^318:3 Fasciculus, though rather a pedantic word, would be a better translation for the word Kwan. Kwan is really a bundle of six or eight volumes, enclosed in a case. Sixty kwan would therefore be 360 volumes at least.

^319:1 This was in A.D. 1206 or 1207. Honen (otherwise known as Genku) acted upon it, left Hieizan, built himself a cabin at Kurodani, near Kyoto, and there commenced his preaching of salvation by faith, thus being the founder of the older Jodo. It is noteworthy that Nichiren never attacks his contemporary Shinran, who went much further than Honen in his preaching of Faith. This is, I think, due to the fact that Shinran's activities were at that time confined to remote districts.

^319:2 Proverbial expressions for needlessly scratching old sores or raking up forgotten controversies.

^320:1 According to the "Five Periods," Shaka preached (i) the Kegon, which was absolute Truth, but which was too strong for mortal ears. The Kegon was delivered in the Heavenly Regions; (ii) Agon, the elementary truth of the Agamas for ordinary mortals; (iii) Hannya; and (iv) Hodo, periods of apparent Truth, i.e. absolute Truth adapted to the circumstances and capabilities of the hearers--"accommodations; (v) Hokke-Nehan, "absolute Truth." Between Amidaists and others the controversy is, which Sutras most truly represent this period, the Saddharma pundarika, or the Amida books? It is very difficult to decide; it is also very difficult to fit the three Amide Sutras into any place in the Canon.

^320:2 One difficulty which Amidaists have to face is that their doctrine of the Sole Supremacy of Amida is not quite borne out by the teaching of the three books themselves, in which there are many other Buddhas mentioned, though undoubtedly in inferior positions to Amida. But of the joy with which the common people heard this simplified doctrine (from whatever source it was taken) there can be no doubt.

^321:1 The Emperor Gotoba reigned from A.D. 1184-1198. Then he abdicated in favour of his son Tsuchimikado, and became a monk. But asp a monk (Gotoba-in) he continued to direct affairs in the name of his two sons, Tsuchimikado and Juntoku. When, in 1219, the real power passed into the hands of the Hojo family, Gotoba tried to recover the lost prestige of the Crown, but was utterly defeated. The Hojo used their victory without mercy. Gotoba, Tsuchimikado, Juntoku, were all banished, and Juntoku's baby son, Chukyo, deposed after a reign of only seventy days. And yet the stupid hyper-loyalists of Japan try to make out that the Japanese loyalty to the sovereign has always been a far superior article to anything produced elsewhere Gotoba was a steadfast patron of Honen Shonin. Hence Nichiren's criticism.