1.Modern Translation
At that time, since the Buddha was not in the world, Snow Mountain boy (Sessen Dōji) was unable to hear any Mahayana sutras, no matter how much he sought them.
One day, a voice faintly reached him, saying:
“All things are impermanent. This is the law of birth and cessation.”
The boy was startled and looked all around, but there was no human figure anywhere.
Only a fearsome ogre (Kishin) had approached and was standing there.
Its appearance was fierce and terrifying, the hair on its head stood up like flames, its teeth were sharp as swords, and it glared at Snow Mountain boy with bulging eyes.
However, the boy was not afraid upon seeing it; he was simply overjoyed to be able to hear the Buddhist Law, and felt no suspicion.
His feeling was like that of a calf separated from its mother, who had faintly heard its mother’s voice.
1.Lecture
This passage illustrates how difficult and noble it is to encounter the true teaching.
In a situation analogous to the Latter Day of the Law, where the Buddha is no longer in the world, the Snow Mountains Boy heard the words of truth he had been seeking through the form of a terrifying demon.
Without fearing the demon, the Snow Mountains Boy rejoiced at the words of truth, just like a calf hearing its “mother’s voice.”
Ikeda Sensei observed the essence of the seeking spirit in this figure and taught:
“The seeking spirit is the root that absorbs the nourishment of faith and brings about one’s own growth. If that root is strong, it will surely cause the flowers of happiness to bloom.”
2.Modern Translation
Snow Mountain boy (Sessen Dōji) thought: “Who could have chanted that? There must be more to the verse.”
He searched everywhere meticulously, but still found no sign of a person.
Thus, the boy wondered, “Could this teaching have been spoken by an ogre (kishin)?”
But he immediately thought, “No, that cannot be.”
He considered: “That appearance is the form of an ogre resulting from karmic retribution for misdeeds. That verse (gatha) is a profound teaching spoken by the Buddha. It could not possibly have come from the mouth of such a low-ranking ogre.”
However, since there was no one else, he asked, “Did you, perhaps, speak that phrase?”
The ogre replied, “Do not speak to me. I have spent many days without food, and hunger has made me foolish, unable to keep my mind straight. I must have spoken a meaningless jest just now. Whether I intended to lie or not, I cannot even tell.”
2.Lecture
This passage demonstrates the profound Buddhist principle that “truth is noble regardless of who speaks it,” through the relationship between the “Law and the Person.”
The Snow Mountains Boy felt a contradiction between the demon’s appearance and the “Buddha’s preaching” that came from its mouth, but ultimately prioritized the truthfulness of the preaching and questioned the demon.
Regarding the importance of the seeking spirit that relates to this passage, Ikeda Sensei gave strict yet warm guidance:
“When one becomes a leader and gets used to things, one might feel like they understand the Gakkai and Buddhism, assuming ‘is that all there is?’. That means one’s seeking spirit has become poor and one has become arrogant.”
3.Modern Translation
The boy said, “Hearing this half-verse is like seeing half a moon, or obtaining half a jewel. Surely it was you who chanted it. Please, tell me the rest of the verse.”
The ogre then said, “You are already endowed with enlightenment, so even if you do not hear it, there should be no regret. I am now suffering from hunger and simply do not have the strength to speak. Therefore, do not speak to me any further.”
Nevertheless, the boy asked, “If you obtain food, will you speak it for me?”
The ogre replied, “If I obtain food, I will speak it for you.”
The boy was delighted and asked, “Then, what do you take as food?”
The ogre said, “Do not ask any more. If you hear that answer, you will surely be terrified. It is also not the kind of thing you should be seeking.”
But the boy still insisted, “If you would just tell me what that food is, I will try to find it for you.”
The ogre then replied, “I eat only the soft flesh of humans and drink the warm blood of humans. I fly around the sky searching widely, but since people are protected by the Buddha and the gods, I cannot kill them as I please. I only eat those who have been abandoned by the Buddha and the gods.”
3.Lecture
The Snow Mountains Boy’s words, “It is like obtaining half a jewel,” demonstrate his immeasurable joy and values regarding his encounter with the true Law.
Then, as a condition for obtaining the rest of the truth, the demon demanded the ultimate ascetic practice: “human flesh and blood.”
This demand by the demon is a trial to obtain the True Law, and at the same time, a symbolic scene where a “death-defying seeking spirit” is tested.
Regarding this point of a “seemingly impossible challenge,”
Ikeda Sensei spoke as follows:
“When Josei Toda assumed the presidency, in an era when there were effectively only about 3,000 members, this was the goal he set forth as his lifetime vow. To the members, who realized how difficult shakubuku was, 750,000 households seemed like an astronomical figure. Yet, in a short period of less than seven years, it became a fact that was undoubtedly to be realized within the year.”
4.Modern Translation
At that moment, Snow Mountain boy (Sessen Dōji) thought in his heart: “I will abandon my body for the sake of the Law and hear this verse to the very end.”
He then said, “Your food is right here. There is no need to search elsewhere. My body is not yet dead, so my flesh will be warm. My body is not yet cold, so my blood will be warm too. Please, preach the remainder of the verse. I offer this body to you.”
The ogre became greatly enraged and said, “Who can possibly believe your words are true? After I preach the verse, if you break your promise, who should I call upon as a witness to question you?”
Snow Mountain boy replied, “This body is bound to die. If I am to die a life in vain, it is better to cast it away for the sake of the Law. By abandoning this impure body, I will surely attain enlightenment and become a Buddha in the next life, receiving a pure and venerable body. It is like exchanging an earthenware vessel for a vessel of treasure. I make Brahma, Shakra, the Four Heavenly Kings, and the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the ten directions all my witnesses. I will never speak falsely.”
The ogre’s heart softened slightly and he said, “If your words are true, I will preach the verse for you.”
At that moment, Snow Mountain boy rejoiced greatly, took off the deerskin he was wearing, spread it on the ground as a seat of the Law, bowed his head to the earth, put his palms together, and knelt, pleading with the deepest reverence: “I humbly request that you preach the remainder of the verse for me.”
Thereupon, the ogre ascended the seat of the Law, preached the verse, and said: “When the birth and cessation are extinguished, one enters the bliss of Nirvāṇa (Jakumetsu).”
4.Lecture
This action of the Snow Mountains Boy, resolving to “discard his body for the sake of the Law,” is truly the “figure of seeking the way with unbegrudging dedication (fushaku shinmyo)” which should be called the very spirit of Nichiren Daishonin.
The Snow Mountains Boy found the greatest value creation in life by transforming this life, a mortal “vessel of earth,” into the Buddha’s life, an eternal “vessel of treasure.”
Regarding this way of living with unbegrudging dedication, Ikeda Sensei said:
“Living for the sake of friends, for the Law, and for kosen-rufu while harboring many worries of one’s own is certainly a difficult thing. However, in reality, the very act of worrying, chanting, and fighting for the sake of everyone is proof that you have already transcended your own life condition and opened a breakthrough for a great human revolution.”
5.Modern Translation
At that moment, Snow Mountain boy (Sessen Dōji), hearing this verse (gāthā), felt boundless joy and reverence.
He thought: “I will never forget this, even in future existences,” and he repeated it over and over, deeply imprinting it on his heart.
The boy further reflected: “The joyful thing is that this verse is certainly no different from the teaching preached by the Buddha. However, the lamentable thing is that only I have heard it and cannot transmit it for the sake of the people.”
Thereupon, the boy inscribed this verse on stones, wall surfaces, and trees by the roadside, saying: “I pray that people who come later will surely see these words, awaken to their meaning, and enter the true path.”
Having finished saying this, he immediately climbed a tall tree and cast himself down before the ogre.
5.Lecture
This single-minded determination shown in this passage—”It is lamentable that I alone hear this and cannot transmit it to others”—is the very spirit of compassion of “practice for oneself and others” (jigyo-keta) of Nichiren Daishonin.
The Snow Mountains Boy found the value of his own life not in “monopolizing” the joy of attaining the truth, but in the mission of transmitting it to all people.
Regarding this single point of “to what one devotes one’s life,” Ikeda Sensei said:
“In modern times, some people devote their lives (kimyo) to their work or company, while others cast away their lives for their loved ones. The important thing is that a person’s happiness or unhappiness is determined by what they devote their lives to, or what they bet their lives on. The Daishonin teaches that the supreme, fundamental devotion is devotion to the Gohonzon of the Person and the Law as One, to Nam-myo-ho-ren-ge-kyo.”
Thank you for reading.
To be continued in [Reply to Lord Matsuno – Modern Translation and Lecture, Final Part].
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