P04-part(1)：Nichiren's mentor on true Buddhism

■Nichiren's mentor on true Buddhism

Furthermore, we will begin to consider Buddhism, especially the Lotus Sutra's view of three generations of eternal life.
From Nichiren's own awareness of the rebirth of the Ascending Bodhisattva, Nichiren's mentor would be the Buddha of Eternal Reality,Shakyamuni Buddha who attained Buddhahood in the remote past.

However, if his mentor was Shakyamuni Buddha who attained Buddhahood in the remote past, it is important to understand from the very content he received from his mentor how he received it as a disciple and sublimated it.
In fact, this fact itself is connected to the root of his teachings.

Nichiren was beheaded and exiled to Sado due to the legal tribulations that began with his submission of the Rissho Ankoku theory(On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land).In the midst of his hardships, he was the one who propagated the Lotus Sutra, which he had inherited (shared with others) from his mentor,Shakyamuni Buddha who attained Buddhahood in the remote past. He realized that he was the Ascebding Bodhisattva of the Earth with the mission of "the Bodhisattva of the Earth," and since he himself was the first to chant it, he was the Bodhisattva of the Ascended Head.
And the law that he should propagate, that is, the only law that will lead to Buddhahood, is to follow the Mystic Law, Myoho-Renge-Kyo(妙法蓮華経), in other words, the only way to attain Buddhahood is to entrust one's life to the Myoho-Renge-Kyo(妙法蓮華経) with the sole aim of attaining Buddhahood .
He believed that spreading this law would lead to the happiness of all sentient beings (attaining Buddhahood), and that they should not succumb to the three obstacles and four demons that will inevitably occur, and the persecution of the three types of powerful enemies. He realized that spreading the law around the world (kosen-rufu広宣流布) was the mission for which he was born.

The metaphysical interpretation of Buddhism as a whole, including interpretations of the Lotus Sutra and other Mahayana sutras, had been established by masters such as Myoraku and Tendai Chigi, and had already been transmitted to Japan.
The theory of the Lotus Sutra is that the various phenomena are equal to the reality(true aspect of all phenomena), and the three thousand realms are containd in a single moment of life in the past,present,and future, and Tendai realizes the "becoming of Buddha" preached in this law through the "conceptual method(Kan-nen-kampo 観念観法)."
The concept that the three thousand realms are containd in a single moment of life is currently an analytical concept that can be extended not only to sentient life, but also to elementary particles and many unobservable universes.

However, Tendai's method of Kanjin, "viewing the Ten Directions by observing one's own mind," i.e. observation of the mind　to perceive or awaken to the ultimate reality inherent in one's life, was extremely difficult and not popular with the common people.

Nichiren simplified this practice and extended it to the common people, establishing it as the chanting theme of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. (Kanshinhonzonsho)
This is called Juji soku kanjin(受持即観心), and it is the logic that believing in the Lotus Sutra and practice it with sole aim of attaining Buddhahood is itself kanshin (the very attainment of Buddhahood),i.e.embracing the Gohonzon is in itself observing one's own mind.
At the same time, based on Tendai's theory that three thousand realms contained in a single moment of life, he expanded the scope of Buddhahood to include not only sentient beings, but also elementary particles and the many unobservable universes, and even wooden statues and image mandalas themselves could attain Buddhahood as the object of the subject. (Somoku Jobutsu kuketu 草木成仏口決, The Oral Tradition regarding the Enlightenment of Plants)

Furthermore, shakubuku is the act of bending down and forcing someone to obey you.
The first reason why Nichiren adopted shakubuku as his main method of propagation, unlike other religions, was because he was faithful to the Lotus Sutra. The second reason is that Nichiren's era was the beginning of the feudal era. That era was exactly the era of the end of the Dharma predicted in the Lotus Sutra, "the struggle is very much strong and the pure dharma disappears" (struggles and wars were intense, and the Buddha's dharma would disappear). In particular, this period was a time when class conflicts among the samurai and monks of the time were remarkable.
The third reason for this was that the general public had a poor level of education, and in fact had little to no knowledge of reading, writing, or the abacus. That is why in this era, there was an emphasis on Mugi-wasshin (never doubting, just believing) and believing and accepting unconditionally.

In his later years, on September 11, 1281, at the age of 59, Nichiren wrote a letter from Minobu to Nanjo Tokimitsu:
"This place is in the mountains, far from humanity, and has left the north, south, east, and west, and has no home, and is a lonely cave, but the important secrets of the sect, Shakyamuni, have been passed down as a spiritual mountain, and Nichiren is in the heart of the flesh. (Reply to Nanjo-dono, Gosho P1578)
《"This is in the mountains, far from humanity. There is no village, far from the east, west, north or south. Although it is a very timid cave like this, the only one ultimate secret law of the head priest Shakyamuni has been passed down from Eagle Peak and is kept hidden in the hearts of Nichiren's body. 》(my modern translation)

In addition, in the spring of the following year, when Nichiren turned 60 years old, on April 8, 1282, five months before he left Minobu for medical treatment, Nichiren revealed a secret secret to his disciple Kingo Ota. The clear conclusion can be found in the letter he gave as permission, Sandai-hiho-sho 三大秘法抄 (some say this book was Nikko's handwriting because he was weakened by illness).

"These three great secret laws were certainly received directly from the mouth of the head mentor Shakyamuni by me Nichiren as the upper head of the Bodhisattva of the Earth (Ascending Bodhisattva) over 2,000 years ago.
The Dharma that I am currently disseminating is the three great mysteries of life-giving laws, the Law of the “Life Span” chapter, which have no differences and do not change in substance, as I received from him on Eagle Peak at that time."(my modern translation, Sandai-hiho-sho三大秘法抄,Gosho P1023)
The equivalent English translation in "The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin" is as follows.
"These Three Great Secret Laws were unquestionably received by me, Nichiren, some two thousand and more years ago, when I was the leader of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth; they were passed on to me by oral transmission from the lord of teachings, the World-Honored One of Great Enlightenment. And these actions that I now take embody what I received in transmission on Eagle Peak, without the slightest deviation or alteration in form, the three great matters of the Law of the “Life Span” chapter. "(On the Receiving of the Three Great Secret Laws, The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, p987)

Until this letter, Nichiren had not clearly disclosed the concept of verbal message.
For example, in the letters written during his exile in Sado, up to the Kaimoku-sho開目抄, he refered to himself as a "practitioner of the Lotus Sutra", and later in the Kanjin-no-Honzon-Sho観心本尊抄, he called himself a "someone like me", and in the Shōhō-jissō-sho諸法実相抄, he described himself as "Nichiren was born at the end of the Dharma and almost spread the Mysterious Law(妙法蓮華経） that should be spread by the Ascending Bodhisattva...Nichiren, the forerunner of the bodhisattva of the earth."
Regarding this, Haruo Suda asserts that "Nichiren...was all about expressing humility"(Haruo Suda, "Nikkomon School and Soka Gakkai", September 5, 2018, Torikagesha, p.27). However, this may be due to his religious beliefs.
If we follow the documentary evidence faithfully, we believe that his awareness of this was gradually cultivated and strengthened over a long period of his life through his subsequent experiences such as being pardoned from exile, entering Mt. Minobu, and suffering the hardships of Atsuhara. It is considerable.

Finally, towards the end of his life, Nichiren stated that his mentor was the Digakuseson 大覚世尊 (=Shakyamuni Buddha), and then the Dharma that he was spreading (=the Law of three great secrets of life-giving lows, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo) clearly confessed that he had heard it directly from his master's mouth and understood it.
Although it is limited to letters written after the exile to Sado, there are contents such as the Kanjin-no-honzon-sho and the Senji-sho that can be forcibly forced to infer their meaning.
However, no matter what future generations say, this will become the definitive document.

　Tatsuji Ogushi's "Critique of the Soka Gakkai" (April 25, 1965, Inochi no Kotobasha, P11) makes the following points.
"Nichiren discovered the following clear text in The Lotus Sutra's 21st spiritual article and the 22nd genus. "Among his many disciples, Shakyamuni specifically ordered the Ascending Bodhisattva to spread the teachings of the Lotus Sutra to the Mahayana Buddhist countries northeast of India 2,000 years after his death....omitted...
His pride, combined with the inference that Nichiren alone was the only practitioner among the many monks in Japan at that time to have orthodoxly accepted the true Buddhist theory of the Lotus Sutra, elevated Nichiren himself to the status of the rebirth of the Vishishtacāritra bodhisattva." (Note 5: Nichiren publicly announced Vishishtacāritra bodhisattva(common name in Japan: Ascending Bodhisattva) from the time of the invasion of Mongolia in 1982, and not from the time of the establishment of Buddhism, as the Soka Gakkai says.)

　Nichiren's mentor was Shakyamuni Buddha who attained Buddhahood in the remote past,Shakyamuni Kuon Jitsujo(久遠実成の釈尊), and the content of his teachings was the Law of three great secrets of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.(三大秘法の南無妙法蓮華経)
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo was originally the Buddhist teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha.
It is said that Nichiren himself, as a disciple and the upper head of a bodhisattva on the earth (ascending bodhisattva:上行菩薩）, had listened to Shakyamuni's Buddhism from beginning to end, and then appeared in the final stages of the Dharma and spread it, without adding anything to it.

“Nichiren is the lord, the master, and the parent of the people of Japan” (Kaimokusho 開目抄, Gosho P237)
"I, Nichiren, am sovereign, teacher, and father and mother to all the people of Japan. "(The Opening of the Eyes,The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, P287)
“Nichiren is the parent, lord, and master of Japan” (Ichinosawa Nyudo Gosho 一谷入道御書, Gosho P1330)
"I, Nichiren, am father and mother to all the people of Japan, I am their sovereign, I am their enlightened teacher! "(Letter to the Lay Priest Ichinosawa, The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, p531)

Thus, as a disciple of the head mentor, Shakyamuni, he possessed the three virtues of lord, mentor, and parent(主師親の三徳), and attained self-awareness as a Buddha.
But throughout his life, he never referred to himself as the original Buddha "Honbutu"(本仏)!
Furthermore, because his own teachings denied the animist doctrine of non-beneficial Buddhism(脱益仏法), he was in a position where he could never claim to be the original Buddha "Honbutu(本仏)".
Furthermore, even if one is a Buddha, a disciple will always be disciple and master will always be master forever.
What I have just shown is of fundamental importance.

　And Nichiren did not say that the law he himself propagates, Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, was also his own assertion. (Nichiren stated "Not at all of my own making").
The proof of this is found in Kanjin-no-Honzon-sho (Commentary on Kanshin-no-Honzon), which revealed it, and it said that the Dharma was only his mentor's and inherited.
The following famous sentence which revealed Jujisokukanjin(受持即観心) is:
"The two teachings of Shakuson's Training as a cause and Merit gained in his attainment of Buddhahood are added to the five characters of Myohorenge-kyo.If we accept and practice the laws of Myoho-Renge-kyo with the aim of attaining Buddhahood, we will naturally realize the result of Shakyamuni's training = merit."(Direct translation of the original text(観心本尊抄、御書P246))
"The content of Shakyamuni Buddha's practice, which was the cause of his attainment of Buddhahood, and the system that resulted in his attainment of Buddhahood and the virtues associated with it, are all contained in the laws of the Myoho-Renge-kyo. If we accept and practice these laws of the Myōhō-Renge-kyō with the sole aim of attaining Buddhahood, then naturally the results of Shakyamuni Buddha's practice = merit and virtue will be realised."(my modern translation)
"Shakyamuni’s practices and the virtues he consequently attained are all contained within the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo. If we believe in these five characters, we will naturally be granted the same benefits as he was."(The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind Established in the Fifth Five-Hundred-Year Period after the Thus Come One’s Passing:The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, p365)
Therefore, Myoho-renge-kyo includes the 'dharma(laws)' of Shakamuni's Training as a cause and Virtues gained in his attainment of Buddhahood.

　He revealed that the idea of metaphysics, which only practitioners like Tendai could do, was actually possible for ordinary people in metaphysics.
He explained that accepting and practice the Myoho-Renge-kyo with the sole aim of attaining Buddhahood(=受持) is, Kanjin(観心:To meditate one's mind perfectly and gain a masterful view of the world of all things) and Sokushin Jobutsu(即身成仏:Immediate attainment of Buddhahood in one's present form as a ordinary people).
This will be described later, but the Buddha of demystification, 'Shakyamuni of Kuon Jitsujo(久遠実成の釈尊),Shakyamuni Buddha who attained Buddhahood in the remote past' was also considered to be a fictitious product, and he explained that the 'dharma(law)' as the principal image was specifically in the flesh body and heart of each life.

The propagation of this law is called the lower seed,Geshu(下種). This is one of the practices of the Myōhō-Renge-kyo, the practice of accumulating the most virtuous roots and attaining Buddhahood.

Thus, Nichiren revived Buddhism, which had once fallen into animism setting up various imaginary Buddhas since the liberation of the Buddha, back to the belief in the Law.

To repeat for the sake of confirmation, the essential condition is to "aim solely at attaining Buddhahood" without seeking worldly gain or reward.

　This is fundamentally important.
Although it is a fictitious setting, Nichiren's mentor was Shakyamuni Buddha who attained Buddhahood in the remote past, and the Buddhism he preached was the Myōhō-Renge-kyo (Lotus Sutra) which he inherited from Shakyamuni as his disciple.
Although he was a a ordinary human, just being a a ordinary human, he had three virtues of the Lord, Mentor, and Parent as a disciple of Shakyamuni.
Shakyamuni, who was also a ordinary human,just being a ordinary human,trained in Nam-Myōhō-Renge-kyo long ago and established that he had the three virtues of lord,mentor,and pearent.

This setting is very important because it extended the law of cause and effect to the three generation eternity(past life, present life, next life), eliminated the dogma and animism of the first original Buddha(Honbutsu), and again defined the law of attaining Buddhahood ,which had been lost for more than 2000 years, as the law Nam-Myōhō-Renge-kyo.
Later generations of Nichiren should have regarded this as the origin, but unfortunately historical facts did not.