４.Shinyo – June,1994

DECREE

This is a momentous year, a year in which we must more than ever work to restore the way of our founder, move forward toward widespread propagation of the Daishonin’s Buddhism (Kosen-rufu), and forge real itai daoshin. This is the year I have designated for the Great Gathering of Sixty Thousand Believers. Since the beginning of the year priesthood and laity have together been assiduously challenging the chanting of sixty billion Daimoku over one hundred days, following the example set in the Ho’ei era. Amassing merit through this Daimoku, we shall establish a new Tower of Sixty-thousand and open the way for the widespread propagation of the Daishonin’s Buddhism into the boundless future. With respect to this I hereby proclaim the following two tenets.

 The first tenet is to progress toward true Kosen-rufu based on harmony between priesthood and laity. From the latter half of the 1940s onwards, Nichiren Shoshu witnessed the promotion of Kosen-rufu by the Soka Gakkai. However, this took the form of marked overemphasis on the role of the laity. The vice of arrogance, which arose from that overemphasis in due course, increased year by year. In 1977 this reached the point that the doctrinal deviations and slanderous actions of the Soka Gakkai became intolerable. Nichiren Shoshu gave them guidance to correct those errors, and for a time they appeared to have rectified their mistakes. However, since 1990, the year that marked the 700th anniversary of the founding of the Head Temple, the Soka Gakkai has once again degenerated into a group that is brazenly slandering the Law. Owing to their contempt for and opposition to both Nichiren Shoshu and the path of the priest hood, they have gone so far as to utterly repudiate the Three Treasures of the Buddhism of the Sowing. Nichiren Shoshu has thereupon taken appropriate measures in order to protect the Law. Accordingly, this year in particular is the time to return to our traditional way of faith and prepare ourselves to unceasingly progress toward true Kosen-rufu in which priesthood and laity are solidly united together.

The second tenet is to affirm our great objective with respect to the High Sanctu ary of the Essential Teachings. Kosen-rufu, our great objective as followers of Nichiren Shoshu, lies in the actualization of the High Sanctuary as the Daishonin revealed in “The Law that Nichiren Propagated throughout His Life” and in “On the Three Great Secret Laws” founded on His great compassion to save all living beings. The Soka Gakkai has put forth various opinions on this matter based on their egocentric and self-serving views about Kosen-rufu. When, however, one approaches the instructions of the Daishonin honestly, through these two sacred scriptures, one will deeply perceive through faith that the establishment of the High Sanctuary of the Essential Teachings and the manifestation of the True Law of Precepts are indeed one, and occur simultaneously. Now is the time for us to begin our great stride forward toward the realization of this High Sanctuary, our great objective for the future. Through the merit and benefit thus accumulated we will accomplish the propagation of the Daishonin’s teachings throughout the world, ensure the salvation of all people, and contribute to world peace, ultimately effecting the purification of the whole universe.

With respect to the above, we must act to refute mistaken teachings and reveal the truth through itai dubin, the unification of priesthood and laity in their hearts as one: itai dosbin that is forever rooted in our pledge to work for Kosen-rufu.

We ask all priests and lay believers to follow these tenets and strive to build an ever more steadfast foundation for Kosen-rufu.

February 16, 1994
Nichiren Shoshu High Priest
Nikken Abe

Gosho Lecture by High Priest Nikken Shonin

“The Gift of Rice”

The following is a lecture on the “The Gift of Rice” given by High Priest Nikken Shonin on September 14, 1989, for the ceremony commemorating the completion of a new main hall for Shohenji Temple. In this issue, we present the first half of the High Priest’s lecture. The second half will appear in the next issue of Shinyo. Please refer to Volume One of The Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, pages 267 to 270 for the text of the Gosho itself. Where the Gosho has been translated differently here, this will be indicated in footnotes.

I was invited here today to conduct the temple completion ceremony for this splendid new main hall of Shohenji Temple, which has been built based on the vow made by the chief priest and through the support of the lay members of this temple.

Together with all of you, I have just expressed my thanks in repayment of our debt of gratitude to the Three Treasures of Buddhism. In addition, I have reported to the Gohonzon that has been enshrined in this admirable hall the profound spirit of offering held in the hearts of the chief priest and lay members of this temple.

I have also expressed my strong wish for the development of unity between priests and lay members. Finally, I have expressed my desire for the prosperity of this temple, the prosperity of the True Law in this district, and for your continued growth in faith and practice.

The chief priest asked me to give a lecture on this occasion, so I would like to talk about “The Gift of Rice” Gosho, which we have just read.

The original manuscript of “The Gift of Rice” is still at Taisekiji. However, it is not clear to whom this letter was addressed. Most of Nichiren Daishonin’s letters bear the name of the person to whom the letter was addressed. For example, in the case of letters to Nanjo Tokimitsu, they are addressed “Reply to Lord Ueno” or “Reply to Lord Nanjo. However, there are occasionally cases where, for various reasons, the name of the recipi ent is not written, or where that part of the letter has been lost over such a long period of time. This Gosho is one of those cases. Since the end of the letter has been lost, it is impossible to know to whom this letter was written.

Judging from the contents of the letter, however, I am convinced that it was written to Nanjo Shichiro Jiro Taira no Tokimitsu, the founding patron of Taisekiji, who welcomed Nikko Shonin to his lands at the foot of Mount Fuji and donated the land upon which the head temple, Taisekiji, was established. I wanted to explain that first, before going into the Gosho itself.

Now, as it is printed in the Gosho Zenshu¹, the last section of this Gosho from, “Because I am not a person who relishes sumptuous food,,,,,,” to  the end² actually belongs to a completely different Gosho. There may be some people who have sensed that the sentence, “Therefore, it is obvious that rice is not merely rice but life itself,” is not consistent with the portion that follows. If you noticed that in your reading of this Gosho, your reading comprehension is rather remarkable.

The Daishonin’s letters were all written on sheets of Japanese paper. In order to organize and protect the sheets, they were bound together into long scrolls with protective coverings. However, so many letters were written to Lord Nanjo that some of the pages were put together in the wrong order. This happened very rarely, but this is the reason, then, why the portion beginning with, “Because I am not a person who relishes sumptuous food…..” appears as the last portion of the “Gift of Rice” Gosho in the Gesbo Zenshu that you all have.

However, in reality, this portion belongs to the Enbudai-chu Gosho. I think you will understand this if you look for yourself. The last portion of the Enbudai-chu Gosho reads:

Although I had no intention of retreating, I sometimes felt bitter. (Zenshu p. 1590)

One character is missing at the end of this passage, but we can tell that it should have been either shi or su³. If this sentence with the missing character is followed by, “Because I am not a person who relishes sumptuous food….” then we can assume that the missing character would be shi. In that case, “Because I am not a person who relishes sumptuous food….” would fit quite well in terms of content and meaning.

Also, because the paper and writing brushes used in the letters written by Nichiren Daishonin differed depending on the time and circumstances when those letters were written, it is possible to determine which elements should go together by examining those characteristics. That is to say, the paper, writing brush, and sumi ink should be the same for letters written at the same time. For example, there may be differences in the quality and color of the paper, differences in the appearance of the characters depending on whether the tip of the writing brush was new or had become rounded with use, or differences in the shade or intensity of the sumi ink. One can determine whether two parts were parts of the same Gosho or parts of different Goshos based on these things. If they are from the same Gosho, these factors should be consistent throughout.

For these reasons as well, it is clear that, “Because I am not a person who relishes sumptuous food .” should follow the sentence, “Although I had no intention of retreating, I sometimes felt bitter.”

Therefore, in the Showa Shintei Gosho⁴, which was published by Taisekiji and which contains detailed scholarly notations, the portion beginning with the sentence, “Because I am not a person who relishes sumptuous food….” is in the Enbudai-chu Gosho.

Today, however, we are reading from the Gosho Zenshu that you have, so I would like to talk a little more about the passage beginning with, “Because I am not a person who relishes sumptuous food…”

When I read this sentence, I pronounced the Chinese characters [for the word that means “sumptuous food”] as mijiki, however, nowadays, this word is read bishoku as in bishokuka [gourmet]. I think that the proper reading of these characters in the Daishonin’s time was mijiki.

In the Daishonin’s time, mijiki meant “delicious meal,” which is the meaning that the word written with these characters also has today. But at the same time this word also has the meaning of a very high-class and extravagant meal. Therefore, the sentence, “Because I am not a person who relishes sumptuous food suggests that this is the sort of person who not only has no desire for a luxurious meal, but is also not concerned about matters of clothing, food, shelter, money, or fame. This has a very profound meaning when read as the final element of the Enbudaichu Gosho.

Nichiren Daishonin encountered various kinds of hardship because He read and practiced the Lotus Sutra with His life as the votary of the Lotus Sutra in Mappo. He was persecuted and hated by the rulers of the nation as well as by the people as a whole and endured many hardships.

Minor persecutions and annoyances are too numerous even to be counted, but the major persecutions number four. (MW, vol. 2, p. 114; Zenshu, p. 200)

There was His exile to Izu in the first year of Kocho [1261], followed by the attack by Tojo Saemon no Jo Kagenobu and other Nembutsu believers at Komatsubara in Awa province in November of the first year of Bun’ei [1264]. They ambushed and attacked the Daishonin and His followers with swords, spears, and bows and arrows in order to kill the Daishonin, but they failed. At that time, disciples of the Daishonin named Kyoninbo and Kudo Yoshitaka were killed in their efforts to protect the Daishonin.

Then, on the twelfth of September, in the eighth year of Bun’ei [1271], as the result of a plot by Ryokan of Gokurakuji temple, Hei no Saemon no Jo Yoritsuna, together with hundreds of his followers, attacked the Daishonin’s dwelling at Matsubagayatsu. Although the Daishonin was innocent of any wrongdoing, they attempted to behead Him at Tatsunokuchi. They failed and Nichiren Daishonin was then exiled to Sado. The day before yesterday, on September 12, we conducted the ceremony commemorating the Tatsunokuchi Persecution and expressed our appreciation to the Daishonin. It was in these ways, then, that He encountered various persecutions.

In the Enbudai-chu Gosho He said, “I sornetimes felt bitter.” Then the statement about “sumptuous food” follows.

The Kamakura shogunate had persecuted the Daishonin many times, but since everything Nichiren Daishonin prophesied actually came true, they at last granted Him a pardon from His exile to Sado, and on April 8 of the eleventh year of Bun’ei [1274] they called Him to the palace in order to ask various questions. This was an age when, if someone were exiled to Sado Island, it was impossible for that person to come back alive. Therefore, the Kamakura shogunate’s call for Nichiren Daishonin to return from Sado Island was truly unprecedented.

At the palace, Nichiren Daishonin argued that “Zen is an act of the Devil King⁵” and that “Nembutsu is a teaching that leads to the hell of incessant suffering⁶“, citing passages of proof from the sutras one by one. In addition, when Hei no Saemon asked the Daishonin, “The Mongols are said to be going to attack, when do you think they will do it? the Daishonin replied:

The sacred scriptures do not indicate the time. But the signs show that Heaven is more than a little angry. It would appear that the attack is imminent and will probably occur before this year has ended!
(MW, vol 3, p. 172, Zerubu, p. 287-288)

This famous statement is found in” The Selection of the Time Gosho⁷“. The sutras do not indicate specific times for such events. However, the Daishonin clearly stated that since the anger of the protective gods was so great, the Mongols would. surely attack before the end of the year. In October of that year, as He had predicted, the Mongols attacked Japan. This famous historical event is called the “Bun’ei War⁸.”

Historical documents from later generations indicate that since the Daishonin had precisely predicted what would happen, the Kamakura shogunate tried to strike a bargain. with him. The Shogunate offered to build a hall called the “Aizendo” for Nichiren Daishonin and to donate 1,000 che of land to Him (9,917 km², or 2,450 acres). In return, the shogunate wanted Nichiren Daishonin to invoke the power of the Law to pray for the peace and tranquillity of the country. Furthermore, they asked Nichiren Daishonin to stop saying that Nembutsu is a teaching that leads to the hell of incessant suffering.

The Daishonin never wrote anything about this offer Himself. I think that for Nichiren Daishonin this kind of offer was not worth mentioning in writing. In any event, the Daishonin firmly refused this deal.

I believe this to be a historical truth. The proof of this is that the part of the Gosho which we read awhile ago, “Because I am not a person who relishes sumptuous food…” is talking, of course, about Nichiren Daishonin Himself. In other words, the Daishonin is saying, “I do not seek honor or prosperity.”

With the sentence, “Because I am not a person who relishes sumptuous food, and there was nothing more I could do, I retired to the forest,” the Daishonin is indicating His own behavior. He is saying that He is not teaching the doctrine of the Lotus Sutra in order to win honor and profit, such as being appointed the steward of the Aizendo or being granted a thousand cho of land. If it meant that He could not preach the Law correctly, He would never accept such an offer.

The Daishonin’s purpose in preaching the True Law was to save all human beings. Therefore, when we see the life condition of the True Buddha who established the deep meaning of the Three Great Secret Laws for the people of the ten thousand years of Mappo ー that is, one who never paid attention to mundane honor and fortune, and who recited the Lotus Sutra while living isolated at Mount Minobu with very poor clothing, food and shelter ー we feel that we also should try not to be a slave to trivial fame and fortune.

The way I feel about it is that, no matter what, we must make the Law the center of our lives, protect the correctness of Nichiren Daishonin’s teachings forever and spread them widely.

The following sentences ー “I retired to the forest. I am an ordinary man and find it hard to endure the winter’s cold or the summer’s heat. Nor do I have enough to eat” (MW, vol. 1, p. 269) ー are stated as if Nichiren Daishonin were an “ordinary man.”” However, here He is talking about the difficulty of enduring the cold, difficulty of escaping the heat, and scarcity of food in His life at Mt. Minobu from the standpoint of an “ordinary man” endowed with the inner realization of the Original Buddha of kuon ganjo.

The sentence, “I could never match the feat of the man said to have walked ten thousand ri on a single meal,” leads me to suspect that there must have been an old saying to the effect that someone was only able to eat one meal during the course of a very long journey. From this anecdote we can understand that the Daishonin’s circumstances were terribly severe and difficult to endure.

The passage, “or that of Confucius and his grandson, who ate only nine meals in one hundred days, emphasizes that the life of Nichiren Daishonin at Minobu was equivalent to this anecdote and thus hard to endure.

Therefore, Nichiren Daishonin says that, “Without food, I could not long continue to recite (MW, vol 1, p. 269) These statements are made, of course, in order to emphasize how deeply Nichiren Daishonin appreciated Lord Nanjo’s offerings.

“Thus, your offerings are more than mere gifts. Perhaps the Lord Buddha himself advised you to care for me, or it might be that your karma from the past has impelled you to do so. It is impossible to say all I want to in this letter. With my deep respect.” (MW, vol 1, pp. 269-270). This expression of apprecia tion ends this passage. This portion, as I mentioned before, should be the last part of the Enbudai-chu Gosho.

Now, going back to what I was saying before, the last part of the “Gift of Rice Gosho in the Gosho Zenshu should be the passage, “rice is not rice but life itself.” This is the passage which comes just before, “Because I am not a person who relishes sumptuous food……”
There were presumably some additional sentences at the end of this letter, but unfortunately the pages which should follow are missing. This is a truly re-grettable thing, but today many of the original manuscripts of the Daishonin’s Gosho have missing parts. All over Japan there are many letters by Nichiren Daishonin from which only two or three lines remain.

Therefore, I would like to examine the meaning of this Gosho by considering the passage, “Rice is not rice, but life itself,” to be the last words of this Gosho.

Of course, since this was a letter, Nichiren Daishonin did not Himself give it the title “The Gift of Rice.” People in later days gave it this title because the beginning of the letter says “I have received the sack of rice…..”

Now, I would like to explain the actual contents of the letter. “I have received the sack of rice, the sack of taro and the basket of riverplants which you were so good as to send me by your servants.” (MW, vol. 1, p. 267) “Taro” is a kind of [small, sticky potato-like] vegetable which has a hair-like fringe. On the way here, I saw a sign which read Taro producing district,’ so I assume that this area is famous for its taro. Anyway, the Daishonin first expresses His appreciation to Lord Nanjo for sending Him those items.

As a matter of fact, the meaning of offerings is the main idea which runs throughout “The Gift of Rice Gosho. As I mentioned earlier, I believe that it was Nanjo Tokimitsu who made these offerings to Nichiren Daishonin. Nichiren Daishonin used the truly profound meaning of Buddhism to reply to Lord Nanjo’s intent in mak-ing this offering.

It is very important to make offerings, but offerings themselves do not reveal the wisdom to perceive the Buddha nature¹⁰ , the direct cause for spiritual realization, or lead directly to attainment of Buddhahood. Chanting Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo is the only way to attain Buddhahood. However, offerings create great merit to aid in the attainment of Buddhahood, and thus are one of the supporting conditions for enlightenment.

Shinshoki, kanshoki, and shijoki are three principles explained in the “Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra ^11“ The first of these, shinshoki, is the fundamental basis of all three. This is the principle that everything that exists has its own nature and that this is not illusion, but is reality.

Next, kansboki is the function of wisdom, through which one views things correctly, breaks through illusion, and manifests realization.

The shi in the term shijoki means “to help” and jo means “to achieve.” Therefore, shijoki refers to the ten thousand, ie. innu-merable, deeds which help one to achieve the wisdom that leads to the attainment of Bud-dhahood

It is impossible for us to live on our own. We live by helping one another. It is no exaggeration to say that we have interdepen-dent relationships not only with our families, but also with the community, the nation and the entire earth.

The life of the individual is what is meant by the term “shinshoki.” In order to become happy, you examine the various things you see and by do-ing that, you expand the capacity of your life. This is what “kanshoki” means.

“Shijoki” refers to the things or actions around you which help you to develop your life condition. Shijoki could be your occupation, in-come, housing, clothing, your own behavior, etc. Anyway, all the things which surround you are “supporting conditions” and through their func-tioning, you can open the path to happiness.

What is the basis for our goal of attaining Buddhahood?  It is the primary practice. In Mappo, the five or seven characters ¹² of Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo are the name of the truth to which the Original Buddha of kuon ganjo is en-lightened, the entity of virtue itself, and the mystic functioning of cause and effect. It is taught that these characters encompass [the five major principles]:¹³ name, entity, quality, function, and teach-ing.

Upholding faith in the five or seven charac-ters of Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo and chanting Daimoku to the Gohonzon encompasses all three [factors that lead to revelation of the Buddha nature] the innate Buddha nature, the wisdom to perceive the Buddha nature, and the good actions to develop the Buddha nature and this is the way that one develops spiritual awakening based on the wisdom to perceive the Buddha nature and attains benefit.

However, in “The Gift of Rice” Gosho which we just read, there is no special mention of chanting Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo. It may have been discussed in the portion of the Gosho which has been lost.

The theme that runs throughout “The Gift of Rice” Gosho is that in addition to receiving and upholding Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo there are various kinds of important things which one might refer to as “external relations”; when these “external relations” become one with the essential practice of Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, only then will one achieve the great benefit of attaining Buddhahood.

Therefore, when the Daishonin states at the beginning of “The Gift of Rice” Gosho that He had received a sack of rice, He is praising Nanjo Tokimitsu’s incredibly admirable spirit to make of-ferings as well as the importance of making offer-ings as a supporting condition of enlightenment.

Some of you might think that since Lord Nanjo was lord of the Ueno estate, donated a large piece of land to Nikko Shonin, and was a major supporter of Taisekiji, he must have been a very wealthy man. However, at the time he made those offerings to the Daishonin, he was experiencing a life of great difficulty and poverty.

Let us look at another letter from the Daishonin addressed to Lord Nanjo:

Moreover, your small village has been heavily taxed and its people have repeatedly been put to forced labor, until you yourself have no horse to ride, and your wife and children lack for clothing. Yet despite your own poverty, you felt sympathy for the vo-tary of the Lotus Sutra, thinking that he must be beleaguered by snow in the depths of the mountains and in want of food. So you have sent me one kan of coins. (MW, vol. 5, p. 309, Zenshu, p. 1575)

From this letter, we can see the conditions of Lord Nanjo’s life. Even though he was a warrior, he had no horse to ride, nor was there clothing for his wife and children. Despite these circum-stances, he donated one kan of coins to the Daishonin, which was a very large amount. From this, I think we can understand the excellence of Lord Nanjo’s faith.

Therefore, the main theme of this letter is Lord Nanjo’s noble spirit to make offerings and the deep significance of his offerings themselves. Nichiren Daishonin uses this as a means to teach the principle that the benefit of making such offer-ings will manifest itself as a “supporting condition” for Lord Nanjo to attain Buddhahood without fail.

Next, the Daishonin says, “Man has two kinds of treasure: clothing and food.” (MW vol 1, p. 267) The Daishonin cites food and clothing as the treasures that are indispensable for human beings to live.

Then He cites a passage from the sutra: “One sutra states, ‘All sentient beings live on food.” (MW, vol 1, p. 267) “Sentient beings” is a term used to contrast with insentient beings such as trees, rivers, grasses, and mountains, one may regard “sentient beings” as meaning animals. Therefore, in addition to human beings, birds, insects, and fish are also included in the category of sentient beings. This sutra passage explains that sentient beings are able to survive by eating.

Nichiren Daishonin explains the meaning of this passage as follows:

Man depends on food and clothing to survive in this world. For fish, water is the greatest treasure, and for trees, the soil in which they grow. Man’s life is sustained by what he eats. That is why food is his treasure. However, life itself is the most precious of all treasures. Even the treasures of the entire universe cannot equal the value of a single human life. Life is like a lamp, and food is like oil When the oil is gone, the flarne will die out, and without food, life will cease. (MW, vol. 1, p. 267; Zenshu p. 1596)

Nichiren Daishonin previously referred to clothing and food, and now He refers to shelter. Because fish live in the water, they treasure it. Likewise, since trees grow in the earth, they treasure the soil In short, sentient beings can survive because of the three treasures of clothing, food, and shelter.

Because the offering consisted of items of food, Nichiren Daishonin repeatedly emphasizes the importance of food to human life. And because Nichiren Daishonin and His many disciples at Minobu experienced extreme difficulty in obtaining food, He repeatedly emphasizes the preciousness of food.

Since the Japanese now live an affluent life, there are some people for whom eating delicious foods has become the purpose of life. Of course, nothing is wrong with eating delicious food.

However, if one disregards the principle of cause and effect or if one’s behavior is out of line with the laws of nature one will suffer the consequences. The attitude of people like us who correctly practice Buddhism should not be that of a person who is a slave to greed. In other words, we should not disregard the original significance of food.

In any case, sentient beings are able to live because of food. The Daishonin cites a sutra passage that teaches that life is the most precious of all treasures and that there is no treasure which is more important than life.

The Daishonin cited this sutra in order to show us that because food is what keeps us alive, it is for that reason a great treasure. At the same time, He praises Lord Nanjo, who had given food as an offering. In Buddhism, the preciousness of life is a fundamental principle and this is especially true in the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin.

(To be continued)

1  Gosho Zenshu: A collection of the works of Nichiren Daishonin. The full title is Nichiren Daishonin Goshe Zenshu (“Complete Writings of Nichiren Daishonin”). This edition of the Daishonin’s writings was supervised by 59th High Priest Hori Nichiko Shonin and was originally published by the Soka Gakkai in 1952. It is the collection most commonly used by Nichiren Shoshu believers.

2  This section appears on pp. 269-270 of vol. 1 of The Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin. As the High Priest will make clear further on, this last section of “The Gift of Rice Gosho is really the final portion of the Enbudai-chu Gosho. In the Major Writings the first sentence of this section is translated, “Because the regent would not taste the sumptuous food [of true Buddhism]. there was nothing more I could do, and so I retired to the forest. The word in the original that is translated as “regent” is actually just the word “hite” (person). The translation of the word “hite” (person) as “regent” was an interpretation of the translator; according to the High Priest’s sermon, however, this is referring to Nichiren Daishonin Himself. Therefore, we have retranslated this passage accordingly. Also, when this portion is read in this context, it is not correct to insert the clause, (of true Buddhism), because the “sumptuous food” was the offer by the shogunate of an inducement to Nichiren Daishonin to stop refuting Nembutau.

3  Shi or su would complete the inflection of the expression “to harm” in classical Japanese.

4 Showa Shintei Gosho: A three-volume edition of the Daishonin’s writings published by Taisekiji in 1966. The editing was supervised by the 66th High Priest, Hosoi Nittatsu Shonin. The full title is Showa Shintei Nichiren Daishonin Gosho (“New Showa Writings of Nichiren Daishonin”).

5  “Zen is an act of the Devil King is one of the “four refutations, sayings that summarize Nichiren Daishonin’s refutations of other schools of Buddhism. Each of these sayings is based on passages from the sutras. We will give abbreviated explanations of this here. The Zen sect argues that the real teachings of the Buddha are not contained in the sutras, and that Shakyamuni transmitted his true teachings to Mahakashyapa in a wordless transmission from one mind to another. Thus they show complete disregard for the sutras as the teachings of Shakyamuni. However, the Nirvana sutra states, “If there should be people who do not follow the teachings of the Buddha, you should know that they are the associates of the Devil King” This is why Zen is termed an “act of the Devil King.”

6  Another one of the four refutations. The Nembutsu (Pure Land) school of Buddhism teaches that believing in the mercy of Amida Buddha and chanting the Nembutsu (Namu Armida Buts) will enable one to be reborn in the Western Pure Land. However, the sutras on which this is based were provisional teachings, the Lotus Sutra teaches that one should “honestly discard ex pedient means (provisional teachings), and teach only the unsurpassed way.” (2nd chapter) Despite this, Honen, the founder of the Pure Land school in Japan, taught his followers to discard, close, disregard, and abandon sutras such as the Lotus Sutra. The Lotus Sutra teaches that “If a person does not have faith and instead slanders this sutra… at the end of that person’s life he will fall into the Avichi hell.” (3rd chapter) This why Nembutsu is said to lead to the Hell of Incessant Suffering (another name for the Avichi hell).

7  “The Selection of the Time”: Senji Sho

8 The “Bun’ei War” refers to the war to defend Japan against the first Mongol invasion of 1274. It was named after the Bun’ei era (1264-1274), when this war oc curred.

9  The word translated as “ordinary man in the Major Writings is bonbu, which is often translated as “common mortal.”

10  “Wisdom to perceive the Buddha nature”: Japanese ryo in-buuhe. One of the “three factors leading to revelation of the Buddha nature” (san-in busbe). (These have also been called the three inherent potentials of the Buddha nature.) These are the innate Buddha nature (the in-bunbe), the wisdom to perceive the Buddha nature (rye în bunbo), and various meritorious actions that aid this wisdom for development of the Buddha nature (en in-bunbo).

11  “Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra: the Hokke Gengi, one of the major treatises by the Great Teacher Tien-tai.

12  The “five or seven characters of Nam-Myoho-Renge Kyo” refers to the fact that five Chinese characters are used to write Myoho-Renge-Kyo and seven Chinese characters are used to write Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo

13  Five major principles: doctrine by which the Great Teacher Tien-t’ai elucidated the nature of Myoho-Renge-Kyo in the “Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra (Hokke Gengi).