This is another in a series of daily articles concerning Kishio Satomi's book, "Japanese Civilization; Its Significance and Realization; Nichirenism and the Japanese National Principles," which details the foundations of Chigaku Tanaka's interpretation of Nichiren Buddhism and Japan's role in the early 20th century.
In the Mandala Gohonzon the phrase Namu-Myōhō Renge Kyō appears in the center with Nichiren’s signature in line below. The four corners are guarded by the four heavenly kings. In the middle on the side between the corners are representations of Fudo Myo-o and Aizen Myo-o. In the center on either side of the Daimoku are five rows of names. In the top row, Many Treasures Tathagata appears immediately to the right of the Daimoku and Śākyamuni appears to the left. In the next row down, Mañjuśrī appears next to the Daimoku on the right and Universal Sage appears to the left. In the third row, Kishimojin appears on the right side of the Daimoku and the 10 Rākṣasas Daughters on the left. In the fourth row, Nagarjuna is on the right side of the Daimoku and Chan-jan on the left. On the final row, Amaterasu Omikami, the Sun Goddess, appears next to the Daimoku on the right and the god Hachiman appears on the left. Many other names appear, but these are the names positioned closest to the Daimoku. The position of the Sun Goddess and Hachiman has particular import in Kishio Satomi’s Nichirenism.
Now, let us not neglect another important thought on the Supreme Being. Nichiren wrote down in the Center of the Supreme Being [the Mandala Gohonzon] as follows:
Adoration of the Perfect Mysterious Law Nichiren, with the Sun Goddess immediately to the right of this and Hachiman to the left.
This, no doubt, indicates a most important thought of Nichiren; it was suggested to him by the doctrine of the Ten Mysterious Laws of the Honmon in the Hokekyo. The so-called Three Radical Mysterious Laws among the ten are applied in the center of the Supreme Being.
The Three Radical Mysterious Laws are as under:
- Mysterious Law of Original Effect.
- Mysterious Law of Original Cause.
- Mysterious Law of Original Land.
All of them, originally, were the doctrine concerning the Primeval Buddha. Let us interpret this as far as may be necessary. The Primeval Buddha who had attained Buddhahood from all eternity, in other words, the Buddha who revealed Himself as the eternal savior in Chapter 16 of the Hokekyo, reveals Himself in at least the three aspects. First of all, He reveals Himself as the Perfect Buddha who is the highest effect of cultivation. That is the Mysterious Law of Original Effect. It runs in the Hokekyo as under:
“Listen then, young men of good family. The force of a strong resolve which I assumed is such, young men of good family, that this world, including gods, men, and demons, acknowledges: Now has the Lord Shakyamuni, after going out from the home of the Shakas, arrived at supreme, perfect enlightenment, on the summit of the terrace of enlightenment at the town of Gaya. But, young men of good family, the truth is that many hundred thousand myriads of Koṭis of Æons ago I have arrived at supreme, perfect enlightenment. By way of example, young men of good family, let there be the atoms of earth of fifty hundred thousand myriads of Koṭis of worlds; let there exist some man who takes one of those atoms of dust and then goes in an eastern direction fifty hundred thousand myriads of Koṭis of worlds further on, there to deposit that atom of dust; let in this manner the man carry away from those worlds the whole mass of earth, and in the same manner, and by the same act as supposed, deposit all those atoms in an eastern direction. Now, would you think, young men of good family, that any one should be able to imagine, weigh, count, or determine (the number of) those worlds? I announce to you, young men of good family, I declare to you: however numerous be those worlds where that man deposits those atoms of dust and where he does not, there are not, young men of good family, in those hundred thousands of myriads of koṭis of worlds so many dust atoms as there are hundred thousands of myriads of koṭis of Æons since I have arrived at supreme, perfect enlightenment. From the moment, young men of good family, when I began preaching the law to creatures in this Sahā-world and in hundred thousands of myriads of Rotis of other worlds” (Kern, pp. 298—300 ; Yamakawa, pp. 455—8).
Secondly, even the Buddha cannot be Buddha without having any cause to be Buddha. Therefore He says:
“Once I had practiced the Bodhisattva-course and accomplished the life which is still everlasting, nay, it is multiplied by the above numbers” (i.e. 500,000 myriads of koṭis). (Yamakawa, p. 461 ; cp. Kern, P. 303).
The mysterious Law of Original Cause is shown as above. But if such things only are done in heaven, then they are nothing but matters-in-heaven. Buddha’s contention, however, is quite different from such an imaginary tale; he, obviously, mentioned such a practice on the earth. Consequently, the next problem is the one concerning the background wherein such mysterious things have been actually done. Buddha says:
“From the moment … when I began preaching the law to creatures in this Sahā-world.”
Or further:
“And when creatures behold this world and imagine that it is burning, even then my Buddhafield is teeming with gods and men. They dispose of manifold amusements, koṭis of pleasure gardens, palaces, and aerial cars; (this field) is embellished by hills of gems and by trees abounding with blossoms and fruits. And aloft gods are striking musical instruments and pouring a rain of Mandāras with which they are covering me and the disciples and other sages who are striving after enlightenment. So is my field here, everlastingly; but others fancy that it is burning; in their view this world is most terrific, wretched, replete with numbers of woes” (Kern, p. 308 ; Yamakawa, p. 471).
This is the Mysterious Law of Land.
If there be such individuals who practice the Buddha’s Way and there are Buddhas, then the country or the world which consists of the above beings must be the ideal world. The Sole Buddha, according to the Hokekyo, reveals Himself in these three aspects, but the three are one. Nichiren founded the system … from this point of view.
“Namu-Myōhōrengekyō,” “Adoration to the Perfect Truth of the Lotus,” means the first “Mysterious Law of Original Effect,” “Sungoddess and Hachiman” is the “Mysterious Law of the Original Land” and “Nichiren” means the Mysterious Law of Original Cause.”
Of course, Myōhōrengekyō is the content of the Buddha Shakyamuni’s personality, that is to say, it is another name of the Buddha. Therefore, it is quite natural to mention it as the Mysterious Law of Original Effect, namely He manifested the highest effect of attainment of our personality through sincere cultivation.
Nichiren is, of course, in this case, the prophesied person as the executor or performer of the Hokekyo in the age of the Latter Law. There is no doubt that he performed all his duties precisely according to the indication and prophecy of the Hokekyo: that is, he exemplified how to live in order to attain Buddhahood. But the Sungoddess is the Imperial ancestor of Japan, and the God of Hachiman is also a Japanese national God. Herein some people might imagine a narrow minded notion of nationality, whereas it is, in fact, the most important problem in Nichirenism as the universal religion.
Nichirenism and the Japanese National Principles, p90-94
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