Opening of the Eyes - Kaimokusho

Japanese: 開目抄 - かいもくしょう

Nichiren's representative work. Written in 1272 (Bun'ei 9). The original copy of the book, formerly kept at Kuon-ji Temple on Mount Minobu, was burned, but there is a comparative copy of the original copy by Nitken. In the Bun'ei 8 persecution of 1271, Nichiren and his disciples were persecuted, and many converted. Those who remained and Nichiren himself were suspicious of why believers and practitioners of the Lotus Sutra suffered so much. Nichiren's urgent and important task in Sado was to dispel this suspicion. This book was written to provide a justification for and give meaning to these sufferings. Nichiren solved this problem with the idea of turning heavy suffering into light suffering, which means that the punishment for past sins can be erased by suffering in this life and religious happiness can be obtained in the future. He expressed his awareness as a practitioner of the Lotus Sutra who bears the destiny of Japan and the Japanese people, and his new determination to spread the teachings.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

日蓮の代表的著作。1272年(文永9)撰。身延山久遠寺旧蔵の真跡は焼失したが，日乾（につけん）の真跡との対照本がある。1271年の〈文永八年の法難〉で，日蓮とその門弟が弾圧され，転向者が続出，踏みとどまった者や日蓮自身も，法華経の信奉実践者がなぜかくも受難するのかとの疑惑を抱いた。佐渡の日蓮の緊急かつ重要な課題は，この疑惑をとくことであった。この受難の弁証，意味づけのために書かれたのが本書で，日蓮は，過去の罪業の報いを現世の受難によって消去し，未来に宗教的幸せを得るとする転重軽受（てんじゆうきようじゆ）の考えによりこれを解決，日本および日本人の運命をになう法華経の行者の自覚と新たな弘教への決意を表明した。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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