Toki Nyudo-dono Go-henji: Chibyo-sho

INTRODUCTION

Written on the 26th of the 6th month in the first year of the Koan Era (1278) at Minobu, the original manuscript of this letter, known also as “Chibyo-sho” (Treatise on Healing Sickness), has been treas¬ured in the Nakayama Hokeky6ji Temple in Chiba Prefecture. It was written in response to Toki Jonin, who donated a summer fabric through Shijo Kingo when visiting Nichiren Shbnin on Mt. Minobu, and requested Nichiren to perform a prayer service to prevent wide¬spread epidemics.

Stating that while physical sickness can be cured by medicine, men¬tal sickness cannot be cured without right faith in the Lotus Sattra, Nichiren declares that only through the dannoku, the gist of the essen¬tial section of the Lotus Sutra, can we deal with the slanderers of the True Dharma who are prevalent in the world. Especially, he states, when we try to spread the daimoku chanting in the Latter Age of Degeneration, we will encounter difficulties greater than those encountered by Grand Masters T’ien-t’ai and Dengyo. According to Nichiren, the greater difficulties he and his followers encounter show the appearance of the “actual” doctrine of “3,000 existences con¬tained in one thought” in contrast to the “theoretical” doctrine advo¬cared by T’ien-t’ai and Dengyo, and it represents the true doctrine of the essential section.

Here lies the uniqueness of Nichiren Buddhism. Nichiren Shbnin termed his own interpretation of the doctrine of “3,000 existences contained in one thought” “actual” and called that of T’ien-t’ai and Dengyo “theoretical.” On the basis of this “actual” interpretation of the doctrine of “3,000 existences contained in one thought,” Nichiren Shonin found the way of saving the populace by having them put their faith in and chant the daimoku.

A Response to Lay Priest Lord Toki: Treatise on
Healing Sickness

According to your letter epidemics have been widespread recently. They say that human beings have two kinds of sickness. First, our bod¬ies get sick. Our bodies consist of the four elements: earth, water, fire and wind. As each of the four elements has 101 sicknesses, our bodies have a total of 404 sicknesses. These physical sicknesses do not neces¬sarily depend on the Buddha to be cured. There is no physical sickness that cannot be cured by the medicine prepared by such famed physi¬cians as Jisui, Rusui, Jivaka ‘ and P’ien-ch’fieh.

In the second place, our minds get sick in a vast number of ways. Beginning with the three poisons of greed, anger and stupidity, sickness in our minds totals as many as 84,000. Even the two heavenly beings and three hermits” or the six non-Buddhist masters’ in India could not cure them, not to speak of the medicines administered by such sage rulers of ancient China as Shen-nung and the Yellow Emperor.

Mental sickness can also be subdivided into various kinds such as shallow, deep, heavy and light ones. The 84,000 troubles in the mind of ordinary men’` in the six lower realms of spiritual progress (hell, realms of hungry spirits, beasts and birds, fighting spirits, men and gods) can all be cured by Hinayana Buddhas, commentators and masters of the Hinayana Agama sutras”" and Hinayana schools of Kusha (Higher Special Dharma),* Jojitsu (Completion of Truth)* and Ritsu (Precept)’. However, when such Hinayana people are shackled by Hinayana teach¬ings and go against Mahayana principles or try to be equal to Mahayana countries although they do not intend to go against Mahayana Buddhism, they (Hinayana Buddhists) and their countries will contract various sicknesses. When they try to cure their mental sickness by means of the teaching of Hinayana Buddhism, they only intensify their troubles instead of curing them. Only practicers of Mahayana sutras can cure them.
Likewise, when believers of such provisional Mahayana sutras as the Flower Garland Sutra,* Revealing the Profound and Secret Sutra, Wisdom Sutra,.E and Great Sun Buddha Sutra’ adhere to their based opinions, insisting that their inferior faith equals or is even superior to the Lotus Sutra, and when rulers of the land recognize them without discerning their prejudices, the 84,000 mental sickness such as the three poisons will be begotten. The harder they try to heal the sickness by means of their respective canonical sutras, the worse their troubles will be. Even if they try to cure their troubles by the Lotus Sutra, it will not work. It is not because the sutra is not good enough but because the people who try to use it are prejudiced.

The Lotus Sutra consists of two parts: the theoretical section (first half) and the essential section (latter half). The difference between them is as clear as water and fire or heaven and earth. It is greater than the difference between the pre-Lotus sutras and the Lotus Sutra. Although there are differences between the pre-Lotus sutras and the theoretical section of the Lotus Sutra, there exist some similarities between them. The pre-Lotus sutras preach the eight teachings (four methods of teach¬ing and four doctrinal teachings), of which the perfect teaching is some¬what similar to that expounded in the theoretical section. The concepts of the Buddha preached in the pre-Lotus sutras and the theoretical sections are not exactly the same: Buddhas with the inferior Accommodative Body, the superior Accommodative Body, the Reward Body, and the Dharma Body. Nevertheless, they talk about the same Buddha who attained Buddhahood under the bodhi tree at Buddhagaya at the age of 30.

Now, regarding the difference between the essential and theoretical sections, the lord-preacher of the former is the Eternal Buddha who had been the Buddha since the eternal past while that of the latter is the his¬torical Buddha attaining Buddhahood in this life at Buddhagaya. The difference between the two is as clear as between a 100-year-old man and an infant. Not only the lord-preacher but also His disciples are as different as water and fire. How much more so is it the case with the Buddha land between the “four lands” preached in the theoretical sec-tion and the “land of eternal tranquil light” of the essential section! The difference is beyond expression. Those who mix up the two, the theo¬retical and essential sections, are like those who cannot differentiate fire from water.

The Buddha had made a clear distinction between the two sections, but during more than 2,000 years since He passed away no one in India, China, Japan and the entire world (Jambudvipa) * has ever clear¬ly differentiated them. Only T’ien-t’ai* of China and Dengyo* of Japan seemed to have almost made a difference between them, but they did not clarify the Lotus Tendai (T’ien-t’ai) law of precepts among impor¬tant doctrines of the essential and theoretical sections. After all, although Grand Masters T’ien-t’ai and Dengyo knew it well in mind, they did not explain it clearly because: (1) the time was not right, (2) the people’s ability to understand was not ripe, and (3) they were not entrusted by the Buddha to propagate the doctrine.

Now, we have finally entered the Latter Age of Degeneration, when great bodhisattvas appearing from underground* such as Bodhisattva Superior Practice should propagate the teaching of the essential section. As the Latter Age of Degeneration” is the time for the essential section to spread, even if people with faith in Hinayana Buddhism, quasi¬Mahayana Buddhism, or the theoretical section of the Lotus Sutra spread their respective teachings without committing any mistakes, they will serve no useful purpose. It is like a medicine for spring that is not useful in fall. Even if it is still useful in autumn, its effectiveness is not as good as in spring and summer. How much less useful they would be when they, Hinayana and quasi-Mahayana Buddhists and believers of the theoretical section, become confused with the differences between Hinayana and Mahayana Buddhism and provisional and true teach¬ings. Moreover, as rulers in the past had put faith in their scriptures, built temples for them and donated pieces of farm land, it not only is inexcusable but also destroys the basis of their faiths for them to slight the teachings of their canons. Therefore, they are furious at the man who criticizes their canons, and they slander the True Dharma and per¬secute the practicer of the Lotus Sutra.

Rulers of Japan have various reasons for believing in those liars and persecute the practicer of the True Dharma. They side with the majority, and are unable to change the dharma upheld by the past rulers, their own stupidity, or their contempt for the practicer of the True Dharma. As a result, protectors of the True Dharma such as the King of the Brahma Heaven”, Indra,* the sun and moon, and the Four Heavenly Kings” punish the country, causing three calamities and seven disasters as severe as has never been seen before. This is how epidemics spread last year, the current year, and the Shoka Era (1257-59).

Q U E S T 1 0 N : You say that epidemics spread in Japan because this country persecutes the practicer of the Lotus Sutra causing the pro¬tective deities to leave the country. If so, why is it that not only non¬believers of the Lotus Sutra but also your disciples suffer or even die from the disease?
A N S W E R : Your question seems most reasonable, but it is like know¬ing only one side of a coin. Virtue and evil have originally been incom¬patible but inseparable.

Looking at it from this point of view, we see that provisional teach¬ings of sutras other than the Lotus Sutra and Buddhist sects based on them maintain that bodhisattvas up to the second highest rank (togaku: equivalent to enlightenment) have merits as well as demerits. However, according to the doctrine of “3,000 existences contained in one thought”" based on the Lotus Sutra, each of our minds is equipped with virtue as well as evil. Even bodhisattvas of the highest rank (myo¬gaku: wonderful enlightenment) have evil in mind. The Dharma-nature originally existing in our mind appears as the protective deities of the Lotus Sutra such as the King of the Brahma Heaven` and Indra,” whereas the fundamental ignorance* innate in us becomes the king of devils in the Sixth Heaven.
Virtuous deities dislike evil persons, and evil spirits hate virtuous people. In the Latter Age of Degeneration, demons naturally prevail over the land like useless pieces of tile and stone or weeds and bushes. Virtuous deities who protect the practicer of the True Dharma have grown scarce and sages and wise men can hardly be seen. Therefore, it seems reasonable to assume that more people among the disciples of Nichiren than those of Pure Land Buddhists, Shingon (True Word) mas¬ters, Zen and Ritsu (Precept) monks should fall ill or die from the recent spell of epidemics. However, I do not know why but fewer of my disci¬ples than those of other sects have gotten sick or died. I wonder if it is because my followers are small in number or have strong faith.

Q U E S T i 0 N : Has there been an epidemic in the past as widespread as it is today in Japan?
A N S W E R : During the reign of Emperor Sujin, the tenth sovereign of Japan counting from Emperor Jimmu, an epidemic spread causing more than half of the population to suffer or die from it. The emperor for the first time ordered provinces to invoke such gods as Goddess Amaterasu,* successfully subduing it. Thus, he is called Emperor Sujin (Revering Gods). This incident took place before Buddhism was intro¬duced to Japan. Three emperors, the 30th, 31st and 32nd, as well as their subjects died from smallpox and epidemics. Praying to the gods for help did not work this time.
In the past, during the reign of the 30th sovereign, Emperor Kimmei, the Korean nation of Paekche sent to the Japanese Court not only Buddhist sutras, commentaries and priests but also a gilt bronze statue of the Lord Sakyamuni Buddha.” Soga Iname and his party insisted on worshipping the Buddha, but imperial subjects such as Mononobe Okoshi and the people in general objected to it declaring that if they worship the Buddha, the gods of Japan will get angry and the country would crumble.
While the Emperor was unable to make up his mind, three calamities and seven disasters severer than had been experienced in the past occurred causing many of the people to die of epidemic. Taking advan¬tage of this, the Mononobes appealed to the emperor to “abandon the statue of the Buddha in order to seek happiness,” and they not only dis¬graced the Buddhist monks and nuns but also burnt the gilt bronze stat¬ue of Sakyamuni Buddha in a charcoal fire. The temple for the Buddha built by Soga Iname was also burnt down. Soon thereafter, both the anti-Buddhist leader Mononobe Okoshi as well as the emperor who sided with him in persecuting Buddhism passed away. The pro-Buddhist leader, Iname, too, died of sickness.

Thereafter, Buddhism began to revive under the patronage of Soga Umako and an imperial princess (a niece of Umako who later became Empress Suiko). When an epidemic spread again, the anti-Buddhist leader Mononobe Moriya declared: “Three emperors have already passed away as they worshipped the Buddha. My father, too, died of sickness. You should know that Prince Shotoku, Soga Umako, and other pro-Buddhists are enemies of my parent. They are public ene¬mies.” Several thousands of people including Prince Anahobe and Prince Yasube banded together not only to destroy Buddhist temples and statues but also to fight a civil war. In the end Moriya lost his life. Thus for 35 years after Buddhism was introduced to Japan, three calamities and seven disasters befell year after year. As Mononobe Moriya was killed by Soga Umako and Shinto gods were defeated by Buddhas, calamities and disasters suddenly came to an end.

The three calamities and seven disasters which occurred thereafter from time to time mostly resulted from the confusion between the true and false dharmas of Buddhism. As these later calamities and disasters were involved with merely a few people, few provinces, or few palaces, they stemmed from either divine wrath, slandering the True Dharma, or grievances of the populace. However, the three calamities and seven dis¬asters during the last 30 years have been caused not at all by divine wrath and popular grievances but solely by the hatred of Nichiren by all the people in Japan. Therefore, all the people in every province, county, district and village bear the feeling of anger as fierce as never heard of in the past and persecute me, Nichiren. This is the first time for ordinary man, who has not extinguished the illusions of thought and desire, to bear the fundamental ignorance.” When such ignorant people pray to gods, Buddhas and the Lotus Sutra for protection, their disasters will only increase. The five characters of the Wonderful Dharma, the gist of the essential section of the Lotus Sutra, can deal with calamities and disasters if only one puts faith in it, but this is what the Buddha especially entrusted to the practicer of the Lotus Sutra. ” In the final analysis, therefore, the calamities and disasters since the Shoka Period (1257-59) will not cease unless the truth and falsity of Buddhist dharmas are decided in public discussions.

The ten-object, ten-stage meditation method preached in the Great Concentration and Insight” by Grand Master T’ien-t’ai has never been practiced since then. At the time of Grand Masters Miao-I&* and Dengyo,’` there were a few who practiced it. As nobody was against them, it has remained intact.

The Great Concentration and Insight states that the “three hin¬drances and four devils* will disturb the practicers of Buddhism, but they do not constitute the obstacles to those who practice provisional sutras. They have been happening to me, Nichiren, the practicer of the Lotus Sutra, one by one right now, and the “three hindrances and four devils” are more powerful than at the time of Grand Masters T’ien-t’ai and Dengyo.

There are two ways of meditating on the doctrine of “3,000 exis¬tences contained in one thought.” One is the “theoretical” way, and the other is the “actual” way. Grand Masters T’ien-t’ai and Dengyo prac¬ticed the former. I, Nichiren, now practice the latter. As my method of practicing meditation is superior, difficulties befalling me are harder to bear. What T’ien-t’ai and Dengyo propagated was based on the doc¬trine of “3,000 existences contained in one thought” expounded in the theoretical section, while what I, Nichiren, propagate is based on the doctrine of “3,000 existences contained in one thought” in the essential section. The difference between the two is as great as the difference between heaven and earth. Remember this especially at the time of the last moment of life. Have an unwavering faith in the Lotus Sutra and continue chanting the daimoku, which is the right way of meditation based on the “actual” doctrine of “3,000 existences contained in one thought.”

Respectfully yours,
26th of the 6th month
Nichiren (signature)

P.S. I have received your donation of a summer fabric, which you entrusted to Lord Shijo Kingo* to deliver at his convenience. Please tell everyone that I have received their recent donation according to the list made by Lord Shijo Kingo. Articles donated by Lay Priest Lord Ota* have also been gratefully accepted according to the list by Lord Toki. Regarding another aspect of the doctrine described in this letter, I wrote to Lord Shijo Kingo about it, so you may borrow and read it.

Popularity: 88% [?]