Establishment of the Legitimate Teaching for the Protection
of the Country
- Rissho Ankoku Ron –
Once there was a
traveler who spoke these words in sorrow to his host:
In recent years,
there are unusual disturbances in the heavens, strange
occurrences on earth, famine and pestilence, all affecting
every corner of the empire and spreading throughout the
land. Oxen and horses lie dead in the streets, the bones of
the stricken crowd the highways. Over half the population
has already been carried off by death, and in every family
someone grieves.
All the while
some put their whole faith in the "sharp sword" of the
Buddha Amida and intone the name of this lord of the Western
Land; others believe that hearing the name of the Buddha
Yakushi will "heal all ills," and recite the sutra that
describes this Thus Come One of the Eastern Region. Some,
putting their trust in the passage in the Lotus Sutra that
says, "His illness will be wiped out and he will know
neither old age nor death," pay homage to the wonderful
words of that sutra; others, relying upon the sutra passage
that reads: "The seven disasters vanish, the seven blessings
at once appear," conduct ceremonies at which a hundred
priests expound the sutra at a hundred preaching platforms.
There are those who follow the esoteric teachings of the
Shingon sect and conduct rituals by filling five jars with
water; and others who devote themselves entirely to seated
meditation and try to perceive the emptiness of all
phenomena as clearly as the moon. Some write out the names
of the seven guardian spirits and paste them on a thousand
gates, others paint pictures of the five mighty bodhisattvas
and hang them over ten thousand thresholds, and still others
pray to the heavenly gods and earthly deities in ceremonies
conducted at the four corners of the capital and on the four
boundaries of the nation. The rulers, taking pity on the
plight of the common people, carry out government on the
national and local levels in a benevolent manner.
But despite all
these efforts, they merely exhaust themselves in vain.
Famine and epidemics rage more fiercely than ever, beggars
are everywhere in sight, and scenes of death fill our eyes.
Corpses pile up in mounds like observation platforms, dead
bodies lie side by side like planks on a bridge.
If we look
about, we find that the sun and moon continue to move in
their accustomed orbits, and the five planets follow the
proper course. The three treasures of Buddhism continue to
exist, and the period of a hundred reigns has not yet
expired. Then why is it that the world has already fallen
into decline and that the laws of the state have come to an
end? What is wrong? What error has been committed?
The host then
spoke: I have been brooding alone upon this matter,
indignant in my heart, but now that you have come, we can
lament together. Let us discuss the question at length.
When a man
leaves family life and enters the Buddhist way, it is
because he hopes to attain Buddhahood through the teachings
of the Buddha. But attempts now to move the gods fail to
have any effect, and appeals to the power of the Buddhas
produce no results. When I observe carefully the state of
the world today, I see people who give way to doubt because
of the lack of understanding [on the part of eminent
priests]. They look up at the heavens and mouth their
resentment, or gaze down at the earth and sink deep into
anxiety.
I have pondered
the matter carefully with what limited resources I possess,
and have searched rather widely in the scriptures for an
answer. The people of today all turn their backs upon what
is right; to a man, they give their allegiance to evil. This
is the reason that the benevolent deities have abandoned the
nation and departed together, that sages leave and do not
return. And in their stead come devils and demons, disasters
and calamities that arise one after another. I cannot keep
silent on this matter. I cannot suppress my fears.
The guest said:
These disasters that befall the empire, these calamities of
the nation -- I am not the only one pained by them; the
whole populace is weighed down with sorrow. Now I have been
privileged to enter your home and to listen to these
enlightening words of yours. You speak of the gods and sages
taking leave and of disasters and calamities arising side by
side -- upon what sutras do you base your views? Could you
describe for me the passages of proof?
The host said:
There are numerous passages that could be cited and a wide
variety of proofs. For example, in the Konkomyo Sutra
we read: "[The Four Heavenly Kings said to the Buddha,]
‘Though this sutra exists in the nation, its ruler has never
allowed it to be propagated. In his heart he turns away from
it, and he takes no pleasure in hearing its teachings. He
does not make offerings to it, honor or praise it. Nor is he
willing to honor or make offerings to the four kinds of
Buddhists who embrace the sutra. In the end, he makes it
impossible for us and the countless other heavenly beings
who are our followers to hear this profound and wonderful
teaching. He deprives us of the sweet dew of its words and
cuts us off from the flow of the correct teaching, so that
our majesty and strength are drained away. Thus the number
of beings who occupy the evil paths increases and the number
who dwell in the human and heavenly realms decreases. People
fall into the river of the suffering of birth and death and
turn their backs on the road to nirvana.
" ‘World-Honored
One, we, the Four Heavenly Kings, as well as our various
followers and the yakshas and other beings, observing this
state of affairs, have decided to abandon this nation, for
we have no heart to protect it. And it is not we alone who
cast aside this ruler. All the great benevolent deities who
guard and watch over the countless different regions of the
country will also invariably reject him. And once we and the
others abandon and desert this nation, then many different
types of disasters will occur in the country and the ruler
will fall from power. Not a single person in the entire
population will possess a heart of goodness; there will be
nothing but binding and enslaving, killing and injuring,
anger and contention. Men will slander each other or fawn
upon one another, and the laws will be twisted until even
the innocent are made to suffer. Pestilence will become
rampant, comets will appear again and again, two suns will
come forth side by side and eclipses will occur with
unaccustomed frequency. Black arcs and white arcs will span
the sky as harbingers of ill fortune, stars will fall, the
earth will shake, and noises will issue from the wells.
Torrential rains and violent winds will come out of season,
there will be constant famine, and grains and fruits will
not ripen. Marauders from many other regions will invade and
plunder the nation, the people will suffer all manner of
pain and affliction, and there will be no place where one
may live in safety.’"
The Daijuku
Sutra says: "When the teachings of the Buddha truly become
obscured and lost, then people will all let their beards,
hair and fingernails grow long, and the laws of the world
will be forgotten and ignored. At that time, loud noises
will sound in the air and the earth will shake; everything
in the world will begin to move as though it were a
waterwheel. City walls will split and tumble, and all houses
and dwellings will collapse. Roots, branches, leaves, petals
and fruits will lose their medicinal properties. With the
exception of the heavens of purity, all the regions of the
world of desire will become deprived of the seven flavors
and the three kinds of vitality, until not a trace of them
remains any more. All the good discourses that lead people
to emancipation will at this time disappear. The flowers and
fruits that grow in the earth will become few and will lose
their flavor and sweetness. The wells, springs and ponds
will all go dry, the land everywhere will turn brackish and
will crack open and warp into hillocks and gullies. All the
mountains will be swept by fire and the heavenly beings and
dragons will no longer send down rain. The seedlings of the
crops will all wither and die, all the living plants will
perish, and even the weeds will cease to grow any more. Dust
will rain down until all is darkness and the sun and the
moon no longer shed their light.
"All the four
directions will be afflicted by drought, and evil omens will
appear again and again. The ten evil acts will increase
greatly, particularly greed, anger and stupidity, and people
will think no more of their fathers and mothers than does
the roe deer. Living beings will decline in numbers, in
longevity, physical strength, dignity and enjoyment. They
will become estranged from the delights of the human and
heavenly realms and all will fall into the paths of evil.
The wicked rulers and monks who perform these ten evil acts
will curse and destroy my correct teaching and make it
difficult for those in the human and heavenly realms to stay
there. At that time the benevolent deities and heavenly
kings, who would ordinarily take pity on living beings, will
abandon this impure and evil nation and all will make their
way to other regions."
The Ninno
Sutra states: "When a nation becomes disordered, it is the
spirits which first show signs of rampancy. Because the
spirits become rampant, all the people of the nation become
disordered. Invaders come to plunder the country and the
common people face annihilation. The ruler, the high
ministers, the crown prince, the other princes and the
hundred officials all quarrel with each other over right and
wrong. Heaven and earth manifest prodigies and strange
occurrences; the twenty-eight constellations, the stars, the
sun and the moon appear at irregular times and in irregular
positions, and numerous outlaws rise up."
The same sutra
also states: "Now when I use the five types of vision to
clearly perceive the three existences, I see that all the
kings in their past existences served five hundred Buddhas,
and that is the reason that they were able to become
emperors and sovereigns. And that also is the reason that
all the various sages and arhats are born in their nations
and bring great benefits. But if a time should come when the
good fortune of these rulers runs out, then all the sages
will abandon them and depart. And once the sages have
departed, then the seven disasters are certain to arise."
The Yakushi
Sutra states: "If disasters and calamities should befall
members of the ruling Kshatriya class and anointed kings,
such disasters will be as follows: the calamity of disease
and pestilence among the populace; the calamity of invasion
and plunder from foreign lands; the calamity of revolt
within one’s own domain; the calamity of irregularities and
strange occurrences among the stars and constellations; the
calamity of eclipses of the sun and moon; the calamity of
unseasonable wind and rain; and the calamity of rain that
fails to fall even when the season for it has come and
gone."
In the Ninno
Sutra, [the Buddha addresses King Prasenajit in these
words]: "Great King, the region where my teachings now hold
sway consists of one billion Sumeru worlds with one billion
suns and moons. Each of these Sumeru worlds comprises four
continents. In the southern continent of Jambudvipa, there
are sixteen major countries, five hundred middle-sized
countries, and ten thousand small countries. In these
countries, there are seven types of fearful disasters that
may occur. All the rulers of these countries agree that
these are indeed disasters. What, then, are these disasters?
"When the sun
and moon depart from their regular courses, when the seasons
come in the wrong order, when a red sun or a black sun
appears, when two, three, four or five suns appear at the
same time, when the sun is eclipsed and loses its light, or
when one, two, three, four or five coronas appear around the
sun, this is the first disaster.
"When the
twenty-eight constellations do not move in their regular
courses, when the Metal Star, the Broom Star, the Wheel
Star, the Demon Star, the Fire Star, the Water Star, the
Wind Star, the Ladle Star, the Southern Dipper, the Northern
Dipper, the great stars of the Five Garrisons, and all the
many stars that govern the ruler, the three high ministers
and the hundred other officials -- when each of these stars
manifests some peculiar behavior, this is the second
disaster.
"When huge fires
consume the nation and the people are all burned to death,
or when there are outbreaks of demon fire, dragon fire,
heavenly fire, mountain god fire, human fire, tree fire or
bandit fire -- when these prodigies appear, this is the
third disaster.
"When huge
floods drown the population, when the seasons come out of
order and there is rain in winter, snow in summer, thunder
and lightning in the winter season, and ice, frost and hail
in the sixth month, when red, black or green rain falls,
when mountains of dirt and stones come raining down, or when
it rains dust, sand or gravel, when the rivers and streams
run backward, when mountains are afloat and boulders are
washed away-when freakish happenings of this kind occur,
this is the fourth disaster.
"When huge winds
blow the people to their death and the lands, the mountains
and rivers and the trees and forests are all at one time
wiped out, when great winds come out of season or when black
winds, red winds, green winds, heavenly winds, earthly
winds, fire winds and water winds blow -- when prodigies of
this kind occur, this is the fifth disaster.
"When heaven and
earth and the whole country are stricken by terrible heat so
that the air seems to be on fire, when the hundred plants
wither and the five kinds of grain fail to ripen, when the
earth is red and scorched and the inhabitants all
perish-when prodigies of this kind occur, this is the sixth
disaster.
"When enemies
rise up on all four sides and invade the nation, when rebels
appear in the capital and the outlying regions, when there
are fire bandits, water bandits, wind bandits and demon
bandits, and the population is subjected to devastation and
disorder, and fighting and plundering break out
everywhere-when prodigies of this type occur, this is the
seventh disaster."
The Daijuku
Sutra says: "Though the ruler of a state may have for
countless existences in the past practiced the giving of
alms, observed the precepts and cultivated wisdom, if he
sees that my teaching is in danger of perishing and stands
idly by without doing anything to protect it, then all the
inestimable roots of goodness that he has planted through
the practices just mentioned will be entirely wiped out, and
his country will become the scene of three inauspicious
occurrences. The first is high grain prices, the second is
warfare, and the third is epidemics. All the benevolent
deities will abandon the country, and although the king may
issue commands, the people will not obey them. The country
will constantly be invaded and vexed by neighboring nations.
Violent fires will rage out of control, fierce winds and
rains will abound, the waters will swell and overflow, and
the inhabitants will be blown about by winds or swept away
by floods. The paternal and maternal relatives of the ruler
will join in plotting revolt. Before long, the ruler will
fall gravely ill, and after his life has come to an end, he
will be reborn in the great hell.... And the same fate will
befall the ruler’s consort, his heir, the high ministers of
the state, the lords of cities, the village heads and
generals, the magistrates of districts, and the government
officials."
The passages I
have quoted from these four sutras are perfectly clear --
what person in ten thousand could possibly doubt their
meaning? And yet the blind and the deluded recklessly trust
to heretical doctrines and fail to recognize the correct
teachings. Therefore, throughout the empire these days
people are inclined to turn away from the Buddhas and the
sutras and no longer endeavor to protect them. Because of
this, the benevolent deities and sages abandon the nation
and leave their accustomed places. As a result, demons and
followers of heretical doctrines create disaster and inflict
calamity upon the populace.
The guest
thereupon flushed with anger and said: Emperor Ming of the
Later Han dynasty, having comprehended the significance of
his dream of a golden man, welcomed the teachings [of
Buddhism] brought by white horses. Prince Jogu, having
subjugated the rebellion of Moriya, [an opponent of
Buddhism,] proceeded to construct temples and pagodas. Since
that time, from the ruler down to the common people, all
have worshipped the Buddha images and devoted their
attention to the scriptures. As a result, in the monasteries
of Mount Hiei, and of the southern capital at Nara, at the
temples of Onjo-ji and To-ji, throughout the land within the
four seas, in the five provinces of the capital area and the
seven marches, Buddha images and Buddhist scriptures have
been ranged like stars in the sky and halls of worship have
spread over the land like clouds. Those who belong to the
lineage of Shariputra meditate on the moon atop Eagle Peak,
while those who adhere to the traditions of Haklenayashas
transmit the teachings of Mount Kukkutapada. How, then, can
anyone say that the teachings of the Buddha’s lifetime are
despised or that the three treasures of Buddhism have ceased
to exist? If there is evidence to support such a contention,
I would like to hear all the facts!
The host,
anxious to clarify his words, replied: To be sure, Buddhist
halls stand rooftop to rooftop and sutra storehouses are
ranged eave to eave. Priests are as numerous as bamboo
plants and rushes, monks as common as rice and hemp
seedlings. The temples and priests have been honored from
centuries past, and every day respect is paid them anew. But
the monks and priests today are fawning and devious, and
they confuse the people and lead them astray. The ruler and
his subjects lack understanding and fail to distinguish
between the heretical and the correct.
The Ninno
Sutra, for example, says: "Evil monks, hoping to gain fame
and profit, in many cases appear before the ruler, the crown
prince or the other princes and take it upon themselves to
preach doctrines that lead to the violation of the Buddhist
Law and the destruction of the nation. The ruler, failing to
perceive the truth of the situation, listens to and puts
faith in such doctrines, and proceeds to create regulations
that are perverse in nature and that do not accord with the
rules of Buddhist discipline. In this way he brings about
the destruction of Buddhism and of the nation."
The Nirvana
Sutra states: "Bodhisattvas, have no fear of mad elephants.
What you should fear are evil friends! Even if you are
killed by a mad elephant, you will not fall into the three
evil paths. But if you are killed by an evil friend, you are
certain to fall into them."
The Lotus Sutra
says:
In that evil age
there will be monks with perverse wisdom and hearts that are
fawning and crooked who will suppose they have attained what
they have not attained, being proud and boastful in heart.
Or there will be forest-dwelling monks wearing clothing of
patched rags and living in retirement, who will claim they
are practicing the true way, despising and looking down on
all humankind. Greedy for profit and support, they will
preach the Law to white-robed laymen and will be respected
and revered by the world as though they were arhats who
possess the six transcendental powers…. Because in the midst
of the great assembly they constantly try to defame us, they
will address the rulers, high ministers, Brahmans and
householders, as well as the other monks, slandering and
speaking evil of us, saying, "These are men of perverted
views who preach non-Buddhist doctrines!"
In a muddied
kalpa, in an evil age there will be many things to fear.
Evil demons will take possession of others and through them
curse, revile and heap shame on us…. The evil monks of that
muddied age, failing to understand the Buddha’s expedient
means, how he preaches the Law in accordance with what is
appropriate, will confront us with foul language and angry
frowns; again and again we will be banished.
The Nirvana
Sutra says: "After I have passed away and countless hundreds
of years have gone by, the sages of the four stages too will
have all passed away. After the Former Day of the Law has
ended and the Middle Day of the Law has begun, there will be
monks who will give the appearance of abiding by the rules
of monastic discipline. But they will scarcely ever read or
recite the sutras, and instead will crave all kinds of food
and drink to nourish their bodies. Though they wear the
clothes of a monk, they will go about searching for alms
like so many huntsmen who, narrowing their eyes, stalk
softly. They will be like a cat on the prowl for mice. And
constantly they will reiterate these words: ‘I have attained
arhatship!’ Outwardly they will seem to be wise and good,
but within they will harbor greed and jealousy. [And when
they are asked to preach the teachings,] they will remain
silent, like Brahmans who have taken a vow of silence. They
are not true monks -- they merely have the appearance of
monks. Consumed by their erroneous views, they slander the
correct teaching."
When we look at
the world in the light of these passages of scripture, we
see that the situation is just as they describe it. If we do
not admonish the evil priests, how can we hope to do good?
The guest,
growing more indignant than ever, said: A wise monarch, by
acting in accord with heaven and earth, perfects his rule; a
sage, by distinguishing between right and wrong, brings
order to the world. The monks and priests of the world today
enjoy the confidence of the entire empire. If they were in
fact evil monks, then the wise ruler would put no trust in
them. If they were not true sages, then worthies and learned
men would not look up to them. But now, since worthies and
sages do in fact honor and respect them, they must be
nothing less than paragons of their kind. Why then do you
pour out these wild accusations and dare to slander them? To
whom are you referring when you speak of "evil monks"? I
would like an explanation!
The host said:
At the time of the Retired Emperor Gotoba there was a priest
named Honen who wrote a work entitled the Senchaku shuor
The Nembutsu Chosen above All. He contradicted the sacred
teachings of the Buddha’s lifetime and brought confusion to
people in every direction. The Senchaku shu states:
"Regarding the passage in which the Meditation Master Tao-ch’o
distinguished between the Sacred Way teachings and the Pure
Land teachings and urged people to abandon the former and
immediately embrace the latter: First of all, there are two
kinds of Sacred Way teachings, [the Mahayana and the
Hinayana].... Judging from this, we may assume that the
esoteric Mahayana doctrines and the true Mahayana teachings
are both included in the Sacred Way. If that is so, then the
present-day sects of Shingon, Zen, Tendai, Kegon, Sanron,
Hosso, Jiron and Shoron -- all these eight schools are
included in the Sacred Way that is to be abandoned.
"The Dharma
Teacher T’an-luan in his Ojo ron chu states:
‘I note that Bodhisattva Nagarjuna’s Jujubibasha ron
says: "There are two ways by which the bodhisattva may reach
the state of avaivartika or non-retrogression. One is
the difficult-to-practice way, the other is the
easy-to-practice way."
"The
difficult-to-practice way is the same as the Sacred Way, and
the easy-to-practice way is the Pure Land Way. Students of
the Pure Land sect should first of all understand this
point. Though they may previously have studied teachings
belonging to the Sacred Way, if they wish to become
followers of the Pure Land teachings, they must discard the
Sacred Way and give their allegiance to the Pure Land
teachings."
Honen also says:
"Regarding the passage in which Priest Shan-tao
distinguished between correct and sundry practices
and urged people to abandon the sundry practices and embrace
the correct practices: Concerning the first of the sundry
practices, that of reading and reciting sutras, with the
exception of the recitation of the Kammuryoju Sutra
and the other Pure Land sutras, the embracing, reading and
recitation of all sutras, whether Mahayana or Hinayana,
exoteric or esoteric, is to be regarded as a sundry
practice.... Concerning the third of the sundry practices,
that of worshipping, with the exception of worshipping the
Buddha Amida, the worshipping or honoring of any of the
other Buddhas, bodhisattvas or deities of this world is to
be regarded as a sundry practice.... In the light of his
statement, I declare that one should abandon such sundry
practices and concentrate upon the practice of the Pure Land
teachings. What reason would we have to abandon the correct
practices of the Pure Land teachings, which insure that, out
of a hundred persons, all one hundred will be reborn in the
Pure Land, and cling instead to the various sundry practices
and procedures, which could not save even one person in a
thousand? Followers of the Way should ponder this
carefully!"
Honen further
states: "In the Jogen nyuzo roku or Chen-yuan Era
Catalogue of the Buddhist Canon we find it recorded
that, from the 600 volumes of the Daihannya Sutra to
the Hojoju Sutra, the exoteric and esoteric sutras of
Mahayana or the great vehicle total 637 works in 2,883
volumes. The phrase [from the Kammuryoju Sutra] of
‘reading and reciting the great vehicle’ should be applied
to all these works. You should understand that, when the
Buddha was preaching according to the capacity of his
various listeners, he for a time taught the two methods of
concentrated meditation and unconcentrated meditation. But
later, when he revealed his own enlightenment, he ceased to
teach these two methods. The only teaching that, once
revealed, shall never cease to be taught is the single
doctrine of the Nembutsu."
Honen also
states: "Regarding the passage which says that the
practitioner of the Nembutsu must possess three kinds of
mind: It is found in the Kammuryoju Sutra. In his
commentary on that sutra, [Shan-tao says:] ‘Someone may ask:
"If there are those who differ in understanding and practice
from the followers of the Nembutsu, persons of heretical and
mistaken belief, [how should we confront them?]" I will now
make certain that their perverse and differing views will
not cause trouble. These persons of evil views with
different understanding and different practices are compared
to a band of robbers who call back the traveler who has
already gone one or two steps along his journey.’ In my
opinion, when this commentary speaks of different
understanding, different practices, varying doctrines and
varying beliefs, they are referring to the teachings of the
Sacred Way."
Finally, in a
concluding passage, Honen says: "If one wishes to escape
quickly from the sufferings of birth and death, one should
confront these two superior teachings and then proceed to
put aside the teachings of the Sacred Way and choose those
of the Pure Land. And if one wishes to follow the teachings
of the Pure Land, one should confront the correct and sundry
practices and then proceed to abandon all of the sundry
practices and devote one’s entire attention to the correct
practices."
When we examine
these passages, we see that Honen quotes the erroneous
explanations of T’an-luan, Tao-ch’o and Shan-tao, and
establishes the categories-the Sacred Way and Pure Land
teachings, the difficult-to-practice and easy-to-practice
ways. He then takes all the 637 works in 2,883 volumes that
comprise the Mahayana sutras of the Buddha’s lifetime,
including those of the Lotus Sutra and Shingon, along with
all the Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and deities of this world,
and assigns them all to the categories of the Sacred Way
teachings, the difficult-to-practice way and the sundry
practices, and urges people to "discard, close, ignore and
abandon" them. With these four injunctions, he leads all
people astray. And on top of that, he groups together all
the sage monks of the three countries [of India, China and
Japan] as well as the students of Buddhism of the ten
directions, and calls them a "band of robbers," causing the
people to insult them!
In doing so, he
turns his back on the passage in the three Pure Land sutras,
the sutras of his own sect, which contains Amida’s vow to
save the people "excepting only those who commit the five
cardinal sins or who slander the correct teaching. " At the
same time, he shows that he fails to understand the warning
contained in the second volume of the Lotus Sutra, the heart
and core of the entire body of teachings the Buddha
expounded in the five periods of his preaching life, which
reads: "If a person fails to have faith but instead slanders
this sutra. . . When his life comes to an end, he will enter
the Avichi hell."
And now we have
come to this latter age, when people are no longer sages.
Each enters his own dark road, and all alike forget the
direct way. How pitiful that no one cures them of their
blindness! How painful to see them vainly lending
encouragement to these false beliefs! And as a result,
everyone from the ruler of the nation down to the common
people believes that there are no true sutras outside the
three Pure Land sutras, and no Buddhas other than the Buddha
Amida with his two attendants.
Once there were
men like Dengyo, Gishin, Jikaku and Chisho who journeyed ten
thousand miles across the waves to China to acquire the
sacred teachings, and there visited the mountains and rivers
to pay reverence to Buddhist statues [and carry them back].
In some cases they built holy temples on the peaks of high
mountains in which to preserve those scriptures and statues;
in other cases they constructed sacred halls in the bottoms
of deep valleys where such objects could be worshipped and
honored. As a result, the Buddhas Shakyamuni and Yakushi
shone side by side, casting their influence upon present and
future ages, while the bodhisattvas Kokuzo and Jizo brought
benefit to the living and the dead. The rulers of the nation
contributed districts or villages so that the lamps might
continue to burn bright before the images, while the
stewards of the great estates gave their fields and gardens
as an offering.
But because of
this book by Honen, this Senchaku shu, the lord of
teachings, Shakyamuni, is forgotten and all honor is paid to
Amida, the Buddha of the Western Land. The transmission of
the Law [from Shakyamuni Buddha] is ignored, and Yakushi,
the Buddha of the Eastern Region, is neglected. All
attention is paid to the three Pure Land sutras in four
volumes, and all the other wonderful scriptures that
Shakyamuni expounded throughout the five periods of his
preaching life are cast aside. If temples are not dedicated
to Amida, then people no longer have any desire to support
them or pay honor to the Buddhas enshrined there; if monks
are not practitioners of the Nembutsu, then people quickly
forget all about giving those monks alms. As a result, the
halls of the Buddha fall into ruin, scarcely a wisp of smoke
rises above their moss-covered roof tiles; and the monks’
quarters stand empty and dilapidated, the dew deep on the
grasses in their courtyards. And in spite of such
conditions, no one gives a thought to protecting the Law or
to restoring the temples. Hence the sage monks who once
presided over the temples leave and do not return, and the
benevolent deities who guarded the nation depart and no
longer appear. This has all come about because of this
Senchaku shu of Honen. How pitiful to think that, in the
space of a few decades, hundreds, thousands, tens of
thousands of people have been deluded by these devilish
teachings and in so many cases confused as to the true
teachings of Buddhism. If people favor what is only
incidental and forget what is primary, can the benevolent
deities be anything but angry? If people cast aside what is
perfect and take up what is biased, can the world escape the
plots of demons? Rather than offering up ten thousand
prayers for remedy, it would be better simply to outlaw this
one evil [doctrine] that is the source of all the trouble!
This time the
guest was truly enraged and said: In the ages since our
original teacher, the Buddha Shakyamuni, preached the three
Pure Land sutras, the Dharma Teacher T’an-luan had
originally studied the four treatises but abandoned them and
put all his faith in the Pure Land teachings. Similarly, the
Meditation Master Tao-ch’o ceased to spread the multifarious
doctrines of the Nirvana Sutra and devoted all his attention
to propagating the practice that leads one to the western
Pure Land. Priest Shan-tao discarded the sundry practices
and established the single practice of the Nembutsu, and the
supervisor of monks Eshin collected essential passages from
various sutras to form his work, making the single practice
of the Nembutsu the essence of his teaching. Such was the
manner in which these men honored and respected the Buddha
Amida, and uncountable numbers of people as a result were
able to gain rebirth in the Pure Land.
Of particular
note was the sage Honen, who as a child entered the
monastery on Mount Hiei. By the time he was seventeen, he
had worked his way through all sixty volumes of Tendai
literature and had investigated all the eight sects and
mastered their essentials. In addition, he had read through
the entire body of sutras and treatises seven times, and
exhausted all the works of exegesis and biography. His
wisdom shone like the sun and moon, and his virtue exceeded
that of the earlier teachers.
In spite of all
this, he was in doubt as to the proper path to emancipation
and could not make out the true meaning of nirvana.
Therefore he read and examined all the texts he could,
pondered deeply and considered every possibility, and in the
end put aside all the sutras and concentrated on the single
practice of the Nembutsu. In addition, he received
confirmation of his decision when Shan-tao miraculously
appeared to him in a dream
, and he proceeded to spread his doctrines among
friends and strangers in all four corners of the land.
Thereafter, he was hailed as a reincarnation of Bodhisattva
Seishi, or was revered as Shan-tao reborn. In every quarter
people of eminent and lowly birth alike bowed their heads in
respect, and men and women from all over Japan sought him.
Since that time,
the springs and autumns have succeeded each other and the
years have accumulated. And yet you insist upon putting
aside the venerable teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha
[contained in the Pure Land sutras] and willfully speak evil
of the passage describing the oath of the Buddha Amida. Why
do you try to blame the sacred age of Honen for the
disasters of recent years, going out of your way to slander
the former teachers of Pure Land doctrines and to heap abuse
on the sage Honen? You are, as the saying goes, deliberately
blowing back the fur and hunting for flaws in the leather,
deliberately piercing the skin in hopes of drawing blood.
From ancient times to the present, the world has never seen
such a speaker of evil! You had better learn a little
caution and restraint. When you pile up such grave offenses,
how can you hope to escape punishment? I am afraid even to
sit here in your company. I must take up my staff and be on
my way!
The host,
smiling, restrained his guest and said: Insects that live on
smartweed forget how bitter it tastes; those who stay long
in privies forget how foul the smell is. Here you listen to
my good words and think them wicked, point to a slanderer of
the Law and call him a sage, mistrust a correct teacher and
take him for an evil monk. Your confusion is great indeed,
and your offense anything but light. Listen to my
explanation of how this confusion arose and let us discuss
the matter in detail.
Shakyamuni
Buddha expounded the five periods of doctrines, established
the order in which they were preached, and divided them into
the provisional and the true teachings. But T’an-luan,
Tao-ch’o and Shan-tao embraced the provisional teachings and
forgot about the true ones, went by what had been taught in
the earlier period of the Buddha’s life and discarded what
was taught later. They were not the kind of men who delve
into the deep places of Buddhist doctrine.
Honen in
particular, though he followed the practices advocated by
these earlier men, was ignorant as to the source from whence
they came. How do we know this? Because he lumped together
all the 637 Mahayana scriptures in 2,883 volumes, and along
with them all the various Buddhas and bodhisattvas and the
deities of this world, and urged people to "discard, close,
ignore and abandon" them, with these four injunctions
corrupting the hearts of all people. Thus he poured out
perverted words of his own invention and took absolutely no
cognizance of the explanations put forth in the Buddhist
scriptures. His is the worst kind of baseless talk, a clear
case of defamation. There are no words to describe it, no
way to censure it that is not too mild. And yet people all
put faith in this baseless talk of his, and without
exception pay honor to his Senchaku shu. As a consequence,
they revere the three sutras of the Pure Land and cast all
the other sutras aside; they look up to one Buddha alone,
Amida of the Land of Perfect Bliss, and forget about the
other Buddhas. A man such as Honen is in truth the archenemy
of the Buddhas and the scriptures, and the foe of sage monks
and ordinary men and women alike. And now his heretical
teachings have spread throughout the eight regions of the
country; they have penetrated every one of the ten
directions.
You became quite
horrified when I blamed an earlier period for the disasters
that have occurred in recent years. Perhaps I should cite a
few examples from the past to show you that you are mistaken
in your feelings.
The second
volume of the Maka shikan quotes a passage from the
Shih chi or Records of the Historian which says: "In
the closing years of the Chou dynasty, there were persons
who let their hair hang down, went about naked to the waist,
and did not observe the rites and regulations." The
Guketsu, in the second volume, explains this passage by
quoting from the Tso chuan or Commentary on the
Spring and Autumn Annals as follows: "When King P’ing of
the Chou first moved his capital to the east, he saw men by
the Yi River who let their hair hang down and performed
sacrifices in the fields. Someone who had great
understanding said: ‘In less than a hundred years the
dynasty will fall, for the rites are already neglected.’
"From this it is evident that the portent appears first, and
later the disaster itself comes about.
[The Maka
shikan passage goes on to say:] "Juan Chi was a man of
extraordinary talent, but he let his hair grow like a mass
of brambles and left his belt undone. Later, the sons of the
aristocracy all imitated him, until those who behaved in a
churlish and insulting manner were thought to be acting
quite naturally, and those who were restrained and proper in
their behavior were ridiculed as mere peasants. This was a
sign that the Ssu-ma family [the rulers of the Western Chin
dynasty] would meet with their downfall."
Similarly, the
Nitto junrei ki or Record of a Pilgrimage to China
in Search of the Law by the Great Teacher Jikaku records
that in the first year of the Hui-ch’ang era (841), Emperor
Wu-tsung of the T’ang dynasty commanded the priest
Ching-shuang of Chang-ching-ssu temple to transmit the
Nembutsu teachings of the Buddha Amida in the various
temples. Ching-shuang spent three days in each temple, going
about from one temple to another without ever ceasing.
In the second
year of the same era, soldiers from the land of the Uighurs
invaded the borders of the T’ang empire. In the third year
of the same era, the regional commander in the area north of
the Yellow River suddenly raised a revolt. Later, the
kingdom of Tibet once more refused to obey orders from
China, and the Uighurs repeatedly seized Chinese territory.
On the whole, the conflicts and uprisings were like those
that prevailed at the time when the Ch’in dynasty and the
military leader Hsiang Yu were overthrown, and the towns and
villages were devastated by fire and other disasters. What
was even worse, Emperor Wu-tsung carried out a vast campaign
to wipe out Buddhist teachings and destroyed a great many
temples and monasteries. He was never able to put down the
uprisings, and died in agony shortly after. (This is the
essence of Jikaku’s original passage.)
In view of these
events, we should consider the fact that Honen lived in the
time of the Retired Emperor Gotoba, around the Kennin era
(1201-1204). And what happened to the retired emperor is
evident before our very eyes. Thus T’ang China provided an
earlier example of the fall of an emperor, and our own
country offers similar proof. You should neither doubt this
nor consider it strange. The only thing to do now is to
abandon the evil ways and take up those that are good, to
cut off this affliction at the source, to cut it off at the
root!
The guest,
looking somewhat mollified, said: Though I have not yet
probed deeply into the matter, I believe I understand to
some degree what you are saying. Nevertheless, throughout
the area from Kyoto, the capital, to Kamakura, the
headquarters of the shogun, there are numerous eminent
Buddhist leaders and key figures in the clergy. And yet none
of them has so far appealed to the shogun concerning this
affair or submitted a memorial to the throne. You, on the
other hand, a person of humble position, think nothing of
spewing out offensive accusations.
Your assertion
goes too far and your behavior is unreasonable.
The host said:
Though I may be a person of little ability, I have
reverently given myself to the study of the Mahayana. A blue
fly, if it clings to the tail of a thoroughbred horse, can
travel ten thousand miles, and the green ivy that twines
around the tall pine can grow to a thousand feet. I was born
as the son of the one Buddha, Shakyamuni, and I serve the
king of scriptures, the Lotus Sutra. How could I observe the
decline of the Buddhist Law and not be filled with emotions
of pity and distress?
Moreover, the
Nirvana Sutra states: "If even a good monk sees someone
destroying the teaching and disregards him, failing to
reproach him, to oust him or to punish him for his offense,
then you should realize that that monk is betraying the
Buddha’s teaching. But if he ousts the destroyer of the Law,
reproaches him or punishes him, then he is my disciple and a
true voice-hearer."
Although I may
not be a "good monk," I certainly do not want to be accused
of "betraying the Buddha’s teaching." Therefore, in order to
avoid such charges, I have cited a few general principles
and given a rough explanation of the matter.
Earlier, in the
Gennin era (1224-1225), petitions to the throne were
submitted time and again by the two temples of Enryaku-ji
and Kofuku-ji. And as a result an imperial command and a
letter of instruction from the shogunate were handed down,
ordering that the woodblocks used in printing Honen’s
Senchaku shu be confiscated and brought to the Great
Lecture Hall of Enryaku-ji. There they were burned in order
to repay the debt owed to the Buddhas of the three
existences. In addition, orders were given that the menials
who are attached to the Kanjin-in Shrine should dig up and
destroy Honen’s grave. Then, Honen’s disciples Ryukan,
Shoko, Jokaku, Sassho and others were condemned by the
imperial court to exile in distant regions, and were never
pardoned.
In view of these
facts, how can you say that no one has submitted a complaint
to the authorities concerning these matters?
The guest,
continuing to speak in a mild manner, replied: One could
hardly say that Honen is the only one who disparages sutras
and speaks ill of other priests, [since you do the same
thing yourself]. However, it is true that he takes the 637
Mahayana scriptures in 2,883 volumes, along with all the
Buddhas and bodhisattvas and the deities of this world, and
urges people to "discard, close, ignore and abandon" them.
There is no doubt that these four injunctions are his very
words; the meaning of the passage is quite clear. But you
keep harping on this one little "flaw in the jewel" and
severely slandering him for it. I do not know whether he
spoke out of delusion or out of true enlightenment. Between
you and Honen, I cannot tell which is wise and which is
foolish, or determine whose assertions are right and whose
are wrong.
However, you
assert that all the recent disasters are to be traced to the
Senchaku shu, speaking quite volubly on that point
and elaborating on the meaning of your assertion. Now surely
the peace of the world and the stability of the nation are
sought by both ruler and subject and desired by all the
inhabitants of the country. The nation achieves prosperity
through the Buddhist Law, and the Law is proven worthy of
reverence by the people who embrace it. If the nation is
destroyed and the people are wiped out, then who will
continue to pay reverence to the Buddhas? Who will continue
to have faith in the Law? Therefore one must first of all
pray for the safety of the nation and then work to establish
the Buddhist Law. Now if you know of any means whereby
disasters can be prevented and troubles brought to an end, I
would like to hear about it.
The host said:
There is no doubt that I am the foolish one -- I would never
dare claim to be wise. However, I would just like to quote
some passages from the scriptures and offer some brief
thoughts. Concerning the means for insuring order in the
nation, there are numerous passages in both Buddhist and
non-Buddhist texts, and it would be difficult to cite them
all here. Since taking up the study of Buddhism, however, I
have frequently given thought to this matter, and it seems
to me that prohibiting those who slander the Law and paying
respect to the followers of the correct way is the best way
to assure stability within the nation and peace in the world
at large.
In the Nirvana
Sutra we read: "The Buddha said, ‘With the exception of one
type of person, you may offer alms to all kinds of persons
and everyone will praise you’"
"Chunda said,
‘What do you mean when you speak of "one type of person"?'
"The Buddha
replied, ‘I mean the type described in this sutra as
violators of the precepts.’
"Chunda spoke
again, saying, ‘I am afraid I still do not understand. May I
ask you to explain further?’
"The Buddha
addressed Chunda, saying: ‘By violators of the precepts I
mean the icchantika. In the case of all other types of
persons, you may offer alms, everyone will praise you, and
you will achieve great rewards.’
"Chunda spoke
once more, asking, ‘What is the meaning of the term
icchantika?’
"The Buddha
said, ‘Chunda, suppose there should be monks or nuns, lay
men or women who speak careless and evil words and slander
the correct teaching, and that they should go on committing
these grave acts without ever showing any inclination to
reform or any sign of repentance in their hearts. Persons of
this kind I would say are following the path of the
icchantika.’
"Again there may
be those who commit the four grave offenses or are guilty of
the five cardinal sins, and who, though aware that they are
guilty of serious faults, from the beginning have no trace
of fear or contrition in their hearts or, if they do, give
no outward sign of it. When it comes to the correct
teaching, they show no inclination to protect, treasure and
establish it over the ages, but rather speak of it with
malice and contempt, their words replete with error. Persons
of this kind too I would say are following the path of the
icchantika. With the exception of this one group of
people called icchantika, however, you may offer alms
to all others and everyone will praise you.’ "
Elsewhere in the
same sutra, the Buddha spoke in these words: "When I recall
the past, I remember that I was the king of a great state in
this continent of Jambudvipa. My name was Sen’yo, and I
loved and venerated the great vehicle scriptures. My heart
was pure and good and had no trace of evil, jealousy or
stinginess. Good men, at that time I cherished the great
vehicle teachings in my heart. When I heard the Brahmans
slandering these correct and equal sutras, I had them put to
death on the spot. Good men, as a result of that action, I
never thereafter fell into hell."
In another
passage it says: "In the past, when the Thus Come One was
the ruler of a nation and practiced the way of the
bodhisattva, he put to death a number of Brahmans."
Again it says:
"There are three degrees of killings: the lower, middle and
upper degrees. The lower degree constitutes the killing of
any humble being, from an ant to any of the various kinds of
animals. But the killing of an animal into which a
bodhisattva has deliberately chosen to be born [to help
other living beings] is excluded. As a result of a killing
of the lower degree, one will fall into the realms of hell,
hungry spirits and animals, and will suffer all the pains
appropriate to a killing of the lower degree. Why should
this be? Because even the animals and other humble beings
possess the roots of goodness, insignificant though those
roots may be. That is why a person who kills such a being
must suffer full retribution for his offense.
"Killing any
person from an ordinary mortal to an anagamin
constitutes what is termed the middle degree. As a
consequence of such an act of killing, one will fall into
the realms of hell, hungry spirits and animals, and will
suffer all the pains appropriate to a killing of the middle
degree. The upper degree of killing refers to the killing of
a parent, an arhat, a pratyekabuddha or a bodhisattva
who has reached the stage of non-retrogression. For such a
crime one will fall into the great Avichi hell. Good men, if
someone were to kill an icchantika, that killing
would not fall into any of the three categories just
mentioned. Good men, the various Brahmans that I have said
were put to death -- all of them were in fact icchantikas."
In the Ninno
Sutra we read: "The Buddha announced to King Prasenajit,
‘Thus I entrust the protection of my teachings to the ruler
of the nation rather than to the monks and nuns. Why do I do
so? Because they do not possess the kind of power and
authority that the king has."’
The Nirvana
Sutra states: "Now I entrust the correct teaching, which is
unexcelled, to the rulers, the ministers, the high
officials, and the four kinds of Buddhists. If anyone should
vilify the correct teaching, then the ministers and four
kinds of Buddhists should reprimand him and bring him to
order."
It also states:
"The Buddha replied, ‘[Bodhisattva] Kashyapa, it is because
I was a defender of the correct teaching that I have been
able to attain this diamond-like body.... Good man,
defenders of the correct teaching need not observe the five
precepts or practice the rules of proper behavior. Rather
they should carry knives and swords, bows and arrows, prongs
and lances’."
Again the Buddha
said: "Even though there may be those who observe the five
precepts, they do not deserve to be called practitioners of
the great vehicle. But even if one does not observe the five
precepts, if one defends the correct teaching, then one may
be called a practitioner of the great vehicle. Defenders of
the correct teaching ought to arm themselves with knives and
swords, weapons and staves. Even though they carry swords
and staves, I would call them men who observe the precepts."
The Buddha
likewise said: "Good man, in past ages in this very city of
Kushinagara a Buddha appeared whose name was the Thus Come
One Kangi Zoyaku or Joy Increasing. After this Buddha passed
away, the correct teaching that he had taught remained in
the world for countless millions of years. Finally, only
forty more years were left before the Buddhist teaching was
due to come to an end.
"At that time
there was a monk named Kakutoku or Realization of Virtue who
observed the precepts. There were many monks at this time
who violated the precepts, and when they heard this monk
preaching, they all conceived evil designs in their hearts
and, arming themselves with swords and staves, approached
this teacher of the Law.
"At this time
the ruler of the kingdom was named Utoku or Possessor of
Virtue. He received reports of what was happening, and, in
order to defend the teaching, he went at once to the place
where the monk was preaching the Law and fought with all his
might against the evil monks who did not observe the
precepts. As a result, the monk who had been preaching was
able to escape grievous injury. But the king received so
many wounds from the knives and swords, prongs and lances,
that there was not a spot on his body the size of a mustard
seed that remained unharmed.
"At this time
the monk Realization of Virtue praised the king, saying,
‘Splendid, splendid! You, O king, are now a true defender of
the correct teaching. In ages to come, this body of yours
will surely become a boundless vessel of the Law!’
"At that time,
the king had already heard the teaching, and he felt great
joy in his heart. Thereupon his life came to an end, and he
was reborn in the land of the Buddha Ashuku, where he became
the principal disciple of the Buddha. Moreover, all the
military leaders, citizens and associates of the king who
had fought beside him or had rejoiced in his effort were
filled with an unflagging determination to achieve
enlightenment, and when they died, all of them were reborn
in the land of the Buddha Ashuku." Later, the monk
Realization of Virtue also died, and he too was reborn in
the land of the Buddha Ashuku, where he became second among
the Buddha’s voice-hearer disciples. Thus, if the correct
teaching is about to come to an end, this is the way one
ought to support and defend it.
"Kashyapa, the
king who lived at that time was I myself, and the monk who
preached was the Buddha Kasho. Kashyapa, those who defend
the correct teaching enjoy this kind of boundless reward. As
a consequence, I have been able to obtain the distinguishing
characteristics that I possess today, to adorn myself with
them, and to put on the body of the Law that can never be
destroyed."
Then the Buddha
declared to Bodhisattva Kashyapa: "For this reason, laymen
believers and others who wish to defend the Law should arm
themselves with swords and staves and protect it in this
manner.
"Good man, in
the age of impurity and evil after I have passed away, the
nation will fall into devastation and disorder, men will
plunder and steal from one another, and the common people
will be reduced to starvation. Because of hunger, many men
at that time will declare their determination to leave their
families and become monks. Men such as these may be called
shavepates. When this crowd of shavepates see anyone who is
attempting to protect the correct teaching, they will chase
after him and drive him away, or perhaps even kill him or do
him injury. That is why I now give permission for monks who
observe the precepts to associate with and keep company with
white-robed laymen who bear swords and staves. Even though
they carry swords and staves, I would call them men who
observe the precepts. But although they may carry swords and
staves, they should never use them to take life."
The Lotus Sutra
says: "If a person fails to have faith but instead slanders
this sutra, immediately he will destroy all the seeds for
becoming a Buddha in this world.... When his life comes to
an end, he will enter the Avichi hell."
The meaning of
these passages from the sutras is perfectly clear. What need
is there for me to add any further explanation? If we accept
the words of the Lotus Sutra, then we must understand that
slandering the Mahayana scriptures is more serious than
committing the five cardinal sins countless times. Therefore
one who does so will be confined in the great citadel of the
Avichi hell and cannot hope for release for an immeasurable
length of time. According to the Nirvana Sutra, even though
you may give alms to a person who has committed the five
cardinal sins, you must never give alms to a person who has
slandered the Law. One who kills so much as an ant will
invariably fall into the three evil paths, but one who helps
eradicate slander of the Law will ascend to the state from
which there can be no retrogression. Thus the passage tells
us that the monk Realization of Virtue was reborn as the
Buddha Kasho, and that King Possessor of Virtue was reborn
as the Buddha Shakyamuni.
The Lotus and
the Nirvana sutras represent the very heart of the doctrines
that Shakyamuni preached during the five periods of his
teaching life. Their warnings must be viewed with the utmost
gravity. Who would fail to heed them? And yet those people
who forget about the correct way and slander the Law put
more trust than ever in Honen’s Senchaku shu and grow
blinder than ever in their stupidity.
Thus some of
them, remembering how their master looked in life, fashion
wooden sculptures and paintings of him, while others,
putting faith in his perverse teachings, carve woodblocks
with which to print his ugly words. These writings they
scatter about throughout the area within the seas, carrying
them beyond the cities and into the countryside until,
wherever honor is paid, it is to the practices of this
school, and wherever alms are given, it is to the priests of
this sect.
As a result, we
see people cutting off the fingers of the images of
Shakyamuni and refashioning them to form the gesture of
Amida, or converting the temples formerly dedicated to
Yakushi, the Buddha of the Eastern Region, and replacing his
statues with those of Amida, the Buddha of the Western Land.
Or we find the ceremony of copying the Lotus Sutra, which
has been carried out for over four hundred years on Mount
Hiei, being suspended and the copying of the three Pure Land
sutras substituted in its place, or the annual lectures on
the doctrines of the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai being replaced
by lectures on the teachings of Shan-tao. Indeed, the
slanderous people and their associates are too numerous to
count! Are they not destroyers of the Buddha? Are they not
destroyers of the Law? Are they not destroyers of the
Buddhist order? And all their heretical teachings derive
from the Senchaku shu!
Alas, how
pitiful, that people should turn their backs on the true
words of prohibition spoken by the Thus Come One! How
tragic, that they should heed the gross and deluded words of
this ignorant monk! If we hope to bring order and
tranquillity to the world without further delay, we must put
an end to these slanders of the Law that fill the country!
The guest said:
If we are to put an end to these people who slander the Law
and do away with those who violate the prohibitions of the
Buddha, then are we to condemn them to death as described in
the sutra passages you have just cited? If we do that, then
we ourselves will be guilty of inflicting injury and death
upon others, and will suffer the consequences, will we not?
In the
Daijuku Sutra, the Buddha says: "If a person shaves his
head and puts on clerical robes, then, whether that person
observes the precepts or violates them, both heavenly and
human beings should give him alms. In doing so, they are
giving alms and support to me, for that person is my son.
But if men beat that person, they are beating my son, and if
they curse and insult him, they are reviling me."
If we stop to
consider, we must realize that, regardless of whether one is
good or bad, right or wrong, if he is a priest, then he
deserves to have alms and nourishment extended to him For
how could one beat and insult the son and still not cause
grief and sorrow to the father? The Brahmans of the Bamboo
Staff school who killed the Venerable Maudgalyayana have for
a long time been sunk in the depths of the hell of incessant
suffering. Because Devadatta murdered the nun Utpalavarna,
he has for a long time gasped in the flames of the Avichi
Hell. Examples from earlier ages make the matter perfectly
clear, and later ages fear this offense most of all. You
speak of punishing those who slander the Law, but to do so
would violate the Buddha’s prohibitions. I can hardly
believe that such a course would be right. How can you
justify that?
The host said:
You have clearly seen the sutra passages that I have cited,
and yet you can ask a question like that! Are they beyond
the power of your mind to comprehend? Or do you fail to
understand the reasoning behind them? I certainly have no
intention of censuring the sons of the Buddha. My only
hatred is for the act of slandering the Law. According to
the Buddhist teachings, prior to Shakyamuni slanderous monks
would have incurred the death penalty. But since the time of
Shakyamuni, or One Who Can Forbear, the giving of alms for
slanderous monks is forbidden in the sutra teachings. Now if
all the four kinds of Buddhists within the four seas and the
ten thousand lands would only cease giving alms to wicked
priests and instead all come over to the side of the good,
then how could any more troubles rise to plague us or
disasters come to confront us?
With this the
guest moved off his mat in a gesture of respect,
straightened the collar of his robe, and said: The Buddhist
teachings vary greatly and it is difficult to investigate
each doctrine in full. I have had many doubts and
perplexities and have been unable to distinguish right from
wrong.
Nevertheless,
this work by the sage Honen, the Senchaku shu, does
in fact exist. And it lumps together all the various
Buddhas, sutras, bodhisattvas and deities and says that one
should "discard, close, ignore and abandon" them. The
meaning of the text is perfectly clear. And as a result of
this, the sages have departed from the nation, the
benevolent deities have left their dwelling places, hunger
and thirst fill the world, and disease and pestilence spread
abroad.
Now, by citing
passages from a wide variety of scriptures, you have clearly
demonstrated the rights and wrongs of the matter. Therefore
I have completely forsaken my earlier mistaken convictions,
and my ears and eyes have been opened on point after point.
There can be no
doubt that all persons, from the ruler down to the common
people, rejoice in and desire the stability of the nation
and the peace of the world. If we can quickly put an end to
the alms that are given to these icchantikas and insure that
continuing support is instead given to the host of true
priests and nuns, if we can still these "white waves" that
trouble the Ocean of the Buddha and cut down these "green
groves" that overgrow the Mountain of the Law, then the
world may become as peaceful as it was in the golden ages of
Fu Hsi and Shen Nung, and the nation may flourish as it did
under the sage rulers Yao and Shun. After that, there will
be time to dip into the Waters of the Law and to decide
which are shallow doctrines and which are deep, and to pay
honor to the pillars and beams that support the House of the
Buddha.
The host
exclaimed with delight: The dove has changed into a hawk,
the sparrow into a clam! How gratifying! You have
transformed yourself through your association with [me,] a
friend in the orchid room, just as the mugwort growing in
the hemp field becomes straight. If you will truly give
consideration to the troubles I have been describing and put
entire faith in these words of mine, then the winds will
blow gently, the waves will be calm, and in no time at all
we will enjoy bountiful harvests. But a person’s heart may
change with the times, and the nature of a thing may alter
with its surroundings. Just as the moon on the water will be
tossed about by the waves, or the soldiers in the vanguard
will be cowed by the swords of the enemy, so, although at
this moment you may say you believe in my words, I fear that
later you will forget them completely. Now if we wish first
of all to bring security to the nation and to pray for our
present and future lives, then we must hasten to examine and
consider the situation and take measures as soon as possible
to remedy it.
Why do I say
this? Because, of the seven types of disasters described in
the Yakushi Sutra, five have already occurred. Only
two have yet to appear, the calamity of invasion from
foreign lands and the calamity of revolt within one’s own
domain. And of the three calamities mentioned in the
Daijuku Sutra, two have already made their appearance.
Only one remains, the disaster of warfare.
The different
types of disaster and calamity enumerated in the Konkomyo
Sutra have arisen one after the other. Only that described
as marauders from other regions invading and plundering the
nation has yet to materialize. This is the only trouble that
has not yet come. And of the seven disasters listed in the
Ninno Sutra, six are now upon us in full force. Only
one has not yet appeared, the calamity that occurs "when
enemies rise up on all four sides and invade the nation."
Moreover, as the
Ninno Sutra says, "When a nation becomes disordered,
it is the spirits which first show signs of rampancy.
Because the spirits become rampant, all the people of the
nation become disordered."
Now if we
examine the present situation carefully in the light of this
passage, we will see that the various spirits have for some
time been rampant, and many of the people have perished. If
the first predicted misfortune in the sutra has already
occurred, as is obvious, then how can we doubt that the
later disasters will follow? If, in punishment for the evil
doctrines that are upheld, the troubles that have yet to
appear should fall upon us one after the other, then it will
be too late to act, will it not?
Emperors and
kings have their foundation in the state and bring peace and
order to the age; ministers and commoners hold possession of
their fields and gardens and supply the needs of the world.
But if marauders come from other regions to invade the
nation, or if revolt breaks out within the domain and
people’s lands are seized and plundered, how can there be
anything but terror and confusion? If the nation is
destroyed and families are wiped out, then where can one
flee for safety? If you care anything about your personal
security, you should first of all pray for order and
tranquillity throughout the four quarters of the land,
should you not?
It seems to me
that, when people are in this world, they all fear what
their lot may be in the life to come. So it is that they put
their faith in heretical doctrines, and pay honor to
slanderous teachings. It distresses me that they should be
so confused about right and wrong, and at the same time I
feel pity that, having embraced Buddhism, they should have
chosen the wrong kind. With the power of faith that is in
their hearts, why must they recklessly give credence to
heretical doctrines? If they do not shake off these
delusions that they cling to but continue to harbor
distorted views, then they will quickly leave this world of
the living and surely fall into the hell of incessant
suffering.
Thus the
Daijuku Sutra says: "Though the ruler of a state may
have for countless existences in the past practiced the
giving of alms, observed the precepts and cultivated wisdom,
if he sees that my teaching is in danger of perishing and
stands idly by without doing anything to protect it, then
all the inestimable roots of goodness that he has planted
through the practices just mentioned will be entirely wiped
out. . . . Before long, the ruler will fall gravely ill, and
after his life has come to an end, he will be reborn in the
great hell. . . . And the same fate will befall the ruler’s
consort, his heir, the high ministers of the state, the
lords of cities, the village heads and generals, the
magistrates of districts, and the government officials."
The Ninno
Sutra states: "If persons destroy the teachings of the
Buddha, they will have no filial sons, no harmony with their
six kinds of relatives, and no aid from the heavenly deities
and dragons. Disease and evil spirits will come day after
day to torment them, disasters will descend on them
incessantly, and misfortunes will dog them wherever they go.
And when they die, they will fall into the realms of hell,
hungry spirits and animals. Even if they should be reborn as
human beings, they will be destined to become soldiers or
slaves. Retribution will follow as an echo follows a sound
or a shadow follows a form. Someone writing at night may put
out the lamp, but the words he has written will still
remain. It is the same with the effect of the deeds which we
carry out for ourselves in the threefold world."
The second
volume of the Lotus Sutra says: "If a person fails to have
faith but instead slanders this sutra . . . When his life
comes to an end, he will enter the Avichi hell." And in the
Fukyo chapter in the seventh volume, it says: "For a
thousand kalpas they underwent great suffering in the Avichi
hell."
In the Nirvana
Sutra we read: "If a person separates himself from good
friends, refuses to listen to correct teachings and instead
embraces evil teachings, then as a result he will sink down
into the Avichi hell, where the size of his body will become
eighty-four thousand yojanas in total length and breadth."
When we examine
this wide variety of sutras, we find that they all stress
how grave a matter it is to slander the Law. How pitiful,
that people should all go out of the gate of the correct
teaching and enter so deep into the prison of these
heretical doctrines! How stupid, that they should fall one
after another into the snares of these evil doctrines, and
remain for so long entangled in this net of slanderous
teachings! They lose their way in these mists and miasma’s,
and sink down amid the raging flames of hell. How could we
not grieve? How could we not suffer?
Therefore you
must quickly reform the tenets that you hold in your heart
and embrace the one true vehicle, the single good doctrine
[of the Lotus Sutra]. If you do so, then the threefold world
will become the Buddha land, and how could a Buddha land
ever decline? The regions in the ten directions will all
become treasure realms, and how could a treasure realm ever
suffer harm?
If you live in a
country that knows no decline or diminution, in a land that
suffers no harm or disruption, then your body will find
peace and security and your mind will be calm and
untroubled. You must believe my words, heed what I say!
The guest said:
Since it concerns both this life and the lives to come, who
could fail to be cautious in a matter such as this? Who
could fail to agree with you? Now when I examine the
passages you have cited from the sutras and see exactly what
the Buddha has said, I realize that slandering is a very
grave fault indeed, that violating the Law is in truth a
terrible offense. I have put all my faith in one Buddha
alone, Amida, and rejected all the other Buddhas. I have
honored the three Pure Land sutras and set aside the other
sutras. But this was not due to any distorted ideas of my
own conception. I was simply obeying the words of the
eminent men of the past. And the same is true of all the
other persons in the ten directions.
But now I
realize that to do so means to exhaust oneself in futile
efforts in this life, and to fall into the Avichi hell in
the life to come. The texts you have cited are perfectly
clear on this point and their arguments are detailed -- they
leave no room for doubt. From now on, with your kind
instruction to guide me, I wish to continue dispelling the
ignorance from my mind. I hope we may set about as quickly
as possible taking measures to deal with these slanders
against the Law and to bring peace to the world without
delay, thus insuring that we may live in safety in this life
and enjoy good fortune in the life to come. But it is not
enough that I alone should accept and have faith in your
words — we must see to it that others as well are warned of
their errors!
Major
Writings of Nichiren Daishonin; Vol. 2, p. 3 - 46.
