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It is said that Nichiren’s teachings begin and end with the Rissho Ankoku Ron.
Unfortunately, this work is very difficult for
people today to relate to. Nichiren was addressing a feudal Japanese society
whose state religion was Buddhism, a milieu very far removed from what Japan is
today, let alone what non-Japanese would be familiar with. In addition, much of
the sophistication of Nichiren’s thought is not present in Rissho Ankoku Ron, which is a simple call to action. Many of the
issues Nichiren sees as a matter of life and death for his nation strike even
modern Japanese people as obscure and of no relevance in a culture that has
become thoroughly secular and which upholds democracy and the separation of
church and state as nonnegotiable political values. However, I believe the
central theme of the Rissho Ankoku Ron
is still relevant. In fact, I believe it is of great significance. I believe
that Nichiren was trying to warn his contemporaries that a society that does not
base itself on Truth and the universal dignity of human life will become corrupt
and will eventually destroy itself. In upholding the Lotus
Sutra, Nichiren was not simply upholding a text sacred to the Buddhist
tradition. Rather, he was trying to uphold the sacred nature of all life in this
world. That is the theme that binds together all of Nichiren’s teachings from
beginning to end. I hope that in this commentary on Rissho
Ankoku Ron I can explain the background and context of this work in order to
clarify its meaning, and ultimately show that this work can still speak to us
today.
Throughout this commentary I refer to two different translations of
the Rissho Ankoku Ron that can be
found in two different volumes of translations of Nichiren’s writings. The
WNSD1 refers to the Writings of Nichiren
Shonin Volume 1 published by the University of Hawaii. WND refers to the Writings
of Nichiren Daishonin published by the Soka Gakkai. I include the latter
because I know that many people have access to that edition and it is also
online.
The World’s Suffering – Causes and Solutions
The Origin of the
Sutras and the Role of their Predictions
The Transmission of
Buddhism to East Asia and the West
Prophecies of the
Latter Age of the Dharma
The Subversive Nature
of Nichiren’s Prophetic Stance
Review of Pure Land
Buddhism Part 1: The Triple Pure Land
Sutras
Review of Pure Land
Buddhism Part 2: Pure Land Buddhism in India and China
Review of Pure Land
Buddhism Part 3: Pure Land Buddhism in Japan
Review of Pure Land
Buddhism Part 4: The Life and Teachings of Honen
Review of Pure Land
Buddhism Part 5: The Pure Land School after Honen
Key Points of the Senchaku Shu Part 1: Rejecting the Gateway of the Holy Path
Key Points of the Senchaku Shu Part 2: Casting Aside the Miscellaneous Practices
Key Points of the Senchaku Shu Part 3: Closing the Gateway of the Mahayana Sutras
Key Points of the Senchaku Shu Part 4: The Band of Robbers in the Parable of the White
Path
Key Points of the Senchaku Shu Part 5: Lay Aside, Abandon, and Set Aside All but the
Nembutsu
Nichiren’s Critique
of the Senchaku Shu Part 1: Honen’s
Slanderous Recommendations
Nichiren’s Critique
of the Senchaku Shu Part 2: The
Effects of Honen’s Teachings on Buddhism in Kamakuran Japan
The Buddha’s
Criteria for Evaluating Teachings
The Sutra
Classification System of the T’ien-t’ai School
Competing Systems of
Sutra Classification
The Confucian Nichiren Part 1:
Confucius and the Origins of
Confucianism
The Confucian Nichiren Part 2:
Confucian Virtues and
the Mandate of Heaven
The Confucian Nichiren Part 3:The
Buddhist Appropriation of Confucianism
The Confucian Nichiren Part 4: The Shinto/Buddhist Mandate of Heaven
Empowerment and Responsibility of the Buddha’s Disciple
Should One Refrain from Arguing the Dharma?
The Question of
Nationalism Part 1: Should the Dharma Serve the State?
The Question of Nationalism Part 2: Should the State Serve
the Dharma?
Should Slanderers Be Executed?
Have
the Gods Abandoned Japan?
Evaluating Shingon
Predictions of Foreign Invasion and Civil War
Choosing Hell or the Pure Land
Conversion and Altruistic Determination
Glossary
Sources
Copyright by Ryuei Michael McCormick.
2004.
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