The Three Obstacles and Four Devils
There is definitely something extraordinary in the ebb and flow of the tide, the rising and setting of the moon, and the way in which summer, autumn, winter, and spring give way to each other. Something uncommon also occurs when an ordinary person attains Buddhahood. At such a time, the three obstacles and four devils will invariably appear, and the wise will rejoice while the foolish will retreat. (WND-1, p. 637)
(A) Background
Please refer to June 2024 issue of "Creative Life" and summarize.
Background and Outline
Nichiren Daishonin wrote this letter on November 20, 1277, at Mount Minobu at the age of 56. It was addressed to Hyde no Sakan Munenaga, the younger of the two Ikegami brothers who resided In Musashi Province (part of present-day Ota ward, Tokyo).
The Ikegami brothers are generally thought to have been among Nichiren Daishonin's earliest followers who took up faith shortly after the Daishonin established his teachings (in 1253). Both were officials in the Kamakura shogunate and served as prominent builders and engineers (overseeing construction and repairs of major government buildings).
However, their father Ikegami
Yasumitsu, an ardent supporter of Ryokan, chief priest of Gokuraku-ji temple of the True Word Precepts school, opposed their faith and had disowned Munenaka, the elder of the two. This letter, "The Three Obstacles and the Four Devils*, was written by the Daishonin Immediately upon learning that Munenaka was disowned a second time.
Disownment in feudal samurai society during the Kamakura period was an extremely severe sanction. It not only meant the loss of the right of succession, but also being deprived of both one's economic foundation and social standing.
Moreover, In this particular case, since only the elder brother had been disowned, there was now a chance for the younger brother, Munenaga, to become his father's heir, if he was willing to give up his faith. This was clearly a cunning tactic to provoke a rift between the brothers who were exerting themselves in the practice of faith in unity till then.
When the elder brother, Munenaka, was disowned a second time, he was determined to remain true to his faith in the Daishonin's teachings, no matter what the consequences. However, the younger Munenaga was slightly affected.
Deeply concerned that he might give up faith, the Daishonin gives him strict but warm guidance here in this letter to spur him to arouse the resolve to stand up with profound conviction in faith.
In this letter, the Daishonin teaches the true way of filial piety by stating that instead of obeying his father who had now become "an enemy of the Lotus Sutra"
(WND-1, p 636), Munenaga should lead his father to the path of enlightenment as
"a votary of the Lotus Sutra".
Subsequently, the Daishonin teaches that when an ordinary person is on the verge of attaining Buddhahood, the three obstacles and four devils will invariably arise. As such, the Daishonin encourages the brothers to fearlessly take on the challenges and overcome all obstacles with "the faith of the wise".
In closing, the Daishonin encourages Munenaga to unite with his elder brother to overcome the adversity that stands before him by reminding him of the serious consequences of abandoning faith.
Supported by the Daishonin's guidance and encouragement, Munenaga upheld his faith together with his brother.
Through their persevering and united efforts, the brothers finally led their father to accept faith in the Daishonin's teaching.
(B) Key Points for Sharing
Key Learning Points of the Gosho Passage:
◇ The Workings of the "Devils" Rob One's Life Force and Courage to Advance
◇ Trials Are Opportunities for Growth
◇ Living Our Lives Together with the Soka Gakkai Always
1. The Workings of the "Devils" Rob One's Life Force and Courage to Advance
At the outset of this Gosho passage, Nichiren Daishonin writes: "There is definitely something extraordinary in the ebb and flow of the tide, the rising and setting of the moon, and the way in which summer, autumn, winter, and spring give way to each other."
Unlike today, when there were no electric lights and the only lights to illuminate the night were the moon or the stars, the moon coming and going was a great change during the Daishonin's time.
The principle that the Daishonin is trying to convey here is that great changes (trials) take place at critical turning points or decisive junctures.
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June 2024 Discussion Meeting Gosho
The Daishonin then continues: "Something uncommon also occurs when an ordinary person attains Buddhahood."
The Daishonin is teaching us that when we, ordinary beings realize that we are actually Buddhas, this becomes a decisive juncture when "an ordinary person attains Buddhahood" and therefore, great changes (or trials) will appear.
This is why the Daishonin says in the following sentence, "At such a time, the three obstacles and four devils will invariably appear,..." As stated here, the three obstacles and four devils appear in the form of hardships and adversities at such crucial moments in our lives.
The three obstacles and four devils are functions that emerge in confusing forms to hinder one's practice of faith.
The true nature of devils, or negative functions, is that of robbers of life force that seek to rob one's motivation and the courage to move forward.
We must, therefore, never accede to or fear the three obstacles and four devils. We must not be affected by them. The only thing to do is to face them head-on for this is the way to forge the indestructible life-state of Buddhahood.
Ikeda Sensei explains how we should perceive the workings of such devilish functions in this manner:
Though we speak of the three obstacles and four devils appearing, no one wishes to have to face adversity. That is surely a natural human reaction. But Nichiren Daishonin says that the appearance of the three obstacles and four devils is a source of joy. How could that be? It doesn't seem possible. But it is, in fact, by overcoming the steep hills and inclines of obstacles that we can forge our lives and ascend the summit of Buddhahood, where we can savor the sublime vista of eternity, happiness, true self, and purity.
My mentor, second Soka Gakkai president Josei Toda, often spoke about the three obstacles and four devils. He said they represented the valleys of training and development that lie in between the hills of benefit that we climb on the way to scaling the highest mountain of Buddhahood.
The important thing is how we approach the three obstacles and four devils. We need to "own" them, to look at them as something we ourselves have summoned up. It may seem that we are being assailed by the three obstacles and four devils, but the true reality is just the opposite. Because we have voluntarily set ourselves to the task of climbing the peak of Buddhahood, they have arisen. The fact that we encounter these obstacles and devilish functions is proof that we are upholding the correct teaching and advancing in the right direction.
(From President Ikeda's study lecture series, "Learning from the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin: The Teachings for Victory")
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2. Trials Are Opportunities for Growth
The Ikegami brothers' father opposed their faith and disowned Munenaka, the elder of the two.
Disownment in feudal samurai society during the Kamakura period was an extremely severe sanction. It not only meant the loss of the right of succession, but also being deprived of both one's economic foundation and social standing. It also meant that with the disownment of the elder son, the second son would become the heir instead.
In other words, for the Ikegami brothers, the younger Munenga would inherit the Ikegami family's wealth and social standing if he was willing to give up his faith and comply with the father's wish.
Deeply concerned that he might give up faith, the Daishonin gives the younger Munenaga strict but warm guidance here in this letter to spur him to arouse the resolve to stand up with profound conviction in faith.
Supported by the Daishonin's guidance and encouragement, Munenaga upheld his faith together with his brother. Through their persevering and united efforts, the brothers overcame the crisis brought about by the disownment and the adversities that followed and finally led their father to accept faith in the Daishonin's teaching, thereby, fulfilling their duties as genuine filial sons.
Needless to say, it is only natural for us to wish to avoid problems or sufferings as far as possible. However, just as we feel the resistance from the wind when a car moves forward, we encounter difficulties because we are moving towards our goals, which is a sign that we are making progress.
The difficulties we face at work, at home, etc also happen because we engage ourselves in various activities in the course of our daily lives. As such, how we respond to these problems that arise is of crucial importance.
With regard to this point, Ikeda Sensei teaches us in his guidance in this manner:
No one is free from life's sorrows and sufferings. The key is, how do we triumph over them? Through surmounting and winning over such obstacles, we elevate our life condition, until suddenly limitless horizons stretch before us. The greater and the more trying the obstacles, the greater our benefit when we overcome them. That is why hardships are a great treasure.
(From President Ikeda's guidance given at the Thirty-first Soka Gakkai Headquarters Leaders Meeting held on February 2, 1999)
When we find ourselves facing a great adversity, that is the time to press on to take that one step forward by perceiving the hardship as an opportunity for us to forge our lives.
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3. Living Our Lives Together with the Soka Gakkai Always
The Daishonin teaches in this passage: "At such a time, the three obstacles and four devils will invariably appear, and the wise will rejoice while the foolish will retreat." In other words, when the three obstacles and four devils emerge, the wise will joyfully confront them head on.
The Daishonin demonstrated with his own life how he continued to advance kosen- rufu with ever stronger faith even in the face of harsh persecution. The greater the persecution, the stronger the faith he summoned forth.
By squarely taking on hardships, we can greatly expand our life state. For all of us living in the contemporary world today, how should we conquer the devilish functions and live our lives as "the wise"? What actions should we take?
In his lecture on this Gosho, Ikeda Sensei teaches as follows.
The crucial thing when confronting such obstacles is, first, to chant Nam- myoho-renge-kyo. By bringing the life-state of Buddhahood to flow vibrantly within us, we can vanquish devilish functions. The second point is to stay united with our fellow members in the harmonious community of practitioners. We mustn't allow our lives to be controlled by our environment. Instead, we must engage actively in the realm of faith and practice of Nichiren Buddhism together with our mentor and comrades of faith in the spirit of many in body, one in mind.
(From President Ikeda's study lecture series, "Learning from the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin: The Teachings for Victory")
The "faith of the wise" that is directly connected to the Daishonin is found in the Soka Gakkai, which has transformed all obstacles and devilish functions into a tailwind to further advance worldwide kosen-rufu.
It is important for us to continue chanting daimoku and encourage one another as fellow members in the Soka Gakkai, a gathering of harmonious practitioners that is in accord with the Buddha's intent and decree.
By practising faith and advancing together with the Soka Gakkai, we connect our lives with the great enlightened life state of the Buddha. Boundless life force will well forth from within to enable us to joyfully and courageously confront and overcome any obstacles and devils that come our way.
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Prepared by SGS Study Department
