July 2022
SACRED WORDS
In recent years, strange phenomena in the sky, natural calami-ties on earth, famines, and epidemics have occurred and spread over all the land of Japan. Oxen and horses lie dead at crossroads and the streets are filled with skeletons. Most of the population have perished and have been touched by grief.
“Rissho Ankoku Ron”
聖語
旅客来りょきゃくきたりて嘆なげきて曰いわく、近年きんねんより近日きんじつに至いたるまで、天変地妖飢饉疫病てんぺんちようききんえきびょう、偏あまねく天下てんかに満みち、広ひろく地上ちじょうにはびこる。牛馬巷ぎゅうばちまたにたおれ、骸骨路がいこつみちに充みてり。死しを招まねくの輩ともがら、既すでに大半たいはんに超こえ、悲かなしまざるの族敢やからあえて一人いちにんも無なし。
『立正安国論』
How do we live in the age of the Mappo Era?
Rev. Shokai Kanai
As you already may know, 1222 is the year Nichiren Dai’Shonin was born, and that 1052 was the beginning of the Mappo Era. Map-po means a period when only the Buddha’s teachings remained, the practices were no longer pursued, and Enlightenment was a mere word, therefore, no possibility of salvation. However, there are three ways to accept this era of Mappo:
1. In this world, when no one can be saved, it became trendy to seek happiness in the afterlife. The belief was that no training was necessary, so even both the good and the bad who chanted “Namu Amida Butsu,” would be taken to Gokuraku Jodo or the “Extreme Pure Land" after their death. This Idea became popular around the 10th century just before the Mappo Era began. This was a way of life of not worrying about their condition in this life since Amida Buddha will help them to the Pure Land.
2. Apart from that, the Zen idea of immersing yourself in zazen (meditation) training, "Not relying on scriptures, but having no purpose, thinking about nothing, and just sitting down" spread among intellectuals and samurais. This was another way of life focused on non-attachment to navigate the hardships brought on during the Mappo Era.
3. Seeing the great earthquakes, plagues, famines, and starvations that occurred at the beginning of those years, Nichiren looked for the causes and solution in Buddhist scriptures. After reading all the sutras for four years in search of a way to eliminate such calamities, Nichiren Dai’Shonin said, "The caus-es of these calamities were where the people of Japan neglected the Righteousness (the Lotus Sutra), burned the sutra, threw the statues of Sakyamuni Buddha in ocean, but worshiped the statues of Amida Buddha.” He found revealed in the sutras that if the truth were not circulated, a revolt would occur in the
country, and foreign countries would invade." This was July 16, 1260 (he was 39 years old) when he compiled his now famous treatise Rissho Ankoku Ron and submitted it to the Shogunate. That was 781 years ago from today. Do you think these warnings apply to this period of suffering with COVID-19 which has spread all over the world and caused over 3.8 million casualties as of June 12, 2021?
Rissho Ankoku means that, "If you obey the right laws, the world will become peaceful, and people will live in safety.” For those who do not understand this theory, Nichiren Dai’Shonin showed a simple way practicing righteousness through the chanting of the sacred title of the Lotus Sutra, “Namu Myoho Renge Kyo.” He was a reformer in the Mappo Era.
The above photo is the first page of "Rissho Ankoku Ron," donated to the Nichiren Mission of Hawaii. It is stored in a special box made of Hawaiian KOA wood. If you wish, you can view it. The sacred words in this month are the first four lines of the page.
末法の時代をどう生きるか？
金井勝海
既に皆様はご承知の通り、日蓮大聖人がお生まれになられた１２２２年は、仏滅後２千１７０年の末法時代の始まりでした 。この末法の時代を
どのように受け入れるか、次の３つの方法があります。
1. この世では何をしても救われない時代なら、死後の世で幸せを求めようという風潮になり、「修行などはいらない、悪人も善人も南無阿弥陀仏と唱えさえすれば極楽浄土へ往生する」という念仏信仰が末法が始まる前の１０世紀頃から流行しました。念仏さえ唱えれば、阿弥陀様が助けて下さるから心配ないという生き方です。
2. それとは別に「経典に頼るのではなく、何も目的を持たず、何も考えず、ただ座る」という座禅修行に没頭するという禅の思想が知識層や武家の間にひろまりました。末法思想に囚われない生き方です
3．日蓮大聖人は末法の初めに起こった大地震・疫病・飢饉・餓死を目の当たりに見て、何故このような災難が起こっているのか、その災難を除く方法を求めて、４年間にわたり一切経を読みこんだ結果、「真実の教え（法華経）が日本国から失われた事が原因であると説かれた経文を見つけ、正しい法を行う事により災難を退治することが出来る。さらに真実の教えが流布しないと国内に反乱が起こり、外国から侵略される」という経文も探しあてられました。その事を『立正安国論』にまとめ、幕府に提出されたのが、1260年（聖寿３９歳）」７月１６日でした。今から７８１年前の事です。近年世界中に蔓延している疫病コヴィッド１９（コロナウイルス）におびえた私達に似てい
ると思いませんか。
正しい法に従えば、自然の内にこの世が平和で安穏な世になる」という意味が立正安国です。むずかしいことが理解できない一般大衆には、簡単な修行方としてお題目を弘めたのです。日蓮大聖人は現代的に言うとリフォーマーでした
１頁の写真はハワイ日蓮宗別院に寄贈された『立正安国論』第１頁目です。ハワイ産のコア材で作られた特別な箱に保管されています。希望者は閲覧することができます。