October 2007 Oko Lecture
(“Kyo’o-dono go-henji”)
Gosho Passage
I, Nichiren, have inscribed my life in sumi, so believe in the Gohonzon with
your whole heart. The Buddha’s will is the Lotus Sutra, but the soul of
Nichiren is nothing other than Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo.
(Gosho, p. 685; MW-1, p.
120)
Nichiren Daishonin wrote this Gosho during his exile to Sado, on the 15th
day of the eighth month of the 10th year of Bun’ei (1273), when he
was 52 years of age. Kyo’o was an infant. Therefore, although the title of the
Gosho is “Reply to Kyo’o,” the child was not the direct recipient of this
letter. Kyo’o’s identity has never been definitively determined, however, it is
likely that Kyo’o was Shijo Kingo’s child. The Gosho contains the following
passage:
Raise her to be like Lady Jotoku or the Dragon
King’s daughter.
(Gosho, p. 686; MW-1, p.
120)
Thus,
it is generally believed that Kyo’o’s mother was the recipient.
In order to place this letter in context,
we can refer to the following excerpt from, “Letter to Kyo’o” (“Kyo’o go-zen gosho”), which was written
in the previous year:
Kyo’o has come forth into this world as a filial
child who would be heir.
(Gosho, p. 635)
From
this, we can see that Kyo’o was born a year before “Reply to Kyo’o” was
written. The joy of Kyo’o’s birth was short-lived, since she was overcome by
illness before long.
Kyo’o’s mother requested Nichiren
Daishonin’s help in alleviating her child’s illness. Touched by the sincerity
of the mother’s request based on absolute love for her child, Nichiren
Daishonin promptly inscribed a Gohonzon and bestowed it on her.
Thereafter, Kyo’o’s mother sent a messenger with
offerings to Nichiren Daishonin, who, even in exile, continued to be concerned
about Kyo’o’s condition.
General Summary of the Gosho
First, the Daishonin expresses his
appreciation for the offerings.
Next, he states that he has been
continuously praying for Kyo’o. He instructs the mother to embrace the
Gohonzon, which he recently bestowed upon her, and always carry it close to her
heart. The Daishonin declares that this Gohonzon had never before been revealed
or inscribed by anyone throughout the Former and Middle Days of the Law.
Nichiren Daishonin indicates that he, himself, like
the lion king, put his entire life into inscribing this Gohonzon. He explains
that those who believe in and uphold the Gohonzon will not be overcome by
illness and will receive the absolute protection of the Guardian Deities of the
Lotus Sutra. In order to achieve this, the Daishonin states that it is
imperative to maintain strong faith in the Gohonzon.
Then, the Daishonin presents the
passage on which we are focused today, “I, Nichiren, have inscribed my life….”
Here, the Daishonin reveals that the Gohonzon is none other than his own life.
In other words, the Gohonzon is his very entity. He encourages us by stating
that, if we uphold faith and pray sincerely to the Gohonzon, we will be able to
overcome any illness and transform our suffering into happiness, without fail.
In conclusion, the Daishonin promises to visit
Kyo’o’s mother in
Essential Significance of
the Gosho
Buddhism represents the teaching
expounded by Shakyamuni. Although Shakyamuni is generally upheld as the Buddha,
there is a great distinction between the lifetime of Shakyamuni and the period
after his passing. Shakyamuni, himself, revealed in teachings such as the Sutra
of the Great Assembly (Daishik-kyo)
that, following the Former and Middle Days of the Law, his teachings would be
powerless to save the people of the Latter Day of the Law. The people who lived
during the lifetime of Shakyamuni achieved salvation through his Lotus Sutra,
based on the karmic bond they possessed from the past. However, those of us
born after Shakyamuni’s passing, in the Latter Day of the Law, do not possess
the seed of Buddhahood (honmi uzen)
and do not have a karmic bond with Shakyamuni. Therefore, we cannot attain
Buddhahood through Shakyamuni’s Buddhism.
The Buddha of Intrinsically Perfect Wisdom from the
infinite past of kuon ganjo made his
advent into this world as Bodhisattva Jogyo during the lifetime of Shakyamuni.
He inherited the essential Law of the Lotus Sutra and made his appearance in
the Latter Day of the Law as Nichiren Daishonin. He established the Gohonzon of
Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, as the Law from the infinite past of kuon ganjo for the sake of all humanity in the Latter Day of the
Law.
The phrase, “my [Nichiren’s] life” definitively
confirms that the Gohonzon is the life of Nichiren Daishonin. It is the
manifestation of the Oneness of the Person and the Law (nimpo ikka). The very entity of Nichiren Daishonin is the Mystic
Law (Myoho), which remains constant
throughout the Three Existences. Likewise, the Mystic Law (Myoho), which remains constant throughout the Three Existences, is
Nichiren Daishonin.
The Daishonin stated: “I, Nichiren, have inscribed
my life in sumi, so believe [in the
Gohonzon] with your whole heart.” This passage describes the mystic aspect and
the benefit of the principle of the Enlightenment of Insentient Beings (somoku jobutsu). Sumi ink is made from plants and the paper or wood on which the
inscriptions are written is also made from plants. In other words, within the
Gohonzon, the essential entity, the life of the True Buddha is directly
manifested in the various forms of insentient beings. Those plants, then,
manifest Buddhahood in their present form.
When people believe in the True Buddha, Nichiren Daishonin, and chant Daimoku to the
Gohonzon of the Three Great Secret Laws, their lives will manifest the benefits
of the Gohonzon. The Law of the spiritual aspect of the Buddha (shim-po) is manifested as the
Gohonzon, which itself is the Law of the physical aspect of the Buddha (shiki-ho). Thus, by believing in and
practicing to the Gohonzon, the Law of the physical aspect of the Buddha, that
same phenomenon will be directly manifested in lives of the people as the Law
of the spiritual aspect of the Buddha—the Buddha of the Entity of the Law (totai renge butsu).
Next, the Daishonin wrote: “The Buddha’s will is the
Lotus Sutra, but the soul of Nichiren is nothing other than Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo.” Here, the
Daishonin reveals the comparison of the Buddhism of the Sowing and the Buddhism
of the Harvest. The Buddha referenced here represents Shakyamuni, who was born
in
In the Gosho, “The Passing of Ishikawa’s Daughter”
(“Ueno dono go-henji”), the Daishonin
states:
Now, in this age of the Latter Day of the Law,
neither the Lotus Sutra nor the other sutras have the power to save the people.
Only Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo can lead all people to Buddhahood
(Gosho, p. 1219; The Gosho of
Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, p. 33-35)
In the Latter Day of the
Law, even Shakyamuni’s Lotus Sutra is unable to lead the people to
enlightenment. The only way to attain Buddhahood is to believe in the teachings
of Nichiren Daishonin, to embrace the Gohonzon of the Three Great Secret Laws,
and to chant Daimoku.
However, there are many heretical doctrines in the world.
Some erroneous sects uphold a statue of Shakyamuni as their object of worship;
others worship the theoretical Buddha, Mahavairochana (Jpn. Dainichi Nyorai);
still others worship the imaginary Buddha, Amitabha (Jpn. Amida). There are
some religions that uphold an intangible god. It is evident that there is a
great deal of confusion concerning objects of worship.
Nichiren Daishonin teaches that “‘
I ask you to firmly embrace this conviction and advance with
ever more devotion in your shakubuku activities to propagate True Buddhism.