Rissho Ankoku Ron-Part 6
The guest, looking somewhat mollified, said:
Though I have not yet probed deeply into the matter, I believe I understand to some degree what you are saying. Nevertheless, both in Kyoto, the capital, and in Kamakura, the headquarters of the shogun, there are numerous eminent Buddhist leaders and key figures in the clergy. And yet none of them has so far appealed to the Shogun concerning this affair of submitted a memorial to the throne, You, on the other hand, a person of humble position, think nothing of spewing out offensive accusations. Your assertions are open to question and your reasoning lacks authority.
The host replied:
"Though I may be a person of little ability, I have reverently given myself to the study of the Mahayana. A blue fly, if it clings to the tail of a thoroughbred horse, can travel ten thousand miles, and the green ivy that twines around the tall pine can grow to a thousand feet. I was born as the son of the one Buddha, Shakyamuni, and I serve the king of scriptures, the Lotus Sutra. How could I observe the decline of the Buddhist Law and not be filled with emotions of pity and distress?
Moreover, the Nirvana Sutra states: If even a good priest sees someone slandering the Law and disregards him, failing to reproach him, to oust him or to punish him for his offense, then that priest is betraying Buddhism. But if he takes the slanderer severely to task, drives him off or punishes him, then he is my disciple and one who truly understands my teachings.
Although I may not be a “good priest,” I certainly do not want to be accused of “betraying Buddhism.” Therefore, in order to avoid such charges, I have cited a few general principles and given a rough explanation of the matter.
Long ago in the Gennin era (1224), petitions to the throne were submitted time and again by the two temples of Enryaku-ji on Mount Hiei and Kofuku-ji in Nara, and as a result and Imperial command and a letter of instruction from the shogunate were handed down, ordering that the wood blocks used in printing Honen’s Senchaku Shu be confiscated and brought to the Great Lecture Hall of Enryaku-ji temple. There they were burned in order to repay the debt owed to the Buddhas of the past, present and future. In addition, orders were given that the menials who are attached to the Gion Shirine should dig up and destroy Honen’s grave in Kyoto. Then, Honen’s disciples Ryukan, Shoku, Jokaku, Sassho and others were condemned by the government to exile in distant regions, and were never pardoned.
In view of these facts, how can you say that no one has submitted a complaint to the authorities concerning these matters?