SHIJO KINGO-DONO NYOBO GO-HENJI (A Reply to the Wife of Lord Shijo Kingo)

SHIJO KINGO-DONO NYOBO GO-HENJI   

(A Reply to the Wife of Lord Shijo Kingo) 

The date of this letter on the original manuscript is 

the 27th of the first month, but it is believed to have been

written in the 12th year of the Bun'ei Era (1275) at Minobu

and sent to the wife of Shijo Kingo at Kamakura.   

Acknowledging offerings sent by her, Nichiren Shonin

preached the merit of having faith in the Lotus Sutra,

saying that if she had a firm faith in it, there was nothing

to worry about her supposed unlucky age of thirty-three.   

"After all it is the evil teaching of the Shingon School that 

blinds the eyes of all the people in Japan and leads them 

astray.  I will talk about it later. 

The ten parables described in the 23rd chapter, "The 

Previous Life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva." of the Lotus 

Sutra seem to compare the Lotus Sutra against all other 

Buddhist scriptures, but it is not what the Buddha intended. 

Comparing a practicer of the Lotus Sutra against a practicer 

of all other Buddhist scriptures, the Buddha considered it 

important that the former be as powerful as the sun or the 

moon and the latter as powerless as a star or a candlelight. 

The reason lies in the most important sentence in the 

eighth parable:  "Likewise one who upholds this sutra is the 

best of all the people."  These 22 characters are the most 

important in the Lotus Sutra and in the eyes of all the 

people.  It means that a practicer of the Lotus Sutra is as 

precious as the sun and the moon, Brahma-heaven King or a 

Buddha, while a practicer of the Great Sun Buddha Sutra is 

as minute as a star, a river, or an ordinary man. 

Therefore, whether male or female, monk or layman, anyone in 

this world who upholds the Lotus Sutra will be regarded by 

the Buddha as the master of all the people. Brahma-heaven 

King and Indra, too, will show respect to him.  It is a joy 

beyond expression. 

If you contemplate this sutra day and night and read it 

morning and evening, you will become an extraordinary 

practicer of the Lotus Sutra.  The character "sha" in the 

phrase "ze-kyoden-sha" (one who upholds this sutra) means 

any person; therefore, the phrase can mean anyone who has 

faith in the Lotus Sutra among monks, nuns, laymen, and 

laywomen.  This is not so, however, because the Buddha 

restates it below:  "If there is a woman who hears and 

upholds..."  Reading all Buddhist scriptures other than the 

Lotus Sutra, I don't want to be a woman.  Some sutras say 

women are messengers of hell, other sutras say women are 

like a serpent or a bent tree, while still other sutras say 

that their seeds of Buddhahood are toasted. 

In Confucianism, a man called Jung Ch'i-ch'i lists three 

joys including not being a woman.  He thus states it is a 

joy not to have been born a woman in this life.  It is also 

said that, the three kingdoms in ancient China (Hsia, Yin, 

and Chou) were ruined by women.  But it is only the Lotus 

Sutra that declares:  "A woman who upholds this sutra is 

superior to not only other women but also men." 

After all, even if a woman is abused by everybody else, it 

is most important that she is loved by the man she loves. 

If everybody hates you, let them hate you.  It does not 

matter so long as Sakyamuni Buddha, Taho Buddha, Buddhas all 

over the universe besides the Brahma-heaven King, the sun 

and the moon and the other gods have compassion for you.  As 

the Lotus Sutra praises you, you have nothing to be ashamed 

of. 

As you have reached the critical age of thirty-three, you 

sent me an offering.  I placed it on the altar of Sakyamuni 

Buddha, the Lotus Sutra, and the sun god. 

Human beings have right and left shoulders, and two gods 

dwell on them.  One is Domyo-jin and the other is Dosho-jin. 

 For the purpose of protecting people, Brahma-heaven King, 

Indra, and the sun and the moon assign these gods to each 

person to accompany him from the time he was conceived in 

his mother's womb to the end of his life as though they were 

his shadow or eyes.  They are to report to heavenly gods 

what this person does, good or evil, without exception. 

This is stated in the Flower Garland Sutra, which Grand 

Master T'ien-T'ai explains in the eighth fascicle of the 

Great Concentration and Insight. 

However, if a woman's faith is not strong enough, Buddhas 

and gods will seem to abandon her even though she upholds 

the Lotus Sutra. This is only natural just as when the 

commander of an army is a coward, his soldiers are not 

courageous; when a bow is weak, a bowstring is loose; and 

when winds are gentle, waves are low. 

Your husband, Lord Shingo Saemon, however, is a firm 

believer of the Lotus Sutra incomparable among laymen in 

Japan.  As his wife, you are the first among women in Japan. 

The Buddha would consider you a female dragon who attained 

Buddhahood through the Lotus Sutra. 

Your critical age of thirty-three will be changed to your 

thirty-third year of happiness.  This is what you meant by 

the so-called "Seven troubles will disappear, and then seven 

states of happiness will arise immediately."  You will grow 

younger and more happiness will reach you. 

Respectfully yours, 

Nichiren