Nichiren on debate 3

"In your letter you also mentioned the claims of the True Word school. First, ask upon which scriptural passage the Great Teacher Kōbō based his denunciation of the Lotus Sutra as a doctrine of childish theory and of Shakyamuni as being still in the region of darkness. If they reply by citing some sutra, ask them which of the Buddhas of the three existences is represented by the Thus Come One Mahāvairochana. Then, ask them if they are aware of the deceit perpetrated by such priests as the Tripitaka masters Shan-wu-wei and Chin-kang-chih. Tell them how Shan-wu-wei deceived the priest I-hsing when he dictated to him his commentary on the Mahāvairochana Sutra. Although not the slightest indication of three thousand realms in a single moment of life is to be found in the Mahāvairochana Sutra, this false interpretation stating that it is was put forth when the sutra was introduced to China. As regards the most perverted of their distortions, ask them if there is documentary proof in the teachings of any of the Buddhas of the three existences that permits them to tread on the head of Vairochana Buddha. If they retort in some way or other, then tell them about the Great Arrogant Brahmān who used statues [of the three deities of Brahmanism and of the Buddha Shakyamuni] as the legs of his preaching platform. On other points, ask them in the same way just which sutra or treatise they can provide as proof of their assertions, and for the rest, debate with them as I have always taught you. No matter which school you may debate, if the teachings of the True Word school are mentioned, clearly refute that school’s distorted views."

"However, I was given no information about this doctrinal debate. Ryōshō-bō is a person of vast learning. If he had remarked, “I am sorry to have to say this, but I am already well aware of the existence of that passage,” and had somehow managed to frustrate you, claiming that our side had been defeated, I wonder what you could have done about it. Anyway, setting aside the fact that he and his fellow priests were ignorant of that passage of commentary, his having said that it does not exist in any p.856of the sixty volumes is due to the reprimand of heaven. His offense of slandering the correct teaching became apparent when he encountered an emissary of the Lotus Sutra. Moreover, this affair of the debate surely occurred for some reason. Please find out in detail what Ōta Jirō Hyōe of Kajima, Daishin-bō, and the chief priest of the main temple12 are saying. Matters such as these are described in detail in the sutra. The votary of the Lotus Sutra is certain to be obstructed by the devil king of the sixth heaven. Among the ten objects of meditation, this corresponds to the object of diabolical functions. It is the way of the devil to delight in obstructing good and in causing the production of evil. Concerning those whom he cannot force to perform evil acts, he is helpless and is capable only of allowing them to create good. Those who carry out the practices of the two vehicles, he hates unreservedly; he urges them to perform a lesser good. Those who carry out the practices of the bodhisattva, he hinders by encouraging in the direction of the practice of the two vehicles. And lastly, if there is someone who practices the pure and perfect teaching exclusively, he will topple that person into the perfect teaching that is combined with the specific teaching. You may refer to the eighth volume of Great Concentration and Insight.

You say that Ryōshō-bō further claimed that a practitioner of concentration and insight should keep the precepts. However, the ninth volume of Words and Phrases restrains practitioners of the first, second, and third [of the five stages of practice] from upholding the precepts. This is also clear from the text of the sutra itself. The discrepancy in Great Concentration and Insight is explained by Miao-lo in the form of questions and answers. See volume nine of On “The Words and Phrases.” There are two kinds of practitioners at the initial stage of rejoicing. Practitioners of keen faculties may keep the precepts, while those of dull faculties are restrained from doing so. Moreover, there are differences among the Former, Middle, and Latter Days of the Law, and differences between the practices of shōju and shakubuku. You should also take into account the Great Teacher Dengyō’s remark about a tiger in the marketplace.

From now on, you need not hold debates in Shimōsa. Having defeated the priests Ryōshō-bō and Shinen-bō, were you to debate with others, it would only dilute the effect."

"...The emperor decreed that an open debate be held on the fifteenth day of the first month in the fourteenth year of Yung-p’ing. Overjoyed, the Taoists erected an altar for a hundred Chinese deities as their objects of devotion. The two sages from India had as their objects of devotion the Buddha’s ashes, a painting of Shakyamuni Buddha, and five sutras.

As was customary in their rituals performed before the emperor, the Taoists brought in the scriptures of their school, as well as the Three Records, the Five Canons, and the writings of the two sages and the Three Kings, piled some of them with firewood, and set them ablaze. In similar rites in the past these books had always withstood the flames, but this time they were reduced to ashes. Others, which were placed in water, had previously floated on the surface, but now sank to the bottom. The Taoists called out for demons to appear, but to no avail. Unbearably humiliated, Ch’u Shan-hsin, Fei Shu-ts’ai, and others died of shame. When the two Indian sages preached Buddhism, the Buddha’s ashes ascended to heaven and there radiated a light so brilliant that it eclipsed the sun. The Buddha in the painting emitted a light from between his eyebrows. More than six hundred Taoists, including Lü Hui-t’ung, finally capitulated and entered the Buddhist priesthood. Within thirty days of this confrontation they built ten temples of Buddhism."

“Everything I said was with the future of our country in mind. If you wish to maintain this land in peace and security, it is imperative that you summon the priests of the other schools for a debate in your presence. If you ignore this advice and punish me unreasonably on their behalf, the entire country will have cause to regret your decision. If you condemn me, you will be rejecting the Buddha’s envoy. Then you will have to face the punishment of Brahmā and Shakra, of the gods of the sun and moon, and of the four heavenly kings. Within one hundred days after my exile or execution, or within one, three, or seven years, there will occur what is called the calamity of internal strife, rebellion within the ruling clan. This will be followed by the calamity of foreign invasion, attack from all sides, particularly from the west. Then you will regret what you have done!” Hearing this, the magistrate Hei no Saemon, forgetting all the dignity of his rank, became wild with rage like the grand minister of state and lay priest [Taira no Kiyomori]."

"Thus all the Buddhist sutras are to the non-Buddhist scriptures as gold is to stones. And all the various Mahayana sutras, such as the Flower Garland, Mahāvairochana, Meditation, Amida, and Wisdom sutras, are to the Lotus Sutra as fireflies are to the sun or moon, or anthills to Mount Hua.2 Moreover, there is superiority and inferiority not only among the sutras, but also among their adherents. The various teachers of the True Word school, who believe in the Mahāvairochana Sutra, are like fire being put out by water, or dew being blown away by the wind when confronted in debate by the votary of the Lotus Sutra. If a dog barks at a lion, its bowels will rot. The asura demon who shot an arrow at the sun had his head split into seven pieces. The True Word teachers are like the dog or the asura, while the votary of the Lotus Sutra is like the sun or the lion."

"During the Middle Day of the Law, one man alone, T’ien-t’ai, understood and expounded the Lotus Sutra and the other sutras. The other Buddhist leaders of both northern and southern China hated him for it, but the two sage rulers of the Ch’en and Sui dynasties gave him an audience so he could establish the correctness of his views in debate with his opponents. Thus in time he ceased to have any more opponents. At the end of the Middle Day of the Law, one man alone, Dengyō, grasped the Lotus Sutra and the other sutras just as the Buddha had expounded them. The seven major temples of Nara rose up like hornets against him, but the two worthy sovereigns, Emperor Kammu and Emperor Saga, themselves investigating the views of both sides, made clear which was correct, and thereafter there was no further trouble.

It is now over two hundred years since the Latter Day of the Law began. The Buddha predicted that conditions would be much worse after his passing, and we see the portents of this in the quarrels and wranglings that go on today because unreasonable doctrines are prevalent. And as proof of the fact that we are living in a muddied age, I was not summoned for a doctrinal debate with my opponents, but instead I was sent into exile and my very life imperiled."

"On the nineteenth day of the first month in the twenty-first year of the Enryaku era (802), Emperor Kammu paid a visit to the temple at Mount Takao. He summoned more than ten eminent priests from the six schools and seven major temples of Nara, including Zengi, Shōyū, Hōki, Chōnin, Kengyoku, Ampuku, Gonzō, Shuen, Jikō, Gen’yō, Saikō, Dōshō, Kōshō, and p.559Kambin, to come to the temple to debate with the Dharma Teacher Saichō. But they became tongue-tied after their first words and could not speak a second or third time. Instead, all bowed their heads as one and pressed their palms together in a gesture of awe. The Three Treatises teachings concerning the two storehouses of teachings, the teachings of the three periods and the thrice turned wheel of the Law; the Dharma Characteristics doctrines concerning the teachings of the three periods and the five natures; and the Flower Garland doctrines of the four teachings, the five teachings,92 the root teaching and the branch teachings, the six forms, and the ten mysteries—all their frameworks were utterly refuted. It was as though the beams and rafters of a great edifice had broken and collapsed. The proud banners of the ten and more eminent priests had also been toppled.

At that time the emperor was greatly amazed at the proceedings, and on the twenty-ninth day of the same month he dispatched [Wake no] Hiroyo and [Ōtomo no] Kunimichi as imperial envoys to question the men of the seven temples and six schools at greater length. All of them in turn submitted a memorial acknowledging that they had been defeated in the debate and won over by Dengyō’s arguments. “When we privately examine Profound Meaning and other commentaries by T’ien-t’ai, we find that they sum up all the teachings expounded by Shakyamuni Buddha in his lifetime. The full purport of the Buddha’s doctrines is made clear, without a single point being left unexplained. The Tendai school surpasses all other schools, and is unique in pointing out the single way for all to follow. The doctrines that it expounds represent the most profound mystic truth and are something that we, students of the seven major temples and six schools, have never before heard of, and never before seen. Now at last the dispute that has continued so long between the Three Treatises and Dharma Characteristics schools has been resolved as dramatically as though ice had melted. The truth has been made abundantly clear, as though clouds and mist had parted to reveal the light of the sun, moon, and stars. In the two hundred or more years since Prince Shōtoku spread the Buddhist teachings in this country, a great many sutras and treatises have been lectured upon, and their principles have been widely argued, but until now, many doubts still remained to be settled. Moreover, the lofty and perfect doctrine of the Lotus Sutra had not yet been properly explained and made known. Was it that the people who lived during this period were not yet qualified to taste its perfect flavor?

“In our humble view, the ruler93 of our sacred dynasty has received the charge given long ago by the Thus Come One Shakyamuni and has undergone profound instruction in the pure and perfect teaching of the Lotus Sutra, so that the doctrines of the unique and wonderful truth that it expounds have for the first time been explained and made clear. Thus we, the scholars of the six schools, have for the first time understood the ultimate truth. From now on, all the beings in this world who are endowed with life will be able to embark on the ship of the wonderful and perfect truth and quickly reach the opposite shore. Zengi and the others of our group have met with great good fortune because of karmic bonds and have been privileged to hear these extraordinary words. Were it not for some profound karmic tie, how could we have been born in this sacred age?”

In China in past times, Chia-hsiang assembled some hundred other priests and, together with them, acknowledged the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai to be a true sage. And later in Japan, the p.560more than two hundred priests of the seven temples of Nara proclaimed the Great Teacher Dengyō to be worthy of the title of sage. Thus, during the two thousand and more years after the passing of the Buddha, these two sages appeared in the two countries of China and Japan respectively. In addition, the Great Teacher Dengyō established on Mount Hiei an ordination platform for conferring the great precepts of perfect and immediate enlightenment, precepts that even the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai had never propagated."

Letter of Instruction on Debating the Doctrine 1&2, for example:

"In your letter you say that on the sixteenth day just passed, when you met with a certain priest, you held a debate with him on the doctrine of “the true aspect of all phenomena.”

The Lotus Sutra represents the true reason why the Buddha made his appearance in the world. It embodies the basic teaching by which all living beings are able to attain the Buddha way. And that teaching is found nowhere but in these four characters that express the idea of the true aspect of all phenomena. Therefore when the Great Teacher Dengyō traveled ten thousand miles over the sea to China, what he brought back for us was this one phrase, a single phrase with ten thousand meanings.

But these days when the members of the Tendai school conduct their interpretations of doctrine, in which they “open up and merge” [the provisional teachings with the true teaching], they understand this passage of the sutra wrongly,1 and this leads them into opinions that are erroneous.

The proper understanding of the “opening up and merging” effected by this phrase, “the true aspect of all phenomena,” is simply to uphold the Lotus Sutra, chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, and have faith in the words “honestly discarding expedient means, I will preach only the unsurpassed way.”2 This is because Shakyamuni Buddha, the Thus Come One Many Treasures, and the Buddhas of the ten directions and the three existences have all testified to the truth of these words.

You should be prepared to approach the matter in this way, and thus from time to time taste the flavor of these four characters that represent “the true aspect of all phenomena.”

Does one deliberately mix poison in with good medicine? Does one go to the tides of the sea and try to dip up from them the river waters? The moon comes out at night, but during the day the sun shines—would anyone dispute the truth of this? In the future, you should follow these instructions when engaging in debate. Only do not go into great detail regarding difficult points. If your opponent still wishes to continue the debate, then just smile and say, “May I ask you to take up this doctrine with my teacher, the priest Nichiren?” Repeat this request as many times as you wish.

I was so busy writing you about doctrinal matters that I could not thank you for your offerings. Thank you, thank you! I will write you in more detail at a future time."

"Thus in the reign of a worthy ruler, if there is a sincere desire to strengthen the Buddhist teachings, then the ruler will give heed to both sides of a debate and will take as his teachers those wise men who put forth the most compelling arguments. In this way the nation will be assured of peace and security. So we see that the rulers of the Ch’en and Sui dynasties in China summoned the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai Chih-che and set him to debating with the leaders of the various schools of northern and southern Buddhism, and Emperors Kammu and Saga in Japan arranged for the Reverend Saichō to debate with fourteen Buddhist leaders of Nara, the southern capital. Depending upon who was the winner in such debates, the rulers then established temples and set about propagating the correct teaching."

"All the other schools of Buddhism are to some extent guilty of slandering the Law. When you debate with them, you should concentrate upon this particular point."

"I cannot explain this matter in detail here. I have sent letters to the above effect to various other parties. All of you should gather in one place and discuss holding a public debate in order to overcome and subdue the enemy."

"REGARDING each of the questions you have raised, I believe that they would be difficult to settle in a private debate. For that reason, hadn’t you better present them to the government authorities and then, abiding by the instructions they give, pursue this matter to determine what is right and what is wrong?

I earnestly desire that we receive their instructions this way.

With my deep respect,

Nichiren

"In effect, the different types of prayers that are being offered up should be suspended, and the representatives of the various schools should be summoned into your presence so that they may debate with me to decide what is correct and what is incorrect in matters of Buddhist doctrine."

"The text of Mind Aspiring for Enlightenment says nothing whatsoever about the relative superiority of the Lotus Sutra and the Flower Garland Sutra. Moreover, although this work is attributed to Bodhisattva Nāgārjuna, there has from times past been much controversy regarding its authenticity. Until this controversy is settled, it would be contrary to the rules of debate to attempt to use it as a basis for argument."

"Answer: One must not question the Tripitaka masters and great teachers!

Objection: An answer such as that not only violates the rules of debate, but also goes against the dying instructions of the Buddha. One must have clear passages of proof from the sutras to back up one’s assertions. If one has no such sutra passages, then one’s doctrines will not be accepted. What do you say?"

"When the exponents of the True Word school engage in rival controversy with the non-Buddhists or with the votaries of the Hinayana or the provisional Mahayana sutras, it is difficult to predict which side will be victorious. But when they engage in controversy with the votary of the Lotus Sutra, it is like a tiger fighting with a dragon, or a rabbit with a lion—they cannot possibly win the debate."

"If the Buddhist doctrines that I preach are beyond the comprehension of such persons, they should summon the priests whom they rely upon from all over Japan and have them meet and debate with me. And if that fails to clarify the matter, then they should seek out the truth of the matter in China and India. And if even that proves unsatisfactory, they should assume that there are reasons for such a situation and let the matter rest for the time being. But it is surely wrong for such persons, because they fail to understand my teachings, to commit actions that will bring about their own downfall and that violate the sacred vow of Formulary of Adjudications.

It may seem like boasting to say so, but if I go by what is written in the sutra, then with regard to the people of Japan, from the Son of Heaven above on down to the myriad commoners, I, Nichiren, bear three special relationships. First, I am their father and mother; second, I am their teacher; and third, I am the envoy of their sovereign.

The Lotus Sutra says, “He is the envoy of the Thus Come One.” It also says, “He will be the eyes of the world.” And it says, “As the light of the sun and moon . . .” And the Great Teacher Chang-an says, “One who rids the offender of evil is acting as his parent.”

"I think there is no better solution than for all of us to meet in public debate."

"Nevertheless, the latter-day scholars of Tō-ji temple, completely awed by the high repute in which the Great Teacher Kōbō is held, go on trying to find some way to resolve the controversy. For lack of any other strategy, they defy the disciplines of debate by asserting that Saichō, the Great Teacher Dengyō, was a disciple of the Great Teacher Kōbō, or that, with regard to the relative superiority of the doctrines of the two schools of True Word and Tendai, there are such-and-such arguments to be put forward." (just plain lying)

"If there are any details relating to this matter that remain unclear, we request that the authorities will summon various eminent Buddhist priests so that we may debate with them and settle the rights and wrongs of the affair. This was the practice followed earlier in India, China, and Japan in determining what is superior and what inferior in matters relating to the Buddhist teachings. Now, when we live in an age of enlightened government, should this time-honored practice of these three nations be discarded?"

"...The Nembutsu followers and priests of the Zen and Precepts schools, lacking the wisdom to refute my arguments, then began going among the members of the other schools and spreading all sorts of slanderous tales about me.

The lay believers, questioning the truth of such tales, turned for advice to the priests they customarily relied upon, True Word priests, Nembutsu p.1052priests, priests of the time-honored Tendai school or of the Zen or Precepts schools, coming with them to the place where I was living or summoning me to their residence. [But when I confronted them in debate] they were hardly able to say a word or two. I refuted them as Kātyāyana did the non-Buddhist believers, as Bodhisattva Gunamati bested Mādhava;31 they had no strength to stand up before my arguments.

Perhaps because so few of them were men of wisdom, in the end　the Nembutsu priests and the others, unable to match me in debate, enlisted the aid of certain samurai who were all boast and no understanding, or wealthy lay believers who were intrigued by the affair but unaware of the ins and outs of it, and roused them to action against me. In some cases they privately used violence against my supporters, drove them from their homes, seized their lands, or brought charges against them, all this in instances too numerous to count.

Although petitions were submitted to the ruler asking him to take steps against me, perhaps because of the merit he had acquired by observing the precepts or the good fortune and virtues he had accumulated [in his past lifetimes], he perceived hidden intentions behind these requests and declined to give serious heed to them. Such being the case, certain influential persons banded together and, gathering a crowd of townsmen about them until they numbered several tens of thousands, came in the night to attack and put an end to me.32 But, perhaps because the ten demon daughters had planned it that way, I was able to escape from danger.

The officials of the two provinces of Sagami and Izu, having failed in their attempt to kill me, then brought charges and had me exiled to the province of Izu. But the lay priest of Saimyō-ji alone, believing that there were extenuating reasons in my case, hastily set about arranging to have my period of exile brought to an end.

Not long after that, the lay priest of Saimyō-ji passed away. I could see that things would become difficult for me, and I thought that I would do well to make haste and withdraw from worldly affairs. I did not do so, however, but continued in a vigorous manner to champion the Lotus Sutra, determined that, if the worst should come, I would sacrifice my life for that cause."

"Later, in the twenty-first year of the Enryaku era [802], on the nineteenth day of the first month, Emperor Kammu paid a visit to the temple called Takao-dera, where he summoned eminent priests from the six schools of Nara and the Great Teacher Dengyō and listened to them as they debated the merits and shortcomings of the various schools. But the fourteen participants from Nara were all incapable of saying a word in their own defense, their mouths as useless as though they had been noses."

"I HAVE been preaching this doctrine now for twenty-nine years. My body is worn out and my spirit suffers from the daily debates, monthly persecutions, and two exiles. That is why for the last seven or eight years illnesses of aging have assailed me yearly, though none has led to a crisis. This year, however, from the first month on my body has weakened considerably, and I have the feeling that my life is drawing to a close. Besides, I am already sixty years old. Even if there were a slight chance I might survive this year, how could I possibly live another year or two?"

“The names and words used in the sutras preached before the Lotus in setting forth their doctrines, and the reasoning that underlies their exposition, are all based on biased views and biased emotions, the kind of provisional teachings that the Lotus Sutra is referring to when it says,"They stray into the dense forest of mistaken views, debating as to what exists and what does not...” (Lotus Sutra Chapter2)

"In Japan, during the reigns of Emperor Shōmu and Empress Kōken, Hinayana ordination platforms were built in three places. Later, during the reign of Emperor Kammu, the Great Teacher Dengyō condemned and refuted them. He said that he did so because the Hinayana precepts were unsuited for the capacities of the people of the latter age. Records show not only that Gomyō and Keishin, the leading teachers, lost in that debate, but also that the eminent priests of the six schools presented a letter of apology, became followers of the Great Teacher Dengyō, and received instruction from him in the precepts of perfect and immediate enlightenment."

"But when debating these matters with followers of other schools, one should confine the discussion to matters dealing with general principles. Thus, for example, one should point out that if T’ien-t’ai’s Great Concentration and Insight were not based on the Lotus Sutra, then it should be summarily discarded. Why? Because the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai himself stated emphatically, “That which accords with the sutras is to be written down and made available. But put no faith in anything that in word or meaning fails to do so.” The Great Teacher Dengyō said, “Depend upon the preachings of the Buddha, and do not put faith in traditions handed down orally.” The Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom of Nāgārjuna says that one should rely on treatises that are faithful to the sutras, but not rely on those that distort the sutras. And Shakyamuni, the lord of teachings, said, “Rely on the Law and not upon persons.”