When people wrong us; Lie to us, disrespect us, treat us as children, or oppose our life aims. Our natural inclination is to want to do battle with them. If they should "win" over us, our natural inclination is to get angry and seek revenge. Revenge is among the oldest of human passions. And we all relate to the tales of persons who are seeking retribution, "justice" and vindication for oppression by others. But it is a dangerous thing. While the stories of Devadatta, Yamazaki, Sanmibo and others may make fascinating reading. The motive of revenge generally tends to be anti-value and the product of Fundamental darkness not something noble or a source of enlightenment.
The story of Devadatta contains classic cautionaries on the power of revenge, anger, and hatred to warp human life. In the stories of Buddhism he grew angry at Shakyamuni for slighting him. He then spent the rest of his life "campaigning" for revenge against his relative and erstwhile master. The result was that he "fell into hell" with his entire body. The earth swallowed him up.
In Buddhism, anger is identified with the "life condition" or "world" of Asura. This urge is part of what drives the cycle of misery known as "Samsara" and blocks our path to enlightenment.
In Nichirenism, the story of Sanmibo is also used as such a cautionary tale, or the stories of the "five elder priests" who, according to the "betrayed" the "rightful successor" to Nichiren, Nikko Shonin. More recently, the various modern representatives of Nichirenism have sought the personification of the "vengeful" and "jealous" person in their various opponants (see Yamazaki or personal.html). All of these are personifications of the notion of evil people.
The Japanese have a tradition of authoritarianism and hierarchy, with people down the chain of command having little recourse from decisions made on high. It is for that very reason that they also have a countervailing tradition of "Uchi Iri" or revenge. In Japan "revenge" has its own terminology and "code" very similar to the "Klanly" traditions of other clan based societies such as the Scots or Arabs. The Japanese have the concept of "Uchi Iri" which is defined as follows:
"Uchi-iri" is is the inflection of the verb "utsu",i.e. 'strike' and "iri" is that of "iru", i.e. 'enter'. So "Uchi-iri" means the action of breaking in someone's residence for revenge. It also implies the person who is broken in is ranked at higher position in political or social hierarchy and the side who do "Uchi-iri" is a group of men.Revenge, and "payback" are old stories in Japan. This is a symptom of the absence of genuine democracy or "equality before the law." The need to take revenge in the name of "Justice" is a direct consequence of the absense of genuine forms for legitimate appeal. Indeed the origin of such things as codes of law, such as those of Hammurabi, was to prevent clans from taking matters into their own hands and seeking revenge on entire groups for the actions of individuals. In Japan notions of hierarchy and respect for authority are deeply ingrained in both their Insular Island Cultures and their Village Cultures for that reason in Japans history, there are some mighty famous examples of people seeking vindication by "Uchi Iri" or Revenge. We will look at some of them and then discuss this from a Buddhist viewpoint.
There have been a number of famous "revenge stories." The first is the tale of the Soga Brothers, a second one is the tale of how the Emperor Go-Daigo was able to restore Imperial power in 1332. And the final and most famous of these stories is the Story of the 47 Ronin. Unfortunately "revenge" and "retribution" have been features of Japanese Society for most of its history, and these issues also figure into contemporary issues. Some have even made a case that "Uchi Iri" figured into Japans plans for Pearl Harbor. These stories all relate to Nichiren Buddhism as well. And the story of the forty seven ronin figures in the so-called "temple issue" as well. When Josei Toda pursued the renegade priest "Jimon Ogasawara" he explicitly picked forty-seven youth division to prosecute his efforts. And even more telling, you can see the later rebellion by Daisaku Ikeda and the Gakkai in terms of "Uchi Iri" if one is willing to look at it objectively. We will discuss all of this.
The above website recounts the story as follows:
Kira, whom history describes as greedy and conceited, became very angry with Lord Asano for not presenting him with expensive gifts (to show appreciation, respect, etc.) and instead of helping Lord Asano became very abusive and insulting towards him. Kira, determined to get even, used every opportunity to publicly humiliate Asano. After two months of abuse, Asano's tolerance was gone.
On March 14, unable to take the insults from Kira anymore, Lord Asano drew his sword (itself a capital offense when done inside Edo Castle) and struck Kira wounding him slightly. For his offense, The Shogun Tsunayoshi ordered Lord Asano to immediately commit seppuku (ritual suicide). Kira, on the other hand, received no punishment; in fact, he became an object of sympathy and was allowed to continue his official duties.
The Shogun's failure to have Kira share in the responsibility angered the followers of Asano,who felt that Kira's improper actions were ignored and Asano's punishment too harsh.
The story goes on to tell of how the retainers of Asano were now "masterless Samurai" and how they sought justice by some of them, fourty-seven, hatching a plot for revenge. After years of legal efforts followed by two years of disguising their efforts they:
The men split up to conceal their plans from Kira, who naturally suspected that Asano's retainers would try to get revenge against him. Oishi[the leader of the plot] went to Yamashina, a suburb of Kyoto, where he earned a reputation as a drunken gambler, a ruse that successfully deceived the Shogun's police and Kira's many spies.
The Shogun, still concerned that the affair might not be ended, ordered the arrest of Daigaku Asano and sentenced him to confinement in the main villa of the Asano family, thus ending any remaining hope that the House of Asano might be reestablished.
For nearly two years they waited, disguised as merchants, street vendors and even drunks to get information on Kira and to be close to him should an opportunity arise to storm Kira's mansion. Finally, Kira and his allies finally relaxed their suspicions of Oishi and his men.
At a secret meeting, Oishi and the other 59 ronin decided that the time had come to move against Kira. But Oishi would allow only 46 of the men to participate with him in the attempt. He sent the other 13 back home to their families.
One by one Oishi and his men infiltrated Edo, and on a snowy winter night of December 14, 1702 the 47 ronin attacked the mansion of Kira while he was having a tea party. The 47 ronin divided into two bands and stormed the mansion from the front and rear gates. In the great battle that followed, the 47 ronin entered into battle against Kira's 61 armed guards. At the end of the 1 1/2 hour battle, Asano's ronin had either subdued or killed all of Kira's men without any losses of their own.
After a thorough search, Kira was found hiding in an outhouse. The ronin brought Kira to the courtyard and offered him the same chance their Lord Asano was given to honorably commit seppuku. Kira could not commit seppuku, so the ronin beheaded him. Then, to symbolize the completion of their mission, the 47 returned to Asano's grave at Sengaku-ji Temple and set Kira's head before it, thus declaring their Lord's honor redeemed.
Naturally the "Ronin" were forced to commit suicide. But their example was hailed as an example of bravery, and became the model for other acts of subterfuge done in the name of restoring "honor."
Nichiren writes in the Kaimoku Sho:
"Thus, for example, the World-Honored One cursed Devadatta, saying,"
"'You are a fool who licks the spit of others!'""Devadatta felt as though a poison arrow had been shot into his breast, and he cried out in anger, declaring,"
"'Gautama is no Buddha! I am the eldest son of King Dronodana, the elder brother of the Venerable Ananda and kin to Gautama. No matter what kind of evil conduct I might be guilty of, he ought to admonish me in private for it. But to publicly and outrageously accuse me of faults in front of this great assembly of human and heavenly beings � is this the behavior appropriate to a great man or a Buddha? He showed himself to be my enemy in the past when he stole the woman I intended to marry,1 and he has shown himself my enemy at this gathering today. From this day forward, I will look upon him as my archenemy for lifetime after lifetime and age after age to come!'"The Devadatta nature as a Metaphor
Nichiren tells this story as part of his explanation of the motivating force behind conflict within religion, fundamental darkness. He shows how as a result of this "rebuke" Devadatta sought revenge on Shakyamuni. The result of which was that he "fell into hell." Nichiren knew that his readers would be familiar with this story, and so he was trying to show how people let their pride get in the way of learning. Devadatta had been rebuked for publicly asking to take over the Sangha from Shakyamuni. Shakyamuni had perceived the arrogance and hubris in his heart and didn't want such a person to think that he could just take over from Shakyamuni because he felt he was the "right one" or the "direct disciple" of Shakyamuni. To be a direct disciple is not a matter of ego but of fidelity to the teachings of ones teacher and the truth underlying those teachings.
The truth is that we rarely need to take revenge on "enemies;" And when we think we do, it is we usually we who are at fault. Even when someone truly is out to hurt us, most of the time, if we can outlast their efforts to hurt us -- and "outsmart them" by defeating those efforts -- we'll find they destroy themselves. Dependent origination tells us that the reason we are suffering now is causality, and the reason they are suffering is causality. Blaming them for what they are doing to us is ignoring what we need to change that situation.
One should think long and hard about one's motivations for seeking revenge. Devadatta's reasons were egoistic, his goal was to punish Shakyamuni for the sin of "disrespect." But Devadatta's own ego was the cause of his suffering, not Shakyamuni. Even so, in the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni predicts Devadatta's enlightenment. Devadatta didn't achieve his goal of getting respect by his worldy actions. He has gone down in history with other great traitors. To get respect one must act in a way that is worthy of respect and expects respect. He didn't do this.
Revenge and the priesthood
Years later, in 1951, when Josei Toda wanted to punish the Priest Ogasawara, he selected 47 young men, including the future President Ikeda, to carry out his plan. This was a conscious imitation of thise story. see Ogasawara page for more on this. Ikeda also makes reference to this as "revenge" in his diary. In 1951 he writes:
I am confident I understand Mr. Toda's great mission better than anyone else. I alone truly inderstand what is in his mind. Blazing with righteous anger, I will fight with all my life. This attitude of "righteous anger" rarely leads to a value creative outcome but simply causes the effect of others to seek retribution in return.
Revenge versus Buddhism
As Buddhists we should seek the enlightenment of our enemies and see their opposition in a proper context. When someone is seeking(say) the same job as I am. That person is not a slanderer of the Dharma for being opposed to my goal of becoming employed. At the same time, someone teaching erroneous ideas and making a lot of money doing so, may be very "friendly" and even offer valuable assistence. Yet that person may be slandering the Dharma and hurting everyone in the process. One has to see conflict in context.
In Buddhism conflict, revenge, are all part of our tied together "dependent origination." When someone talks about suffering and being persecuted, a Buddhist almost instantly relates that to his own life, usually by making a reference to "slandering the Dharma" or committing a bad cause in a previous existence. The point of the mental exercise is to remind the practitioner that his existence is related to what is happening causally. Thus situations are "empty" of any independent existence. We only exist because of our environment and our relationships with others. Therefor conflict is not proof or denial of the truths of Buddhism, but simply the working out of this "Karma" in a negative way. Any situation can change almost instantly if the "intent" and "mind" of the "players" were to change.
The way it should be
As President Ikeda(or his office) writes in verse:
- TO MY FRIENDS
- Devilish functions, as well as people
- who vie to hamper kosen-rufu's progress
- can be made protectors of Buddhism.
- Let's conduct dialogue that
- makes friends and allies of everyone,
- leading to a great victory!
- in Japanese:
- WAGA TOMO NI OKURU
- MA OYOBI MAMIN MO
- BUPPO WO MAMORU.
- SUBETE WO MIKATA NI
- DAISHORI NO TAIWA WO!
The best vengeance is to win over an enemy and triumph within ones life. The truth is that Seeking revenge usually just perpetuates "Samsara" (The cycle of suffering). It is a mistake to seek vengeance rather than seeking to triumph over that part of a persons Karma that causes a person to be in conflict in the first place.
The self defeating nature of Revenge
He writes this message above and at the same time he can write a poem that calls for vengeance -- see this page danceyouth.html. He writes:
- Do not forget to avenge
- The insults of those past persecutions!
These lines seem quite out of character with his other writings until you dig carefully. He can write about justice and truth and talk about all the principles that will lead to peace. He can tell people that dialogue is the key to conflict resolution. And yet when it comes to the priests of what had been his own school of Nichiren's teachings, he and his followers write in stark black and white terms. For example; This Essay "A New Revolution Dawns" denies any contribution towards the split with NST on the side of Gakkai members and demonizes priests. Yet the "Untold Story of The Fuji School" documents a history of conflict that dates back pretty much to the days of Nichiren, and that for the Gakkai dates back to before the war with the hijinks involving toadying to state Shinto (see Ogasawara's story and page on Chigaku Tanaka). He may be full of high ideals and beliefs, but don't cross the Sokagakkai and expect them to forgive you soon.
Vengeance is a bitter Pill
I believe that vengeance is never a good thing, no matter how much someone may deserve it. Holding on to grudges, expecially in an organization, not only is debilitating, but makes otherwise noble people and groups look small. Getting and enforcing respect is important, that may look like a grudge, but it isn't. Ikeda is wrong to even appear to call for people to seek "vengeance" of any kind. The only vengeance that is appropriate is that that is just necessary to right wrongs or to protect the organization against assault. The best vengeance is to simply proclaim the truth loudly. If the Sokagakkai becomes the kind of organization it's detractors cannot attack without resorting to lies and defamations that should be enough vengeance, and we would soon see our enemies destroy themselves as Devadatta Did. You don't get respect by letting people walk all over you, but neither do you get it by going to war the way the Gakkai and NST have.
Revenge and the Temple Issue
The issues with the priesthood are often cast as having to do with doctrinal matters, but the parties involved act as if they have more to do with matters of respect and vengeance (see personal.html or appearance.html for more on this). If they were simply matters of doctrine than the amount of passion that is often expressed in pursuing them would be far less. For almost 12 years President Ikeda and his disciples seem to have pretended that the priests were absolutely right in their criticisms levelled against the Gakkai in 1979. They extolled the authority of the high priest, Nikken, and argued that there was indeed a kechimyaku of the law Yet after 1991 we rapidly came to see that they saw 1979 as an incident of injustice and their behavior since 1991 as restoring the honor of the Sokagakkai and President Ikeda's own honor, which is itself an honorable thing. They saw the intervening time as the kind of behavior inspired by the example of the forty seven ronin. My problem is that as an insider of the Gakkai I was nevertheless outside of the plotting, and this just doesn't seem to be any way a Buddhist way to handle injustice. It is just an effort to exact revenge pure and simple. And that the acrimony has gone on so long just proves that that is a fact. The way he pursued it was influenced by these ancient tales of "vengeance."
Revenge was definately a factor, both in the split itself, and in the subsequent destruction of treasures donated to NST by the Gakkai. Sho Hondo is gone because of the desire for revenge. Nikken is quoted in one of his more candid moments as saying that he removed it to remove the "stink of Ikeda." All of these actions have made both organizations look small and grow smaller.
47 Ronin and Democracy
There is something wrong with the way that the Gakkai and NST had a fight in 1978/1979 and then split up in 1991 rather than in 1979. To me it made no sense at all until I started studying the cultural background. Many peoples in this world aren't willing to be wrong or admit to making a mistake. Rather than both admitting to a mistake, they will come up with any sort of effort to "save face" and still want to get vengeance if they feel wronged. President Ikeda obviously feels he was (see Stormy April) wronged in 1979 when he was forced to resign from the Gakkai Presidency. The way that the Gakkai went about seeking "vindication" looks like a conscious imitation of the story of the 47 Ronin.
Yet to this more naive observer, while it may seem appropriate for Japanese members to appear to bow to superior force and to authoritarian orders, all the while mounting an offensive a-la the 47 Ronin.2 these efforts at revenge, in the end, accomplished no lasting changes. For the forty seven Ronin or the Soga Brothers, there were no changes in the legal codes of Japan or end to the haughty attitude of officials. All they did was to sacrifice their lives and set an example of the kind of stupidity that drove the "Kamikaze" fighters in World War II. Their actions seemed noble, but were actually violent and foolish and didn't accomplish anything good in the long run. We can admire the nobility of their intentions, but I'm not sure about the wisdom of their example.
Unfortunately, the 47 ronin seized the imagination of Japan and have served as an example for how to fight authoritarianism and the result has been disasterous. The Gakkai, in it's disagreement with the priesthood used the example of the 47 Ronin in their "Ogasawara" Affair (See ogasawara.html). This also seems to have been a driving thought behind the strategy of the Gakkai that led to the split in 1991. It is best to leave vengeance to the workings of Karma -- evil people need to be dealt with through the legal system and the workings of their own machinations backfiring.
Unfortunately separating "evil" people from "good people" is not as easy as most of us would like to make it. "Evil people" also count themselves among our friends and co-religionists, or can manipulate and hurt us. Worse, we each behave in an evil fashion at times. If the appropriate way to deal with evil behavior were revenge, we'd be in interminable feuds forever. While in some desperate circumstances, some sort of response is the only way to regain honor lost through dishonorable behavior by a strong foe. The best "revenge" is to change the situation so future evil will not occur. The way of "non-violence" is the appropriate way to do this. But even Gandhi said that some sort of action, even violent action, is preferable to no action. See 47 Ronin Story
Footnotes and Links to more information
- Yashodhara: The wife of Shakyamuni and mother of Rahula. According to the Buppongyojitsu Sutra, she was a very beautiful woman, and Shuddhodana, Shakyamuni's father, wished to make her his son's wife. Yashodhara's father offered his daughter to the man who should prove himself most worthy in various feats of intellect and strength, and Shakyamuni easily surpassed all rivals including his cousin Devadatta. After the birth of Rahula, Shakyamuni renounced secular life and attained Buddhahood. Twelve years after his awakening, he returned to Kapilavastu and converted Yashodhara to Buddhism. The Kanji (thirteenth) chapter of the Lotus Sutra predicts that she will attain enlightenment and become a Buddha called Gusokusemmankoso (Form Resplendent with Ten Million Lights).(Source http://www.sgi-usa.org/cgi-bin/lexicon.cgi?exact=on&src=dbtc&term=Yashodhara).
- http://victorian.fortunecity.com/duchamp/410/47ronin.html
- Buy a copy of the "47 Ronin" film