After 25 years while doing spring cleaning, the Hoon Jo fell to the floor along with the Senji Sho (The Selection of the time), the Mahayana Nirvana Sutra, and a complete Essential Services of the Kempon Hokke. If you remember the entire Opening of the Eyes by Kyotsu Hori that I posted, I will now post the entire Hoon Jo with brief commentary. Taikyo Yajima's translation is from the Showa Tehon collection of original Chinese and medieval Japanese Goshos while SGI's translation is from Nichiren Shoshu's modern sectarian Gosho Zenshu collection. Several of the most important passages, particularly those regarding the Three Great Secret Laws, differ greatly from SGI's modern sectarian translation and I will highlight these. I expect that this endeavor will take two weeks.
The Hoon Jo is one of Nichiren's Five Major Works It was written in July of the second year of the Kenji Era when Nichiren was 54 years old on Mount Minobu. He joined the priesthood age 12 and his Master, Dozenbo ordained Nichiren at the age of fifteen at Seichoji Temple. Nichiren went from temple to temple to study and practice the various Sutras, teachings and commentaries under the guidance of Dozenbo. Nichiren realized that the true teaching of Buddhism lay in the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Fine Dharma (The Lotus Sutra). He also realized that the so-called Bodhisattvas of the Earth of Chapter 15 of the Lotus Sutra, were entrusted and ordered by the Buddha to propagate the Lotus Sutra in this Latter Age of the decadent Dharma. Nichiren determined to be one of these Bodhisattvas. He understood that he had such a mstic and noble awakening thanks to the divine help of Kokuzo Bodhisattva whom he prayed to, to become the wisest man in Japan together with the guidance of Master Dozenbo. It was to express his gratitude to his Master that he wrote On Recompensing Indebtedness. At noon on the 28th of April, 1253, Nichiren declared for the first time during his lecture at Seichoji Temple that the Lotus Sutra was Supreme of all the teachings of the buddha and the practice of the Lotus Sutra in this Latter Day is chanting Namu Myoho renge kyo or Devotion to the Lotus Sutra.
During Nichiren's early practice under Dozenbo, he noted that those who practiced the Pure Land teachings, chanting Namu Amida Butsu (Devotion to Amida Buddha), often suffered agonizing deaths and in 1257 there was a great earthquake that caused the suffering of hundreds of thousands of people. Nichiren endeavored to find out the cause of both personal and societal disasters. As a result of Nichiren's contemplation of the cause of the disasters, he wrote the Rissho Ankoku Ron (Establishing the Correct Law for the Peace of the Land) in 1261. He determined that the cause of calamities was the Nembutsu and failing to reverence Shakamuni Buddha. In this treatise, Nichiren also predicted both internicine strife (civil war) as well as foreign invasion thanks to the establishment of the incorrect Law of the Nembutsu. He made 11 copies of the Rissho Ankoku Ron and gave several to the Shogunal government. The Shogun and the priests of other sects were not pleased and they exiled Nichiren to Izu.
He suffered several even more severe exiles, was nearly beheaded at Tatsunokuchi in 1271 and exiled to Sado Island where he wrote The Kaimoku Sho (The Opening of the Eyes) in which he elucidated the True Object of Worship in terms of the Buddha and The Honzon Sho (The True Object of Devotion) in which he elucidated the True Object of Worship in terms of the Law. Nichiren was pardoned in 1274 and he retired to Mount Minobu where he wrote The Selection of the Time in 1275 and On Recompensing Indebtedness (Hoon Jo) in 1276. How the Daishonin managed to write these treatises under the harshest circumstances imaginable, often having to remember the hundreds of sutras by heart without access to a sutra library, emaciated, and freezing, is a feat unrealized in human history.
The Hoon Jo was sent with a short letter, in which Nichiren's motivation and reason for writing this essay was stated. Shortl before the writing of this treaty, Master Dozenbo had died. He entrusted this letter to the priest Niko and had him read it before the grave of Dozenbo with two of other of Dozenbo's disciples, Joken and Gijo listening. Nichiren was always thinking of others. Joken and Gijo had not yet converted to the Lotus Sutra. After hearing Niko recite this letter over and over, Nichiren had hoped it would clear up their misunderstandings.
The Hoon Sho teaches the way human beings should follow, the correct ethic in which society should be based. Attaining Buddhahood through faith and practice of the The Three Great Secret Laws is the means to create a just and peaceful society (by suppressing the Three Poisons of Anger, Avarice and Stupidity). In other words, worldly and spiritual ideals are ultimately one and the same. According to Nichiren, the attainment of Buddhahood is the complete repayment of gratitude to ones family, friends, and society in general.
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