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日蓮大聖人『御書』解説

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2020年 07月 19日

9. Appearance of Female Believers. 2

Japanese edition


Nichiren preaches about woman believers still more.

“After the Buddha passed away, all women of modern times are living in the first 500 years after that 2000 years. Shakyamuni Buddha wrote that the present times are the genuine times of the woman who would attain Buddhahood. For example, there is much ice in winter, the flower is not rare in spring, and there is much grass in the summer, and the much fruit in autumn. The season rotates in this way. That the woman will attain Buddhahood in the present time is the same too. These are not problems, whether even if she is much arrogant, even if she is much folly, even if there is much anger, even if it has much greed, even if jealousy. To say nothing of the woman not having these faults.” Writings about the Woman Attains Buddhahood.’

Women received the marvelous Law by the faiths of the husband and kept it. They entered faiths as the man said, but they felt interest in the teachings that woman would become the Buddha, in the Lotus Sutra. Furthermore, they knew that the Lotus Sutra preached a gender equality and were surprised. This was a shock to them.

The sutras before the Lotus Sutra preached that the woman could not become the Buddha if was reincarnated many times and not became a man. It preaches they cannot become the Buddha as a woman. These sutras are bitter to a woman as if the Buddha would have a grudge against a woman.

“A woman is a messenger of the hell and cuts well the seeds of Buddha. The outside resembles a Bodhisattva, but the inside is like the demon.” ‘Kegon Sutra

“The Bodhisattvas of mercy existing in every world cannot let the extreme accumulated evilness of woman surrender.” ‘The Sutra of the 12 Names of Buddha

“The worldly desires of the man of the three thousand worlds gather and become the obstacles of karma of one woman.” ‘Same as above

“The man is caught by the karma of souls for a long time watching a woman once only. Besides, he falls into the hell of incessant suffering definitely if he profane her even once.” ‘Commentary on the Great Wisdom Sutra’

The man reading this might think happy not being born as a woman. In addition, there may be a point to recall of in woman criticism of Buddha to woman.

“In the different viewpoint, a woman is called the people of suffering.” From the ‘Chapter of Devadatta in the Record of the orally transmitted teachings.’ The women were the vulnerable groups in society in those days overwhelmingly so that Nichiren pointed out.

But it was Shakyamuni Buddha either to have broken the pains of this woman.

Buddha did not accept the priest of the woman at first because he thought the woman would disturb the ascetic practices of the Buddhist priest of the man. The nun of the first woman was Mahaprajapati of the foster mother of the royal palace era of Buddha, but she applied for becoming a priest over and over again, but continued being refused from Buddha. Unable to stand by any longer, Anan of the disciple entreated Buddha, and said "Mahaprajapatii is the lady who had taken care of you."

He begged to accept her as a priest and was finally permitted. Still, in religious precepts (commandments for completeness) which a person of the priest should follow, the nun was 348 religious precepts, though a man was 250.

Furthermore, in the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha gave the disciples a prediction of future becoming the Buddha one after another, but promises to become the Buddha for not only the monk but also the nun.

He gave Mahaaprajaapatii of the aunt a prediction of becoming the Buddha who is watched with praise by all creatures, and gave Yasodhara of the wife of the royal palace era a prediction of becoming the Buddha of the countless light. In addition, the lady of a dragon with a body of snake attained Buddhahood in present form without changing the body, this fact surprised arhats of Shariputra and others.

Nichiren preaches about the essential qualities of the woman as follows.

“To become a woman is the existence that obeys a thing and forces a thing obey.” ‘Letter to Brothers’

While a woman is bound by every social limitation, the complete freedom is got by faiths. It seems to be restricted and is the position to let a thing obey. If one had this awareness and chant the marvelous Law, one can get circumstances of the freedom. For women, it was the same as being opened the blindness by the Lotus Sutra.

Therefore, it was the course of nature that women of the strong faiths appeared one after another in Nichiren disciples. Women of the strong faiths were born as nun Myoho, nun Sazhiki, nun Sennich, Nichigannnyo, and Nichimyo so that Nichiren oneself was surprised them.


    Continued to Tutelage to Disciples

9. Appearance of Female Believers. 2_f0301354_18424497.jpg

        Lotus Flower. By Wikipedia


Life of Nichiren. Vol. 1. Contents



by johsei1129 | 2020-07-19 18:47 | LIFE OF NICHIREN | Trackback | Comments(0)


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