Remonstrating with the Government
and Entering Mt. Minobu
2006 September Okyobi Sermon
Read by Rev. Shogu Kimura

 1. Introduction

Nichiren Daishonin submitted the treatise, “On Securing the Peace of the Land through the Propagation of True Buddhism” (Rissho ankoku-ron) to the most powerful man in Japan at the time, Hojo Tokiyori, through Yadoya-nyudo, on the sixteenth day of the seventh month in the first year of Bunno (1260). This was the Daishonin’s first remonstration with the government. We will celebrate the 750^th Anniversary of the Submission of the Rissho ankoku-ron in 2009, three years from now.

 Nichiren Shoshu, in its extensive efforts to achieve its objectives under the leadership of Sixty-eighth High Priest Nichinyo Shonin, established the Department of Commemorative Events on April 20^th of this year, to advance the following four projects:

1. The Commemorative Grand Ceremony and the General Tozan

2. The promotion of the doubling of the membership and the Great Assembly

3. The comprehensive renovation of the Head Temple grounds

4. The publication of commemorative books.

            During this important three-year period, while seriously keeping the Daishonin’s behavior in mind, we must practice True Buddhism without regret.

2. The Daishonin’s Remonstrations with the Government

Nichiren Daishonin remonstrated with the government three times. These three remonstrations are known as “The Three Events of Gaining Distinction.” He stated in “The Selection of the Time” (Senji-sho):

Three times now I have gained distinction by having such knowledge. The first time was the first year of the Bunno era (1260), when the reverse marker of Jupiter was in the sector of the sky with the cyclical sign kanoe-saru, on the sixteenth day of the seventh month, when I presented my “Rissho ankoku-ron” to His Lordship, the lay priest of Saimyo-ji, by way of Yadoya Nyudo. At that time, I said to Yadoya Nyudo, “Please advise His Lordship that devotion to the Zen sect and the Nembutsu sect should be abandoned. If this advice is not heeded, trouble will break out within the Hojo family, and the nation will be attacked by a foreign power.” The second time was the twelfth day of the ninth month of the eighth year of the Bun'ei era (1271), at the Hour of the Monkey (3:00 - 5:00 P.M.), when I said to the magistrate Hei no Saemon, “Nichiren is the pillar and beam of Japan. If you lose me, you will be toppling the pillar of Japan!”… The third time was the eighth day of the fourth month of last year, or the eleventh year of the Bun'ei era (1274), when I said to Hei no Saemon, “Since I have been born in the ruler's domain, I must follow him in my actions. But I need not follow him in the beliefs of my heart. There can be no doubt that the Nembutsu leads to the Hell of Incessant Suffering, and that the Zen sect is the work of devils. And the Shingon sect in particular is a great plague to this nation of ours.”

(Gosho, p. 867; MW-3, pp. 170-171)

Through the Rissho ankoku-ron, the Daishonin remonstrated with Hojo Tokiyori, the ruler of the country, on the sixteenth day of July in the first year of Bunno (1259). This was his first remonstration with the government. In the Rissho ankoku-ron, the Daishonin revealed the causes of unusual occurrences in the heavens, and natural disasters on earth, such as famine and epidemics. He stated that the causes of the disasters arouse from slanders by Nembutsu and various other sects of Buddhism. The Daishonin said that, “You must quickly reform the tenets that you hold in your heart and embrace the one true vehicle, the single good doctrine of the Lotus Sutra.” The Daishonin stated that, “A sage is one who knows those things that have not yet made their appearance.” He then predicted the disasters of internal revolt and foreign invasion. The prediction of internal revolt came true in the event known as the “February Disturbance,” which was a manifestation of the dissention in the Hojo clan. The prediction of foreign invasion came true when the Mongol Empire attacked Japan in the Bun’ei and the Koan eras.

The second remonstration with the government occurred on the twelfth day in the ninth month of the eighth year of Bun’ei (1271). Hei-no Saemon-nojo Yoritsuna and his several hundred retainers attacked the Daishonin on that day. Shou-bo struck the Daishonin in the face with the fifth scroll of the Lotus Sutra. This scroll (volume) contains the Fortitude (Kanji; thirteenth) chapter, which teaches that the votary of the Lotus Sutra will undergo persecution by swords and staves. The Daishonin read the Lotus Sutra with his body and remonstrated in a loud voice:

See how insanely Hei-no Saemon is acting! You all have just toppled the pillar of Japan!

(Gosho, p. 1058; MW-1, p. 178)

The third remonstration with the government was on the eighth day in the fourth month of the eleventh year of Bun’ei (1274), when the Daishonin had a meeting with Hei-no Saemon Yoritsuna after he had been pardoned from exile on Sado. The Government had issued a letter of pardon on the fourteenth day of the second month in the eleventh year of Bun’ei (1274) because the officials felt uneasy about the Mongolia invasion, which the Daishonin had predicted. The Daishonin left Sado on the thirteenth day of the third month and he arrived in Kamakura on the twenty-sixth day of the third month. On the eighth day of the fourth month, the Daishonin saw Hei-no Saemon Yoritsuna in court. The Daishonin stated:

On the eighth day of the fourth month, I had an interview with Hei-no Saemon. In contrast to his behavior on previous occasions, his manner was quite mild and he treated me with courtesy.

(Gosho, p. 1067; MW-1, p. 193)

Hei-no Saemon asked the Daishonin when the Mongols would attack. The Daishonin answered that they would attack within the year without fail. The Government officials were frightened because the Daishonin’s predictions of the disasters of internal revolt and foreign invasion had already come true. They wanted to gain favor with the Daishonin, so they made a conciliatory gesture. The Daishonin stated:

Hokoji Zenmon (Hojo Tokimune) proposed that the government would build a temple on the site of Togo-nyudo’s mansion by the west gate of the Kamakura Government office and donate it to me.

(Seiten, p. 597)

The Daishonin’s three remonstrations, however, were not for the sake of his own reputation or desire. He remonstrated for the sake of securing the nation by upholding the True Law and eradicating the evil doctrines that were the causes of the disasters. The disasters of internal revolt and foreign invasion did come true. The Government refused to heed his remonstrations, so the Daishonin decided to retire in Mt. Minobu.

3. Entering Mt. Minobu

Nichiren Daishonin left Kamakura on the twelfth day of the fifth month in the eleventh year of Bun’ei and entered Mt. Minobu on the seventeenth day of the same month. He moved to Mt. Minobu because the Kamakura government refused to accept his three remonstrations. The Daishonin stated:

If a wise man makes three attempts to warn the leaders of the nation and they still refuse to heed his advice, then he should retire to a mountain forest. This has been the custom from ages past, and I have accordingly followed it.

            (Gosho, p. 1153; MW-4, p. 257)

The Daishonin retired in Minobu of Kai (present Yamanashi prefecture) even though he had many followers in Kamakura, Awa (present Chiba prefecture), Shimousa (present Chiba and Ibaragi prefecture), Musashi (present Tokyo, Saitama and Kanagawa prefectures), Izu (present Shizuoka prefecture), and Suruga (present Shizuoka prefecture).

Hagiri Sanenaga, the lord of Kai, and his retainers had already become the Daishonin ‘s disciples. They were shakubukued by Nikko Shonin and had renounced their faith in Nembutsu. The Daishonin entered Mt. Minobu at the invitation of Nikko Shonin, whom the Daishonin trusted most. He gave the following description:

The northern part is Mount Minobu, the southern, Mount Takatori, the western, Mount Shichimen, and the eastern, Mount Tenshi. They are like boards set up on all four sides. Around the outside of this area run four rivers, the Fujigawa running north to south and the Hayakawa running west to east at the rear of the area, and before the area the Hakirigawa, which runs west to east, and its tributary, which has a waterfall and is called the Minobugawa. You might suppose that Eagle Peak had been moved from central India and set down here, or that Mount T'ien-t’ai had been brought from China. In the midst of these four mountains and four rivers is a flat area no broader that the palm of a hand, and here I have built a little hut to shield me from the rain. I have peeled bark off trees to make my four walls, and wear a robe made of the hides of deer that died a natural death. In the spring I break off ferns to nourish my body, and in autumn I gather fruit to keep myself alive.

(Gosho, p. 1453; MW-7, p. 207）

The Daishonin built a hut deep in the mountains surrounded by four walls. Several years later, he stated:

It has been four years since I built a temporary hut made of tree cuttings here in Mt. Minobu. The pillars are decayed and the walls are falling down.

(Gosho, p.1189)

The hut where the Daishonin lived was small and humble. He lived there for seven years starting in the eleventh year of Bun’ei. He did not merely retire to live there. The Gosho, “Reply to Shijo Kingo” states:

However, when I desired to leave the world for a mountain forest in order to pursue the Way, people voiced differing opinions. Yet, for carefully considered reasons, I came to this mountain in this province, where I have already passed seven springs and autumns.

(Gosho, p. 1501; MW-6, p. 309）

The profound intention behind the Daishonin’s retreat was “for carefully considered reasons”:

1) To concentrate on reciting the sutra and chanting Daimoku in order to repay the four debts of gratitude: In the Gosho titled “Repaying the Debts of Gratitude” the Daishonin stated:

Then on the twelfth day of the fifth month, I left Kamakura and came to this mountain where I am now living. All these things I have done solely in order to repay the debt I owe to my parents, the debt I owe to my teacher, the debt I owe to the Three Treasures of Buddhism, and the debt I owe to my country.

(Gosho, p. 1030; MW-4, pp. 256-257)

2) To leave his legacy of teachings: The Daishonin read the Lotus Sutra with his entire life. He retired to Minobu to write down his thoughts, doctrines, and teachings in detail for future generations. The Daishonin wrote 130 Goshos before he retired to Mt. Minobu. After entering Mt. Minobu the number of Goshos he wrote increased to approximately 320, including the Three Great Secret Laws, Repaying Debts of Gratitude, the Selection of the Time, and so on.

3) To lay the foundation and make far-sighted plans for Kosen-rufu in the ages to come: The Daishonin cultivated many disciples after entering Minobu.

4) To establish the Dai Gohonzon of the High Sanctuary, which the Daishonin inscribed on the twelfth day of the tenth month in the second year of Koan, fulfilling the purpose of his advent into this world.

The significance of the Daishonin retiring to Mt. Minobu can be condensed into these four points.

4. Conclusion

The Daishonin entered Mt. Minobu after remonstrating with the Kamakura government three times. There, he established the Dai Gohonzon of the High Sanctuary. The Daishonin transferred the Lifeblood Heritage of the Law to Nikko Shonin. Nikko Shonin then transferred it to Nichimoku Shonin, and the Heritage of the Law has been passed down through the successive High Priests until today. The Entity of the Law has now been inherited by Nichinyo Shonin, who is the Sixty-eighth High Priest. Nichinyo Shonin has given us the following guidance on the path that our faith and practice should follow during these next three years:

We can see the chaotic situation both inside and outside of Japan. Based on the principle of the “Rissho-ankoku-ron,” we must achieve our objectives of “doubling the number of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth” and “the great assembly” by doing shakubuku, no matter what. If we achieve “doubling the number of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth” and “the great assembly” by doing shakubuku, then this will truly mean that we achieved our objective both in name and in reality.

(Dai-Nichiren p.76, June 2006)

Let’s follow the spirit of the Daishonin’s remonstrations with the government by exerting our utmost efforts in doing shakubuku, based on joyfully chanting Daimoku.

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