passage means that the blessings from making offerings to a votary of the Lotus Sutra in the evil age of the Latter Day of the Law surpass those from earnestly making offerings with one’s words, thoughts, and deeds for the space of an entire medium kalpa to a Buddha such as Shakyamuni. Though this seems impossible, you must never doubt it, because these are the Buddha’s golden words.
In addition, a man called the Great Teacher Miao-lo further clarified this passage from the sutra, saying, “Those who slander [the practitioners of the Lotus Sutra] will have their heads split into seven pieces, but those who give alms to them will enjoy good fortune surpassing the ten honorable titles.”1 The meaning of this commentary is that the blessings from making offerings to a votary of the Lotus Sutra in the latter age exceed even those from making offerings to a Thus Come One endowed with the ten honorable titles, while those who persecute a votary of the Lotus Sutra in the defiled age will have their heads split into seven pieces.
I, Nichiren, am the most perverse person in Japan. The reason is as follows. The seven reigns of the heavenly deities I will set aside, and the five reigns of the earthly deities are beyond my comprehension, but for the ninety reigns from the first human emperor Jimmu until the present, or during the period of more than seven hundred years since the reign of Emperor Kimmei, no one has ever been so universally hated by people in connection with either secular or Buddhist matters as Nichiren. Moriya burned down temples and pagodas, and the lay priest Kiyomori had Todai-ji and Kofuku-ji temples destroyed,2 but the people of their clans did not hate them.
Masakado and Sadato3 rebelled against the imperial court, and the Great Teacher Dengyo was detested by the priests of the seven major temples of Nara, but they were still not hated by the priests, nuns, laymen, and laywomen of the entire land of Japan. In my case, however, parents, siblings, teachers, and fellow priests— every single person from the ruler on down to the common people— torment me as if I were their parents’ enemy, or even more than if I were a rebel or a robber.
Thus, sometimes I have been vilified by several hundred people; other times, besieged by several thousand, I have been attacked with swords and staves. I have been driven from my dwelling and ousted from my province.
Finally, I twice incurred the wrath of the country’s ruler and was exiled first to the province of Izu and then to the island of Sado. And when, with neither provisions to sustain my life nor even garments made of wisteria vine to cover my body, I was banished to Sado in the northern sea, the priests and lay believers of that province hated me even more than the men and women of Sagami Province4 did. Abandoned in the wilderness and exposed to the snow, I sustained my life by plucking grasses.
I realized through my own experiences what it was like for Su Wu, who survived by eating snow in the land of the northern barbarians for nineteen years, and for Li Ling, who suffered in a rocky cave by the northern sea for six years. This was not because of any fault of my own, but solely because I meant to save the country of Japan.
While I was there, however, you and your husband, the lay priest of Ko, being apprehensive of the eyes of others, brought me food in the middle of the night. Never fearing even punishment from the provincial officials, you are persons who were ready to sacrifice yourselves for me. Thus, though it was a harsh land, when I left, I felt as if the hair that had been shaved from my head were being tugged from behind and as if with each step I took I were being pulled back.
Just when I was wondering what sort of karmic bonds from the past this was due to, and when I least expected it, you sent your most precious husband as your messenger all the way here. Is it a dream or an illusion? Even though I cannot see you, I am certain that your heart is here. If you find that you miss me, always look at the sun that rises [in the morning] and the moon that rises in the evening. Whatever the time, I will be reflected in the sun and the moon. And in our next life, let us meet in the pure land of Eagle Peak. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
Nichiren
The sixteenth day of the sixth month
To the lay nun of Ko in Sado Province
Gosho Passage for today Tuesday September, 7th, 2010
Daily Wisdom
From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
Tuesday, September 7, 2010:
"The blessings from making offerings to a votary of the Lotus Sutra in the latter age exceed even those from making offerings to a Thus Come One endowed with the ten honorable titles, while those who persecute a votary of the Lotus Sutra in the defiled age will have their heads split into seven pieces."
Passage from: "Letter to the Lay Nun of Ko"
Written to the lay nun of Ko on June 16, 1275
Background from WND p. 596
This letter was written at Minobu in the sixth month of the first year of Kenji (1275) to a lay nun who lived in a village that was the seat of the provincial government of Sado Island. Ko means provincial office. Hence the name “the lay nun of Ko.” While the Daishonin was in exile on Sado, she and her husband, known as the lay priest of Ko, converted to his teachings, presented him with offerings, and helped protect him. After the Daishonin was pardoned and left Sado, her husband, like Abutsu-bo, made the long journey to Minobu to visit him.
My Understanding of the Passage:
Any one who chants the daimoku in essence praises the Buddha of the Life Span Chapter of the Lotus Sutra that is the life of Nichiren and all the Buddhas in the ten directions. The benefits driven from such a person who praises Nam-myoho-renge-kyo - and supports the Buddha of the Life Span who is Nichiren, surpasses those who made offering to Shakyamuni by leap and bound and is immeasurable beyond calculation.
Where can we find Nichiren's life today right now? it is none other than in front of the Gohonzon when we chant sincerely to see our life as equal to the Life Span of the Buddha's life.
pb
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Link to the page:
The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 595
I HAVE received three hundred coins from the wife of Abutsu-bo. Since you two are of the same mind, have someone read this letter to you and listen to it together.
I have also received the unlined robe you sent all the way from the province of Sado to the mountain recesses of Hakiri Village in Kai Province. The “Teacher of the Law” chapter in the fourth volume of the Lotus Sutra states: “If there is someone who seeks the Buddha way and for the space of a kalpa presses palms together in my presence and recites numberless verses of praise, because of these praises of the Buddha he will gain immeasurable blessings. And if one lauds and extols those who uphold this sutra, one’s good fortune will be even greater.” This passage means that the blessings from making offerings to a votary of the Lotus Sutra in the evil age of the Latter Day of the Law surpass those from earnestly making offerings with one’s words, thoughts, and deeds for the space of an entire medium kalpa to a Buddha such as Shakyamuni. Though this seems impossible, you must never doubt it, because these are the Buddha’s golden words.
In addition, a man called the Great Teacher Miao-lo further clarified this passage from the sutra, saying, “Those who slander [the practitioners of the Lotus Sutra] will have their heads split into seven pieces, but those who give alms to them will enjoy good fortune surpassing the ten honorable titles.”1 The meaning of this commentary is that the blessings from making offerings to a votary of the Lotus Sutra in the latter age exceed even those from making offerings to a Thus Come One endowed with the ten honorable titles, while those who persecute a votary of the Lotus Sutra in the defiled age will have their heads split into seven pieces.
I, Nichiren, am the most perverse person in Japan. The reason is as follows. The seven reigns of the heavenly deities I will set aside, and the five reigns of the earthly deities are beyond my comprehension, but for the ninety reigns from the first human emperor Jimmu until the present, or during the period of more than seven hundred years since the reign of Emperor Kimmei, no one has ever been so universally hated by people in connection with either secular or Buddhist matters as Nichiren. Moriya burned down temples and pagodas, and the lay priest Kiyomori had Todai-ji and Kofuku-ji temples destroyed,2 but the people of their clans did not hate them.
Masakado and Sadato3 rebelled against the imperial court, and the Great Teacher Dengyo was detested by the priests of the seven major temples of Nara, but they were still not hated by the priests, nuns, laymen, and laywomen of the entire land of Japan. In my case, however, parents, siblings, teachers, and fellow priests— every single person from the ruler on down to the common people— torment me as if I were their parents’ enemy, or even more than if I were a rebel or a robber.
Thus, sometimes I have been vilified by several hundred people; other times, besieged by several thousand, I have been attacked with swords and staves. I have been driven from my dwelling and ousted from my province.
Finally, I twice incurred the wrath of the country’s ruler and was exiled first to the province of Izu and then to the island of Sado. And when, with neither provisions to sustain my life nor even garments made of wisteria vine to cover my body, I was banished to Sado in the northern sea, the priests and lay believers of that province hated me even more than the men and women of Sagami Province4 did. Abandoned in the wilderness and exposed to the snow, I sustained my life by plucking grasses.
I realized through my own experiences what it was like for Su Wu, who survived by eating snow in the land of the northern barbarians for nineteen years, and for Li Ling, who suffered in a rocky cave by the northern sea for six years. This was not because of any fault of my own, but solely because I meant to save the country of Japan.
While I was there, however, you and your husband, the lay priest of Ko, being apprehensive of the eyes of others, brought me food in the middle of the night. Never fearing even punishment from the provincial officials, you are persons who were ready to sacrifice yourselves for me. Thus, though it was a harsh land, when I left, I felt as if the hair that had been shaved from my head were being tugged from behind and as if with each step I took I were being pulled back.
Just when I was wondering what sort of karmic bonds from the past this was due to, and when I least expected it, you sent your most precious husband as your messenger all the way here. Is it a dream or an illusion? Even though I cannot see you, I am certain that your heart is here. If you find that you miss me, always look at the sun that rises [in the morning] and the moon that rises in the evening. Whatever the time, I will be reflected in the sun and the moon. And in our next life, let us meet in the pure land of Eagle Peak. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
Nichiren
The sixteenth day of the sixth month
To the lay nun of Ko in Sado Province
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