Rissho Ankoku Ron-Part Seven
The guest, continuing to speak in a mild manner, replied:
"One could hardly say that Honen is the only one who disparages sutras and speaks ill of others priest, since you do the same thing yourself. However, it is true that he takes the 637 Mahayana scriptures with their 2,883 volumes of text, along with all Buddhas and bodhisattvas and the deities of the heavenly and human worlds, and urges people to "discard, close, ignore and abandon" them. There is no doubt that these four injunctions are his very words. The meaning of the passage is quite clear. But you keep harping on this one little "flaw in the jewel" and severely slandering him for it. I do not know whether he spoke out of delusion or out of true enlightenment. Between you and Honen, I cannot tell which is wise and which is foolish, or determine whose assertions are right and whose are wrong.
However, you assert that all the recent disasters are to be traced to the Senchaku Shu of Honen, speaking quite volubly on that point and elaborating on the meaning of your assertion. Now surely the peace of the world and the stability of the nation are sought by both ruler and subject and desired by all the inhabitants of the country.
The nation achieves prosperity through the Buddhist Law, and validity of the Law is proven by the people who embrace it. If the nation is destroyed and the people are wiped out, then who will continue to pay reverence to the Buddhas? Who will continue to have faith in the Law? Therefore one must first of all pray for the safety of the nation and then work to establish the Buddhist law. Now if you know of any means whereby disasters can be prevented and troubles brought to an end, I would like to hear about it.
The host said:
"There is no doubt that I am the foolish one-I would never dare claim to be wise. However, I would just like to quote a few passages from the scriptures. Concerning the means for insuring order in the nation, there are numerous passages in both Buddhist and non-Buddhist texts, and it would be difficult to cite them all here. Since taking up the study of Buddhism, however, I have frequently given thought to this matter, and it seems to me that prohibiting those who slander the Law and paying respect to monks who follow the Correct Way is the best way to assure stability within the nation and peace in the world at large.
In the Nirvana Sutra we read: "The Buddha said, 'With the exception of one type of person, you may offer alms to all kinds of persons and everyone will praise you.'' "Chunda said,'What do you mean when you speak of "one type of person"?' The Buddha replied, 'I mean the type described in this sutra as violators of the commandments.' "Chunda spoke again, saying I am afraid I still do not understand. May I ask you to explain further?' "The Buddha addressed Chunda, saying: 'By violators of the commandments I mean the icchantika. In the case of all other types of persons, you may offer alms, everyone will praise you, and you will achieve great rewards.' "Chunda spoke once more, asking, 'What is the meaning of the term Icchantika?'
"The Buddha said, 'Chunda, suppose there should be priests or nuns, lay men or women who speak careless and evil words and slander the True Law, and that they should go on committing these grave acts without ever showing any inclination to reform or any sign of repentance in their hearts. Persons of this kind I would say are following the path of the icchantika.
"'Again there may be those who commit the four grave offenses or are guilty of the five cardinal sins, and who, though aware that they are guilty of serious faults, from the beginning have no trace of fear or contrition in their hearts, or if they do, give no outward sign of it. When it comes to the True Law, they show no inclination to establish it and help to protect it over the ages, but rather speak of it with malice and contempt, their words replete with error. Persons of this kind too I would say are following the path of the icchantika. With the exception of this one group of people icchantika, however, you may offer alms to all others and everyone will praise you.'"
Elsewhere in the same sutra, the Buddha spoke in these words; "When I recall the past, I remember that I was the king of a great state in this continent of Jambudvipa. My name was Sen'yo and I loved and venerated the mahayana scriptures. My heart was pure and good and had no trace of evil, jealousy or stinginess. Men of devout faith, at that time I cherished the Mahayana teachings in my heart. Once, when I heard the Brahmans slandering these teachings, I had them put to death on the spot. Men of devout faith, as a result of that action, I never thereafter fell into hell."
In another passage it says: "In the past, when the Tathagata was the ruler of a nation and practiced the way of the bodhisattva, he put to death a number of Brahmans."
Again it says: "There are three degrees of killings: the lower, middle and upper degrees. The lower degree constitutes the killing of any humble creature, from an ant to any of the various kinds of animals. (Only the killing of a bodhisattva who has deliberately chosen to be born in animal form is excluded.) As a result of a killing of the lower degree, one will fall into the realm of Hell, Hunger or Animality, and will suffer all the pains appropriate to a killing of the lower degree. Why should this be? Because even the animals and other humble creatures possess the roots of goodness, insignificant though those roots may be. That is why a person who kills such a creature must suffer full retribution for his offense.
"Killing any person from an ordinary mortal to an anagamin constitutes what is termed the middle degree. As a consequence of such an act of killing, one will fall into the realm of Hell, Hunger or Animality, and will suffer all the pains appropriate to a killing of the middle degree. The upper degree of killing refers to the killing of a parent, an arhat, a person who has reached the state of pratyekabuddha or Realization, or a bodhisattva who has completed his efforts and will never retrogress. For such a crime one will fall into the hell of incessant suffering. Men of devout faith, if someone were kill an icchantika, that killing would not fall into any of the three categories just mentioned. Men of devout faith, the various Brahmans that have said were put to death - all of them were in fact icchantika."
In the Ninno Sutra we read: "The Buddha announce to King Prasenajit, 'Thus I entrust the protection of my teachings to the ruler of the nation rather than to the monks and nuns. Why do I do so? Because the monks and nuns do not possess the kind of power and authority that the king has.'"
The Nirvana Sutra states: "Now I entrust the True Law, which is unexcelled, to the rulers, the ministers, the high officials, and the four kinds of believers. If anyone should vilify the True Law, then the high officials and four kinds of believers should reprimand him and bring him to order."
It also states: "The Buddha said, 'Kasho, it is because I was a defender of the True Law that I have now been able to attain this diamond-like body. Men of devout faith, defenders of the True Law need not observe the five precepts or practice the rules of proper behavior. Rather they should carry knives and swords, bows and arrows, prongs and lances.' "
Again the Buddha said: "Even though there may be those who observe the five precepts, they do not deserve to be called practitioners of the Mahayana. But even if one does not observe the five precepts, if he defends the True Law, then he may be called a practitioner of the Mahayana. Defenders of the True Law ought to arm themselves with knives and swords, weapons and staves. Even though they carry swords and staves, I would call them men who observe the precepts."
The Buddha likewise said: "Men of devout faith, in past ages in this very city of Kushinagara a Buddha appeared whose name was Kangi Zoyaku Nyorai or the Buddha Joy Increasing. After this Buddha passed away, the True Law that he had taught remained in the world for countless millions of years. Finally, only forty more years were left before the Law was due to come to an end.
"At that time there was a monk named Kakutoku who observed the precepts. There were many monks at this time who violated the precepts, and when they heard this monk preaching, they all conceived evil designs in their hearts and, arming themselves with swords and staves, attacked this teacher of the Law.
"At this time the ruler of the kingdom was named Utoku. He received reports of what was happening and, in order to defend the Law, he went at once to the place where the monk was preaching the Law and fought with all his might against the evil monks who did not observe the precepts. As a result, the monk who had been preaching the Law was able to escape grievous injury. But the king received so many wounds from the knives and swords, prongs and lances, that there was not a spot on his body the size of a mustard seed that remained unharmed.
"At this time the monk Kakutoku praised the king, saying, 'Splendid, splendid ! You, O king, are now a true defender of the True Law. In ages to come, this body of yours will surely become a boundless vessel of the Law !'