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日蓮大聖人『御書』解説

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2020年 07月 21日

10. Tutelage to Disciples 2

                      Japanese edition


Night falls, and a lecture of Nichiren began as usual.

How was the relation of Nichiren and disciples? How did Nichiren contact with his followers? The concrete historical materials have been hardly left. We only imagine it, but there is the clue.

Hokibo Nikko who succeeded Nichiren leave the writing of being called "Last Religious Precepts of Nikko" as the item which sect of Nichiren should rigidly maintain.

There are 26 items in total, and the policy of education and propagation, which become the radical principle of the Nichiren sect, is shown there.

Hokibo keeps the teachings of Nichiren rigidly and is the Buddhist priest who did not break it throughout the life. He inherited a method of Nichiren to the disciples of the next era and left a will which means that they must spread Law by the same approach as a teacher.

Therefore, these "Last religious precepts" is not an original creation of Hokibo, it may be said that he wrote down the teachings that Nichiren left for a disciple and a believer during the lifetime. We can have a glimpse of the situation in the then Nichiren community, and the relationship of the teacher, a disciple, and the believer, here.

The first of the most eye-catching was that the color of clothes, have been light gray not black.

“Not make the color of the kasaya robe black with a sumi”.

It is not the black like the modern monk and is not a colorful thing. It was a light gray color. The priests of Nichiren Shosyu sect inheriting the teachings of Nichiren and Nikko are keeping the canonical robe of the gray color without still changing.

In addition, in the beginning of the letter of "Making the Four Bodhisattvas", it is written that Toki Jonin having offered a gray canonical robe to Nichiren.

“I received the white wadded silk garment one, thin gray-dyed robe one, the shoulder robe of the same color, and 1000 copper coins. I cannot find the appropriate words for expressing your long-standing devotion adequately. I would like to see you some day and tell about the pent-up discontent of my double suicide.”

In addition, Nichikan of the 26th describes a reason of gray color.

“Question; What is the reason to use only gray to the color of the kasaya robe?

Answer; There are meanings. In part this is a reason to show the initial rank. There is the mankind of 'the originally not being yet of virtue' in the times of Mappo, this is the time to plant a seed first, 'the original not being yet of virtue' is the rank to plant a seed. Thus, the initial rank means the planting a seed. Therefore, Myoraku says, “A seed means the hearing the Buddha's Law for the first time”. Why may hearing the Buddha's Law at first not be the initial rank? Why may the expressing as a seed not be the rank of planting a seed for the first time? Therefore, we express the initial rank and use only gray.” ‘Three Kinds of Clothes in This Sect’.

The rank of beginning means the person who believes and maintains the Law of Buddha for the first time. In this Buddha's Law, one can attain Buddhahood in the rank which he would believe for the first time, unrelated to order and the grade.

In addition, he forbade the disciples to wear Jikitotsu. Jikitotsu is the robe which binds a jacket and an under robe directly. Though It was a characteristic that there was a fold from a waist below, this is not suitable for active and practice shakubuku. Therefore, Nichiren did not permit a jikitotsu and commanded to wear only coarse silk clothes. The coarse silk is rough silk thread before the refinement, there was Nichiren with this style of life. This has nothing to do with the colorful robe really.

Furthermore, they used the shoulder robe made in five pieces which was used by a priest of the lowest rank. In conjunction with a robe, these were called "coarse silk and five pieces." They put their heart and soul to maintain simplicity and frugality in his habits.

Because the shoulder robe connected rag clothes which were thrown away like feces at first in India and was made, it was called the clothes of dung sweeper. The shoulder robe used in Japan is made with new cloth, but it together cutting as a small piece on purpose, then sew and complete them. A strip of vertically joined small pieces of cloth is called Jo (strip) and shoulder robe is made by joining multiple Jo horizontally. Nichiren' disciples still a plain shoulder robe of Jo 5.

The Buddhist priest opens the right shoulder, and the priest wears a shoulder robe to wind it around a body. Opening the right shoulder, it is a custom of India to express respect to a partner. In addition, the priest of India lived with one piece of the shoulder robe at first, but he came to gradually wear an undergarment because he was not able to stand cold if he went to the north. This is the beginning of canonical robe.


              Continued to 3


Life of Nichiren. Vol. 1. Contents



by johsei1129 | 2020-07-21 20:58 | LIFE OF NICHIREN | Trackback | Comments(0)


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