Dedicate Your Lives to the Great Path of the Oneness of Mentor and Disciple—Part 2

For the last two or three years, I have been aware that Mimbu Ajari Niko is a priest with deep-seated worldly desires and a tendency to ingratiate himself to those who are more powerful. Being a priest who distorts the truth, he is not concerned with establishing the Daishonin’s teachings; rather, he is someone who is doing much to destroy them.^[3]

Nikko Shonin perceived Niko’s true nature and, out of strict compassion, rebuked him for distorting the Daishonin’s teachings. This only made Niko all the more defiant and antagonistic. He had the frightening arrogance to believe that he knew Nichiren’s teachings better than Nikko Shonin, of whom he was bitterly jealous and could not match, no matter how hard he tried.

Hakiri Sanenaga, meanwhile, had been a disciple of Nikko Shonin for close to two decades. It was through Nikko Shonin that Sanenaga had encountered the Mystic Law and had come to welcome Nichiren to reside at Minobu. Sanenaga, however, fell gradually under the negative influence of Niko. The steward had already demonstrated a tendency to wander occasionally from the correct path of Nichiren Buddhism and to bow to public opinion. This seems to have grown more pronounced after a member of his family was killed while fighting on the side of Adachi Yasumori during the Shimotsuki Incident.^[4] Niko played on Sanenaga’s vulnerabilities in the aftermath of that event.

Around this time, one of Sanenaga’s sons, Yasaburo, planned to make a pilgrimage to a Shinto shrine that had attracted ardent worshipers among officials of the Kamakura government. [Shinto shrines are dedicated to various Japanese tutelary, or protective, gods.] Nikko Shonin sent one of his disciples to dissuade Yasaburo from going there. Based on the Daishonin’s treatise “On Establishing the Correct Teaching,” the disciple explained that the tutelary gods and heavenly deities had all abandoned the nation because of its slander of the Law; hence, there was no point visiting the shrine. He succeeded in convincing Yasaburo to give up his plans.

When Sanenaga voiced doubts about this, Niko seized the opportunity to malign Nikko Shonin, writing: “Nikko Shonin reads [‘On Establishing the Correct Teaching’] only in the superficial, one-sided way of a reader of non-Buddhist teachings, and does not understand its ultimate essence.”^[5]

Further, on the occasion of that year’s memorial lecture marking the anniversary of the death of the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai^[6] (held on November 24, 1288), Niko conducted prayers for the protection of the nation in such a way as to curry favor with the government authorities.

When Nikko Shonin again reproved him for this, Niko argued back defiantly, using terms like “repaying one’s debt to the nation” to justify his actions. His attitude toward Nikko Shonin was disrespectful in the extreme.

Sanenaga, meanwhile, had by now been thoroughly influenced by Niko. He responded to Nikko Shonin’s sincere and tenacious efforts to guide him in the right direction by brashly retorting, “I have decided to embrace Mimbu Ajari Niko as my teacher.”^[7] This was truly an upside-down state of affairs. As Nikko Shonin wrote, “His faith was the exact opposite of faith in the Lotus Sutra.”^[8] The community of believers at Minobu had been led astray and driven into confusion by the treacherous behavior of Niko. 

This is the very kind of situation to which my mentor, second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda, was referring when he said, “It may appear that our enemies are outside, but the most insidious enemies are within.” Therefore, we must take a firm stand against those who seek to spread poison inside the organization. If left unchallenged, their noxious influence will pervade the entire organization and end up destroying everyone’s pure faith. That is why it is imperative that we remain vigilant against those who would betray the teachings of our mentors.

Carrying Alone the Banner of the Correct Teaching

At the end of 1288, Nikko Shonin at last decided to leave Minobu.^[9] He writes of his feelings at that time:

Words cannot describe the sense of shame and disappointment I feel at the prospect of departing from this valley of Minobu. But it occurs to me that, no matter where one is, the most important thing is to carry on the correct teaching of the Daishonin and establish it in society. Just when I was thinking it couldn’t possibly be true, these disciples of the Daishonin [the five senior priests] all turned on him. I, Nikko, alone protect the correct teachings of the Daishonin, our fundamental teacher, and regard myself as the one whose mission it is to accomplish his original purpose [of widespread propagation]. As such, I will never forget his true wishes or intent.^[10]

To single-handedly and steadfastly safeguard the correct teaching of the mentor—that is what it means to be a genuine disciple.

Likewise, no matter what abject betrayals I have encountered, I have unswervingly walked the path of a true disciple of Josei Toda. When treacherous individuals within our organization and unscrupulous members of the priesthood conspired to oust me as the third president and seize control of the Soka Gakkai, I fought on with the spirit “I carry the banner of justice alone.”^[11] Mr. Toda is always in my heart; therefore, I am not afraid of anything.

Returning to Nikko Shonin—in early 1289, the following year, Nikko Shonin left Minobu and made his way to the residence of Nanjo Tokimitsu,^[12] who had been a leading lay disciple from Nichiren’s time. There, in an area commanding impressive views of the majestic Mount Fuji, he built a new base for his activities for kosen-rufu.

A Disciple Willing to Take On Hardships in His Mentor’s Stead

Why did the five senior priests stray from the great path of the oneness of mentor and disciple and descend to the point of turning against their teacher? What caused them to go off track? 

Nichiren Daishonin writes: “If they were people who understood their obligations or were capable of reason, then out of two blows that fall on me, they would receive one in my stead” (“Reply to Yasaburo,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 828). Nikko Shonin lived in perfect accord with these words. As proof of his willingness to personally take on all difficulties in his mentor’s stead, Nikko Shonin attracted persecution to himself even during Nichiren’s lifetime. This was the Atsuhara Persecution.^[13]

Atsuhara was an area where Nikko Shonin had carried out vigorous efforts to propagate Nichiren’s teachings. Many of the followers there at the time were peasant farmers. Such a demographic was not seen among the Daishonin’s followers in any other area. It is a testament to the fact that Nikko Shonin actively went out among the populace spreading Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism of the people. 

These farmer-believers of Atsuhara did not retreat a single step when confronted by the mighty power of Hei no Saemon, and three of them^[14] eventually laid down their lives for their faith in Nichiren Buddhism. 

On October 17, 1279, upon receiving a report from Nikko Shonin about the crackdown on the followers in Atsuhara, the Daishonin immediately took up his brush to compose a response. At the end of this letter, he states:

[You] the priest Hoki-bo [Nikko Shonin] and the others should ponder deeply on the meaning of all this and initiate legal action on this matter. Ask Hei no Saemon if he has forgotten what I told him when, in the Bun’ei era [in 1271, just before the Tatsunokuchi Persecution and Sado Exile], I appeared before him to answer charges against me. The calamities [of internal strife and foreign invasion that] I predicted at that time have yet to come to an end. Tell him at the last that the ten demon daughters^[15] will call down further punishment on him (“Reply to the Sages,” WND-2, 831).

Nichiren is assuring his disciples that they have nothing to fear and urging them to strive with the same spirit as he, not retreating a single step.

Of the five senior priests, Nichiro and Niko did in fact, on one level, undergo persecution during Nichiren’s lifetime. This took the form of being imprisoned in an earthen cave and accompanying Nichiren to his place of exile. But this alone doesn’t tell us whether they truly shared the same spirit as their teacher. 

True disciples are willing to take on hardship or persecution in their mentor’s stead. For instance, when Mr. Toda accompanied his mentor, Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, to prison, he chanted with the profound prayer: “I am still young, but Mr. Makiguchi is old. May my mentor be released from prison as soon as possible. It doesn’t matter how long I stay here, but let my mentor go free right away!” This was his deep and fervent prayer day and night.

I took on the Osaka Incident^[16] with the very same sentiment. Mr. Toda was physically exhausted. The two years he had spent in prison during the war had taken a heavy toll on his health. And the intense struggles in the postwar period saw his stamina dwindle rapidly in later years. I was determined to do everything I could to protect him. Confined behind bars in Osaka, I fought with the determination to take on the full brunt of the onslaughts of all devilish functions. 

Nikko Shonin maintained the spirit of the rigorous struggle of mentor and disciple. Therefore, even after Nichiren’s death, he was never defeated in his struggles against devilish functions.

The five senior priests, who were central figures among Nichiren’s priest-disciples, may also have been exposed to the harsh attacks of devilish functions to a greater extent than many other disciples. But because they did not blaze with the same fighting spirit as their teacher, they were inevitably destined to defeat. Holding firm to his vow and great wish to continue working together with and for the sake of Nichiren, Nikko Shonin alone walked the correct path of a true disciple to the very end. 

The Fate of Hei no Saemon, a Captive to Power’s Insidious Lure 

Now, let us turn to Hei no Saemon. As mentioned earlier, after toppling his major political rival, he consolidated his hold on power, ushering in a despotic reign of terror that lasted seven-and-a-half years.

But on April 22, 1293, Hei no Saemon and his entire clan were destroyed by the regent Sadatoki, who had now grown to adulthood. Fourteen years after the Atsuhara Persecution—of which he had been the main instigator—Hei no Saemon wound up dying by his own hand at the very residence where he had relentlessly tortured Nichiren Daishonin’s farmer-disciples. In a single day, without his putting up any meaningful resistance, his life came to an abrupt end.^[17]

During the period in which Hei no Saemon held sway, the country was badly misgoverned. Vital reforms were neglected as the regime focused all its energies on maintaining its political authority. Hei no Saemon ultimately lived his life as a captive to power’s insidious lure.

As for Nikko Shonin, he never for a moment forgot the loyal disciples who had laid down their lives for the sake of the Law during the Atsuhara Persecution (in 1279). In the “Deshibun Honzon mokuroku” (List of Disciples Upon Whom Nikko Bestowed the Gohonzon), which he composed in the 20th year after that event, Nikko Shonin wrote:

Fourteen years from that time [of the Atsuhara Persecution], Hei no Saemon and his son committed treason and were condemned to death. That both father and son met their demise is of no small significance. They incurred actual punishment in accord with the teachings of the Lotus Sutra.^[18]

In the 30th year after the Atsuhara Persecution, Nikko Shonin transcribed a Gohonzon in memory of the martyred disciples, and in the margin wrote:

Jinshiro, resident of Atsuhara in Fuji Shimokata in Suruga Province, declared himself a follower of the Lotus Sutra and became one of the three beheaded by Hei no Saemon. Fourteen years after executing these followers, Hei no Saemon was himself condemned to death for plotting a rebellion, and his entire lineage was wiped out without a trace.^[19]

At the time of the Atsuhara Persecution, Nichiren wrote, “In the past, and in the present Latter Day of the Law, the rulers, high ministers, and people who despise the votaries of the Lotus Sutra seem to be free from punishment at first, but eventually they are all doomed to fall” (“On Persecutions Befalling the Sage,” WND-1, 997). Just as he says in this passage, actual punishment or retribution in accord with the teachings of the Lotus Sutra will definitely appear.

The Disciple’s Magnificent Victory

After leaving Minobu, Nikko Shonin continued spearheading efforts for kosen-rufu. It is also known that he submitted at least seven separate petitions remonstrating with the government from 1289 onward. Even in a petition he submitted in 1330—close to five decades after Nichiren Daishonin’s death, we find him writing, just as he had previously: “I, Nikko, disciple of the sage Nichiren, hereby petition again.”^[20] As this illustrates, he remained true to Nichiren’s spirit of remonstration throughout his life.

The community of disciples fostered under Nikko Shonin’s leadership after his departure from Minobu soon produced an array of outstanding talent far surpassing the disciples of the five senior priests. Nikko’s disciples established propagation centers in almost every major region in Japan—from Tohoku in the northeast and throughout the Kanto, Shin’etsu, Kansai and Chugoku regions, as well as to the islands of Shikoku and Kyushu. Nikko Shonin triumphed.

After countless arduous struggles, his life came to a close on February 7, 1333—51 years after Nichiren’s passing. He outlived the five senior priests, Ryokan^[21] and Hei no Saemon, witnessing what became of each one. He prevailed over all who had arrogantly sought to destroy the realm of mentor and disciple of Nichiren Buddhism, firmly securing the path of kosen-rufu for posterity. He tenaciously lived out his life as the Daishonin’s disciple and achieved a magnificent victory through always striving with the same spirit as his teacher. 

Throughout his life, Nikko Shonin strove to repay his profound debt of gratitude to Nichiren and widely proclaim the latter’s teachings. As such, his life was the very epitome of the oneness of mentor and disciple. He consolidated Nichiren Buddhism as a teaching grounded in the path of mentor and disciple.

Everything ultimately depends on the disciple. Dedication to the lofty path of the disciple will guarantee the eternal victory of kosen-rufu. Here, once again, I declare my intention to entrust the essential spirit of the oneness of mentor and disciple to the youth who are my successors. To carry on our movement for kosen-rufu, it is vital that each person make a vow to maintain the same fighting spirit as the mentors of the Soka Gakkai throughout their lives.

To my young friends, who follow on the noble path of life set forth by the Soka Gakkai’s first three presidents: May you dedicate your lives to the vow of shared commitment of mentor and disciple! That is my prayer.

From the February Living Buddhism