1 April 1278 (Age: 57)
I have received a quarter-sack of polished rice, a horse-load of taro and five sections of konnyaku1, which you were kind enough to send.
First, concerning the daughter of Ishikawa Hyoe Nyudo, I often received letters from her. I believe it was on the evening of the 14th or the 15th day of the third month that her last letter arrived. In it, she said, “When I look at the world around me, it appears that even the healthy will have difficulty surviving this year. I have been ill for quite some time, but my condition has recently become critical and I think this letter to you may be my last.” And now she has already passed away.
The common belief among the people is that one who chants Namu-Amidabutsu2 at the last moment of life will surely go to the Pure Land, for the Buddha’s golden words taught so. And yet, Shakyamuni Buddha unexpectedly renounced this teaching stating, “I have not yet revealed the truth,” and “Honestly discarding expedient means [I preach only the unsurpassed way].” When I, Nichiren, aught the same thing, all Japan rose up in anger denouncing my vords as lies and fabrications.
There were other instances [of the Buddha reversing his earlier -achings]. In the Hinayana sutras, Shakyamuni taught that in all the n directions there was no other Buddha and that no other living beings possessed the Buddha nature. Yet in the Mahayana sutras, he revealed that Buddhas live in all the ten directions of the universe and that the Buddha nature is inherent within all living beings. How could anyone still believe in the Hinayana sutras? Naturally, since that time all people have placed their faith in the Mahayana sutras.
There are even more incomprehensible differences [between sutras). In the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni disclaimed all the sutras he had previously preached, currently preached and would preach, declaring only the Lotus Sutra to be the full and complete truth. But his disciples could not accept this. It was then that Taho Buddha arrived to lend his support [to Shakyamuni] and verify the truth of the Lotus Sutra, and all the Buddhas from throughout the ten directions concurred, extending their tongues up to the Brahma Heaven3. After that, Taho Buddha closed the door to the Treasure Tower and the assembled Buddhas returned to their original lands. Ever since that time, no sutra that Shakyamuni might preach could, even if he wished it to, ever supersede the Lotus Sutra, which had been unanimously affirmed supreme by all Buddhas. That is why the Universal Worthy Sutra (Fugen-gyo) and Nirvana Sutra, although preached later, praise the Lotus Sutra and do not detract from it in the least.
Even so, priests like Shan-wu-wei4 of the Shingon sect and the founders of the Zen school slander the Lotus Sutra, and the entire nation believes their assertions. In so doing, the Japanese have become like those who were misled into joining forces with the rebel warriors, Masakado5 and Sadato6. Since, for some years now, Japan has been the archenemy of Shakyamuni, Taho and all the Buddhas in the ten directions, the nation is now on the brink of annihilation. What is more, the one person who speaks the truth in denouncing these errors is persecuted and for this reason, disasters, one after another, are occurring. This land is incurring the retribution of Heaven.
What good fortune had this daughter [of Ishikawa Hyoe Nyudo] accumulated from her past lives? Chanting Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo at the moment of her death is like a one-eyed turtle7 encountering a floating sandalwood log [in the vast ocean] with a proper size hollow to crawl in, or like a thread lowered from the heavens passing through the eye of a needle on earth8. How amazing! How rare! Moreover, the sutras make it very clear that a person who chants the Nembutsu will definitely fall into the hell of incessant suffering, yet people in their ignorance, believe this is just something I, Nichiren, have made up! As is often said, “To view the heavens is like viewing one’s own eyelashes.” One can neither see his own eyelashes, which are too close, nor the heavens, which are too far. If my teachings had been false, Ishikawa’s daughter, Ama-gozen, could not have achieved a correct and steadfast mind at the moment of her death.
Some, among my disciples, profess to know the teachings well, but this attitude is incorrect. Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo is the heart of the Lotus Sutra. It is like the soul of a person. Venerating another teaching together with Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo is similar to an empress marrying two emperors or secretly committing adultery with a minister or a person of low rank. This could only result in disaster.
During the Former Day of the Law and the Middle Day of the Law this Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo was not propagated specifically in order not to deprive the other sutras of their power of benefit. Now, in this age of the Latter Day of the Law, neither the Lotus Sutra nor the other sutras have the power to save the people. Only Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo can lead all people to Buddhahood. This is not just my own interpretation. It is the judgement of Shakyamuni Buddha, Taho Buddha and all the Buddhas in the ten directions as well as the innumerable Bodhisattvas of the Earth. It is a grave offense to mix Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo with other teachings. After the sun has risen, of what use is a lamp? When rain falls, are not dewdrops superfluous? Would a mother feed her newborn infant anything other than her own milk? With good medicine, it is not necessary to add any other ingredients. Although Ishikawa’s daughter possessed no special knowledge of the teachings, she naturally practiced this profound principle and upheld the True Law, sincerely chanting Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo at the final moment of her life. How admirable!
With my deepest respect,
The first day of the fourth month in the first year of Koan
Nichiren
Ceply to Lord Ueno
Notes
1. Equivalent to about 1.8 liters. Konnyaku is an edible paste made from starch of the konnyaku plant, also known as the devil’s Ongue root.
2. Invocation used by the Nembutsu or Jodo sect, which means devotion to Amida Buddha, the Buddha of the Pure Land of Perfect Bliss.
3. The first of the four meditation heavens in the world of form.
4. The Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese name Shan-wu-wei is Zemmui (637-735). (Skt. Shubhakarasimha). Born a prince in India, he later abdicated the throne and entered the priesthood. He is known as the priest who first introduced the esoteric teachings (Shingon) to China from India.
5. Taira no Masakado (2-940), a powerful Japanese warrior of the Heian period (794-1192), who controlled the Shimotsuke Province in eastern Japan. He led a revolt against the Imperial Court, but was subdued in three months and executed.
6. Abe no Sadato (1019-1062), leader of an influential and powerful family in eastern Japan, who attempted to gain independence from the Imperial rule. In a battle against the Imperial army, he was defeated and killed.
7. A story from the Former Affairs of King Wonderful Adornment (Myoshogonno) Chapter of the Lotus Sutra used to express the rarity of being born human and encountering Buddhism.
8. From the Collection of Buddhist Terms (Hoon jurin), which expresses the difficulty of encountering the True Law.
