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Life of Nichiren Daishonin
Life of Nichiren Daishonin
Chapter 7 (pp. 56-59):
Revelation of True Identity
________________________________________
The near execution at Tatsunokuchi amounted to a rebirth for Nichiren Daishonin. He later said in "The Opening of the Eyes" that "this person named Nichiren was beheaded" (MW-2, 177). As his post-Tatsunokuchi writings testify, the man who emerged after his brush with the executioner's sword was decidedly transformed. This is not to say that the Daishonin underwent a change of heart but that the time had come for him to reveal his true identity
The Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai of China had interpreted the Lotus Sutra by dividing it into two parts. The first fourteen of the twenty-eight chapters he called shakumon or the theoretical teaching, and the second fourteen hommon or the essential teaching. The Japanese word hon (hom is a phonetic change of hon) means substance and shaku means shadow. Thus the theoretical teaching is like a shadow of the essential, or substantial, teaching. The same comparison can be used with Nichiren Daishonin. Before the event at Tatsunokuchi, he carried out the role of Bodhisattva Jogyo,4 the votary whose appearance in an age after Shakyamuni's death was predicted in the Lotus Sutra. He thus spent all his time spreading the teachings of the sutra and propagating the faith in it. After the Tatsunokuchi Persecution, he revealed himself as the Buddha from time without beginning who is one with the supreme Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. In other words, his former role was but a reflection of the true mission to which he had been born.
T'ien-t'ai had drawn the same distinction between the Shakyamuni depicted in the first fourteen chapters of the Lotus Sutra and the Shakyamuni in its second fourteen chapters. In the first half, T'ien-t'ai had said, Shakyamuni was merely a person who had attained enlightenment in India. In the second half, he was a Buddha who had attained his enlightenment in the unimaginably distant past and whose Buddhahood continued from that point to exist for all eternity.
This process of a Buddha casting off his transient provisional nature and revealing his true nature has come to be known in Buddhism as hosshaku kempon (literally, to cast off the transient and reveal the true). Nichiren Daishonin's hosshaku kempon came at Tatsunokuchi. That is why he could say that a man named Nichiren died at Tatsunokuchi. The individual who emerged after the execution attempt was the Buddha of time without beginning. In his earliest writings after the Tatsunokuchi persecution, Nichiren Daishonin began referring, albeit in an abstract manner, to the real nature of his existence. This was particularly evident in "The True Object of Worship," in which he identified himself as the original Buddha coexistent with the eternal Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
The contemporary Western mind often recoils at the mention of anything that could be construed as suggesting the existence of a superior being. In equating Nichiren Daishonin with the original Buddha since time without beginning, there is always the possibility that the mind will react in just this way. What the reader should bear in mind is that Nichiren Daishonin consistently stated throughout his writings that "the true Buddha is a common mortal, a common mortal the true Buddha." In other words, in each being there dwells the Buddha nature. However, if people are to attain Buddhahood, someone must show them how to manifest that nature. It was Nichiren Daishonin's unique mission, so to speak, to reveal the way for all people to manifest their latent Buddhahood. In him, the state of Buddha, manifested to open the way to enlightenment for all, while in others, the state of Buddhahood must be established perfected through constant practice. In other words, Nichiren Daishonin opened the way for the attainment of enlightenment by all humanity. Nichiren Daishonin was born into this world to lead a spiritual revolution that would irrevocably transform human beings and their surroundings. As he once wrote, when a person sits in worship of the true entity of life, the common mortal faces the original Buddha. In the process, he becomes a Buddha, too.
Life of Nichiren Daishonin
Chapter 7 (pp. 56-59):
Revelation of True Identity
________________________________________
The near execution at Tatsunokuchi amounted to a rebirth for Nichiren Daishonin. He later said in "The Opening of the Eyes" that "this person named Nichiren was beheaded" (MW-2, 177). As his post-Tatsunokuchi writings testify, the man who emerged after his brush with the executioner's sword was decidedly transformed. This is not to say that the Daishonin underwent a change of heart but that the time had come for him to reveal his true identity
The Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai of China had interpreted the Lotus Sutra by dividing it into two parts. The first fourteen of the twenty-eight chapters he called shakumon or the theoretical teaching, and the second fourteen hommon or the essential teaching. The Japanese word hon (hom is a phonetic change of hon) means substance and shaku means shadow. Thus the theoretical teaching is like a shadow of the essential, or substantial, teaching. The same comparison can be used with Nichiren Daishonin. Before the event at Tatsunokuchi, he carried out the role of Bodhisattva Jogyo,4 the votary whose appearance in an age after Shakyamuni's death was predicted in the Lotus Sutra. He thus spent all his time spreading the teachings of the sutra and propagating the faith in it. After the Tatsunokuchi Persecution, he revealed himself as the Buddha from time without beginning who is one with the supreme Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. In other words, his former role was but a reflection of the true mission to which he had been born.
T'ien-t'ai had drawn the same distinction between the Shakyamuni depicted in the first fourteen chapters of the Lotus Sutra and the Shakyamuni in its second fourteen chapters. In the first half, T'ien-t'ai had said, Shakyamuni was merely a person who had attained enlightenment in India. In the second half, he was a Buddha who had attained his enlightenment in the unimaginably distant past and whose Buddhahood continued from that point to exist for all eternity.
This process of a Buddha casting off his transient provisional nature and revealing his true nature has come to be known in Buddhism as hosshaku kempon (literally, to cast off the transient and reveal the true). Nichiren Daishonin's hosshaku kempon came at Tatsunokuchi. That is why he could say that a man named Nichiren died at Tatsunokuchi. The individual who emerged after the execution attempt was the Buddha of time without beginning. In his earliest writings after the Tatsunokuchi persecution, Nichiren Daishonin began referring, albeit in an abstract manner, to the real nature of his existence. This was particularly evident in "The True Object of Worship," in which he identified himself as the original Buddha coexistent with the eternal Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
The contemporary Western mind often recoils at the mention of anything that could be construed as suggesting the existence of a superior being. In equating Nichiren Daishonin with the original Buddha since time without beginning, there is always the possibility that the mind will react in just this way. What the reader should bear in mind is that Nichiren Daishonin consistently stated throughout his writings that "the true Buddha is a common mortal, a common mortal the true Buddha." In other words, in each being there dwells the Buddha nature. However, if people are to attain Buddhahood, someone must show them how to manifest that nature. It was Nichiren Daishonin's unique mission, so to speak, to reveal the way for all people to manifest their latent Buddhahood. In him, the state of Buddha, manifested to open the way to enlightenment for all, while in others, the state of Buddhahood must be established perfected through constant practice. In other words, Nichiren Daishonin opened the way for the attainment of enlightenment by all humanity. Nichiren Daishonin was born into this world to lead a spiritual revolution that would irrevocably transform human beings and their surroundings. As he once wrote, when a person sits in worship of the true entity of life, the common mortal faces the original Buddha. In the process, he becomes a Buddha, too.
Life of Nichiren Daishonin
Life of Nichiren Daishonin
Chapter 8 (pp. 60-82):
The Sado Exile
________________________________________
The execution attempt frustrated, the forces of Hei no Saemon had no choice but to follow the original plan of taking Nichiren Daishonin to Homma Shigetsura's residence. The Daishonin stayed at the residence in Echi, Sagami Province, for almost a month, awaiting word of his fate from the government. In the meantime, Hojo Tokimune encountered some sort of trouble, the details of which have been lost to history, but in consulting a fortune-teller he was told that it was connected with the attempted execution. He ordered the Daishonin to be freed, but events quickly militated against his decision. A wave of arson and murder swept the city, and the Daishonin's followers were blamed. The government then ordered that the plan for exile be set in motion. So, on October 10, Nichiren Daishonin was escorted by Homma's warriors northward. When the group reached the coast of the Sea of Japan, they were forced to stop for several days at a little haven called Teradomari. Snow covered the ground and the sea was in tumult. No crossing was possible.
In journeying to Teradomari, the Daishonin, as he recounted, had passed over "mountains beyond mountains"; now before him lay "waves upon waves" of the raging sea, a sea which he had never before seen. Beyond that lay Sado Island, cold and forbidding, waiting to swallow him in an exile from which none of his enemies ever expected him to return.
The faithful Nikko Shonin and several acolytes remained at his side, and lay believers kept sending messengers to inquire about his safety. The community of believers was more than a little shaken by the events, and the Daishonin sent a succession of letters to reassure them. In "Lessening One's Karmic Retribution," written while he was still at Homma's residence, he said that hardships are like a crucible in which a person can purge himself of his accumulated karma and bring forth the state of Buddhahood shining like a diamond. In "Letter from Teradomari," sent to Toki Jonin on October 22, he said that the persecutions he was facing were in perfect accord with the Lotus Sutra's prophecy that the votary would be banished "again and again." As some of his followers had been imprisoned on false charges during the wave of terror in Kamakura, he asked in the letter for Jonin to send back word of their fate.
In the "Letter from Sado," written five months later, he enjoined his disciples not to lose faith in the face of difficulties, whether they be his or theirs. He told them that the only route to Buddhahood is through offering one's life the most precious treasure to the Lotus Sutra. By this, he meant for his disciples not to be frightened by persecutions but to propagate true Buddhism confidently, no matter what might happen.
When sea travel became possible, the Daishonin was escorted to Sado Island by boat. He and his captors landed there on October 28, and on November I he was taken to a place called Tsukahara. There he was assigned a hut in a graveyard as his abode. This broken-down former shrine where the original Buddha was to live for the next several months, was named Sammai-do. On November 23, the Daishonin sent another letter, entitled "Aspiration for the Buddha Land," to Toki Jonin. Probably he entrusted its delivery to some of his acolytes who had accompanied him from Kamakura. In it he commented: "I am sending back some of the young priests. You can ask them what this province is like and about the circumstances under which I live. It is impossible to describe these matters in writing" (MW-5,132).
In this letter, the Daishonin also made a proclamation about his identity:
The advent of the Great Law is already before our very eyes. In the twenty-two hundred years and more since the Buddha's passing, in all of India, China, Japan and the entire world, [as the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai states:] "Vasubandhu and Nagarjuna,5 clearly perceived the truth in their hearts, but they did not teach it. Instead, they preached the provisional Mahayana teachings, which were suited to their times." T'ien-t'ai and Dengyo gave a general indication of it but left its propagation for the future. Now this secret Law, the one great reason for which all Buddhas make their advent, will be spread for the first time in this country. And is not Nichiren the very person who propagates it? (MW-5,130)
Even with their foe in exile, the leaders of the other sects were not content. Anything short of his demise was, for them, unthinkable. Early in 1272, scores of priests converged on the island from their home provinces across the sea in the area now composed of Niigata, Nagano and Yamagata prefectures. They consulted with Homma Shigetsura about the matter, but he dashed their hopes for a quick end to their enemy by telling them: "An official letter has arrived from the government directing that the priest shall not be executed. This is no ordinary contemptible criminal and if anything happens to him, I will be guilty of grave dereliction. Instead of killing him, why don't you confront him in religious debate?"
The debate took place On January 16 and 17, 1272, and it pitted the Daishonin against several hundred priests of the other sects. He recounted the debate later when he wrote "On the Buddha's Behavior." According to this account, he first had to quell disorder-shouting and shoving among the participants-before the debate could begin. The priests proceeded to cite the doctrines of their various sects Nembutsu, Zen, Shingon and Ritsu. The Daishonin replied in turn, confirming the meaning of what each had said, and then asked questions. Very quickly he ,was able to expose their contradictory assertions and scriptural incompatibilities. The priests were speechless, no match for the Daishonin's penetrating understanding of the sutras. Several of their followers professed belief in the Daishonin's teaching on the spot.
These were not the only followers Nichiren Daishonin was to win during his exile on Sado. There would be many more and even the year before he had succeeded in converting a believer in Amida Buddha who had come to Sammai-do to confront him. The man's name was Abutsu-bo, ardent in his belief. Once the Daishonin had managed to engage him in dialogue, however, Abutsu-bo had become convinced of the truth of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and immediately became the Daishonin's follower. He then went home and converted his wife, Sennichi-ama. These two believers in Amida Buddha became the Daishonin's providers and protectors while he was on Sado Island, much as Funamori Yasaburo and his wife had been during the lzu Exile [the first exile]. The Daishonin later addressed many letters of thanks to them. Ko Nyudo and his wife also converted to the Daishonin's teachings while he was in exile on Sado, making offerings to him and providing him with various kinds of assistance. He lived in Ko, the capital of the province of Sado.
Sairen-bo, a priest of the Tendai sect who for some reason had been exiled to Sado Island, was also one of the Daishonin's converts. Sairen-bo had several unresolved questions about Buddhism, and he addressed them to Nichiren Daishonin. The reply came in the form of a letter, known today as "Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life," dated February 11, 1272.
In this, the Daishonin said that the Law which Bodhisattva Jogyo inherited from Shakyamuni Buddha at the Ceremony in the Air6 is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, which is the life of the original Buddha since time without beginning. In a broader sense, he taught that Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the entity of all people's lives, and that by believing in the Lotus Sutra and chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, one "inherits" the wisdom to realize that his own life is the Mystic Law. In other words, by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, one manifests the Buddha nature within oneself.
Short as it was, this writing carried an extremely profound message since it revealed the essence of the Lotus Sutra and the heart of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism. It was the kind of thesis that the Daishonin was able to write only after he had a learned disciple such as Sairen-bo to receive it.
On February 20, shortly after writing "Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life," Nichiren Daishonin sent another thesis to Sairen-bo, entitled "Enlightenment of Plants," which discussed the potentiality of Buddhahood in insentient beings. Sairen-bo also received "The True Entity of Life" and "The Entity of the Mystic Law," both written in 1273. After his exile, he founded Honkoku-ji temple near Mount Minobu in the province of Kai. In February 1272 the Daishonin also completed "The Opening of the Eyes," of which he later said: "I wanted to record the wonder I had experienced, in case I should be beheaded" (MW-1, 189). This was in reference to the mortal danger he faced. For, so long as rival priests conspired against him, the Daishonin had to live with the threat of death. After the debate, the priests, more angered than ever, had petitioned Hojo Nobutoki of the Kamakura. government to help them stem the tide of defection from their sects. Nobutoki then issued a proclamation without the regent's knowledge, which decreed: "Those who become Nichiren's disciples from among the Sado inhabitants should be either banished or imprisoned. The Daishonin later wrote of this edict: "Some people were thrown into prison because they were said to have walked past my hut..." (Ibid., p. 192).
Shortly before the edict was issued, however, the Hojo clan was rocked by internal intrigue. Hojo Tokisuke, an elder half brother of the regent, conspired to seize power, but his plot was uncovered. Nagoe Tokiaki and Nagoe Noritoki, who were regarded as his coconspirators, were put to death on February 11. Four days later, Hojo Tokisuke was killed. The rebellion had been stopped before it had a chance to get started, but even the prospect of rebellion was enough to send shock waves around the country. All this worked in the Daishonin's favor. Since he had predicted internal strife twelve years earlier in the "Rissho Ankoku Ron," and since he had told Homma Shigetsura only a month before it broke out that it was imminent, the Daishonin was suddenly taken more seriously by both Homma and the government. When Homma learned that the Daishonin's prediction had come true, he is said to have discarded his belief in the Pure Land teachings. As a consequence, the Daishonin was transferred in April from the hut at Tsukahara. to an ordinary residence at Ichinosawa.
During the Sado Exile, the Daishonin was able, through his writings, to lay virtually the complete theoretical foundation of his teachings. "Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life" had been the first major thesis, and in "The Opening of the Eyes," completed only a few days after "Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life," he identified himself as the original Buddha, a vital first step in the process of clarifying the true object of worship. This would soon be followed by other important treatises. The Sado Exile thus provided Nichiren Daishonin with the opportunity to establish the philosophical groundwork of his Buddhism.
In "The Opening of the Eyes," Nichiren Daishonin said that there are three people one should revere above all else the sovereign, the teacher and the parent. The sovereign is the one who guarantees the security of human beings by wielding social power, the teacher the one who imparts knowledge and helps people develop their wisdom, and the parent the one who gives birth to flesh and blood and nurtures life. There are many ways of looking at the concept of sovereign, teacher and parent, but what the Daishonin intended was the scriptural conception of the Buddha who embodies all three attributes, i.e., the Buddha who protects, guides and compassionately nurtures all people through the medium of the supreme Law. In the end, the treatise stated that in the Latter Day the person who encompasses these three qualities is none other than Nichiren Daishonin.
In this way, the Daishonin defined the true object of worship in terms of the Person, i.e., in terms of the Buddha who eternally guides, protects and nurtures all people in their striving for Buddhahood. "The True Object of Worship," written in April 1273, one year later, clarified the object in terms of the Law which enables people to reach enlightenment. These two writings established the theoretical framework for the inscription of the object of worship.
After "The Opening of the Eyes," the Daishonin wrote a short letter to his followers, the previously mentioned "Letter from Sado." As well as encouraging his followers, whose faith had been shaken by the Tatsunokuchi and Sado persecutions, this letter also served to restate the conclusion of "The Opening of the Eyes." The Daishonin wrote: "Nichiren is the pillar, sun, moon, mirror and eyes of the ruling clan of Kanto....
Nichiren is father and mother to the ruling clan..."(MW-1, 36). ("Pillar" refers to the virtue of sovereign; "sun, moon, mirror and eyes" to the virtue of teacher; and "father and mother" to the virtue of parent. And Kanto here is used to denote the Kamakura government.)
"Letter from Sado" was dated March 20. In April, Shijo Kingo journeyed from Kamakura to visit the Daishonin. In a letter entitled "The Causal Law of Life," the Daishonin praised the sincerity of Kingo's wife, who had sent her husband on the long trip. In May, a lady with her small child came from Kamakura, and the Daishonin was so moved by the effort she expended in making the journey that he gave her the Buddhist name Nichimyo Shonin (Sage Nichimyo). The title was apt, for the lady and her daughter continued to persevere in Buddhist practice long after the Daishonin's death.
Meanwhile, the number of people on Sado professing faith in the Daishonin's Buddhism continued to increase, and Abutsu-bo and his wife became the mainstays of this community of believers. At the house in which the Daishonin lived in Ichinosawa, the landlord's wife became a believer, and the landlord himself developed a favorable attitude, though he did not take up the faith. At nearby Nakaoki, a leading disciple appeared by the name of Nakaoki Nyudo.
Nichiren Daishonin now set about refuting the Shingon sect, a task which he had undertaken before, but this time his goal was to pave the way for "The True Object of Worship." He considered this refutation essential because the Shingon sect had preceded him in inscribing a mandala as an object of worship.
In a letter he gave to Shijo Kingo in May 1272, the Daishonin expounded the principle that earthly desires lead to enlightenment-that is, the mundane cravings of the individual, when tempered by faith in the True Law, become the fuel for enlightenment. In the same month, he addressed a writing entitled "The Errors of the Shingon and Other Sects" to Toki Jonin, and in July he wrote "The Refutation of the Shingon Sect.”
"The True Object of Worship" was issued on April 25, 1273. The original title of the work reads, in Japanese, Kanjin no honzon sho, which literally means "writing on the object of worship for observing one's mind." The Daishonin began the text by quoting from T'ien-t'ai's Maka Shikan (Great Concentration and Insight) a passage which explains the principle of ichinen sanzen (three thousand realms in a single moment of life).7 He then explained that kanjin means to observe one's mind (mind here being used more 'broadly to mean life) and thus realize that one is the entity of ichinen sanzen. This process of recognizing one's essential nature, he said, is the principle of attaining Buddhahood. He then revealed that the reality described by ichinen sanzen is nothing other than Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and declared that, for the first time in the history of Buddhism, he was going to inscribe the object of worship of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Thus he explained the Gohonzon as the object of faith for attaining Buddhahood.
A passage from "The True Object of Worship" reads: Shakyamuni's practices and the virtues he consequently attained are all contained within the single phrase, Myoho-renge-kyo. If we believe in that phrase, we shall naturally be granted the same benefits as he was" (MW-1, 64).
In this way, the Daishonin explained that believing in and embracing the object of worship of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is equivalent to observing one's mind. By such worship the common mortal can attain Buddha hood in the present life, without undergoing any transformation or practice of austerities. A common mortal, in other words, can become a Buddha.
It was now clear, from a doctrinal viewpoint, that the object of worship the Daishonin intended to inscribe would embody Nam-myoho-renge-kyo as the Law, and the life of Nichiren Daishonin as the Person eternally manifesting that Law. The Daishonin carefully composed "The True Object of Worship" in classical Chinese, as was the practice for all important writings in those days. He gave it to Toki Jonin, and it has been preserved in its original form at Nakayama Hokekyo-ji temple, which developed from Toki's estate. In addition, the faithful disciple Nikko Shonin made a copy which has been preserved at Yoho-ji temple in Kyoto.
"The True Entity of Life," dated May 17 and given to Sairen-bo, abridged "The True Object of Worship," much in the way that "Letter from Sado" was used a year earlier to back up "The Opening of the Eyes." "The True Entity of Life" is famous for the passage with which it closes. This passage has continued to be quoted throughout the centuries as the basic spirit of Buddhist practice:
Believe in the Gohonzon, the supreme object of worship in the world. Forge strong faith and receive the protection of Shakyamuni, Taho and all the other Buddhas. Exert yourself in the two ways of practice and study. Without practice and study, there can be no Buddhism. You must not only persevere yourself; you must also teach others. Both practice and study arise from faith. Teach others to the best of your ability, even if only a single sentence or phrase (Ibid., pp. 94-95).
In the same month, Nichiren Daishonin addressed a letter to Gijo-bo, who had been his senior at Seicho-ji temple when he studied Buddhism there in boyhood. The Daishonin said that, of all the chapters in the Lotus Sutra, the Juryo [Life Span] (sixteenth) chapter was especially important to him. He quoted a passage, "Single-mindedly yearning to see the Buddha, they do not begrudge their lives," and noted: "I Nichiren, have called forth Buddhahood from within my life by living this sentence. This means that I actualized the Three Great Secret Laws, the embodiment of ichinen sanzen in the Juryo chapter" (MW-2,236).
This is the first written mention in his extant works of the Three Great Secret Laws: the invocation (Nam-myoho-renge-kyo), the object of worship (the Dai Gohonzon, toward whose inscription he was working), and the place of worship (the sanctuary of the true object, whose construction he would leave to his disciples). He clarified these three in "Repaying Debts of Gratitude" in 1276, though it is possible that he also did so prior to 1273 in writings which may have been lost.
He authored several other important writings in May 1273. In the Gosho "On Practicing the Buddha's Teachings," the Daishonin took the opportunity to state that refuting misleading sects and converting their believers, based on unwavering faith in the Lotus Sutra, comprise the practice that accords exactly with Shakyamuni's teachings. In this work he also stated that the three powerful enemies will surely arise to confront those who practice correctly.
In "On the Buddha's Prophecy," another important writing, the Daishonin said that the appearance of his Buddhism had been predicted in the Lotus Sutra. In addition, he confidently stated that his teaching would never fail to spread throughout the world. Further, in writings he addressed to Toki Jonin and Hakiri Sanenaga (MW-6, 46-48) he expressed his complete confidence that his teachings were far superior to those of the Great Teachers T'ien-t'ai and Dengyo.
By this time the Daishonin had already begun bestowing individual Gohonzon (objects of worship) on his staunchest disciples. in fact, he had begun inscribing mandalas shortly after the Tatsunokuchi Persecution. Those that he bestowed on his disciples have come to be known as "the Gohonzon of specific receptivity and relatedness." Some of these are still extant, and from them one can see that they were rather simply inscribed in comparison to the elaborateness of the Dai Gohonzon of the high sanctuary he would bestow upon all humankind several years later. Still, these mandalas carried the inscriptions, "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo" and "Nichiren," which contained the expression of the oneness of the Person and the Law.
In the accompanying letters that Nichiren Daishonin sent to the recipients of these Gohonzon, he taught the relationship between the object of worship and the life of the original Buddha, and the correct attitude in faith. A letter dated August 15, 1273, and sent to Shijo Kingo is typical of these. It was a reply to Kingo's report of the illness of his daughter, Kyo'o. The Daishonin wrote:
Always cherish the Gohonzon which I sent some time ago for her protection. This Gohonzon was never known, let alone inscribed, by anyone in the Former or Middle Day of the Law. The lion, king of beasts, is said to advance three steps, then gather himself to spring, unleashing the same power whether he traps a tiny ant or attacks a fierce animal. In inscribing this Gohonzon for her protection, Nichiren is equal to the lion king. This is what the sutra. means by "the power of an attacking lion." Believe in this mandala with all your heart. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is like the roar of a lion. What sickness can therefore be an obstacle? (MW-1, 119)
Then he went on to say, in one of the most famous passages of his writings:
A sword will be useless in the hands of a coward. The mighty sword of the Lotus Sutra. must be wielded by one courageous in faith. Then he will be as strong as a demon armed with an iron staff. I Nichiren, have inscribed my life in sumi [black Chinese ink], so believe in the Gohonzon with your whole heart. The Buddha's will is the Lotus Sutra, but the soul of Nichiren is nothing other than Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. (Ibid., p. 120)
He concluded with a final exhortation about faith: "Muster your faith and pray to this Gohonzon. Then what is there that cannot be achieved?"
The two most essential writings of the Daishonin, "The Opening of the Eyes" and "The True Object of Worship," dealt with the theoretical or doctrinal basis of the Gohonzon. A writing given to Sairen-bo in 1273, but of uncertain date, now broached the subject of what one attains by embracing faith in this object of worship. It was called "The Entity of the Mystic Law."
In this, the Daishonin said that in theory every single human being is the entity of Myoho-renge-kyo, but in practice only those who invoke Nam-myoho-renge-kyo -with faith in the Lotus Sutra are truly manifesting Myoho-renge-kyo or the Buddha nature within themselves. He then added that Myoho-renge-kyo is the enlightenment of the original Buddha of kuon ganjo,8 or time without beginning and that all kinds of Buddhist teachings have been expounded as a means to let people understand Myoho-renge-kyo. The Law that was transferred by Shakyamuni Buddha to the Bodhisattvas of the Earth during the Ceremony in the Air was this very Myoho-renge-kyo.
He then stated that teachers such as Nan-yueh9 and T’ien-t'ai in China and Dengyo in Japan all perceived the Law of Myoho-renge-kyo, and he quoted from their diaries to show that they themselves had cherished Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. He concluded by saying that they did not teach Nam-myoho-renge-kyo because it was not yet the Latter Day.
The importance of "The Entity of the Mystic Law" lies in its teaching that people need not transform themselves through rigorous self-discipline, austerities or self-mortification to reach Buddhahood. By embracing the true object with faith, all people can attain the enlightenment of Buddhahood just as they are.
On March 8, 1274, a government envoy arrived with a pardon for the Daishonin. No reasons were given for the government's action, but it appears in retrospect that the officials were concerned about the arrival of a Mongol emissary and the abortive coup of Hojo Tokisuke, events which seemed to bear out the Daishonin's earlier predictions. And so Nichiren Daishonin ended more than two years of exile, a period during which he had authored some of his most important writings and laid the foundation for inscribing an object of worship to be bestowed not on individuals but on all human beings.
Upon his return to the capitol, Kamakura, the Daishonin remonstrated again with the government, but to no avail. He then took up residence in the remote mountains Of Minobu where he continued to write important works and instruct his disciples.
Life of Nichiren Daishonin
Chapter 8 (pp. 60-82):
The Sado Exile
________________________________________
The execution attempt frustrated, the forces of Hei no Saemon had no choice but to follow the original plan of taking Nichiren Daishonin to Homma Shigetsura's residence. The Daishonin stayed at the residence in Echi, Sagami Province, for almost a month, awaiting word of his fate from the government. In the meantime, Hojo Tokimune encountered some sort of trouble, the details of which have been lost to history, but in consulting a fortune-teller he was told that it was connected with the attempted execution. He ordered the Daishonin to be freed, but events quickly militated against his decision. A wave of arson and murder swept the city, and the Daishonin's followers were blamed. The government then ordered that the plan for exile be set in motion. So, on October 10, Nichiren Daishonin was escorted by Homma's warriors northward. When the group reached the coast of the Sea of Japan, they were forced to stop for several days at a little haven called Teradomari. Snow covered the ground and the sea was in tumult. No crossing was possible.
In journeying to Teradomari, the Daishonin, as he recounted, had passed over "mountains beyond mountains"; now before him lay "waves upon waves" of the raging sea, a sea which he had never before seen. Beyond that lay Sado Island, cold and forbidding, waiting to swallow him in an exile from which none of his enemies ever expected him to return.
The faithful Nikko Shonin and several acolytes remained at his side, and lay believers kept sending messengers to inquire about his safety. The community of believers was more than a little shaken by the events, and the Daishonin sent a succession of letters to reassure them. In "Lessening One's Karmic Retribution," written while he was still at Homma's residence, he said that hardships are like a crucible in which a person can purge himself of his accumulated karma and bring forth the state of Buddhahood shining like a diamond. In "Letter from Teradomari," sent to Toki Jonin on October 22, he said that the persecutions he was facing were in perfect accord with the Lotus Sutra's prophecy that the votary would be banished "again and again." As some of his followers had been imprisoned on false charges during the wave of terror in Kamakura, he asked in the letter for Jonin to send back word of their fate.
In the "Letter from Sado," written five months later, he enjoined his disciples not to lose faith in the face of difficulties, whether they be his or theirs. He told them that the only route to Buddhahood is through offering one's life the most precious treasure to the Lotus Sutra. By this, he meant for his disciples not to be frightened by persecutions but to propagate true Buddhism confidently, no matter what might happen.
When sea travel became possible, the Daishonin was escorted to Sado Island by boat. He and his captors landed there on October 28, and on November I he was taken to a place called Tsukahara. There he was assigned a hut in a graveyard as his abode. This broken-down former shrine where the original Buddha was to live for the next several months, was named Sammai-do. On November 23, the Daishonin sent another letter, entitled "Aspiration for the Buddha Land," to Toki Jonin. Probably he entrusted its delivery to some of his acolytes who had accompanied him from Kamakura. In it he commented: "I am sending back some of the young priests. You can ask them what this province is like and about the circumstances under which I live. It is impossible to describe these matters in writing" (MW-5,132).
In this letter, the Daishonin also made a proclamation about his identity:
The advent of the Great Law is already before our very eyes. In the twenty-two hundred years and more since the Buddha's passing, in all of India, China, Japan and the entire world, [as the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai states:] "Vasubandhu and Nagarjuna,5 clearly perceived the truth in their hearts, but they did not teach it. Instead, they preached the provisional Mahayana teachings, which were suited to their times." T'ien-t'ai and Dengyo gave a general indication of it but left its propagation for the future. Now this secret Law, the one great reason for which all Buddhas make their advent, will be spread for the first time in this country. And is not Nichiren the very person who propagates it? (MW-5,130)
Even with their foe in exile, the leaders of the other sects were not content. Anything short of his demise was, for them, unthinkable. Early in 1272, scores of priests converged on the island from their home provinces across the sea in the area now composed of Niigata, Nagano and Yamagata prefectures. They consulted with Homma Shigetsura about the matter, but he dashed their hopes for a quick end to their enemy by telling them: "An official letter has arrived from the government directing that the priest shall not be executed. This is no ordinary contemptible criminal and if anything happens to him, I will be guilty of grave dereliction. Instead of killing him, why don't you confront him in religious debate?"
The debate took place On January 16 and 17, 1272, and it pitted the Daishonin against several hundred priests of the other sects. He recounted the debate later when he wrote "On the Buddha's Behavior." According to this account, he first had to quell disorder-shouting and shoving among the participants-before the debate could begin. The priests proceeded to cite the doctrines of their various sects Nembutsu, Zen, Shingon and Ritsu. The Daishonin replied in turn, confirming the meaning of what each had said, and then asked questions. Very quickly he ,was able to expose their contradictory assertions and scriptural incompatibilities. The priests were speechless, no match for the Daishonin's penetrating understanding of the sutras. Several of their followers professed belief in the Daishonin's teaching on the spot.
These were not the only followers Nichiren Daishonin was to win during his exile on Sado. There would be many more and even the year before he had succeeded in converting a believer in Amida Buddha who had come to Sammai-do to confront him. The man's name was Abutsu-bo, ardent in his belief. Once the Daishonin had managed to engage him in dialogue, however, Abutsu-bo had become convinced of the truth of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and immediately became the Daishonin's follower. He then went home and converted his wife, Sennichi-ama. These two believers in Amida Buddha became the Daishonin's providers and protectors while he was on Sado Island, much as Funamori Yasaburo and his wife had been during the lzu Exile [the first exile]. The Daishonin later addressed many letters of thanks to them. Ko Nyudo and his wife also converted to the Daishonin's teachings while he was in exile on Sado, making offerings to him and providing him with various kinds of assistance. He lived in Ko, the capital of the province of Sado.
Sairen-bo, a priest of the Tendai sect who for some reason had been exiled to Sado Island, was also one of the Daishonin's converts. Sairen-bo had several unresolved questions about Buddhism, and he addressed them to Nichiren Daishonin. The reply came in the form of a letter, known today as "Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life," dated February 11, 1272.
In this, the Daishonin said that the Law which Bodhisattva Jogyo inherited from Shakyamuni Buddha at the Ceremony in the Air6 is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, which is the life of the original Buddha since time without beginning. In a broader sense, he taught that Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the entity of all people's lives, and that by believing in the Lotus Sutra and chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, one "inherits" the wisdom to realize that his own life is the Mystic Law. In other words, by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, one manifests the Buddha nature within oneself.
Short as it was, this writing carried an extremely profound message since it revealed the essence of the Lotus Sutra and the heart of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism. It was the kind of thesis that the Daishonin was able to write only after he had a learned disciple such as Sairen-bo to receive it.
On February 20, shortly after writing "Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life," Nichiren Daishonin sent another thesis to Sairen-bo, entitled "Enlightenment of Plants," which discussed the potentiality of Buddhahood in insentient beings. Sairen-bo also received "The True Entity of Life" and "The Entity of the Mystic Law," both written in 1273. After his exile, he founded Honkoku-ji temple near Mount Minobu in the province of Kai. In February 1272 the Daishonin also completed "The Opening of the Eyes," of which he later said: "I wanted to record the wonder I had experienced, in case I should be beheaded" (MW-1, 189). This was in reference to the mortal danger he faced. For, so long as rival priests conspired against him, the Daishonin had to live with the threat of death. After the debate, the priests, more angered than ever, had petitioned Hojo Nobutoki of the Kamakura. government to help them stem the tide of defection from their sects. Nobutoki then issued a proclamation without the regent's knowledge, which decreed: "Those who become Nichiren's disciples from among the Sado inhabitants should be either banished or imprisoned. The Daishonin later wrote of this edict: "Some people were thrown into prison because they were said to have walked past my hut..." (Ibid., p. 192).
Shortly before the edict was issued, however, the Hojo clan was rocked by internal intrigue. Hojo Tokisuke, an elder half brother of the regent, conspired to seize power, but his plot was uncovered. Nagoe Tokiaki and Nagoe Noritoki, who were regarded as his coconspirators, were put to death on February 11. Four days later, Hojo Tokisuke was killed. The rebellion had been stopped before it had a chance to get started, but even the prospect of rebellion was enough to send shock waves around the country. All this worked in the Daishonin's favor. Since he had predicted internal strife twelve years earlier in the "Rissho Ankoku Ron," and since he had told Homma Shigetsura only a month before it broke out that it was imminent, the Daishonin was suddenly taken more seriously by both Homma and the government. When Homma learned that the Daishonin's prediction had come true, he is said to have discarded his belief in the Pure Land teachings. As a consequence, the Daishonin was transferred in April from the hut at Tsukahara. to an ordinary residence at Ichinosawa.
During the Sado Exile, the Daishonin was able, through his writings, to lay virtually the complete theoretical foundation of his teachings. "Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life" had been the first major thesis, and in "The Opening of the Eyes," completed only a few days after "Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life," he identified himself as the original Buddha, a vital first step in the process of clarifying the true object of worship. This would soon be followed by other important treatises. The Sado Exile thus provided Nichiren Daishonin with the opportunity to establish the philosophical groundwork of his Buddhism.
In "The Opening of the Eyes," Nichiren Daishonin said that there are three people one should revere above all else the sovereign, the teacher and the parent. The sovereign is the one who guarantees the security of human beings by wielding social power, the teacher the one who imparts knowledge and helps people develop their wisdom, and the parent the one who gives birth to flesh and blood and nurtures life. There are many ways of looking at the concept of sovereign, teacher and parent, but what the Daishonin intended was the scriptural conception of the Buddha who embodies all three attributes, i.e., the Buddha who protects, guides and compassionately nurtures all people through the medium of the supreme Law. In the end, the treatise stated that in the Latter Day the person who encompasses these three qualities is none other than Nichiren Daishonin.
In this way, the Daishonin defined the true object of worship in terms of the Person, i.e., in terms of the Buddha who eternally guides, protects and nurtures all people in their striving for Buddhahood. "The True Object of Worship," written in April 1273, one year later, clarified the object in terms of the Law which enables people to reach enlightenment. These two writings established the theoretical framework for the inscription of the object of worship.
After "The Opening of the Eyes," the Daishonin wrote a short letter to his followers, the previously mentioned "Letter from Sado." As well as encouraging his followers, whose faith had been shaken by the Tatsunokuchi and Sado persecutions, this letter also served to restate the conclusion of "The Opening of the Eyes." The Daishonin wrote: "Nichiren is the pillar, sun, moon, mirror and eyes of the ruling clan of Kanto....
Nichiren is father and mother to the ruling clan..."(MW-1, 36). ("Pillar" refers to the virtue of sovereign; "sun, moon, mirror and eyes" to the virtue of teacher; and "father and mother" to the virtue of parent. And Kanto here is used to denote the Kamakura government.)
"Letter from Sado" was dated March 20. In April, Shijo Kingo journeyed from Kamakura to visit the Daishonin. In a letter entitled "The Causal Law of Life," the Daishonin praised the sincerity of Kingo's wife, who had sent her husband on the long trip. In May, a lady with her small child came from Kamakura, and the Daishonin was so moved by the effort she expended in making the journey that he gave her the Buddhist name Nichimyo Shonin (Sage Nichimyo). The title was apt, for the lady and her daughter continued to persevere in Buddhist practice long after the Daishonin's death.
Meanwhile, the number of people on Sado professing faith in the Daishonin's Buddhism continued to increase, and Abutsu-bo and his wife became the mainstays of this community of believers. At the house in which the Daishonin lived in Ichinosawa, the landlord's wife became a believer, and the landlord himself developed a favorable attitude, though he did not take up the faith. At nearby Nakaoki, a leading disciple appeared by the name of Nakaoki Nyudo.
Nichiren Daishonin now set about refuting the Shingon sect, a task which he had undertaken before, but this time his goal was to pave the way for "The True Object of Worship." He considered this refutation essential because the Shingon sect had preceded him in inscribing a mandala as an object of worship.
In a letter he gave to Shijo Kingo in May 1272, the Daishonin expounded the principle that earthly desires lead to enlightenment-that is, the mundane cravings of the individual, when tempered by faith in the True Law, become the fuel for enlightenment. In the same month, he addressed a writing entitled "The Errors of the Shingon and Other Sects" to Toki Jonin, and in July he wrote "The Refutation of the Shingon Sect.”
"The True Object of Worship" was issued on April 25, 1273. The original title of the work reads, in Japanese, Kanjin no honzon sho, which literally means "writing on the object of worship for observing one's mind." The Daishonin began the text by quoting from T'ien-t'ai's Maka Shikan (Great Concentration and Insight) a passage which explains the principle of ichinen sanzen (three thousand realms in a single moment of life).7 He then explained that kanjin means to observe one's mind (mind here being used more 'broadly to mean life) and thus realize that one is the entity of ichinen sanzen. This process of recognizing one's essential nature, he said, is the principle of attaining Buddhahood. He then revealed that the reality described by ichinen sanzen is nothing other than Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and declared that, for the first time in the history of Buddhism, he was going to inscribe the object of worship of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Thus he explained the Gohonzon as the object of faith for attaining Buddhahood.
A passage from "The True Object of Worship" reads: Shakyamuni's practices and the virtues he consequently attained are all contained within the single phrase, Myoho-renge-kyo. If we believe in that phrase, we shall naturally be granted the same benefits as he was" (MW-1, 64).
In this way, the Daishonin explained that believing in and embracing the object of worship of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is equivalent to observing one's mind. By such worship the common mortal can attain Buddha hood in the present life, without undergoing any transformation or practice of austerities. A common mortal, in other words, can become a Buddha.
It was now clear, from a doctrinal viewpoint, that the object of worship the Daishonin intended to inscribe would embody Nam-myoho-renge-kyo as the Law, and the life of Nichiren Daishonin as the Person eternally manifesting that Law. The Daishonin carefully composed "The True Object of Worship" in classical Chinese, as was the practice for all important writings in those days. He gave it to Toki Jonin, and it has been preserved in its original form at Nakayama Hokekyo-ji temple, which developed from Toki's estate. In addition, the faithful disciple Nikko Shonin made a copy which has been preserved at Yoho-ji temple in Kyoto.
"The True Entity of Life," dated May 17 and given to Sairen-bo, abridged "The True Object of Worship," much in the way that "Letter from Sado" was used a year earlier to back up "The Opening of the Eyes." "The True Entity of Life" is famous for the passage with which it closes. This passage has continued to be quoted throughout the centuries as the basic spirit of Buddhist practice:
Believe in the Gohonzon, the supreme object of worship in the world. Forge strong faith and receive the protection of Shakyamuni, Taho and all the other Buddhas. Exert yourself in the two ways of practice and study. Without practice and study, there can be no Buddhism. You must not only persevere yourself; you must also teach others. Both practice and study arise from faith. Teach others to the best of your ability, even if only a single sentence or phrase (Ibid., pp. 94-95).
In the same month, Nichiren Daishonin addressed a letter to Gijo-bo, who had been his senior at Seicho-ji temple when he studied Buddhism there in boyhood. The Daishonin said that, of all the chapters in the Lotus Sutra, the Juryo [Life Span] (sixteenth) chapter was especially important to him. He quoted a passage, "Single-mindedly yearning to see the Buddha, they do not begrudge their lives," and noted: "I Nichiren, have called forth Buddhahood from within my life by living this sentence. This means that I actualized the Three Great Secret Laws, the embodiment of ichinen sanzen in the Juryo chapter" (MW-2,236).
This is the first written mention in his extant works of the Three Great Secret Laws: the invocation (Nam-myoho-renge-kyo), the object of worship (the Dai Gohonzon, toward whose inscription he was working), and the place of worship (the sanctuary of the true object, whose construction he would leave to his disciples). He clarified these three in "Repaying Debts of Gratitude" in 1276, though it is possible that he also did so prior to 1273 in writings which may have been lost.
He authored several other important writings in May 1273. In the Gosho "On Practicing the Buddha's Teachings," the Daishonin took the opportunity to state that refuting misleading sects and converting their believers, based on unwavering faith in the Lotus Sutra, comprise the practice that accords exactly with Shakyamuni's teachings. In this work he also stated that the three powerful enemies will surely arise to confront those who practice correctly.
In "On the Buddha's Prophecy," another important writing, the Daishonin said that the appearance of his Buddhism had been predicted in the Lotus Sutra. In addition, he confidently stated that his teaching would never fail to spread throughout the world. Further, in writings he addressed to Toki Jonin and Hakiri Sanenaga (MW-6, 46-48) he expressed his complete confidence that his teachings were far superior to those of the Great Teachers T'ien-t'ai and Dengyo.
By this time the Daishonin had already begun bestowing individual Gohonzon (objects of worship) on his staunchest disciples. in fact, he had begun inscribing mandalas shortly after the Tatsunokuchi Persecution. Those that he bestowed on his disciples have come to be known as "the Gohonzon of specific receptivity and relatedness." Some of these are still extant, and from them one can see that they were rather simply inscribed in comparison to the elaborateness of the Dai Gohonzon of the high sanctuary he would bestow upon all humankind several years later. Still, these mandalas carried the inscriptions, "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo" and "Nichiren," which contained the expression of the oneness of the Person and the Law.
In the accompanying letters that Nichiren Daishonin sent to the recipients of these Gohonzon, he taught the relationship between the object of worship and the life of the original Buddha, and the correct attitude in faith. A letter dated August 15, 1273, and sent to Shijo Kingo is typical of these. It was a reply to Kingo's report of the illness of his daughter, Kyo'o. The Daishonin wrote:
Always cherish the Gohonzon which I sent some time ago for her protection. This Gohonzon was never known, let alone inscribed, by anyone in the Former or Middle Day of the Law. The lion, king of beasts, is said to advance three steps, then gather himself to spring, unleashing the same power whether he traps a tiny ant or attacks a fierce animal. In inscribing this Gohonzon for her protection, Nichiren is equal to the lion king. This is what the sutra. means by "the power of an attacking lion." Believe in this mandala with all your heart. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is like the roar of a lion. What sickness can therefore be an obstacle? (MW-1, 119)
Then he went on to say, in one of the most famous passages of his writings:
A sword will be useless in the hands of a coward. The mighty sword of the Lotus Sutra. must be wielded by one courageous in faith. Then he will be as strong as a demon armed with an iron staff. I Nichiren, have inscribed my life in sumi [black Chinese ink], so believe in the Gohonzon with your whole heart. The Buddha's will is the Lotus Sutra, but the soul of Nichiren is nothing other than Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. (Ibid., p. 120)
He concluded with a final exhortation about faith: "Muster your faith and pray to this Gohonzon. Then what is there that cannot be achieved?"
The two most essential writings of the Daishonin, "The Opening of the Eyes" and "The True Object of Worship," dealt with the theoretical or doctrinal basis of the Gohonzon. A writing given to Sairen-bo in 1273, but of uncertain date, now broached the subject of what one attains by embracing faith in this object of worship. It was called "The Entity of the Mystic Law."
In this, the Daishonin said that in theory every single human being is the entity of Myoho-renge-kyo, but in practice only those who invoke Nam-myoho-renge-kyo -with faith in the Lotus Sutra are truly manifesting Myoho-renge-kyo or the Buddha nature within themselves. He then added that Myoho-renge-kyo is the enlightenment of the original Buddha of kuon ganjo,8 or time without beginning and that all kinds of Buddhist teachings have been expounded as a means to let people understand Myoho-renge-kyo. The Law that was transferred by Shakyamuni Buddha to the Bodhisattvas of the Earth during the Ceremony in the Air was this very Myoho-renge-kyo.
He then stated that teachers such as Nan-yueh9 and T’ien-t'ai in China and Dengyo in Japan all perceived the Law of Myoho-renge-kyo, and he quoted from their diaries to show that they themselves had cherished Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. He concluded by saying that they did not teach Nam-myoho-renge-kyo because it was not yet the Latter Day.
The importance of "The Entity of the Mystic Law" lies in its teaching that people need not transform themselves through rigorous self-discipline, austerities or self-mortification to reach Buddhahood. By embracing the true object with faith, all people can attain the enlightenment of Buddhahood just as they are.
On March 8, 1274, a government envoy arrived with a pardon for the Daishonin. No reasons were given for the government's action, but it appears in retrospect that the officials were concerned about the arrival of a Mongol emissary and the abortive coup of Hojo Tokisuke, events which seemed to bear out the Daishonin's earlier predictions. And so Nichiren Daishonin ended more than two years of exile, a period during which he had authored some of his most important writings and laid the foundation for inscribing an object of worship to be bestowed not on individuals but on all human beings.
Upon his return to the capitol, Kamakura, the Daishonin remonstrated again with the government, but to no avail. He then took up residence in the remote mountains Of Minobu where he continued to write important works and instruct his disciples.
"The Buddha wrote that one should become the master of one’s mind rather than let one’s mind master oneself. This is what I mean when I emphatically urge you to give up even your body, and never begrudge even your life for the sake of the Lotus Sutra."
(Letter to Gijo-bo - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol. 1, page 390) Selection source: "Kyo no hosshin", May 12, 2009
(Letter to Gijo-bo - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol. 1, page 390) Selection source: "Kyo no hosshin", May 12, 2009
"As the British essayist William Hazlitt (1778-1830) wrote: 'Hope is the best possession.' Buddhism is a source of hope."
SGI Newsletter No. 7770, The New Human Revolution--Vol. 22: Chap. 2, Currents 53, translated May 12th, 2009
SGI Newsletter No. 7770, The New Human Revolution--Vol. 22: Chap. 2, Currents 53, translated May 12th, 2009
Why try and recompose what I've already said. My deepest respect to my friend Sleepy! Thanks for being here all these years!
T
The Entity of the Mystic Law
The Entity of the Mystic Law
Background
From the cover letter, it is clear that this treatise was addressed to Sairen-bo, one of Nichiren Daishonin’s followers. However, it does not bear the date or the name of the place where it was written. One view is that it was authored in the tenth year of Bun’ei (1273), at Ichinosawa on Sado Island, when the Daishonin was in exile.
Sairen-bo was a learned scholar of the Tendai school and had been living in exile on Sado for some unknown reason. Reply to Sairen-bo reveals that he converted to the Daishonin’s teachings in the second month of 1272.
The Entity of the Mystic Law explains the great benefit of having faith in the Gohonzon. When examined in terms of the concept of teaching, practice, and proof, this treatise corresponds to proof, while The Opening of the Eyes and The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind are related to teaching and practice, respectively. “Teaching” means the Buddha’s teaching, and “practice” means the practice that accords exactly with the teaching. “Proof ” means the merit resulting from the practice of the teaching.
Opening of the Eyes establishes a fivefold comparison, a system of comparative classification of all of Shakyamuni Buddha’s teachings, and demonstrates the superiority of the Lotus Sutra over all the other sutras. Ultimately it clarifies the supremacy of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo among all the Buddhist teachings, and accordingly it corresponds to “teaching.” Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind states that embracing faith in the Gohonzon is in itself enlightenment. Upholding the Mystic Law amounts to completing all the practices in which the Buddhas engaged and acquiring all the benefits and virtues that they obtained through these practices. Therefore, it corresponds to “practice.” Entity of the Mystic Law corresponds to “proof,” because it reveals that by believing in the Mystic Law one can manifest oneself as the entity of Myoho-renge-kyo.
In this treatise, Nichiren Daishonin uses the question-and-answer format to make his teaching more accessible to his contemporary and later followers. Its contents are divided into six parts. The first part teaches that the beings of the Ten Worlds and their environments, that is, all things and phenomena in the universe, are entities of Myoho-renge-kyo. Concerning this view, a question is posed: “If the entity of all living beings is the Mystic Law in its entirety, then are all the actions and their results that are associated with the nine worlds, from the world of hell up to that of bodhisattvas, in effect entities of the Mystic Law?” In reply to this question, the Daishonin states that, just as Buddhahood is the functioning of the Mystic Law, so likewise are the nine worlds of illusion and suffering. This is explained from the viewpoint of the defiled aspect and the pure aspect, both of which constitute the functioning of a single Law, that is, the Mystic Law.
The second part reveals from a more profound standpoint that actually only those who believe in the Mystic Law are entities of the Mystic Law. The Daishonin states, “The Buddha who is the entity of Myoho-renge-kyo, of the ‘Life Span’ chapter of the essential teaching, . . . is to be found in the disciples and lay believers of Nichiren.” In the third part, citing T’ien-t’ai’s Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra, the Daishonin discusses the lotus of the entity and also uses the lotus figuratively. The lotus flower was used as a metaphor to explain the lotus of the entity, since the entity of the Law itself is difficult to understand. He clarifies the lotus of the entity that inherently exists and is not created, and identifies it as the supreme single Law that simultaneously possesses both cause and effect. He also says that a sage perceived the reality of this Law and named it Myoho-renge. This is what the lotus of the entity means. The lotus blooms and produces seeds at the same time and so represents the simultaneity of cause and effect, which is the expression of the Mystic Law.
In the following three parts, the treatise describes those who have become enlightened to the lotus of the entity. The fourth part reveals that Shakyamuni Buddha became enlightened to the lotus of the entity numberless major world system dust particle kalpas in the past. Shakyamuni Buddha himself declared in the “Life Span” chapter of the Lotus Sutra, “It has been immeasurable, boundless hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions of nayutas of kalpas since I in fact attained Buddhahood.”
Next, this treatise asserts that the passage in the “Expedient Means” chapter on the true aspect of all phenomena and the passage in the “Supernatural Powers” chapter on the transmission of the essence of the Lotus Sutra both contain perfect elucidations of the lotus of the entity. Then the treatise explains that the title “Myoho-renge-kyo” itself, appearing at the beginning of each of the twenty-eight chapters of the Lotus Sutra, represents the lotus of the entity. In response to the question regarding who was able to obtain the lotus of the entity during Shakyamuni Buddha’s lifetime, the fifth part singles out those who received instruction from the Buddha of the “Life Span” chapter of the essential teaching.
The sixth and last part clarifies who is able to obtain the lotus of the entity in the present Latter Day of the Law. This part also makes clear what Law it is that enables the people of the Latter Day to realize the lotus of the entity and to attain Buddhahood. Clarification of this point is found in the passage that states: “But those who follow the teachings of Nichiren . . . are able to gain the lotus of the entity and to manifest the mystic principle of the entity of the Land of Eternally Tranquil Light. This is because they put their faith in the golden words of the Buddha indicated in the ‘Life Span’ chapter of the essential teaching and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.” “The Buddha indicated in the ‘Life Span’ chapter” means the advocate of the teaching implicit in the depths of the “Life Span” chapter.
Subsequently this treatise explains why the Mystic Law was not propagated in the Former and Middle Days. It identifies Nam-myoho-renge-kyo as the great pure Law that is to spread in the Latter Day. Nan-yüeh and T’ient’ai of China and Dengyo of Japan employed the recitation of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo as their private practice, but they did not spread this practice to other people. The treatise sets forth two reasons for this fact: “First of all, the proper time to do so had not yet arrived. Second, these men were not the persons entrusted with the task of doing so.”
Then, in conclusion, the Daishonin writes, “It was for this reason that those such as Nan-yüeh, T’ien-t’ai, and Dengyo, though in their hearts they clearly perceived the truth, left it to the leader and teacher of the Latter Day to spread it widely, while they themselves refrained from doing so.”
The Entity of the Mystic Law
Background
From the cover letter, it is clear that this treatise was addressed to Sairen-bo, one of Nichiren Daishonin’s followers. However, it does not bear the date or the name of the place where it was written. One view is that it was authored in the tenth year of Bun’ei (1273), at Ichinosawa on Sado Island, when the Daishonin was in exile.
Sairen-bo was a learned scholar of the Tendai school and had been living in exile on Sado for some unknown reason. Reply to Sairen-bo reveals that he converted to the Daishonin’s teachings in the second month of 1272.
The Entity of the Mystic Law explains the great benefit of having faith in the Gohonzon. When examined in terms of the concept of teaching, practice, and proof, this treatise corresponds to proof, while The Opening of the Eyes and The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind are related to teaching and practice, respectively. “Teaching” means the Buddha’s teaching, and “practice” means the practice that accords exactly with the teaching. “Proof ” means the merit resulting from the practice of the teaching.
Opening of the Eyes establishes a fivefold comparison, a system of comparative classification of all of Shakyamuni Buddha’s teachings, and demonstrates the superiority of the Lotus Sutra over all the other sutras. Ultimately it clarifies the supremacy of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo among all the Buddhist teachings, and accordingly it corresponds to “teaching.” Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind states that embracing faith in the Gohonzon is in itself enlightenment. Upholding the Mystic Law amounts to completing all the practices in which the Buddhas engaged and acquiring all the benefits and virtues that they obtained through these practices. Therefore, it corresponds to “practice.” Entity of the Mystic Law corresponds to “proof,” because it reveals that by believing in the Mystic Law one can manifest oneself as the entity of Myoho-renge-kyo.
In this treatise, Nichiren Daishonin uses the question-and-answer format to make his teaching more accessible to his contemporary and later followers. Its contents are divided into six parts. The first part teaches that the beings of the Ten Worlds and their environments, that is, all things and phenomena in the universe, are entities of Myoho-renge-kyo. Concerning this view, a question is posed: “If the entity of all living beings is the Mystic Law in its entirety, then are all the actions and their results that are associated with the nine worlds, from the world of hell up to that of bodhisattvas, in effect entities of the Mystic Law?” In reply to this question, the Daishonin states that, just as Buddhahood is the functioning of the Mystic Law, so likewise are the nine worlds of illusion and suffering. This is explained from the viewpoint of the defiled aspect and the pure aspect, both of which constitute the functioning of a single Law, that is, the Mystic Law.
The second part reveals from a more profound standpoint that actually only those who believe in the Mystic Law are entities of the Mystic Law. The Daishonin states, “The Buddha who is the entity of Myoho-renge-kyo, of the ‘Life Span’ chapter of the essential teaching, . . . is to be found in the disciples and lay believers of Nichiren.” In the third part, citing T’ien-t’ai’s Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra, the Daishonin discusses the lotus of the entity and also uses the lotus figuratively. The lotus flower was used as a metaphor to explain the lotus of the entity, since the entity of the Law itself is difficult to understand. He clarifies the lotus of the entity that inherently exists and is not created, and identifies it as the supreme single Law that simultaneously possesses both cause and effect. He also says that a sage perceived the reality of this Law and named it Myoho-renge. This is what the lotus of the entity means. The lotus blooms and produces seeds at the same time and so represents the simultaneity of cause and effect, which is the expression of the Mystic Law.
In the following three parts, the treatise describes those who have become enlightened to the lotus of the entity. The fourth part reveals that Shakyamuni Buddha became enlightened to the lotus of the entity numberless major world system dust particle kalpas in the past. Shakyamuni Buddha himself declared in the “Life Span” chapter of the Lotus Sutra, “It has been immeasurable, boundless hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions of nayutas of kalpas since I in fact attained Buddhahood.”
Next, this treatise asserts that the passage in the “Expedient Means” chapter on the true aspect of all phenomena and the passage in the “Supernatural Powers” chapter on the transmission of the essence of the Lotus Sutra both contain perfect elucidations of the lotus of the entity. Then the treatise explains that the title “Myoho-renge-kyo” itself, appearing at the beginning of each of the twenty-eight chapters of the Lotus Sutra, represents the lotus of the entity. In response to the question regarding who was able to obtain the lotus of the entity during Shakyamuni Buddha’s lifetime, the fifth part singles out those who received instruction from the Buddha of the “Life Span” chapter of the essential teaching.
The sixth and last part clarifies who is able to obtain the lotus of the entity in the present Latter Day of the Law. This part also makes clear what Law it is that enables the people of the Latter Day to realize the lotus of the entity and to attain Buddhahood. Clarification of this point is found in the passage that states: “But those who follow the teachings of Nichiren . . . are able to gain the lotus of the entity and to manifest the mystic principle of the entity of the Land of Eternally Tranquil Light. This is because they put their faith in the golden words of the Buddha indicated in the ‘Life Span’ chapter of the essential teaching and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.” “The Buddha indicated in the ‘Life Span’ chapter” means the advocate of the teaching implicit in the depths of the “Life Span” chapter.
Subsequently this treatise explains why the Mystic Law was not propagated in the Former and Middle Days. It identifies Nam-myoho-renge-kyo as the great pure Law that is to spread in the Latter Day. Nan-yüeh and T’ient’ai of China and Dengyo of Japan employed the recitation of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo as their private practice, but they did not spread this practice to other people. The treatise sets forth two reasons for this fact: “First of all, the proper time to do so had not yet arrived. Second, these men were not the persons entrusted with the task of doing so.”
Then, in conclusion, the Daishonin writes, “It was for this reason that those such as Nan-yüeh, T’ien-t’ai, and Dengyo, though in their hearts they clearly perceived the truth, left it to the leader and teacher of the Latter Day to spread it widely, while they themselves refrained from doing so.”
The Entity of the Mystic Law / WND pg. 417
The Entity of the Mystic Law / WND pg. 417
QUESTION: What is the entity of Myoho-renge-kyo?
Answer: All beings and their environments in any of the Ten Worlds are themselves entities of Myoho-renge-kyo.
Question: If so, then is it possible to say that all living beings, such as ourselves, are entities of the Mystic Law in its entirety?
Answer: Of course. The sutra says, "This reality [the true aspect of all phenomena] consists of the appearance, nature . . . and their consistency from (1) beginning to end." The Great Teacher Miao-lo comments on this as follows: "The true aspect invariably manifests in all phenomena, and all phenomena invariably manifest in the ten factors. The ten factors invariably manifest in the Ten Worlds, and the Ten Worlds invariably (2) manifest in life and its environment." T'ien-t'ai commented, "All phenomena consisting of the ten factors, Ten Worlds, and three thousand realms (3) are entities of the Lotus Sutra." The Great Teacher Nan-yüeh says, "Question: What does Myoho-renge-kyo represent? Answer: Myo indicates that all living beings are myo, or mystic. Ho indicates that all living beings (4) are ho, or the Law." T'ien-t'ai also says, "The Law of all living beings is (5) mystic."
Question: If the entity of all living beings is the Mystic Law in its entirety, then are all the actions and their results that are associated with the nine worlds, from the world of hell up to that of bodhisattvas, in effect entities of the Mystic Law?
Answer: The mystic principle that is the essential nature of phenomena possesses two aspects, the defiled aspect and the pure aspect. If the defiled aspect is operative, this is called delusion. If the pure aspect is operative, this is called enlightenment. Enlightenment constitutes the realm of Buddhahood. Delusion constitutes the realms of ordinary mortals.
These two aspects, the deluded and the enlightened, are indeed two different phenomena, and yet both are workings of the one principle, that is, the essential nature of phenomena, or the true aspect of reality. It is like a piece of crystal. If the crystal is placed in the sun's rays, it will attract them and produce fire. But if it is placed in the moon's rays, it will produce water. The crystal is a single entity, but the effects it produces differ according to the circumstances.
The mystic principle of the true aspect of reality is like this. The mystic principle of the true aspect of reality is one, but if it encounters evil influences, it will manifest delusion, while if it encounters good influences, it will manifest enlightenment. Enlightenment means enlightenment to the essential nature of phenomena, and delusion, ignorance of it.
It is like the case of a person who in a dream sees himself performing various good and evil actions. After he wakes up and considers the matter, he realizes that it was all a dream produced by his own mind. This mind of his corresponds to the single principle of the essential nature of phenomena, the true aspect of reality, while the good and evil that appeared in the dream correspond to enlightenment and delusion. When one becomes aware of this, it is clear that one should discard the ignorance associated with evil and delusion, and take as one's basis the awakening that is characterized by goodness and enlightenment.
The Complete and Final Teaching on Perfect Enlightenment Sutra declares, "The beginningless illusions and ignorance that beset all living beings are all produced by the perfectly enlightened mind of the Thus Come Ones."
The Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai in his Great Concentration and Insight states, "Ignorance or illusions are in themselves enlightenment to the essential nature of phenomena. But due to the influence of delusions, enlightenment changes into ignorance." The Great Teacher Miao-lo comments on this as follows: "Enlightenment has no separate entity but completely depends upon ignorance; and ignorance has no separate entity but completely depends (6) upon enlightenment."
Ignorance is a state of delusion that must be cut off, whereas enlightenment is the state that one must manifest. How then can we say that they are a single entity? To resolve doubts on this point, one should have a clear grasp of the passages that have been quoted here. The example of the dream given in the ninety-fifth volume of The Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom and the T'ien-t'ai school's (7) example of the piece of crystal cited above are very interesting illustrations.
Further proof of the truth that ignorance and enlightenment are one in essence is found in the passage in the Lotus Sutra that reads, "These phenomena are part of an abiding Law, [and] the characteristics of the world (8) are constantly abiding." Great Perfection of Wisdom says, "Enlightenment and ignorance are not different things, not separate things. To understand this is what is called the Middle Way."
There are many passages of proof asserting that the mystic principle of the true aspect of reality possesses two aspects, the defiled and the pure. But none can surpass the one in the Flower Garland Sutra that says, "The mind, the Buddha, and all living beings -these three things are without distinction," or the passage in the Lotus Sutra that describes the true aspect of all phenomena.
The Great Teacher Nan-yüeh says, "The entity of the mind is endowed with two aspects, the defiled and the pure. However, it does not have two different forms but is single in nature and without distinction." (9) And the (10) example of the mirror that he gives truly presents a thorough explanation of the subject. For a more detailed understanding, one may also refer to his interpretations in The Mahayana Method of Concentration and Insight.
Another good explanation is given in the sixth volume of Miao-lo's Annotations on "The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra," in the passage that reads: "While the three thousand realms remain latent [in ordinary beings], they are all designated by the term 'ignorance.' But when the three thousand realms all manifest themselves as the result [of Buddhahood], then they are all designated by the term 'eternal happiness.' However, because the three thousand realms themselves remain un-changed, ignorance is essentially one with enlightenment. Since the three thousand realms all remain constant, they possess both entity and function." This commentary makes the matter perfectly clear.
Question: If all living beings are entities of Myoho-renge-kyo, then are ordinary people like ourselves who are ignorant and deluded, unenlightened and dull-witted, also entities of the Mystic Law?
Answer: Though there are a great many people in the world today, they all fall into two categories - those who believe in the provisional teachings and those who believe in the true teaching. Those who believe in the provisional and expedient teachings, such as the Nembutsu, cannot be called entities of Myoho-renge-kyo. But those who believe in the Lotus Sutra, which is the true teaching, are entities of Myoho-renge-kyo, mystic entities of the true aspect of reality. The Nirvana Sutra says, "Among all living beings, those who believe in the Mahayana are called the Mahayana people."
The Great Teacher Nan-yüeh in his Four Peaceful Practices writes, "The Great Diligence Sutra says, 'Ordinary beings and the Thus Come One share a single Dharma body. Being pure and mystic beyond comparison, it is called Myoho-renge-kyo.'" He also says: "Those who practice the Lotus Sutra are pursuing through this single act of devotion the mind that is endowed with all manner of fortunate results. These are present simultaneously and are not acquired gradually over a long period of time. This is like the blossom of the lotus that, when it opens, al-ready possesses a large number of seeds. Hence such persons are called the people of the one vehicle." He also says: "The people of the two vehicles, particularly the voice-hearers, and the bodhisattvas of inferior capacity choose to follow the way of expedient means, practicing methods that assure gradual progress over a long period of time. But the bodhisattvas of superior capacity honestly discard expedient means and do not carry out the practice of gradual progress. If they are able to complete the meditation based on the Lotus Sutra, then they will thereby possess all manner of fortunate results. Persons such as these are called the people of the one vehicle."
The phrase "practice of gradual progress" that appears in this commentary by Nan-yüeh has been interpreted by the scholars of our time to refer to the specific teaching. In fact, however, it refers to the way of expedient means, as opposed to the way of the Lotus Sutra, which is endowed simultaneously with causes and results. Hence the term "practice of gradual progress" includes the perfect teaching preached before the (11) Lotus Sutra, the various Mahayana sutras preached before the Lotus Sutra, and the Mahayana and Hinayana sutras that belong to the sudden and gradual teachings.
As proof, we may cite the following passage in the Immeasurable Meanings Sutra: "Then I preached the twelve divisions of the correct and equal sutras, (12) the teaching of great wisdom, and the Flower Garland teaching of the ocean-imprint meditation, describing the many kalpas of practice for bodhisattvas."
But the bodhisattvas of superior capacity honestly discard expedient means and do not carry out the practice of gradual progress. They practice the Lotus Sutra, and when they attain its truth, they simultaneously acquire all manner of fortunate results. Persons such as these are called the people of the one vehicle.
When we consider the meaning of these various passages, we understand that none of the ordinary people and sages of the three vehicles, the five (13) vehicles, the seven expedient means, the nine worlds, or the four flavors and three teachings can be called Mahayana followers who are entities of Myoho-renge-kyo. Though there are Buddhas in these teachings, they are Buddhas of the provisional teachings and cannot be called Buddhas in the true sense. This is because the Buddhas of the provisional teachings (14) in their three bodies have not yet freed themselves from impermanence. How then could beings in realms other than Buddhahood be [called entities of Myoho-renge-kyo]? That is why it is said that a person of humble station born in the Latter Day of the Law is more worthy of respect than the kings and high ministers who lived during the two thousand years of the Former and Middle Days.
Nan-yüeh says in his commentary, "All living beings have within themselves the storehouse of the Dharma body, and therefore they are in no way (15) different from the Buddha." That is why the Lotus Sutra says, "The pure and ordinary eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind that one received at birth from one's father and mother are (16) also like this."
Nan-yüeh also writes, "Question: In what sutra does the Buddha explain the eyes and the other sense organs and designate them by the name Thus Come One? Answer: The Great Diligence Sutra says, 'Ordinary beings and the Thus Come One share a single Dharma body. Being pure and mystic beyond comparison, it is called Myoho-renge-kyo (17).'" This comes from a sutra other than the Lotus, but since the Lotus later clarified the same point, it is all right to quote it here.
If we take up the word "share" that is used in this passage of the Great Diligence Sutra and apply it in our argument, we may say that those who share in and believe in the Lotus Sutra are entities of that mystic sutra. But those who do not share in it, such as the Nembutsu believers, are not entities of the mystic sutra because they have al-ready turned their backs on their Buddha nature, that is, the Thus Come One of the Dharma body.
In essence, the entity of Myoho-renge-kyo is the physical body that the disciples and followers of Nichiren who believe in the Lotus Sutra received from their fathers and mothers at birth. Such persons, who honestly discard expedient means, put faith in the Lotus Sutra alone, and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, will transform the three paths of earthly desires, karma, and suffering into the three virtues of the Dharma body, wisdom, and emancipation. The threefold contemplation and the three truths will immediately become (18) manifest in their minds, and the place where they live will become the Land of Eternally Tranquil Light. The Buddha who is the entity of Myoho-renge-kyo, of the "Life Span" chapter of the essential teaching, who is both inhabiting subject and inhabited realm, life and environment, body and mind, entity and function, the Buddha eternally endowed with the three bodies -he is to be found in the disciples and lay believers of Nichiren. Such persons embody the true entity of Myoho-renge-kyo; this is all due to the meritorious workings that the spontaneous transcendental powers inherent in it display. Could anyone venture to doubt it? Indeed it cannot be doubted!
Notes
1. Lotus Sutra, chap. 2.
2. The Diamond Scalpel.
3. Source unknown.
4. On the Peaceful Practices of the Lotus Sutra.
5. The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra.
6. The Annotations on "The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra."
7. This example appears in T'ien-t'ai's Great Concentration and Insight. Hence the expression "T'ien-t'ai school" is used to mean the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai, the founder of the Chinese T'ien-t'ai school.
8. Lotus Sutra, chap. 2.
9. The Mahayana Method of Concentration and Insight.
10. The example of the mirror is expounded in Mahayana Method of Concentration and Insight. Through the example of the inseparable relationship between an object and its image reflected in the mirror, Nan-yüeh reveals that a living being and a Buddha are "two but not two" in essence; in other words, common mortals of the nine worlds are inherently endowed with Buddhahood.
11. A reference to the teaching that expounds the concept of attaining Buddha-hood in one's present form. But this teaches it in name only with no actual examples of its having occurred, or postulates various distinctions and exceptions.
12. The "twelve divisions of the correct and equal sutras" refers to all the Mahayana teachings. The "twelve divisions" is a classification of the sutras according to style and content.
13. The five vehicles refer to the three vehicles of voice-hearers, cause-awakened ones, and bodhisattvas plus the human and heavenly realms.
14. In sutras other than the Lotus Sutra, the three bodies were held to exist separately, such as Mahavairochana in the Dharma-body aspect and Amida in the reward-body aspect. However, on the basis of the doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life, T'ien-t'ai main-tained that the three bodies are not separate entities but three integral aspects of one Buddha.
15. On the Peaceful Practices.
16. A summary of a passage in the "Benefits of the Teacher of the Law" chapter of the Lotus Sutra.
17. On the Peaceful Practices.
18. The "threefold contemplation" and the "three truths" here mean subjective wisdom and objective reality, respectively, and the expression that these "will immediately become manifest in their minds" represents the fusion of wisdom and reality. See Glossary for threefold contemplation and three truths.
The Entity of the Mystic Law / WND pg. 417
QUESTION: What is the entity of Myoho-renge-kyo?
Answer: All beings and their environments in any of the Ten Worlds are themselves entities of Myoho-renge-kyo.
Question: If so, then is it possible to say that all living beings, such as ourselves, are entities of the Mystic Law in its entirety?
Answer: Of course. The sutra says, "This reality [the true aspect of all phenomena] consists of the appearance, nature . . . and their consistency from (1) beginning to end." The Great Teacher Miao-lo comments on this as follows: "The true aspect invariably manifests in all phenomena, and all phenomena invariably manifest in the ten factors. The ten factors invariably manifest in the Ten Worlds, and the Ten Worlds invariably (2) manifest in life and its environment." T'ien-t'ai commented, "All phenomena consisting of the ten factors, Ten Worlds, and three thousand realms (3) are entities of the Lotus Sutra." The Great Teacher Nan-yüeh says, "Question: What does Myoho-renge-kyo represent? Answer: Myo indicates that all living beings are myo, or mystic. Ho indicates that all living beings (4) are ho, or the Law." T'ien-t'ai also says, "The Law of all living beings is (5) mystic."
Question: If the entity of all living beings is the Mystic Law in its entirety, then are all the actions and their results that are associated with the nine worlds, from the world of hell up to that of bodhisattvas, in effect entities of the Mystic Law?
Answer: The mystic principle that is the essential nature of phenomena possesses two aspects, the defiled aspect and the pure aspect. If the defiled aspect is operative, this is called delusion. If the pure aspect is operative, this is called enlightenment. Enlightenment constitutes the realm of Buddhahood. Delusion constitutes the realms of ordinary mortals.
These two aspects, the deluded and the enlightened, are indeed two different phenomena, and yet both are workings of the one principle, that is, the essential nature of phenomena, or the true aspect of reality. It is like a piece of crystal. If the crystal is placed in the sun's rays, it will attract them and produce fire. But if it is placed in the moon's rays, it will produce water. The crystal is a single entity, but the effects it produces differ according to the circumstances.
The mystic principle of the true aspect of reality is like this. The mystic principle of the true aspect of reality is one, but if it encounters evil influences, it will manifest delusion, while if it encounters good influences, it will manifest enlightenment. Enlightenment means enlightenment to the essential nature of phenomena, and delusion, ignorance of it.
It is like the case of a person who in a dream sees himself performing various good and evil actions. After he wakes up and considers the matter, he realizes that it was all a dream produced by his own mind. This mind of his corresponds to the single principle of the essential nature of phenomena, the true aspect of reality, while the good and evil that appeared in the dream correspond to enlightenment and delusion. When one becomes aware of this, it is clear that one should discard the ignorance associated with evil and delusion, and take as one's basis the awakening that is characterized by goodness and enlightenment.
The Complete and Final Teaching on Perfect Enlightenment Sutra declares, "The beginningless illusions and ignorance that beset all living beings are all produced by the perfectly enlightened mind of the Thus Come Ones."
The Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai in his Great Concentration and Insight states, "Ignorance or illusions are in themselves enlightenment to the essential nature of phenomena. But due to the influence of delusions, enlightenment changes into ignorance." The Great Teacher Miao-lo comments on this as follows: "Enlightenment has no separate entity but completely depends upon ignorance; and ignorance has no separate entity but completely depends (6) upon enlightenment."
Ignorance is a state of delusion that must be cut off, whereas enlightenment is the state that one must manifest. How then can we say that they are a single entity? To resolve doubts on this point, one should have a clear grasp of the passages that have been quoted here. The example of the dream given in the ninety-fifth volume of The Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom and the T'ien-t'ai school's (7) example of the piece of crystal cited above are very interesting illustrations.
Further proof of the truth that ignorance and enlightenment are one in essence is found in the passage in the Lotus Sutra that reads, "These phenomena are part of an abiding Law, [and] the characteristics of the world (8) are constantly abiding." Great Perfection of Wisdom says, "Enlightenment and ignorance are not different things, not separate things. To understand this is what is called the Middle Way."
There are many passages of proof asserting that the mystic principle of the true aspect of reality possesses two aspects, the defiled and the pure. But none can surpass the one in the Flower Garland Sutra that says, "The mind, the Buddha, and all living beings -these three things are without distinction," or the passage in the Lotus Sutra that describes the true aspect of all phenomena.
The Great Teacher Nan-yüeh says, "The entity of the mind is endowed with two aspects, the defiled and the pure. However, it does not have two different forms but is single in nature and without distinction." (9) And the (10) example of the mirror that he gives truly presents a thorough explanation of the subject. For a more detailed understanding, one may also refer to his interpretations in The Mahayana Method of Concentration and Insight.
Another good explanation is given in the sixth volume of Miao-lo's Annotations on "The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra," in the passage that reads: "While the three thousand realms remain latent [in ordinary beings], they are all designated by the term 'ignorance.' But when the three thousand realms all manifest themselves as the result [of Buddhahood], then they are all designated by the term 'eternal happiness.' However, because the three thousand realms themselves remain un-changed, ignorance is essentially one with enlightenment. Since the three thousand realms all remain constant, they possess both entity and function." This commentary makes the matter perfectly clear.
Question: If all living beings are entities of Myoho-renge-kyo, then are ordinary people like ourselves who are ignorant and deluded, unenlightened and dull-witted, also entities of the Mystic Law?
Answer: Though there are a great many people in the world today, they all fall into two categories - those who believe in the provisional teachings and those who believe in the true teaching. Those who believe in the provisional and expedient teachings, such as the Nembutsu, cannot be called entities of Myoho-renge-kyo. But those who believe in the Lotus Sutra, which is the true teaching, are entities of Myoho-renge-kyo, mystic entities of the true aspect of reality. The Nirvana Sutra says, "Among all living beings, those who believe in the Mahayana are called the Mahayana people."
The Great Teacher Nan-yüeh in his Four Peaceful Practices writes, "The Great Diligence Sutra says, 'Ordinary beings and the Thus Come One share a single Dharma body. Being pure and mystic beyond comparison, it is called Myoho-renge-kyo.'" He also says: "Those who practice the Lotus Sutra are pursuing through this single act of devotion the mind that is endowed with all manner of fortunate results. These are present simultaneously and are not acquired gradually over a long period of time. This is like the blossom of the lotus that, when it opens, al-ready possesses a large number of seeds. Hence such persons are called the people of the one vehicle." He also says: "The people of the two vehicles, particularly the voice-hearers, and the bodhisattvas of inferior capacity choose to follow the way of expedient means, practicing methods that assure gradual progress over a long period of time. But the bodhisattvas of superior capacity honestly discard expedient means and do not carry out the practice of gradual progress. If they are able to complete the meditation based on the Lotus Sutra, then they will thereby possess all manner of fortunate results. Persons such as these are called the people of the one vehicle."
The phrase "practice of gradual progress" that appears in this commentary by Nan-yüeh has been interpreted by the scholars of our time to refer to the specific teaching. In fact, however, it refers to the way of expedient means, as opposed to the way of the Lotus Sutra, which is endowed simultaneously with causes and results. Hence the term "practice of gradual progress" includes the perfect teaching preached before the (11) Lotus Sutra, the various Mahayana sutras preached before the Lotus Sutra, and the Mahayana and Hinayana sutras that belong to the sudden and gradual teachings.
As proof, we may cite the following passage in the Immeasurable Meanings Sutra: "Then I preached the twelve divisions of the correct and equal sutras, (12) the teaching of great wisdom, and the Flower Garland teaching of the ocean-imprint meditation, describing the many kalpas of practice for bodhisattvas."
But the bodhisattvas of superior capacity honestly discard expedient means and do not carry out the practice of gradual progress. They practice the Lotus Sutra, and when they attain its truth, they simultaneously acquire all manner of fortunate results. Persons such as these are called the people of the one vehicle.
When we consider the meaning of these various passages, we understand that none of the ordinary people and sages of the three vehicles, the five (13) vehicles, the seven expedient means, the nine worlds, or the four flavors and three teachings can be called Mahayana followers who are entities of Myoho-renge-kyo. Though there are Buddhas in these teachings, they are Buddhas of the provisional teachings and cannot be called Buddhas in the true sense. This is because the Buddhas of the provisional teachings (14) in their three bodies have not yet freed themselves from impermanence. How then could beings in realms other than Buddhahood be [called entities of Myoho-renge-kyo]? That is why it is said that a person of humble station born in the Latter Day of the Law is more worthy of respect than the kings and high ministers who lived during the two thousand years of the Former and Middle Days.
Nan-yüeh says in his commentary, "All living beings have within themselves the storehouse of the Dharma body, and therefore they are in no way (15) different from the Buddha." That is why the Lotus Sutra says, "The pure and ordinary eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind that one received at birth from one's father and mother are (16) also like this."
Nan-yüeh also writes, "Question: In what sutra does the Buddha explain the eyes and the other sense organs and designate them by the name Thus Come One? Answer: The Great Diligence Sutra says, 'Ordinary beings and the Thus Come One share a single Dharma body. Being pure and mystic beyond comparison, it is called Myoho-renge-kyo (17).'" This comes from a sutra other than the Lotus, but since the Lotus later clarified the same point, it is all right to quote it here.
If we take up the word "share" that is used in this passage of the Great Diligence Sutra and apply it in our argument, we may say that those who share in and believe in the Lotus Sutra are entities of that mystic sutra. But those who do not share in it, such as the Nembutsu believers, are not entities of the mystic sutra because they have al-ready turned their backs on their Buddha nature, that is, the Thus Come One of the Dharma body.
In essence, the entity of Myoho-renge-kyo is the physical body that the disciples and followers of Nichiren who believe in the Lotus Sutra received from their fathers and mothers at birth. Such persons, who honestly discard expedient means, put faith in the Lotus Sutra alone, and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, will transform the three paths of earthly desires, karma, and suffering into the three virtues of the Dharma body, wisdom, and emancipation. The threefold contemplation and the three truths will immediately become (18) manifest in their minds, and the place where they live will become the Land of Eternally Tranquil Light. The Buddha who is the entity of Myoho-renge-kyo, of the "Life Span" chapter of the essential teaching, who is both inhabiting subject and inhabited realm, life and environment, body and mind, entity and function, the Buddha eternally endowed with the three bodies -he is to be found in the disciples and lay believers of Nichiren. Such persons embody the true entity of Myoho-renge-kyo; this is all due to the meritorious workings that the spontaneous transcendental powers inherent in it display. Could anyone venture to doubt it? Indeed it cannot be doubted!
Notes
1. Lotus Sutra, chap. 2.
2. The Diamond Scalpel.
3. Source unknown.
4. On the Peaceful Practices of the Lotus Sutra.
5. The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra.
6. The Annotations on "The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra."
7. This example appears in T'ien-t'ai's Great Concentration and Insight. Hence the expression "T'ien-t'ai school" is used to mean the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai, the founder of the Chinese T'ien-t'ai school.
8. Lotus Sutra, chap. 2.
9. The Mahayana Method of Concentration and Insight.
10. The example of the mirror is expounded in Mahayana Method of Concentration and Insight. Through the example of the inseparable relationship between an object and its image reflected in the mirror, Nan-yüeh reveals that a living being and a Buddha are "two but not two" in essence; in other words, common mortals of the nine worlds are inherently endowed with Buddhahood.
11. A reference to the teaching that expounds the concept of attaining Buddha-hood in one's present form. But this teaches it in name only with no actual examples of its having occurred, or postulates various distinctions and exceptions.
12. The "twelve divisions of the correct and equal sutras" refers to all the Mahayana teachings. The "twelve divisions" is a classification of the sutras according to style and content.
13. The five vehicles refer to the three vehicles of voice-hearers, cause-awakened ones, and bodhisattvas plus the human and heavenly realms.
14. In sutras other than the Lotus Sutra, the three bodies were held to exist separately, such as Mahavairochana in the Dharma-body aspect and Amida in the reward-body aspect. However, on the basis of the doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life, T'ien-t'ai main-tained that the three bodies are not separate entities but three integral aspects of one Buddha.
15. On the Peaceful Practices.
16. A summary of a passage in the "Benefits of the Teacher of the Law" chapter of the Lotus Sutra.
17. On the Peaceful Practices.
18. The "threefold contemplation" and the "three truths" here mean subjective wisdom and objective reality, respectively, and the expression that these "will immediately become manifest in their minds" represents the fusion of wisdom and reality. See Glossary for threefold contemplation and three truths.
threefold contemplation in a single mind
[一心三観] (Jpn.: isshin-san-gan)
1. Also, threefold contemplation. A method of meditation formulated by T'ien-t'ai (538-597) in Great Concentration and Insight, intended to enable one to perceive the unification of the three truths of non-substantiality, temporary existence, and the Middle Way. While the concept of the unification of the three truths constitutes the doctrinal core of T'ien-t'ai teachings, threefold contemplation in a single mind constitutes the core of T'ien-t'ai practice. T'ien-t'ai doctrine regards each phenomenon as a perfect unity of the three truths and sets forth the threefold contemplation in a single mind as the practice by which one attains insight into this perfect unity. This contemplation involves perceiving the three truths as simultaneously and perfectly integrated and interfused in each phenomenon. By doing so, one is said to rid oneself of the three categories of illusion and acquire at once the three kinds of wisdom-the wisdom of the two vehicles, the wisdom of bodhisattvas, and the Buddha wisdom. T'ien-t'ai also describes a single mind as comprising the three thousand realms. In this sense, threefold contemplation in a single mind is equal to observing a single moment of life and seeing the three thousand realms within it. At the same time, one perceives that all phenomena consist of the three thousand realms.
three truths
[三諦] (Jpn.: san-tai)
1. Also, threefold truth, triple truth, or three perceptions of the truth. The truth of non-substantiality, the truth of temporary existence, and the truth of the Middle Way. The three integral aspects of the truth, or ultimate reality, formulated by T'ien-t'ai (538-597) in The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra and Great Concentration and Insight. The truth of non-substantiality means that phenomena have no existence of their own; their true nature is non-substantial, indefinable in terms of existence or nonexistence. The truth of temporary existence means that, although non-substantial, all things possess a temporary reality that is in constant flux. The truth of the Middle Way means that the true nature of phenomena is that they are neither non-substantial nor temporary, though they display attributes of both. The Middle Way is the essence of things that continues either in a manifest or a latent state. According to T'ien-t'ai's explanation, the Tripitaka teaching and the connecting teaching do not reveal the truth of the Middle Way and therefore lack the three truths. The specific teaching reveals the three truths but shows them as being separate from and independent of one another; that is, it does not teach that these three are inseparable aspects of all phenomena. This view is called the separation of the three truths. The perfect teaching views the three as an integral whole, each possessing all three within itself. This is called the unification of the three truths.
From source: The Soka Gakkai Dictionary of Buddhism
[一心三観] (Jpn.: isshin-san-gan)
1. Also, threefold contemplation. A method of meditation formulated by T'ien-t'ai (538-597) in Great Concentration and Insight, intended to enable one to perceive the unification of the three truths of non-substantiality, temporary existence, and the Middle Way. While the concept of the unification of the three truths constitutes the doctrinal core of T'ien-t'ai teachings, threefold contemplation in a single mind constitutes the core of T'ien-t'ai practice. T'ien-t'ai doctrine regards each phenomenon as a perfect unity of the three truths and sets forth the threefold contemplation in a single mind as the practice by which one attains insight into this perfect unity. This contemplation involves perceiving the three truths as simultaneously and perfectly integrated and interfused in each phenomenon. By doing so, one is said to rid oneself of the three categories of illusion and acquire at once the three kinds of wisdom-the wisdom of the two vehicles, the wisdom of bodhisattvas, and the Buddha wisdom. T'ien-t'ai also describes a single mind as comprising the three thousand realms. In this sense, threefold contemplation in a single mind is equal to observing a single moment of life and seeing the three thousand realms within it. At the same time, one perceives that all phenomena consist of the three thousand realms.
three truths
[三諦] (Jpn.: san-tai)
1. Also, threefold truth, triple truth, or three perceptions of the truth. The truth of non-substantiality, the truth of temporary existence, and the truth of the Middle Way. The three integral aspects of the truth, or ultimate reality, formulated by T'ien-t'ai (538-597) in The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra and Great Concentration and Insight. The truth of non-substantiality means that phenomena have no existence of their own; their true nature is non-substantial, indefinable in terms of existence or nonexistence. The truth of temporary existence means that, although non-substantial, all things possess a temporary reality that is in constant flux. The truth of the Middle Way means that the true nature of phenomena is that they are neither non-substantial nor temporary, though they display attributes of both. The Middle Way is the essence of things that continues either in a manifest or a latent state. According to T'ien-t'ai's explanation, the Tripitaka teaching and the connecting teaching do not reveal the truth of the Middle Way and therefore lack the three truths. The specific teaching reveals the three truths but shows them as being separate from and independent of one another; that is, it does not teach that these three are inseparable aspects of all phenomena. This view is called the separation of the three truths. The perfect teaching views the three as an integral whole, each possessing all three within itself. This is called the unification of the three truths.
From source: The Soka Gakkai Dictionary of Buddhism
The Entity of the Mystic Law (cont) / WND pg. 420
The Entity of the Mystic Law (cont) / WND pg. 420
Question: The Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai has explained that the term Myoho-renge is used in two different senses, one meaning the entity of Myoho-renge and the other being figurative in meaning. What are these two kinds of renge, or lotus?
Answer: The figurative renge, or lotus, is explained in detail in the three metaphors of the lotus blossom enfolding the seed, the lotus blossom opening to reveal the seed inside, and the lotus blossom falling and the seed ripening, so one should refer to them. The lotus that is the entity of Myoho-renge is explained in the seventh volume of The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra as follows: "Renge, or lotus, is not a symbol; it is the actual name of the entity. For example, at the beginning of the kalpa of continuance, the various things in the world had no names. The sage observed the principles that govern them and on that basis made up names for them." He also writes: "Now the name renge is not intended as a symbol for anything. It is the teaching expounded in the Lotus Sutra. The teaching expounded in the Lotus Sutra is pure and undefiled and explains the subtleties of cause and effect. Therefore, it is called renge, or lotus. This name designates the true entity that the meditation based on the Lotus Sutra reveals, and is not a metaphor or figurative term."
The Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai also writes: "Question: Does the term renge in fact mean the renge, or lotus, that is the essence of the meditation based on the Lotus Sutra? Or does it in fact mean the ordinary lotus that is a species of plant?
"Answer: It in fact refers to the lotus that is the essence of the Lotus Sutra. But because the essence of the Lotus Sutra is difficult to understand, the metaphor of the lotus plant is introduced. People of sharp faculties will hear the name and immediately grasp the principle. They have no need to rely upon a metaphor but can understand the Lotus Sutra directly. But people of intermediate or inferior perception will not understand immediately. Only through the medium of a metaphor will they be able to understand. Thus the easily understood metaphor of an actual lotus plant is used to make clear the difficult-to-understand lotus that is the essence of the Lotus Sutra.
"Thus, in the Lotus Sutra the Buddha employed three cycles of preaching in accordance with the respective understanding of those of superior, intermediate, or inferior capacity. For people of superior capacity, the renge, or lotus, that is the name of the Law was taught. But, for people of intermediate or inferior capacity, the lotus was used as a metaphor or symbol. As long as one understands that the word is being used both as a name for the Law itself and as a metaphor, depending upon which of the three groups of people is being addressed, then there should be no reason to argue over it."
This passage of commentary means that the supreme principle [that is the Mystic Law] was originally without a name. When the sage was observing the principle and assigning names to all things, he perceived that there is this wonderful single Law [myoho] that simultaneously possesses both cause and effect [renge], and he named it Myoho-renge. This single Law that is Myoho-renge encompasses within it all the phenomena comprising the Ten Worlds and the three thousand realms, and is lacking in none of them. Anyone who practices this Law will obtain both the cause and the effect of Buddhahood simultaneously.
The sage practiced with this Law as his teacher and attained enlightenment, and therefore he simultaneously obtained both the mystic cause and the mystic effect of Buddhahood, becoming the Thus Come One of perfect enlightenment and fully realized virtues.
Thus the Great Teacher Dengyo writes: "A single mind, the entity of Myoho-renge, simultaneously brings to maturity both the blossom of cause and the calyx of effect. The three cycles of preaching that the Buddha employed each contain both the lotus that is the entity and the lotus that is a metaphor. The Lotus Sutra as a whole consists of both entity and metaphor. In particular we may note the seven parables, the three equalities, and the ten peerless nesses, which each contain the lotus of the entity. And the teaching that fully sets forth this principle is called Myoho-renge-kyo [the Lotus Sutra of (19) the Wonderful Law]."
The Great Teacher Miao-lo says: "When interpreting the seven parables, one should understand the renge, or lotus, in each of them in terms of the doctrine of the provisional and true teachings. Why? Because these lotuses are no more than metaphors for the fact that the provisional teachings were set forth for the sake of the true teaching, and that the provisional teachings are opened in order to reveal the true teaching. All the seven parables are to (20) be understood in this way." In the beginning of the kalpa of continuance, a plant existed. The sage observed its principle and gave it the name renge, or lotus. The lotus plant resembles the principle of Myoho-renge in that it simultaneously contains both cause [blossom] and effect [seed]. Hence the plant came to bear the same name as the principle. The lotus that grows in water is the lotus that is a plant, such as the pink variety or the white variety. When we speak of the figurative lotus, or the lotus that is a metaphor, it is this lotus plant we mean. This lotus plant is used to help clarify the difficult concept of Myoho-renge. That is what the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai means when he says that, through the use of this metaphor, the difficult-to-understand Mystic Law is rendered more comprehensible.
Question: Since the beginning of the kalpa of continuance, has anyone become enlightened to the lotus that is the entity of the Mystic Law?
Answer: Shakyamuni Buddha (21) became enlightened to this lotus that is the entity of the Mystic Law numberless major world system dust particle kalpas in the past, and in age after age and lifetime after lifetime, declared that he had attained the way and revealed the fundamental principle he had realized with his enlightened wisdom.
In our present world as well, he appeared in the kingdom of Magadha in central India, intending to reveal this lotus of the Mystic Law. But the people lacked the proper capacity, and the time was not right. Therefore, he drew distinctions regarding this lotus of the single Law and expounded it as three kinds of flowers, delivering to the people the provisional teachings of the three vehicles. For over forty years he guided and led them with these temporary teachings according to their capacities. During this period, because the capacities of the people he addressed were so varied, he bestowed upon them the various flowers and plants of the provisional teachings, but he never spoke of Myoho-renge. That is why, in the Immeasurable Meanings Sutra, the Buddha said: "In the past I sat upright in the place of meditation [for six years] under the bodhi tree [and was able to gain supreme perfect enlightenment . . . But] in these more than forty years, I have not yet revealed the truth."
But when he preached the Lotus Sutra, he cast aside the various plants and flowers of the Hinayana doctrines and the provisional teachings, which correspond to the expedient means of the four flavors and three teachings, and explained the unique doctrine of Myoho-renge. When he opened the three figurative lotuses to reveal the single lotus of Myoho-renge, the people of the provisional teachings with their four flavors and three teachings were able to gain the lotus of the first of the ten stages of security. Not until he revealed the lotus of "opening the near and revealing the distant" were they able to obtain the lotus of the highest result, advancing to the second stage of security, the third stage of security, the tenth stage, the stage of near-perfect enlightenment, and finally, the highest stage of perfect enlightenment.
Notes:
19. Source unknown.
20. On "The Profound Meaning."
21. Shakyamuni Buddha attained enlightenment numberless major world system dust particle kalpas in the past and realized that his life is the entity of the Mystic Law.
The Entity of the Mystic Law (cont) / WND pg. 420
Question: The Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai has explained that the term Myoho-renge is used in two different senses, one meaning the entity of Myoho-renge and the other being figurative in meaning. What are these two kinds of renge, or lotus?
Answer: The figurative renge, or lotus, is explained in detail in the three metaphors of the lotus blossom enfolding the seed, the lotus blossom opening to reveal the seed inside, and the lotus blossom falling and the seed ripening, so one should refer to them. The lotus that is the entity of Myoho-renge is explained in the seventh volume of The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra as follows: "Renge, or lotus, is not a symbol; it is the actual name of the entity. For example, at the beginning of the kalpa of continuance, the various things in the world had no names. The sage observed the principles that govern them and on that basis made up names for them." He also writes: "Now the name renge is not intended as a symbol for anything. It is the teaching expounded in the Lotus Sutra. The teaching expounded in the Lotus Sutra is pure and undefiled and explains the subtleties of cause and effect. Therefore, it is called renge, or lotus. This name designates the true entity that the meditation based on the Lotus Sutra reveals, and is not a metaphor or figurative term."
The Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai also writes: "Question: Does the term renge in fact mean the renge, or lotus, that is the essence of the meditation based on the Lotus Sutra? Or does it in fact mean the ordinary lotus that is a species of plant?
"Answer: It in fact refers to the lotus that is the essence of the Lotus Sutra. But because the essence of the Lotus Sutra is difficult to understand, the metaphor of the lotus plant is introduced. People of sharp faculties will hear the name and immediately grasp the principle. They have no need to rely upon a metaphor but can understand the Lotus Sutra directly. But people of intermediate or inferior perception will not understand immediately. Only through the medium of a metaphor will they be able to understand. Thus the easily understood metaphor of an actual lotus plant is used to make clear the difficult-to-understand lotus that is the essence of the Lotus Sutra.
"Thus, in the Lotus Sutra the Buddha employed three cycles of preaching in accordance with the respective understanding of those of superior, intermediate, or inferior capacity. For people of superior capacity, the renge, or lotus, that is the name of the Law was taught. But, for people of intermediate or inferior capacity, the lotus was used as a metaphor or symbol. As long as one understands that the word is being used both as a name for the Law itself and as a metaphor, depending upon which of the three groups of people is being addressed, then there should be no reason to argue over it."
This passage of commentary means that the supreme principle [that is the Mystic Law] was originally without a name. When the sage was observing the principle and assigning names to all things, he perceived that there is this wonderful single Law [myoho] that simultaneously possesses both cause and effect [renge], and he named it Myoho-renge. This single Law that is Myoho-renge encompasses within it all the phenomena comprising the Ten Worlds and the three thousand realms, and is lacking in none of them. Anyone who practices this Law will obtain both the cause and the effect of Buddhahood simultaneously.
The sage practiced with this Law as his teacher and attained enlightenment, and therefore he simultaneously obtained both the mystic cause and the mystic effect of Buddhahood, becoming the Thus Come One of perfect enlightenment and fully realized virtues.
Thus the Great Teacher Dengyo writes: "A single mind, the entity of Myoho-renge, simultaneously brings to maturity both the blossom of cause and the calyx of effect. The three cycles of preaching that the Buddha employed each contain both the lotus that is the entity and the lotus that is a metaphor. The Lotus Sutra as a whole consists of both entity and metaphor. In particular we may note the seven parables, the three equalities, and the ten peerless nesses, which each contain the lotus of the entity. And the teaching that fully sets forth this principle is called Myoho-renge-kyo [the Lotus Sutra of (19) the Wonderful Law]."
The Great Teacher Miao-lo says: "When interpreting the seven parables, one should understand the renge, or lotus, in each of them in terms of the doctrine of the provisional and true teachings. Why? Because these lotuses are no more than metaphors for the fact that the provisional teachings were set forth for the sake of the true teaching, and that the provisional teachings are opened in order to reveal the true teaching. All the seven parables are to (20) be understood in this way." In the beginning of the kalpa of continuance, a plant existed. The sage observed its principle and gave it the name renge, or lotus. The lotus plant resembles the principle of Myoho-renge in that it simultaneously contains both cause [blossom] and effect [seed]. Hence the plant came to bear the same name as the principle. The lotus that grows in water is the lotus that is a plant, such as the pink variety or the white variety. When we speak of the figurative lotus, or the lotus that is a metaphor, it is this lotus plant we mean. This lotus plant is used to help clarify the difficult concept of Myoho-renge. That is what the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai means when he says that, through the use of this metaphor, the difficult-to-understand Mystic Law is rendered more comprehensible.
Question: Since the beginning of the kalpa of continuance, has anyone become enlightened to the lotus that is the entity of the Mystic Law?
Answer: Shakyamuni Buddha (21) became enlightened to this lotus that is the entity of the Mystic Law numberless major world system dust particle kalpas in the past, and in age after age and lifetime after lifetime, declared that he had attained the way and revealed the fundamental principle he had realized with his enlightened wisdom.
In our present world as well, he appeared in the kingdom of Magadha in central India, intending to reveal this lotus of the Mystic Law. But the people lacked the proper capacity, and the time was not right. Therefore, he drew distinctions regarding this lotus of the single Law and expounded it as three kinds of flowers, delivering to the people the provisional teachings of the three vehicles. For over forty years he guided and led them with these temporary teachings according to their capacities. During this period, because the capacities of the people he addressed were so varied, he bestowed upon them the various flowers and plants of the provisional teachings, but he never spoke of Myoho-renge. That is why, in the Immeasurable Meanings Sutra, the Buddha said: "In the past I sat upright in the place of meditation [for six years] under the bodhi tree [and was able to gain supreme perfect enlightenment . . . But] in these more than forty years, I have not yet revealed the truth."
But when he preached the Lotus Sutra, he cast aside the various plants and flowers of the Hinayana doctrines and the provisional teachings, which correspond to the expedient means of the four flavors and three teachings, and explained the unique doctrine of Myoho-renge. When he opened the three figurative lotuses to reveal the single lotus of Myoho-renge, the people of the provisional teachings with their four flavors and three teachings were able to gain the lotus of the first of the ten stages of security. Not until he revealed the lotus of "opening the near and revealing the distant" were they able to obtain the lotus of the highest result, advancing to the second stage of security, the third stage of security, the tenth stage, the stage of near-perfect enlightenment, and finally, the highest stage of perfect enlightenment.
Notes:
19. Source unknown.
20. On "The Profound Meaning."
21. Shakyamuni Buddha attained enlightenment numberless major world system dust particle kalpas in the past and realized that his life is the entity of the Mystic Law.
The Entity of the Mystic Law (cont) / WND pg 423
The Entity of the Mystic Law (cont) / WND pg 423
Question: Exactly which passages in which chapters of the Lotus Sutra expound the lotus that is the entity of the Mystic Law, and which ones expound the lotus that is a metaphor?
Answer: If we speak in terms of the three groups of voice-hearers, then we would say that the whole of the "Expedient Means" chapter expounds the lotus that is the entity, while the "Simile and Parable" and "Parable of the Phantom City" chapters expound the lotus that is a metaphor. However, it cannot be said that explanations of the lotus as a metaphor are entirely lacking in the "Expedient Means" chapter, nor can it be said that the other chapters are without explanation of the lotus as the entity.
Question: If so, then what passage contains a full elucidation of the entity?
Answer: The passage in the "Expedient Means" chapter that deals with the true aspect of all phenomena.
Question: How do we know that this passage deals with the lotus that is the entity?
Answer: Because T'ien-t'ai and Miao-lo quote this passage when they explain the essence of the Lotus Sutra. And the Great Teacher Dengyo in his commentary also writes, "Question: What is the essence of the Lotus Sutra? Answer: Its essence is the true aspect of (22) all phenomena." This passage of commentary clarifies the matter. (Scholars of the time kept this commentary secret and did not reveal the name of the entity, but the passage is clearly referring to Myoho-renge).
Furthermore, actual evidence of the entity is to be found in the examples of (23) the three kinds of Buddhas described in the "Treasure Tower" chapter, the bodhisattvas who appeared from the earth, and the dragon king's daughter who attained Buddhahood in her present form. The Bodhisattvas of the Earth offer actual evidence because, as a passage of the Lotus Sutra says, "[They are unsoiled by worldly things] (24) like the lotus flower in the water." Thus we learn of the true entity of these bodhisattvas. And the dragon king's daughter offers actual evidence because she made her appearance at the gathering at Eagle Peak, "seated on a thousand-petaled lotus blossom big as (25) a carriage wheel."
Moreover, the thirty-four manifestations of Bodhisattva Wonderful Sound and the thirty-three manifestations of Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds constitute further evidence. For, as the commentary says, "If he had not gained the mysterious power of perfect freedom of action through the meditation based on the Lotus Sutra, then how could he manifest these thirty-three (26) different forms?"
In addition, there is the sutra passage that states, ". . . the characteristics of the world are constantly abiding." All these passages are documentary proofs cited by the scholars of our time. Personally, however, I prefer to cite the passage in the "Expedient Means" chapter on the true aspect of all phenomena and the passage in the "Supernatural Powers" chapter that refers to "all the doctrines possessed by the (27) Thus Come One." This last passage is also cited by the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai in his commentary explaining the five major principles of the Lotus Sutra. Therefore, I feel that this passage in particular can be cited as certain proof of the entity of the Mystic Law.
Question: The documentary proofs and actual proofs that you have cited above are particularly compelling. But why do you place such emphasis upon this one passage from the "Supernatural Powers" chapter?
Answer: This passage is profoundly significant, and that is why it is particularly pertinent.
Question: What is that profound significance?
Answer: In this passage, Shakyamuni Buddha explains that he is entrusting the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo, which is the essence of the Lotus Sutra, to the Bodhisattvas of the Earth, his original disciples. The Thus Come One Shakyamuni, who attained enlightenment countless kalpas in the past, says elsewhere, "What I long ago hoped for has now been fulfilled. I have converted all living beings and caused them all to enter the Buddha (28) way." Thus, he has already fulfilled his earlier vow. Then, intending to charge his disciples with the task of accomplishing widespread propagation in the last five-hundred-year period after his passing, he called forth the Bodhisattvas of the Earth and entrusted them with the heart of the sutra, the lotus of the entity of the essential teaching. This passage represents the ultimate purpose for which Shakyamuni Buddha appeared in the world, the secret Law that he attained in the place of meditation. It is this passage that gives proof of the lotus of the entity that, for those of us who live in the Latter Day of the Law, assures the attainment of Buddhahood in both the present and future.
Accordingly, at the present time in the Latter Day of the Law, other than the envoy of the Thus Come One, there can be no one who understands and produces this passage as proof of the lotus of the entity. Truly it is a passage of secret meaning. Truly it is a matter of great concern. Truly it is to be honored and admired. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!
(This is what is meant by the statement (29) in the Lotus Sutra that the bodhisattvas of the perfect teaching preached before the sutra have assembled in a multitude of eighty thousand, wishing to hear the teaching of perfect endowment).
Question: Concerning the doctrines of our school, when persons of other schools come and want to know what passages give proof of the lotus of the entity, what passages from the Lotus Sutra should be cited?
Answer: You should point to the title Myoho-renge-kyo that appears at the very beginning of each of the twenty-eight chapters of the Lotus Sutra.
Question: But how do we know that the title Myoho-renge-kyo appearing in each chapter is the lotus of the entity of the Mystic Law? I ask this because, when the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai explained the title of the Lotus Sutra, he interpreted the lotus as a metaphor, so that we would have to say that this is the lotus that is a metaphor, would we not?
Answer: The renge, or lotus, in the title of the sutra is explained as both entity and metaphor. In the interpretation you have just referred to, T'ien-t'ai is explaining the lotus as a metaphor. This is what he does in the first volume of Profound Meaning where he discusses the six metaphors of the theoretical and essential teachings. But in the seventh volume of the same work, he interprets the lotus as the entity of the Mystic Law. Thus T'ien-t'ai's doctrine is flawless in that it reveals both interpretations, explaining the lotus in the title of the sutra as both entity and metaphor.
Question: How do we know that these two interpretations can be used and that the title can be taken as both entity and metaphor? When the Great Teacher Nan-yüeh explained the five characters Myoho-renge-kyo, he said, "Myo indicates that all living beings are myo, or mystic. Ho indicates that all living beings are ho, or the Law. Renge, or lotus, is a metaphor that is employed here." It would seem, then, would it not, that both Nan-yüeh and T'ien-t'ai interpreted the lotus as a metaphor?
Answer: Nan-yüeh's interpretation is like that of T'ien-t'ai. While it is not entirely clear from the sutras that there can be two interpretations, that is, taking the lotus as both entity and metaphor, Nan-yüeh and T'ien-t'ai discerned these two meanings through the treatises of Vasubandhu and Nagarjuna.
That is to say, in The Treatise on the Lotus Sutra we read: "The words Myoho-renge have two meanings. First, they signify the lotus that appears on the surface of the water. . . . The way in which the lotus emerges from the muddy water is used as a metaphor to explain that, when the Thus Come One joins the multitude of listeners, seats himself on a lotus in the same manner as the various bodhisattvas, and expounds on the unsurpassed wisdom of the Thus Come One and on the enlightened state of purity, the various voice-hearers, hearing this, are able to obtain the secret storehouse of the Thus Come One. Second, the words Myoho-renge signify the lotus opening up. [This is a metaphor explaining that] ordinary beings, though exposed to the Mahayana teachings, are timid and fearful in mind and incapable of taking faith in them. Therefore, the Thus Come One 'opens' or reveals his Dharma body in its purity and wonder, awakening in them the mind of faith."
In this passage, the word "various" in the phrase "the various bodhisattvas" refers to the fact that the bodhisattvas of both the Mahayana and Hinayana teachings, upon arriving on the scene when the Lotus Sutra is preached, are able, for the first time, to understand the lotus of the Buddha. This is clear from the above passage in Treatise on the Lotus Sutra. Therefore, (30) we know that the statement that the bodhisattvas had already gained entrance [to enlightenment] through the various sutras was no more than an expedient.
T'ien-t'ai explains this passage of Treatise on the Lotus Sutra as follows: "If we are to explain the meaning of the treatise, we would say that, when the Thus Come One causes ordinary beings to see the Dharma body in its purity and wonder, he is showing them the lotus that opens through a mystic cause. And when the Thus Come One enters the multitude of listeners and seats himself on a lotus, he is indicating that the land produced as a mystic reward is itself the lotus." (31)
Again, when T'ien-t'ai wishes to give a detailed explanation of the dual interpretation of the lotus as both entity and metaphor, he quotes the passage in the Great Collection Sutra that reads, "I now bow in reverence before the lotus of the Buddha," and the passage in Treatise on the Lotus Sutra that has just been quoted, to support his argument. As he explains: "According to the Great Collection Sutra, the lotus is both the cause and the effect of religious practice. When the bodhisattvas seat themselves on the lotus, this is the lotus of the cause. But the lotus of the Buddha that one bows before in reverence is the lotus of the effect. Or, according to Treatise on the Lotus Sutra, the land surrounding one is the lotus. That is, the bodhisattvas, by practicing the Law of the lotus, are as a result able to obtain the land of the lotus. Thus we should understand that the objective realm and the subjective being who depends upon it, the cause [that is the bodhisattva] and the effect [that is the Buddha], are all the Law of the renge, or lotus. Therefore, what need is there to employ metaphors? But because dull-witted people cannot understand the lotus of the essential nature of phenomena, an ordinary lotus is introduced as a metaphor to assist them. What harm is there in (32) that?"
And elsewhere he says, "If we do not use a lotus, then what are we to employ as a metaphor for all the various teachings that have been described above? It is because the Law and the metaphor are expounded side by side that we refer to them by the phrase (33) Myoho-renge."
Next, we come to Great Perfection of Wisdom by Bodhisattva Nagarjuna, which states, "The lotus represents both the Law itself and a metaphor for it." The Great Teacher Dengyo, explaining the above passages from the treatises of Vasubandhu and Nagarjuna, writes as follows: "The passage in Treatise on the Lotus Sutra says that the lotus of what is called Myoho-renge-kyo has two meanings. It does not say that an ordinary lotus has two meanings. On the whole, what is admirable here is the fact that the Law and the metaphor that is used for it resemble each other. If they did not resemble each other, then how could the metaphor help people understand the meaning? That is why Great Perfection of Wisdom says that the lotus is both the Law itself and a metaphor for it. A single mind, the entity of Myoho-renge, simultaneously brings to maturity both the blossom of cause and the calyx of effect. This concept is difficult to understand, but through the use of a metaphor, it can be made easy to understand. The teaching that fully sets forth this principle is called Myoho-renge-kyo." (34)
These passages from the treatises and their explanations quoted here will make the matter clear, and one should therefore examine them carefully. Nothing is hidden or held back, and hence the dual explanations of the lotus as both entity and metaphor are fully expounded.
In the final analysis, the meaning of the Lotus Sutra is that the metaphor is none other than the entity of the Law and that the entity of the Law is none other than the metaphor. That is why the Great Teacher Dengyo in his commentary says: "The Lotus Sutra contains a great many metaphors and parables. However, when it comes to the major parables, we find that there are seven of them. These seven parables are none other than the entity of the Law, and the entity of the Law is none other than these metaphors and parables. Therefore, there is no entity of the Law outside of the metaphors and parables, and there are no metaphors and parables outside of the entity of the Law. In other words, the entity of the Law refers to the entity of the truth of the essential nature of phenomena, while the metaphors and parables rep-resent the entity of the Mystic Law as manifested in actual phenomena. The manifestations are none other than the entity of the truth, and the entity of the truth is none other than the manifestations. Therefore, it can be said that the Law and its metaphors constitute a single entity. This is why the passages from the treatises and the annotations by the Tendai school all explain the lotus as both the Law itself and a metaphor (35) for it."
This passage is perfectly clear in meaning, and therefore I need say nothing further.
Notes:
22. A summary of a section from An Essay on the Protection of the Nation.
23. The three kinds of Buddhas refer to Shakyamuni, Many Treasures, and the Buddhas of the ten directions who are emanations of Shakyamuni Buddha.
24. Lotus Sutra, chap. 15.
25. Ibid., chap. 12. In this chapter, it states, "Manjushri was seated on a thousand-petaled lotus blossom," and in the latter part of this chapter it says that the dragon king's daughter perfected the bodhisattva practice and appeared in a world to the south called Spotless World, where she seated herself on a jeweled lotus flower, acquired the thirty-two features and eighty characteristics of a Buddha, and thence proceeded to preach the Lotus Sutra to all living beings.
26. The Annotations on "Great Concentration and Insight."
27. Shakyamuni declares to the Bodhisattvas of the Earth, "All the doctrines possessed by the Thus Come One, all the freely exercised supernatural powers of the Thus Come One, the storehouse of all the secret essentials of the Thus Come One, all the most profound matters of the Thus Come One - all these are proclaimed, revealed, and clearly expounded in this sutra." After this statement, he transfers the essence of the Lotus Sutra to Bodhisattva Superior Practices and the other Bodhisattvas of the Earth.
28. Lotus Sutra, chap. 2.
29. This refers to the "Expedient Means" chapter of the Lotus Sutra. "The teaching of perfect endowment" indicates the heart of the sutra, the lotus of the entity of the essential teaching.
30. This is found in On "The Profound Meaning."
31. Profound Meaning.
32. Ibid.
33. Ibid.
34. Essay on the Protection of the Nation.
35. Source unknown.
The Entity of the Mystic Law (cont) / WND pg 423
Question: Exactly which passages in which chapters of the Lotus Sutra expound the lotus that is the entity of the Mystic Law, and which ones expound the lotus that is a metaphor?
Answer: If we speak in terms of the three groups of voice-hearers, then we would say that the whole of the "Expedient Means" chapter expounds the lotus that is the entity, while the "Simile and Parable" and "Parable of the Phantom City" chapters expound the lotus that is a metaphor. However, it cannot be said that explanations of the lotus as a metaphor are entirely lacking in the "Expedient Means" chapter, nor can it be said that the other chapters are without explanation of the lotus as the entity.
Question: If so, then what passage contains a full elucidation of the entity?
Answer: The passage in the "Expedient Means" chapter that deals with the true aspect of all phenomena.
Question: How do we know that this passage deals with the lotus that is the entity?
Answer: Because T'ien-t'ai and Miao-lo quote this passage when they explain the essence of the Lotus Sutra. And the Great Teacher Dengyo in his commentary also writes, "Question: What is the essence of the Lotus Sutra? Answer: Its essence is the true aspect of (22) all phenomena." This passage of commentary clarifies the matter. (Scholars of the time kept this commentary secret and did not reveal the name of the entity, but the passage is clearly referring to Myoho-renge).
Furthermore, actual evidence of the entity is to be found in the examples of (23) the three kinds of Buddhas described in the "Treasure Tower" chapter, the bodhisattvas who appeared from the earth, and the dragon king's daughter who attained Buddhahood in her present form. The Bodhisattvas of the Earth offer actual evidence because, as a passage of the Lotus Sutra says, "[They are unsoiled by worldly things] (24) like the lotus flower in the water." Thus we learn of the true entity of these bodhisattvas. And the dragon king's daughter offers actual evidence because she made her appearance at the gathering at Eagle Peak, "seated on a thousand-petaled lotus blossom big as (25) a carriage wheel."
Moreover, the thirty-four manifestations of Bodhisattva Wonderful Sound and the thirty-three manifestations of Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds constitute further evidence. For, as the commentary says, "If he had not gained the mysterious power of perfect freedom of action through the meditation based on the Lotus Sutra, then how could he manifest these thirty-three (26) different forms?"
In addition, there is the sutra passage that states, ". . . the characteristics of the world are constantly abiding." All these passages are documentary proofs cited by the scholars of our time. Personally, however, I prefer to cite the passage in the "Expedient Means" chapter on the true aspect of all phenomena and the passage in the "Supernatural Powers" chapter that refers to "all the doctrines possessed by the (27) Thus Come One." This last passage is also cited by the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai in his commentary explaining the five major principles of the Lotus Sutra. Therefore, I feel that this passage in particular can be cited as certain proof of the entity of the Mystic Law.
Question: The documentary proofs and actual proofs that you have cited above are particularly compelling. But why do you place such emphasis upon this one passage from the "Supernatural Powers" chapter?
Answer: This passage is profoundly significant, and that is why it is particularly pertinent.
Question: What is that profound significance?
Answer: In this passage, Shakyamuni Buddha explains that he is entrusting the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo, which is the essence of the Lotus Sutra, to the Bodhisattvas of the Earth, his original disciples. The Thus Come One Shakyamuni, who attained enlightenment countless kalpas in the past, says elsewhere, "What I long ago hoped for has now been fulfilled. I have converted all living beings and caused them all to enter the Buddha (28) way." Thus, he has already fulfilled his earlier vow. Then, intending to charge his disciples with the task of accomplishing widespread propagation in the last five-hundred-year period after his passing, he called forth the Bodhisattvas of the Earth and entrusted them with the heart of the sutra, the lotus of the entity of the essential teaching. This passage represents the ultimate purpose for which Shakyamuni Buddha appeared in the world, the secret Law that he attained in the place of meditation. It is this passage that gives proof of the lotus of the entity that, for those of us who live in the Latter Day of the Law, assures the attainment of Buddhahood in both the present and future.
Accordingly, at the present time in the Latter Day of the Law, other than the envoy of the Thus Come One, there can be no one who understands and produces this passage as proof of the lotus of the entity. Truly it is a passage of secret meaning. Truly it is a matter of great concern. Truly it is to be honored and admired. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!
(This is what is meant by the statement (29) in the Lotus Sutra that the bodhisattvas of the perfect teaching preached before the sutra have assembled in a multitude of eighty thousand, wishing to hear the teaching of perfect endowment).
Question: Concerning the doctrines of our school, when persons of other schools come and want to know what passages give proof of the lotus of the entity, what passages from the Lotus Sutra should be cited?
Answer: You should point to the title Myoho-renge-kyo that appears at the very beginning of each of the twenty-eight chapters of the Lotus Sutra.
Question: But how do we know that the title Myoho-renge-kyo appearing in each chapter is the lotus of the entity of the Mystic Law? I ask this because, when the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai explained the title of the Lotus Sutra, he interpreted the lotus as a metaphor, so that we would have to say that this is the lotus that is a metaphor, would we not?
Answer: The renge, or lotus, in the title of the sutra is explained as both entity and metaphor. In the interpretation you have just referred to, T'ien-t'ai is explaining the lotus as a metaphor. This is what he does in the first volume of Profound Meaning where he discusses the six metaphors of the theoretical and essential teachings. But in the seventh volume of the same work, he interprets the lotus as the entity of the Mystic Law. Thus T'ien-t'ai's doctrine is flawless in that it reveals both interpretations, explaining the lotus in the title of the sutra as both entity and metaphor.
Question: How do we know that these two interpretations can be used and that the title can be taken as both entity and metaphor? When the Great Teacher Nan-yüeh explained the five characters Myoho-renge-kyo, he said, "Myo indicates that all living beings are myo, or mystic. Ho indicates that all living beings are ho, or the Law. Renge, or lotus, is a metaphor that is employed here." It would seem, then, would it not, that both Nan-yüeh and T'ien-t'ai interpreted the lotus as a metaphor?
Answer: Nan-yüeh's interpretation is like that of T'ien-t'ai. While it is not entirely clear from the sutras that there can be two interpretations, that is, taking the lotus as both entity and metaphor, Nan-yüeh and T'ien-t'ai discerned these two meanings through the treatises of Vasubandhu and Nagarjuna.
That is to say, in The Treatise on the Lotus Sutra we read: "The words Myoho-renge have two meanings. First, they signify the lotus that appears on the surface of the water. . . . The way in which the lotus emerges from the muddy water is used as a metaphor to explain that, when the Thus Come One joins the multitude of listeners, seats himself on a lotus in the same manner as the various bodhisattvas, and expounds on the unsurpassed wisdom of the Thus Come One and on the enlightened state of purity, the various voice-hearers, hearing this, are able to obtain the secret storehouse of the Thus Come One. Second, the words Myoho-renge signify the lotus opening up. [This is a metaphor explaining that] ordinary beings, though exposed to the Mahayana teachings, are timid and fearful in mind and incapable of taking faith in them. Therefore, the Thus Come One 'opens' or reveals his Dharma body in its purity and wonder, awakening in them the mind of faith."
In this passage, the word "various" in the phrase "the various bodhisattvas" refers to the fact that the bodhisattvas of both the Mahayana and Hinayana teachings, upon arriving on the scene when the Lotus Sutra is preached, are able, for the first time, to understand the lotus of the Buddha. This is clear from the above passage in Treatise on the Lotus Sutra. Therefore, (30) we know that the statement that the bodhisattvas had already gained entrance [to enlightenment] through the various sutras was no more than an expedient.
T'ien-t'ai explains this passage of Treatise on the Lotus Sutra as follows: "If we are to explain the meaning of the treatise, we would say that, when the Thus Come One causes ordinary beings to see the Dharma body in its purity and wonder, he is showing them the lotus that opens through a mystic cause. And when the Thus Come One enters the multitude of listeners and seats himself on a lotus, he is indicating that the land produced as a mystic reward is itself the lotus." (31)
Again, when T'ien-t'ai wishes to give a detailed explanation of the dual interpretation of the lotus as both entity and metaphor, he quotes the passage in the Great Collection Sutra that reads, "I now bow in reverence before the lotus of the Buddha," and the passage in Treatise on the Lotus Sutra that has just been quoted, to support his argument. As he explains: "According to the Great Collection Sutra, the lotus is both the cause and the effect of religious practice. When the bodhisattvas seat themselves on the lotus, this is the lotus of the cause. But the lotus of the Buddha that one bows before in reverence is the lotus of the effect. Or, according to Treatise on the Lotus Sutra, the land surrounding one is the lotus. That is, the bodhisattvas, by practicing the Law of the lotus, are as a result able to obtain the land of the lotus. Thus we should understand that the objective realm and the subjective being who depends upon it, the cause [that is the bodhisattva] and the effect [that is the Buddha], are all the Law of the renge, or lotus. Therefore, what need is there to employ metaphors? But because dull-witted people cannot understand the lotus of the essential nature of phenomena, an ordinary lotus is introduced as a metaphor to assist them. What harm is there in (32) that?"
And elsewhere he says, "If we do not use a lotus, then what are we to employ as a metaphor for all the various teachings that have been described above? It is because the Law and the metaphor are expounded side by side that we refer to them by the phrase (33) Myoho-renge."
Next, we come to Great Perfection of Wisdom by Bodhisattva Nagarjuna, which states, "The lotus represents both the Law itself and a metaphor for it." The Great Teacher Dengyo, explaining the above passages from the treatises of Vasubandhu and Nagarjuna, writes as follows: "The passage in Treatise on the Lotus Sutra says that the lotus of what is called Myoho-renge-kyo has two meanings. It does not say that an ordinary lotus has two meanings. On the whole, what is admirable here is the fact that the Law and the metaphor that is used for it resemble each other. If they did not resemble each other, then how could the metaphor help people understand the meaning? That is why Great Perfection of Wisdom says that the lotus is both the Law itself and a metaphor for it. A single mind, the entity of Myoho-renge, simultaneously brings to maturity both the blossom of cause and the calyx of effect. This concept is difficult to understand, but through the use of a metaphor, it can be made easy to understand. The teaching that fully sets forth this principle is called Myoho-renge-kyo." (34)
These passages from the treatises and their explanations quoted here will make the matter clear, and one should therefore examine them carefully. Nothing is hidden or held back, and hence the dual explanations of the lotus as both entity and metaphor are fully expounded.
In the final analysis, the meaning of the Lotus Sutra is that the metaphor is none other than the entity of the Law and that the entity of the Law is none other than the metaphor. That is why the Great Teacher Dengyo in his commentary says: "The Lotus Sutra contains a great many metaphors and parables. However, when it comes to the major parables, we find that there are seven of them. These seven parables are none other than the entity of the Law, and the entity of the Law is none other than these metaphors and parables. Therefore, there is no entity of the Law outside of the metaphors and parables, and there are no metaphors and parables outside of the entity of the Law. In other words, the entity of the Law refers to the entity of the truth of the essential nature of phenomena, while the metaphors and parables rep-resent the entity of the Mystic Law as manifested in actual phenomena. The manifestations are none other than the entity of the truth, and the entity of the truth is none other than the manifestations. Therefore, it can be said that the Law and its metaphors constitute a single entity. This is why the passages from the treatises and the annotations by the Tendai school all explain the lotus as both the Law itself and a metaphor (35) for it."
This passage is perfectly clear in meaning, and therefore I need say nothing further.
Notes:
22. A summary of a section from An Essay on the Protection of the Nation.
23. The three kinds of Buddhas refer to Shakyamuni, Many Treasures, and the Buddhas of the ten directions who are emanations of Shakyamuni Buddha.
24. Lotus Sutra, chap. 15.
25. Ibid., chap. 12. In this chapter, it states, "Manjushri was seated on a thousand-petaled lotus blossom," and in the latter part of this chapter it says that the dragon king's daughter perfected the bodhisattva practice and appeared in a world to the south called Spotless World, where she seated herself on a jeweled lotus flower, acquired the thirty-two features and eighty characteristics of a Buddha, and thence proceeded to preach the Lotus Sutra to all living beings.
26. The Annotations on "Great Concentration and Insight."
27. Shakyamuni declares to the Bodhisattvas of the Earth, "All the doctrines possessed by the Thus Come One, all the freely exercised supernatural powers of the Thus Come One, the storehouse of all the secret essentials of the Thus Come One, all the most profound matters of the Thus Come One - all these are proclaimed, revealed, and clearly expounded in this sutra." After this statement, he transfers the essence of the Lotus Sutra to Bodhisattva Superior Practices and the other Bodhisattvas of the Earth.
28. Lotus Sutra, chap. 2.
29. This refers to the "Expedient Means" chapter of the Lotus Sutra. "The teaching of perfect endowment" indicates the heart of the sutra, the lotus of the entity of the essential teaching.
30. This is found in On "The Profound Meaning."
31. Profound Meaning.
32. Ibid.
33. Ibid.
34. Essay on the Protection of the Nation.
35. Source unknown.
Shout-out to DG! GOOD TO SEE YOU SISTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Friends, I need your help.
Friends, I need your help.
I have seen this thread from the very beginning of its inception. Since then I have skimmed its pages, gleaning whatever information that seemed 'to speak' to me at the time.
At this point in my life, more than ever, I am trying to take every word I read directly to my heart.
Several weeks ago, I found myself in a very tough spot. At the end of my rope, if you will. I have pulled myself out of the mud countless times before, but this time I felt as though I was deeper in the mud than I ever have been before.
Thankfully, I remembered Babbabud's story he told me of how he came to start chanting and immediately tracked him down for some direction. I am eternally grateful for being able to find him as soon as I did, and the direction in which he pointed me. Very quickly, I learned the phonetics of the chant and chanted the Daimoku as often as I could. Immediately, tears filled with every imaginable emotion began to pour out of my eyes. I felt such a GREAT relief immediately. It was at that moment I became completely aware of its power.
Friends, I would like you all to include me and my girlfriend in your chants.
LEO gained entrance to my girlfriend's and my dwelling. They seized plant matter and want to send us both to jail. This plant matter is completely harmless and in the thousands of years of being in use, it has never killed one person. In fact, we consider it to be good medicine. Medicine that helps us feel good. Medicine that heals. Medicine that allows us to think 'outside the box'.
My girlfriend and I are good people. We do not want to go to jail. We want to be with our friends and family and do not want to be separated from them. We want to continue to touch other people's lives in the positive ways that we have been.
Please include us in your chants. I will continue to chant for all of you, the LEOs that want to see us put away, and all of the other people that so desperately need positive energy in their lives.
Thank you,
Lap
Friends, I need your help.
I have seen this thread from the very beginning of its inception. Since then I have skimmed its pages, gleaning whatever information that seemed 'to speak' to me at the time.
At this point in my life, more than ever, I am trying to take every word I read directly to my heart.
Several weeks ago, I found myself in a very tough spot. At the end of my rope, if you will. I have pulled myself out of the mud countless times before, but this time I felt as though I was deeper in the mud than I ever have been before.
Thankfully, I remembered Babbabud's story he told me of how he came to start chanting and immediately tracked him down for some direction. I am eternally grateful for being able to find him as soon as I did, and the direction in which he pointed me. Very quickly, I learned the phonetics of the chant and chanted the Daimoku as often as I could. Immediately, tears filled with every imaginable emotion began to pour out of my eyes. I felt such a GREAT relief immediately. It was at that moment I became completely aware of its power.
Friends, I would like you all to include me and my girlfriend in your chants.
LEO gained entrance to my girlfriend's and my dwelling. They seized plant matter and want to send us both to jail. This plant matter is completely harmless and in the thousands of years of being in use, it has never killed one person. In fact, we consider it to be good medicine. Medicine that helps us feel good. Medicine that heals. Medicine that allows us to think 'outside the box'.
My girlfriend and I are good people. We do not want to go to jail. We want to be with our friends and family and do not want to be separated from them. We want to continue to touch other people's lives in the positive ways that we have been.
Please include us in your chants. I will continue to chant for all of you, the LEOs that want to see us put away, and all of the other people that so desperately need positive energy in their lives.
Thank you,
Lap
Lap we got your back!
Don't be afraid, Don't be defeated! Faith!! Victory of Gold!!!
Stay focused and strong! I do it alot and this is a great opportunity for you to have that one life experience that makes your faith exist for years to come. It's up to you man! The power that saves your ass comes from you! Faith Baby Faith! MAKE IT HAPPEN!
Keep chanting Brother! You are in our prayers!
Deep respect,
Thomas
Don't be afraid, Don't be defeated! Faith!! Victory of Gold!!!
Stay focused and strong! I do it alot and this is a great opportunity for you to have that one life experience that makes your faith exist for years to come. It's up to you man! The power that saves your ass comes from you! Faith Baby Faith! MAKE IT HAPPEN!
Keep chanting Brother! You are in our prayers!
Deep respect,
Thomas
"Even if your efforts are unseen by others, they will never go unnoticed by the heavenly deities--the protective forces of the universe....Even though you may be faced with many challenges now, keep your eyes fixed on the future and advance with confidence and assurance, encouraging those around you."
SGI Newsletter No. 7892, JOINT YOUTH DIVISION AND STUDENT DIVISION GENERAL MEETING, The Efforts of Youth Will Become a Golden Bridge of Victory, from the Nov. 2nd, 2009, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun, translated Dec. 11th, 2009.
SGI Newsletter No. 7892, JOINT YOUTH DIVISION AND STUDENT DIVISION GENERAL MEETING, The Efforts of Youth Will Become a Golden Bridge of Victory, from the Nov. 2nd, 2009, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun, translated Dec. 11th, 2009.
"When with our mouths we chant the Mystic Law, our Buddha nature, being summoned, will invariably emerge. The Buddha nature of Brahma and Shakra, being called, will protect us, and the Buddha nature of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas, being summoned, will rejoice."
(How Those Initially Aspiring to the Way Can Attain Buddhahood through the Lotus Sutra - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 887) Selection source: SGI Study Department Chief Katsuji Saito's lecture at the SGI study conference held on Nov.13th, 2009, in Tokyo, Seikyo Shimbun, Dec. 13th, 2009
(How Those Initially Aspiring to the Way Can Attain Buddhahood through the Lotus Sutra - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 887) Selection source: SGI Study Department Chief Katsuji Saito's lecture at the SGI study conference held on Nov.13th, 2009, in Tokyo, Seikyo Shimbun, Dec. 13th, 2009
E
EasyMyohoDisco
Thanks for summoning the Battle Call -Mugi Wasshin- Laps!
Thanks for summoning the Battle Call -Mugi Wasshin- Laps!
I shared excerpts from the thread with a fellow SGI member tonight and gave some strong encouragement because Laps helped me refresh a very special concept which is every person is endowed with the same Buddhahood. This practice is not about seeking the Gohonzon outside yourself like other religions seek god, we discuss and fundamentally respect and honor each persons inherent unlimited potential while also recognizing that within our own lives exists our Buddhanature. Laps I told my friend the same thing I say to you "You are the Buddha you make the benefits!" I will be chanting for you and my friend, but tonight I chanted with my friend and encouraged him to keep chanting and keep chanting.
I'm on a roll since I started talking to my best friends again recently, we are really separated by distance but always got each other's back. I've been a little lonely for the last few months just doing work and my courses, work and my courses, work and my courses, what a cycle! This weekend I had a blast with a bunch a great chanting members and feel more positive and excellent than I recently have. I look forward to spreading those vibes!
I'm chanting really strong for the last two weeks of this year and will make sure to do a New Years Eve chanting session (toso) with my girl after hanging with our best friends! YAY, this will be an excellent way to ring in the new year. They are so special to me and also chant and also introduced us to chanting. We've accumulated some great fortune in the past few years by battling all the obstacles in our path with our chanting.
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo! even works for people who don't understand it. My particular friend that chanted with me tonight has been chanting longer than me and is struggling right now, but after we chanted tonight I know his big issue will become something manageable and ultimately work to his benefit. In this practice a beginner can get huge benefit by just chanting, it is that simple only one rule, just chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo! The power of our chanting is limitless just like the mercy you will find the Gohonzon has for you. Laps, big issues call for big measures, I think it's time for me to join you in chanting as much as possible for you and your victory as I chant for my other friends as well.
We will do this together and I'll enjoy your victory post very much. Keep going and make it happen! Please make an effort to get your Gohonzon, in the last 5-10 pages we have thoroughly discussed how to get your Gohonzon and how this Buddhist practice works.
Shiwasu in full effect!
Respect,
MyohoDisco
P.S.- Let's keep helping all our friends to chant! I know we will introduce and simultaneously help and boost so many awesome people to reveal that they are Bodhisattvas of the Earth like us!
Thanks for summoning the Battle Call -Mugi Wasshin- Laps!
I shared excerpts from the thread with a fellow SGI member tonight and gave some strong encouragement because Laps helped me refresh a very special concept which is every person is endowed with the same Buddhahood. This practice is not about seeking the Gohonzon outside yourself like other religions seek god, we discuss and fundamentally respect and honor each persons inherent unlimited potential while also recognizing that within our own lives exists our Buddhanature. Laps I told my friend the same thing I say to you "You are the Buddha you make the benefits!" I will be chanting for you and my friend, but tonight I chanted with my friend and encouraged him to keep chanting and keep chanting.
I'm on a roll since I started talking to my best friends again recently, we are really separated by distance but always got each other's back. I've been a little lonely for the last few months just doing work and my courses, work and my courses, work and my courses, what a cycle! This weekend I had a blast with a bunch a great chanting members and feel more positive and excellent than I recently have. I look forward to spreading those vibes!
I'm chanting really strong for the last two weeks of this year and will make sure to do a New Years Eve chanting session (toso) with my girl after hanging with our best friends! YAY, this will be an excellent way to ring in the new year. They are so special to me and also chant and also introduced us to chanting. We've accumulated some great fortune in the past few years by battling all the obstacles in our path with our chanting.
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo! even works for people who don't understand it. My particular friend that chanted with me tonight has been chanting longer than me and is struggling right now, but after we chanted tonight I know his big issue will become something manageable and ultimately work to his benefit. In this practice a beginner can get huge benefit by just chanting, it is that simple only one rule, just chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo! The power of our chanting is limitless just like the mercy you will find the Gohonzon has for you. Laps, big issues call for big measures, I think it's time for me to join you in chanting as much as possible for you and your victory as I chant for my other friends as well.
We will do this together and I'll enjoy your victory post very much. Keep going and make it happen! Please make an effort to get your Gohonzon, in the last 5-10 pages we have thoroughly discussed how to get your Gohonzon and how this Buddhist practice works.
Shiwasu in full effect!
Respect,
MyohoDisco
P.S.- Let's keep helping all our friends to chant! I know we will introduce and simultaneously help and boost so many awesome people to reveal that they are Bodhisattvas of the Earth like us!
"And yet, though one might point at the earth and miss it, though one might bind up the sky, though the tides might cease to ebb and flow and the sun rise in the west, it could never come about that the prayers of the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra would go unanswered."
(On Prayer - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 345) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, May 14th, 2009
(On Prayer - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 345) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, May 14th, 2009
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