It is often held by Japanese Buddhists that the Hommon is a series of later additions to the original book, dating not much earlier than Kumarajiva's time (A.D. 350-400), and the Tendai sect, which, like the Nichiren, professes to base all its teaching on this Sutra, confines itself mainly to the Shakumon section.

It was Nichiren's claim that to him had been revealed the true meaning of the Hommon, which had been concealed from former ages, and been kept for revelation in the last "millennium" of the "Destruction of the Law." The Shakumon, according to him, must be interpreted in the light of the Hommon, which is the really important part. The gist of the whole is to be found in the syllables myo-ho-ren-ge-kyo, which form at once the object of adoration, the protective charm, and the Kaidan, or Ordination Vow of the sect. One sub-sect considers only two chapters of the Hommon to be really genuine and authentic.

^291:1 I give Nichiren's exact words from a modern Japanese edition of extracts from Nichiren's writings, which has made this great Buddhist leader's mind accessible to me. The book is entitled "Seigoroku," and was published in 1907.

"Hitotsu no negai wo okosu. Nihonkoku ni waretaru tokoro no Bukkyo narabi ni Bosatsu no ron to ninshi no shaku wo narai-mi sorawabaya, mata Kusha, Jojitsu, Ritsu, Hosso, Sanron, Kegon, Shingon, Hokke-Tendai, to mosu Shu tomo amata ari to kiku ue ni Zenshu, Jodo shu to mosu shu mo soro nari. Korera no shuju shiyo made komaka ni narawadzu to mo shosen kanyo wo shiru mi to naraba ya to omoishi yue ni, zuibun ni hashiri-mawari ju-ni ju-roku no toshi yori sanju-ni ni itaru made niju yo nen no aida Kamakura to, Kyo to, Hieizan to, Onjo to, Koya to, Tennoji to no kuniguni tera-dera ara-ara narai mi-mawari soraishi," etc. ("Seigoroku," p. 764).

^292:1 "Same yo hitobito, ma no atari sono mi wo futari no chichi naku, futari no haha nakute umaretaru hitobito, aogi miyo, Ten ni ni-jitsu naku, fushite miyo, chi ni ni-O nashi" ("Nichiren," by Murakumo. Tokyo: Minyusha. 1909).

^293:1 "Seigoroku," p. 774.

^295:1 "Nembutsu wa mugen no go: Zenshu wa Tenma, hajun no setsu: Dai-sho no Kairitsu wa seken owaku no ha: Toshigoro no Honzon, Mida Kwannon to no zo wo hi ni ire midzu ni nagasu" ("Seigoroku," p. 774).