The Third Remonstration with the Nation
On April eighth in the 11th year of Bunnei (1274), Nichiren Daishonin met with Hei-no saemon-no-jo Yoritsuna and several other Kamakura government officials.
Although Hei-no saemon-no-jo had taken a threatening attitude toward Nichiren Daishonin during the Tatsunokuchi affairs, this time, he welcomed the Daishonin with a gentle demeanor. He asked some questions, including the possibility of attaining Buddhahood through the pre-Lotus Sutra teachings, and the timing of the Mongol attack.
Nichiren Daishonin replied that the Buddhist sects based on the pre-Lotus Sutra teachings could not lead their followers to attain Buddhahood. He also admonished them, stating that, if the Kamakura government continued its policy of ordering the priests of the Shingon sect to offer prayers for protection from the Mongo invasion, Japan would fall into decay without fail. The Daishonin further warned that since the guardian deities obviously wer angry, it was certain that the Mongol attack would occur within the year The Daishonin therefore admonished Hei-no sacmon-no-jo to immediately discard all erroneous doctrines and embrace the Daishonin’s true Buddhism.
Among the Daishonin’s warnings, the government officials were only afraid that his prediction of a foreign invasion actually would come true. They made an offer to establish a temple for the Daishonin in Kamakura. But they also asked him to agree to offer prayers for the peace and security of the nation together with the priests of other sects. The Daishonin completely rejected their proposal.
The Daishonin had no desire for fame or the power of government patronage. Rather, his aspiration was only to lead the people to take faith in the true Law and realize a peaceful land by vanquishing the cause of misfortune, that is, heretical teachings.
Kaga-no-hoin’s Prayer for Rain
Having seen the hopeless situation in which the wells had dried up and the crops had withered due to frequent droughts, the Kamakura government decided to take measures by ordering Kaga-no-hoin, the chief priest of the Amidado Hall in Kamakura, to conduct a ritual prayer for rain, despite the Daishonin’s third remonstration that the government should never order or request prayers to be made by the Shingon sect.
This priest was a high-ranking monk, enjoying the greatest prestige at that time. As the principal scholar of Toji Temple, the central temple of the Shingon sect in Kyoto at that time, he was said to have mastered the secret arts of the Shingon sect and to have thoroughly learned various other teachings, such as Kegon and Tendai.
On April tenth of the 11th year of Bunnei (1274), Kaga-no-hoin started to pray for rain. On the following day, it started to rain. All day long, there was no wind blowing and the rain quietly continued.
Hojo Tokimune, the regent of the Kamakura government, was so impressed that he gave the monk a variety of rewards, such as gold and horses.
Thus, all the people in Kamakura mocked the Daishonin, and said, “Although Nichiren was about to be beheaded due to the propagation of his incorrect teachings, he luckily survived. Despite that, he continues to slander the Nembutsu and Zen sects rather than conduct himself properly. He is even slandering the Shingon sect. This time, the prayer for rain came true with the Shingon esoteric teaching. This serves as a good example of its power. Nichiren’s doctrines were defeated, and the Shingon sect won a victory.”
Even some of the Daishonin’s disciples began to harbor doubts. They wondered, “Our master insists that prayers for rain based on the teachings of Shingon never will be answered, but his teaching might be wrong.” Upon hearing this, the Daishonin explained to them as follows:
If the evil doctrines of Kobo41, who is revered as a great teacher in the Shingon sect, were true and prayers based on his teachings were beneficial for the nation, then Emperor Gotoba, who was exiled to Oki Island, should have been victorious during the Jokyu Incident. Kobo wrote in the Treatise of the Ten Stages of the Mind (Ju jushin-ron) that the
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41 Kobo [774-835]: Also known as Kukai or the Great Teacher Kobo, who founded the Shingon sect in Japan. The Daishonin refuted this sect, saying. “Shingon will ruin the Ration
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Lotus Sutra is inferior even to the Flower Garland Sutra to the Secret Treasury (Hizo Moreover, in The Precious Key hoyaku) he stated that Shakyamuni Buddha, who is described in the furye chapter of the Lotus Sutra, is nothing but a common mortal. He called the Great Teacher Tiantai a thief. and furthermore claimed that the Buddha who preached the Lotus Sutra, the teaching of the one vehicle of Buddhahood, was inferior even to the sandal-bearer of Great Sun Tathagata Kaga-no-hoin is a disciple of Kobo, who taught these heretical doctrines. How could he possibly defeat me in a challenge to pray for rain? If he could do that, then the Dragon King, who brings forth the rain, would become an enemy of the Lotus Sutra. He would be strictly punished by the Heavenly Kings Daibon and Taishaku” and the Four Heavenly Kings. Thus, there must be a deep reason for this appearance of rain.
(Gosho, pp. 1068-1069 [Summary])
