18. Nikko Shonin, the Great Leader of Propagating the Radical Teachings.

18. Nikko Shonin, the Great Leader of Propagating the Radical Teachings.

Nikko set the 26 religious precepts to future disciples and believers for kosen-rufu and the salvation of ten thousand years when he passed away at 88 years old in 1333.

“If I think, the sun's brilliance propagating in the latter days of the Law lights up the darkness of the atrocious slander, and the marvelous wind of the eternal life span blows off the provisional and temporary teachings that Buddha had attained Buddhahood in Buddha Gaya. Oh, for example, it is a fig which blooms only once in 3000 years, and the hole of the tree of a floating sandalwood in the vast ocean that it is rare to encounter the Law of Buddha, and I think that it is still lacking these examples. Fortunately, we were able to encounter this sacred sutra here by destiny being thick deeply. Therefore, the reasons why I write a precept for the future disciples is for receiving the wise saying of Kosen-rufu!

1. The doctrine of Fuji should not be different in the least from the propagation which the previous teacher performed.

2. The doctrine of five people all differ from the propagation of the previous teacher.

3. There is a person considering each writing of Daishonin to be forgery and they will destroy and criticize our sect. You must not get close to him familiarly if such an evil priest appeared.

4. There will be a person who make forgery, and call it a writing of Daishonin, and there will be a person training himself putting the same value on the essence and the provisional. You should understand that he is a traitor within the walls.

5. You must not spend time for a play and an idle talk, not take to a non-Buddhist writing and an art without criticizing against slandering Law of Buddha.

6. You must forbid Shinto shrine worship and visit of the believers. Why they visit the Buddhist temple and Shinto shrine of the evil spirit intrusion, disobeying Buddha's teachings for a glance with alow talent? It is never enough to be chagrined. This is not doctrine of me totally but depends on text of a sutra or writing of Daishonin and so on.

7. You should allow not engaging in the trivial routine duties of the teacher about the disciple having the talent and you must let him learn various teachings including a writing of Daishonin.

8. The populace who is inexperienced in study and who wants a fame and fortune does not deserve to be my disciple.

9. Shaking off the affection from parents and teacher while the believers of after ages do not understand Lotus Sutra and pre-Lotus Sutra, for leaving this world of the sufferings and attaining enlightenment, they must visit this temple and study.

10. You must not do study of Tientai school without grasp of the doctrine.

11. In our denomination, you dye sublime writing of Daishonin into your soul and should learn the supreme theory from a teacher and you should hear Tientai if there is spare time.

12. Enjoy the discussion and lectures and not mix up the other things.

13. While Kosen-ruhu does not yet be achieved, you should propagate the Law until the full extent of your ability, without begrudging life.

14. In the case of the priest like "One's body is insignificant, the Law is heavy", even if he was the Buddhist priest of the ignobleness, you must respect him by the reason of "Showing him the same respect you would do Buddha."

15. Even if he is a lowly person, in the case of a Buddhist priest of propagating the Law, you should think him to be an old priest with virtue.

16. Even if he was the person of the ignobleness, you should respect him who is superior in wisdom than you and treat him as a teacher.

17. If he differed from Law of Buddha and established a willful doctrine even if he was chief priest of that time, you must not adopt this.

18. If Law of Buddha has a difference even if it was a resolve of large number of people, the chief priest must defeat this.

19. Must not make the color of the canonical robe black with a sumi.

20. You must not wear a robe which seamed top and bottom.

21. Must not be at the seat same as the slandering Law. Fear complicity.

22. Must not receive offering from a person slandering Law.

23. I permit this for the Law protection of Buddha about the swords and sticks. But you will not have to hold it at the time of going out. In the case of the populace, should permit this perhaps.

24. Even if it is a young bonze, you must not seat him back of the believers of the high rank.

25. My behavior must be like a holy Buddhist monk like the previous teacher. But, in the case of a chief priest or a person of learning, you should be putting them as a believer even if they associated with a woman by mistake.

26. Admire a votary of "being skillful in the answer to difficult question" as like the previous teacher did.

The precept that I wrote up is an outline like this. I put 26 clauses for the protection of ten thousand years. A disciple of after ages who learn this should not have doubt purposely. If there is a person even violating one of these, he is not a disciple of Nikko. I leave the clauses that I determined in this way.

On 13th day of January of the 3rd year of the Genko era (1333). 　　　　Nikko”. 'The Last Religious Precepts of Nikko’.

The precepts of these 26 are being defended in Fuji Taisekiji Temple now firmly.

To be continued.

Life of Nichiren. Compact edition.