Prophet Nichiren, Savior of the Mappo Era (Rishho Ankoku Ron, True Expounder of the Lotus Sutra)

October 2021

SACRED WORDS

The Buddha preached in the Nirvana Sutra, “Various sufferings of all the people will be borne by Me alone.” Likewise, I now declare, “All the sufferings of all the people going to hell will all be borne by Nichiren alone.”

Kangyo Hachiman-Sho, Nichiren

聖語

涅槃経二云ワク「一切衆生ノ異ノ苦ヲ受クルハ、悉ク如来一人ノ苦ナリ」日蓮云ワク「一切衆生ノ同一苦（あらゆる苦しみ）ハ、悉ク是レ日蓮一人ノ苦ト申スベシ」

『諌暁八幡抄』

Prophet Nichiren, Savior of the Mappo Era

Rev. Shokai Kanai

From the February issue of this year, I have been writing about Nichiren Dai’Shonin almost every month in accordance with when he was being persecuted. October is the month when he passed away, but I have not yet mentioned a few important matters. They are the materialization of his prediction about foreign invasion described in Rissho Ankoku Ron which came eight years later and Nichiren Shonin becoming the real expounder of the Lotus Sutra.

In last month's issue, I mentioned that one of the reasons for the Tatsu-no-kuchi Persecution was his victory in challenging to make it rain, but another reason was that the prophecy of the attack from a foreign country in "Rissho Ankoku Ron” came to reality. A few official messengers from Mongolia came to Kamakura demanding tributes. Thus, Nichiren sent letters to eleven people, including the Kamakura Shogunate, Ryokan of Gokuraku-ji Temple and other high rank priests in Kamakura. It said, "If you do not immediately reconsider your faith in the Nembutsu and Zen and change to the Lotus Sutra, Mongolia will attack Japan and this country will be destroyed."

In response, the priests issued a false lawsuit to the shogunate, and the government decided to exile Nichiren to Sado Island. On the way, Yoritsuna, driven by with his own hatred, tried to execute Nichiren. But the execution was suddenly interrupted by a miraculous fireball which flew from Enoshima Island where a Deity Dragon is enshrined. The execution failed and the exile continued towards Sado Island.

From this miracle, Nichiren was awakened to the realization that he was the rebirth of Jogyo or Superior-Practice Bodhisattva predicted in Chapter 15 of the Lotus Sutra. Nichiren said in Kaimokusho, “A man called Nichiren was beheaded at Tatsu-no-kuchi, a little after midnight of the twelfth day of the ninth month of the last year. His soul remained and came here to the island of Sado.” This is similar to when Jesus Christ was crucified but resurrected three days later.

In Christianity, just as Jesus carried the sins of all men, Nichiren shouldered all the sins of the people in the Mappo Era as stated in this month’s Sacred Words. The great sins for which Nichiren bore were to speak ill of the Lotus Sutra, to ignore Sakyamuni Buddha and the Lotus Sutra, and to cause disturbance to the expounders of the Lotus Sutra. This means that all people who persecuted him will also be able to be saved if they chant the Odaimoku sincerely. Thus, it says, “We can expiate our past transgressions, do good deeds, and attain Buddhahood by the merit of this sutra. It does not matter whether we are wise or not, or whether we believe the sutra or slander it,” in Verses for Opening the Sutra.

In other words Nichiren was the Buddhist savior for all people in the Mappo Era.

I think we must be more aware of the greatness of Nichiren and seriously recite the Odaimoku. I hope everyone understands him much better than before.

予言者日蓮、末法時代の救世主日蓮

金井勝海

　今年２月号の月報より、ほぼ毎月日蓮大聖人が法難を受けられた月にあわせて日蓮大聖人の生涯を述べてきました。１０月は日蓮聖人がお亡くなりになられた月ですが、まだ大事な事を述べておりません。それは、『立正安国論』に予言された蒙古大襲来の予言的中と大聖人が末法時代の仏教の救世主であるいう事です。

　先月号で龍ノ口法難の理由の一つは雨乞いと申し上げましたが、もう一つの理由は『立正安国論』で他国から攻め寄せて来るという予言が８年後に的中し、蒙古より日本に貢物を差し出すよう使者が鎌倉へ現れた事です。日蓮聖人は鎌倉幕府と極楽寺の良寛はじめ高祖十一名に手紙を送り「直ちに念仏や禅の信仰を改めて法華経に帰依しないと蒙古が日本を攻めてこの国は亡びてしまう！」と諫めたからです。

これに対し高祖方は幕府に偽りの訴訟を出し、政府は大聖人を佐渡に流すことに決めました。その護送中に日蓮を亡き者にしようと平の左衛門頼綱によって龍ノ口断頭が企てられました。しかし、その打ち首の刑は龍神様が祀られている江ノ島の方よりマリの如く光るものが刑場の上を飛び、真夜中なのに急に辺りが明るくなったので、打ち首をする侍の眼がくらみ、稲妻が刀に落ち、刑は中止となって、後日佐渡ケ島に流罪されました。

　この怪奇現象を通して、日蓮大聖人は法華経に予言されている上行菩薩の再誕であるとの自覚をされたのです。それは正にイエスキリストが十字架にかかり死に到り、３日後に蘇ったと同じです。キリスト教では、イエス様が全ての人の罪を背負って十字架にかかられたように、日蓮大聖人は末法の人々の全ての罪を全部背負い肉体の日蓮様は龍ノ口法難で蘇生されたのです。大聖人にとって最大の罪とは「法華経の悪口を言い、法華経や釈迦牟尼仏をないがしろにすることです。つまり、お祖師様が法華経を弘めた為に大勢の人々が法華経を罵しり、法華経の説法をする法師を寺から追い出し、住まいに放火し、島流しにし、待ち伏せして殺そうとし、刑場に引っ張り出し殺そうとした人々の罪をも背負って逝かれたのです。その事を『開経偈』では「有智無智、罪を滅し善を生ず、もしは信もしは謗ともに仏道を成ぜん」と書かれているのです。

　また『開目鈔』には「日蓮といいし者は昨年９月１２日真夜中に頸を切られ、その魂魄（死者の魂）が佐渡の国にいる」と記されています。つまり、龍ノ口法難以後は蘇生（死からの蘇りであり上行菩薩―法華経を末法時代に弘める救世主）の再誕となられたです。

　私達は大聖人の偉大さをもっと認識して、真剣にお題目を唱えなければいけないと私は思います。そしてその事を皆様にも解って頂きたいと願っています。