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Recitation of the Hoben and Juryo Chapters

BACKGROUND:

Nichiren Daishonin wrote this letter in 1264, while living in Kamakura, to the wife of Hiki Daigaku Saburo Yoshimoto. Yoshimoto had studied Confucianism in the imperial capital of Kyoto and served the Retired Emperor Juntoku. Later, he went to Kamakura, where he was employed by the military government as a Confucian scholar. He is thought to have become the Daishonin's follower around 1260. According to tradition, he resolved to embrace the Daishonin's teaching upon reading a draft of the "Rissho Ankoku Ron" (On Securing the Peace of the Land through the Propagation of True Buddhism). Both he and his wife were strong believers. Evidently, Yoshimoto's wife had sent Nichiren Daishonin a letter asking specific questions about the formalities to be observed in worship of the Lotus Sutra. This Gosho is the Daishonin's reply.

Her first question was: Which chapters of the Lotus Sutra should be recited in daily practice? In response, in the first portion of the Gosho, the Daishonin explains that the Lotus Sutra is the culmination of Shakyamuni Buddha's lifetime of teachings, and that its truth has been attested to by all the Buddhas of the universe. Just as the ocean contains the waters of all rivers and streams, the Lotus Sutra holds within itself the blessings of all other teachings. Thus, in a broad sense, to recite any part of it at all is a most praiseworthy act and will create merit that is beyond imagination. However, among all the twenty-eight chapters, the Hoben (second) and the Juryo (sixteenth) chapters are especially vital. Whereas these chapters are like the root, the other chapters are like the leaves and branches. Therefore, when one recites the Hoben and Juryo chapters, all the other chapters are in effect included. This particular passage, for which the Gosho is named, is evidence that Nichiren Daishonin had very early on established the recitation of the Hoben and Juryo chapters as the basic form of daily practice supporting the chanting of the daimoku.

Yoshimoto's wife's second question concerned what special prohibitions she should observe in doing gongyo during her menstrual period. For this reason, this letter is sometimes called the "Gosho on Menstruation."

Both the inquiry itself and the Daishonin's explanation must be understood in their historical context. Shinto ("the way of the gods"), the indigenous Japanese religion, strongly emphasized the maintenance of ritual purity and had established a number of avoidances or taboos to prevent incurring pollution. Death, illness, wounds, childbirth, menstruation and so forth were all regarded as sources of pollution, and a person coming into contact with any of these was required to undergo ritual purification before engaging in activities of worship. Women were accordingly prohibited from taking part in religious observances during their menstrual period. These taboos were deeply rooted in the popular consciousness and continued to be observed long after the introduction of Buddhism, often being mixed with Buddhist practices to the point where few people were aware of their non-Buddhist origin. For example, it was partly out of concern for avoiding pollution that women were often prohibited from entering the precincts of Buddhist monasteries.

In response to the question from Yoshimoto's wife, the Daishonin first states that none of the sutras mention taboos concerning menstruation. In this way, he makes clear that there is nothing in the entire subject of ritual purity or the avoidance of pollution that derives from Buddhism. From a Buddhist perspective, the Daishonin explains, there is no reason to consider the menses impure; they are simply a natural function of the body.

However, he continues, the custom of observing such prohibitions and taboos has been firmly established in Japanese society, and one should not categorically reject social customs and observances simply because they are unrelated to Buddhism. In this connection, he refers to the principle of zuiho bini -- the precept to follow the customs of the locality -- which states that, even if one must depart in minor details from the Buddhist teaching, one should avoid needlessly violating the rules of society. Such flexibility is characteristic of Buddhism, which concerns itself with enabling people to awaken to the fundamental truth of all things, and not with governing the details of their lives. Thus, in its spread, Buddhism has skillfully adapted its peripheral aspects to the time and place, embracing local customs, while maintaining its essential message intact.

Nevertheless, while minor details of Buddhism may be adapted to society, certain basics should not be compromised. The Daishonin therefore tells Yoshimoto's wife that, while honoring social conventions -- in this case, observance of prohibitions -- she should not blindly obey them to the extent that it interferes with her daily Buddhist practice. Reciting the sutra and chanting daimoku constitute the most fundamental practice for a believer in Nichiren Daishonin's teaching and should be faithfully observed.

Designed by Will Kallander