觀心本尊得意鈔

Kanjin Honzon Tokui-sho

On Obtaining the Meaning of the Contemplation of the Mind and the Focus of Devotion

(ST 1119, l9) 鵞目一貫文、厚緜白小袖一、筆十管、墨五丁給畢。

I have received one string of goose-eye coins, one white short-sleeved robe of padded cotton, ten brushes, and five sticks of black ink.

(ST 1119, l10-l11) 身延山如知食冬嵐はげしく、ふり積雪は不消。極寒の處にて候間、晝夜行法もはだ（膚）うすにては難堪辛苦にて候に、此小袖を著は不可有思候也。

As you know, there are fierce winter storms here at Mt. Minobu, and the snow that piles up does not melt away. Since this is an extremely cold place, with only a thin layer of clothing, the Dharma practice done day and night is hard to endure; but with this short-sleeved robe to wear, I shall not have to worry.

(ST 1119, l11-l13) 商那和修は付法蔵の第三聖人也。 此因位を佛説云乃往過去病比丘仁與衣故に、生生世世仁不思議自在の衣得たり。 今御小袖は似彼。 此功徳は日蓮は不可に知之。 併奉任釋迦佛畢。

Shanavasa is the third sage in the transmission of the treasury of the Dharma. Regarding his past causes, the Buddha said, “Long ago he gave clothing to a sick monk. Because of that, for lifetime after lifetime and age after age, he has been able to obtain clothing in an inconceivably free manner. Now, this [gift of a] short-sleeved robe is like that. [Even I,] Nichiren, cannot know [how much] merit [this will bring you]. I respectfully leave it to Shakyamuni Buddha.

(ST 1119-1120, l14-l2) 抑今御狀云教信御房觀心本尊鈔未得等付文字迹門をよまじと疑心の候なる事、不相傳の僻見にて候歟。去文永年中此書の相傳は、整足して貴邊仁奉候しが、其通を以可有御教訓候。

Now, your letter says that Kyoshin-bo has not grasped [the meaning] of On the Contemplation of the Mind and the Focus of Devotion, and, going by its literal meaning, wonders whether we should discontinue reading the Trace Gate. This is a biased view due to not having received my instruction, is it not? Back in the Bun’ei era (1264-1275), I gave you complete instructions about this text, so you should pass these instructions on to him.

(ST 1120, l2-l5) 所詮、在在處處迹門を捨よと書て候事は、今我等が這讀所の迹門にては候はず。叡山天台宗の過時の迹を破候也。設如天台・傳教法のまゝありとも、今至末法者去年の曆知。何況自慈覺已來迷大小權實大謗法同をや。然間像法時の利益無之。增於末法取。

After all, in any place where I have written that the Trace Gate should be abandoned, I was not referring to the Trace Gate that we are reading now. The outmoded Trace [teachings] of the Tendai school on Mt. Hiei are what I have been refuting. Even if the Dharma of Tiantai and Dengyo were unadulterated, now that we have reached the Latter Age of Degeneration, they are like an out-of-date calendar. How much more so since the time of Jikaku, when there is confusion about Mahayana and hinayana [Buddhism], provisional and true [teachings], which amounts to a great slander of the Dharma! Therefore, there were no benefits in the Age of the Semblance Dharma. How could it bring any more in the Latter Age of Degeneration?

(ST 1120, l6-l7) 一北方の能化難云、 爾前の經をば未顯眞實と乍捨、安國論には爾前經を引、文證とする事自語相違と不審事、前前申せし如し。

One, a teacher of Kitakata has raised the following difficulty: “[Nichiren] abandons the prior sutras because they ‘have not yet revealed the truth,’ but in his Treatise on Spreading Peace Throughout the Country by Establishing the True Dharma he cites those prior sutras as proof-texts, thereby contradicting himself.” I have already responded to this in the past.

(ST 1120, l7-l9) 總して一代聖教を大仁分て為二。 一大綱・二網目也。 初大綱者、成佛得道教也。 成佛教者法華經也。 次網目者，法華已前諸經也。彼諸經等不成佛致也。成佛得道文言雖說之但有名字其實義法華有之。

Generally, all the holy teachings of the Buddha’s lifetime can be broadly divided into two. The first is the main cord of the net; the second is the mesh. First, the main cord is the teaching for attaining buddhahood and obtaining the Way. The teaching for attaining buddhahood is the Lotus Sutra. Next, the mesh is the various sutras prior to the Lotus Sutra. Those various sutras do not bring about the attainment of buddhahood. Although the words “attaining buddhahood and obtaining the Way” are expounded, it is just rhetoric. Their true meaning is in the Lotus Sutra.

(ST 1120, l9-111) 傳教大師決權實論云，權智所作唯有名無有實義云云。但於權教成佛得道の外說相不可空。為法華網目なるが故仁。

As Great Master Dengyo said in his Treatise on Defining the Provisional and True, What is produced by provisional knowledge is only rhetorical and is not the true meaning.” However, what is expounded in the provisional teachings, apart from attaining buddhahood and obtaining the Way, is not in vain (empty), because they are the mesh of the Lotus Sutra.

(ST 1120, l11-l14) 所詮、成佛大綱を法華仁說之、其餘の網目は衆典明。 為法華網目なるが故仁法華の證文引之可用也。其上、法華經にて可有實義を、爾前の經仁して名字計のゝしる事、全為法華也。然間、尤法華の證文となるべし。

In the end, the main cord of attaining buddhahood is expounded in the Lotus Sutra, while the many other scriptures clarify the mesh. Because they form the mesh of the Lotus Sutra, they can be cited as proof texts for it. Moreover, the true meaning is in the Lotus Sutra; that I chide the prior sutras as mere rhetoric is entirely for the sake of the Lotus Sutra. Therefore, they most certainly can be used as proof texts for the Lotus Sutra.

(ST 1120, l14) 問、法華を大綱とする證知何。

Question: What proof is there that the Lotus Sutra is the main cord?

(ST 1120-1121, l14-l1) 答、天台當知此經唯論如來説教大綱不委細網目也。

Answer: Tiantai said, “It should be known that this sutra only talks about the teaching expounded by the Tathagata as the main cord; it does not go into detail about the mesh.”

(ST 1121, l1) 問、爾前を網目とする如何。

Question: How do we know that the prior sutras are the mesh?

(ST 1121, l1) 答、 妙樂云皮膚毛綵出在衆典云云。

Answer: Miaole says, “The texture of the skin and the color of the hair appear in the many other scriptures.”

(ST 1121, l1-l2) 問、成佛限法華云亦證如何。

Question: What further proof is there that attaining buddhahood is limited to the Lotus Sutra?

(ST 1121, l2) 答、經云，唯有一乘法無二亦無三文。

Answer: The sutra says, “There is only the Dharma of the One Vehicle; there is neither a second nor a third.”

(ST 1121, l2-l3) 問、爾前為，法華證如何。

Question: How are the prior sutras proofs for the Lotus Sutra?

(ST 1121, l3) 答、經云、雖示種種道其實為佛乘。

Answer: The sutra says, “Even if I merely showed a variety of ways, in truth they were for the Buddha Vehicle.”

(ST 1121, l3-l4) 委細雖申度候、心地違例して候程令省略候。 恐恐謹言。

Although I would like to explain in more detail, I am feeling indisposed, so I will have to end here.

Sincerely yours,

十一月二十三日

日蓮花押

23rd day of the eleventh month

Nichiren (signature)

富木殿御返事

Reply to Lord Toki

(ST 1121, l7-l9)

帥殿語しは、下總に目連樹と云木の候よし申候し。其木の根をはりて、十兩ばかり、兩方の切目には焼金を宛てて、紙にあつ（厚）くつゝみて、風ひかぬ樣にこしち（拵）へて、大夫次郎が便宜に給候べきよし御傳あるべく候。

Sochi told me that there is a (magnolia) tree in Shimosa called the Maudgalyayana tree. Cut a root from that tree of about 100 grams and cauterize it on both ends with hot iron. Wrap it in thick paper so that it will not be exposed to the air. Please ask Taiyū Jirō to bring it to me when he gets a chance.

[Note: there is a pun at work in the above passage. The tree is simply called a “Mokuren” 目連 tree, using the characters for transliterating the name of the Buddha’s disciple Maudgalyayana. This is a homophone (same sound) as the characters 木蓮, which mean “magnolia” tree. So I am presuming that Nichiren is talking about a magnolia tree but as a pun using the characters for Maudgalyayana.]