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日蓮大聖人『御書』解説

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2022年 05月 19日

70. The elder brother, Munenaka Ikegami, is disowned again by his father.


テキスト自動的に生成された説明


 ‘Writing to the Brothers.’ Original handwriting: owned by Ikegami Honmon-ji Temple (Present Ikegami, Ota-ku, Tokyo) [Important Cultural Properties]


Carpenters are working hard at a construction site.

The footings have been piled up and the framework is nearing completion.

The older brother Munenaka gives instructions. The younger brother Munenaga explained his instructions to the carpenters in an easy-to-understand manner. He did more than just give directions. The brothers worked with saws and hammers just like the carpenters.

At that time, carpenters were of low status. The carpenters adored the brothers, who worked with the same sweat.

They all worked in perfect harmony. Construction was going well.

It was time to start attaching the walls.

His father Yasumitsu appeared on the scene.

The brothers bow before their father as usual. The workers also got together and fell prostrate.

Yasumitsu said loudly.

“This building was ordered by Lord Kamakura immediately and was accepted by Yasumitsu, the magistrate. Do not be rash. Be especially careful under fire. Also, today, I have a message for you. From this day forward, I have decided to disinherit Munenaka Ikegami. This concludes today's discussion.”

Yasumitsu leaves.

It all happened so fast.

Munenaka was standing there, his face resolute.

However, everyone, including his younger brother Munenaga, was astonished. They had never expected to be disowned.

Some were disappointed. Everyone was taken aback and staggered back to the workshop.

The younger brother Munenaga grabbed Yasumitsu by the sleeve.

“Father, please give me your thoughts. My brother was the next master builder, wasn't he? If you were to disown him at this point, your work would be in jeopardy. It would also affect the Ikegami family name. I beg you to release him from his disownment.”

Yasumitsu's reply was more ruthless than ever.

“Munenaka would drop to a day laborer."

Munenaga was bewildered by the worst-case scenario.

This time, Yasumitsu asked his brother Munenaga a question.

“Munenaga, don’t you intend to stop believing in the Lotus Sutra? I, too, did not want to do this. It was your brother's stubbornness that brought this on. Let me ask you alone. Are you not willing to renounce the Lotus Sutra and believe in the Nembutsu?"

Munenaga's gentle nature is well-liked. On the other hand, he was not good at making his intentions clear. His resolve would waver. He was also a believer in the Lotus Sutra because his older brother had initiated it. But now, despite his father's anger, he felt a stronger yearning for his elder brother.

 Munenaga pondered for a moment and then told Yasumitsu

“Father, I believe in Nichiren Shonin. I beg you. Please let me continue to have faith in sage Nichiren.”

Yasumitsu left the scene of the crime.


At Nichiren's residence in the Minobu mountain, Kai Province, his disciples crowded into a room to listen to his lecture. The Ikegami brothers were directly in front of Nichiren.

His tone of voice was unusually harsh.

This world is the domain of the devil king of the sixth heaven in the desire realm. All people have been under the rule of this devil king since this world began. Not only has he built the prison of the twenty-five exists (Note) within the six paths and confined all humankind within it, but also he has made wives and children into shackles, and parents and sovereigns into nets that block off the skies. To deceive the true mind of the Buddha nature, he causes the people to drink the wine of greed, anger, and foolishness (Note), and feeds them nothing but the dishes of evil that leave them prostrate on the ground of the three evil paths. When they attempt to become good, a devil acts to obstruct them. He is determined to make believers in the Lotus Sutra fall into evil, but if he is unsuccessful, he tries to deceive them gradually by luring them toward the Kegon Sutra, which resembles the Lotus Sutra. This is an evil deed by Tojun, Chigon, Hozo, and Chokan. Moreover, Chia-hsiang and Sosen are the evil companions who craftily deceive believers in the Lotus Sutra into falling back to the Hannya sutras. Similarly, Genjo and Zhion lead them toward the Zinmitsu Sutra, while Zenmui, Kongochi, Fuku, Kobo, Jikaku, and Chisho will deceive them by following the Dainichi Sutra. Monk Daruma and Eka will take them into the Zen school, while Zendo and Honen tricked them into believing the Kan Sutra. In each case, the devil king of the sixth heaven enters the body of men of wisdom in order to deceive good people. This is what the Lotus Sutra means when it says in its fifth volume, “Evil demons will enter to that body of others."

“The great demon called the darkness of the fundamental can even enter the bodies of bodhisattvas who have reached the condition in near-perfect enlightenment and prevent them from the blessings of perfect enlightenment called the Lotus Sutra. Needless to say, he easily can obstruct those in any lower stage. Also, the devil king of the sixth heaven enters into the bodies of wives and children, and causes them to lead their husbands or parents astray. He also enters into the body of the sovereign in order to threaten the votary of the Lotus Sutra, or enters into fathers and mothers, and makes them reproach their filially devoted children.

Prince Siddhartha sought to renounce his title, but his son, Rahula, was already about to be born. His father, King Shuddhodana, therefore admonished him to put off leaving to become a monk until after the child was born. The devil took advantage of the situation and delayed the childbirth for six years. In the past, Shariputra practiced as a Bodhisattva for a period of 60 kalpa in the Latter Day of the Law of Buddha called the Zentara Buddha and aimed for a total of 100 kalpa by adding the remaining 40 kalpa, but the devil king of the Sixth Heaven seemed to think it dangerous for him to establish the practice of Bodhisattva. The devil disguised himself as a Brahman and begged Shariputra’s eyes. In response, Shariputra gave him one of his eyes, but from that time, he lost his will to do Buddhist practice and then gave up, thereby falling into the hell of incessant suffering for countless kalpas. Six hundred and eighty million lay believers in the age after the passing of Daishogon Buddha were deceived by the four monks, including the Kugan so that they denounced the monk Fuji, and as a result fell into the same hell of incessant suffering for long like the number of dust articles on the ground. The men and women in the Latter day of the Law after the passing of Shishion King Buddha followed the monk Shoi who observed the precepts, but mocked the monk Kikon, and so fell into hell for unlimited time.

It is the same with Nichiren’s disciples and lay supporters. The Lotus Sutra reads, “Since hatred and jealousy toward this sutra abound even when the Tathagata is in the world, how much more will this be so after his passing?” It also reads, “It will face much hostility in the world and be difficult to believe.” The Nirvana Sutra states, “By suffering an untimely death, rebuke, curses or humiliation, beatings with a stick or rod, imprisonment, starvation, adversity, or other minor hardships in this lifetime, one can avoid falling into hell”. Also, the Hatsunaion sutra says: They may be poorly clad and poorly fed, seek wealth in vain, be born to an impoverished and abject family or one with erroneous views, or be persecuted by their sovereign. They will be subjected to various other sufferings and retributions. However, it is due to the blessings obtained by protecting the law that they can receive it lightly in this lifetime, their suffering and reward.

These passages mean that we, who now believe in the correct teaching, in the past once committed the offense of persecuting its practitioners, and therefore are destined to fall into a terrible hell in the future. The blessings gained by practicing the correct teaching, however, are so great that by meeting minor sufferings in this life we can change the great fates that destinies us to terribly suffer in the future. As the sutra says, one’s past slander may cause one to suffer various retributions, such as being born into a poor family or a family with erroneous views or being persecuted by one’s sovereign. A “family with erroneous views” means one that slanders the correct teaching, and “persecution by one’s sovereign” means to live under the reign of an evil ruler.”

Nichiren looked at the brothers.

“These are the two sufferings confronting you two now. In order to expiate the sin of your past slanders, you are opposed by your parents, who hold mistaken views, and must live in the age of a ruler who persecutes the votary of the Lotus Sutra. The sutras make this clear, and the scriptures teach this truth. Never doubt that you slandered the correct teaching in the past. If you have doubts about this, you will be unable to withstand the minor sufferings of this life. Then you will give in to your father’s opposition and desert the Lotus Sutra against your will. If this happens, not only will you fall into hell, but also your precious parents will fall doubtlessly into the great Avi hell, causing all of you indescribable grief. Seeking for great truth is this.

Because both of you have strongly continued believing in the Lotus Sutra, you are now willingly extracting your grave offenses from the past. For example, the flaws in iron come to the surface when it is forged. Put into flames, a rock simply turns to ashes, but gold becomes pure gold. This trial, more than anything else, will prove your faith genuine, and the ten demon daughters of the Lotus Sutra will surely protect you. The demon who appeared to test the Sessen-Doji was actually Shakra. The dove saved by King Shibi was the heavenly king Bishamon. It is even possible that the demon’s ten daughters have entered into your parents and are tormenting you in order to test your faith. Any weakness in faith will be a cause for regret. The vehicle that overturns on the road ahead is a warning to the one behind.

In an age like this no one can help but thirst for the correct way. A person may hate this world, but one cannot escape it. The people of Japan are certain to meet with terrible misfortune in the immediate future. There is a fact before our eyes. The rebellion that broke out on the eleventh day of the second month in the ninth year of Bun’ei (1272) was like blossoms being lashed by a gale, or like the textile of silk burning in a great fire. What will happen to the people worrying about this world? Do you think that in the tenth month of the eleventh year of Bun'ei, the people of Iki and Tsushima became dead at one time, and that you are a stranger? The soldiers who went off to confront the invaders—how forlorn they must be. They have to leave behind their aged parents, small children, young wives, and cherished homes to go out and defend a sea which they have not seen. If they see clouds on the horizon, they doubt them to be the enemy’s banners. If they see fishing boats, they think of them as warships and are paralyzed with fear. Once or twice a day they climb the hills to look out over the sea. Three or four times in the middle of the night they saddle and unsaddle their horses. Though still alive, they feel as if they were in the world of Ashura. All this and the hardships you have suffered as well can ultimately be blamed on the fact that this country’s ruler has become an enemy of the Lotus Sutra. The cause that a sovereign became an enemy is because the precepts, Nembutsu, Shingon and others slandered the correct law. You must persevere through this trial and see for yourselves the blessings of the Lotus Sutra. I, Nichiren, will also strongly tell the heavens. Now more than ever, you must not have a figure and the heart that you are afraid of.

Surely women are fainthearted, and your wives may depart from their resolution. Yet you must grit your teeth and never slacken in your faith. Do not be fearful like Nichiren when he had acted and spoke out before Hei no Saemon-no-jo. The sons of Wada and of the governor of Wakasa, as well as the warriors under Masakado and Sadatou, although theirs was not the path to Buddhahood, fought to the death to preserve their honor. Death comes to all, even if nothing should ever happen. You shouldn't make a timid appearance and be laughed at by others!

When the Tathagata Shakyamuni was a prince, his father, King Shuddhodana, could not bear losing his only heir and so would not allow him to renounce his royal station. The king kept two thousand soldiers posted at the palace’s four gates to prevent him from leaving the castle. Nevertheless, the prince eventually left the palace against his father’s will. In all worldly affairs, it is the son’s duty to obey his parents, yet on the path to Buddhahood, disobeying one’s parents ultimately constitutes filial piety. The Shinchikan sutra says the essence of filial piety: “By renouncing one's loyalty and entering the Buddhist life one can truly repay the loyalty in full”. This is that, in order to enter the true way, one leaves one’s home against one’s parents’ wishes and attains Buddhahood.

In worldly affairs as well, if one’s parents foment a rebellion, it is one’s filial duty not to follow them. This is mentioned in The Classic of Filial Piety. When the great teacher Tendai tried to devote himself to the Lotus Sutra, his parents sat on his lap to obstruct his practice of Buddhism. This was the work of the heavenly devil, who took the form of his father and mother in order to oppose him.”

The cases exist where the relationship between the sons of worthy rulers was not harmonious. What bonds have enabled both of you brothers to continue on such good terms? Could you two be princes Jozo and Jogen, or the embodiments of the Bodhisattvas Medicine King and Medicine Superior? When your father disowned the elder brother, I expected that the younger brother would refuse to side with his brother, thereby making it even more difficult to clear up your father’s doubt and I was pessimistic that he would not rescind elder brother's disownment. However, is it true what the boy Tsuruo told me? I heard that you two were the same in your resolve. Hearing this incredible news, I wrote a letter again. Will there be a better story than this until the distant future?

The Record of the Western Regions tells about a hermit who lived in Deer Park at Varanasi, India, in the hopes that he could master occult powers. He learned to turn tiles and pebbles into jewels and change the forms of humans and animals, but he could not yet ride on winds and clouds or travel to the Palace of the Immortals. In order to accomplish these goals, he took as his assistant a brave man. Giving him a long sword, the hermit instructed him to stand in one corner of a practice platform, and told him to hold his breath and utter not a word. If the brave man remained silent through the whole night until dawn, the hermit was certain to master the occult. Determined, the hermit sat in the center of the platform with another long sword in hand and chanted spells. He commands his assistant to take a vow.

“Even at the cost of your life, say nothing!”

The brave man answered,

“Even if I die, I will not say a word.”

They passed the night in this way, just as dawn was about to break, the brave man cried out suddenly, and the hermit immediately failed in his attempt. He reproached the man, saying,

“How could you have broken your vow? This is deplorable!”

Repenting deeply, the brave man said:

“I dozed off for a little while, and in a dream, my previous master appeared and rebuked me. Yet I endured this, not uttering a word, for my debt of gratitude to you is much greater. My former master grew furious and threatened to behead me, but I still said nothing. Finally I was beheaded, and when I saw my own corpse proceeding on its journey from death to the next life, my sorrow was indescribable. Still, I did not speak. Eventually I was reborn in a Brahman family in southern India. The pain I felt on entering and leaving the womb was unbearable, yet I held my breath without crying. I grew up to be a young man and took a wife. My parents died; my child was born; I felt sorrow and joy, but said not a word. Living on like this, I reached my sixty-fifth year. Then my wife said to me, ‘If you still refuse to say anything, I will kill your beloved child.’ The thought flashed through my mind that I was already in the last years of my life, and that if my child were killed I could not beget another. Feeling that I must shout . . . I suddenly awoke.”

The hermit said,

“We were not strong enough. You and I have been deceived by a devil. Our task has ended in failure.”

Lamenting, the brave man said,

“Because I was so weak-willed, you have failed to master the occult.”

The hermit regretfully replied, “It is my fault for not having admonished you enough beforehand.”

Nonetheless, as the record states, the man was so grieved he could not fulfill his obligation to the hermit that he brooded over it and died miserably.

In China the occult evolved from Confucianism, and in India it is found among the non-Buddhist teachings. Yet it does not even approach the Hinayana teachings of the Agon sutras, much less the connecting teaching, the specific teaching, or the perfect teaching. Therefore, how could it measure up to the Lotus Sutra? The four devils fiercely oppose the mastery of even such a shallow art as the occult. How much greater, then, are the tribulations that will confront the disciples and lay supporters of the person who is the first to embrace and the first to propagate in Japan the seven characters of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the ultimate principle of the Lotus Sutra. It is impossible to imagine, let alone describe in words!

The doctrine of the ichinen-sanzen revealed in the fifth volume of Makashikan is especially profound. If you speak this doctrine, devils will arise without fail. If the devil did not appear, there would be no way of knowing that this is the correct teaching. One passage from the same volume reads: “As Buddhist practice progresses and understanding grows, the three obstacles and four devils emerge in confusing form, vying with one another to interfere . . . One should neither follow, nor fear them. If one follows them, one will be led into the paths of evil. If one fears them, one will be prevented from practicing the correct teaching”. This statement not only applies to me, Nichiren, but also is a polished mirror for my followers. Learn this teaching respectfully, and you must transmit it as a food of faith for future generations. The three obstacles in this passage are the obstacle of earthly desires, the obstacle of karma, and the obstacle of retribution. The obstacle of earthly desires is the impediments that arise from greed, anger, foolishness, and the like; the obstacle of karma is the hindrances appeared by one’s wife or children; and the obstacle of retribution is the hindrances caused by one’s sovereign or parents. In the four devils, the workings of the devil king of the sixth heaven are the same with them.

In Japan today, many people claim they have mastered the practice of Makashikan. But is there anyone who has actually encountered the three obstacles and four devils? The statement “If one follows them, one will be led into the paths of evil” indicates not only the paths of three evil, but also the worlds of human and heavenly beings, and in general, all of the nine worlds. Therefore, except for the Lotus Sutra, all of the sutras—those of the Kegon, Agon, Hodo, Hannya, Nirvana, and the Dainichi sutras—will lead people toward the paths of evil. Also, except for the Tendai sect, the adherents of the seven other sects are in reality wardens of hell who drive others toward the evil paths. Even in the Tendai sect are found those who profess faith in the Lotus Sutra, yet actually lead others toward the pre-Lotus Sutra teachings. They, too, are wardens of hell, who cause people to fall into evil paths.

Now you two brothers are like the hermit and the brave man of integrity. If either is missing, you two brothers do not achieve. You two are like the two wings of a bird, or the two eyes of a person. And your wives are your supporters. Women support others and thereby cause others to support them. When a husband is happy, his wife will be fulfilled. If a husband is a thief, his wife will become one, too. This is not a matter only for this world. A husband and wife are as close as a form and shadow, flowers and fruit, or roots and leaves, in every existence of life. Insects eat the trees they live in, and fish drink the water in which they swim. If turfs wither, orchids grieve; if pine trees flourish, oaks rejoice. Even trees and plants are so closely related. A called hiyoku is a bird with one body and two heads. Both of its mouths nourish the same body. Called himoku is a fish with only one eye each, so the male and female remain together for life. A husband and wife should be like them.

You two wives must not regret even if your husbands harm you because of your faith in this teaching. If both of you unite in encouraging your husbands’ faith, you will follow the path of the dragon king’s daughter and become a model for women attaining Buddhahood in the evil latter day of the Law. Insofar as you act this way, no matter what may happen, Nichiren will state to the two saints, the two heavenly kings, the ten demon daughters, Shakyamuni, and Taho to make you Buddha at your every birth in future. A passage in the Six Haramitsus Sutra says to become the teacher of your mind rather than let your mind teach you.

Whatever trouble occurs, make it a dream, and think only of the Lotus Sutra. Nichiren’s teaching was especially difficult to believe at first, but now that my prophecies have been fulfilled, those who slandered without reason have come to regret. Even if in the future other men and women become my believers, they will not replace you in my heart. Among those who believed at first, many later discarded their faith for the terror in this world. Among these are some who oppose me more furiously than those who slandered from the beginning. In Shakyamuni Buddha’s lifetime, his son Zensho and others believed the Buddha at first, then later not only abandoned, but also slandered him viciously. Even the Buddha could not exert his power, he fell into the hell of incessant suffering. You must explain this and tell the Lord Munenaka's wife and the Lord Munenaga's wife. Please pass this on to them, tell them!”

The brothers' horses are going down the mountain path. Under Nichiren's guidance, they rode down the steep mountain in Minobu, their hearts feeling like clear blue skies.

Munenaka encouraged his younger brother Munenaga.

“This is the time to hold on."

Munenaga nodded.

“I am glad I came today. Brother, let us not fall into each other's hands.”

“I agree. Two people are reassuring. Even if one of us falls, we still have one more.”

The brothers Munenaka and Munenaga were on their way home, laughing on horseback, a far cry from when they arrived.

Nichiren and his disciple Nichiro went outside the pavilion together to see the brothers off on their way back to Musashi Province. Nichiro was the brothers' maternal cousin. For this reason, they were anxious about the future of the Ikegami brothers.

"Master, will the brothers be able to follow the faith of the Lotus Sutra despite their parents' opposition?”

Nichiren nodded silently two or three times as if they were all right, and stared longingly at the brothers in the distance.

From time immemorial, brothers have always fought each other. In fact, if you were a samurai in the Kamakura period (1185-1333), the period of the rise of samurai politics, it would have been strange if brothers did not fight each other. In this respect, the Ikegami brothers' close friendship was extremely rare in this period.

Nichiren cites examples from the past and present in which brothers fought for supremacy.


"Ichiin and Sanuki no Iin were brothers, but they were forced to oppose each other and became enemies. The danger of this world is also caused by the brothers' strife. Now, they perhaps live in hell. The wise one, who is known as the "Great General," has destroyed the brother Yoshitsune, and others, and all of his children have lost their lives by his vassals." 'Reply to the lord Munenaka.'


Ichiin refers to Emperor Go-Shirakawa, and Sanuki-in refers to Emperor Sutoku. Although they were brothers, they fought for the throne and caused the Hogen Rebellion. The defeated Emperor Sutoku is said to have become a vengeful spirit in the place where he was exiled. Nichiren says, "Now, they perhaps live in hell." Whatever the emperor, if blood is washed with blood, the cold-blooded result will be the end.

"Great General" means Yoritomo Minamoto. Yoritomo destroyed Yoshitsune and his brothers one after another with his extraordinary suspicion. After his death, his descendants were all destroyed, and the real power of the Kamakura shogunate, which Yoritomo had established as a barbarian general, was taken over by the Hojo clan of Masako, the head family of Yoritomo's wife.

 What will happen to the Ikegami brothers?

Nichiren worried about the brothers' future from the distant mountains of Kai.


Two months had already passed since Munenaka was disowned.

The building was being raised at the construction site.

The Ikegami brothers joined the construction workers half naked. The elder brother Munenaka had fallen in with the day laborers. He was no longer the eldest son of the construction's minister. All kinds of people pleaded with him to have his disownment lifted, but his father's anger remained. It was an internal dispute in the family of the minister. There was no one in Kamakura who did not gossip about it.

After finishing their work at dusk, the exhausted brothers returned home with a large tool box on their shoulders.

The western sun dazzled them as they gazed at the nearly completed building, and two long shadows were projected on the building side by side.

Munenaka smiled and encouraged his brother.

“It's a tough day for the day laborer. But I will not be defeated. I am reassured by the fact that you, as the master builder, are holding things together.”

Munenaga only nodded apologetically.

The brothers split up.

The younger brother Munenaga walked alone. It was a different road than usual.

There was a bar on the way.

In the bar, a group of young men, easily recognizable as vassals, were drinking sake with prostitutes.

They looked dazzling.

In contrast, he was covered in dirt and sweat. For some reason, he felt embarrassed.

At this moment, Munenaga forgot himself.

What was going on?

He was caught up in the fantasy that he was having a pleasant drink with them.


Elder brother Munenaka arrived at the residence.

His wife did not greet him, but was in the back sewing.

Munenaka entered the room with a scowl on his face.

Silence ensued.

Then, Munenaka started to speak.

“How long will you remain silent? I have no choice. There are some things that even I cannot compromise on."

His wife said back to him.

“It is well known around the world. The heir to Ikegami's family has been hired as a daily laborer.”

A servant woman brought in a meal, but there was nothing but beans and soup.

“What is this?”

“We are going to suffer from now on. We cannot rely on tribute. This all started with your stubbornness.”

Munenaka bowed to his wife.

“Please bear with me. I have thought about it. I have been thinking about whether or not I should bend my will and become the successor. After all, I can't back down.”

His wife turned her head.

“You really care so much about faith? Do you know what will happen to this house? Please think about it. You may recite the Nembutsu as your father has asked you to.”

“What are you talking about?”

His wife narrowed her eyes.

“How about believing in Amida only in form, but inwardly believing in the Lotus Sutra? Then you will be the master of Ikegami and I will be..."

Munenaka put down his chopsticks.

“That will not do. With such untruthful faith, it is very difficult to attain Buddhahood for the rest of our life as the sage Nichiren preached.”

Without a word of rebuttal, Munenaka's wife retreated to the back of the house.


The younger brother Munenaga came home with a tired face. His wife greeted him with a smile.

A servant girl brought a meal to the table, and a peaceful meal began.

His wife's smile never ceased.

The head of the household asked.

“What's the matter? Did something good happen?”

“No, I've been thinking about you a lot."

Munenaga nodded his head.

“You are on his side even after your elder brother was disowned. I heard a rumor in the market today that since your brother has been disowned, your younger brother will succeed him.”

“I see. Is there talk of that?”

“But you are upholding your brother and maintaining your piety.”

Munenaga picked up his chopsticks. The world's eyes were on him.

“What should I do now?”

At this moment, he heard the sound of someone's voice at the entrance.

A well-dressed young monk was standing there. He was an unfamiliar face.

The young monk said in a fresh voice, "I am a young man.

“I am Irusawa Nyudo, a disciple of Ryoukan of Gokurakuji Temple. I have come to greet you. Please accept this as a sign of our closeness.”

Irusawa held out an item in a basket. Inside were several shining, beautiful quilted silk garments and single-layer clothes.

Munenaga and his wife were taken aback. No wonder. There had never been for them with a delivery of a present.

The young priest quickly left.

He and his wife put the basket into the living room. It was heavy. The bottom of the basket was stuffed with brand-new copper coins.

“Oh, my God!”

His wife's eyes lit up, but Munenaga was filled with an inexpressible sense of unease.

 Ryoukan of Gokurakuji Temple is an enemy of the Nichiren lay believers. Why then?


The sun was shining brightly in Kamakura.

Munenaka, wearing poor clothes and carrying a basket, was walking through the streets of Kamakura.

He entered the precincts of Gokuraku-ji Temple with a stiff expression on his face. Munenaga had come to the temple with the intention of returning a delivery. He would probably try to convert me to the Nembutsu faith, but I would not let that happen.

The Gokurakuji temple was decorated with dazzling gold leaf. It is as if the fact that the building was reduced to ashes by fire was a lie.

A pretty girl greeted him at the entrance. Munenaga was surprised. Had such a beautiful girl ever existed in the world?

Then Irisawa Nyudo came out.

“Mr. Munenaga Ikegami. You are very welcome. Come here.”

The girl took the hand of the standing Munenaga and led him to the back.

Munenaga enters fidgeting. The girl looked at Munenaga's dirty shoes and smiled.

Munenaga crossed the long corridor. He looked at the finely decorated walls. It was as if he had entered another world.

In the tatami room, Ryoukan and a well-dressed samurai were chatting.

Munenaga was a little discouraged, but he boldly put his hand on the floor and greeted them.

“I am Munenaga Ikegami, sir.”

The strange samurai bowed his head.

“Oh, you are the new heir of Lord Ikegami, are you?”

Munenaga was caught off guard.

“No, not at all.”

Ryoukan was in a good mood.

“Well, that's all right, let's have dinner.”

Munenaga came to return the present, it turned out to be a surprise. Ryoukan, a high priest, offered to serve him a meal. If he refused, his father would reprimand him again. While he was thinking about this, the women came to serve the meal.

The table was filled with fish and other delicacies they had never seen before. Soon after, the girls performed a dance.

The dainty girls on either side of the table served the guests drinks. Munenaga felt as if he were in the Dragon's Palace.

He had been in his brother's shadow since birth. The difference between the eldest son and the younger brother is obvious. Unlike his older brother, he barely had enough to eat every day. Playing was not even on his mind. That is why it was such a surprise to him.


Under a moonlit night, Munenaga was on his way home.

He recalled the conversation they had had at the banquet.

In his own way, Munenaga said.

“I am sorry to trouble you, but I have no intention of abandoning the Lotus Sutra.”

Ryoukan pretended not to hear.

“That's not why I asked you to come here today. I ask you to follow in your father's footsteps. Your brother is obsessed with Nichiren. There is no way for Ryoukan to save him. If you do not follow your father, there will be no heir. If you do not obey your father, there will be no heir, the position of magistrate will be taken by someone else, and the Ikegami family will cease to exist. That would be a problem for everyone.

Think about it. Power rules in this world. It is not a hierarchy of brothers and sisters. He who has the power can be the master. Wasn't it so with Yoritomo-sama? I, too, have become a man who is revered by others because of my financial power and human connections. In the end, happiness is something you receive from others. It does not mean abandoning my brother. Thinking of the future, you should follow your father. Your elder brother should choose his own destiny.”

On the way there was his elder brother's house. He can see the light.

Munenaka stood there in a daze, thinking about the fate of his disowned brother and his wife and their children.

 


To be continued.



Note


 The prison of the twenty-five existences

 The existence of the three worlds and six paths is classified into twenty-five kinds. The "Existence" means survival and existence. In the world of desire, there are fourteen kinds of existence: the four evil qualities, the four states, and the six desire heavens. In the world of color, there are seven types: the Great Brahma, the four zenten, the dreaming heaven, and the five pure heavenly bodies. In the colorless world, there are four of the Four Emptiness Realms.


 Greed, anger, and foolishness

The three poisons of vexation. The root of all vexations. Greed is devouring or desire. Anger is an emotional attachment and the inability to make correct value judgments. Foolishness is delusion or stupidity. Foolishness means to be influenced by the immediate future and to be unable to see the future.

Nichiren Daishonin says that he can eliminate the three poisons through chanting Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo.


“For this reason, taking the highly effective medicine of the Wonderful Law will relieve us of the sufferings inflicted by earthly desires, the three poisons of greed, anger, and foolishness.

The practitioners of the Lotus Sutra, who chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, do not accept the alms of those who slander the Law, and thereby they are relieved of the sickness of greedy desires.

The practitioners of the Lotus Sutra, though they are cursed and abused, practice forbearance, and thereby they are relieved of the sickness of anger.

The practitioners of the Lotus Sutra know that they will attain Buddhahood for, as the sutra says, “Such a person assuredly and without doubt / will attain the Buddha way”, and they are thereby relieved of the earthly desires associated with foolishness.

This “highly effective medicine” is thus the sweet dew that ensures attainment of Buddhahood in the Latter Day of the Law.

Now Nichiren and his followers, who chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo,are the original possessors of this highly effective medicine.” “Orally Transmitted Teachings. The Twenty-Seven Important Matters in the chapter ‘Life Span.’”




by johsei1129 | 2022-05-19 19:24 | LIFE OF NICHIREN | Trackback | Comments(0)


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