"I HAVE received two thousand coins from Musashi-bo Ennichi,1 whom you sent as a messenger. Kogyoku, the thirty-sixth in the line of sovereigns, was a woman. At that time, there was a minister named Iruka. He became so arrogant that he insanely took action to seize imperial power for himself. The empress, the princes, and others felt that this was outrageous, but they found themselves utterly powerless against him.
Then the princes Oe and Karu, deploring this state of affairs, consulted a court official named Nakatomi no Kamako, who said that he was convinced it was beyond human power to stop Iruka. He cited the example of Umako, and insisted that without the power of Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, it would be impossible to stop him. Taking this to heart, they had an image of Shakyamuni Buddha fashioned and prayed to it, and in no time at all Iruka was struck down.
This man named Nakatomi no Kamako was later granted a new surname and became known as Fujiwara no Kamatari. He was appointed inner minister, bore the title of the rank Great Woven Cap, and was the founder of the present-day Fujiwara family. That image of Shakyamuni Buddha is the present-day object of devotion at Kofuku-ji temple. Thus Shakyamuni Buddha is the reason the emperor was emperor, the reason the minister was minister, and the reason this land of the gods became the land of the Buddha. Please understand this by comparing it with what I have written in my letter to Uemon no Tayu. The reason our country now faces the threat of subjugation to another nation is that people fail to pay the least attention to Shakyamuni Buddha. The power of the gods is also ineffective for this reason.
People have regarded the two of you as surely having already yielded, but you have acted in an admirable manner. You probably think this is solely due to the power of Shakyamuni Buddha and the Lotus Sutra. I believe this also. No words can express the promise of your next existence. From now on too, no matter what may happen, you must not slacken in the least. You must raise your voice all the more and admonish [those who slander]. Even if your life should be threatened, you must not falter in the least.Kamatari Suggests the Fashioning of a Buddha Image
With my deep respect,
Nichiren
The twenty-first day of the eighth month
SGI and NST fail to pay the least attention to Shakyamuni Buddha and therefore, they lack protection from the Buddhist gods, their wishes remain unfulfilled, and Japan faces certain ruin.
Mark, I don't know if you know but Jacqueline Stone covers Nikko's leaving Minobu in her book Original Enlightenment and the Transformation of Medieval Buddhism. It is investing to note that one's of Nikko's gripes was that the Shakyamuni statue want flanked by the four leaders of the Bodhisattva's of the earth (and therefore want representative of the eternal Buddha). I found that most interesting given the current stance of some sects. I'll try and find a page ref if you like.
ReplyDeleteGreat. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteMark , it's page 335. Jacqueline writes:
ReplyDelete"According to Fuji sectarian histories, their disagreement (Niko & Nikko) concerned the behavior of Hakii Nanbu Rokuro Sanenaga, the steward of Minobu...Sanenaga is said to have committed the following acts , which in Nikko's mind violated ...Nichiren's teaching. 1) He enshrined an image of Sakayamuni and refused to heed Nikko's admonition that such an image was not that of the Buddha of the 'Fathoming the Lifespan' chapter, unless flanked by additional images of the four bodhisattvas..."
Original Enlightenment and the Transformation of Medieval Japanese Buddhism - Jacqueline Stone.
Niko, according to the Kempon Hokke [source?] realizing that Lord Hakii could not afford to commission the other four statues, set upon a compromise...Placing before the image [or within the image?] the Lotus Sutra, he asserted would meet the criteria for a valid object of worship. Nikko was intransigent on this matter and left Minobu.
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting, thanks, I didn't know that, it figures they'd be more took the story. I just thought you'd be interested in the J Stone Nikko reference because it clears up the dispute about only the Mandala being used as a legitimate object of worship, especially from those in the Fuji lineage.
ReplyDelete