27 December 1280 (Age: 59)
I have received one kan of coins.
In reply to your sincere spirit of offering, there is something I would like to explain but, please, do not misinterpret my intention by thinking that I am a greedy priest.
I will teach you the path to easily attain Buddhahood. To teach a person something is like greasing the wheels of a heavily loaded cart to ease its movement forward or floating a boat on water so it can effortlessly glide ahead. Similarly, the way to become a Buddha is not especially difficult. It is like giving water to the thirsty in a time of drought or the warmth of a fire to a freezing man. Or, it is like someone in a time of famine who offers his last treasured valuable and then when reduced to the point of death, he unexpectedly receives a gift of food.
Long ago in the land of a king called “Golden Hue” there was a twelve-year drought, which brought death to countless numbers of his subjects. In the river, corpses were piled up like bridges and on the land skeletons accumulated in mounds. In the face of this calamity, a great aspiration for enlightenment arose in King Golden Hue, moving him to bestow his vast reserves as alms upon his starving subjects. Finally, only five sho of rice remained in his storehouse to be distributed. The King’s ministers informed him that this last portion was just enough for him for a single day. Heedless of their cautions, King Golden Hue gave each of his starving people one, two, three or four grains of rice until nothing remained. Then, he turned to the heavens and called out; “In order to save my people from famine, I will starve myself to death.” Hearing his words, Heaven let fall the sacred, sweet rain of amrita1. As the rain fell upon their hands and faces, the people throughout the realm were nourished and instantly revived.
In India there was a wealthy man called Suddatta. He became poor seven times and became rich seven times. When he became destitute for the last time, all his servants died or ran away from his estate leaving only his wife and him. The couple had only five sho of rice between them. They were counting on this rice to last them for the next five days. But, when the five priests, Kashyapa, Shariputra, Ananda, Rahula and Shakyamuni Buddha, visited them one by one begging for food, Sudatta and his wife offered all their rice to them. Due to the merit of his actions, from that day on Sudatta became the richest man in all of India and built the Jetavana Monastery. From these examples you should understand everything.
You are like a votary of the Lotus Sutra as a monkey is similar to a human and the appearance of a rice cake is round and white like the moon. Due to the unconditional commitment and protection you gave my believers in Atsuhara, you have become widely regarded as a rebel like Masakado of the Shohei era or Sadato of the Tenki era. This is because you have dedicated your life to the Lotus Sutra. Heaven in no way considers you disloyal to your liege lord. Furthermore, despite your meager resources, you have been heavily burdened with many civic responsibilities leaving you unable to keep a horse or adequately clothe your wife and children.
In spite of all this, out of your concern for the Votary of the Lotus Sutra, and apprehension that he might be tormented by snow deep in the mountains and suffering from lack of food, you have made an offering of one kan of coins. This is like the poor woman and her husband giving their only robe to a mendicant monk or like Rida offering millet from his own bowl to a Pratyekabuddha. How splendid! How admirable! I will write again later.
With my deepest respect,
The twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month
Nichiren
In reply to Lord Ueno
Notes
1. In China the “sweet rain of amrita” was thought to rain down from heaven when the world becomes peaceful. In Buddhism, it is the water to heal suffering and give eternal life.
