34. Nichiren sends a probate to disciple (2)

　Japanese Edition

　　Genuine writing; Possession of Nakayama Hokekyoji Temple.

　

Furthermore, Nichiren shows the feature of an object (Gohonzon) of worship that appear in the Latter-Day of the Law in "Chanting the Daimoku of the Lotus Sutra," which he wrote at 39 years old in the 9th year of Bun'no era.

“Question: For the sake of persons who place their faith in the Lotus Sutra, what is the proper object of devotion, and what rules should be followed in acts of worship and daily religious practice?

Answer: "The chapter of Law master" and "the chapter of God and the power" say, first, the believer writes eight scroll's Lotus Sutras or one scroll or one chapter or a title and must establish it as the object of worship. And those persons who were able to do so further should write the names of the Shakyamuni Nyorai and the Taho Buddha or make the images of them, and they should place these on the left and right of the Lotus Sutra and the others. And if they are further able to do so, they fashion images of the ten directions' Buddha and the Bodhisattva Hugen, and others, or should write their names.”

And the Gohonzon, which was expressed in Sado on June 16 of the 9th year of the Bun'ei era (1272) is written as Nam-myoho-renge-kyo centrally, and there are Nam-Shakyamuni Buddha and Nam-Taho Nyorai on both sides. Nichiren has to show that he himself is the fundamental Buddha for all creatures in the Latter-Days of the Law to express a Gohonzon. To that end, he encounters a difficulty at the risk of his life same as a Buddha and must get over it. It was this meaning that he let Shijo Kingo stand in the Tatsunokuchi as a witness. Nichiren threw away the position of the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra at the Tatsunokuchi and showed the entity of himself as the fundamental Buddha of the Latter-Days of the Law. Therefore, he intended to abandon his own life of the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra from a beginning. Nichiren is different from the disciples and supporters and is not upset at all.

The next is the letter to Ota Jomyo, Soya Kyoshin, and Kinbara Hokyo.

"The 'Simile and Parable' chapter states, 'When they watch the person who read, recite, copy, and hold this sutra, they will balefully despise him, and take a hate and envy'. The 'Teacher of the Law' chapter states, 'Even the presence of the Buddha, people still had much jealousy. To say nothing of after a Buddha passed away'. The 'recommending a devotion' chapter reads, 'We will be attacked with swords and staves... again and again we will be banished'. The chapter of “Peaceful practices” teach, 'It [the Lotus Sutra] is difficult to believe in, because there is much malice in the world'. Although these quotations from the sutra are the Buddha's prophecies, there is no reference to when these persecutions will occur. In the past, it seems that Bodhisattva Fukyo and the monk Kakutoku read these sentences themselves. But apart from the two thousand years of the Shoho or Zoho days of the Law, now, in the Latter-Days, in this Japan only Nichiren seems to become so. When many sage priests encountered a persecution during the reigns of evil kings in the past, I can well imagine it from the present situation. The priest's followers, relatives, disciples, and lay supporters must have grieved. I can guess it by the current situation. Nichiren has now read all the Lotus Sutra itself. Even a single phrase or verse is assuring my Buddhahood, to say nothing of the whole sutra. It will never fail me. However, though I wished to spread it in the country, in an age when nobody will adopt me, it is beyond my power. I have finished writing to keep the brief." 'Lightly Receiving a Heavy Sin of Previous Life’.

The “recommending a devotion” chapter says, “We will be attacked with swords and staves... again and again we will be banished”. The scriptures preach clearly including this sentence. Nichiren preached he had understood thoroughly the true meaning of these scriptures.

Continues to ‘To Sado Island of the depth of winter’.

Life of Nichiren. Vol. 1. Contents