....A bit of History along the Path to.... Seicho-ji Temple near Kominato Nichiren studied here from his 12th to 16th year of age and came back to Seicho-ji to establish his Buddhism on April 28, 1253 A bit of history about Seicho-ji is that it was established in 771 on Mount Kiyosumi by a priest named Fushigi. He is said to have carved a statue of Bodhisattva Kokuzo, using an oak tree, and enshrined the statue in a small hut. He prayed to the statue, which is recorded to have resulted in many miracles. Nichiren was accepted as an accolade at Seicho-ji when he was 12yrs old. At that time Nichiren said to his father, Father, I am going to really study hard and become a great priest. His father responded, Zennichi-maro, there is one thing that you must never forget. There are many in this world who call themselves great. However, there is still no one who is regarded as being truthful. You must become a person of the truth. There is another story called the “Stone of Tears.” Nichirens mother was barred from visiting her son because women were not allowed on the main Seicho-ji Temple Compound at Mt. Kiyosumi. One day, she was sitting on a large stone by the mountain road, lamenting. An employee of the temple was out gathering firewood and happened by. He took pity and agreed to go fetch her son. Nichiren may have been embarrassed. But he was moved by her affection and agreed to see her. Nichiren explained to his mother that he wanted to become a priest to save all people, including his mother and father, from suffering. It is said that his Mother was so moved by her sons words that she shed tears of joy, wetting the stone she was sitting on. This Stone of Tears is still on the temple grounds. According to the Seicho-ji Daishu Chu (Letter to the Priests of Seicho-ji) written in 1276, Nichiren prayed before a statue of Bodhisattva Kokuzo at Seicho-ji, asking to become the wisest man in Japan. Because of these prayers he obtained a jewel of wisdom which later enabled him to grasp the essence of all the sutras. This is probably what he is referring to in the Gosho The Letter to the Priests of Seichoji: when he wrote: Before my eyes, the bodhisattva Kokuzo became a dignified monk and presented me with a jewel of wisdom like a bright star Nichiren also says “He prayed to the bodhisattva to become the wisest person in Japan. The bodhisattva must have taken pity on him, for he presented him with a great jewel as brilliant as the morning star, which Nichiren tucked away in his right sleeve. - WND080, Page 651 In between the Image Hall and the Founders Hall is located the little protected stand of bloody bamboo. According to legend, Nichiren fasted and prayed before the Kokuzo image for 20 (or 21) days. When he finally rose from his devotions, after receiving the jewel of wisdom from Kokuzo, he left the hall, and vomited blood. Ever afterwards, this stand of bamboo has had red highlights (very rare) and at certain times of the year becomes quite red. Nichiren continued his studies at Seicho-ji until he was 16yrs old. He then left to study at other temples in other parts of the country. At the age of thirty-two, he returned to Seicho-ji. In the early morning of April 28th 1253, Nichiren climbed to the top of Mt. Kiyosumi, looked towards his boyhood home in Kominato and is said to have chanted the Daimoku for the first time, in effect establishing Nichiren Buddhism. That same day at noon, he preached at a lodging temple called the Shobutsu-bo to an assembly of priests and villagers who had gathered at Seicho-ji to hear the results of his studies. In his first sermon he declared that Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the only teaching in the Latter Day of the Law which enables all people to attain Buddhahood in this lifetime. This is the occasion when he renamed himself Nichiren (Sun Lotus).
Posted on: Thu, 14 Aug 2014 01:26:45 +0000