In 1276, Shijo Kingo's lord had ordered him to move from his estate near Kamakura to the
distant province of
Echigo. Kingo, however, remained in Kamakura, as this Gosho, written in 1277, notes.
The Daishonin saw straight to the heart of the matter and gave Kingo the guidance he needed to
change his attitude
and reinstate himself in Lord Ema's good graces. First of all, he tells Kingo that Lord Ema
actually deserves his
gratitude, not his rancor. He points out that Lord Ema protected Kingo at a time when the whole
nation was
persecuting the Daishonin and his disciples. Then he tells Kingo not to let himself be
influenced by life's vicissitudes.
Only by putting his faith first and repressing his feelings of resentment against his lord can
he expect to resolve his
impasse. The Daishonin tells him that courts of law and similar expedients are secondary to
faith and that, if he is to
win, he must practice exactly as the Daishonin teaches.
The believers in the Shingon sect currently enjoyed government recognition and were widely
respected in society.
The Daishonin gives Kingo a few historical examples of that doctrine's negative influence to
show him that the
righteousness of the Lotus Sutra will surely be proven in the long run. He points out that the
Kamakura government
is repeating its mistake despite an impending Mongol invasion. Finally, Shijo Kingo is told to
maintain a confident
state of mind, neither hating nor kowtowing to his lord, and to be prudent until the situation
turns in his favor.
The Eight Winds
I had been anxious about you because I had not heard from you in so long. I was overjoyed to
receive your
messenger, who arrived with your many gifts. I am going to bestow the Gohonzon upon you.
About the problem of your transfer to another estate: I have studied Lord Ema's letter to you
and your letter to me,
and compared them. I anticipated this problem even before your letter arrived. Since your lord
regards this as a
matter of utmost importance, I would surmise that other retainers have spoken ill of you to
him, saying, "Yorimoto
shows a lack of respect for you in his unwillingness to move to a new estate. There are many
selfish people, but he
is more selfish than most. We would advise you to show him no further kindness for the time
being." You must be
aware of where the real problem lies, and act cautiously.
As vassals, you, your family and your kinsmen are deeply indebted to your lord. Moreover, he
showed you great
clemency by taking no action against your clan when I was exiled to Sado and the entire nation
hated me. Many of
my disciples had their land seized by the government, and were then disowned or driven from
their lords' estates.
Even if he never shows you the slightest further consideration, you should not hold a grudge
against your lord. It is
too much to expect another favor from him, just because you are reluctant to move to a new
estate.
A truly wise man will not be carried away by any of the eight winds: prosperity, decline,
disgrace, honor, praise,
censure, suffering and pleasure. He is neither elated by prosperity nor grieved by decline. The
heavenly gods will
surely protect one who does not bend before the eight winds. But if you nurse an unreasonable
grudge against your
lord, they will not protect you, not for all your prayers.
When a person goes to court he may win his case, but then again he may lose, when he could have
obtained
satisfaction outside of court. I considered how the night guards might win their case, I felt
great pity for them; they
were deeply troubled and their houses and lands had been confiscated just because they were
Nichiren's disciples. I
said, however, that I would pray for them, provided they did not go to court. They agreed, and
promised not to go.
When they did sue, I feared no action would be taken, because so many people are petitioning
the courts and
embroiled in bitter lawsuits. So far their case is still pending.
Hiki Yoshimoto and Ikegami Munenaka had their prayers answered because they followed my advice.
Hakiri
Sanenaga seems to believe my teachings, but he ignored my suggestions about his lawsuit, and so
I was concerned
about its progress. Some good seems to have come of it, perhaps because I warned him that he
would lose unless
he followed my advice. But he chose not to, and the outcome has been less fruitful than he
expected.
If master and disciple pray with differing minds, their prayers will be as futile as trying to
kindle a fire on water. Even
if they pray with one mind, their prayers will go unanswered if they have long slandered true
Buddhism by adhering
to inferior teachings. Eventually, both will be ruined.
Myoun was the fiftieth successor to the high priesthood of the Tendai sect. He was punished by
the retired emperor
in the fifth month of the second year of Angen (1176) and ordered into exile on Izu. En route,
however, he was
rescued at Otsu by his monks from Enryaku-ji temple on Mount Hiei. He reassumed his position as
high priest, but
in the eleventh month of the second year of Juei (1183), he was captured by Minamoto no
Yoshinaka and beheaded.
In saying that he was banished and executed, I do not mean to imply any fault. Even saints and
sages undergo such
things.
When civil war broke out between Yoritomo of the Minamoto clan and Kiyomori of the Taira clan,
more than twenty
of Kiyomori's clansmen signed a pledge and affixed their seals. They vowed: "We will look to
Enryaku-ji as our
clan's temple. We will revere the three thousand monks as our own parents. The joys and sorrows
of the temple will
be our joys and sorrows." They donated the twenty-four districts of Omi Province to the temple.
Then Myoun and
his disciples employed all the esoteric rites of the Shingon sect in their prayers to vanquish
the enemy, and even
ordered their armed monks to shoot arrows at the Minamoto soldiers. However, Minamoto no
Yoshinaka and one of
his retainers, Higuchi, accompanied by a mere five or six men, climbed Mount Hiei and burst
into the main hall. They
dragged Myoun from the altar where he was praying for victory, bound him with a rope, rolled
him down the west
slope of the mountain like a big stone and then beheaded him. But still the Japanese do not
shun the Shingon sect,
nor have they ever questioned why their prayers go unanswered.
During the fifth, sixth, and seventh months of the third year of Jokyu (1221), the Kyoto
Imperial Court waged war
against the Kamakura regime. At that time the temples of Enryaku-ji, To-ji, Onjo-ji and the
seven great temples of
Nara each performed all the most esoteric rites of Shingon in their prayers to the gods Tensho
Daijin, Hachiman and
Sanno. Forty-one of the most renowned priests, including the late Archbishop Jien of the Tendai
sect, the bishops
of To-ji and Ninna-ji, and Jojuin of Onjo-ji temple, prayed repeatedly for Hojo Yoshitoki's
defeat. The second son of
Emperor Gotoba also began praying in the Hall for State Ceremonies on the eighth of the sixth
month. The Imperial
Court proclaimed that it would be victorious within seven days. But on the seventh day, the
fourteenth day of the
sixth month, the battle ended in defeat, and the second son died of extreme grief because his
beloved page, Setaka,
had been beheaded. Yet despite all this, no one ever wondered what was wrong with the Shingon
doctrines. The two
religious ceremonies which incorporated all the esoteric rituals of Shingon--the first
conducted by Myoun and the
second by Jien--resulted in the complete collapse of the Japanese Imperial Court. Now for the
third time, a special
religious ceremony is being held to ward off the Mongol invasion. The present regime will
surely suffer the same
fate, but you should keep this strictly to yourself.
As for your own problem, I advise you not to go to court. Do not harbor a grudge against your
lord, nor leave your
present estate. Stay on in Kamakura. Attend your lord less frequently than before; serve him
only from time to time.
Then your wish can be fulfilled. Never lose your composure. Do not be swayed by your desires,
nor by your
concern for status, nor by your temper.
Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol. 1, page 205.