Matsuno Dono Gohenji (Reply to Lord Matsuno, Regarding the Fourteen Slanders)
Kenchiji 2 (1276), December 9th, Nichiren Daishonin: 55 years old
Addressee: Matsuno Rokurōzaemon
You sent me a packet of money, a sack of white rice, and one white garment. I received these with sincere gratitude.
To speak of this mountain: to the south, fields and mountains spread limitlessly for over a hundred ri. To the north, Mount Minobu soars, continuing on to Shirane Peak. To the west lies the mountain called Shichimen, which rises steeply with never-ending snow throughout the year, and there is not a single house where people dwell. Even if someone happens to visit, they return immediately, not staying for even a moment, much like a monkey swinging on branches—which is truly regrettable. To the east, the Fuji River overflows, flowing like waves of shifting sand, making it difficult to cross. Although this place is so deep in the mountains that few people ever visit, the fact that you send me letters so many times is truly the greatest wonder of wonders.
I hear that the scholar-priest Nigen of Jissō-ji temple has embraced Nichiren’s teachings, abandoned his own territory, been forced to separate from his disciples and lay supporters, and has come to a state where he has nowhere to stay. Despite such circumstances, the fact that he visits me and deeply cares for the priests of Minobu shows that he is truly a person of genuine faith, and he must be called a sage. Originally, he was an unmatched, brilliant scholar-priest. Nevertheless, he cast aside worldly fame and profit to become my disciple, practices selflessly without regard for his own life, preaches the teachings to others in order to repay the Buddha’s immense kindness, and moreover offers such offerings—this is truly wondrous.
The Buddha taught that “in the Latter Day of the Law, priests and nuns will appear in number as countless as the sands of the Ganges, just like dogs.” The meaning is that the priests and nuns of the Latter Day of the Law cling to fame and profit, and though they wear the surplice on the outside and look like priests, they harbor the “sword” of evil thoughts in their hearts, speaking all manner of slander and abuse to prevent other priests and nuns from approaching their own lay supporters, resembling a snapping dog that bites and chases others away. All such priests and nuns are beings destined to fall into the evil paths. This is like a dog that, having arrived first at someone’s house and acquired food, growls and barks at dogs that come later, fighting and struggling over the food. All such priests and nuns are beings destined to fall into the evil paths. In contrast, this scholar-priest Nigen—perhaps because he is a student of the Buddhist scriptures and has witnessed this teaching—takes the trouble to visit the priests and treats them with deep consideration, for which I am truly grateful. Your letter states: “Since embracing this Lotus Sutra, I have never regressed, and I continually read the Ten Factors and the Jigage and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. However, what difference is there between the merit of the Daimoku (title) chanted by a sage and the merit of the Daimoku chanted by us?” In answer to this question, there is absolutely no superiority or inferiority in that regard.
However, if one chants while betraying the spirit of this sutra (the Lotus Sutra), then a difference in benefit will arise. The reason is that just as there is no difference in the intrinsic value between gold possessed by a foolish person and gold possessed by a wise person, and just as there is no difference in the power to burn between a fire lit by a foolish person and a fire lit by a wise person. There is fundamentally no distinction in the benefit of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. However, if one chants while betraying the spirit of the Lotus Sutra’s teaching, then a difference in that benefit will arise.
There are various stages in the practice of the Lotus Sutra. To speak broadly of them, the fifth volume of the [Hokke] Ki (Notes on the Lotus Sutra) records: “Regarding the clarification of the types of evil, this passage mentions both those that are discussed and those that are not. Some divide this by first listing the causes of evil, and then describing the results of evil. The causes of evil are the following fourteen types:”
- Arrogance (Kōman)
- Laziness (Keta)
- Attachment to self (Kega)
- Shallow understanding (Senshiki)
- Attachment to desire (Chakuyoku)
- Failure to understand (Fuge)
- Lack of belief (Fushin)
- Frowning and showing dislike (Hinshuku)
- Doubt (Giwaku)
- Slandering the Law (Hibō)
- Lightly regarding the good (Kyōzen)
- Hating the good (Zōzen)
- Envying the good (Shitsuzen)
- Resenting the good (Konzen)
These Fourteen Slanders apply to everyone, whether lay practitioners or priests. This is truly a fearsome matter and must be deeply admonished.
The Bodhisattva Never Disparaging (Fukyō Bosatsu) of the past taught: “All people possess the Buddha nature. By embracing the Lotus Sutra, they are certain to attain Buddhahood. Therefore, disparaging others is the same as disparaging the Buddha.” And he practiced the discipline of reverence. Even towards people who did not embrace the Lotus Sutra, he showed the same reverence, saying, “This person may also embrace the Lotus Sutra someday. That person also possesses the Buddha nature.” The fourth volume of this sutra teaches: “If a person, whether lay or monastic, slanders a practitioner who embraces and preaches the Lotus Sutra, even just a single word, that offense is heavier than the offense of slandering the Buddha Shakyamuni for one kalpa (eon).” Furthermore, it even teaches, “Whether that slander is true or whether it is not true.”
Considering these teachings, we must never slander one another, regardless of what happens, concerning those who believe in and practice the Lotus Sutra. The reason is that all who embrace the Lotus Sutra are beings who are certain to attain Buddhahood. Slandering a person who is destined to become a Buddha is, exactly as it is, the offense of slandering the Buddha.
To be continued in Part 2
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