November 01, 2005
Nichiren and Rival Schools
Nichiren was very, even, dare I say, harshly critical of some Kamakura Era Zen & Nembutsu teachers; those who received patronage from the Hojo Clan. I can give names, and their temples, and these show up in the Gosho. But he says nothing about some far more popular, grass roots Zen & Pure Land teachers, who were not political. And I do not buy the theory he never heard of them.
My own 'feel', for now, is that there is no sense in refuting schools that have no secular authority {unless they are engaged in clearly criminal acts}. If Nichiren would disagree with that, which I am not clear about, then I would disagree with him.
In the Rissho Ankonku Ron, Nichiren suggests that the Shogunate stop supporting the Pure Land Sect. IIRC, there was no Exclusive Pure Land 'Sect' per se; I think Honen's School {Jodo Shu} was officially banned, in 1207, by Imperial Decree?
But there was a Kamakura Temple that taught the Chinzei Jodo Pure Land Faction of Nena Ryochu (1199-1288). There was also the Sen'nyuji or Sennyuji Shingon Sect, that pretty much taught Honen's Nembutsu teaching exclusively. Also, there was a Temple, associated with the Hachiman Shrine-Temple {which was administered by Miidera Onjoji -- Jimon Tandai}, that taught Pure Land devotion to Amida.
As far as I know, Nichiren only mentioned these specific temples and their teachers by name later on, and then only in private letters, and then with the proviso of secrecy. In his early public letters, Nichiren talks about Honen (1133-1212), who was already deceased, and whose school was officially illegal.
Then, later on, Ninsho Ryokan (1217-1303) brought the Shingon-Ritsu school to Kamakura, from Nara Saidaiji, in 1261. Pure Land was also one of their central practices. And Nichiren was publicly feuding with Ryokan.
Prior to that, I think Nichiren may have had public conflicts wuth the Kenchoji Rinzai Temples and Rankei Doryu (Lan-chi Tao-lung) {1213 - 1278}. Nichiren had been publicly critical of Dainichi Nonin (circa mid 1100's), founder of Daruma Zenshu. It is unclear to me if he mentions Rinzai Zenshu founder Eisai (1141-1215). I had thought so, but can not find it.
All of these were Hojo Clan sponored Temples, or deceased teachers whi influened them. None of these temples were officially strictly Pure Land or Zen. They used the Shingon initiations and also practiced Ryobu Shinto purification rites. And Ryokan added the old, Nara Era, Ritsu Ordination.
Also, they were not really distinct sects, not in those days; that happened much later, under the Tokugawa. When Nichiren refers to Shingon, that is Mikkyo; not just Kobo Daishi & Koyasan. Nearly all of the Temples practiced and/or taught an eclectic mix of esoteric Mikkyo initiations, Shinto rites, Zen meditation, and Pure Land Devotions. And, later on, some added Ritsu Ordinations.
BTW, by "feel", I mean intellectual 'insight'; not an emotional attachment.
"In reality, the sutras of Shingon belong to the provisional teachings previous to the Lotus Sutra and are inferior even to the Kegon or the Hannya sutras. Yet Jikaku and Kobo were confused on this point and held that the Shingon sutras were equal or even superior to the Lotus Sutra." Nichiren
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The followers of Honen who call themselves the Nembutsu sect not only turn people away from the Lotus Sutra, telling them to "discard, close, ignore and abandon" it, but advocate chanting only the name of Amida, a Buddha described in the provisional teachings. The followers of Dainichi, known as the Zen sect, claim that the true teachings of Buddhism have been transmitted apart from the sutras."-- Nichiren
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Those who are "respected and revered by the world" and "spoken of as great bodhisattvas" are men like Doryu, Ryokan, and Shoichi." "For me, Nichiren, my best allies in attaining Buddhahood are Kagenobu, the priests Ryokan, Doryu, and Doamidabutsu, and Hei no Saemon and the lord of Sagami. " -- Nichiren