Master Rennyo’s step-mother, Nyoenni, wanted her own son, Ogen, to succeed Master Zonnyo and plotted to bring that about. She almost succeeded. Because of the strong support of his uncle, Nyojo, however, Master Rennyo was able to succeed his father and became the Eighth Spiritual Leader of the Hongwanji.

After assuming leadership, Master Rennyo, in addition to copies of the sacred literature, also began giving myogo (the written form of the “name and title” of Amida Buddha, “Namo Amida Butsu,” used during worship) and letters to Hongwanji followers.

Rather than the six-character myogo (“Namo Amida Butsu”) that is most common today, however, at first Master Rennyo brushed the ten-character myogo of Kimyo Jinjippo Mugeko Nyorai,which means “I take refuge in the Tathagata of unhindered light filling the ten quarters.” Later, he changed this to the sixcharacter Namo Amida Butsu that we use today. It is said that Master Rennyo brushed as many as a hundred of these sixcharacter myogos in a single day.

Master Rennyo wrote the first letter that was later collected under the title “Honorable Letters” (Gobunsho), four years after succeeding his father. This was during the 2nd year of Kansho (1461 AD), when he was 47 years of age. It was written in response to a request by Dosai (also known as Zenju) of Kanamori in Omi Province, and is referred to as “The very first ‘honorable letter’” (ofude hajime no gobunsho). From that first letter, until the year before Master Rennyo passed away at the age of 85 (his last letter was written during the 12th lunar month of the 7th year of Meio, 1498 AD), his output was prodigious. The collection that is referred to as the “Chonai Honorable Letters” (Chonai Gobunsho) consists of 85 letters, and what is referred to as “Chogai Honorable Letters” (Chogai Gobunsho) contains 139.

Eight years after succeeding his father as the Spiritual Leader of the Hongwanji, during the 6th year of Kansho when Master Rennyo was 51 years of age, the war-rior/monks of Mt. Hiei attacked the Otani Hongwanji twice—during the 1st lunar month and during the 3rd lunar month. They did so because of the vigor with which Master Rennyo spread the Nembutsu teachings and his success in attracting followers. This angered the established Buddhist institutions.

(The Otani Hongwanji began as the Otani Mausoleum where the Venerable Master Shinran’s remains were buried. It was established by the Venerable Master’s daughter Kakushinni during the 9th year of Bunei (1272 AD), so it had been in that area for 193 years when it was destroyed.)

Following destruction of the Otani Hongwanji, Master Rennyo changed residence many times, living in the capitial city of Kyoto, and in places like Katata and Kanamori in Omi Province (modern Shiga Prefecture).

During the 3rd year of Bummei (1471 AD) when he was 57 years of age, Master Rennyo set out on a journey to spread the Nembutsu teaching in the Northern District and eventually arrived at Echizen Yoshizaki (modern Fukuii Prefecture).

Less than three months after reaching the remote area of Yoshizaki, which Master Rennyo described in Letter 8, Fascle I of “Honorable Letters” as being, “... a clearing in the mountain, which for many years had been the habitat of ‘tigers and wolves,’” a temple and living quarters were built. Within a year, many structures called taya, where followers could stay while being taught by Master Rennyo, were also constructed. Followers from many different areas of Japan crowded in to hear his Dharma Talks.

Master Rennyo’s increasing popularity was very satisfy-ing for him. Unfortunately, that popularity was also the cause of friction with those in authority in the area, the shugo who maintained law and order, and the jito district administrators.'

Master Rennyo tried to avoid discord with those in authority as much as possible. I believe he was consistent throughout his life in not seeking solutions to the problems of his fledgling organization by lawsuits and other appeals to those in authority.

Item two of Letter 3, Fascle II of “Honorable Letters,” is:

Do not slight the various kami (deities) and buddhas and the bodhisattvas.

The first of the six items in Letter 10, Fascle III, is:

• Do not slight Shinto Shrines.
• Do not slight buddhas and boddhisattvas revered in other temples ... (omitted)
• Do not slight shugo constables and jito administrators

As indicated in these passages, Master Rennyo caution-ed his followers against slighting Shinto Shrines, the buddhas and bodhisattvas revered in other temples, and governmental authorities. Further, in Letter 11 of Fascle III, he wrote: