Robin Beck

"Shingon rituals of prayer"

From what I gather, the 'New Shingon' patronized by the Kamakura Officials largely consisted of exorcisms -- {still does?} The tradition was, I think, Tomitsu Mikkyo mixed with Shinto {Ryobu Shinto}. I wonder how Kukai {Kobo Daishi} would have felt about this.

At any rate, it looks like the Kamakura Shogunate was by passing Mt. Hiei and using Todaiji for their Ordinations.

"Sanetoki became s devout follower of Eison (1201-1290), of Saidaiji in Nara. He once visited Kamakura in 1262 at the invitation of Sanetoki and ordained leaders in Kamakura, including Sanetoki himself." [The Third Hojo Regent' {Yasutoki Hojo (1183-1242)} younger brother was Saneyasu Hojo (1208-1263) Saneyasu's son was Sanetoki {(1224-1276)]"

Eison was even doing travelling Ordinations.

The comment "Ritsu is traitorous" was also issued in the context of the Ritsu Sect offering prayers for the protection of the country. Each of his pronouncements is tied to a logical deconstruction of the historical involvement of each of the major schools in Japanese history.

On the other subject, I've read that Nichiren had received some of the initiations into shingon and Mikkyo esotericisms, but as you said was not eligable for higher level initiations because he was a commoner (and poor). Criticisms of the secrecy oath of the Samaya are implicit in the Lotus Sutra and Dengyo's work the Ebyo Shu. In Nichiren's earlier analysis Ritsu was the primary target of his criticisms here, but Ryokan was also a Shingon priest, and his criticisms of Ritsu were for Shingon rituals of prayer, not for the Ritsu Sect per-se. His later criticisms focused more clearly on the Samaya and Mikkyo, but he had to tread even more carefully on this subject than before.

Finally, these were not personal criticisms, Nichiren started criticizing these things before he was persecuted and only directed personal criticisms towards Ryokan because of Ryokan's behavior, connectedness, and attacks on him. Nichiren was an honest monk and about the closest thing to a prophet that any Buddhist school had ever had, telling truth to power.

His criticisms of esotericism apply in our own day every-bit as much as they did in his day. Esoteric teachers, because they keep their real wisdom secret, charge to enter, dissemble about doctrines and even spread un-truths, cause the world much trouble and are basically traitors to humanity even in our own day.

Chris

Robin,
Loving the pictures.
VW

Hi Barbara,
Nichiren would never have been identified with Maitreya. In Mahayana Buddhism, Maitreya is still viewed as the next-in-line to be a historical Buddha, but otherwise is viewed as a kind of lower grade celestial bodhisattva when compared with Manjushri or Avalokiteshvara. Even as simply the appearance of Bodhisatta Superior Practice, Nichiren would have more status that Maitreya. But of course Nichiu and later Nichikan of Taisekiji did identify Nichiren as a kind of True Buddha of Eternity (Kuon Ganjo - a term that does not appear in the Lotus Sutra or any authentic letters of Nichiren).

As for amorality, Robin has it exactly right. Nichiren, apparently, was not of high enough status to receive ordination at any of the official precept platforms (including the Mahayana precept platform at Mt. Hiei). Prof. Nakao who visited the NBIC said that there was no proof Nichiren was ever ordained in that fashion. So, like most East Asian "monks" in the medieval period he was actually not a fully ordained monk. And yet, he still lived in the manner of a monk. So when Nichiren said he was a "priest without precepts" what he meant was that he had never officially received the precepts even though he still followed them.

Nichiren also was highly critical of the amorality of Dainichi Nyonin's followers and perhaps other Zen Buddhist contemporaries, and he consistently upheld a Confucian ethic. One sees this in his letters to lay follower like Shijo Kingo. So I think Nichiren would have been profoundly shocked and apalled by the amoral way in which the Odaimoku is often presented these days.

Namu Myoho Renge Kyo,
Ryuei

Good question, Barbara. I think amoral-ness better describes Mikkyo. There was an irony in Ryokan taking both the Vinaya and the Samaya. Nichiren took neither, but still oberved the Vinaya in practice.

I dunno on the Hojo-Taisekiji connection. There is a lot of implicit Mikkyo in Taisekiji practrice -- the less desirable aspects of Mikkyo, IMO.

I got an impression somewhere, years ago, that Nichiren Shoshu was closely allied with the Hojo clan..that Nichiren (maybe as Maitreya) became sort of their titular deity in clan wars....and for that reason, in 1941, an admiral named Hojo brought many of his subordinates to Daisekeji to pray for good luck on the eve of their departure to bomb Pearl Harbor. I guess they got what they wanted, but I have ongoing problems with the Fuji School's rejection of Sakyamuni's ethical standards. Is daimoku completely amoral?