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The Passing of Ishikawa’s Daughter I The common belief among the people is that one who chants Namu-Amidabutsu at the last moment of life will surely go to the Pure Land, for the Buddha’s golden words taught so. And yet, Shakyamuni Buddha unexpectedly renounced this teaching starting, “I have not yet revealed the truth,” and “Honestly discarding expedient means [I preach only the unsurpassed way].” When I, Nichiren, taught the same thing, all Japan rose up in anger denouncing my words as lies and fabrications. (Gosho: Ueno-dono go-henji) Good morning everyone. Today, on this occasion of the July Oko sermon in our expression of gratitude to our master Nichiren Daishonin, I have sincerely recited the sutras and chanted Daimoku together with you. Moreover, I have sincerely prayed for you to eliminate your sins and negative karma from this and infinite past lifetimes; for you to redouble your faith; for you to enjoy a safe and long life; for peace and harmony to reign in your home; for all matters to proceed forth smoothly; and for the successful achievement of all your great objectives in this and future existences. I am certain that the Daishonin would be truly pleased to see so many of you in attendance today. This month, I will focus my sermon on “The Passing of Ishikawa’s Daughter” (Ueno-dono gohenji), which starts on page 29 of volume 1 of the The Gosho of Nichiren Daishonin. I will cover this gosho in several parts over the next months. This gosho was written in Minobu, on the 1st day of the 4th month of the 1st year of Koan (1278), when Nichiren Daishonin was 57 years of age. It was addressed to Lord Ueno. Unfortunately, the original document no longer exists, but a copied version, in the hand of our second High Priest Nikko Shonin, remains at Taiseki-ji. As I explained in my sermons on the previous gosho, Lord Ueno refers to Lord Nanjo Tokimitsu, who donated the land on which our Head Temple Taiseki-ji stands. Since I presented a thorough description of Nanjo Tokimitsu in my April sermon, I will not repeat it here today. First, the gosho reads: I have received a quarter-sack of polished rice, a horse-load of taro and five sections of konnyaku, which you were kind enough to send. A quarter sack is equivalent to approximately 18 liters of polished rice. Konnyaku is a food product that is made from taro root. I have learned that taro root must be cultivated for 3 or more years before it grows into a form that can be processed for food. The taro cannot simply be abandoned for three years during such cultivation. In the fall, the taro must be harvested and placed in heated storage to avoid frost damage. After the passing of winter, it is once again planted in the soil. As I mentioned in my sermon last month, famines and epidemics occurred frequently during the lifetime of the Daishonin. People always lacked sufficient food. Under such circumstances, a gift of 18 liters of rice and 5 pieces of konnyaku represented an extremely precious offering. Next, the Daishonin wrote: First, concerning the daughter of Ishikawa Hyoe Nyudo, I often received letters from her. I believe it was on the evening of the 14th or the 15th day of the third month that her last letter arrived. In it, she said, “When I look at the world around me, it appears that even the healthy will have difficulty surviving this year. I have been ill for quite some time, but my condition has recently become critical and I think this letter to you may be my last.” And now she has already passed away. Ishikawa Hyoe Nyudo was the steward of a region called Omosu, approximately 5 minutes away by car from Taiseki-ji and where Kitayama Honmon-ji Temple is located. The title “nyudo” refers to a person who has shaved his head and entered the way of the Buddha. Ishikawa Hyoe Nyudo’s wife was the sister of Lord Nanjo Tokimitsu. Therefore, the daughter referenced in the passage represents Nanjo Tokimitsu’s niece. The Daishonin received a letter from her around the 14th or 15th of the 3rd month. In it she wrote that, according to what she has observed, even a healthy person would find it difficult to survive that year. She reported that her health was poor and her condition had recently worsened. She wrote that the letter she was sending would probably be her last. She looked death in the face and was not flustered in the least. Without a doubt, her pure life characterized the spirit of a true disciple of the Daishonin. The next section stated: The common belief among the people is that one who chants Namu-Amidabutsu at the last moment of life will surely go to the Pure Land, for the Buddha’s golden words taught so. And yet, Shakyamuni Buddha unexpectedly renounced this teaching starting, “I have not yet revealed the truth,” and “Honestly discarding expedient means [I preach only the unsurpassed way].” When I, Nichiren, taught the same thing, all Japan rose up in anger denouncing my words as lies and fabrications. Some of you may have heard the chant, “Namu-Amidabutsu.” It represents the recitation hailed by the Jodo sect of Buddhism, which was widely propagated during the Daishonin’s lifetime and which was the essential cause for tremendous suffering at the time, in the form of famines, epidemics, and great calamities. The Jodo sect upholds Amida Buddha as its object of worship. Its doctrines teach that our world is a defiled place, full of suffering. According to the teachings of this sect, those who chant the Nembutsu incantation would be able to achieve the essential objective of Amida Buddha, by departing this defiled world and being reborn in the western paradise. It goes without saying that the Pure Land faith is far inferior to the Lotus Sutra. A major flaw in the Pure Land faith is that it completely ignores the evaluation of the superiority or inferiority of the doctrines and the objects of worship. According to the Jodo teachings, people cannot help but encounter suffering while they are living in this world, since society is a place of defilement. However, the Pure Land exists far away in the distance, beyond ten-thousand billion realms. It represents the pure land paradise where Amida Buddha resides. The doctrines teach that, as long as people cling to Amida Buddha and sincerely chant the Nembutsu incantation, they would be able to go to this paradise after death and find great happiness. In other words, the Pure Land doctrines taught that, no matter how hard individuals try, they would never be able to achieve happiness in this life. It instructed people to uphold Amida Buddha so that they would be able to attain happiness after death. A teaching such as this would affect the minds of individuals and encourage them to escape from reality. It cultivates indecisiveness and a sense of resignation. Ultimately, it promotes suicide. In fact, Shan-tao, a patriarch of the Pure Land sect in China, was eager to achieve this rebirth as soon as possible and tried to hang himself on the branch of a willow tree. He was unable to die and, as a result, went insane. He writhed in pain and suffering for seven days and seven nights and finally died. The tomb of Honen, the founder of the Pure Land sect in Japan, was dug and his remains were discarded in the Kamo River. Both founders of the sect encountered an unfortunate demise, and yet, the Pure Land sect dares to teach that those who chant Namu-Amidabutsu at the last moment of their lives would be able to be reborn in paradise. The Buddha would never have promoted such a doctrine. Why, then, must we uphold the Lotus Sutra? Why must we uphold only Nam-myoho-renge-kyo? The following passage from the sutra is quoted in the gosho: “I have not yet revealed the truth; honestly discarding expedient means …” The Jodo sect, which instructed people to chant the Nembutsu incantation, belongs to the group of expedients among all the doctrines taught by Shakyamuni throughout 50 years of his lifetime. You may be familiar with the Zen sect, which teaches sitting in meditation. Zen, like Jodo, belongs to this group of expedients. Shakyamuni clearly indicated that, of the entirety of his lifetime teachings spanning 50 years, the supreme doctrine revealing the truth is none other than the Lotus Sutra, which he expounded during the last 8 years. He explained that the rest of the teachings – those taught by him prior to the Lotus Sutra, for more than 40 years – represents expedient doctrines that were presented to lead the people to the Lotus Sutra. For example, in constructing a house, a carpenter would first build scaffolding. Once the house is completed, the scaffolding must be removed. In the same way, after the Lotus Sutra was expounded, it was necessary to discard the sutras that Shakyamuni taught during more than 40 years prior to it. In an effort to present this point, Shakyamuni stated the following: “I have not yet revealed the truth; honestly discarding expedient means …” Here, he declared that the Lotus Sutra characterized the truth. Thus, the Jodo and Zen teachings and all the doctrines taught during the initial 40 years represent expedients that must be discarded. Ultimately, Amida Buddha and the Pure Land paradise only represent a fictitious Buddha and an imaginary realm. We can find many parallels in society. In order to perform high mathematics, we must first study addition and subtraction in arithmetic. Only after an extended period of study can we finally perform high math. In mastering a language, we must first study simple words. Then, we gradually embrace difficult words and can finally write good sentences. The attachment to the Nembutsu of the Pure Land sect or the doctrines of Zen Buddhism, by those who believe in the expedient teachings, is tantamount to those who absolutely refuse to move beyond addition in arithmetic and focus solely on simple terms in learning a language. Shakyamuni, himself, instructed us to honestly discard the expedient teachings, but many people are firmly attached to them. Under such conditions, it would be impossible for the individuals to embrace True Buddhism. There are many religions in this world which promote the worship of imaginary and intangible Buddhas and gods. They present ambiguous teachings and fantasies that cause chaos in society and suffering among people. Whenever Nichiren Daishonin pointed out the causes for suffering in the lives of people, even though those people lived under such conditions, they were outraged and insisted that he was fabricating lies and that his assertions were unreliable. Next, the Daishonin wrote: There were other instances [of the Buddha reversing his earlier teachings]. In the Hinayana sutras, Shakyamuni taught that in all the ten directions there was no other Buddha and that no other living beings possessed the Buddha nature. Yet in the Mahayana sutras, he revealed that Buddhas live in all the ten directions of the universe and that the Buddha nature is inherent within all living beings. How could anyone still believe in the Hinayana sutras? Naturally, since that time all people have placed their faith in the Mahayana sutras. The Hinayana sutras refer to the doctrines expounded by Shakyamuni during the Agon (Agama) period, which is a part of the 50 years of his lifetime teachings. It signified instruction for those in the life conditions of Learning and Realization, who only seek their own salvation. It represented a doctrine that only taught securing merits for oneself. It was far removed from the essential objective of Buddhism to achieve salvation for all mankind. The Hinayana teachings are temporary expedients designed to lead people to Mahayana Buddhism. By contrast, the Mahayana doctrines were expounded in the Kegon, Hodo, Hannya, and Hokke periods, for the bodhisattvas who sought to save themselves and all mankind. The Mahayana teachings reveal profound principles that are not expounded in Hinayana Buddhism. The 10 directions refer to the following: east, west, north, south, southeast, northeast, southwest, northwest, and up and down. In other words, the 10 directions denote the various orientations that are visible from this saha world. According to the gosho passage, the Hinayana sutras taught that Buddhas do not live in the 10 directions and that the Buddha nature does not exist within all people. The Mahayana teachings instructed that the Buddhas inhabit the 10 directions and that the Buddha nature is inherent within all individuals. The Daishonin wondered how anyone could still believe in the Hinayana doctrines, when the Buddha had so clearly explained these issues. Needless to say, Mahayana Buddhism is superior to Hinayana Buddhism. Furthermore, within the Mahayana doctrines, the Lotus Sutra, alone, expounded the truth. It is, indeed, extremely difficult to correctly uphold the Buddha’s teachings. There are people in this world today who still practice Hinayana Buddhism. Although Shakyamuni instructed people to “honestly discard expedient means,” there are individuals who currently chant the Nembutsu incantation and assume the Zen meditation posture. Under these conditions, we have been able to uphold the True Buddhism of the Daishonin, who, alone, appeared in the Latter Day of the Law as predicted by Shakyamuni and who correctly propagated the Lotus Sutra. Our karmic bond with him is truly profound. We are truly fortunate to encounter this great benefit. Nichiren Shoshu is currently proceeding forth towards 2009, the 750th anniversary of the revelation of truth and justice, through the writing of the Rissho ankoku ron, characaterizing the doubling of the number of the Boddhisattvas of the Earth at the assembly. In an effort to achieve this essential objective, let us all devote ourselves and advance forth in our performance of shakubuku, based on a solid base of our daily gongyo and Daimoku. This month, my sermon focused on the first section of the gosho, “The Passing of Ishikawa’s Daughter” (Ueno-dono go-henji). During my next sermon, I plan to continue my explanation of this gosho. If you have a copy of the gosho, please be sure to bring it with you. The summer heat will continue for a while, so please take good care of your health. I would like to conclude my sermon by sincerely praying for you to engage in your daily Buddhist practice, with increased devotion. I extend my heartfelt appreciation to you for traveling such long distances today to attend this sermon. |