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Commemorating the Tatsunokuchi Persecution - Gonan-e
The Gonan-e Ceremony becomes very significant when a believer
fully considers the reasons why we conduct it. Specifically the Gonan-e Ceremony commemorates the Tatsunokuchi
Persecution. Studying this event helps believers realize the meaning of Nichiren Daishonin's advent, the
hardships he suffered in order to prove the validity of the Lotus Sutra and the reasons why Nichiren Shoshu
can be called True Buddhism.
The Tatsunokuchi Persecution was one of the four major persecutions Nichiren Daishonin underwent
in order to attest to the validity of the twenty-line verse of the Kanji chapter of the Lotus Sutra. Basically, the
"twenty-line verse of the Kanji chapter" predicts the difficulty of propagating the Lotus Sutra in the Latter
Day of the Law. It also predicts the persecution that the votary of the Lotus Sutra will undergo.
It is the Tatsunokuchi Persecution that led Nichiren Daishonin to discard
His transient identity as
Bodhisattva Jogyo and proclaim His true identity as the Original Buddha of Kuon-ganjo. The Tatsunokuchi
Persecution was so named because it took place on the outskirts of Kamakura at Tatsunokuchi Beach on
September 12, 1271.
Prior to the event, Japan had been in a prolonged drought, and the government asked Ryokan, a
priest of the Shingon-Ritsu sect, of Gokuraku-ji Temple to pray for rain. The Daishonin challenged Ryokan
that if his prayers could produce rain in seven days he would follow Ryokan. He also said that if Ryokan
could not, he must correctly embrace the Lotus Sutra and follow him. Arrogantly, Ryokan publicly agreed.
However, his prayers could not produce rain, and instead what occurred was a prolonged damaging gale.
Ryokan became very embarrassed and instead of keeping his public agreement, he began to spread
rumors about Nichiren Daishonin in hopes of influencing people in the government. This led to a summons
by Hei no Saemon, the deputy chief of the Office of Military and Police Affairs, to question the Daishonin on
September 10, 1271.
Nichiren Daishonin used the interrogation as an opportunity to warn the government that if it was to
continue to practice incorrect teachings and follow heretical priests, then an outbreak of internal strife and
also foreign invasion would surely occur.
Even though Hei no Saemon was extremely irritated by the Daishonin, he could not find anything to
lawfully charge him with, so he let Him go. However, two days later, government officials decided to charge
Nichiren Daishonin with treason, and sent Hei no Saemon along with several hundred warriors to
Matsubagayatsu to arrest Him.
Upon finding the Daishonin, one of the warriors, Shofu-bo, took a scroll of the fifth volume of the
Lotus Sutra from the Daishonin's robe and struck the Daishonin across His face. After
He was captured, the
Daishonin was taken to be sentenced. The regent sentenced the Daishonin to be exiled to Sado Island.
Immediately He was put under the supervision of Hojo Nobutoki, the constable of Sado Province. While
being escorted by Hei no Saemon and his men from Nobutoki's place to a steward of the deputy constable
of Sado, Hei no Saemon decided on his own to behead the Daishonin before the group reached its
destination.
As the party passed Hachiman Shrine at Tsurugaoka, the Daishonin reprimanded great Bodhisattva
Hachiman for not protecting the Votary of the Lotus Sutra, as the Bodhisattva had promised.
Earlier, the Daishonin sent a messenger to Shijo Kingo,
who was nearby and hurried to be by His side. Shijo Kingo began weeping with deep despair at the thought of losing
Him, but the Daishonin
scolded him, saying that there is no greater fortune than to give one's life for the Lotus Sutra.
About to be executed, Nichiren Daishonin chanted the Daimoku with perfect composure. At that very
moment when the Daishonin was about to be beheaded, a luminous object suddenly
bolted from the Southeastern quadrant of the sky. As it illuminated the
execution grounds, the soldiers became paralyzed with fear and immediately scattered and hid.
Nichiren Daishonin escaped the execution, but
He did not escape the original plan to banish Him. On October 10, 1271, He
was sent to Sado Island.
Before the Daishonin's advent, there had been no one in all of India, China, or Japan who practiced
as the Lotus Sutra taught. Had the Daishonin not undergone major and minor persecutions, then
Shakyamuni's prediction in the sutra would have proven false, and Shakyamuni Buddha would have been
known as a man of great falsehood.
In "The
Opening of the Eyes" the Daishonin writes:
At such a time, if the three powerful enemies predicted in the Lotus Sutra did not appear, then
who would have faith in the words of the Buddha? If it were not for Nichiren, who could fulfill
the Buddha's prophecies concerning the votary of the Louts Sutra? (Shinpen, p. 541; M.W.,
Vol. 2, p. 120)
Nichiren Daishonin wrote in "Letter to Misawa,"
As for my teachings, regard those before my
exile to Sado as equivalent to the Buddha's pre-Lotus Sutra teachings.
The Tatsunokuchi
incident is regarded as the time at which Nichiren Daishonin cast off his
transient role as the reincarnation of Bodhisattva Jogyo and revealed his true
identity as the Original Buddha. In "The Opening of the Eyes" the Daishonin also
wrote:
On the twelfth day of the ninth month of last year, between the hours of the Rat and the Ox
(11:00 PM to 3:00 AM) this person named Nichiren was beheaded. It is his soul that has come
to this island of Sado and in the second month of the following year, snowbound, is writing this
to send to his close followers. The description of the evil age in the Kanji chapter seems
terrifying, but because I have dedicated myself to the True Law, I Nichiren, have nothing to be
terrified about. Those observing me will be awe-struck. (Shinpen, p. 563; M.W., Vol. 2, p. 177)
The Daishonin teaches
that to meet persecution or hardships for the sake of the Law is a way to offer Buddhist apology and
to eradicate evil karma. We must therefore realize that without facing persecutions and
hardships for the sake of Kosen-rufu, we cannot eradicate our evil karma and surmount our difficulties.
The Daishonin went on to express his delight to face persecutions and viewed those who persecuted the
Votary of the Lotus Sutra as good influences. In the Gosho "On the Buddha's Behavior,"
He again expresses these sentiments:
Devadatta, more than anyone else, proved the validity of Shakyamuni's teaching. In this age
as well, it is not one's friends but one's enemies who assist his progress. ... For me, my best
allies in the attainment of enlightenment are Hei no Saemon and Regent Hojo Tokimune, as
well as Tojo Kagenobu and the priests Ryokan, Doryu and Doamidabutsu. I am grateful when
I think that without them, I could not have proven myself the Votary of the Lotus Sutra.
(Shinpen, p. 1063; M.W., Vol. 1, pp. 186-87)
The Daishonin also states in "On Practicing the Buddha's Teachings":
What is more, once you become a follower of the Lotus Sutra's True Votary whose practice
accords with the Buddha's teachings, you are bound to face the three powerful enemies.
Therefore, from the very day you take faith in this teaching, you should be fully prepared to
face the three kinds of persecutions which are certain to be more terrible now after the
Buddha's passing. (Shinpen, p. 670; M.W., Vol. 1, p. 99)
It is during the Gonan-e Ceremony,
commemorating the Tatsunokuchi persecution, that we reflect on the Daishonin's strong determination to uphold and
propagate the Law no matter how strong the three powerful enemies may be. With the spirit of
"single-mindedly yearning to seek the Buddha without begrudging our lives," and the spirit of "the Law to be
propagated is more important than the bodies of the votaries themselves," let's strive to grasp the
significance of this ceremony and repay the debt of gratitude we owe the Daishonin.
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