Gosho 佐渡御書 Letter from Sado

畜生の心は弱きをおどし強きをおそる当世の学者等は畜生の如し

It is the nature of beasts to threaten the weak and fear the strong. Our contemporary scholars of the various schools are just like them.

The nature of the world of animality is to intimidate the weak and fear the strong. The scholars of today are similar to those in the world of animality.

智者の弱きをあなづり王法の邪をおそる諛(ゆ)臣(しん)と申すは是なり

They despise a wise man without power, but fear evil rulers. They are no more than fawning retainers.

They despise a man of wisdom who has no power, while they fear the sovereign, even if his acts are spiteful. Such is the nature of fawning vassals.

強敵(ごうてき)を伏(ふく)して始(はじめ)て力(りき)士(し)をしる、

Only by defeating a powerful enemy can one prove one’s real strength.

The only way a man can prove that he is a person of courage is by defeating a formidable enemy.

悪王の正法を破るに邪法の僧等が方人(かたうど)をなして智者を失はん時は師子(しし)王(おう)の如くなる心をもてる者必ず仏になるべし例せば日蓮が如し、

When an evil ruler in consort with priests of erroneous teachings tries to destroy the correct teaching and do away with a man of wisdom, those with the heart of a lion king are sure to attain Buddhahood. Like Nichiren, for example.

When an evil ruler tries to destroy the correct Law and heretical priests support his efforts to slay a man of wisdom, a person with a strong mind, like a lion, the king of beasts, will never fail to attain Buddhahood. Nichiren is a case in point.

これおごれるにはあらず正法を惜(おし)む心の強(ごう)盛(じょう)なるべし

I say this not out of arrogance, but because I am deeply committed to the correct teaching.

I am not saying this out of arrogance. Rather, it is because I would have profound regrets if the true Law were lost.

おごれる者は必ず強敵に値(あい)ておそるる心出来するなり例せば修羅(しゅら)のおごり帝釈(たいしゃく)にせめられて無(む)熱(ねっ)池(ち)の蓮(はちす)の中に小身と成(なり)て隠(かく)れしが如し

An arrogant person will always be overcome with fear when meeting a strong enemy, as was the haughty asura who shrank in size and hid himself in a lotus blossom in Heat-Free Lake when reproached by Shakra.

Fear always arises in the hearts of arrogant people when they encounter a strong enemy. They are just arrogant Asura who shrank in terror and hid himself in a lotus flower in the Lake Anavatapta when he was denounced by Heavenly King Taishaku.

つづく　Continued

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