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2020年 05月 12日

Letter to Lord Ota Kingo. 金吾殿御返事(大師講御書)


Letter to Lord Ota Kingo. 金吾殿御返事(大師講御書)_f0301354_21195920.jpg
Letter to Lord Ota Kingo (About the Lecture of the Great Teacher) 金吾殿御返事(大師講御書)
■Time of writing: November 28, 1269 (Bunei 6), at the 48th year of his age.
■Place of Authorship: At Kusoan (hermitage), Kamakura
■Background : The name "Kingo" reminds one of Shijo Kingo, another strong faith, but "Kingo" is a Chinese term for the Shogunate's official positions of prosecutors and police. In other words, both Shijo Kingo and Ota Jomyo (Kingo) belonged to the same department of the Shogunate.
 At the beginning of this book, Daishonin mentions that he received offerings for the "Teacher Tendai Lectures" on the Dharma, which were held regularly each month. For this reason, this book is also known as the "Lecture of the Great Teacher.”
 The core of this book is that Daishonin sent a letter to the Shogunate from Mongolia the previous year, which predicted in his "Rissho Ankoku Ron" that the invasion of other countries would be sure, and sent a letter to the regent Hojo Tokimune, 11 Shogunate officials, Ryokan Gokurakuji, and other priests urging a "public debate." But there had been no response. In September of the same year, Daishonin again received a letter from the Mongols, and in November of the same year, he sent another letter to various authorities, but although there were a few replies, the "public debate" did not take place. In response to this situation, Daishonin said, "It seems strange that I have received no condemnation, even though I am certain that I will be exiled and condemned to death if I admonish the shogunate to this extent. I have been exiled because of the Lotus Sutra, but I am unwilling not to be condemned to death now,” he even wrote that he had strongly wished to accept the penalty of death as a practitioner of the Lotus Sutra. Two years later, the Daishonin's great desire was realized in the "Tatsunokuchi Persecution," when he shed his provisional appearance as an ascetic of the Lotus Sutra and revealed his true nature as the fundamental Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law (i.e., the true nature was revealed by shedding the provisional appearance). In Sado, where he was exiled, he wrote the book "Object of Worship", which revealed the "Gohonzon''. In this sense, this book is a prophecy letter of the "Tatsunokuchi Persecution," in which the root of himself is revealed by paying off the temporary figure. 
■Autograph: In the possession of Nakayama Hokekyo-ji Temple. The following autograph is in green letters below.
[The text]
 For the lecture of the Great Teacher Tendai, I received from you the coin of five strings. This lecture of Teacher Tendai started three or four years ago, but I think it is the best this year.
 This doctrine may spread or may not spread, but in the first place, it depends on the correctness or incorrectness of what I have predicted in my warning documents. Though I wrote to a number of people last year there were no replies either positive or even negative.
But when I wrote to them in November of this year, some wrote back. For the most part, people's attitudes have softened and it seems they thought that perhaps what I have said may be true. Moreover, it is possible that the sovereign also has read this writing. Since what I have said is so terrible, I know that one of two punishments, either banishment or death sentence, is absolutely certain, and hence I think it is strange that nothing has happened to me so far. The claim of Nichiren may be the best and ultimate reason. And surely the prediction of the calamity of rebellion in the sutra will prove correct too.
 I heard that the temple on Mount Hiei is experiencing turmoil greater than before. They may have a deeper reason than that. Because China and Korai had already become adherents of the Zen and the Nembutsu sect, the gods to protect them have left away from there, they have been conquered by the Mongols and forced to submit. In our nation as well, because these erroneous doctrines have spread and people make light of and disregard the Tendai Lotus sect, the temple on Mount Hi’ei can enjoy neither peace nor security. Because it has become a nation where disciples turn against their teacher, it seems to me that it will be conquered without doubt.
 I have been fortunate enough to be born as a human being and also have been able to avoid meeting a teacher of misleading doctrines. In Addition, I was banished for the sake of the Lotus Sutra. However, the fact that I do not face the death sentence is unwillingness. Having anticipated that sort of thing would no doubt occur, I have thus far strived and have written to a number of persons by strong words.
 Already I am nearly fifty. I cannot live long. Since in any case my body will in the end be abandoned aimlessly into the wilderness, I wish to give my life to the sole teachings of the Lotus Sutra, to follow in the footsteps of the Boy Snow Mountains and the bodhisattva Medicine King, and I wish that own name will be written into the Lotus and Nirvana sutras in the future just like the King Sen'yo and the King Utoku. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

   Nichiren

November 28


Reply                

I have been reading No. 5 of the Great Concentration and Insight since January and praying for "This world is peaceful and one will be born in a good place in the next world" . The beginning and end of the Great Concentration and Insight you sent me were missing, but I had it repaired. I need a lot of books (Great Concentration and Insight, etc.) for the lecture of Teacher Tendai, so please prepare them.




Original Text.  Table of Contents.  



by johsei1129 | 2020-05-12 21:59 | WRITING OF NICHIREN | Trackback | Comments(0)


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