Chanting Growers Group (2013-∞)

[PassTheDoobie]

“…even mistakes and hardships are valuable lessons and treasures. Don’t worry if you don’t succeed at first. You can always try again. Adopting the spirit ‘Nothing ventured, nothing gained,' be brave and challenge yourself without fear. Whatever it may be you seek to do, take a chance and try it. Beginners become experts through steady application and experience. You will savour joy and fulfilment in the process….”

"We practice Nichiren Buddhism, which enables us to transform poison into medicine. We can create value even from hardships. By sparing no effort for kosen-rufu, we can accumulate immense benefit and develop an expansive state of life.

“Nichiren Daishonin writes: ‘The benefits to be gained by reciting the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo are great indeed' (WND-2, 229). The benefit of chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo even a single time is boundless and immeasurable. Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the key to victory in all things. I hope you will chant abundant daimoku and strive joyfully in your endeavours.”

SGI Newsletter No. 9378, Creating the New Era, (10) Breaking through Limitations Is a Hallmark of Youth, from 26th March, 2016, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun, translation released 1st April, 2016

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Just like shimmering cherry blossoms,
let’s advance vigorously and cheerfully!
What’s important is to cultivate a vibrant life force.
With our strong chanting of gongyo and daimoku
as the foundation of whatever we do,
let’s tackle the challenges at hand!

Daisaku Ikeda

 

[Weird]

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

 

[Weird]

In explaining the identity of the four great bodhisattvas described here, volume nine of Supplement to “The Words and Phrases,” following the explanation given in volume nine of Words and Phrases, says, “The four leaders described in the sutra passage here represent the four virtues. Superior Practices represents the virtue of true self. Boundless Practices represents the virtue of eternity. Pure Practices represents the virtue of purity. And Firmly Established Practices represents the virtue of happiness.

“There are times when a single person possesses all four of these principles. To transcend the two types of death [birth and death in the six paths and birth and death in the higher realms] is known as Superior Practices. To go beyond the two opposing views that life is cut off after one existence or that it is eternally the same is called Boundless Practices. Because one overcomes the five categories of illusions and entanglements,2 that state is designated Pure Practices. And because one is as perfect in virtue as [the Buddha who attained enlightenment under] the bodhi tree, that state is named Firmly Established Practices.”

Nichiren and his followers, who now chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, are all followers of these bodhisattvas who emerged from the earth.

Again, one may say that fire is that which burns things [and hence it corresponds to Superior Practices3]. Water is that which purifies things [and hence it corresponds to Pure Practices]. Wind is that which blows away dust and grime [and hence corresponds to Boundless Practices]. The great earth is that which nourishes plants and trees [and corresponds to Firmly Established Practices]. These are the respective merits of the four bodhisattvas. Though p.119the practices of the four bodhisattvas differ from one to another, all are in effect the practice of Myoho-renge-kyo.

These four bodhisattvas dwell in the lower region. Therefore the commentary [Words and Phrases, volume nine] says that they dwell “in the depths of the Dharma nature, the ultimate region of the profound source.” The lower region is where they live and abide, and the lower region represents the principle of truth. Supplement to “The Words and Phrases” says, “The lower region is described by Master Tao-sheng as the place where one abides in the principle (ri).” What emerge and become manifest from this dwelling in the principle are referred to as actual events (ji).

For more on this passage ---> http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/ott/PART-1/15

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Lotus Sutra / Chapter 17

The Lotus Sutra / Chapter 17

Distinctions in Benefits

At that time, when the great assembly heard the Buddha describe how his life span lasted such a very long number of kalpas, immeasurable, boundless asamkhyas of living beings gained a great many rich benefits.

At that time the world-honored one said to the bodhisattva mahasattva Maitreya: “Ajita, when I described how the life span of the thus come one lasts for such an exceedingly long time, living beings numerous as the sands of six hundred and eighty ten thousands, millions, nayutas of Ganges Rivers attained the truth of birthlessness. And bodhisattvas mahasattva a thousand times more in number gained the dharani teaching that allows them to retain all that they hear. And bodhisattvas mahasattva numerous as the dust particles of an entire world gained the eloquence that allows them to speak pleasingly and without hindrance. And bodhisattvas mahasattva numerous as the dust particles of an entire world gained dharanis that allow them to retain hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions, immeasurable repetitions of the teachings. And bodhisattvas mahasattva numerous as the dust particles of a major world system were able to turn the unregressing wheel of the Law. And bodhisattvas mahasattva numerous as the dust particles of an intermediate world system were able to turn the pure wheel of the Law. And bodhisattvas mahasattva numerous as the dust particles of a minor world system gained assurance that they would attain supreme perfect enlightenment after eight rebirths. And bodhisattvas mahasattva numerous as the dust particles of four four-continent worlds gained assurance that they would attain supreme perfect enlightenment after four rebirths. And bodhisattvas mahasattva numerous as the dust particles of three four-continent worlds gained assurance that they would attain supreme perfect enlightenment after three rebirths. And bodhisattvas mahasattva numerous as the dust particles of two four-continent worlds gained assurance that they would attain supreme perfect enlightenment after two rebirths. And bodhisattvas mahasattva numerous as the dust particles of one four-continent world gained assurance that they would attain supreme perfect enlightenment after one rebirth. And living beings numerous as the dust particles of eight worlds were all moved to set their minds upon supreme perfect enlightenment.

When the Buddha announced that these bodhisattvas mahasattva had gained the great benefits of the Law, from the midst of the air mandarava flowers and great mandarava flowers rained down, scattering over the immeasurable hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions of buddhas who were seated on lion seats under jeweled trees, and also scattering over Shakyamuni Buddha, and over Many Treasures Thus Come One, who long ago entered extinction, both of whom were seated on lion seats in the tower of seven treasures. They also scattered over all the great bodhisattvas and the four kinds of believers. In addition, finely powdered sandalwood and aloes rained down, and in the midst of the air heavenly drums sounded of their own accord, wonderful notes deep and far-reaching. And a thousand varieties of heavenly robes rained down, draped with various necklaces, pearl necklaces, mani jewel necklaces, necklaces of wish-granting jewels, spreading everywhere in nine directions. In jewel-encrusted censers priceless incenses burned, their fragrance of its own accord permeating everywhere as an offering to the great assembly. Above each one of the buddhas there appeared bodhisattvas holding banners and canopies, in rows reaching up to the Brahma heaven. These bodhisattvas employed their wonderful voices in singing immeasurable hymns of praise to the buddhas.

At that time the bodhisattva Maitreya rose from his seat, bared his right shoulder and, pressing his palms together and facing the Buddha, spoke in verse form, saying:

The Buddha preaches a rarely encountered Law,
one never heard from times past.
The world-honored one possesses great powers
and his life span cannot be measured.
The countless sons of the Buddha,
hearing the world-honored one make distinctions
and describe the benefits of the Law they will gain,
find their whole bodies filled with joy.
Some abide in the stage of no regression,
some have acquired dharanis,
some can speak pleasingly and without hindrance
or retain ten thousand, a million repetitions of the teachings.
Some bodhisattvas numerous as the dust particles
of a major world system
are all able to turn
the unregressing wheel of the Law.
Some bodhisattvas numerous as the dust particles
of an intermediate world system
are all able to turn
the pure wheel of the Law.
And some bodhisattvas numerous as the dust particles
of a minor world system
are assured that after eight more rebirths
they will be able to complete the buddha way.
Some bodhisattvas numerous as the dust particles
of four, three, two times
the four continents,
after a corresponding number of rebirths will become buddhas;
some bodhisattvas numerous as the dust particles
of one set of the four continents
after one more rebirth
will attain comprehensive wisdom.
Thus when living beings
hear of the great length of the Buddha’s life,
they gain pure fruits and rewards
that are immeasurable and free of outflows.
Again living beings numerous as the dust particles
of eight worlds,
hearing the Buddha describe his life span,
all set their minds on the unsurpassed way.
The world-honored one preaches a Law
that is immeasurable and cannot be fathomed,
and those who benefit from it are many,
as boundless as the open air.
Heavenly mandarava flowers
and great mandarava flowers rain down;
Shakras and Brahmas like Ganges sands
arrive from countless buddha lands.
Sandalwood and aloes
in a jumble of fine powder rain down;
like birds flying down from the sky
they scatter as an offering over the buddhas.
In the midst of the air heavenly drums
of their own accord emit wonderful sounds;
heavenly robes by the thousand, ten thousand, million
come whirling and fluttering down;
wonderful jewel-encrusted censers
burn priceless incense
that of its own accord permeates everywhere,
an offering to all the world-honored ones.
The multitude of great bodhisattvas
hold banners and canopies adorned with the seven treasures,
ten thousand, a million in kind, lofty, wonderful,
in rows reaching up to the Brahma heaven.
Before each one of the buddhas
hang jeweled streamers and superlative banners,
while in thousands, ten thousands of verses
the praises of the thus come ones are sung.
All these many things
have never been known in the past.
Hearing that the Buddha’s life is immeasurable,
all beings are filled with joy.
The Buddha’s name is heard in the ten directions,
widely benefiting living beings,
and all are endowed with good roots
to help them set their minds on the unsurpassed way.

At that time the Buddha said to the bodhisattva mahasattva Maitreya: “Ajita, if there are living beings who, on hearing that the life span of the Buddha is of such long duration, are able to believe and understand it even for a moment, the benefits they gain thereby will be without limit or measure. Suppose there are good men or good women who, for the sake of supreme perfect enlightenment, over a period of eight hundred thousand million nayutas of kalpas practice the five paramitas—the paramitas of almsgiving, keeping of the precepts, forbearance, assiduousness, and meditation, the paramita of obtaining wisdom being omitted—the benefits they obtain will not measure up to even a hundredth part, a thousandth part, a hundred, thousand, ten thousand, millionth part of the benefits mentioned previously. Indeed, it is beyond the power of calculation, simile, or parable to convey the comparison. For good men who have gained such benefits as those to fall back without reaching the goal of supreme perfect enlightenment is utterly unimaginable.”

At that time the world-honored one, wishing to state his meaning once more, spoke in verse form, saying:

If someone seeking the buddha wisdom
for a period of eight hundred thousand million
nayutas of kalpas
should practice the five paramitas,
during all those kalpas
distributing alms to the buddhas
and to the cause-awakened ones and disciples
and the multitude of bodhisattvas,
rare delicacies of food and drink,
fine garments and articles of bedding,
or building religious retreats of sandalwood
adorned with gardens and groves;
if he should distribute alms
of many varieties, all refined and wonderful,
and do this for the entire number of kalpas
to express his devotion to the buddha way;
and if moreover he should keep the precepts,
in purity and without omission or outflow,
seeking the unsurpassed way,
praised by the buddhas;
and if he should practice forbearance,
remaining in a posture of submission and gentleness,
even when various evils are visited on him,
not allowing his mind to be roused or swayed;
when others, convinced they have gained the Law,
harbor thoughts of overbearing arrogance
and he is treated with contempt and vexed by them,
if he can still endure it with patience;
and if he is diligent and assiduous,
ever firm in intent and thought,
for immeasurable millions of kalpas
single-minded, never lax or neglectful,
for countless kalpas
dwelling in a deserted and quiet place;
and if he practices sitting and walking exercises,
banishing drowsiness, constantly regulating his mind,
and as a result of such actions
is able to produce states of meditation,
for eighty million ten thousand kalpas
remaining calm, his mind never deranged;
and if he holds to the blessing of this single-mindedness
and with it seeks the unsurpassed way,
saying, “I will gain comprehensive wisdom
and exhaust all the states of meditation!”
If this person for a hundred, a thousand,
ten thousand, a million kalpas
should carry out these meritorious practices
as I have described above,
still those good men and women
who hear me describe my life span
and believe it for even a moment
win blessings that surpass those of such a person.
If a person is completely free
of all doubt and regret,
if in the depths of his mind he believes for one instant,
his blessings will be such as this.
These bodhisattvas
who have practiced the way for immeasurable kalpas
when they hear me describe my life span
are able to believe and accept what I say.
These people will
gratefully accept this sutra, saying,
“Our wish is that in future ages
we may use our long lives to save living beings.
Just as today the world-honored one,
king of the Shakyas,
roars like a lion in the place of enlightenment,
preaching the Law without fear,
so may we too in ages to come,
honored and revered by all,
when we sit in the place of enlightenment
describe our life spans in the same manner.”
If there are those profound in mind,
pure, honest, and upright,
who, hearing much, can retain it all,
who follow principle in understanding the Buddha’s words,
then people such as this
will have no doubts.

“Furthermore, Ajita, if there is someone who, hearing of the long duration of the Buddha’s life span, can understand the import of such words, the benefits that such a person acquires will be without limit or measure, able to awaken in him the unsurpassed wisdom of the thus come one. How much more so, then, if far and wide a person listens to this sutra or causes others to listen to it, embraces it himself or causes others to embrace it, copies it himself or causes others to copy it, or presents flowers, incense, necklaces, streamers, banners, silken canopies, fragrant oil, or lamps of butter oil as offerings to the sutra rolls. The benefits of such a person will be immeasurable, boundless, able to inspire in him the wisdom that embraces all species.

“Ajita, if good men and good women, hearing me describe the great length of my life span, in the depths of their minds believe and understand, then they will see the Buddha constantly abiding on Mount Gridhrakuta, with the great bodhisattvas and multitude of voice-hearers surrounding him, preaching the Law. They will also see this saha world, its ground of lapis lazuli level and well ordered, the Jambunada gold bordering its eight highways, the rows of jeweled trees, the terraces, towers, and observatories all made of jewels, and all the multitude of bodhisattvas who live in their midst. If there are those who are able to see such things, you should know that it is a mark of their deep faith and understanding.

“Again, if after the thus come one has entered extinction there are those who hear this sutra and do not slander or speak ill of it but feel joy in their hearts, you should know that this is a sign that they have already shown deep faith and understanding. How much more in the case of persons who read, recite, and embrace this sutra! Such persons are in effect receiving the thus come one on the crown of their heads.

“Ajita, these good men and good women need not for my sake erect towers and temples or build monks’ quarters or make the four kinds of offerings to the community of monks. Why? Because these good men and good women, in receiving, embracing, reading, and reciting this sutra, have already erected towers, constructed monks’ quarters, and given alms to the community of monks. It should be considered that they have erected towers adorned with the seven treasures for the relics of the Buddha, broad at the base and tapering at the top, reaching to the Brahma heaven, hung with banners, canopies, and a multitude of jeweled bells, with flowers, incense, necklaces, powdered incense, paste incense, incense for burning, many kinds of drums, musical instruments, pipes, harps, and various types of dances and diversions, and with wonderful voices that sing and intone hymns of praise. It is as though they have already offered alms for immeasurable thousands, ten thousands, millions of kappas.

“Ajita, if after I have entered extinction there are those who hear this sutra and can accept and uphold it, copy it themselves, or cause others to copy it, then it may be considered that they have already erected monks’ quarters, or used red sandalwood to construct thirty-two halls, as tall as eight tala trees, lofty, spacious, and beautifully adorned to accommodate hundreds and thousands of monks. Gardens, groves, pools, lakes, exercise grounds, caves for meditation, clothing, food, drink, beds, matting, medicines, and all kinds of utensils for comfort fill them, and these monks’ quarters and halls number in the hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions, and indeed are immeasurable in number. All these are presented before me as alms for me and the community of monks.

“So I say, if after the thus come one enters extinction there are those who accept, uphold, read, and recite this sutra or preach it to others, who copy it themselves or cause others to copy it, or who offer alms to the sutra rolls, then they need not erect towers or temples or build monks’ quarters or offer alms to the community of monks. And how much more is this true of those who are able to embrace this sutra and at the same time dispense alms, keep the precepts, practice forbearance, and display diligence, single-mindedness, and wisdom! Their virtue will be uppermost, immeasurable and boundless as the open sky, east, west, north, and south, in the four intermediate directions, and up and down, is immeasurable and boundless. The blessings of such persons will be as immeasurable and boundless as this, and such persons will quickly attain the wisdom that embraces all species.

“If a person reads, recites, accepts, and upholds this sutra or preaches it to others; if he copies it himself or causes others to copy it; and if he can erect towers, build monks’ quarters, offer alms and praise to the community of voice-hearers; if he can employ hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions of modes of praise to praise the merits of the bodhisattvas; and if for the sake of others he employs various causes and conditions and accords with principle in explaining and preaching this Lotus Sutra; and if he can observe the precepts with purity, keep company with those who are gentle and peaceful, be forbearing and without anger, firm in intent and thought, constantly prizing the practice of sitting in meditation, attaining various states of profound meditation, diligent and courageous, mastering all the good doctrines, keen in faculties and wisdom, good at answering difficult questions—Ajita, if after I have entered extinction there are good men and good women who accept, uphold, read, and recite this sutra and have good merits such as these, you should know that they have already proceeded to the place of enlightenment and are drawing near to supreme perfect enlightenment as they sit beneath the tree of the way. Ajita, wherever these good men and good women sit or stand or circle about in exercise, there one should erect a tower, and all heavenly and human beings should offer alms to it as they would to the tower of the Buddha.”

At that time the world-honored one, wishing to state his meaning once more, spoke in verse form, saying:

If after I have entered extinction
a person can honor and uphold this sutra,
his blessings will be immeasurable,
as I have described above.
It is as though he had supplied
all manner of alms,
erecting a tower for the Buddha’s relics
adorned with the seven treasures
and with a central pole very tall and wide
that tapers gradually as it reaches the Brahma heaven.
Jeweled bells by the thousand, ten thousand, million,
move in the wind, emitting a wonderful sound.
And for immeasurable kalpas
he offers alms to this tower,
flowers, incense, various kinds of necklaces,
heavenly robes, and assorted musical instruments,
and burns fragrant oil and lamps of butter oil
that constantly light up the area around.
In the evil age of the Latter Day of the Law
if there is someone who can uphold this sutra,
it will be as though he supplied all the alms
described above.
If someone can uphold this sutra,
it will be as though in the presence of the Buddha
he should use ox-head sandalwood
to build monks’ quarters as an offering,
or thirty-two halls
as high as eight tala trees,
or supply all kinds
of superior foods and wonderful clothes and bedding,
residences for assemblies of hundreds, thousands,
gardens, groves, pools, and lakes,
exercise grounds and caves for meditation,
all with various kinds of fine adornments.
If someone with a believing and understanding mind
accepts, upholds, reads, recites, and copies this sutra
or causes others to copy it
or offers alms to the sutra rolls,
scattering flowers, incense, and powdered incense
or constantly burning fragrant oil
extracted from sumana, champaka,
or atimuktaka flowers,
if he offers alms such as these
he will gain immeasurable merits,
boundless as the open air,
and his blessings will also be like this.
How much more so if one upholds this sutra
and at the same time dispenses alms, keeps the precepts,
is forbearing, delights in meditation,
and never gives way to anger or evil speaking.
If one displays reverence toward memorial towers,
humbles himself before monks,
gives a wide berth to an arrogant mind,
constantly ponders upon wisdom
and is never angry when asked difficult questions
but responds compliantly with an explanation—
if one can carry out such practices,
one’s merits will be beyond measure.
If you see a teacher of the Law
who has cultivated virtues such as these,
you should scatter heavenly flowers over him,
clothe his body in heavenly robes,
bow your head before his feet in salutation,
and in your mind imagine you see the Buddha.
You should also think to yourself:
Before long he will proceed to the place of enlightenment
and attain a state of no outflows and no action,
bringing wide benefit to heavenly and human beings!
In the place where such a person resides,
where he walks, sits, or lies down,
or recites even one verse of scripture,
there you should erect a tower
adorned in a fitting and wonderful manner
and offer alms of various kinds to it.
When a son of the Buddha dwells in such places
the Buddha will accept and utilize them,
and constantly in their midst
will walk, sit, or lie down.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings pgs. 34-39

The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings pgs. 34-39

Expedient Means


Point Five, regarding the passage “There are monks and nuns / who behave with overbearing arrogance, / laymen full of self-esteem, / laywomen who are lacking in faith. / Among the four kinds of believers, the likes of these / number five thousand. / They fail to see their own errors, / are heedless and remiss with regard to the precepts, / clinging to their shortcomings, unwilling to change. / But these persons of small wisdom have already left; / the chaff among this assembly / has departed in the face of the Buddha’s authority. / These persons were of paltry merit and virtue, / incapable of receiving this Law. / This assembly is now free of branches and leaves, / made up only of those steadfast and truthful.”

Words and Phrases, volume four, says, “Overbearing arrogance, self-esteem, and lack of faith are faults common to all four kinds of believers. But the two types of believers who have left the household life, the monks and nuns, because they have devoted much practice to the way and have gained proficiency in meditation, often mistakenly believe that they have attained the goal of enlightenment, and are therefore particularly given to overbearing arrogance. The two types of believers who remain in ordinary life, the laymen and laywomen, are often puffed up with pride and frequently display self-esteem. Women, being shallow in wisdom, often fall into mistaken views. The words ‘They fail to see their own errors’ refer to all three errors of the mind, overbearing arrogance, self-esteem, and lack of faith. Because these people conceal their failings, flaunt their virtues, and are incapable of self-reflection, they show themselves to be persons of no shame. If they could see their own errors, they would be monks with a sense of shame.”

On “The Words and Phrases,” volume four, says, “The words ‘Because these people conceal their failings’ refer to the three errors of overbearing arrogance, self-esteem, and lack of faith. ‘Because these people conceal their failings, flaunt their virtues’ refers to overbearing arrogance. ‘Incapable of self-reflection’ refers to self-esteem. ‘Persons of no shame’ refers to a lack of faith. But if a person is capable of ‘seeing his own errors,’ then he is without these three errors. Although he has not yet reached the goal of enlightenment, he can still be called a person with a sense of shame.”

The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings says: The purpose of these passages in the commentary Words and Phrases and the subcommentary On “The Words and Phrases” is to explain the arrogance of the five thousand monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen in the assembly who rose from their seats, bowed to the Buddha, and withdrew (chapter two). You should examine them carefully. The two categories of monks and nuns are persons who have left the household life, and both are said to display overbearing arrogance. To conceal their failings and flaunt their virtues is their basic characteristic. The upāsaka, or laymen, are men, and their basic characteristic is self-esteem. The upāsikā, or laywomen, are women, and their basic characteristic is shamelessness.

These four kinds of believers are very plentiful in Japan today. The sutra says that they “number five thousand.” But in fact in Japan there are 4,994,828 such persons to be seen. When Shakyamuni Buddha was in the world, five thousand persons rose from their seats and withdrew from the assembly where he was preaching. But now, in the Latter Day of the Law, all the living beings in this land of Japan rise from their seats and withdraw from the place where Nichiren is preaching.
The monks and nuns who display overbearing arrogance—they are priests like Dōryū and Ryōkan, are they not? Or like the nuns of Kamakura. The laymen are persons like [the lay priest of] Saimyō-ji [Hōjō Tokiyori], and the laywomen are all the women, whether high or low in station [who are lacking in faith], are they not? None of these deign to see their own errors.

Now these people slander Nichiren and his followers, trying to give them an evil name. Are they not those who “fail to see their own errors”? They are guilty of great slander against the Law. Without doubt they are persons who withdraw from the assembly where the Lotus Sutra is preached.

But when they have encountered Nichiren, they may be said, in the words of the sutra, to have “bowed to the Buddha and withdrawn” (ibid.). This “bowing to the Buddha and withdrawing” is a mark of their contempt for him. It is not in any sense the bowing and departing of those who have understanding and belief. This is why the sutra, speaking of such persons, says, “They are heedless and remiss with regard to the precepts.” Volume four of Words and Phrases says, “In the phrase ‘heedless and remiss with regard to the precepts,’ the word ‘heedless’ refers to errors in the precepts pertaining to the code of conduct, and the word ‘remiss’ refers to errors in the precepts that accompany meditation and the precepts that accompany the way [or emancipation from earthly desires].”

These five thousand arrogant persons are the five types of abiding earthly desires(2) that are always part of our makeup. But now when we encounter the Lotus Sutra, we awake to the fact that arrogance itself is part of the Dharma-realm, so that “bowing to the Buddha and withdrawing” means that it has “departed in the face of the Buddha’s authority.” The “Buddha” here is the Buddha realm that is part of our nature, and his “authority” is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Therefore when we speak of withdrawing or departing, it refers to a “departure that is not a departure.” You should think of it as the kind of departure described in the passage at the end of the “Universal Worthy” chapter that reads, “They bowed in obeisance and departed.”

On the other hand, we may also say that the withdrawal of the five thousand persons from the assembly signifies that in fact there is no withdrawing from the assembly where the Lotus Sutra is preached. The reason is that one has already gained enlightenment through the briefly expressed replacement of the three vehicles with the one vehicle that took place with “the true aspect of all phenomena” passage (chapter two). At that time it was made clear that, as far as self-esteem and overbearing arrogance are concerned, such arrogance itself is a part of the Dharma-realm, the impulse to arrogance that is intrinsic to our nature. The phrase “the likes of these number five thousand” refers to the five types of abiding earthly desires that are at all times a part of our makeup. If we were without these five types of abiding earthly desires, then the whole meaning of the Lotus Sutra would be lost.

When we realize that these five types of abiding earthly desires are an intrinsic and constantly present part of our nature, then we may speak of them as numbering five thousand. And when we do not endeavor to cut off such delusions but look on these five abiding elements, just as they are, as constituting an inherent part of the myōhō, or Wonderful Law, then it may be said that we “fail to see our own errors.”

As to the phrase “heedless and remiss with regard to the precepts,” this does not refer to the kind of precepts and rules put forth in the Hinayana and provisional teachings, which are designed to cure various sicknesses in human nature. Rather it refers to the Wonderful Law embodied in the passage [that describes a person who can accept and uphold the Lotus Sutra], saying of such a person that “this is what is called observing the precepts” (chapter eleven, Treasure Tower). Therefore the act of being heedless and remiss is in essence, just as it is, the entity referred to in the words “This is what is called observing the precepts.”

Therefore, since we recognize this heedlessness and remissness as, just as it is, a part of our basic nature, we may be said, in the words of the sutra, to “cling to our shortcomings, unwilling to change.” From the beginning, these are the wonderful precepts of the one vehicle, a vehicle in which the entire Dharma-realm is contained in one particle of dust and the ten directions are all present in a single moment of life, and therefore we may say with the sutra that “these persons of small wisdom have already left.”

The “chaff” that the sutra speaks of, each and every speck of dust, each and every phenomenon, is the three bodies of original enlightenment. Therefore, although, as the sutra says, such persons may be “of paltry merit and virtue,” they are the enlightened body of original and unconditioned enlightenment. Regarding the passage of the sutra that says that these persons are “incapable of receiving this Law”: Having heard the substance of the doctrine as it was expounded in the brief replacement of the three vehicles by the one, the passage on “the true aspect of all phenomena,” they attain enlightenment just as they are. The venerable Shāriputra then asks the Buddha to preach and expound the doctrine with distinctions for the benefit of persons of dull capacity. This refers to the fact that, when the extended exposition of the replacement of the three vehicles by the one was delivered, these persons were “incapable of receiving this Law” [because they already understood it].

But to return to the true meaning of the Lotus Sutra, the substance of the Wonderful Law knows no distinction between the persons who are capable of receiving the Law and the Law that is capable of being received. It is truly a Wonderful Law that is beyond imagination. And when one proceeds to awaken to its importance, the sutra can declare that “this assembly is now free of branches and leaves.”

This kind of inner awakening, an awakening to the true aspect in its purity, is the realization that outside of this true aspect no other phenomenon whatsoever exists. Therefore the sutra can say that it is made up “only of those steadfast and truthful.” In essence, steadfast and truthful refer to the realization that the body and mind are the Wonderful Law.

When Nichiren and his followers chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, we may say that the company is made up “only of those steadfast and truthful.” “Those” refers to the Buddha of the true aspect of all phenomena. “Those” also refers to the Ten Worlds, and “steadfast and truthful” refers to the realization that the bodies and minds of beings in the Ten Worlds are the Wonderful Law. And the word “only” is applied because such realization is limited to this sutra [the Lotus].

The five thousand arrogant persons are in fact nothing other than the Lotus Sutra. The five thousand arrogant persons are the five elements of which we are made. The five elements themselves are Myoho-renge-kyo.

Again, the five thousand arrogant persons represent fundamental darkness. Hence it is said of them that they “bowed to the Buddha and withdrew.” This is speaking of persons who withdraw from the ninth consciousness to the eighth consciousness, and on down to the six consciousnesses, that is, those who transmigrate in the realm of birth and death. And when the sutra says that such persons have “departed in the face of the Buddha’s authority,” it is speaking of the teachings that lead to the extinguishing of the sufferings of birth and death and the return to nirvana. Hence the “authority” spoken of here is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. This is the total entity of original delusion and original enlightenment. You should give very careful thought to this matter.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

“There are times when a single person possesses all four of these principles. To transcend the two types of death [birth and death in the six paths and birth and death in the higher realms] is known as Superior Practices. To go beyond the two opposing views that life is cut off after one existence or that it is eternally the same is called Boundless Practices. Because one overcomes the five categories of illusions and entanglements,(2) that state is designated Pure Practices. And because one is as perfect in virtue as [the Buddha who attained enlightenment under] the bodhi tree, that state is named Firmly Established Practices.”

Notes:

2.Same as “the five types of abiding earthly desires” explained in the footnote on p. 36*.

*The Lion’s Roar of Queen Shrīmālā Sutra (Columbia University Press, 1974) lists four static kinds of defilement: the static kind based on a particular viewpoint, the static kind in attraction to desire, the static kind in attraction to form, and the static kind in attraction to gestation. The five types of abiding earthly desires consist of these and the static kind based on darkness or ignorance.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"None of you who declare yourselves to be my disciples should ever give way to cowardice."

(The Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra - WND, Vol. I, page 764)

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"More valuable than treasures in a storehouse are the treasures of the body, and the treasures of the heart are the most valuable of all. From the time you read this letter on, strive to accumulate the treasures of the heart!"

(The Three Kinds of Treasure - WND, Volume I, page 851)

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Point One, on the passage “Among these bodhisattvas were four leaders. The first was called Superior Practices, the second was called Boundless Practices, the third was called Pure Practices, and the fourth was called Firmly Established Practices. These four bodhisattvas were the foremost leaders and guiding teachers among all the group.”

The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings says: This chapter, “Emerging from the Earth,” is devoted entirely to matters pertaining to the bodhisattvas of the essential teaching, those who were taught and converted by the Buddha in his true identity.(1) The action carried out by the bodhisattvas of the essential teaching is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. This is referred to in the character shō [“advocating” in the compound shōdō, or “advocating and guiding”]. The character dō signifies that they will lead and guide all the living beings of the country of Japan to the Pure Land of the Holy Mountain [Eagle Peak]. As for these guiding teachers of the Latter Day of the Law, the term “teachers” can only be applied to the bodhisattvas of the essential teaching. (OTT, pgs. 117-118)

Notes:
1. “The Buddha in his true identity” is the Shakyamuni described in the “Life Span” chapter as the Buddha who attained enlightenment in the inconceivably remote past. The term is contrasted with “the Buddha in his transient status,” which indicates the Shakyamuni who attained enlightenment under the bodhi tree in India.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"The purpose of the appearance in this world of Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, lies in his behaviour as a human being."

(The Three Kinds of Treasure - WND, Vol. I, page 852)

 

[PassTheDoobie]

“It is important that we always act with courage, treasure the person right in front of us, and speak about our movement with confidence.”

SGI Newsletter No. 9377, Creating the New Era, (9) Today Again, Let’s Strive on the Front Lines of Our Mission, from 20th March, 2016, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun, translation released 25th March, 2016

 

[Babbabud]

Nam myoho renge kyo

 

[Weird]

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

 

[PassTheDoobie]

http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/ott/PART-1/2

http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/ott/PART-1/2

The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings (pgs. 20-24)

Chapter Two: Expedient Means

Eight important points

Point One, regarding the “Expedient Means” chapter

(Translator’s note: According to Words and Phrases, there are three types of hōben, or expedient means. The first is known as hōyū hōben, or “adaptations of the Law expedient means,” teachings that were preached in accordance with people’s capacities and tastes. They stress the truth of impermanence and the severing of attachment to the phenomenal world and correspond to Hinayana and early Mahayana. The second is called nōtsū hōben, or “expedient means that can lead one in,” teachings that the Buddha preached as a gateway to the true teaching. The third is called himyō hōben, or “the secret and wonderful expedient means,” which corresponds to the ultimate truth. “Secret and wonderful” refers to the fact that the Buddha concealed the truth for the first more than forty years of his preaching life, explaining it only in the Lotus Sutra. Unlike the first two expedients, the third type not only leads people to the truth but simultaneously contains the truth.)

Words and Phrases, volume three, states, “The hō of hōben (expedient means) means secret. The ben means wonderful. ‘Wonderful’ leads to ‘secret’; this is identical with the truth, which is kept secret. When we examine what is meant by the priceless jewel sewn into the lining of the man’s robe (chapter eight, Prophecy of Enlightenment for Five Hundred Disciples), we see that it is in no way different from the jewel in the topknot of the king (chapter fourteen, Peaceful Practices). And the man who is called a hired laborer is in fact no different from or apart from the rich man’s son (chapter four, Belief and Understanding). All of these similes point to what is secret, what is wonderful.

“It is as the Lotus Sutra says: ‘Only I [Shakyamuni] understand its [the Law’s] characteristics, / and the Buddhas of the ten directions do likewise’ (chapter two). ‘Stop, stop, no need to speak! / My Law is wonderful and difficult to ponder’ (ibid.). Therefore the term ‘secret’ is used to explain the hō of hōben, and the term ‘wonderful’ is used to explain the ben. This is in fact the meaning that underlies this chapter. So it is called the ‘Expedient Means’ chapter.”

On “The Words and Phrases,” volume three, says, “The third type of expedient means is characterized as secret and wonderful. Because it can be termed wonderful, it is identical [with the truth]. . . . The perfect [teaching] is regarded as identical [with the truth], but the three [teachings—the Tripitaka, the connecting, and the specific teachings] are characterized as not identical [with the truth]. Therefore it is in contrast to these non-identical teachings that the teaching [of the Lotus Sutra] is characterized as being identical [with the truth].”

The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings says: The priceless “jewel” mentioned in the passage of commentary from Words and Phrases is the jewel sewn into the lining of the robe, which is the same as the jewel in the king’s topknot. And the hired laborer is absolutely identical with the rich man’s son. But in the end persons who slander the Law and fail to have faith in it are followers of the provisional teachings outside the body of the truth, the teachings represented by two types of expedient means known as “adaptations of the Law” and those “that can lead one in.” For that reason, such persons cannot recognize [that the two jewels or the two persons in the above similes are] the same and no different from each other.

Now Nichiren and his followers, who recite Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, are observers of the “secret and wonderful expedient means,” teachings that are within the body of the truth. Therefore, after the title of the sutra, Myoho-renge-kyo, comes the chapter entitled “Expedient Means.”

In explaining the statement in Words and Phrases that “this is identical with the truth, which is kept secret,” in his On “The Words and Phrases,” volume three, Miao-lo says, “The perfect [teaching] is regarded as identical [with the truth].” And if identical means the perfect [teaching], then this must be another name for the Lotus Sutra. Identical must indicate the truth that ordinary people are identical with the highest level of being, or the Buddha of the true aspect of all phenomena. Perfect refers to the principle of three thousand realms in a single moment of life. Though the words “identical” and “perfect” are different, they are each another name for “wonderful.” That all living beings are in fact the Buddha of the true aspect of all phenomena is a wonderful thing, an unfathomable thing! But persons who slander the Law are at present unaware of this fact. Therefore it is referred to as being secret.

The Record also says: The three thousand worlds of the Dharma-realm may be termed secret and wonderful. Secret means strict [or without a single exception]. The three thousand worlds, every single one of them, exit [in one’s life]. There is nothing more unfathomable than this! Even persons who are called great slanderers of the Law will in time come to accept and uphold Myoho-renge-kyo—this is the purpose of the “Expedient Means” chapter of the Lotus Sutra.

Now that we have entered the Latter Day of the Law, Nichiren and his followers are carrying out this task correctly. To take the persons and teachings of the sutras preached prior to the Lotus Sutra and lead them into the body of teachings of the Lotus Sutra—this is the purpose of the “Expedient Means” chapter of the Lotus Sutra. This is also termed the attainment of Buddhahood in one’s present form, or “their consistency from beginning to end” (chapter two), the consistency of the ten factors.

Again, the “Expedient Means” chapter represents the Ten Worlds, or in another sense it represents ignorance or darkness. Myoho-renge-kyo, or the Lotus Sutra, stands at the apex of the Ten Worlds, and at the same time represents the Dharma nature. It exemplifies the principle that earthly desires are identical with enlightenment, that the sufferings of birth and death are identical with nirvana.

“The perfect [teaching] is regarded as identical [with the truth]” refers to the three thousand realms in a single moment of life. “Wonderful” and “identical [with the truth]” are synonymous. “Perfect” and “wonderful” are the principle of three thousand realms in a single moment of life expressed in a single word. “Perfect” refers to the true aspect of all phenomena. A commentary [The Annotations on “Great Concentration and Insight,” volume one] explains the word “perfect” by saying, “Perfect means perfect and interfused or perfect and full.” “Perfect and interfused” refers to the theoretical teaching; “perfect and full” refers to the essential teaching. “Perfect” also refers to the two practices of concentration and insight. Again, it refers to the fact that we are made up of the two elements of body and mind. The expression of three thousand realms in a single moment of life, in a single word, is the secret storehouse of the Eshin school of teachings.

In the character en 圓, or “perfect,” the outer enclosure 囗 represents a single moment of life, while the element 員 (literally, number) represents three thousand realms. The principle of three thousand realms in a single moment of life is unfathomable. This wonderful principle was never expounded in the three teachings previous to the Lotus Sutra, the Tripitaka teaching, the connecting teaching, and the specific teaching. Therefore it is called “secret.”

From all this you should understand that Nam-myoho-renge-kyo represents the expedient means of the single mind or life.(1) Myoho-renge-kyo represents the ninth consciousness, while the Ten Worlds represent the levels from the eighth consciousness on down.

You should think all these matters over carefully. The hō of hōben may also refer to the ten directions. The ten directions are the same as the Ten Worlds. The ben of hōben indicates something that is unfathomable in nature.

Notes:

1. Here “the expedient means” indicates the three thousand realms and “the single mind or life” indicates a single moment of life. Together they mean the three thousand realms in a single moment of life.

 

[Gypsy Nirvana]

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

I would just like to thank PassTheDoobie for standing by me during my darkest hours of incarceration over the last years. He was always there when I needed him most to give me support.
Thankyou Brother.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

OTT Chapter Two (pgs 24-27)

OTT Chapter Two (pgs 24-27)

Point Two, regarding the words “The wisdom of the Buddhas is infinitely profound and immeasurable. The door to this wisdom is difficult to understand and difficult to enter. Not one of the voice-hearers or pratyekabuddhas is able to comprehend it.”

Words and Phrases, volume three, says, “First the passage praises the true wisdom, and then it praises the provisional wisdom. ‘True’ here refers to ‘the wisdom of the Buddhas.’ This is not the ‘true and provisional’ that applies to the teachings expounded in accordance with the capacities of people, the three teachings prior to the Lotus Sutra, the Tripitaka, the connecting, and the specific teachings. Therefore the text describes it as the wisdom ‘of the Buddhas.’ It is a manifestation of the truth the Buddhas realized for themselves, and therefore it is termed ‘wisdom.’

“The essence of this wisdom is the three kinds of wisdom of a single mind. ‘Infinitely profound and immeasurable’ are the words of praise applied to this wisdom. The true wisdom of the Buddhas is of such depth that it can clearly penetrate to the very base of universal truth; therefore it is described as ‘infinitely profound.’ And it is of such width that it extends to the very limits of the Dharma-realm; therefore it is described as ‘immeasurable.’ ‘Infinitely profound and immeasurable’ refers to its vertical and horizontal dimensions.

“To employ a simile, if the roots of a tree reach far down, then its branches will flourish; and if the source of a river is far away, its flow will be long-lasting. Such are the terms used to describe true wisdom. And those used to describe provisional wisdom follow the same pattern.

“When the sutra speaks of ‘the door to this wisdom,’ it is praising the provisional wisdom. It is an expedient means that acts as a corridor to the teaching of the Buddhas’ enlightenment, a force that enables one to advance on one’s way. Therefore it is described as a ‘door.’ A door is that by which one enters upon the way. The ‘way’ one enters upon is the true teaching, and the corridor leading to the way is the provisional teachings.

“The sutra praises the provisional wisdom by saying that it is ‘difficult to understand and difficult to enter.’ It is beyond comprehension, yet we comprehend it; it has indescribably great assistance to offer. To those acquainted only with the seven expedient means it is beyond measuring. Only when one reaches the ten stages of security can one for the first time be said to ‘understand’ it. And when one reaches the ten stages of development, one may be said to ‘enter’ it. Here we mention only the earlier stages, the stages of security, and the later stages, the stages of development. During the intervening stages, one comes to realize that this wisdom is truly difficult to expound and difficult to awaken to.

“The sutra, however, makes a special point of saying that none of the voice-hearers or pratyekabuddhas are able to comprehend it. Because such persons are so heavily weighed down by their attachments, it makes a special point of admonishing them.”

On “The Words and Phrases,” volume three, says, “The [passage that includes the] words ‘refer to its vertical and horizontal dimensions’ consists of a doctrine, its simile, and a reference to both true and provisional wisdom. This shows the pattern to be followed. Here the true wisdom has been interpreted as being vast in its horizontal dimensions and all-reaching in its vertical dimensions or depth. In what follows, we are to understand that the provisional wisdom should be interpreted to be extremely profound in principle. The interpretation of the provisional wisdom is to be given in what follows, and so its characteristics are described in advance in this passage. That is why the commentary says what it does.

“In the passage ‘The door to this wisdom,’ the word ‘this’ refers to the wisdom that is the cause of the true wisdom mentioned earlier in the text [as ‘the wisdom of the Buddhas’]. If the wisdom here is likened to a door, then it must be provisional. But if this is the door to wisdom, then the wisdom must be the true wisdom that results from the cause. In this passage, therefore, the ten stages of development are to be understood as the corridor that leads to the way, perfect enlightenment as the way itself, and the state following enlightenment as what comes after one has attained the way.

“Therefore one should understand that the purpose underlying this passage is to describe the cause that leads to enlightenment.”

The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings says: The meaning of this passage in Words and Phrases and the commentary on it in On “The Words and Phrases” is perfectly clear. In the passage referring to the vertical and horizontal dimensions, the vertical dimensions represent the essential teaching and the horizontal dimensions represent the theoretical teaching. The “roots” are the roots of a plant or tree. Plants and trees in their growth climb upward. Hence the roots here stand for the theoretical teaching [that leads one upward to enlightenment in the essential teaching]. The “source” represents the essential teaching. The source is the fountainhead from which the river flows. Rivers flow downward. Hence the source here stands for the essential teaching [from which enlightenment flows downward]. The flourishing branches stand for the fourteen chapters of the theoretical teaching in the Lotus Sutra, and the long-lasting flow or the river stands for the fourteen chapters of the essential teaching.

The wisdom referred to is the three kinds of wisdom of a single mind. The “door” is the door that enables one to enter into this wisdom. The essence of the three kinds of wisdom of a single mind is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, and the door is the mind of faith. So the passage in volume two of the Lotus Sutra (chapter three, Simile and Parable) says, “Even you, Shāriputra, / in the case of this sutra / were able to gain entrance through faith alone.” Here “entrance” is the same in meaning as “door.”

Now when Nichiren and his followers recite Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, they are giving expression to this wisdom. The “Simile and Parable” chapter says, “This house has only one gate (door).” With regard to gates, there is the gate of being, the gate of emptiness, the gate that is both being and emptiness, and the gate that is neither being nor emptiness. The gate of being is birth. The gate of emptiness is death. The gate that is both being and emptiness is the birth and death of a single mind or life. The gate that is neither being nor emptiness is that which is not birth and not death.

The gate of being is exemplified by the five characters that make up the daimoku. The gate of emptiness is exemplified by the way in which these five characters are endowed with all the phenomena of the universe, without respect to any one particular direction or another. The gate of both being and emptiness is exemplified by the way in which these five characters are endowed with the essential and the theoretical teachings. And the gate that is neither being nor emptiness is exemplified by the underlying meaning of the whole sutra.

This kind of inner enlightenment is not something that can be comprehended by the wisdom of the people of the two vehicles who had yet to hear the Lotus Sutra. Therefore volume three of Words and Phrases says, “To those acquainted only with the seven expedient means it is beyond measuring.”

Now Nichiren and his followers have gained entrance to this wisdom. Therefore when the verse passage [in chapter two of the Lotus Sutra] says, “Among the other kinds of living beings / there are none who can comprehend it, / except the many bodhisattvas / who are firm in the power of faith,” it is referring to persons like us, who are votaries of the Lotus Sutra.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

I would just like to thank PassTheDoobie for standing by me during my darkest hours of incarceration over the last years. He was always there when I needed him most to give me support.
Thankyou Brother.

It is due to the merit you have gained through your own actions, G!

Keep chanting!

It is I who thanks you my Brother!

Bowing in humble obeisance!

T

 

[PassTheDoobie]

OTT Chapter Two (Pgs. 27-32)

OTT Chapter Two (Pgs. 27-32)

Point Three, regarding the passage “Because the Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones, appear in the world for one great reason (ichidaiji innen) alone.”

Words and Phrases, volume four, says, “‘One’ here means the one true aspect. It is not simply ‘one’ as contrasted to five, or to three, or to seven, or to nine. Therefore the text says ‘one’ (ichi). In its nature this ‘one’ is vast and broad, far broader than five, three, seven, or nine. Therefore the text defines it as ‘great’ (dai). It is the ceremony in which the Buddhas appear in the world. Therefore the text describes it as an event or affair (ji). Living beings possess the capacity to aspire after the Buddhas. Therefore this is designated as the in, or ‘cause,’ part of the word ‘reason’ (innen, or causes and conditions). The Buddhas, observing this capacity, act in response to it. Therefore this is designated as the en, or ‘condition,’ part of the word ‘reason.’ This is the true reason for which the Buddhas appear in the world.”

The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings says: “One” represents the Middle Way teachings of the Lotus Sutra. “Great” represents the teachings on non-substantiality of the Flower Garland Sutra. And the “affair” represents the teachings on temporary existence of the Āgama, Correct and Equal, and Wisdom sutras, the three lesser flavors of milk, cream, and curdled milk. The sutras preached prior to the Lotus Sutra set forth this doctrine of the three truths, but in a form like that of a shattered jewel, not that of a perfect treasure.

Again we may say that “one” stands for myō, “great” stands for hō, “affair” stands for ren, “cause” stands for ge, and “condition” stands for kyō. Or again we may say that our head corresponds to myō, our throat to hō, our chest to ren, our stomach to ge, and our legs to kyō. Hence this five-foot body of ours constitutes the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo.

For a period of more than forty years the Thus Come One Shakyamuni concealed and kept secret this great affair. Only when he came to preach the Lotus Sutra did he reveal it. It was for the purpose of preaching this great affair that the Buddha made his appearance in the world. When he revealed that our own bodies are the embodiments of the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo, he was [as chapter two of the Lotus Sutra says] “opening the door of Buddha wisdom,” revealing that we can attain Buddhahood in our present bodies or existences.

“Opening” here is another name for the mind of faith. When we recite Myoho-renge-kyo with the mind of faith, we are in that very act opening the door of Buddha wisdom. And at the same time, when we open up the mind of faith and [chant and] manifest Nam-myoho-renge-kyo within our lives, we are “showing the Buddha wisdom to living beings” (chapter two). And when we show them this, we are awakening them to the fact that this place where we dwell now is the Pure Land of Eagle Peak. We are awakening them to the fact that we can attain Buddhahood in our present bodies, which is what is called “causing living beings to awaken to the Buddha wisdom” (ibid.). And when these beings who have awakened can “mount this jeweled vehicle / and proceed directly to the place of practice” (chapter three, Simile and Parable), this is “inducing living beings to enter the path of Buddha wisdom” (chapter two). This is what it truly means to use the mind of faith to open the door of Buddha wisdom.

With regard to the word “enter” in the phrase “inducing living beings to enter the path of Buddha wisdom,” if viewed in terms of the theoretical teaching, it refers to entering into or embracing the theoretical principle of the true aspect of all phenomena. If viewed in terms of the essential teaching, it means entering into an awakening that a person at the stage of being a Buddha in theory is actually a Buddha of original enlightenment. Now persons like Nichiren and his followers, who have learned to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, may be said to have entered the treasure tower.

With regard to the word “Buddha” in the phrase “opening the door of Buddha wisdom,” this refers to the Buddha world that is inherent in the nine worlds. With regard to the word “wisdom,” it refers to the two characters myōhō, or “Wonderful Law,” to the two characters shikan, or “concentration and insight,” to the two virtues of tranquility and brightness that pertain to enlightenment, to the two phases of birth and death, to the cause and effect of body and mind.

In the end, “wisdom” means the Wonderful Law. It means to use the wisdom of the Lotus Sutra to open up the Buddha mind that is inherent in the nine worlds. If we think of this, we realize that Buddha in fact is the living beings of the nine worlds.

When the Buddha opens up and reveals this Buddha wisdom, and asks them if they will uphold it in their present bodies till they manifest Buddha bodies, this is showing the Wonderful Law, or what the sutra calls “showing the Buddha wisdom to living beings.” And when teacher and disciples have fully responded to one another and the disciples have received the teaching, so that they gain the awakening referred to where the sutra says, “I took a vow, / hoping to make all persons / equal to me, without any distinction between us” (chapter two), this is what the sutra calls “causing living beings to awaken to the Buddha wisdom.”

When the disciples reach such an awakening, they see that all the various and individual entities in the three thousand worlds of the Dharma-realm are the Lotus Sutra. Entering into this kind of inner enlightenment is what is called “entering the path of Buddha wisdom.” This is a matter that must be treated with secrecy.

Again we may say that the four processes related to the Buddha wisdom, the “opening,” “showing,” “awakening,” and “entering,” correspond to the eight phases of the Buddha’s existence. “Opening” corresponds to the birth phase of the Buddha’s existence, and “entering” corresponds to the death phase. And the two processes in between, “showing” and “awakening,” correspond to the other six phases. Thus the two phases that precede birth, namely, descending from heaven and entering his mother’s womb, correspond to the “showing” of the Buddha wisdom, and the phases of renouncing the world, conquering the devils, attaining enlightenment, and turning the wheel of the Law, correspond to the “awakening” of the Buddha wisdom.

The doctrines embodied in the provisional teachings were designed to remove one from the realm of birth and death. Therefore they cannot be termed the “opening,” “showing,” “awakening,” and “entering” of the Buddha wisdom. But when we come to the present sutra, the Lotus, we awaken to the realization that the two phases of life and death are the wonderful workings of one mind, and that the two ways of existence and nonexistence are the true functions of an inherently enlightened mind. This is what is meant by the “opening,” “showing,” “awakening,” and “entering” of the Buddha wisdom. Intending to carry out these four activities with regard to the Buddha wisdom, the Buddhas of the three existences “for this one great reason” made their appearance in the world.

And yet, speaking of this Lotus Sutra that can “open the door of Buddha wisdom,” Hōnen tells us to “discard, close, ignore, and abandon” it; and the Great Teacher Kōbō assigns it to the third level and disparages it by calling it a doctrine of “frivolous theory.” Persons such as this may be said to cut off the tongues of the five categories of Buddhas who preach in a uniform manner, may they not? And the Great Teachers Jikaku and Chishō and their kind are like men who place a sword in the hands of a wicked son so that he may cut off the head of his own parent, are they not?

Again, in the phrase ichidaiji, or “one great affair,” the ichi, or “one,” stands for the truth of the Middle Way in the doctrine of the three truths, the dai, or “great,” stands for the truth of non-substantiality, and the ji, or “affair,” stands for the truth of temporary existence.

And what are the three truths that join to form a perfect unity? They are that which is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. These five characters constitute the fundamental purpose for which Nichiren appeared in this world, and therefore they are referred to as a ji, or “affair.”
Among all people in the country of Japan, those who become disciples and supporters of Nichiren are the ones of whom it may be said, “Living beings possess the capacity to aspire after the Buddhas. Therefore this is designated as the in, or ‘cause,’ part of the word ‘reason’ (innen, or causes and conditions).” And when for their sake I propagate the ultimate principle of the Lotus Sutra, this is what is meant by “The Buddhas, observing this capacity, act in response to it. Therefore this is designated as the en, or ‘condition,’ part of the word ‘reason,’” is it not?

The in, or “causes,” is the planting of the original seed of Buddhahood, and the en, or “conditions,” goes back to the en that was established in one’s previous existence major world system dust particle kalpas ago or numberless major world system dust particle kalpas ago. The ji, or “affair,” which is the actuality of three thousand realms in a single moment of life, refers to Nichiren himself, and is indeed a great affair.

“One” is one single moment of life, and “great” is the three thousand realms. The preaching of the three thousand realms came about through the “affair” of causes and conditions. The “affair” refers to the realm of living beings, the “causes” refers to the realm of the five components, and the “conditions” refers to the realm of the environment. With regard to the “conditions,” or the realm of the environment, we may say that basic conditions dictate that Jambudvīpa is the land where Myoho-renge-kyo, or the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law, should be propagated. Therefore, the sutra says, “I will cause it to be widely propagated throughout Jambudvīpa and will see that it never comes to an end” (chapter twenty-eight, Universal Worthy).

 

[PassTheDoobie]

In what manner,
and to what end should we "use" our "lives"?
May we always be asking ourselves this question!
The point at which we realise
our unique mission for kosen-rufu
is the time when limitless hope is born.

Daisaku Ikeda