November 30, 2006
Nichiren's Childhood
Life and legends of Nichiren
"... data for Nichiren's early years, a formative period, are extremely limited." -- from Biographical Studies of Nichiren by Jacqueline Stone.
Zennichi (Nichiren as a child) was raised near the fishing village of Kominato in eastern Awa Province of Boso Peninsula.
He was the fourth child of Shigetada and Umegiku Nukina. I have been unable to locate any information about his older brothers. Nor do I know if there were other siblings.
According to some sources, his family was descended from Emperor Shomu. His Father is said to have been a samurai from Nukina in Enshu. Before Zennichi was born he had been exiled to Awa and supported his family by fishing.
Of his own birth, Nichiren wrote “Nichiren ... in this life was born poor 
and lowly to a sendara {chandala} family.” Chandala is an Indic word that refers to hunters, fishers, or butchers, et cetera. In the Vedic caste system of ancient India, the Chandala were considered untouchable; lower than the lowest sudra caste.
It does appear his family was well connected. His parents were apparently educated and were friends with the hereditary estate proprietor, known to us as “Oama (Elder Nun),” “The Lady of the Manor,” or “The Lay Nun of Ryoke”. Her domain had likely included Seichoji Ternple at Mount Kiyosumi, Futama Temple, and the Tensho Daijin/Ise Shrine-Temple at Tojo Village. 
Possibly Renge-ji Temple at Hanabusa as well. Oama’s husband was husband was Hojo Tomotoki {1193-1245}, the feudal lord or Steward {Jito} of Nagasa District in Awa.
In the year 1184, Minamoto-no-Yoritomo had moved Tensho Daijin’s shrine out of Ise to Tojo Village in Awa Province. Nichiren saw this as significant. He would write, "Of all the many places in Japan, Nichiren was born in the province of Awa. It is said that when the Sun Goddess discovered the land of Japan, she first dwelt in Awa Province. The shrine of the Sun Goddess stands in Awa. This goddess is the merciful parent of the entire nation, so this province must be of great significance.”
Most of the Boso peninsula is hilly, with some points as high as 400 m above sea level. Awa province is on the tip of the Boso peninsula and was bordered by 
Kazusa province. There are lots of loquat orchards and meadows blanketed with flowers in spring. The loquat fruit is said to have been Zennichi’s favorite. Loquat grow in clusters.They are described as oval, rounded or pear-shaped, and one to two inches long; with a smooth or downy, yellow or orange, sometimes red-blushed skin. The succulent, tangy flesh is said to be sweet to acidic.
"Near the warm and peaceful village of Kominato, Zennichi-maro quickly grew up, surrounded by the profound love of his mother and father. Zen-nichi-maro was different from the other village children in the way he played, his attitudes and behavior." -- NST
It is said that Zennichi was different as a child; larger of build and emotionally more mature than others his age. 
He was also kinder and more thoughtful. For example, he collected sea shells and took meticulous care of them. At play, he was sensitive toward other living creatures. When Zennichi was 3 or 4 years old, some of his friends devised a cruel game. They had caught and killed some sparrows; by baiting the birds with rice cakes placed on a branch of a willow tree.
Zennichi taught his playmates not to heedlessly kill anmals by telling them a tale he learned from his parents. An old man caught a sea turtle and was about to kill it.
A noble saw this and felt pity; so he gave the man clothing to spare the turtle. Later, the noble’s child fell into the sea. Sea Turtles saved the child by appearing and supporting her on their backs.
Zennichi was also fond of nori, an edible seaweed also known as laver. 
Many years later, Nichiren mentioned this in a letter to Niiama Gozen. Niiama {younger nun} was the daughter-in-law of Oama. Nichiren may have known her since they were children. He wrote her a Mandala Gohonzon in 1275.
"I would also like to express my appreciation for the offering of sea laver [better known as nori] from Oama. Climbing the peak, it looks as if seaweed were growing there, but instead you find only an expanse of ferns. Going down to the valley, you think surely it must be laver {nori} growing there, but it is
only a dense growth of parsley." -- Reply to Niiama {Written to Nii-ama Gozen on 16 February 1275 from Minobu}
Another translation: "When I clamber eagerly up the mountain, thinking I have seen wakame growing, it is only bracken that grows there, row upon row. 
When I climb down to the valleys thinking I have seen nori growing, again I am mistaken: it is only parsley that sprawls in thick clumps. I had long forgotten my native village, but the nori you sent brought sad memories rushing over me." -- “Ueno ama gozen gohenji” (Showa teihon Nichiren shonin ibun 1971, vol. 2, pp. 1890-94). from: Nichiren and Setsuwa by Laurel Rasplica Rodd.
Nori can be cooked in soup or served like spinach. It is also dried 
in thin sheets and toasted before eating. The sheets are often used to roll maki, a popular form of sushi. In Japan, sushi is made of vinegar seasoned rice with many different toppings, fillings, or wraps. These might include sesame seed, hot mustard, seafood, meat, vegetables, pickles, mushrooms, eggs, nori, fried tofu, or ravioli-like pasta.
“For the twelve years that Zennichi-maro grew up under the care of his mother and father, ... Japan was enduring ... immense unseasonable snow storms,flooding, meteorites and widespread famine....
The [sensitive and wise] heart...of Zennichi-maro began to ponder the reason for the cause of the peoples suffering.” -- NST
“[His] common birth probably reinforced his identification with the founder of Japanese Tendai, Dengyo Daishi, (the founder of the “Hokke” or “Tendai” School and the man he considered his real mentor) -- who also had to struggle with origins outside of the elites of Japan.” -- Christopher Holte
"From the time he was a young child, there was no person throughout the 
village and area surrounding Kominato that didn't know of Zennichi-maro's excellence in learning. Leaving home to pursue his studies, Zennichi-maro cherished the great aspiration of someday becoming 'the wisest man in Japan'." -- NST
“At the age of 11, Nichiren Shonin’s bright and questioning mind attracted the attention of the lady of the local manor for whom his father worked. Her patronage enabled him to enter the local Seichoji Temple (also called Kiyosumidera), where he could receive an education and begin his quest for his many questions about life.” -- Ryuei Michael McCormick
November 25, 2006
npx2 Nichirenpix2
Did Nichiren really want Nen'a Ryochu and Ninsho Ryokan beheaded? Did he want the government to own the Honmon Precept Platform{s}? What was he thinking with the 4 dictums? Who were the women who sold him out? Was Enryakuji quietly proctecting him?
Every now and then I have questions about Nichiren -- the historical person -- and no clear place to discuss them. Nichirenpix2 is a relatively un-moderated version of nichirenpix. The new board is intended for open discussion of Nichiren in the historical context of Kamakura Buddhism; his life, his views, and his early successors; with moderate moderation.
If you are interested, you need to join with a yahoo profile. See Yahoo! Groups. All Web Features are open to all members. To prevent hostile spam, new members are generally moderated until your first post. Moderators are there to delete spam, un-moderate new members, and steer discussions that stray off topic.
nichirenpix · Nichiren Buddhist Art & Culture
Nichiren was a 13th C Japanese Buddhist who challenged the corrupt social and religious establishment of his time. This web view group is to learn about Nichiren Buddhism. The focus is on shared experience through sound files, art, essays, and photos.
Features include:
* Life of Nichiren and related photo albums; links.
* Sound files.
* Message board to share the practice in a strictly moderated setting.
Join nichirenpix · Nichiren Buddhist Art & Culture
November 20, 2006
Nichiren, Dogen, Tokiyori, and Kamakura Zen
The Four Dictums * Nichiren's First Sermon April 28 1253
Rikkyo Kaishu-e or Risshu-e * Life and legends of Nichiren
After assuming the position of Regent to the Shogun, in 1246, Hojo Tokiyori (1227-1263) (r. 1246-1256) began instituting a number of changes, to consolodate his power. See Nichiren's Vow in 1253. 
One of these was the creation of a Kamakura Zen School, to compete with Kenninji, Tofukuji, Kosho-ji, and Eiheiji.
Zen Halls, some older than Kennin-ji, were established at Kamakura City, but these were operated as Tendai or Shingon Temples. These older Kamakura Zendoes taught Eisai's Rinzai Zen, a practice that was rather ceremonial and which stressed the use of Koans. Early Kamakura Rinzai Zen was also combined with New Shingon rituals.
Tokiyori was mainly interested in Zen as a way to enhance the training of his Samurai in the martial arts. As such, he wanted the most 'state of the art' form of Zen; which would be the zazen or shikantaza of the newer Soto School. Tokiyori hoped to establish a Kamakura Soto Zen School. To this end, in 1247, he invited Dogen to Kamakura.
Dogen Zenji {(Dogen Kigen, Eihei Dogen) (1200-1253)} is considered the founder of the Japanese Soto Zen School. At age 13, he was ordained as a Buddhist Monk at Hiezan Enryakuji; which was/is the Head Temple of the Tendai School. 
While there, he encountered what he saw as a dilemma in the Tendai Doctrine of Innate Buddha Nature {Hongaku}.
"As I study both the exoteric and the esoteric schools of Buddhism, they maintain that human beings are endowed with Dharma-nature by birth. If this is the case, why did the Buddhas of all ages - undoubtedly in possession of enlightenment - find it necessary to seek enlightenment and engage in spiritual practice?" -- from Eihei Dogen: Mystical Realist
From what I can gather, this began a spiritual quest which culminated with a pilgrimage to China. After failing to find an answer at Enryakuji, Dogen visited Miidera Onjoji, the Head Temple of the Jimon branch of Tendai. After that, he studied Rinzai Zen under Eisai and Myozen at Kenninji Temple. In 1221, he received the Rinzai Transmission from Myozen.
Apparently, Dogen became disenchanted with the Rinzai emphasis on Koans, at the expense of studying the Sutras. In 1223, Dogen traveled to China where, in 1225, he learned Caodong {Soto} Zen from Master Rujing. In 1227, he returned to Kennin-ji temple in Kyoto. Soon after, he moved to Fukakusa in Kyoto, where he founded Kosho-ji temple.
In 1243, to escape ongoing political tension with the Tendai Schools, Dogen relocated to the mountains of Echizen province, which is well to the north of Kyoto. 
There, he would found Eiheiji Temple. In 1247, Tokiyori invited Dogen to come to Kamakura to teach him. Coincidentally, it is thought that Dogen may have met Nichiren around that time.
Apparently, Dogen visited Kyoto Sen'nyu-ji while Nichiren was studying at the library there. Perhaps he sought Nichiren's advice about the political situation at the Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine-Temple? Hachiman-gu-ji was at the center of religious and political life in Kamakura City. IIRC, it was jointly administered by Kyoto Toji and Miidera Onjo-ji. Nichiren had studied at the Hachiman-gu-ji Sutra Repository from 1239-1242.
Dogen made the journey east on the Tokaido, and remained in Kamakura for six months. He performed lay ordinations, and taught Soto Zen, but had tired of political hassles, so he rejected Tokiyori's offer to head up a new school. He returned to Eiheiji in 1248. Years later, Nichiren would write:
"The four peaceful practices [in the "Peaceful Practices" chapter] correspond to shoju. To carry them out in this age would be as foolish as sowing seeds in winter and expecting to reap the harvest in spring. It is natural for a rooster to crow at dawn, but strange for him to crow at dusk. Now, when the true and the provisional teachings are utterly confused, it would be equally unnatural for one to seclude oneself in the mountain forests and carry out the peaceful practice of shoju without refuting the enemies of the Lotus Sutra. One would lose the chance to practice the Lotus Sutra." -- Nichiren
Of this, Rev. Ryuei comments:
"I have often wondered if that was a critique of Dogen or perhaps those like him, who left the corruption of Kyoto and Kamakura to practice meditation in mountain hermitages." -- Ryuei
Meanwhile, in late 1247, Rankei Doryu moved to Jufukuji Temple in Kamakura, at the invitation of the Zen monk Daiketsu Ryoshin.
November 19, 2006
Index
Updated 10-09-2006
I assembled a list of blog entries at "Mettawaves from Robin's Nest," in htm format, with links. The list can be linked here: MW.htm
Comments:
'You should consider putting a revision date'
Done
"Good poem too. Did you write it Robin? If so, do you have any more? If not, who is the author/source?"
See: Deathlessness
Adapted & arranged
From Gospel of Thomas --Translator Nancy Johnson
The Heart Sutra
The Lotus Sutra
The Metta Sutta
Posted by: robin at June 6, 2006 11:02 AM
Good poem too. Did you write it Robin? If so, do you have any more? If not, who is the author/source?
Posted by: VW at May 26, 2006 01:05 PM
The index is great. You should consider putting a revision date on it as I'm sure you'll be updating it continuously.
VW
Posted by: VW at April 18, 2006 07:33 PM
November 13, 2006
Nichiren and Kamakura City Rinzai
(2) "Zen is the invention of the devil of the 6th Heaven."
The same critique might apply to patriarchal Nichiren Buddhism?
The Four Dictums
Nichiren's First Sermon April 28 1253
Rikkyo Kaishu-e or Risshu-e
Life and legends of Nichiren
The Rinzai Zen of Eisai already had an unoffiicial presence in Kamakura City, since the late 12th Century, well before Nichiren's time. We shall look more closely at that in a separate entry, one on Nichiren's years as a student at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu-ji Shrine-Temple in Kamakura, from 1239 to 1242.
Nichiren was most likely familiar with the older Tendai-Shingon Rinzai Zen Temples; Jufukuji, Jomyoji, and Jorakuji, which were established by Eisai Myoan {(Eisai Zenji, Yosai) (1141-1215)} and Gyoyu Taiko (1163-1241)'; with Masako Hojo and her relatives as sponsors.
Rencho/Nichiren probably studied at those temples. But, as far as I know, he does not mention this experience directly. However, if I understand correctly, Eisai stressed the use of the Zen riddles called Koans, as meditation tools. The following humorous passages, from "Shogu Mondo Sho {Conversation between a Sage and an Unenlightened Man}," might be a satire of Rinzai:
"There was a mendicant priest who drifted about from province to province like floating grass, who rolled on from district to district like tumbleweed. Before anyone realized it he appeared on the scene and stood leaning on the pillar of the gate, smiling but saying nothing."
"The unenlightened man, wondering at this, asked what he wanted. At first the priest made no reply, but after the question was repeated he said, "The moon is dim and distant, the wind brisk and blustery." His appearance was quite out of the ordinary and his words made no sense, but when the unenlightened man inquired about the ultimate principle behind them he found that they represented the Zen teachings as they are expounded in the world today. "
This, from the same Gosho, might merit some investigation:
"There are three types of Zen, known respectively as Tathagata Zen, doctrinal Zen, and patriarchal Zen ... "
I looked into this a little, and got more confused.
'Thus Come One Zen' [Tathagata Zen] refers to the Buddha's meditation as described in the sutras. According to the Lankavatara Sutra, this meditation gives rise to the mystic powers with which the Buddha saves the people. 'Doctrinal Zen' refers to the methods of meditation formulated on the basis of the sutras, and 'patriarchal Zen,' the Zen teaching deriving from Bodhidharma, in which enlightenment is said to be transmitted wordlessly from master to disciple.
Nichiren discusses his take on Zen in some detail in "Shogu Mondo Sho {Conversation between a Sage and an Unenlightened Man}, especially Part II. The emphasis appears to be on refuting Patriarchal Zen:
"This is why I say that patriarchal Zen is a gravely erroneous affair. " -- Nichiren 
The same critique might apply to patriarchal Nichiren Buddhism, whether the patriarch is a High Priest or a Lay Leader. The transmission in Nichiren's teaching is from the Lotus Sutra, Gohonzon, or Eternal Buddha; not from a living patriarch.
"...It is written that Sakyamuni said "Heed the Law, not persons". This is the greatest guidance that Buddhism has to offer to the advancement of humankind. Here we are shown the way up from dependence to true freedom, from living in obedience to charismatic power figures to living in unison with the universal order. " -- from "Soka Kyoikigaku Takei" by Makiguchi {Link}
At any rate, Masako Hojo (1157-1225) was willing to fund Eisai because Rinzai was compatible with Martial Arts training, and attractive to the Samurai warrior class. Apparently, after Eisai's death, his Zendos were pretty much gradually converted to Martial Arts Dojos. This hi-jacking process would become complete after Hojo Tokiyori became the Regent in 1246.
See also: On Refuting Other Schools, Zen
November 11, 2006
Nichiren and Daruma Zen
(2) "Zen is the invention of the devil of the 6th Heaven."
The Four Dictums
Nichiren's First Sermon April 28 1253
Rikkyo Kaishu-e or Risshu-e
Life and legends of Nichiren
A search of the Gosho shows that Nichiren's direct criticism of the Zen School is almost entirely confined to a single sub-school, Daruma Zenshu, which was never really a school, and which had little or no significance by 1253. He would also come into direct conflict with the Hojo Regency sponsored Kencho-ji branch of Rinzai Zen.
Rencho/Nichiren no doubt studied Eisai's form of Rinzai Zen, while he was a student at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu-ji Shrine-Temple in Kamakura, from 1239 to 1242. Also, it is hard to imagine he knew nothing of Enni Bennen (1202-1280); founder of the Tofuku-ji branch of Zen, or Soto Zen Master Dogen (1200-1253). It is said that he met both Bennen and Dogen while at Kyoto Sen'nyu-ji, circa 1246 or 1247. The legend even has Rencho/Nichiren donating lumber to Enni Bennen, for construction of a hall at Tofuku-ji. Yet there is not a direct word in the translated Gosho about Myoan Eisai (Yosai) (1141-1215)}, Enni Bennen, or Dogen.
Nichiren mentions Kakuan Zenji (12th C. Chinese Zen master Kuoan), but I can not find much on him. A Search of the Japanese Daruma Zenshu's 'founder,' "Dainichi" (Nonin), is a bit more productive:
"Dainichi for his part claimed that the true teachings of Buddhism had been transmitted apart from the sutras."
"However, during the fifty or more years since the Kennin era (1201-1204), the priests Dainichi and Budda have spread the teachings of the Zen school, casting aside all the various sutras and postulating a doctrine that is transmitted outside the scriptures."
Dainichi Nonin was evidently a Tendai monk who claimed that the Sutras are useless; that the true teaching is received via a mind to mind transmission from a Zen Master. However, Nonin did not actually go to China to receive the kechimyaku. Instead, he sent two students, who set up a proxy transmission for him, in 1189, by correspondence from Fuzhao Dequang {(Fu-chao Te-kuang, Bussho Tokko) {1121-1203)}.
Nonin named his new school the Nihon Daruma Zenshu {Japanese Bodhidharma Dhyana School}. It was named after Bodhidharma {Bodaidaruma}, who was a fifth or sixth century Indian sage, and the undisputed founder of Zen Buddhism. It is thought that Bodhidharma introduced the Zen School to China, during travels to the Middle Kingdom.
From what I can gather, the antinomianism and anti-intellectualism of Nonin's so called Daruma movement appealed to young court nobles and the samurai class of the early Kamakura Era. It sppears to have attracted a significant following, one that included talented students such as Koun Ejo (1198-1280) and Tettsu Gikai (1219-1309).
There are, however, scant records of Japanese Daruma Zen and its founder; we do not even have birth and death dates for Nonin. Nichiren seems to place him as a near contemporary of Honen ( 1133-1212). I am told that Esai, Bennen and especially Dogen refuted the extreme elements of Nonin's teaching. By 1253, Daruma Zen had largely been absorbed by Dogen's School, later known as Soto Zen. Ironically, Nonin, who tried to found a new sect, failed. Meanwhile, Eisai and Dogen, who only wanted to teach Buddhism, are considered founders of the Rinzai and Soto Schools.
The following phrases, mostly from "Conversation between a Sage and an Unenlightened Man" seem to summarize Nichiren's primary objections to Zen:
"The followers of Dainichi, known as the Zen school, claim that the Buddha's true teachings have been transmitted apart from the sutras."
"... the Great Teacher Miao-lo in the first volume of his Guketsu comments on this situation by saying, 'The people of today look with contempt on the sutra teachings and emphasize only the contemplation of truth, but they are making a great mistake, a great mistake indeed!"
"Moreover, I should point out that the Zen followers of the present age are confused as to the teachings of their own sect. ... these patriarch-teachers [actually] placed primary emphasis on the sutra texts. "
"You spoke earlier of twenty-eight patriarchs of India who orally transmitted this Zen doctrine, but on what evidence is such a statement based? ...It is a gross error to speak of twenty-eight patriarchs. This is the beginning of the errors of the Zen sect. ... It was all a fabrication designed to make people respect the Zen teachings."
The criticism of reliance on "teachings [which] have been transmitted apart from the sutras" was, I think, a valid point; a flaw of Daruma Zen that I believe Dogen also pointed out and denounced? As to the twenty-eight patriarchs being a fabrication; we now know that the T'ien T'ai scheme of twenty-four patriarchs, which Nichren accepted, was also likely fabricated; though maybe not out of whole cloth like the latter part the Zen lineage?
November 09, 2006
Kamakura Jodo: Komyoji, and Daibutsuden
Nichiren and Kamakura Chinzei Jodo
The Four Dictums
Nichiren's First Sermon April 28 1253
Rikkyo Kaishu-e or Risshu-e
Life and legends of Nichiren
"Teachings such as those left behind by Honen and Shan-tao have been known to me since I was seventeen or eighteen." -- Nichiren
Nichiren likely learned about Contemplative Nembutsu while he {Yakuo-bo}was a novice at Seichoji. He likely practiced it at Mt. Hiei circa 1242-1246. . However, it appears that his first real exposure to popular devotional Nembutsu was during his {Rencho's} years {1239-1242} as a student at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu-ji Shrine-Temple in Kamakura.
The first officially sanctioned Jodo temple in Kamakura was likely 
Tenshozan Renge-in Komyoji, founded in 1240 by Reverend Ryochu. The temple was sponsored by the fourth Regent of the Kamakura Shogunate, Tsunetoki Hojo {(1214-1246) (r. 1242-1246)}.
While there are no extant records, it is thought that Rencho {Nichiren} practiced the Jodo School devotional Nembutsu at Komyoji, under the direction of an elder monk named Daio. We shall cover that experience in a segment on "Nichiren/Rencho at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu-ji from 1239-1242."
While Rencho {Nichiren} was at Enryaku-ji, another Jodo Temple, Taiisan Kotoku-in Shojo Senji, was completed, circa 1243. 
The Hojo Clan had declined to officially sponsor this one, leading to many delays. Yoritomo Minamoto, the founder of the Kamakura Shogunate, had initiated the project before his death in 1199. Yoritomo wanted a Great Buddha at Kamakura, like the one at Nara.
However, whereas the Great Buddha of Nara is Dainichi, the Great Buddha of Kamakura is Amida. According to lore, it was finally completed through the private efforts of Yoritomo's Court Lady Inada and a Reverend Joko.
The current Bronze Daibutsu at Kotoku-in was completed in 1252. 
The statue was originally housed in a large, building like the one at Todaiji in Nara. The Kotoku-in is better known as the Daibutsuden or Daibutsu-ji.
"His [Honen's] disciples continued to spread his teachings and gain sympathizers both among the common people and the nobility, and in time even many of the temples of the established schools, such as Tendai and Shingon, became centers of Pure Land practice and devotion following the teachings of Honen. " -- Ryuei
Meanwhile, Temples affiliated with Ritsu, Tendai, Shingon, and other old establishment schools began adopting the popular devotional Nembutsu as a primary practice for lay parishoners. By 1253, there was a substantial Jodo Shu presence at Seichoji.
"Because the people of our time in particular have mistaken the erroneous doctrines of Shan-tao and Honen for correct teachings and taken the three Pure Land sutras as their guide, eight or nine out of every ten temples that they build have Amida Buddha enshrined as the principal object of devotion." -- Nichiren
November 08, 2006
Nichiren and Kamakura Chinzei Jodo
The Four Dictums
Nichiren's First Sermon April 28 1253
Rikkyo Kaishu-e or Risshu-e
Life and legends of Nichiren
(1) "Nembutsu {Jodo} leads to the hell of incessant suffering."
"Constant repetition of the Nembutsu is also worthless-like a frog in a spring field croaking night and day.
Those deluded by fame and fortune, find it especially difficult to abandon the nembutsu. Bound by deep roots to a profit-seeking mind, they existed in ages past, and they exist today. They are to be pitied." -- Soto Zen Master Dogen
"Many books have been written with the aim of refuting this evil doctrine ... [but] they have not thoroughly revealed the fundamental reason ... [it] discredits the True Dharma. Contrary to their intention, therefore, they only helped to propagate the book." -- Nichiren
Honen had been defrocked and exiled. His followers were smeared and some were even executed. 
The propagation of Jodo Shu had been prohibited. Yet the new school flourished. I may be 'reading in,' but Nichiren seems to imply that the use of smear campaigns and force had only backfired, because -- "... they have not thoroughly revealed the fundamental reason ..."
The correct way to refute a teaching is with the three proofs; documentary evidence, sound reasoning, and actual results. Also, there is no sense in our attempting to refute the current Pure Land schools; unless we understand their practices and doctrines. These may or may not be the same as those of Nichiren's contemporaries.
The 4 Eras of Honen's Disciples
Honen's disciple Bencho {(Ben'a or Shoko) (1162-1238)} is considered the second Patriarch of the mainstream Chinzei Jodo School. He moderated the extreme exclusivism of Honen's Teaching by accepting "all Buddhist 
practices as a general form of the nembutsu (so no nembutsu);" while retaining the "recitation of Amida's name as the specific nembutsu (betsu no nembutsu)."
Bencho's successor was Ryochu {(Nen'amidabutsu, Nen'a) (1199-1287)}. Ryochu rejected the 'shogyo hongan' doctrine -- that practices other than the nembutsu correspond to Amida's original vow --, but held that they are still efficacious in achieving the Pure Land.
The more moderate views of Bencho and Ryochu eased tensions with the establishment schools, thus helping them gain the patronage of the landed governing class. It was Ryochu who gained the patronage of the Hojo Regency and brought the Jodo School to Kamakura City.
Nichiren possibly learned about Contemplative Nembutsu while he {Yakuo-bo}was a novice at Seichoji. ASt this point, I doubt it. It appears that his first exposure to popular Nembutsu was during his {Rencho's} years {1239-1242} as a student at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu-ji Shrine-Temple in Kamakura.
"Teachings such as those left behind by Honen and Shan-tao have been known to me since I was seventeen or eighteen." -- Nichiren
There are numerous references in the Gosho to Honen, Pure Land, and Nembutsu. There are mentions of and allusions to Nen'a Ryochu, Choraku-ji, the Daibutsu-den, and various temples that adopted the Nembutsu. It is noteworthy that there is nothing at all about Shinran (1173-1262), who was the founder of the Jodo Shin School
November 07, 2006
Nichiren on Honen and Japanese Pure Land
The Four Dictums
Nichiren's First Sermon April 28 1253
Rikkyo Kaishu-e or Risshu-e
Life and legends of Nichiren
(1) "Nembutsu {Jodo} leads to the hell of incessant suffering."
The spread of popular Pure Land Buddhism in China had coincided with a decline of the Chinese Tiantai-Lotus and Flower Garland Schools. Nichiren concurred with the Tiantai view that the Flower Garland & Lotus Sutras represented the finest teachings of Buddhism.
"Shan-tao and Honen, displaying a variety of majestic powers, deceived ignorant priests and lay believers and schemed to destroy the Thus Come One's correct teaching." -- Nichiren
If I understand correctly, Nichiren saw the decline of the Lotus Sutra and ascendancy of Shan-tao's Pure Land teaching as leading to the general decline of Chinese Culture. It appears that he observed a parellel between that and the rapid spread of Honen's Pure Land School in Kamakura Era Japan.
For details on Honen {(Honen-no Genku) ( 1133-1212)}, the spread of the Pure Land School in Kamakura Era Japan, and the official response; please refer to: Living the Rissho Ankoku Ron: The Prophetic Call of Nichiren for Today, by the Rev. Ryuei Michael McCormick Link.
For present purposes, the following are especially useful:
The Life and Teachings of Honen
The Pure Land School after Honen
Nichiren's critiques of Honen and popular Nembutsu were not without precedent. In 1204 Enryakuji, the Head Temple of the mainstream Tendai School, petitioned the retired Emperor Gotoba (1180-1239) (r. 1186-1198) to have Honen’s movement suppressed. In 1205 Kofukuji; one of the seven great temples of Nara, the family temple of the Fujiwara clan, and a head temple of the Hosso School, submitted a similar petition.
"The enemies of the Pure Land movement finally got their wish in 1207 as the court ordered the execution of Juren, Junsai, and two other disciples, and the laicization followed by exile of Honen and seven of his disciples. Thanks to his influential friends, like the former regent Kujo Kanezane, Honen’s exile was comparatively mild." -- Ryuei
After Honen's passing, there were more scholarly works denouncing Honen and the popular Nembutsu. Nichiren would later write:
" Many books have been written with the aim of refuting this evil doctrine ... [but] they have not thoroughly revealed the fundamental reason ... [it] discredits the True Dharma. Contrary to their intention, therefore, they only helped to propagate the book. They are like a light drizzle during a severe drought, that helps to kill the trees and grasses instead of reviving them, or like cowardly soldiers placed in the front lines of a battle, who only serve to encourage the powerful enemy.". -- Nichiren
I may be 'reading in,' but Nichiren seems to imply that the use of force had only backfired. The correct way to refute a teaching is with the three proofs; documentary evidence, sound reasoning, and actual results.
November 06, 2006
Nichiren on Shan-tao and Chinese Pure Land
The Four Dictums
Nichiren's First Sermon April 28 1253
Rikkyo Kaishu-e or Risshu-e
Life and legends of Nichiren
(1) "Nembutsu {Jodo} leads to the hell of incessant suffering."
"The Pure Land Buddhism which survived the persecution of 845 and which attained mass appeal throughout East Asia was not, 
however, the Pure Land Buddhism of the Pratyutpanna Sutra championed by Hui-yuan or Chih-i. ... Three teachers of Chinese Pure Land Buddhism in particular should be noted because they provided the major source of inspiration for the Pure Land movement of Honen in Japan. These teachers are T’an-luan (476-542), Tao-ch’o (562-645), and Shan-tao (613-681)." -- Ryuei
While Pure Land Buddhism predated him in China, Shan-tao 613-681 was apparently the most important one who changed it; from a contemplative meditation practice for advanced Bodhisattvas, to the popular and simple practice of reciting Amida's name. His teachings are expounded in the "Kuan Wu Liang Shou Ching Shu {Commentary on the Meditation on Amida Buddha Sutra}." Shantao believed that those born in Mappo were beyond redemption, but even those who are beyond salvation can be redeemed by the power of Amida Buddha's original vow.
Here is a search of "Shan-Tao" in the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Concordance: Link
Here is a sampling of quotations:
"But T'an-luan, Tao-ch'o, and Shan-tao embraced the provisional teachings and forgot about the true ones, went by what had been taught in the earlier period of the Buddha's life and discarded what was taught later."
"The Reverend Shan-tao, who was revered as a practitioner who had gained enlightenment through the attainment of meditation and honored as a living incarnation of Amida Buddha, designated five kinds of sundry practices that are to be discarded, and said of the Lotus Sutra that 'not even one person in a thousand' could be saved by it; by which he meant that if a thousand people put faith in that sutra not a single one of them will attain Buddhahood."
"If we stop to ponder the logic of the matter, we will realize that Shan-tao is the deadly enemy of all Buddhas and sutras, and the foe of wise priests and humble lay believers alike."
"And Shan-tao in his writings calls the Lotus Sutra a 'sundry practice,' saying that 'not even one person in a thousand' can be saved by it, by which he means that, if a thousand people take faith in it, not a single one of them will gain enlightenment."
The spread of popular Pure Land Buddhism coincided with a decline of the Chinese Tiantai-Lotus and Flower Garland Schools. Nichiren concurred with Tiantai Grand Master Chih-i {T'ien-t'ai} in his view that the Flower Garland & Lotus Sutras represented the finest teachings of Buddhism. If I understand correctly, Nichiren saw their decline as leading to the general decline of Chinese Culture.
More:
Pure Land Buddhism in India and China
The Influence of Shan-tao on Honen's Teachings
The Five Chinese Masters of Jodo Shu
November 05, 2006
Genshin, Nembutsu, and the Four Dictums
Nichiren's First Sermon
April 28 1253
Rikkyo Kaishu-e or Risshu-e
Life and legends of Nichiren
(1)" Nembutsu {Jodo} leads to the hell of incessant suffering."
"Teachings such as those left behind by Honen and Shan-tao have been known to me since I was seventeen or eighteen." -- Nichiren
A casual reader might have the impression that Nichiren was harshly and blindly critical of all forms of Nembutsu practice or Amidism. At this point, my own understanding of Nembutsu, and Nichiren's critiques thereof, is limited in scope. The more I learn, the more I realize what I do not know.
There appear to have been two main forms of Nembutsu in Nichiren's time. 
These were the more contemplative or meditative Tendai Nembutsu; as taught by Genshin {(Eshin) ( 942–1017)} , and the popular Jodo or Pure Land Nembutsu; which was pioneered in China by Shan-tao {(Shandao, Zendo) (613-681)}.
Genshin had been the Supervisor of Monks at Enryakuji, the head temple of the Tendai school at Mount Hiei. He is considered the founder of the Eshin branch of the Tendai school. Genshin authored two important works; in 985, the immemsely popular "Ojoyoshu {The Essentials of Rebirth in the Pure Land}" and, circa 1006, the "Ichijoyoketsu {Essentials of the One Vehicle Teaching}.
In the "Ojoyoshu", Genshin proposes that traditional samatha-vipassana 
{shikan} meditation is useless in the darkness and chaos of Mappo, because it depends on self-power or jiriki. Instead, his form of meditation relied on the tariki or other power of Amida, to escape from rebirth in the 6 worlds, and secure rebirth in the Pure Land. However, in the later "Ichijoyoketsu," Genshin stresses the One Vehicle of the Lotus Sutra and the Universality of the Buddha Nature.
Nichiren refers to Genshin as Eshin and makes mention of him in the Gosho. Here is a search of the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Concordance: link . Here is a sampling of quotations:
"Thus, the Supervisor of Priests Eshin says, 'The teachings and practices 
that lead to rebirth in the Land of Perfect Bliss are the eyes and feet for those who live in this defiled latter age of ours.'"
"Eshin said in his Essentials of the One Vehicle Teaching, 'Throughout Japan, all people share the same capacity to attain Buddhahood through the perfect teaching.' ... Now which opinion should we believe, that of Tao-ch'o and Honen or that of Dengyo and Eshin? "
"This practice of invoking the name of the Buddha Amida was advocated by Eshin in his work Essentials of Rebirth in the Pure Land, and as a result, one-third of the people of Japan became believers in the Nembutsu, the calling on the name of Amida."
"And many of the scholars in the latter age have been deluded by Eshin's introduction to his Essentials of Rebirth in the Pure Land and have as a result lost the true mind of faith in the Lotus Sutra, giving their allegiance instead to the provisional teachings associated with Amida."
"If Honen was a truly wise man, why did he not, in his Nembutsu Chosen above All, mention the passages of explanation by Dengyo and Eshin such as I have quoted above, and resolve the contradiction?"
While occasionally harshly critical, Nichiren's view of Genshin appears to be nuanced and balanced. On one occasion, Nichiren wrote that Eshin's work had depth, but lacked breadth. The Ichijoyoketsu, at least, gets a favorable review. Also, it appears that Nichiren was more critical of Honen, for selectively citing passages from the Ojoyoshu, out of a fuller context.
The popular Jodo or Pure Land Nembutsu was promoted in Kamakura Era Japan by Honen {(Honen-no Genku) ( 1133-1212)}; who is considered the founder of the independent Jodo School. Honen's immediate successors in the mainstream Chinzei Jodo School were Bencho {(Ben'a, Shoko) (1162-1238)} and Ryochu {(Nen'amidabutsu, Nen'a) (1199-1287)}.