Kaimokusho - or Liberation From Blindness
Kaimokusho - or Liberation From Blindness
OR
LIBERATION FROM BLINDNESS
KAIMOKUSHO
OR
LIBERATION FROM BLINDNESS
by
Nichiren
by
M urano Senchu
Numata Center
for Buddhist Translation and Research
2000
© 2000 by Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai and
Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research
Published by
Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research
2620 Warring Street
Berkeley, California 94704
N umata Yehan
Founder of the English
August 7, 1991 Tripitaka Project
v
Editorial Foreword
vii
Editorial Foreword
M ayeda Sengaku
Chairperson
Translation Committee of
June 28, 1999 the BDK English Tripitaka
viii
Publisher’s Foreword
Kenneth K. Inada
Chairperson
June 28, 1999 Publication Committee
IX
Contents
N umata Yehan v
Editorial Foreword M ayeda Sengaku vii
Bibliography 131
Index 133
xi
Translator’s Introduction
1
Translator’s Introduction
2
Notes on Transliteration
3
Notes on Transliteration
4
kaim okusho
OR
liberation from blindness
by
Nichiren
Chapter I
The Saddharmapundarika-sutra
Confucianism
All the people of the world should respect three kinds of persons: 208bl7
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Kaimokusho or Liberation from Blindness
the king’s tyranny]. Kung-yin (Ko-in), [who failed to save his lord]
I-kung (Iko), killed himself by cutting open his abdomen, pulling
out the liver from his lord’s body, and thrusting it into his own
body. All these people were paragons of loyalty to their lord.
Yin-shou (Inju) was the teacher of King Yao-wang (Gyo-o);
Wu-ch’eng (Musei), that of King Shun-wang (Shun-o); T ’ai-kung-
wang (Taikobo), that of King Wen-wang (Bun-o); and Lao-tzu
(Roshi), that of Confucius. These teachers were called the Four
Saints. The Heavenly Venerables bowed to them. People joined
their hands together before them.
These saints wrote many books compiled into more than three
thousand volumes altogether, including the Three Fen {Fun), the
Five Tien {Ten), and the Three Shih {Shi). Their teachings can be
summarized, however, into only three hsiian {gen), or truths. The
first truth is that everything exists. This truth was established by
Chou-kung (Shuko) and others. The second truth is that nothing
exists. This was held by Lao-tzu and others. The third truth is
that everything exists while nothing exists. This was taught by
Chuang-tzu (Soshi).
Confucians say that hsuan means black. Some of them say
that our previous existence comes from Yuan-ch’i (Genki) or the
Original Ether. Some hold that the difference between noble and
humble, sorrow and joy, right and wrong, gain and loss, and so on,
are just natural happenings not due to any human artificiality.
Their statements are thoughtful, but it seems that they know noth
ing about their previous or future lives. They say that hsuan is
black and dark, and that, therefore, it is called hsiian. It appears
that they know only their present lives.
[The Four Saints] established the virtues of humanity {jen,
jin ) and justice {i, gi). According to them, when we practice these
virtues in our present lives, we shall be protected and the peace of
our country will be maintained, and if we do not observe them our
clans and families will be ruined. They may be called saints as far
as their teachings for our present lives are concerned, but they
cannot be called saints when we see that they know nothing about
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Chapter I
our previous or future lives. They are not different from ordi
nary men who cannot look at their backs or blind men who cannot
see even their fronts.
Confucians say that the person who governs his household
well, serves his parents devotedly, and practices the five virtues
[including humanity and justice] in his present life will be re
spected by his fellow workers, praised by the people of his coun
try, appointed as a vassal by a clever king, elected to be the teacher
of the king, or enthroned under the protection of the gods. They
say that the fact that King Wu-wang of the Chou dynasty was
served by the Five Elders, and the fact that the Emperor Kuang-
wu-ti (Kobutei) of the Later Han dynasty was protected by the
twenty-eight generals, who were reincarnations o f the twenty-
eight constellations, are good examples showing the results of prac
ticing the five virtues.
But they are not true saints because they do not know the
past and future. They cannot save the future lives of their par
ents, lords, and teachers. Therefore, we can say that they do not 209a
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Kaimokusho or Liberation from Blindness
Brahmanism
The second [religion to be studied is Brahmanism]. According to
the Brahmanism o f India, the two gods Mahesvara and Visnu are
regarded as the compassionate parents, gods, and lords of all liv
ing beings. Mahesvara has three eyes and eight arms.
The three persons Kapila, Uluka, and Rsabha are called the
Three Seers. They lived about eight centuries before the time of
the Buddha. They expounded the Four Vedas composed in sixty
thousand storehouses.
At the time of the Buddha, there were six schools in Brah
manism. They studied the Four Vedas and became the teachers of
the kings of the five districts of India.
After the time of the Buddha, the six schools were divided
into ninety-five or ninety-six schools. Every one of these schools
was so arrogant as to think that the banner of that school was
higher than the highest heaven. Each school stuck to its own view
more persistently than gold or a stone keeps its hardness. But
their views were incomparably more profound and meaningful than
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Chapter I
effect does not exist in cause, and (3) effect exists and does not
exist in cause. These three views were the ultimate teachings of
Brahmanism.
The so-called good brahmans observe the five precepts and
the ten good precepts, practice meditation still connected with
illusions, and proceed as slowly as a measuring worm toward the
highest heaven, where they think they can find the place of
nirvana. But they must fall from there down to the three evil
regions. None of them can stay in the highest heaven although
they think that, when they reach there, they can stay there for
ever. They cling to the teachings of their teachers. Some of them
bathe in the Ganges River three times a day in cold winter. Some
pull out their hair. Some jump off a rock. Some set their bodies
on fire. Some set their heads and limbs on fire. Some live naked.
Some sacrifice many horses to gain bliss. Some set fire to grasses
and trees. Some pay homage to all trees. They do innumerable
other wrong deeds like these.
They worship their teachers as respectfully as the gods wor
ship Sakra or as vassals bow to their emperor. But none of these
brahmans, good or evil, of the ninety-five schools can get rid of
birth and death. Those who serve good teachers may stay in the
highest heaven for two or three lives, but eventually they must
fall into the evil regions. Those who serve evil teachers will fall
into the evil regions in their next lives. Brahmans should be con
verted to Buddhism. This is the most important thing for them.
A brahman said, “The Buddha will appear in this world a thou
sand years from now.” Another brahman said, “The Buddha will
appear in this world a hundred years from now.” It says in the
Mahaparinirvana-sutra, “All the Brahmanical texts in the world
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Kaimokusho or Liberation from Blindness
12
Chapter I
them over!
The Buddha expounds two important teachings in this sutra.
These teachings are not known to the Kusha (Kosa), Jojitsu
(Satyasiddhi), Ritsu (Vinaya), Hosso (Dharmalaksana), and Sanron
(Three Sastras) Sects. The Kegon (Avataihsaka) and Shingon Sects
took these two teachings from this sutra and made them the core
of their own sects. The teaching of one m ind-three thousand
[which means that there are three thousand things in one mind] is
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Chapter I
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Chapter I
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Chapter I
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the two vehicles are compared to a hole of fire; and the minds of
icchantikas [who have no Buddha-nature] are compared to water.
These two kinds of people can never become Buddhas.
[2] It says in the Mahasarhnipata-sutra:
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Chapter I
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22
Chapter I
This quotation means that the gods and men who make offerings
to saintly priests like Kasyapa and Sariputra will fall into the three
evil regions.
I thought that these saintly priests were the eyes of gods and
men and the leaders of all living beings, next in rank to the Buddha.
I did not realize that the Buddha criticized them repeatedly in the
presence of a great multitude of gods and men. It appears that the
Buddha tried to torture his disciples to death. He criticized them
even more. He said that bodhisattvas are like cow’s milk while ad
herents of the two vehicles are like donkey’s milk, that bodhisattvas
are like a pot of gold while adherents of the two vehicles are like
an earthware pot, and that bodhisattvas are like sunshine while
adherents of the two vehicles are like the glow of a firefly.
He slandered adherents of the two vehicles not in a word or
two, not for a day or two, not for a month or two, not for a year or
two, not in a sutra or two, but for more than forty years in innu
merable sutras in the presence of innumerable multitudes of
people, without a word of leniency. Therefore, everyone knew, as
is said in the proverb, “I know. You know. Heaven also knows,
that adherents of the two vehicles can never become Buddhas,
because everyone believed that the World-honored One never told
a lie. Everyone knew this, not only a person or two, but also thou
sands of millions of people, gods, dragons, and asuras of the triple
world, the people of the five districts of India, the people of the
four continents, the people of the six heavens of desire, of the realms
of form and the formless, and the people who came to this Saha
world from the worlds of the ten quarters, including gods, men, 212 b
adherents of the two vehicles, and great bodhisattvas, heard and
knew this. The people who came from the worlds of the ten quar
ters returned to their home worlds and told the people there what
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24
Chapter I
treasures, five hundred yojanas tall and two hundred fifty yojanas
wide and deep. The stupa sprang up from underground, and ap
peared in the sky before the Buddha. The stupa shone as bril
liantly as the full moon rising from the eastern mountain in the
dark night. The stupa of the seven treasures was floating in the 212c
sky, not resting on the earth, nor in the highest heaven.
Now a Brahma voice was heard from within the stupa of trea
sures. It says in the Saddharmapundarika-sutra:
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Kaimokusho or Liberation from Blindness
26
Chapter I
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28
Chapter I
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30
Chapter I
Only the Buddha attained the highest Truth, that is, the
reality of all things.. . . As a rule, the World-honored One
expounds the true teaching only after a long period of ex
pounding expedient teachings— I have laid aside all expe
dient teachings.
Prabhutaratna Buddha supports the truthfulness of the eight
chapters [from Chapter II to Chapter IX], which are included in
the first fourteen chapters of the S a d d h a rm a p u n d a rik a -su tra .
This gives us the impression that the Buddha did not conceal any
of his teachings in the first fourteen chapters. But the reality is
that the Buddha did not tell of the longevity of his life in these
chapters. Instead, he says:
I for the first time sat at the place of enlightenment and
attained enlightenment. For three weeks after that, I gazed
at the tree, or walked about.
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Kaimokusho or Liberation from Blindness
never been seen in this Saha world for the past forty and more
years. The Buddha says, “I taught them, and caused them to as
pire to enlightenment.”
Maitreya Bodhisattva asks the Buddha, saying:
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Kaimokusho or Liberation from Blindness
involve each other, that the one hundred regions thus established
each have ten suchnesses, making one thousand suchnesses. This
eventually makes the teaching of one mind—three thousand ex
pounded in the “Discourse of the Original Buddha. ”
Now we can say this. The scholars of the various sects are
ignorant not only of what Buddha or Buddhas they are worshiping
but also of the Buddha revealed in the “Chapter on the Duration of
the Life o f the T a th a ga ta ” in the S addharm apundarika-
sutra. They do not know that the Buddhas on the lotus flowers
revealed in the Avatamsaka-sutra, the Buddhas of the ten quar
ters, the small Sakyamuni Buddha as described in the Agama
sutras, and the Buddhas o f the Provisional Mahayana revealed
in the Vaipulya sutras, the Mahaprajhaparamita-sutra, the
Suvarnaprabhasa-sutra, and the Mahavairocana-sutra are all
manifestations of the Buddha revealed in the “Chapter on the
Duration of the Life of the Tathagata,” just as the water contained
in utensils of various sizes reflects the moon variously. They think
that a reflection of the moon is the real moon, and try to grasp it
or tie it with a rope. T ’ien-t’ai says, “They do not know the real
moon. They see only a reflection of the moon in the pond. ”
Even the assurance of Buddhahood for adherents of the two
vehicles does not seem to be so attractive as the teachings ex
pounded in the sutras before the Saddharmapundarika-sutra.
The teaching that the Buddha attained enlightenment in the re
motest past is incomparably less attractive than the teachings of
the earlier sutras. The earlier sutras are more attractive than
the Saddharmapundarika-sutra, and the “Discourse of the His
torical Buddha,” which covers the first fourteen chapters of the
Saddharmapundarika-sutra, is more attractive than the second
fourteen chapters of the sutra. Furthermore, although [the first
two of the second fourteen chapters, that is,] the “Chapter on
Bodhisattvas from Underground” and the “Chapter on the Duration
of the Life of the Tathagata” reveal the eternity of the Buddha, the
rest of the second fourteen chapters recover the historicity of the
Buddha.
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Chapter I
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The Kegon and Shingon Sects are far more excellent than the
Hosso and Sanron Sects. They criticize me, saying:
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Chapter I
It is true that the sutra expounded during the last eight years
of the Buddha’s teaching is different from the sutras expounded
during the forty and odd years before that. It is also true that,
when a latter statement contradicts a former statement, we
should follow the latter statement. Notwithstanding this, how
ever, the earlier sutras are more attractive than the Saddharma
pundarika-sutra.
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Kaimokusho or Liberation from Blindness
38
Chapter I
There will be hardly one person who keeps the right teachings
of the Buddha in the five hundred or one thousand years to come.
[Many] people will be sent to the evil regions due to committing
worldly crimes. But they are much fewer than those who are sent
to the evil regions for slandering the Dharma of the Buddha, just
as the particles of earth put on a nail are fewer than the particles
of earth composing the worlds of the ten quarters. More priests
will be sent there than laymen; more nuns than laywomen.
39
Chapter II
Why Am I Persecuted?
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Kaimokusho or Liberation from Blindness
42
Chapter II
I did not expound this sutra before because, if I had done so,
many people in the world would have hated this sutra and
few would have believed it.
Ignorant people will speak ill of us, and abuse u s.... They
will say to kings, ministers, brahmans, and householders,
“They have wrong views. They are expounding the teachings
of heretics.. . . ” They will drive us out of our monasteries
from time to time.
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44
Chapter II
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Kaimokusho or Liberation from Blindness
Father and mother will be hated by their child when they cau
terize its skin with moxa to cure its disease. A man who is seri
ously ill is not willing to take good but bitter medicine. Many people
hated this sutra with jealousy even in the lifetime of the Buddha.
More people did so in the Age of the Counterfeit of the Right Teach
ings o f the Buddha. Many more people will do so in this Age of
Degeneration in a country far from India. There will be mountain
after mountain, billow after billow, difficulty after difficulty, in
justice after injustice in my way.
In the middle of the Age of the Counterfeit of the Right Teach
ings of the Buddha, only T ’ien-t’ai read the Saddharmapundarlka-
sutra and all the other sutras correctly. The leaders of the three
sects in South China and the seven sects in North China criticized
him, but were silenced during the debates that took place before
the emperors of the Ch’en and Sui dynasties. Toward the end of
the Age of the Counterfeit of the Right Teachings of the Buddha,
only Dengyo read the Saddharmapundarika-sutra and all the
other sutras correctly. The priests of the seven great temples of
Nara criticized him, but were silenced when Emperors Kammu,
Heizei, and Saga decided that Dengyo was right.
Now more than two hundred years have already elapsed since
the beginning of the Age of Degeneration. Because the Buddha
said, Needless to s a y . . . after my extinction” and because it is
already the Age of Conflicts, injustice is preferred in order to mark
the defilement of the world. I was not permitted to have a public
debate, but was exiled and was about to be killed.
I am far from T ’ien-t’ai and Dengyo in understanding the
Saddharmapundarika-sutra, but they would be astonished to find
that I am far more patient of hardships and far more compassion
ate toward others than they.
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Chapter II
This means that without the priests of the Nembutsu, Zen, and Ritsu
Sects of today, the World-honored One would become a great liar.
It says in the verses, “In order t o ... slander us in the midst of
the great multitude... they will say to kings, ministers, brahmans,
and householders.. . . ” Unless the priests of today slandered me
before the government and had me exiled, these verses would be
come dead letters.
It also says in the verses, “They wi ll . . . drive us out of our
monasteries from time to time.” Unless I had been exiled more
than once, where would be the truthfulness of the statement from
time to time” ? Even T ’ien-t’ai or Dengyo did not “read by body”
[experience] the statement “from time to time. Needless to say,
no one else did so. Only I did so because I am living at the begin
ning of the Age of Degeneration in the dreadful evil world that
the Buddha predicted.
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Kaimokusho or Liberation from Blindness
All the Buddha’s prophecies have turned out true so far. The
Buddha said in theFuhozo-kyo (Fu-fa-ts’ang-ching), “A great king
named Asoka will appear one hundred years after my extinction. ”
He said in the Mahamaya-sutra, “A man named Nagarjuna
Bodhisattva will appear in South India six hundred years after
my extinction. ” He also said in the Mahakaruna-sutra, “A man
named Madhyantika will transform the sea that covers the pal
ace of dragons into land sixty years after my extinction. ” All these
prophecies turned out true. If not, who would believe the teach
ings of the Buddha?
The Buddha said that the practitioner of the Saddharma
pundarika-sutra will face enemies “in the dreadful evil world,” in
“the Age of Degeneration when the Dharma is about to be de
stroyed, or in “the last five hundred years.” This determination
of the time is invariably given in both of the Chinese versions of
2i7a the Saddharmapundarika-sutra: the Myohorenge-kyo (Miao-fa-
lien-hua-ching) and the Shohoke-kyo (Cheng-fa-hua-ching). Who
will believe and receive the words of the Buddha if we have not
the three kinds of enemies of the Saddharmapundarika-sutra to
day? Who is the practitioner o f the Saddharmapundarika-sutra
to prove the truthfulness of the words of the Buddha except me?
The priests of the three sects in South China and the seven sects
in North China and the priests of the seven great temples of Nara
were enemies of the Saddharmapundarika-sutra in the Age of
the Counterfeit of the Right Teachings of the Buddha. Needless to
say, the priests of the Zen, Ritsu, and Nembutsu Sects of today
cannot be excluded from these enemies. What I have done is con
sistent with the prophecy of the Buddha given in the sutra. I shall
be happier if I am persecuted more.
A Hinayana bodhisattva, who had not yet eliminated all il
lusions, did evil karmas by his own will.” He saw his parents
suffering severely in hell. Wishing to save them, he did evil karmas
by his own will, went to hell, and gladly suffered together with his
parents. I am like him. My suffering at present is unbearable, but
I am glad to say that due to my present sufferings I shall be able
to emancipate myself from the evil regions in my future life.
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Chapter II
The only thing that the people of the world doubt, and I also
doubt, is: Why do the gods not help me? The gods vowed to protect
the practitioner of the Saddharmapundarlka-sutra. They should
immediately come and protect anyone who calls himself a practi
tioner of the Saddharmapundarlka-sutra in order to fulfill their
vow, even if that self-appointed practitioner of the Saddharma
pundarlka-sutra is as foolish as a monkey. They do not. Am I not
the practitioner of the Saddharmapundarlka-sutra ? This ques
tion is the core of this writing and the most important thing of my
life. Therefore, I will deal with this question from various angles
in order to emphasize its importance, and then determine the cor
rect answer to this question.
Chi-cha (Kisatsu) left home on official business. On the way to
his destination, he was warmly treated by the lord of the country
of Hsu (Jo). The lord wished to have the sword of Chi-cha, but did
not express his wish. Chi-cha read the mind of the lord, and de
cided to give it to him on his way home to repay his hospitality.
When he revisited Hsu, the lord was already dead. Chi-cha visited
the tomb of the lord and offered his sword to the tombstone. Wang-
yin (O-in) drank the water of a river, and put a coin into the river
as a token of his gratitude to the river. Kung-yin, who failed to
save his lord, killed himself by cutting open his abdomen, pulling
the liver from his lord’s body, and thrusting it into his own body.
All these people were wise men. I think that they did so in order to
repay the favors given by others.
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Kaimokusho or Liberation from Blindness
forty and more years, they were given the elixir of life made from
the Saddharmapundarika-sutra and are now allowed to become
Buddhas, just as a parched seed brings forth a bud, as a broken
stone recovers its original form, or as a dead tree bears flowers
and fruit. Although they have not yet completed the procedure to
attain Buddhahood through eight stages, they should repay the
great favors given by this sutra. If they do not, they will be noth
ing but animals because animals do not know the favors given by
others. If they do not, those sravakas will be inferior to the Chi
nese sages mentioned previously. Mao-pao (Mo-ho) traded a
fisherman his robe for a turtle and released the turtle into the sea.
Mao-pao was defeated in battle, and he plunged into the sea. The
turtle that had been saved by him came and rescued him. The
turtle had not forgotten his favor. A big fish in the pond of K ’un-
mmg (Kommei) was released by Emperor Wu-ti of the Han dy
nasty. The fish presented him with a brilliant gem at night. Even
those animals repayed the favors given by others. Needless to say,
the great saints should do so.
Venerable Ananda was the second son of King Dronodana.
Venerable Rahula was a grandson of King Suddhodana. They
were born of royal families and attained arhatship. But they were
prohibited from becoming Buddhas before the Saddharm a
pundarika-sutra was expounded. In the Saddharmapundarika-
sutra, they were for the first time given the names o f Tatha-
gatas, Sagaravaradharabuddhivikrlditabhijna and Saptaratna-
padmavikrantagamin, respectively, during the session on Mount
Sacred Eagle. The session was held during the last eight years of
the teaching of the Buddha. Without the Saddharmapundarika-
sutra, no one will respect a person deprived of Buddhahood even
though he is a noble and great saint. [A sravaka without Buddha
hood is like a king without virtue.] A king deserves the name inso
far as he can be relied on by the people. King Chieh (Ketsu) of the
Hsia (Ka) dynasty and King Chou of the Yin dynasty misruled
the people and destroyed their own countries. Therefore, even to
day evil persons are called “Chieh-Chou.” Even an ignoble man or
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Chapter II
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that great saints like the sravakas desert the practitioner of the
Saddharmapundarika-sutra.
When the four great sravakas understood the Dharma, they
addressed the Buddha:
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Chapter II
for observing the two hundred fifty precepts, and told the multi
tude to respect them as their teachers. But now he denied what
he had expounded in the Agama sutras. This is apparently con
tradictory.
The World-honored One also contradicted himself in another
case. He abused Devadatta, saying, “You are a fool. You eat the
spit of someone else.” Hearing this, Devadatta felt as if he had
been shot in the chest with a poisonous arrow. He reproached the
Buddha, saying to others:
took off lay garments, wore robes of cast-off rags, threw away in
sect-sweepers of white hair and bows and arrows, and carried alms
bowls like poor men or beggars. They had no houses to protect
them from wind and rain. They had little food and clothing. On
the other hand, almost all the people of the world were disciples or
lay supporters of brahmans. Therefore, even the Buddha was per
secuted nine times. When the Buddha was passing the foot of
Mount Grdhrakuta, Devadatta rolled a big stone down the slope
at him King Ajatasatru turned an intoxicated elephant on the
Buddha. King Ajita invited the Buddha and his disciples but did
not offer them food, so they had to live on horses’ oats for ninety
days. In a city of brahmans, the Buddha and his disciples could
get no food other than garbage. Cinca, the daughter of a brahman,
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Kaimokusho or Liberation from Blindness
carried a tray under her garment and defamed the Buddha, say
ing that she was pregnant by him. Needless to say, the disciples of
the Buddha were persecuted more. Many members of the Sakya
clan were killed by King Virudhaka. Many of their attendants
were trampled to death by intoxicated elephants. Utpalavarna
Bhiksuni was killed by Devadatta. Venerable Kalodayin was put
into a receptacle of horse dung. Venerable Maudgalyayana was
beaten to death with bamboo sticks.
Furthermore, the priests of the six Brahmanical sects came
together to King Ajatasatru and King Prasenajit and slandered
the Buddha, saying:
This abuse was quite unbearable to the sravakas. But the Buddha
218c
also abused them as stated previously. The Buddha often criti
cized the sravakas in the presence o f great multitudes of gods and
men. The sravakas were quite at a loss as to what to do.
Furthermore, what troubled the sravakas most was that the
Buddha said to Subhuti in the Vimalakirtinirdesa-sutra, “Those
who give alms to you cannot be called fields of merit. Those who
make offerings to you will fall into the three evil regions.”
I will explain this in more detail. When the Buddha was at
Amravana, he said to a great multitude including Brahma, Sakra,
the sun god, the moon god, the gods of the four quarters, the gods
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Chapter II
of the triple world, the gods of the earth, dragons, and others,
“The gods and men who make offerings to Subhuti and other
bhiksus will fall into the three evil regions.”
Do you think that the gods and men who heard this made
offerings to these sra vak a s? It appears that the Buddha intended
to starve adherents of the two vehicles to death. Some people may
lose faith in the Buddha when they hear this. Adherents of the
two vehicles may have been able to survive on the leftovers of food
offered to the Buddha. Therefore, I have arrived at the following
conclusion. If the Buddha had expounded only the sutras of the
first forty and more years, and entered into p a rin irva n a without
expounding the S ad d h arm ap u n d arika-su tra during his last eight
years, no one would make offerings to these venerables. These
venerables might be living now in the region of hungry spirits [if
they had not been saved by the S ad d h arm ap u n d arik a-su tra ].
The Buddha said in the Muryogi-kyo, “I have never revealed
my true teaching during the past forty and more years,” and denied
the truthfulness of the sutras expounded previously, just as the
spring sun melts away ice, or as a strong wind blows off the dew
on the grass. He also says, “I will expound my true teaching only
after a long period of expounding expedient teachings,” which is as
clear as a gale bringing forth black clouds, as the full moon shining
in the sky, or as the sun shining in the cloudless sky. Then he as
sured Sariputra, Kasyapa, and others of Buddhahood, giving them
Buddha names such as Padmaprabha Tathagata and Rasmi-
prabhasa Tathagata. All these statements of the Buddha are clearly
given in the sutra just as the sun or the moon shines brightly in the 219a
sky. These statements are given in the sutra only because those
sravakas are worshiped like the Buddha by the followers among
gods and men, after the extinction of the Tathagata.
When the water is clear, the moon is reflected in it. When a
strong wind blows, grasses and trees bend themselves before it.
When the practitioner of the Saddharm apundarika-sutra appears,
these saints should come to him, defying any difficulty, even pass
ing through a great fire or a great rock.
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Kaimokusho or Liberation from Blindness n
[But the reality is that they have never come to protect me.]
Kasyapa entered into samadhi, vowing that he would do the work
of the Buddha after the extinction o f the Buddha. What is he
doing now? I am very doubtful o f him. Is this age not the fifth
period o f five centuries after the extinction of the Buddha? The
Buddha said that the Saddharmapundarika-sutra would be propa
gated in the fifth period of five centuries after his extinction. Did
he tell a lie? Am I not the practitioner o f the Saddharm a
pundarika-sutra ? Does the Buddha protect the great liars who
say that their teachings have been handed down from the Buddha
w ithout resorting to w ritten sutras, and who despise the
Saddharmapundarika-sutra as one of the written sutras that do
not express the true teachings of the Buddha? Does he protect
those who tell people to give up, shut, desert, and abandon the
S a dd harm a pun darika-sutra, and who have remodeled the
Hokke-do Hall [into the Amida-do Hall]? The gods vowed to the
Buddha that they w ould p rotect the p ra ctition er o f the
Saddharmapundarika-sutra. Do they not come to protect me be
cause they see the difficulties of this defiled world as too great to
overcome? The sun and the moon are in the sky as usual. Mount
Sumeru still stands unleveled. The tide rises and falls normally.
The four seasons come and go regularly. Why is the practitioner
of the Saddharmapundarika-sutra not protected as he should be?
My doubts have become more and more serious.
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the Buddha said in many sutras, “I did not expound the Dharma
even with a single letter [without restraint].”
The Buddha expounded the Muryogi-kyo on Mount Sacred
Eagle in the country of Magadha at the age of seventy-two. In this
sutra he mentioned the names of the most important sutras he
had expounded, and then said, “I have never expounded my true
teaching during the past forty and more years.”
Hearing this, great bodhisattvas, gods, and men were aston
ished. They asked the Buddha for his true teaching. The Buddha
said one word but did not yet expound the Dharma. It reminds
us of the moon emitting a ray of light from behind the eastern
mountain to the western mountain without revealing itself to the
eyes of the people.
At the beginning o f the “Chapter on Expedients” in the
Saddharmapundarika-sutra, the Buddha briefly expounded the
teaching of one mind—three thousand, and thus for the first time
he revealed what he had in his mind. The congregation was aston
ished to hear this, just as a half-asleep man is shocked at hearing
a cuckoo chirp, or as on a fine day we see the rising moon as vaguely
as if it were covered with thin clouds. Representing the gods,
dragons, and great bodhisattvas, Sariputra asked the Buddha,
saying:
As many gods and dragons as there are sands in the Ganges
River, and the eighty thousand bodhisattvas who are seek
ing Buddhahood, and also the wheel-turning holy kings of
billions of worlds, are joining their hands together respect
fully, wishing to hear the Perfect Way.
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Now the great bodhisattvas, Brahma, Sakra, the sun god, the
moon god, and the Heavenly Kings of the Four Quarters have
become the disciples of the Lord Teacher Sakyamuni, the World-
honored One. In the “Chapter on Beholding the Stupa of Trea
sures,” the Buddha treated the great bodhisattvas as his disciples
and said, “Who will protect, keep, read, and recite this sutra after
my extinction? Make a vow to do this before m e!” The great
220c
bodhisattvas followed the Buddha “just as the branches of trees
end and kusa plants sway before a strong wind, or as the water
of all rivers runs into the ocean.”
At that time, however, the session on Mount Sacred Eagle was
only halfway over [and the congregation could not understand the
words of the Buddha very well]. They felt as if they were having a
dream.
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T’ien-t’ai says:
Maitreya Bodhisattva meant to say, “During the period
from the Buddha’s attainment of enlightenment up to this
session, many bodhisattvas have come here one after an
other from the worlds of the ten quarters. Their number is
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Miao-le says, “Only a wise man knows the origin of a thing. Only
snakes know snakes.” What is meant by the words of the sutra
and Miao-le’s comment on them is clear. It means that Maitreya
Bodhisattva had never seen or heard of these bodhisattvas in this
world, or in the worlds of the ten quarters since the Buddha’s at
tainment of enlightenment.
The Buddha answered Maitreya, saying:
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The Buddha did not answer her, however. Those who read and
recite the Kammuryôju-kyo should read the “Chapter on Deva
datta” in the Saddharmapundarlka-sütra. Otherwise, this ques
tion will not be answered. The thirty-six questions raised by
Kâsyapa Bodhisattva in the Mahâparinirvâna-sütra are not as
important as this question [raised by Maitreya Bodhisattva], If
the Buddha did not answer this question, all his teachings ex
pounded throughout his life would be reduced to bubbles and all
living beings would be caught in a mesh of doubts. The Buddha
answered this question in the “Chapter on the Duration of the
Life of the Tathâgata” in the Saddharmapundarïka-sütra. This is
why this chapter is the most important one.
The Buddha says in this chapter:
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All these statements of the Buddha now turn out to be false. Here
the beginninglessness of the life of the Buddha is revealed, and all
the Buddhas have become the emanations of Sakyamuni, the
World-honored One.
In the first fourteen chapters of the Saddharmapundarika-
sutra as well as in the earlier sutras, Sakyamuni, the W orld-
honored One, stood equal to the other Buddhas. Buddhas practice 222 b
differently. Therefore, those who worshiped a particular Buddha
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Question: Why do you say that the priests of the Nembutsu and
Zen Sects are enemies of the Saddharmapundarika-sutra and that
they are evil friends of all living beings?
Answer: I have no intention of expressing my own opinion. I
will just quote from sutras and commentaries on the sutras. The
sutras and commentaries will be a mirror that reflects the ugly
faces of the slanderers of the Dharma, and shows us their faults.
You will be able to see their faults unless you are blind from birth.
It says in the “Chapter on Beholding the Stupa of Treasures”
in the Saddharmapundarika-sutra, Volume IV:
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I was astonished to find these words of the sutra and this com
mentary on them. I studied many sutras and also commentaries
written by various scholars, and finally my doubts have been
cleared. The foolish priests of the Shingon Sect of today treasure
mudras and mantras, and follow Jikaku Daishi and others who
say th at the Shingon Sect is superior to the sect o f the
Saddharmapundarika-sütra. The words of those Shingon people
are not worth noting.
It says in the Ghanavyüha-sütra:
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beings with the teaching that nothing has its own nature,
that nothing is born or extinguished, that all things are
calm and tranquil from the outset, that all things are nir
vana by themselves, and that there is no nature that can be
called the nature of a thing. This teaching is the most
strange and rarest to hear. Now the wheel of the Dharma
turned by you, the World-honored One, has no more excel
lent teaching. Nothing more is to be added to it. This teach
ing is final. There is no room for further discussion.”
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Ghee comes from butter. Ghee has the best taste. Those
who take ghee will eliminate all diseases because ghee in
cludes all medicines in itself. Good men! The same can be 226a
said o f the Buddha. The Sutra o f T w elve E lem en ts
[Avatamsaka-sutra] comes from the Buddha. The Agama
sutras come from the Sutra o f Twelve Elem ents. The
Vaipulya sutras come from the Agama sutras. The Maha-
prajndpciramita-sutra comes from the Vaipulya sutras. The
M ahdparinirvdna-sutra comes from the M ahaprajna-
paramita-sutra. The Mahdparinirvdna-sutra is like ghee.
Here ghee is compared to Buddha-nature.
When compared with “the most excellent of all the sutras ever
expounded, being expounded, or to be expounded” or “the sutras
of six difaculties against the sutras of nine easinesses” stated m
the S ad d h arm ap u n d arika-su tra, the words of these sutras are as
insignificant as the stars compared with the moon or as the nine
mountains compared with Mount Sumeru. But even persons who
seemed to have the eyes of the Buddha, such as Ch’eng-kuan of
the Kegon Sect, Tz’u-en of the Hosso Sect, Chia-hsiang of the
Sanron Sect, and Kobo of the Shingon Sect, could not find this
difference. Needless to say, the scholars of today, who are like blind
men, cannot judge which is superior. They cannot distinguish black
from white, or Mount Sumeru’s size from a poppy seed’s size. Need
less to say, they cannot tell right from wrong in regard to the
Dharma world, which is as vast as the sky. One cannot see the
profundity of a teaching without knowing the status of the sutra
in which the teaching is expounded.
I quoted from these sutras to help foolish people understand
the difference between these sutras and the Saddharmapundarika-
sutra. It would be difficult to understand this difference if I at first
quoted from the sutras expounded later, and then quoted from
the sutras expounded earlier.
It says in the Daiun-kyo that the Daiun-kyo is the king of
sutras. We should bear in mind that there are two kinds of kings,
the king of a large country and the king of a small country.
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had committed the five sins and the sin of slandering the Dharma,
were represented here in this chapter by one person, Devadatta,
the gravest sinner. Here ten thousand people were represented by
one person; minor sinners, by the gravest one. All the people who
had committed the five sins, the seven sins, and the sin of slander
ing the Dharma as well as icchantikas were assured of Buddha-
hood when Devadatta was given the name of Devaraja Tathagata.
Poison changed to nectar, the most delicious drink.
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A man called Nichiren was beheaded at the time of rat and cow
at midnight on the twelfth day of the ninth month last year. What
is writing this is his soul. His soul came to this country of Sado,
and is now writing this for his followers. This is the second month.
It is snowing. This writing appears to be dreadful, but it is not so.
Some of his followers may be afraid of being persecuted when they
read this. This is written according to the prophecy given by
Sakyamuni, Prabhutaratna, and the Buddhas of the worlds of the
ten quarters. You should regard this as a memento of Nichiren.
The bodhisattvas say to the Buddha in the “Chapter on En
couragement of Keeping the Sutra” :
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in six volumes:
An icchantika took the form of an arhat and did evil. An
arhat took the form of an icchantika and had compassion
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The “Chapter on the Variety of Merits” says, “in the evil world
in the Age of Degeneration. ” In the “Chapter on the Previous Life
of Medicine King Bodhisattva,” it says, “in the latter five hundred
years after— ”
The Tembon-myohorenge-kyo (T’ien-p’in-miao-fa-lien-hua-
ching) also has the same expressions. In the “Chapter on Encour
agement of Expounding the Dharma” of the Shohoke-kyo, the
expression “in the latter days after that” is repeated.
Dengyo says:
The scholars of the sects of Nara are the enemies of the
Saddharmapundarika-sutra toward the end of the Age of
the Counterfeit of the Right Teachings o f the Buddha.
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The priests who know only letters” are the priests who read
books but do not introspect their minds. “The Zen teachers
who only practice” are those who care for their noses and
chests but do not study the theory of consciousness Their
meditation does not eliminate fundamental illusions. The
expression: Some Zen teachers do nothing but introspec
tion into their minds” is not adequate. Strictly speaking,
they practice neither textual study nor introspection of mind.
The Zen priests of today only play with words. They do not
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This false statement has already been deceiving the people of this
country for a long time.
The high priests of the Tendai and Shingon Sects today are
not well versed in the teachings of their own sects although they
are famous in the circles of their own sects. They are greedy. They
are afraid of nobles and samurai, and not only admit but also praise
the teachings of the Nembutsu and Zen Sects. Prabhutaratna and
the Replica-Buddhas proved the truthfulness of the Saddharma
pundarika-sutra “in order to have the Dharma preserved forever. ”
Now the high priests of the Tendai Sect side with the Nembutsu
and Zen Sects, saying, “The Saddharmapundarika-sutra is too
profound for us to understand.” Therefore, the Saddharm a
pundarika-sutra exists only in name in Japan today. No one prac
tices this sutra to attain enlightenment.
Who is to be called the practitioner of the Saddharm a
pundarika-sutra? Countless monks were exiled because they
burned down temples and towers. Many high priests were hated
by the commoners because they flattered nobles and samurai.
Are these priests to be called the practitioners of the Saddharma
pundarika-sutra? The words of the Buddha are not false, there
fore, the three kinds of enemies of the Saddharmapundarika-
sutra are now found everywhere in this country. But, as if to
disprove the truthfulness of the words of the Buddha, there is no
sign appearing of the practitioner of the Saddharmapundarika-
sutra. Why is that?
Who was spoken ill of and abused by laymen? What priest
was threatened with swords and sticks? What priest was reported
to nobles and samurai because of practicing the Saddharma
pundarika-sutra? What priest was driven out of his monastery
“from time to time”? There is no such priest except me, Nichiren. 229c
But I am not the practitioner of the Saddharmapundarika-sutra
because no god protects me. Whom shall we call the practitioner
of the Saddharmapundarika-sutra in order to verify the words of
the Buddha?
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The Buddha lived with Devadatta just as a man lives with his
shadow. Crown Prince Shotoku lived with Moriya just as the flower
of a lotus grows with its fruit at the same time. In the same man-
ner the practitioner o f the Saddharmamust l
wi h the three kinds of enemies of the sutra. The three kinds of
enemies have already appeared. Who is the practitioner of the
Saddharmapuridarika-sutra?If there is any, I will respect him as
my teacher. It will be very difficult to find him, just as it is difficult
for a one-eyed turtle to find a hole in a floating piece of wood.
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Celestial pages will serve him (anyone who reads this sutra).
He will not be struck with swords or sticks. He will not be
poisoned If anyone speaks ill of him, the speaker’s mouth
will be shut__ [Those who hear the Dharma] will be peace
ful in their present lives. In their future lives, they will be
reborn in good places Anyone who troubles the expounder
of the Dharma shall have his head split into seven pieces
just like the branches of the arjaka trees__ He [the keeper
of this sutra] will be able to obtain the reward of his merits
in his present life__ Those who, upon seeing the keeper of
this sutra, blame him justly or unjustly, will suffer from
white leprosy in their present lives.
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“Some of the four kinds of devotees spoke ill of him ... struck him
with a stick, a piece of wood, a piece of tile or a stone.”
It says in the Mahaparinirvana-sutra, “[Those who became
bhiksus in order to get food] killed or hurt pure bhiksus.”
The Buddha says in the Saddharmapundarika-sutra, “Many
people hate this sutra with jealousy even in my lifetime.”
One of the toes of the Buddha bled due to the attack of Deva-
datta. He had nine such incidents altogether. Was the Buddha not
the practitioner of the Saddharmapundarika-sutra? Can we not
say that Never Despising Bodhisattva was the practitioner of the
teaching o f the One Vehicle? Maudgalyayana was killed by
Dandapani after he was assured of his attainment of Buddhahood.
Deva Bodhisattva, the fourteenth patriarch, and the Venerable
Siriiha, the twenty-fifth patriarch, were also killed. Were they not
the practitioners o f the Saddharmapundarika-sutra? Chu-tao-
sheng (Jiksu Dosho) was exiled to Su-shan (Sozan). Fa-tao (Hodo)
230a was branded on the face and sent to Chiang-nan (Konan). Were
they not the keepers of the teaching of the One Vehicle? Tenjin of
Kitano (Sugawara-no-Michizane) and Pai-chii-i (Hakukyoi) were
also exiled. Were they not sages?
I think that a person who did not commit the sin of slandering
the Saddharmapundarika-sutra in his previous existence can prac
tice the sutra in his present life. Those who persecute the practi
tioner of the Saddharmapundarika-sutra on the charge of a petty
offense in the secular world, even though he is innocent, will be
punished just as asuras who shot arrows at Sakra were punished
at once, or as garudas who entered the Anavatapta Pond to eat
the dragon king were killed instantly.
T ’ien-t’ai says, “My present suffering was caused in the past.
My good deeds in my present life will be rewarded in my future life. ”
It says in the Shinjikan-gyo (Hsin-ti-kuan-ching), “If you want
to know the cause in the past, see the effect in the present. If you
want to know the effect in the future, see the cause in the present. ”
It says in the “Chapter on Never Despising Bodhisattva, ” “Thus
he expiated his sin.” It seems that Never Despising Bodhisattva
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ing poison cannot refrain from being poisoned when it has a scar,
or as “the heaviest rain cannot stay in the sky.” There are many
other similes. In a word, the worst icchantika is not punished in
the present because it is certain that he will fall into the Hell of
Incessant Suffering in his next life. King Chieh of the Hsia dy
nasty and King Chou of the Yin dynasty committed serious crimes,
but there were no calamities in their countries because the down
fall of their dynasties was already predestined.
I think that the worst person is not punished in the present
also because the guardian gods have left this country. The guardian
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gods do not protect but leave a country where the people slander
the Dharma. Therefore, the worst person is not punished while
the practitioner o f the right teachings o f the Buddha is put un
der great difficulties. It says in the Suvarnaprabhasa-sutra, “Those
who do good karmas are decreasing in number day after day.”
The same can be said o f Japan today. The country is not good.
The time is not good, either. I dealt with all this in my Rissho-
ankoku-ron.
After all this, I should say, “Let the gods leave our country! Let
any difficulty come to me!” I will stop practicing the Saddharma-
pundarika-sutra only when my life expires. Sariputra retired from
his bodhisattva practices, which he had performed for sixty kalpas,
because he could not bear the insult of the eye-begging brahman.
Many people today have not yet been saved because they have
abandoned the Saddharmapundarika-sutra at the instigation of
their evil friends although they were given the seeds of Buddha-
hood by Mahabhijnajnanabhibhu Buddha three thousand great
thousand worlds dust particles kalpas ago, and also by Sakyamuni
Buddha five hundred thousand billion nayuta asamkhya worlds
dust particles kalpas ago. For whatever reason, good or bad, to
abandon the Saddharmapundarika-sutra is to go to hell. I will
make great vows. Even if I am told, “The throne o f Japan will
be yours if you say the nembutsu. Abandon the Saddharma
pundarika-sutra, and put your hopes for your next life in prac
ticing the Kammuryoju-kyo and other sutras! If you do not say the
nembutsu, your parents will be beheaded,” I will resist all these
threats unless my faith is refuted by a wise man. All the other
persecutions will be just a particle of dust before the wind. I will
be the pillar of Japan. I will be the eyes of Japan. I will be the
great vessel of Japan. I will not break these vows.
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[He will also suffer] “in many other ways___But his retribu
tions will be less than the retributions he will receive if he does
not protect the Dharma. ” Because I protect the Dharma, I shall be
punished less, although I did evil karmas in my previous exist
ence. As long as I protect the Dharma, I shall finally be able to cut
off the bonds of birth and death.
It says in the Makashikan, Volume V:
There are two kinds of good, the good of ordinary men and
the good from meditation. The good of ordinary men is too
weak to eliminate the effects of evil karmas in the past.
Practice the shikari and meditate on the health and illness
of your minds, and you will be able to cut off the cycle of
birth and death.... [When you pursue the Right Way,] the
three obstacles [passions, karma, and karmic results,] and
the four devils [defilements, the five skandhas causing
suffering, death, and mara] will occur, competing with one
another, to disturb us.
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repeated. When you press sesame seeds with more power, you
get more oil from them.
Now I am vehemently criticizing the slanderers of the Dharma
in this country. I am persecuted probably because my protection
of the Dharma has caused me to expiate the great sins that I had
committed in my previous existences. Iron is black without fire,
and red in fire. When a stream is checked abruptly by logs, moun
tainous waves will be made. When disturbed, a sleeping lion will
roar.
It says in the Mahaparinirvana-sutra:
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Buddha? They must have parted from them in tears m any case.
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The scholars of today will think that your doubts are quite
reasonable. Even my disciples think so because they are like
232a icchantikas. Therefore, I quoted from the writings of T’ien-t’ai and
Miao-le to clear up their doubts.
The submissive way is as different from the aggressive way as
water is from fire. Fire dislikes water. Water hates fire. Submis
sive men laugh at aggressive men. Aggressive men feel sorry for
submissive men. When a country is filled with ignorant and evil
people, the submissive way should be used first, as is shown in the
Chapter on Peaceful Practices. ” When many people have wrong
views and slander the Dharma, the aggressive way should be ap
plied first, as is given in the “Chapter on Never Despising
Bodhisattva.” When the weather is hot, we use cold water. When
it is cold, we like fire. Plants are followers of the sun. They suffer
under the winter moon. Waters are followers of the moon. When it
is hot, they lose their natural coldness.
In the Age of Degeneration, both ways are necessary because
there are two kinds of countries, evil countries where many people
are ignorant and evil, and Dharma-destroying countries where
many people have wrong views and slander the Dharma. You
should know whether present-day Japan is an evil country or a
Dharma-destroying country.
Question. Is it efficient to practice the aggressive way when
the submissive way is needed, or to practice the submissive way
when the aggressive way is needed?
Answer: It says in the Mahaparinirvana-sutra:
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harvest a crop of rice if we sow the seeds and till the soil at the end
of autumn.
Honen and Dainichi appeared in the years of Kennin, and
propagated the Nembutsu and Zen Sects. Honen said, In the Age
o f D egeneration, no one has attained Buddhahood by the
S a d d h a r m a p u n d a r i k a -s u t r a . . . not one among a thousand people.
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son of a rich man throw away his treasures by deceiving the son.
Honen was merciless, indeed.
Do you not tell your parents when you realize that someone is
attempting to kill them? Do you not stop a drunken son from kill
ing his parents? Do you not keep an evil man from setting fire to
temples and towers? Do you not treat your son with moxa when
he is seriously ill? Those who do not admonish the followers of the
Zen and Nembutsu Sects of Japan are like those who do nothing
on these occasions. Chang-an says, “The person who pretends to
be their friend is their enemy. He has no compassion toward them. ”
I am the dear parent of all the people of Japan. All the people
of the Tendai Sect today are their great enemies. Chang-an says,
“He will be their true friend when he removes their evils.” They
have no aspiration for enlightenment. They cannot get rid of birth
and death.
The Lord Teacher Sakyamuni, the World-honored One, was
abused as the most vicious man by all brahmans. T ’ien-t’ai Ta-
shih was spoken ill of by the three sects in South China and the
seven sects in North China, and was criticized by Tokuichi, who
said, “The five-foot body of T ’ien-t’ai was mutilated by the three-
inch tongue. ” Dengyo Daishi was reproached by the priests of [the
sects of] Nara, who said, “Saicho has not yet visited the capital
city o fT ’ang.” Sakyamuni, T ’ien-t’ai, and Dengyo were treated so
badly. It was not a shame, however, because they suffered for the
cause of the S a d d h a r m a p u n d a r ik a -s u t r a . It is the greatest shame
to be praised by ignorant people. The priests of the Tendai and
125
Kaimokusho or Liberation from Blindness
126
Glossary
arhat (“worthy one”): A saint who has completely eradicated all passions
and attained emancipation from the cycles of birth and death; the high
est state of spiritual attainment in the Hinayana. S ee also Hinayana.
asura: A class of demonic beings who are in constant conflict with the gods.
bodh i: Enlightenment; a state in which one is awakened to the true nature
of things.
bodhisattva: In the Mahayana, a passionless, selfless being with universal
compassion who is destined to become a Buddha but who delays his or
her entry into Buddhahood in order to help liberate all sentient beings.
S ee also Mahayana; three vehicles.
127
Glossary
128
Glossary
129
Bibliography
131
Index
A B
Abhidharma 85 Bhaisajyaguru 71
Agama sutras 14, 20, 30, 34, 52, Bhaisajyraja 126
53, 57, 69, 89 bhiksu(s) (see also monk; priest)
Age of Conflicts 45, 46 15, 47, 55, 95-96, 97, 98, 101,
Age of the Counterfeit of the Right 102, 103, 105, 112, 123, 124
Teachings of the Buddha 45, Bimbisara, King 68
46, 48, 98, 99, 100, 102-103, bodhi 87, 88, 113
105, 108 Bodhidharma 45, 106, 107, 108
Age of Degeneration 28, 38, 41, 43, bodhisattva(s) 12, 23, 25, 26, 27,
45, 46, 47, 48, 92, 95, 98-99, 29, 31, 41, 43, 45, 47, 48, 56,
100, 103, 104,108, 122, 123, 57, 58, 59, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65,
125 66, 67, 68, 70, 71, 76, 77, 83,
Age of the Right Teachings of the 91, 92, 93, 95, 97, 98, 99, 100,
Buddha 38, 98, 100, 101, 102 101, 102, 105, 102, 113, 114,
Ajatasatru, King 44, 53, 54, 68, 91 117, 126
Ajita, King 53, 66 bodhi tree 30, 66
Aksobhya 120 Book o f Filial P iety 93
dlaya-vijnana 87 Brahma(s) 25, 49, 52, 54, 57, 62,
Amitabha 72 70, 71, 117, 118
Amoghavajra 37, 75, 83 Brahma Heaven 13, 117, 118
Amravana 54 brahman(s) 11, 12, 14, 24, 35, 43,
Ananda 18, 50, 53, 101 44, 45, 47, 53, 58, 92, 96, 98,
Anantacaritra 64 105, 108, 114, 125
Anavatapta Pond 81,112 Brahmanism, Brahmanist 7, 10-
an u ttara-sam yak -sam bodh i 22, 30, 12, 14, 18, 42, 54, 58, 84, 104
32, 66, 67, 68 Buddhahood 2, 18, 21, 22, 30, 31,
arhat(s), arhatship 18, 21, 22, 47, 32, 33, 34, 37, 41, 42, 50, 51,
50, 51, 52, 95, 97, 98, 105 55, 56, 59, 61, 62, 64, 71, 73,
Asanga 35, 36, 91 74, 75, 77, 91, 92, 93, 112, 114,
Asoka, King 48 118, 119, 123
asura(s) 23, 32, 68, 81, 112, 120 Buddha-nature 14, 19, 20, 36, 85,
Asvaghosa 101 89, 90
Avatamsaka Sect. See Kegon Sect Buddha vehicle 61, 76
Avatarhsaka-sutra 16, 19, 26, 28, Buddha worlds 28, 33, 61, 62, 81,
29, 30, 31, 32, 34, 36, 37, 57, 88, 92
58, 61, 62, 64, 66, 67, 69, 70,
74, 76, 77, 82, 83, 85, 88, 89, c
104
Candraprabha 68, 71
Ayodhya 35
Chang-an 117, 118, 123, 124, 125
133
Index
134
Index
135
Index
136
Index
Many Treasures Buddha 25, 79, 80 nine easinesses, sutras of 42, 82,
Mao-pao 50 83, 89, 91
Mara 27, 97, 103 N in n o-h a n n ya -k yo 30, 69
m aras 45, 52, 116 nirm anakaya. See under trikaya
Maudgalyayana 2,18, 44, 54, 112 nirvana 11, 20, 79, 86, 87, 113
Medicine King Bodhisattva 99 nun(s) 39, 79
Merits Forest Bodhisattva 57
Miao-le 2, 9, 36, 44, 61, 66, 72, 73, o
84, 98, 101, 103, 106, 107, 122 one mind-three thousand, teaching
Middle Way 119 of 13-14, 16, 32, 33, 34, 59,
Ming-ti, Emperor 100, 106 62, 74, 76, 92,119, 124
monk(s) (see also bhiksu; priest) One Vehicle 31, 45, 76, 103, 112
21, 79, 103, 109,121, 122
Moonlight Bodhisattva 10 P
Moriya 110
Mo-t’a 38 Padmaprabha (see also Sariputra)
Mount Grdhrakuta 53 18,19, 55, 101
Mount Sacred Eagle 50, 59, 62, 64, Pai-chii-i 112
65, 71, 90, 98, 120 pdram ita(s) 60
Mount Shang-shan 64 parinirvana 12, 13, 55, 91
Mount Sumeru 28, 42, 56, 80, 89, Parsva 101
91 P’ei-kung 7
mudra(s) 16, 74, 85 Pekche 37, 67
M u em u toku -daijosh iron -gen gi-ki Pi-kan 7
60 Prabhutaratna 13, 19, 24, 31, 62,
Munemori 81 64, 65, 81, 95, 99, 101, 104,
M u ryog i-k yo 30, 31, 55, 59, 67, 69 109, 124
M yohdren ge-kyo (see also prajha 87
S a ddh arm apu n darika-sutra ) Prajnaparamita sutras 57, 58, 64,
3, 48, 60, 98 70, 76, 85
Prasenajit, King 54
N pratyekabu ddha 20
pratyekabu ddha vehicle (see also
Nagarjuna 14, 48, 60, 83, 90,101 two vehicles) 18, 88
N agasaki Yoritsuna 1
precepts 9, 15, 20, 49, 53, 98, 103,
N a m u -m yoh d ren ge-k yo (see also
105, 118, 121,122,123
M yohdren ge-kyo) 60
five 11,120, 123
Nanda 35 ten 11
Nara, sects of 17, 45, 46, 48, 99, priest(s) (see also bhiksu; monk)
125 15, 16,17, 23,27, 28, 39, 42,
N eh a n g yo-sh o 121
45, 46, 47, 48, 54, 79, 84, 85,
Nembutsu Sect 27, 79, 93, 98, 104, 106, 109, 125
108, 109, 120, 123, 124, 125
P’u-kuang 35
Nen-a 108 Pure World(s) 26, 65, 70, 73, 118,
Never Despising Bodhisattva 44,
120
111, 112, 122
Purna 18, 52
Nichiren 1-2 , 81, 91, 95,109
137
Index
138
Index
139
Index
T u
T’ai-kung-wang 8 , 64 Uluka (see also Three Seers) 10
T’ai-tsung, Emperor 35 Utpalavarna 54
T’ang dynasty 73
Tao-ch’o 42, 102,103 V
Taoism 14,15
Tatsunokuchi 1 Vaidehi, Queen 6 8
Ta-t’zu-en-ssu Temple 35 Vaipulya Sect 38, 84
T em bon -m yoh oren ge-k yo 3, 99
Vaipulya sutras 30, 34, 57, 58, 61,
Tendai Hokke Sect 4, 73, 108 64, 70, 82, 8 8 , 89, 97, 98, 105
Tendai Sect 4, 16, 17, 29, 71, 72, Vairocana 70, 72
75, 76, 84, 106, 109, 119, 123, Vajra Banner Bodhisattva 57
125 Vajrabodhi 16, 37, 83
vajradhatu. S ee under dhatus
Tenjin 112
Tensho Daijin 17 Vajrapani 87
three obstacles 42,116, 117 Vajrasattva 64
three poisons 1 2 , 2 1 , 107 Vajra Store Bodhisattva 57
Three Sastras Sect. S ee Sanron Sect Varanasi 8 6
Three Seers 10, 12, 58 Vasubandhu 14, 35, 36, 74
three vehicles 31, 32, 76 Vatsiputriya Sect 38, 84
Ti emperors, five 3, 7, 84 Vijnaptimatra Sect. S ee Yuishiki
T’ien-t’ai 4,10, 14,16, 17, 34, 36, Sect
37, 44, 46, 47, 63, 65, 74, 76, Vimalakirti 21, 69
V im alaklrtinirdesa-sutra 2 1 , 23,
83, 90, 91, 99, 107, 112, 122,
123, 125, 126 30, 54, 69
T’ien-t’ai Saddharmapundarika Vinaya 85
Sect. S ee Tendai Hokke Sect Vinaya Sect. S ee Ritsu Sect
T’ien-t’ai Sect. S ee Tendai Sect Virudhaka, King 54
Ting-lan 7 Visistacaritra 64
Toji Temple 17 Visnu 10
Tokuichi 44, 125 Visuddhacaritra 64
trikaya(s) 35, 63
cLharmakaya 35, 83, 122
w
nirm anakaya(s) 35, 63, 70, 72 Wang-yin 49
sam bh ogakdya(s) 35, 62, 70, 83 Wei-yuan-sung 15
Tripitaka 4, 36, 51 Wen-wang, King 8
Ts’u-e 16 women, possibility of their attain
Tsukahara 1, 2 ing Buddhahood 92, 93
Tu-shun 37, 82 world(s)
Tusita Heaven 35 of the four quarters 26, 63
two vehicles (see also pratyeka- of the six quarters 26, 77
buddha vehicle; Sravaka of the ten quarters 13, 14, 23,
vehicle) 19-24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 51, 57, 63,
33, 34, 36, 37, 45, 55, 62, 74, 64, 65, 6 6 , 70, 71, 80, 82, 95,
75, 76 99, 101, 104, 124
Tz’u-en 36, 70, 76, 82, 89, 91 triple 20, 23, 49, 55
140
Index
Y
Yama 75
Yamashina-dera Temple 36
Yao-wang, King 8
Yasodhara 18
Yeh-lo 107
Yen-hui 10
Yin dynasty 7, 50,113
Yin-shou 8
Yomei, Emperor 67
Yoritomo 81
Yuishiki Sect (see also Hosso Sect)
4, 82
Yung-p’ing 16
z
Zen Sect 17, 72, 79, 93, 98, 106,
107,108,109,120,123,124,
125
141
A List of the Volumes of
the BDK English Tripitaka
(First Series)
Abbreviations
Ch.: Chinese
Skt Sanskrit
J p •: Japanese
Eng.\ Published title
T.: Taishö Tripitaka
Skt. Astasähasrikä-prajnäpäramitä-sütra
Skt. Vajracchedikä-prajnäpäramitä-sütra
BDK English Tripitaka
12-VI Ch.
Yao-shih-liu-li-kuang-ju-lai-pen-yiian-kung- 450
te-ching ( )
Skt. Bhaisajyaguruvaiduryaprabhasapurva-
pranidhanavisesavistara
12-VII Ch. Mi-le-hsia-sheng-ch‘eng-fo-ching ( ) 454
Skt. Maitreyavyakarana (?)
Skt. Avatamsaka-sutra
Skt. Srimaladevisimhanada-sutra
Skt. Sarvatathagatatattvasamgrahamahayanabhi-
samayamahakalparaj a
Skt. Saddharmapundarika-upadesa
62 Ch. 1604
Skt.
64 Ch.
Skt.