The Opening of the Eyes: Three Kinds of Enemies of the Lotus Sutra PART 2 MAIN DISCOURSE Chapter IX with commentary

Surprised at these five proclamations of the Buddha, three of which were revealed in the eleventh chapter and two in the twelth chapter of the Lotus Sutra, bodhisattvas swore to live up to His expectations in the thirteenth chapter entitled "The Encouragement of Keeping this Sutra." Citing sutras as a mirror reflecting the truth, I now let you know how men of the Zen, Ritsu, and Pure Land Schools and their followers today slander the true dharma.

A man called Nichiren was beheaded at one o'clock during the night of the twelfth day in the ninth month last year. His soul has come to the province of Sado and is writing this in the midst of snow in February the following year to be sent to his closest related disciples from past lives. As such this writing of mine may sound frightening to you and precious at the same time. How fearful others will be when they read this writing! This is the bright mirror in which Sakyamuni and Taho Buddhas and other Buddhas in the universe reflected the state of Japan in the future, namely conditions of Japan today. Consider this as my memento in case I die.

As for the difficulties confronting those who would spread the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Age, first of all it is said in the thirteenth chapter, "Encouragement of Keeping the Sutra:"

We beseech You not to worry!

We will expound this sutra

In the frightful world

After Your death.

Ignorant people may speak

Ill of us and slander us

Or abuse us with swords or sticks.

We will endure all of them.

Monks in the evil world

Cunning, crooked, flattering, and arrogant,

Boast themselves enlightened

While they are not.

Some monks will stay in a monastery,

Wearing robes, sitting quietly,

claiming to be practicing the true way

Despising others staying among the people.

Attached to profit making,

They will preach the dharma for lay people

And will be revered by the people

As though they were arhats with Six Superhuman Powers.

They will have evil thoughts.

Always thinking of worldly matters,

Taking advantage of being in a monastery,

They will be happy to find our faults.

In order to slander us

Among the large crowd

They will always speak ill of us

To the king, ministers, Brahmans,

Lay believers and other monks

Saying that we are crooked in opinion

And preach Brahman teachings.

In the evil world in the kalpa of defilement

Many dreadful matters

Such as evil spirits abusing and shaming us,

As we spread the true dharma.

Evil monks of the defiled world,

Without knowledge of the Buddha

Using the expedient and provisional teachings,

Will slander us and frown at us;

Often we will be chased out of monasteries.

Grand Master Miao-le explains this situation in the eighth fascicle of his commentary on the Fa-hua-wen-chu:

This citation from the thirteenth chapter of the

Lotus Sutra could be divided into three parts.

The first line (four phrases) refers to the evil

people as a whole, that is the so-called self-

conceited lay people. The next line refers to

the self-conceited monks, while the following

seven lines refers to those arrogant monks

who consider themselves sages. Of the three,

persecution by the first group of arrogant lay

people is endurable. That of the second group

is harder to endure, while that of the third group,

self styled sages, is most difficult to endure. The

second and third groups are more cunning and

less likely to reveal their faults.

Monk Chih-tu of tung-ch'un states in his Fa-hua-i-tsuan:

First in the five lines starting with "ignorant people,"

the first verse and four phrases refer to the suffering

of "thee kinds of evil acts" --- physical, verbal, and

psychological acts --- committed by lay people. The

next verse beginning with "monks in the evil world"

refer to self-conceited arrogant monks. Third, the

three verses following "some monks will stay in a

monastary" refer to self-conceited sages, who lead

all the wicked people.

He also writes: "Two lines following 'in order to slander us' refer to reporting to the authorities false charges against the true dharma and against those who spread it."

It is said in the Nirvana Sutra, fascicle nine: "Good men! suppose a man of issendai pretending to be an arhat stays in a remote corner of tranquility, slandering Mahayana sutras. Ignorant people who see him may think him to be an arhat or a great bodhisattva." The sutra says also:

At the time this Nirvana Sutra spreads all over the

world, evil monks will steal it and forcible divide it

up into many parts destroying the excellent color,

fragrance, and taste of the true dharma. Although

these evil monks may recite such sutras, they will

miss the true teaching of the Buddha replacing it

with meaningless words of flowery rhetoric. They

will rearrange the sutra taking the beginning part

of the sutra and putting it at the end or visa versa,

or they will move the beginning and ending parts

to the mid-section, or the mid-part to the beginning

or ending part. You must know that such evil monks

are the demons' companions.

The six-facicled Hatsunaion-gyo [Nirvana Sutra] states:

There will be a man of issendai who acts like an arhat

but commits evil acts; and there will be an arhat who

acts like a man of issendai but has compassion. An

arhat-like man of the issendai refers to the people

who slander Mahayana Buddhism. An arhat who acts

like the man of issendai refers to a man who despises

the Hinayana sages of sravaka and widely preaches

Mahayana Buddhism, assuring the people that both he

and they are bodhisattvas because everybody has

Buddha-nature in himself. Nevertheless, those people

would consider him a man of issendai.

It is said in the Nirvana Sutra:

After the death of the Buddha, and after the Age of the

True Dharma is over, monks in the Age of the Imitative

dharma will no longer be sages. On the surface, they will

appear to keep commandments and recite sutras a little,

but they will devour rich food and enjoy a prosperous life.

Although  they will wear robes of Buddhist monks they will act

for selfish gain just like hunters walking slowly aiming at

game with narrow eyes, or cats stalking a rat. They will

always claim to be arhats. Outwardly, they will appear to

be wise men and virtuous people, but in heart they will

harbor greed and jealousy just like Brahmans practicing the

exersize of keeping silence. They will appear to be Buddhist

monks, but actually are not. With their rampant evil thoughts

they will slander the true dharma.

Commentary:

Nichiren Daishonin's disciple are delighted to have this writing of encouragement to get through the most difficult times in their lives. While disbelievers and slanderers become terrified at seeing their ugly faces revealed in the mirror of the Lotus Sutra and the Kaimoku Sho.

Nichiren will show how the Zen, Ritsu, Shingon and other priests and believers of the provisional sects of Buddhism are phonies, slanderers of the true dharma, and destined to hell. I assert that the leaders and believers of the New Age religions of the Honmon Butsuryo Shu (HBS), the SGI (Daisaku Ikeda), The Nichiren Shoshu (High Priest Nichinyo) the Nipponzan Myohoji and the Rissho Koseikai who, with their "meaningless words and flowery rhetoric" have hijacked the Lotus Sutra and the Daimoku while propounding inferior teachings for their own gains.

"A man called Nichiren was beheaded at one o'clock during the night of the twelfth day in the ninth month last year. His soul has come to the province of Sado and is writing this in the midst of snow in February the following year to be sent to his closest related disciples from past lives."

Nichiren Daishonin was to have been beheaded by the Kamakura Shogunate on september 12th, 1271. He was taken to Tatsunokuchi beach by a battalion of Samurai who had every intention of cutting off his head. It was a moonless night and the troops were giddy with anticipation, only silent for a few moments before the swordsman raised his sword above the head of the Nichiren Daishonin who was kneeling on the sand. Then suddenly a bright orb, probably a glowing meteorite, passed overhead. Many of the soldiers flew to the ground or they prostrated themselves in fear for their lives. Unsure of what do next, they took Nichiren Daishonin to the nearby Lord's manor and shortly thereafter they received word that Nichiren Daishonin's life was to be spared though he was to be exiled to Sado Island.

Nichiren, saying that he was "beheaded" at Tatsunokuchi but that his soul has come to Sado, signifies that he shed his transient identity as a Tientai priest, revealing his true identity as Bodhisattva Eminent Conduct (Superior Conduct, Jogyo, or Visisticaritra). As the snow falls, tears again well up thinking how fortunate I am to be his disciple.

Just as the soldiers were terrified, the perverse priests and laymen who Nichiren repeatedly criticized, rebuked, and admonished, must have been even more frightened. We, his disciples, the true votaries of the Lotus Sutra, fear not. We are delighted to prove the words of the Sutra as Nichiren did.

Then Nichiren Shonin goes on to record the difficulties he experienced [and those that we too are bound to experience] by citing the Thirteenth Chapter of the Lotus Sutra, the Nirvana Sutra, and the commentaries by the votaries of the Lotus Sutra of the Imitative Dharma Age (Middle Day of the Law), Tientai and Dengyo.

The three types of enemies of the Lotus Sutra or the Three Powerful Enemies, are ignorant lay people, run of the mill monks, and secluded monks wearing clothing of patched rags (business suits) who are looked up to by the people as sages or wise men.

The first type of enemy is tolerable, being ignorant and angry they are not much worse than a mosquito bite or athletes foot.

The second, being more cunning, crooked, flattering, arrogant, and boastful, are no more than a belly ache or appendicitis. They are easily cured because they are so readily diagnosed.

The third are even more cunning, having the outward appearance of true sages possessing humility, they are respected by "white robed" laymen. These are like the most virulent form of cancer, amelanotic melanoma that appears to be nothing more than a benign mole or beauty mark that affect all the organs before one even knows that they are affected. They can also be likened to a delicious fruit drink laced with enough poison to kill an elephant.

The Rissho Koseikai founded by Nikkyo Niwano has several million members and the leaders are called reverends. They are Universal Universalists who abrogate Nichiren Daishonin [even though they stole his teachings on the recitation of the daimoku] by distorting his teachings on Rissho (Right Law). They are too cowardly to confront the Christians, Muslims, Hindus and the provisional sects of Buddhism. They will destroy the Daishonin's Lotus Sutra teachings if left unchecked.

The Honmon Butsuryu Shu is a much more concise exposition of the teachings of the Lotus Sutra than the Rissho Koseikai. They have about one million members. They arrogantly propagate a teaching divorced from Nichiren but call it Nichiren's. They are known as the Eight Chapter School They do not regularly chant the 2nd and 16th chapters of the Lotus Sutra, preferring to chant principally the 21st chapter. Nichiren Daishonin chanted principally the 16th chapter. They also model their object of worship on their founder Nissen's Gohonzon and chant Nam myoho renge kyo rather than Namu myoho renge kyo [as did Nichiren].

Nichiren writes about the correct practice of the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Day:

"I have written out the prose portion of the Hoben chapter for you. You should recite it together with the Jigage which I sent to you earlier" (MW5 p 163)

"As to the blessings derived by you, who, as chief mourner, who have recited the Jigage every morning for a period of 13 years, they "can only be understood and shared between Buddhas." (MW7 p 110)

"In the past there have been many examples of people who, praying to receive benefit in their present or future existences, have acheived their desires by reciting and praising all 8 volumes or the Hoben and Juryo chapters or the Jigage alone." (MW 7 p 229)

"In your letter, you write 'Since I took faith in this sutra, I have continued to recite the junyoze (Hoben) and the Jigage and chant the daimoku without the slightest neglect" (MW 3 p 206-07)

"For the sake of your son's repose, I have recited the entire Lotus Sutra once and the Jigage several times, and chantied the daimoku a hundred thousand times"  (MW7 p239)

"Consequenty, the Buddhas throughout the 10 directions looked up to the Jigage as their teacher and attained Buddhahood. The Jigage is like a mother and father to the persons of the world. A person who embraces the Juryo chapter of the Lotus Sutra is sustaining the life of the Buddhas" (MW 7 p 112)

Another rational for reciting the Hoben-pon and the Juryo-hon is that the Hoben-pon represents the Historical Buddha Shakyamuni, the Juryo-hon represents the Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni and the believer represents an emanation Buddha of the Eternal Buddha. Thus we recite the Hoben-pon and the Juryo-hon to represent the unity of the Three Buddha Bodies.

In the book, The Teachings of the Honmon Butsuryushu by Nisso Fukuoka, we see three pages devoted to Sacred Water and one and a half pages devoted to the Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni.

We also read

"Professor Tashiro met Reverand Kobayashi, who immediately, told Tashiro, 'From today, stop taking any medicine."(The Teachings of Honmon Butsuryushu by Nisso Fukuoka) They disregard that even the Daishonin took medicine from time to time. In the HBS, if the magic Odaimoku, can't cure you, there is always the magic water. Of course the Daimoku and even the Gohonzon water is beneficial, however, Gohonzon water is not a central theme of the Daishonin's Buddhism. Nichiren Dasihonin says our treasures are food, clothing, shelter and medicine. Don't throw away your medicine while continuing to chant Namu Myoho renge kyo.

"The Honmon Butsuryu Shu is distributing several types of Gohonzon. There seems to be several ranks of members who each deserve a different kind of Gohonzon that they offer. One is the proto-type that Nissen made for the first time. The others are either these prototypes embellished with some meaningless words or are supposedly Nissen transcriptions of a Nichiren Gohonzon which can not be found in the Gohonzon Shu(the catalogue of extent Nichiren Gohonzons). A "high ranking" Gohonzon is round-shaped with "golden" decorative border. Regarding this practice of the HBS (and the SGI and the Nichiren Shoshu of offering different sized Gohonzons to various members of these sects), this non-egalitarian carrot-stick approach to Buddhism panders to the basest instincts of the members.

Nichiryu (1384-1464) founded the Happon branch, but (now it is called 'Hokke Shu Honmon Ryu'). Happon means "Eight Chapters". Of course, the eight chapters from 15 to 22 are important but this is matter of simply being able to read the letters of the Daishonin, so there is no reason to found a new branch centered around this clear-cut doctrine. The HBS under Nissen broke off from this branch in the 1800s.

Nichiryu's sectarian ego caused him to make the branch. So there is nothing other than sectarian doctrines in the branch. Nissen Nagamatsu (1817-1890) then started a bizarre version of the Happon branch in 1857 which eventually split, and the layman led branch became the Honmon Butsuryu Shu in 1947. Apparently, the strange Happon branch produced an even more strange American HBS which appropriates the teachings from the Nichiren Shu and the Kempon Hokke Shu to bolster their case for orthodoxy while further bringing confusion to the teachings of the Buddha and Nichiren Daishonin..

The moon is obscured by clouds. The Honmon Butsuryu Shu are clouds that obscure the Dharma of Supreme Enlightenment. We, following in the footsteps of Nichiren Daishonin and our founder Nichiju, develop the mind of the Buddha while the theology of the HBS leads to a defiled mind with perverted ideas and the members to remain in delusion. The delusion of greed and jealousy leads them to criticize the Kempon Hokke because we expose them for being clouds that obscure the Dharma.

Because there is the Daimoku Only doctrine in HBS, the believers in that sect pay special attention to the Honzon Mondo Sho Gosho that explains the object of worship in terms of Law and neglect the teachings in the Five Major writings of Nichiren that explain the Gohonzon in terms of the Buddha. The SGI is similar in this regard.

The HBS wants to be an alternative to the SGI in America and elsewhere. How can they be an alternative when there is a hierarchy with three different objects of worship? This reveals that the HBS has replaced faith in the true doctrine of Lord Buddha Shakyamuni and Nichiren Daishonin, with some defiled doctrines of their own making. Here is more proof:

One of the central teachings of the HBS is, "Do not hold a grudge." However, as any man with two eyes can see, their former chief american representative was incapable of putting this teaching into practice while the powers that be in the HBS made him a lay-priest.

Another such doctrine is their reliance on the Alaya or 8th level of consciousness (Arayashiki). Clearly, Nichiren talked about accessing the Amala or 9th level of consciousness. We maintain that the HBS faith and practice is incapable of accessing the Ninth Level of Consciousness and therefore says nothing at all about it.

Most importantly, the Honmon Butsuryo Shu teaches:

"In a Buddha-less world", "and in the interim between the former Buddha and the next Buddha." No matter how many times they chant the daimoku, they are those who do not believe in the Hokke, whose core teaching is, "The Eternal Life of the Buddha," or living Buddha.

As far as The Nipponzan Myohoji, I have too much affection for Nichidatsuu Fujii to criticize him personally. He died in 1985, living to more than 100 and for more than 80 of those years he lived as a mendicant not unlike Nichiren Daishonin. He walked hundreds of thousands of miles chanting the Daimoku for world peace. He remonstrated with governmental authorities and lived his life emulating Bodhisattva Never Despise. He was attacked with tear gas but he never had an ill thought. He loved Buddha Sakyamuni, Nichiren Daishonin, and Bodhisattva Eminent Conduct who he was purported to have met. I think, I can criticize his doctrine however.

One in a million people can attain Buddhahood through the practice of Nipponzon Myohoji. In this case it was Nichidatsu who made the religion great, not the religion of Nipponzan Myohoji that made Nichidatsu great. Very few people in the Latter day can live like Nichidatsu. Even his monk and nun disciples have difficulty following his example. Also, the world is a far more dangerous place with the ascendancy of Islamic Fundamentalism and factionalism. His believers would surely be killed on the streets of Riyadh or in Yemen. Absolute pacifism is not the teaching of the Lotus or Nirvana Sutra.

Nichidatsu wrote:

"We have come to an age when we must have mutual trust to survive. To trust -- this is a religious civilization. To save others and to save the world --- these are the tasks of a spiritual civilization."

"The outcome obtained with the spirit of compliance in edifying the people on the teachings is much more beneficial than any argument or intellectual dialogue. When compliance and fawning are treated at the same level, it results in both oneself and others losing the merits of the Dharma."(ibid.)

"It means to comply with the correct teachings. It is at the same time a practice not to go against any person. A Bodhisattva should not cast a sidelong glance at the deeds and conducts of the people and deride their bewilderment, but rather should have the mindset of bouncing a ball when coming across a child, and listening to the old reminisce."(ibid)

"The seventh category of ju-ekou is a level called tou-zui-junichi-issai-shujou-ekou. It means to equally accept and follow (zuijun) all people with an impartial mind. What is the reason for even impartially following the unenlightened who engages in evil and knows no virtue? It is a practice of enveloping all people with great compassion. It is akin to a mother’s heart that gives what her child seeks and together rejoices."(ibid.)

"The practice of shakubuku by The Bodhisattva Who Never Despises wastangyo-raihai (the sole practice of worshiping the Buddha within others). Shakubuku, it is nothing more than the practice to follow others without confronting them. When we talk of shakubuku, it somehow seems to evoke aggressiveness to the surface. This should never be the case."(ibid.)

The gentle practices are futile in this period of the Age of Decay. This is why I think the legacy of Nipponzan Myohoji will remain limited and the great desire of Nichidatsu will remain unfulfilled through the gentle practices. Some people can't be trusted. Those who strap explosives to mental defectives in order to blow up a pet market teaming with people can't be reasoned with. They must be broken and subdued. "Chant the Daimoku for peace and security in this very life," will not resonate with these men. They only will understand the sharp words of the Lotus Sutra that condemns them to the hell of incessant suffering if they don't reform the perverted tenets in their heart. Motherly love will not reform the errant sons of Islam. The strictness of our father Sakyamuni Buddha of the Juryo Chapter is what is required today.

Nichiren Daishonin would never comply with evil men or evil doctrines. I don't think he would have approved of Nichidatsu's spirit of interfaith cooperation with Gandhi, even in an effort to realize world peace.

As far as the SGI and the Nichiren Shoshu, Daisaku Ikeda and the High Priest of Nichiren Shoshu, I will talk about them at length in my concluding comments on this section of the Opening of the Eyes.

Namu Nichidatsuu Fuji. He meant well.

Also and possibly equally important, Nichiren realized every line of the 13th Chapter, for example:

Some monks will stay in a monastery,

Wearing robes, sitting quietly,

claiming to be practicing the true way

Despising others staying among the people.

and

Ignorant people may speak

Ill of us and slander us

Or abuse us with swords or sticks.

and

They will be happy to find our faults.

In order to slander us

Among the large crowd

They will always speak ill of us

To the king, ministers, Brahmans,

Lay believers and other monks

Saying that we are crooked in opinion

And preach Brahman teachings.

and

Will slander us and frown at us;

Often we will be chased out of monasteries.

We too, following in the footsteps of  Nichiren, come to experience every line of the Sutra. As Nichiren stated in the closing paragraph of the Opening of the Eyes:

"For what I have done, I have been condemned to exile, but it is a small suffering to undergo in this present life and not one worth lamenting. In future lives I will enjoy immense happiness, a thought that gives me great joy."

Opening of the Eyes: Three Kind of Enemies Ch. IX cont...

Now, in the light of the Lotus preached on Mt. Sacred Eagle and Nirvana preached under the twin sala tree, as bright as the sun and the moon, and commentaries by Miao-le of P'i-chan and Chih-tu of Tung-ch'un as brilliant as a clear mirror, sectarian schools today and ugly faces of Zen, Ritsu, and Pure Land follower in entire Japan are seen without a trace of a cloud.

It is said in the Myohorenge-kyo (Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Dharma) that it would be spread "in the dreadful world after the death of the Buddha" (Chapter 13); "in the latter evil day," "in the latter days," "during the latter days when the dharma is about to disappear" (Chapter 14); "in the evil days of decadent dharma" (Chapter 17); and "during the fifth 500-year period after the death of the Buddha" (Chapter 23). Likewise it is said in the shohoke-kyo (Lotus Sutra of the True Dharma, "Kanzeppon" chapter, that the sutra would be spread "in the latter days" and "in the coming latter days." The tembon Hokekyo (Lotus Sutra with Additions) says the same.

Grand master T'ien-t'ai has written: "The three Southern masters and seven Northern masters of Buddhism in China during the Age of the Imitative Dharma have become enemies of the Lotus Sutra." Grand Master Dengyo has this to say: "Toward the end of the Age of the Imitative Dharma scholars of the Six schools of Nara were the enemies of the Lotus." During the time of these two grand masters however, the enemies had not yet become apparent.

As for the Latter Age of the Decadent dharma, it was determined by innumerous bodhisattvas, eighty trillion nayuta in number, that there would be three kinds of enemies of the Lotus Sutra at the beginning of the Latter Age following the 1,000-year Age of the True Dharma and another 1,000-year Age of the Imitative dharma after the death of the Buddha. This was determined in the presence of Sakyamuni Buddha and Taho Buddha sitting side by side in the stupa of seven treasures like the sun and moon, as well as Buddhas in manifestation (funjin Buddhas) from all over the universe sitting under trees of gems like stars in the sky. How could this be false?

It has been some 2,200 years since the death of Sakyamuni Buddha. Even if a finger pointing to the earth misses it, or flowers fail to bloom in spring, the three kinds of enemies of the Lotus Sutra are bound to appear in Japan. If so, who will be among the three kinds of enemies? Or, who will be considered to be a practitioner of the Lotus Sutra? We are not sure. Are we among the so-called three kinds of enemies? Or are we among the practitioners of the Lotus Sutra? We are not sure.

It was during the night of the day of the fourth month in the twenty-fourth year (1029 B.C.) of King Chou, the fourth sovereign of the Chou dynasty in ancient China, that rays of light in five colors flashed in the sky from north to south, brightening it as though it were daytime. The earth trembled six ways, rivers, ponds, and wells rose without rain, and all grasses and trees blossomed and bore fruit. It was miraculous! Greatly alarmed, King Chao consulted historian Su-yu about this and was told that this was an omen of the birth of a sage in the land to the west. The historian continued: "Nothing will happen for now, but in a thousand years the teaching of that sage, who was just born in the western land, will come to this land to save the people." Su-yu was a petty Confucianist who had not yet eliminated delusions and evil passions. Yet he was able to foretell 1,000 years in advance. As he predicted, Buddhism was introduced to China 1,015 years after the death of the Buddha, in the tenth year of the Yung-p'ing era (67 A.D.) during the reign of Ming-ti, the second emperor of the Later han.

The prediction of the Lotus Sutra is incomparably superior to that of Su-yu, as it was presented by bodhisattvas in the presence of Sakyamuni Buddha, and Taho Buddha, and Buddhas in manifestation who had come from all over the universe. As such, how could there not be three kinds of enemies of the Lotus Sutra in Japan today? Sakyamuni has said in the Fuhozo-kyo (Buddha's Successors Sutra): "During the 1,000 year Age of the True dharma after my death, twenty -four would come in succession to spread My true dharma." Besides such direct disciples as Kasyapa and Ananda, Monk Parsva, and Bodhisattva Asvaghosa and Nagarjuna had already appeared exactly as predicted 100, 600, and 700 years after the death of the Buddha respectively. Why is it that only this prediction of three kinds of enemies of the Lotus Sutra has not come true? If this prediction has not come true, the whole teaching of the Lotus Sutra will be false and the assurance that Sariputra and Kasyapa be the future Keko and Komyo Buddhas respectively would come to naught. This would mean that the pre-Lotus sutras would in turn become true and final with the result that Sariputra and other sravaka men would never obtain Buddhahood. It would mean that we should not offer any alms to such sravaka men as Ananda even if we should do so to dogs and foxes. What should we do the? What should we do?

The "ignorant people," the first of the three kinds of enemies of the Lotus Sutra, seem to be influential followers of the second and third enemies referred to as "monks in the evil world" and "monks in robes or patched rags" in the sutra. Grand Master Miao-le referred to this first kind of enemy as "self-conceited lay people," while Monk Chih-tu said that they would "raise false charges to the authorities."

As for the second group of the three enemies of the Lotus Sutra, it is said in the Lotus Sutra: "Monks in the evil world will be cunning, flattering and arrogant, and boast of themselves as enlightened while they have not understood anything." The Nirvana Sutra states: "There will be evil monks then.... Although these evil monks recite such sutras, they will lose sight of the profound teaching of the Buddha."

Grand Master T'ien-t'ai laments in his Mo-ho shih-kuan: "Those without faith in the Lotus Sutra consider it to be only for sages and to be too difficult for ignorant people like themselves. Those without wisdom become self-conceited considering themselves equal to the Buddha."

Commentary:

At this very time of the Degenerate Age, these last passages refers to the SGI who, though reciting the Lotus Sutra, declare, "The Lotus Sutra is no longer valid in Mappo," "the Lotus Sutra is too difficult to understand without the insight of President Ikeda," and "we are equal to Sakyamuni Buddha, he is nothing special."

It also refers to the Nichiren Shoshu High Priests, the self proclaimed priest intermediaries who alone "understands the heart of the Lotus Sutra," and who assert that "Sakyamuni is but a cast off Buddha."

Finally, it refers to Shingon, Pure Land, and Zen.

Three Kind of Enemies Ch. IX cont...

For instance, grand master Tao-cho stated in his An-le-chi that the second reason why the Lotus Sutra should be given up was that its teaching was too profound for ignorant people to understand. Likewise, Honen states in his Senchaku-shu: "All religious practices except for the nembutsu do not suit the intelligence of the people nor the time." Grand Master Miao-le in his Commentary on the Fa-hua- Wen-chu, fascicle 10, warned against such misconceptions by saying:

Those who would misunderstand the Lotus Sutra

perhaps do not know how meritorious the acts of

beginners can be. they give credit to those of high

rank and despise the beginners. It is shown in the

Lotus sutra that even the acts of beginners can be

meritorious in the strength of the sutra.

Grand Master Dengyo also claims:

The ages of the True Dharma and the imitative

Dharma are about to pass with the Latter age of

the Decadent Dharma just around the corner. It

is exactly the time now for all people to be saved

by the one true teaching of the Lotus Sutra. How

do I know it? It is said in the fourteenth chapter,

"Peaceful Practices," of the Lotus Sutra that the

sutra would spread in the Latter Age when the

Dharma is about to disappear.

Venerable Eshin says, "The Whole of Japan is ready to believe in the perfect teaching of the Lotus Sutra."

Whom should we believe in, Tao-ch'o, Dengyo, Honen or Eshin? Tao-ch'o and honen do not have any basis in the Buddhist scriptures, while Dengyo and Eshin who, at least in this writing cited by the Daishonin, base their assertions firmly upon the Lotus Sutra. Moreover, to all Buddhist monks in Japan, Grand Master Dengyo of Mt. Hiei is the master presiding over their initiation ceremony. How could they follow Honen, who is haunted by a heavenly devil. and abandon the master who performs their own initiation ceremony? If Honen is a wise man, why did he not mention in his Senchaku-shu those interpretations of Dengyo and Eshin and compare them with his own? Since he did not do so, he is to be blamed for having concealed them. It is Honen and other monks without any commandments and with evil views that are pointed to in the Lotus Sutra as "the monks in the evil world," the second of the three kinds of enemies of the Lotus Sutra.

Commentary:

Nichiren writes:

"Nowhere in all the five thousand or seven thousand volumes of sutras listed in the Kai-yuan era catalogue do we find a single scriptural passage that expresses disapproval of the Lotus Sutra and advises one to discard it or to cast it aside, nor any passage that says it is to be classified among the incorrect passages or abandoned. [If you disagree] you had better find some reliable passage from the sutras [that will support your view], so that you may rescue Shantao and Honen from their torments in the hell of incessant sufferings"

Yet, Nichikan who was known as the restorer of the Nichiren Shoshu wrote:

"The purpose of the Hoben-pon is to smash the provisional teachings, the Purpose of the Juryo-hon is to smash the Hoben-pon, and the purpose of the Daimoku is to smash the Juryo-hon."

The Hoben-pon represents the Three Bodied Tathagata in his historical aspect, the Juryo-hon represents the Three Bodied Tathagata in his Bliss Body aspect and the Daimoku represents the Three Bodied Tathagata in his Dharma Body aspect. That is why the Daishonin said you can not forsake even the theoretical section of the Lotus Sutra. You can not separate the Three Buddha Bodies except as an artificial construct.

Nichikan and the successive High Priests of Nichiren Shoshu are no different than the Shingon priests who separate and place Mahavairochaina or Dainichi Buddha (representing the Dharma Body) above the other Buddhas of the ten directions, including the Three Bodied Tathagata Shakyamuni. They know nothing of the Three Bodied Tathagata or the true teachings of the Lotus Sutra.

These priests are the present day second of the Three Powerful Enemies of the Lotus Sutra.

Three Kind of Enemies Ch. IX cont...

It is said in the Nirvana Sutra: 'Before listening to the Lotus Sutra, we had all been men of evil views." Grand Master Miao-le explains this in his Fa-hua hsuan-i shih-ch'ien: "The Buddha himself called his pre-Lotus Three Teachings (zokyo or Hinayana, tsugyo or common to Hinayana and Mahayana, and bekkyo or Mahayana) evil." T'ien-t'ai, citing the words of the Nirvana Sutra just mentioned, says in his Mo-ho chih-kuan: "They called themselves evil. isn't 'evil' bad?" Miao-le explains this in his commentary to the Mo-ho chih-kuan:

"Evil" means "wicked." Therefore we must know

that only the engyo (perfect teaching) among the

Four Teachings is correct. But it has two meanings.

First it means that following the "perfect teaching"

(engyo) while rejecting the remaining three is correct,

and rejecting the "perfect teaching" while following

the three is erroneous. This is a relative point of view.

Secondly, it means that attachment to the 'perfect

teaching' is considered erroneous while detachment

from it is correct. This is an absolute point of view in

which there is no difference in the eyes of the Buddha

between the 'perfect teaching' and the remaining three

of the so-called Four Teachings. Either way, we have to

stay away from error. It is bad to attach ourselves to

the 'perfect teaching,' how much worse it is to attach

ourselves to the Three Teachings!

Compared to Hinayana Buddhism all Brahma schools are in error. compared to the Lotus Sutra, the correct way of Hinayana Buddhism or first four of the so-called "five tastes" and the first three of the Four Teachings are all evil and erroneous. the Lotus Sutra alone is true and correct. The 'perfect teaching" preached in such pre-Lotus sutras as the Flower Garland, Hodo, and Hannya Sutras is called perfect but its perfection is only from a relative point of view. it is still inferior to the absolute exquisiteness of the Lotus Sutra.

Also, the "perfect teaching" of the pre-Lotus sutras is erroneous because it still remains in the first three categories of the Four Teachings. Therefore, we are still treading the way of error even if we practice the ultimate teaching of the pre-Lotus sutras such as the Flower Garland and Hannya. How much more should Honen and his disciples and followers be in error! They depended on such petty sutras as the Kanmuryoju-kyo, which are inferior to such pre-Lotus sutras as the Flower Garland and Hannya, taking the "Lotus" in the Kanmuryoju-kyo and urging the people to discard the Lotus sutra. Aren't they the so-called slanderers of the true dharma? Sakyamuni, Taho, and numerous other Buddhas from all over the universe came to this world in order to have the Lotus Sutra remain here forever. Honen and Pure Land believers in Japan claim that the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Age of the Decadent Dharma will perish before the Pure Land School. Aren't they the enemies of Sakyamuni, Taho, and the many other buddhas from all the worlds in the universe?

Commentary:

Here Nichiren forcefully proclaims the Lotus Sutra the Supreme Teaching and he asserts that attachments are bad. He notes, in particular, the founder of the Japanese Pure Land School and enemy of the Lotus Sutra, Honen (1133-1212) whose cry was "to close, ignore and abandon" the Lotus Sutra. Another enemy of the Lotus Sutra was the Nichiren Shoshu High Priest Nichikan (1665–1726) whose cry was to smash the Hoben-pon and Juryo-hon chapters of the Lotus Sutra. Now they, along with their ddissciples reside together in the Avici Hell.