Overview
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781946635204 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Middleway Press |
| Publication date: | 05/01/2019 |
| Series: | Learning from Nichiren's Writings |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 160 |
| File size: | 1 MB |
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CHAPTER 1
"PERSECUTION BY SWORD AND STAFF"
TRIUMPHING OVER ADVERSITY — THE ETERNAL HONOR OF THE SHARED STRUGGLE OF MENTOR AND DISCIPLE
The Passage for Study in This Lecture
The greatest of all the persecutions that I have suffered were the attempted beheading at Tatsunokuchi and the attack at Tojo. None of the others were direct attempts on my life. I have been reviled, denounced, ousted, falsely accused, and struck across the face, but these were all comparatively minor incidents. I, Nichiren, am the only person in Japan to be abused in both body and mind [on account of the Lotus Sutra]. If anyone else has been slandered as I have, it was not because of the Lotus Sutra. One incident in particular I can never forget is how Sho-bo seized the fifth scroll of the Lotus Sutra and struck me across the face with it. His attack on me stemmed from the three poisons. (WND-1, 962)
The fifth scroll contains the very heart of the Lotus Sutra, for it reveals that the dragon king's daughter attained Buddhahood in her present form. Devadatta represents the spiritual aspect of enlightenment, and the dragon king's daughter, the physical aspect. The principle of attaining Buddhahood in one's present form can be found nowhere else in the Buddha's entire lifetime of teachings. (WND-1, 963)
Therefore, the merciful Thus Come One Shakyamuni became the teacher of the wicked Devadatta, and the wise Manjushri became the teacher of the ignorant daughter of the dragon king. Certainly I can in no way be inferior to Manjushri or to the Thus Come One Shakyamuni. The men of Japan are like Devadatta, and the women are like the dragon king's daughter. Whether by following it or opposing it, they will attain Buddhahood through the Lotus Sutra. This is the message of the "Devadatta" chapter.
Next, we come to the "Encouraging Devotion" chapter. Only I, Nichiren, have read with my entire being the twenty-line verse from this chapter, which the eight hundred thousand million nayutas of bodhisattvas proclaimed in a single voice. Since the Buddha's passing, who else in the three countries of India, China, and Japan has ever read this verse as I have? No one even claims to have done so, nor do I believe that anyone has. The verse reads, "[There will be many ignorant people who will ...] attack us with swords and staves." Perhaps others have been beaten with staves, but I have never heard of any who were injured by the sword....
I, Nichiren, have met with persecution by both sword and staff. As I mentioned before, I was attacked with a sword at Matsubara in Tojo and later at Tatsunokuchi. No one else has met with such persecution [for the sake of the Lotus Sutra] even once, but I have met with it twice. As for being attacked with staves, I have already been struck in the face by Sho-bo with the fifth scroll of the Lotus Sutra. The fifth scroll was used as a staff to strike me, and it is this very scroll that carries the passage that [votaries of the Lotus Sutra] will be attacked with staves. What a mysterious passage of prediction! (WND-1, 963–64)
* * *
The "Emerging from the Earth" chapter also explains something about me, because it states that Bodhisattva Superior Practices and his followers will appear in the Latter Day of the Law to propagate the five characters of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. I, Nichiren, have appeared earlier than anyone else. How reassuring to think that I will no doubt be praised by bodhisattvas equal in number to the sands of sixty thousand Ganges Rivers! Be that as it may, commit yourself to the Lotus Sutra and have faith in its teachings. You must not only believe in them yourself, but also encourage others to do the same, so that you may save those who were your parents in all your past existences.
From the time that I was born until today, I have never known a moment's ease; I have thought only of propagating the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra [Nam-myoho-renge-kyo]. I do not know how long I or anyone else may live, but without fail, I will be with you at the time of your death and guide you from this life to the next. (WND-1, 964–65)
LECTURE
My mentor, second Soka Gakkai president Josei Toda, declared with pride: "From the time that I met him, Mr. Makiguchi was to me like a teacher, parent, and sovereign. I was at his side during four episodes of persecution against him."
Mr. Toda was referring to the following four events. The first, which took place in 1920, was Mr. Makiguchi's demotion from the post of principal of Nishimachi Elementary School. The second event, two years later in 1922, was at Mikasa Elementary School. The third was being fired as principal of Shirokane Elementary School (in 1931, he was transferred to that elementary school, which was scheduled to be closed, and then dismissed the following year). The fourth persecution was his imprisonment at the hands of the militarist authorities in 1943 during World War II as the president of the Soka Kyoiku Gakkai (forerunner of the Soka Gakkai). Mr. Toda, as Mr. Makiguchi's loyal disciple, stood by him during all these persecutions.
Together, they engaged in a great shared struggle as mentor and disciple.
With his mentor always in his heart, Mr. Toda made the aforementioned remarks in November 1950, at a service commemorating the seventh memorial (sixth anniversary) of Mr. Makiguchi's death. At the time, Mr. Toda's own business enterprises were in crisis. So he had made the painful decision to step down as the Soka Gakkai's general director to protect the organization from being adversely impacted by those troubles.
At the Soka Gakkai general meeting held immediately after the memorial service, however, Mr. Toda declared with unbowed conviction that kosen-rufu — the widespread propagation of the Mystic Law — is the Buddha's intent and decree. "No matter how great the hardships I might face," he added, "having committed myself to chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, I wish to continue advancing toward kosen-rufu with all of you as long as I live, even should I be reduced to surviving on water and wild roots or be forced to lay down my life for the sake of that cause. This is my one and only wish." With these impassioned words, he brought his remarks that day to a close.
Observing Mr. Toda's unwavering commitment to kosen-rufu, his readiness to face any hardship that might lie ahead, I was filled with fresh courage. A powerful determination surged up within me to support and strive alongside Mr. Toda just as he had supported and striven alongside his own mentor in his youth. That night, I wrote in my diary, "My resolution to follow Mr. Toda has grown firmer."
Striving together with our mentor, overcoming adversity together with our mentor as we advance along the great path of kosenrufu — this shared struggle of mentor and disciple is the very essence of what it means to practice Nichiren Buddhism. For us to walk this path as disciples, we must first of all be aware of and understand our mentor's struggles, including why and how our mentor has fought and how victory was achieved. It is important that we try to engrave our mentor's fighting spirit, conduct, and wisdom in our life through our own efforts for kosen-rufu and achieve actual victory.
In this chapter, let us study "Persecution by Sword and Staff," in which the Daishonin explains the significance of his momentous struggle for kosen-rufu to his youthful follower Nanjo Tokimitsu.
* * *
An Increasingly Tense Situation in Atsuhara
The greatest of all the persecutions that I have suffered were the attempted beheading at Tatsunokuchi and the attack at Tojo. None of the others were direct attempts on my life. I have been reviled, denounced, ousted, falsely accused, and struck across the face, but these were all comparatively minor incidents. I, Nichiren, am the only person in Japan to be abused in both body and mind [on account of the Lotus Sutra]. If anyone else has been slandered as I have, it was not because of the Lotus Sutra. One incident in particular I can never forget is how Sho-bo seized the fifth scroll of the Lotus Sutra and struck me across the face with it. His attack on me stemmed from the three poisons. (WND-1, 962)
Nichiren Daishonin composed "Persecution by Sword and Staff" while in residence on Mount Minobu. It is addressed to the twenty-year-old Nanjo Tokimitsu, the steward of Ueno Village in Fuji District, Suruga Province, and is dated April 20, 1279.
This was just around the time when the Atsuhara Persecution began to intensify in earnest.
Through the vigorous propagation of the Daishonin's teachings in Suruga, under the leadership of the Daishonin's disciple and later successor Nikko Shonin, the number of people embracing faith in the Lotus Sutra was on the rise. They included priests of influential temples in the area, such as Ryusen-ji, and many local Atsuhara farmers. The Fuji area was home to many fiefs belonging to members of the ruling Hojo clan [the majority of whom were adherents of the established Buddhist schools of the day]. So Fuji could be described as being right in the heart of forces hostile to Nichiren, forces alarmed by the rapid spread of his teachings.
It was against this backdrop, then, that one of the Daishonin's followers, Shiro, was attacked and wounded during "the time of the religious rites" (WND-2, 826) at a local Shinto shrine. Though the details of the incident are unknown, clearly Shiro was targeted for being a practitioner of the Daishonin's teachings.
It is probably because the Daishonin had received news of the increasingly tense situation in Atsuhara that, from the outset of this letter, he discusses the various persecutions he has undergone.
Among the many persecutions he had experienced, he cites two in which direct attempts were made on his life. One was the Tatsunokuchi Persecution on September 12, 1271, in which Hei no Saemon sent a large force of soldiers to apprehend him and then behead him at Tatsunokuchi. The other was the Komatsubara Persecution, an attack made on November 11, 1264, in which a party of armed men under the direction of the local steward Tojo Kagenobu set upon the Daishonin and a small group traveling with him at Matsubara (now commonly known as Komatsubara) in Tojo, Awa Province. They killed one of the Daishonin's followers, broke the Daishonin's arm, and delivered a sword cut to his forehead.
Both of these were violent attacks with swords, and Nichiren's accounts must have made a strong impression on Tokimitsu now that a similar incident had taken place in his area involving Shiro.
Until this point, the Daishonin had explained to Tokimitsu on several occasions that, in the light of the teachings of the Lotus Sutra, it is clear that practitioners of the sutra will be persecuted. Tokimitsu had personal experience of overcoming pressure and criticism for his faith. But this time there was a chance that his very life was in danger.
Amid growing anxiety among his followers, the Daishonin explains the significance of the persecutions he has undergone and urges Tokimitsu to be prepared to overcome such obstacles in the same way he has. The Daishonin says that compared to the two major life-threatening persecutions he has encountered, all the others — being "reviled, denounced, ousted, falsely accused, and struck across the face" — were "comparatively minor." In other words, they were not worthy of serious concern. And, in all of Japan, he asserts, he and he alone has been "abused in both body and mind" on account of the Lotus Sutra.
How inspired and encouraged Tokimitsu must have felt on reading these words filled with the invincible resolve and fighting spirit of one who had weathered and triumphed over repeated onslaughts for the sake of the correct teaching of Buddhism!
A "Reverse Relationship" With the Lotus Sutra
Nichiren then recounts an event he says he would never forget: When armed soldiers forced their way into his dwelling at Matsubagayatsu in Kamakura to apprehend him at the time of the Tatsunokuchi Persecution, one of Hei no Saemon's underlings, Sho-bo, approached him, grabbed the fifth scroll of the Lotus Sutra, which the Daishonin had tucked inside his robe, and struck him across the face with it three times. The Daishonin interpreted this act as being attacked with staves, as predicted in the Lotus Sutra.
He then goes on to explain the principle of gaining benefit through forming a "reverse relationship" with the Lotus Sutra. To illustrate his point, he cites an Indian anecdote of a jealous woman. He then refers to Sho-bo, who struck him with the fifth scroll of the Lotus Sutra because "Sho-bo hated both the Lotus Sutra and me, Nichiren" (WND-1, 962). Although Sho-bo's actions mean that he cannot avoid falling into hell, the Daishonin says, through the benefit of forming a reverse relationship with the Lotus Sutra, Sho-bo will eventually attain Buddhahood, just like the four kinds of believers who arrogantly persecuted Bodhisattva Never Disparaging (see WND-1, 962–63).
In the Lotus Sutra, the arrogant people who attacked Bodhisattva Never Disparaging fall into the hell of incessant suffering for countless eons. But after expiating their offense of slandering the Law, they are able to meet Bodhisattva Never Disparaging again and be led to enlightenment by him. This is in accord with the law of cause and effect that governs life across the three existences of past, present, and future. In the same way, the Daishonin says, Sho-bo will meet him, the Daishonin, again, take faith in the Lotus Sutra, and attain Buddhahood. This statement also expresses the Daishonin's own conviction that he himself, like Bodhisattva Never Disparaging, is certain to attain Buddhahood.
* * *
Teaching a Young Disciple the Essence of Faith
The fifth scroll contains the very heart of the Lotus Sutra, for it reveals that the dragon king's daughter attained Buddhahood in her present form. Devadatta represents the spiritual aspect of enlightenment, and the dragon king's daughter, the physical aspect. The principle of attaining Buddhahood in one's present form can be found nowhere else in the Buddha's entire lifetime of teachings. (WND- 1, 963)
* * *
Therefore, the merciful Thus Come One Shakyamuni became the teacher of the wicked Devadatta, and the wise Manjushri became the teacher of the ignorant daughter of the dragon king. Certainly I can in no way be inferior to Manjushri or to the Thus Come One Shakyamuni. The men of Japan are like Devadatta, and the women are like the dragon king's daughter. Whether by following it or opposing it, they will attain Buddhahood through the Lotus Sutra. This is the message of the "Devadatta" chapter. (WND-1, 963–64)
In this section, the Daishonin stresses that of the eight scrolls of the Lotus Sutra, the fifth scroll — the one with which Sho-bo struck him — has special significance. It contains the four chapters from "Devadatta," to "Emerging from the Earth." The fifth scroll indeed contains a "mysterious passage of prediction" (WND-1, 964) that presents the crucial elements involved in propagating the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Day. These elements include the actual proof of attaining Buddhahood in one's present form, the great persecutions that will be encountered whenattempting to spread the sutra, and the emergence of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth.
Nichiren indicates that encountering persecution as a result of propagating the Lotus Sutra means that one is reading the fifth scroll of the Lotus Sutra with one's life and is on the path to attaining Buddhahood. He thus underscores the importance of "committing oneself to the Lotus Sutra and having faith in its teachings" (see WND-1, 964), and of spreading Nam- myoho-rengekyo. We can sense the Daishonin's wish to teach Tokimitsu the essence of faith so that the latter will be able to overcome the inevitable great persecutions, fulfill his mission as a Bodhisattva of the Earth, and follow the path of the shared struggle of mentor and disciple throughout past, present, and future.
Living up to the trust that the Daishonin placed in him, Tokimitsu protected his fellow believers during the Atsuhara Persecution and upheld the banner of the correct teaching of Buddhism. For these dedicated efforts, the Daishonin later praised this youthful disciple as "Ueno the Worthy."
Nichiren's words express his boundless hope for Tokimitsu and offer training and instruction. They reveal his desire to teach the young man what true faith means and to explain to him the value of a life dedicated to realizing the great vow for kosen-rufu by following the path of mentor and disciple.
Kosen-rufu pulses vibrantly in the mentor-disciple bond, especially when youthful disciples seek to respond to the hopes and training of their mentor with their own commitment and dedicated efforts.
The Significance of the "Devadatta" Chapter
The "Devadatta" chapter contains two extremely important teachings: (1) the dragon king daughter's attainment of Buddhahood in her present form and (2) the attainment of Buddhahood by the wicked and perverse Devadatta, which represents the enlightenment of evil people.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "The Teachings for Victory Volume 5"
by .
Copyright © 2019 Soka Gakkai.
Excerpted by permission of World Tribune Press.
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Table of Contents
Editor's Note,
1 "PERSECUTION BY SWORD AND STAFF" Triumphing Over Adversity — The Eternal Honor of the Shared Struggle of Mentor and Disciple,
2 "REPLY TO THE LAY PRIEST TAKAHASHI" Striving With Conviction and Boundless Hope,
3 "THE EMBANKMENTS OF FAITH" Believe in Your Infinite Potential and Strengthen Your Faith More Than Ever,
4 "THREE TRIPITAKA MASTERS PRAY FOR RAIN" Be "Good Friends" Who Illuminate People's Lives With Compassion and Wisdom,
5 "THE BOW AND ARROW" Encouraging the Person Right in Front of Us,
6 "THE PURE AND FAR-REACHING VOICE" Speak Out With Voices Ringing With Truth and Justice,
7 "THE TREATMENT OF ILLNESS" Dispel the Darkness of the Times With the Supreme Philosophy of Humanity,
8 "DAIMOKU AS THE SEED OF BUDDHAHOOD" Kosen-rufu — An Epic Drama of Victorious Resolve,
9 "REPLY TO THE MOTHER OF UENO" The Bonds of Those Connected by the Mystic Law Are Eternal,