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The Lotus Sutra - III. The main teachings of the Lotus Sutra

The Lotus Sutra - III. The main teachings of the Lotus Sutra

Introduction - the theoretical teaching and the essential teaching

With all its fantastic imagery and vision, the Lotus Sutra teaches many principles of enormous profundity, centring on two in particular - ‘the replacement of the three vehicles with one vehicle’ and ‘opening the near and revealing the far’. The bulk of the sutra supports, amplifies and reinforces these two main teachings from a variety of different angles.

The replacement of the three vehicles with one vehicle is presented in the first half of the sutra. These first fourteen chapters are called the theoretical teaching (shakumon) because they teach that Buddhahood is a potential shared by all phenomena; at this point in the sutra, however, this is still a theoretical concept, and Shakyamuni’s various predictions of enlightenment for his followers are for some time in the future.

‘Opening the near and revealing the far’ is presented in the latter fourteen chapters, which are called the essential teaching (honmon), since it reveals Buddhahood as a reality already present in Shakyamuni’s life.

The Three Vehicles

In the sutras preached before the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni had stated that certain people could not attain Buddhahood - women, evil people, people of incorrigible disbelief (icchantika) and ‘men of the two vehicles’ (nijo). This last group consisted of his closest disciples - the ‘voice-hearers’ who listened to his preaching and strove for self-improvement; and pratyekabuddhas, who have already become partially enlightened but whose self-absorption prevents them developing fully into Buddhas. It may seem odd that those closest to the Buddha and most dedicated to following his teachings should be denied the possibility of enlightenment, but Shakyamuni wanted to emphasise the enormous difference between his state of life, Buddhahood, and theirs, for all their sincere efforts. For these two groups, then, he taught ‘the two vehicles’ as a means to achieve a limited self-awakening.

This limitation is apparent in the fact that the men of the two vehicles are concerned only with their own salvation. To transcend this, in other sutras Shakyamuni taught the ‘vehicle’ or way of the bodhisattva, who seeks enlightenment through compassionate acts for others; specifically, through helping others onto the path to Buddhahood. Together, the teachings preached for the voice-hearers, pratyekabuddhas and bodhisattvas are called ‘the three vehicles’.

The replacement of the Three Vehicles with the One Vehicle

The Lotus Sutra starts with the description of various omens that precede the expounding of the Lotus Sutra. In the second chapter, ‘Expedient Means’, Shakyamuni arises from his silent meditation and begins to talk, without waiting for a question from his disciples, saying ‘The wisdom of the Buddhas is infinitely profound and immeasurable’.[1] Then he announces a truth that only Buddhas can understand - the true entity of all phenomena (shoho jisso) - and lists the Ten Factors of life (ju nyoze) that characterise this entity. These are appearance, nature, entity, power, influence, internal cause, relation, latent effect, manifest effect and consistency from beginning to end. The Great Teacher T’ien‑t’ai later clarified the true entity of all phenomena through the theory of ichinen sanzen.[2]

Shakyamuni then explains that the three vehicles expounded in his earlier sutras are only ‘expedient means’, a way of preparing people for the Buddha’s ultimate teaching:

Shariputra, when the age is impure and the times are chaotic, then the defilements of living beings are grave, they are greedy and jealous and put down roots of no good. Because of this, the Buddhas, utilising the power of expedient means, apply distinctions to the one Buddha vehicle and preach as though it were three.[3]

But, as he states forcefully a few lines later on, ‘There is no other vehicle, there is only the one Buddha vehicle.’[4] He further explains that the sole purpose for the Buddha to appear in the world is to teach the one great vehicle, the world of Buddhahood. This denial of the three vehicles and the statement that Buddhahood is attainable by all people - without exception - is called the replacement of the three vehicles with the one vehicle. Once this principle is stated in the ‘Expedient Means’ chapter, Shakyamuni elaborates on it in a variety of ways throughout the rest of the theoretical teaching.

According to T’ien-t’ai, the ‘Expedient Means’ chapter represents the ‘concise replacement of the three vehicles’, and centres on the passage that reveals the true entity of all phenomena. Since the true entity is shared by all phenomena it is present both in the life of the Buddha and all other people; therefore, there is no essential difference between the Buddha and ordinary people; therefore, men of the two vehicles and bodhisattvas can attain enlightenment; therefore, there are not three vehicles but only one, Buddhahood.

By contrast, the latter half of the ‘Expedient Means’ chapter through to the end of the ninth chapter - ‘Prophecies Conferred on Learners and Adepts’ - represents the ‘expanded replacement of the three vehicles’. In this section Shakyamuni uses various means to explain further the concept to his voice-hearer disciples and encourages them through prophesying their future enlightenment.

Moreover, through the prediction of Buddhahood for Devadatta (who had conspired against the Buddha and even had tried to kill him) and the demonstration of the enlightenment of the dragon king’s daughter, Shakyamuni shows that both evil people and women can also attain the highest state of life in their present form, dramatically overturning the teachings of his earlier sutras.

The replacement of the three vehicles with the one vehicle was an astonishing revelation for Shakyamuni’s disciples, and even today has truly revolutionary implications. As Daisaku Ikeda notes:

The Buddha appeared in the world to lead people of all backgrounds and circumstances to enlightenment. The Buddha taught that attaining Buddhahood is the most fundamental goal of life; all other aspirations are of a far lesser dimension, functioning merely as ‘expedient means’. It is obvious then just how unsuitable fame and fortune are as true goals of human life.

The replacement of the three vehicles with the one Buddha vehicle, meanwhile, is a revelation of both the Buddha’s true intent and the true purpose of human life.[5]

Opening the near and revealing the far

In the theoretical teaching of the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni had said that, after leaving home at the age of nineteen and persevering in various religious practices, he attained Buddhahood under a pipal or bodhi tree at Buddhagaya. His disciples accepted this as a fact - while, in some of the sutras prior to the essential teaching, there are descriptions of events which had taken place in the past lives of Shakyamuni, these are all related to various aspects of his practice; none mention his enlightenment.

At the heart of the essential teaching, however, is the passage in the ‘Life Span of the Thus Come One’ (sixteenth) chapter where Shakyamuni refutes the view that he attained enlightenment for the first time in his present life in India, and reveals his original enlightenment in the remote past. This is known as ‘opening the near and revealing the far’.

T’ien‑t’ai notes that this concept appears in two forms, which he calls ‘the concise revelation’ and ‘the expanded revelation’. The concise revelation is found in the ‘Emerging from the Earth’ (fifteenth) chapter when Shakyamuni explains to the confused Bodhisattva Maitreya that the Bodhisattvas of the Earth who have just emerged from the earth are also his disciples, and states:

Ever since the long distant past

I have been teaching and converting this multitude. [6]

This passage therefore reveals in an indirect or ‘concise’ manner the fact that Shakyamuni became a Buddha at some point in the remote past. The ‘expanded revelation of ‘opening the near and revealing the far’ is found in the following (sixteenth) chapter, when Shakyamuni states directly:

But good men, it has been immeasurable, boundless hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions of nayutas of kalpas since I in fact attained Buddhahood.[7]

This is termed his ‘actual attainment in the remote past’.

‘Opening the near and revealing the far’ is also closely related to the concept of ‘to cast off the transient and reveal the true’ (hosshaku kempon), whereby a Buddha discards his transient or provisional status and reveals his true identity. Here, Shakyamuni discards his provisional identity as the Buddha who attained enlightenment in his present lifetime under the pipal tree, and reveals his original enlightenment in the distant past.

‘Life Span’ in the title of the sixteenth chapter refers to the duration of Shakyamuni’s life as a Buddha; that is, how long he has been enlightened. The statement that since his original enlightenment he has been ‘constantly in this saha world, teaching and converting’[8] indicates that there is no Buddha land apart from the saha world; in other words, Buddhahood or enlightenment is to be achieved nowhere else but amidst the mundane reality of our everyday lives.

To put it another way, while the ‘Expedient Means’ chapter teaches that Buddhahood is inherent in the nine worlds from Hell to Bodhisattva - that all aspects of ordinary life can reveal Buddhahood - the ‘Life Span of the Thus Come One Chapter’ teaches that the nine worlds are inherent in Buddhahood; the Buddha lives in this real world as an ordinary person, albeit an enlightened one, not as some transcendental being, and is therefore subject to normal human joys and sorrows. In short, as Daisaku Ikeda explains:

...the Buddha of actual attainment in the remote past signifies life endowed with the Ten Worlds and existing eternally. In spatial terms, this is the cosmic life force; in temporal terms, it is eternal life. This is, in fact, the ultimate nature of our own lives. ‘Actual attainment in the remote past’ indicates opening or gaining access to the boundless and immeasurable life, the cosmic and eternal life.[9]

[1] LS2, 23.
[2] See ‘The Lotus Sutra and T’ien-t’ai’, below.
[3]LS2, p. 32.
[4]LS2, p. 33.
[5]Ikeda, op. cit., Vol. 2, p. 39.
[6] LS15, p. 220.
[7]LS16, p.225.
[8]Ibid.
[9]Ikeda, op. cit., Vol 2, p. 301.

(from: http://www.guidestud.org/Lotus_Sutra/Lotus3a.htm )

 

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Life Span’ in the title of the sixteenth chapter refers to the duration of Shakyamuni’s life as a Buddha; that is, how long he has been enlightened. The statement that since his original enlightenment he has been ‘constantly in this saha world, teaching and converting’ indicates that there is no Buddha land apart from the saha world; in other words, Buddhahood or enlightenment is to be achieved nowhere else but amidst the mundane reality of our everyday lives.

To put it another way, while the ‘Expedient Means’ chapter teaches that Buddhahood is inherent in the nine worlds from Hell to Bodhisattva - that all aspects of ordinary life can reveal Buddhahood - the ‘Life Span of the Thus Come One Chapter’ teaches that the nine worlds are inherent in Buddhahood; the Buddha lives in this real world as an ordinary person, albeit an enlightened one, not as some transcendental being, and is therefore subject to normal human joys and sorrows. In short, as Daisaku Ikeda explains:

...the Buddha of actual attainment in the remote past signifies life endowed with the Ten Worlds and existing eternally. In spatial terms, this is the cosmic life force; in temporal terms, it is eternal life. This is, in fact, the ultimate nature of our own lives. ‘Actual attainment in the remote past’ indicates opening or gaining access to the boundless and immeasurable life, the cosmic and eternal life.

 

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The Lotus Sutra - IV. The Three Time Periods

The Lotus Sutra - IV. The Three Time Periods

According to the sutras, the time following a Buddha’s death can be divided into three consecutive stages, namely the Former Day of the Law, the Middle Day of the Law and the Latter Day of the Law.[1] While various sutras and commentaries offer different interpretations of the exact duration of each of these stages, there is agreement on the characteristics of each period.

During the Former Day of the Law, the spirit of Buddhism prevails and people can attain enlightenment through its practice. In the Middle Day of the Law, Buddhism becomes firmly established in society and many Buddhist temples are built. In the process, however, it becomes formalised and rigid, and gradually fewer and fewer people are able to benefit from it. In the Latter Day of the Law, people lose their desire for enlightenment altogether and are increasingly at the mercy of their greed, anger and stupidity - the three poisons. The world of Buddhism is wracked with internal feuds, both personal and doctrinal, and the teachings themselves lose their power to lead people to Buddhahood.

In the ‘Sutra of the Great Assembly’ (Daishutsu Sutra; also called the Daijutsu or Daijuku Sutra), Shakyamuni describes how his teachings will grow, prosper and decline according to this pattern, in the five five-hundred year periods following his death. The first two five-hundred year periods correspond to the Former Day of the Law, the next two to the Middle Day of the Law, and the fifth five-hundred year period corresponds to the Latter Day of the Law, which all interpretations of the three time periods agree will last at least ten thousand years.

Teaching, practice and proof

The process by which Buddhism is established and then gradually declines during the Former, Middle and Latter Days of the Law has been further defined by Buddhist scholars through the ages in a concept known as ‘teaching, practice and proof’. ‘Teaching’ refers to what the Buddha teaches; ‘practice’ refers to how that teaching is put into practice; and ‘proof’ refers to the merit - strictly speaking, enlightenment - that results from correctly practising the teaching.

According to Tz’u-en (632-682 AD), in the Former Day of the Law there is teaching, practice and proof; in the Middle Day of the Law there is is teaching and practice, but no longer any proof; and in the Latter Day only the teaching remains - both practice and proof have been lost.

Nichiren Daishonin agreed with this view, although he explains that, fundamentally, people in the Former Day of the Law were able to gain proof - enlightenment - through practising the Buddha’s teachings only because they had already established a bond with the Lotus Sutra during Shakyamuni’s lifetime. In the Latter Day of the Law, however:

There is no longer a single person who has formed a relationship with Shakyamuni Buddha. Those who possessed the capacity to gain enlightenment through either the provisional or true Mahayana sutras have long since disappeared.[2]

Both the concepts of the three time periods and teaching, practice and proof emphasise that even the Lotus Sutra will have lost its power to lead ordinary people to enlightenment in the Latter Day of the Law. Nichiren Daishonin therefore concludes:

In this impure and evil age, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo of the ‘Life Span’ chapter, the heart of the essential teaching, should be planted as the seeds of Buddhahood for the first time in the hearts of all those who commit the five cardinal sins[3] and slander the correct teaching.[4]

The reasoning to support this conclusion is explored in greater depth in the sections entitled ‘The Lotus Sutra and Nichiren Daishonin’.

[1] In his translation of the Lotus Sutra, Watson calls these three periods, respectively, the Correct Law, the Counterfeit Law and the Latter Day of the Law.
[2] WND, p. 473.
[3]Five cardinal sins: the five most serious offences in Buddhism, usually held to be (1) killing one’s father; (2) killing one’s mother; (3) killing an arhat; (4) wounding a Buddha; and (5) causing disunity among believers.
[4] WND, p. 473.

(from: http://www.guidestud.org/Lotus_Sutra/Lotus4.htm )

 

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The Lotus Sutra - V. The Lotus Sutra and T’ien-t’ai (538-597 AD)

The Lotus Sutra - V. The Lotus Sutra and T’ien-t’ai (538-597 AD)

Background - Buddhism in China

In the centuries following Shakyamuni’s death, Buddhism spread widely throughout Asia. It was propagated by dedicated missionaries - monks despatched to spread the word; by explorers and military men; and by lay people, often traders, in the course of their travels. The Silk Route, for example, took Buddhism north-east through Tibet to China, and west as far as Arabia (although its impact here was significantly less than in eastern Asia).

Buddhism is generally thought to have been introduced into China in the first century AD, although some scholars argue for an earlier date. Initially, it appealed less to the country’s ordinary people than to its intellectual and cultural elite, who, over the following centuries, sponsored the translation of hundreds of texts. Gradually, the new religion took root and flourished in society, reaching its height from the seventh to the tenth centuries AD.

The growth of Buddhism in China was accompanied by intense doctrinal dispute. Shakyamuni’s teachings arrived haphazardly over a considerable period of time, and were anyway not systematized; in places they were even contradictory. By the sixth century, ten major schools - the Three Schools of the South and Seven Schools of the North - had become established, each claiming to teach the truth of Shakyamuni’s Buddhism.

The Five Periods and Eight Teachings

The Five Periods and Eight Teachings is a system of classification formulated by the Chinese Buddhist monk, T’ien-t’ai, to settle the uncertainty as to the relative merits of various Buddhist doctrines.

T’ien-t’ai was originally called Chih-i (or Chih-che) and later came to be called after Mount T’ien-t’ai, where he lived in retreat and founded his own school. He is said to have attained enlightenment through reading and meditating deeply on the Lotus Sutra, specifically the twenty-third chapter, ‘Former Affairs of the Bodhisattva Medicine King’ (Yakuo). As a result of his enlightenment he was able to prove the supremacy of the Lotus Sutra, and classify Shakyamuni’s other teachings according to the order in which they were preached (the Five Periods), and their content and method of presentation (the Eight Teachings).

As a result of this system of classification, T’ien-t’ai was able to defeat all the ten major schools in debate and establish the primacy of the Lotus Sutra in China for more than two centuries, a period which also saw the great cultural flowering of the T’ang dynasty (AD 618 to 907)

As time went on, however, Buddhist temples became increasingly wealthy and the essential spirit of the religion was corrupted, even within the T’ien-t’ai school. Increasingly, elements of non-Buddhist beliefs were mixed with Buddhist doctrine and Buddhism in China gradually declined, in accordance with the concept of the three time periods.

Ichinen sanzen

T’ien-t’ai’s achievement in establishing the supremacy of the Lotus Sutra, while impressive, was surpassed by his development of the theory of ichinen sanzen - ‘three thousand realms in a moment of existence’ - which represents the ultimate conclusion of his life’s work.

Following his classification of Buddhist teachings according to the Five Periods and Eight teachings, T’ien-t’ai devoted himself to writing commentaries and exegeses on the Lotus Sutra to explain more clearly the heart of Shakyamuni’s teachings. His three major works are Hokke Gengi (Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra), Hokke Mongu (Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra), and Maka Shikan (Great Concentration and Insight).

Hokke Gengi explains that the entire meaning of the Lotus Sutra is condensed into its title, Myoho-renge-kyo, and consists of a detailed examination of each separate syllable. Similarly, Hokke Mongu is a close analysis of sentences and phrases in each chapter of the sutra.

Maka Shikan breaks new ground, setting forth T’ien-t’ai’s own enlightenment in the principle of ichinen sanzen. Taking the Lotus Sutra as a basis, it explains the mutually inclusive relationship of life and all phenomena not in poetic (and often fantastic) imagery, as Shakyamuni had done, but with an almost mathematical precision. In this he reflected not only the characteristic Chinese tendency to order and classify things, but also the truth that the highest teachings of Buddhism are also rational.

Even so, T’ien-t’ai was clearly aware that enlightenment could not be reached through the rational mind alone, and Maka Shikan deals at great length with meditative practices that will enable one to progress closer and closer to grasping the truth of ichinen sanzen in, and with, one’s own life.

These practices are very demanding, however, and are not realistic for anyone whose time cannot be wholly devoted to Buddhist meditation; that is, for most ordinary men and women. Consequently, while T’ien-t’ai’s influence on Chinese society was considerable, the practice he formulated never gained great popularity.

Nevertheless, for his achievements in proving the supremacy of the Lotus Sutra in China and laying the theoretical basis for the establishment of the Gohonzon, Nichiren Daishonin regarded T’ien-t’ai as the Buddha of the Middle Day of the Law (q.v.).

(from: http://www.guidestud.org/Lotus_Sutra/Lotus5.htm )

 

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The Lotus Sutra - VI. The Lotus Sutra and Nichiren Daishonin

The Lotus Sutra - VI. The Lotus Sutra and Nichiren Daishonin

Nichiren Daishonin’s relationship to the Lotus Sutra of Shakyamuni is based on a number of factors - the age in which he was living, the historical flow of Buddhism, and what Buddhist teachings themselves state.

He grew up acutely aware that the decline and corruption of Buddhism in the Japan of his day, and the doctrinal disputes between the various schools, confirmed the widespread belief that the evil Latter Day of the Law had already begun; the generally held view was that it started in 1052. Through his extensive studies of the sutras and their commentaries, he was also aware that such great scholars as T’ien-t’ai and Dengyo (who lived between 767 and 822, and founded the Tendai school in Japan), had proved the supremacy of the Lotus Sutra in the past and had for a time established it as the foremost teaching in China and Japan respectively.

He was conscious, too, that while Shakyamuni had himself predicted that even the Lotus Sutra would lose its power in the Latter Day to enable ordinary people to achieve true happiness, he had clearly implied that there would be a ‘Lotus Sutra of the Latter Day’. How else was one to interpret the transfer of the Law to the Bodhisattvas of the Earth in the ‘Supernatural Practices of the Thus Come One’ (twenty-first) chapter, and the Buddha’s insistence later in the sutra that ‘After I have passed into extinction, in the last five-hundred-year period you must spread it [the sutra] abroad widely throughout Jambudvipa and never allow it to be cut off’?[1]

The question that had still to be resolved was how to recognise the person whose mission it was to establish the ‘Lotus Sutra of the Latter Day’.

Revealing the object of worship in terms of the Person

Nichiren Daishonin again pointed to the sutra itself for evidence of this person’s identity, citing a key passage from the ‘Encouraging Devotion’ (thirteenth) chapter.[2] This describes the persecutions that ‘the eight hundred thousand million nayutas of bodhisattvas and mahasattvas’[3] will endure after the Buddha’s death for the sake of the Lotus Sutra.

The Daishonin discusses this passage in many of his writings, including ‘The Opening of the Eyes’, the major treatise he wrote soon after his exile to Sado Island, following the Tatsunokuchi Persecution in 1271. He states:

The [‘Encouraging Devotion’ chapter] says: ‘There will be many ignorant people who will curse and speak ill of us, and will attack us with swords and staves, with rocks and tiles.’ Look around you in the world today - are there any priests other than Nichiren who are cursed and vilified because of the Lotus Sutra or who are attacked with swords and staves? If it were not for Nichiren, the prophecy made in this verse of the sutra would have been sheer falsehood.

The same passage says: ‘In that evil age there will be monks with perverse wisdom and hearts that are fawning and crooked’ and ‘They will preach the Law to white-robed laymen and will be respected and revered by the world as though they were arhats who possess the six transcendental powers.’ If it were not for the teachers of the Nembutsu, Zen and Ritsu sects of our present age, then the World-Honoured One would have been a teller of great untruths.

The passage likewise says: ‘Because in the midst of the great assembly... they will address the rulers, high ministers, Brahmans and householders...[slandering and speaking evil of us].’ If the priests of today did not slander me to the authorities and have them condemn me to banishment, then this passage in the sutra would have remained unfulfilled.

‘Again and again we will be banished’ says the sutra. But if Nichiren had not been banished time and again for the sake of the Lotus Sutra, what would these words ‘again and again’ have meant? Even T’ien-t’ai and Dengyo were not able to fulfil this prediction represented by the words ‘again and again’, much less was anyone else. But because I have been born at the beginning of the Latter Day of the Law, the ‘the age of fear and evil’ described in the sutra, I alone have been able to live these words.[4]

In short, by pointing out that he alone has endured each of the persecutions that the Lotus Sutra predicts for its votary, Nichiren Daishonin implies that he is the person whose mission it is to establish the ‘Lotus Sutra of the Latter Day’ - the true or original Buddha. Thus, ‘The Opening of the Eyes’ is said to reveal the object of worship in terms of the Person.

The votary of the Lotus Sutra

It is significant that Nichiren Daishonin wrote ‘The Opening of the Eyes’ only after surviving the Tatsunokuchi Persecution and being exiled to Sado. Up to that point, he had identified himself - albeit indirectly - with Bodhisattva Jogyo, the leader of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth, who appears in the Lotus Sutra to take on the task of spreading the sutra in the Latter Day. Until the Sado exile, as the ‘votary of the Lotus Sutra’, Nichiren Daishonin’s primary aim thus appeared to be to reassert the supremacy of Shakyamuni’s Lotus Sutra. For example, Rissho Ankoku Ron, written in 1260 and presented to the effective ruler of Japan, Hojo Tokiyori, explains that the nation had been suffering its long series of disasters precisely because the Japanese people had turned their backs on the Lotus Sutra:

If people favour what is only incidental and forget what is primary, can the benevolent deities be anything but angry? If people cast aside what is perfect and take up what is biased, can the world escape the plots of demons?[5]

On reaching Sado, however, the Daishonin discarded his identity as Jogyo and revealed his true identity as the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law. He says:

On the twelfth day of the ninth month of last year, between the hours of the rat and the ox (11 p.m. to 3 a.m.), this person named Nichiren was beheaded. It is his soul that has come to this island of Sado and, in the second month of the following year, snowbound, is writing this to send to his close disciples.[6]

Of course, ‘this person named Nichiren’ was not literally beheaded. Rather, the Daishonin here is indicating the profound change of status that he went through at Tatsunokuchi, as he ‘cast off the transient and revealed the true’ (hosshaku kempon).

Elsewhere in the same Gosho he gives further hints of his true identity - as when he states, for example, ‘I, Nichiren, am sovereign, teacher, and father and mother to all the people of Japan.’[7] The principle of the Three Virtues of sovereign, teacher and parent derives from the verse section of the ‘Life Span of the Thus Come One’ (sixteenth) chapter of the Lotus Sutra, and describes Shakyamuni Buddha’s relationship to the people of the saha world. The parallel the Daishonin is drawing is clear - he is the Buddha who perfectly embodies the Three Virtues in the Latter Day.

Revealing the object of worship in terms of the Law

Having established his identity, in ‘The True Object of Worship’, the second major work he wrote in exile on Sado, Nichiren Daishonin reveals the object of worship in terms of the Law. In other words, he explains that the ‘Lotus Sutra of the Latter Day’ is the Gohonzon of the Three Great Secret Laws. (Significantly, he did not inscribe the Gohonzon for any of his followers until soon after the Tatsunokuchi Persecution.)

‘The True Object of Worship’ offers a long and detailed analysis of the Lotus Sutra and T’ien-t’ai’s theory of ichinen sanzen, and explains how the Gohonzon is related to both. Ichinen sanzen is important because, as Nichiren Daishonin points out, it provides a theoretical basis for chanting to the Gohonzon:

Both the Buddhist and non-Buddhist scriptures permit wooden or painted images to be used as objects of devotion, but T’ien-t’ai and his followers were the first to explain the principle behind this practice. If a piece of wood or paper lacked the cause and effect [of Buddhahood] in either the material or the spiritual aspect, it would be futile to rely on it as an object of devotion.[8]

Thus, although from one viewpoint the Gohonzon is merely a piece of paper or wood, since these materials possess the inherent capacity ‘to manifest a spiritual nature’, they can both come to embody Buddhahood if inscribed or carved by the Buddha, and can therefore act as the external cause for Buddhahood when used as an object of worship.

The discussion of the Lotus Sutra in ‘The True Object of Worship’ reiterates the central points of Shakyamuni’s supreme teaching, but goes significantly further, explaining that the Gohonzon, the time when it is to be established, and by whom, are all implicit in the sutra itself.

The Ceremony in the Air

Nichiren Daishonin explains that the Gohonzon is described in the ‘Ceremony in the Air’, in eight core chapters of the Lotus Sutra, from the ‘Emerging from the Earth’ (fifteenth) to the ‘Entrustment’ (twenty-second) chapters:

The true object of devotion is described as follows:

The treasure tower sits in the air above the saha world that the Buddha of the essential teaching [identified as the pure and eternal land]; Myoho-renge-kyo appears in the centre of the tower with the Buddhas Shakyamuni and Many Treasures seated to the right and left, and, flanking them, the four bodhisattvas, followers of Shakyamuni, led by Superior Practices.[9]

Likewise, many of the other characters that appear on the Gohonzon represent figures who participate in the Ceremony in the Air. The Daishonin stresses how closely the Gohonzon illustrates this ceremony in a later Gosho, ‘The Real Aspect of the Gohonzon’:

This mandala is in no way my invention. It is the object of devotion that depicts Shakyamuni Buddha, the World-Honoured One, in the treasure tower of Many Treasures Buddha, and the Buddhas who were Shakyamuni’s emanations as accurately as a print matches its woodblock.[10]

It is important to understand, however, that while in one sense the Gohonzon is ‘derived’ from Shakyamuni’s Lotus Sutra, fundamentally it transcends it, since the Ceremony in the Air which the Gohonzon represents is an event unbounded by time or space. From this perspective, Shakyamuni’s Lotus Sutra is a preparation for the revelation of the Gohonzon, in that it was used by Nichiren Daishonin to explain the fundamental object of worship.

The Buddhism of the Sowing and the Buddhism of the Harvest

The relationship between Nichiren Daishonin’s teachings and Shakyamuni’s Lotus Sutra can also be understood by an analogy that compares the relationship between the Buddha and those who receive his teachings to the development of a plant - from sowing, through maturity, to harvest. Sowing is when the Buddha teaches the Law to an ordinary person for the first time; maturity is when that person develops his or her potential for Buddhahood; harvest is the time when he or she actually becomes a Buddha.

According to this view, the essential teaching of Shakyamuni’s Lotus Sutra relates to the harvest, while Nam-myoho-renge-kyo ‘hidden in the depths’ of the ‘Life Span of the Thus Come One’ chapter, and expounded by Nichiren Daishonin, relates to sowing. As he states:

Shakyamuni’s…is the Buddhism of the harvest, and this [my teaching] is the Buddhism of sowing. The core of his teaching is one chapter and two halves,[11] and the core of mine is the five characters of the daimoku[12] alone.[13]

This is because, as Shakyamuni explains in the ‘Parable of the Phantom City’ (seventh) chapter, his Lotus Sutra is the teaching through which his disciples from the past, when he was the sixteenth and youngest son of the Buddha Great Universal Wisdom Excellence, can finally attain Buddhahood. It follows from this that the ordinary people of the Latter Day of the Law, who did not receive that ‘seed’ from him in the past, cannot attain Buddhahood through the teachings of the Lotus Sutra. This is the fundamental doctrinal reason why the Lotus Sutra loses its power in the Latter Day.

By contrast, Nichiren Daishonin’s teaching is called the Buddhism of sowing because it enables the ordinary people of the Latter Day of the Law, who have formed no relationship with Shakyamuni, to sow, mature and harvest their seed of Buddhahood - Nam-myoho-renge-kyo - within a single lifetime. He states:

Shakyamuni’s practices and the virtues he consequently attained are all contained within the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo. If we believe in these five characters, we will naturally be granted the same benefits as he was.[14]

The Bodhisattvas of the Earth

Who, then, are the Bodhisattvas of the Earth, who appear in the ‘Emerging from the Earth’ (fifteenth) chapter? They pre-date the disciples Shakyamuni had when he was the sixteenth son of the Buddha Great Universal Wisdom Excellence, because when they appear Shakyamuni declares that ‘Ever since the long distant past/I have been teaching and converting this multitude.’[15] This declaration stuns the assembly that has gathered to hear him preaching, since they had previously believed that Shakyamuni had become enlightened only some forty years earlier, and their questions prompt him to expound the ‘Life Span of the Thus Come One’ (sixteenth) chapter.

As Nichiren Daishonin explains in ‘The True Object of Worship’, however, this chapter is taught not to reassure the listeners in the assembly, but those who hear the Buddha’s teaching after his death. As Bodhisattva Maitreya says, ‘for the sake of future ages we beg the Buddha/To explain and bring about understanding.’[16]

This is a crucial point, for, as the Daishonin goes on to explain, this means that the parable of the excellent physician, which is related in this chapter, is also told ‘for the sake of future ages’. Specifically, he says, ‘According to the “Distinctions in Benefit” chapter, [the good medicine of the “Life Span” chapter is left for those] “in the evil age of the Latter Day of the Law”’,[17] while the messenger mentioned in the parable refers to the Bodhisattvas of the Earth who will appear in the beginning of the Latter Day. He further explains that ‘“This good medicine” is the heart of the ‘Life Span’ chapter, or Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.’[18] In a specific sense, therefore, the Bodhisattvas of the Earth refers to Nichiren Daishonin, whose mission it was to gives the teaching for this age. As he states:

At this time the countless Bodhisattvas of the Earth will appear and establish in this country the object of devotion, foremost in Jambudvipa, that depicts Shakyamuni Buddha of the essential teaching attending [the eternal Buddha].[19]

In a more general sense, though, the term ‘Bodhisattvas of the Earth’ refers to the Daishonin’s disciples, who work to spread his teaching in the Latter Day. He makes this point in another important Gosho he wrote while on Sado, ‘The True Aspect of All Phenomena’:

Now, no matter what, strive in faith and be known as a votary of the Lotus Sutra, and remain my disciple for the rest of your life. If you are of the same mind as Nichiren, you must be a Bodhisattva of the Earth. And if you are a Bodhisattva of the Earth, there is not the slightest doubt that you have been a disciple of Shakyamuni Buddha from the remote past.[20]

In conclusion, then, Nichiren Daishonin uses the Lotus Sutra to validate Nam-myoho-renge-kyo as the essential law of life and the Gohonzon as the object of worship of the Latter Day; to establish his identity as the true Buddha of this age, and to identify his followers as the Bodhisattvas of the Earth.

[1]LS23, p. 288
[2]Ibid., pp. 193-5.
[3]Ibid., p. 192
[4]WND, p. 242.
[5]Ibid., p. 15.
[6]Ibid., p. 269.
[7]Ibid., p. 287.
[8]Ibid., p. 356.
[9] Ibid., p. 366
[10]Ibid., p. 831.
[11]The essential teaching; namely, the latter half of the fifteenth chapter, all of the sixteenth chapter, and the first half of the seventeenth chapter.
[12] I.e. Myoho-renge-kyo
[13] MND, p. 370
[14]Ibid., p. 365
[15]LS15, p. 220.
[16]Ibid., p. 223.
[17]MND, p. 371
[18]Ibid., p. 372.
[19]Ibid., p. 376.
[20]Ibid., p. 385.

(from: http://www.guidestud.org/Lotus_Sutra/Lotus6.htm )

 

[Bonzo]

Good morning my friends!!!!

"Well i can bring it back..." LMAO with overflowing happiness and joy!!!! Thank you T! I KNEW you were going to and i think you know how i knew.....

Scegy!!!!!! how awesome it is to see you!!!! I think of you everyday and you were going to get a big shout out from me to check in, but i guess you heard it loud and clear in your heart.

You know when i hit the delete button i immediately felt a hole in my heart and i dont like holes in my heart, they suck!!!

Your post along with T reposting mine has just floored me and filled that hole well beyond capacity, like i said its overflowing with happiness and pure joy!!!

I am in tears of joy that you found the rythem scegy!!!!! Run with it my brotha!!!! Let the beat of that rythem sound aloud and flood far and wide and with a heart like yours i imagine thats gonna be pretty dang far and pretty dang wide!!!!!!!

WOOOOO HOOOOOO!!!!!!!! Lets ALL grasp a piece of that sky and take it with us in our travels eh!!!!!

KOSEN RUFU MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS!!!!!!!!

PEACE TO ALL!!!!

Bonz.



ps "Since the Gohonzon is a mirror of your life, the care and respect you demonstrate toward the Gohonzon is a manifestation of your attitude toward your own life"

from my welcome to the SGI upon recieving my Gohonzon. heavy eh?






>>>>>>>>>>nam myoho renge kyo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!>>>>>>>>>>

 

[Sleepy]

So I assume you won't mind! I found it too deep to be discarded! I must share it! Please!

Hello my friends.

Perfect timing T, on the post about the Gohonzon. I did my first Gongyo with my Gohonzon in its new home last night. When i started, your post was'nt there, when i finished there it was, and i needed to read it. I fumbled a bit with the practice, having to read when to ring the bell, when to do the silent prayers, etc. The Gohonzon understood my fumbling i think though and actually i felt respect and admiration for my efforts to get it right. I know that may sound i bit nuts, but what i felt when i turned on the light and opened the butsudans doors, sat down and came face to face with the Gohonzon was indescribable, awe inspiring comes to mind. Funny thing, nowone had to tell me to treat my Gohonzon with the UTMOST respect, i felt it as soon as it was handed to me and i have treated it that way ever since, its not that i feel obligated to give that respect or that everyone did tell me to respect it, it seems as though if you dont respect it and treat it with the utmost care then it will treat you the same way, best i can describe it. Kinda like people, if two people have a deep, true and honest respect for one another, an awesome friendship of brother/sister like proportions can be forged for a lifetime, without that respect, the friendship will surely crumble, garuanteed.

im' rambling.

I guess what im' tryin to say is when i opened the doors and sat down i felt
with all my heart that i had come face to face with my destiny.

peace and love.

bonz.

Thanks for the wisdom Bonz! As I said before, CONTINUE!!!

T

wow...congratulations!!

i hope to one day experience this for myself...
:kitty:

 

[Guest]

losta reading this morning just caught up after getting back from my study meeting regarding "On Attaining Buddhahood in this Lifetime", YEAH BONZO TALK ABOUT PARRELLEL EXSISTENCES you scegy babba(welcomeback bro) PTD and my man ALWAYS plus an extra big plus with HITMAN and Socal are alive at the same time and really feeding off each others growth and recognizing the Myoho-Renge-Kyo within us and conquering fundamental darkness as we practice for ourselves and others. This is great, the overwhelming ichinen displayed by you guys is like fuel to the passionate fire inside of me and polishing my mirror everyday gets brighter as we all progress in every avenue of life with approach and work towards accomplishing greater victory. I am so happy that PTD entrusted he earnest desire to spread Kosen-rufu on ICMAG as a result everyone from DG to treehugger/delta/desi/everyone else and company have really really really really had great oppurtunities to embrace Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and use their Fundamental Darkness to their advantage and succeed in life.

More on the way as I get on with my day, but lets just say its great to be alive and practicing, studying and especially chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and letting our Buddhanature SHINE SHINE SHINE!

great posts lately and great study material for all of us, next month is the Buddhist review and if you goto the SGI-USA website you can download the study material, its great for all of us to take time to learn more as we grow so that we can fuel further growth in our lives and everyone elses. PTD studies so much everyday but also chants very much as well, he is a model for us all in that respect with regards to "CHANGING OUR KARMA" by being Proactive.


Gonna go buy some reefer and shakubuku the dealer. peace

 

[Guest]

Gosho Excerpt:


"Therefore, those who become Nichiren's disciples and lay believers should realize the profound karmic relationship they share with him and spread the Lotus Sutra as he does. Being known as a votary of the Lotus Sutra is a bitter, yet unavoidable destiny."

Letter to Jakunichi-bo,
(The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, pg# 994)
Written to Jakunichi-bo Nikke on 16 September 1279 from Minobu
http://sgi-usa.org/buddhism/library/Nichiren/wnd/concord/pages.view/994.html




Daily Encouragement:

A nurse who cared for many terminal patients has observed, "Ultimately, people only die as they have lived." To die happily is therefore extremely difficult. And since death is the final settlement of accounts for one's life, it is when our true self comes to the fore. We practice faith to live happily and also to die happily. One who has faith in the Mystic Law will not die an unhappy death.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Chapter 3 : The Life of Nichiren Daishonin

Chapter 3 : The Life of Nichiren Daishonin

Childhood of Nichiren Daishonin

Nichiren Daishonin was born on 16 February 1222, into a fishing family in the village of Kominato, in the region of Awa (presently in the Chiba prefecture).

At the age of eleven he became a novice-monk at Seicho-ji (Seicho temple), near Mount Kiyosumi in Awa: in those days there were no schools, and temples served as centres of learning. As a child, his parents had called him Zennichimaro (‘Splendid Son’).

Initially, Seicho-ji was attached to the Tendai school [1], which taught the supremacy of the Lotus Sutra. Later it fell under the influence of first the Shingon school [2], with its mystic rituals, and later the Pure Land school [3], which taught belief in Amida Buddha. Thus, when Zennichimaro was studying at Seicho-ji, there was much confusion within Buddhism about what was the true or correct teaching.

Becoming the wisest person of Japan

As Zennichimaro advanced in his studies, serious doubts arose in his mind about Buddhist teachings and their effect on the society of his time. How was it that the doctrines taught by the Buddha had given rise to such a profusion of different schools, with such contradictory tenets? And why, despite sincere Buddhist prayers for peace, had Japan been subjected to years of conflict and civil war? Since no priest at Seicho-ji was able to answer these questions, Zennichimaro prayed to a statue of Bodhisattva Kokuzo [4] to grant him the wisdom to become the wisest person in Japan. In a letter to a follower in 1277, Nichiren Daishonin wrote, ‘Since childhood, I, Nichiren, have never prayed for the secular things of this life but have single-mindedly sought to become a Buddha’ (WND p839). And in a later writing, he noted:

Ever since my childhood, I have studied Buddhism with one thought in mind. Life as a human being is pathetically fleeting. A man exhales his last breath with no hope to draw in another. Not even dew borne by the wind suffices to describe this transience. No one, wise or foolish, young or old, can escape death. My sole wish has therefore been to solve this eternal mystery. All else has been secondary (GZ, 1404).

The years of study

In his search for truth, Zennichimaro felt the need to master all the major Buddhist texts and their commentaries. He therefore thoroughly studied the doctrines of the Eight Schools [5] as well as those of the later Zen and Jodo schools, and on 8 October 1237, in his sixteenth year, was ordained a priest by Dozen-bo, the chief priest of Seicho-ji. In becoming a priest he took the religious name Zesho-bo Rencho [6] .

For a while Rencho remained at Seicho-ji but, probably during the spring of 1239 at the age of seventeen, journeyed Kamakura to further his studies. Kamakura was the centre of the shogunate, the military government of Japan, while the imperial court and most of the cultural activities of the country remained centralised in the ancient capital of Kyoto. Rencho studied in the temples of Kamakura for three years but, in spite of all his efforts, did not find the answers he was seeking. Disappointed, he briefly returned to Seicho-ji in the spring of 1242 before undertaking a second study journey, to Nara and Kyoto.

The temples of Nara and the monasteries of Mount Hiei and Mount Koya [7], near Kyoto, were the ‘universities’ of Japan at that time, where priests went to hear the teachings of famous priests, or learn the doctrines of Buddhist schools other than their own.

Rencho spent twelve years in the temples of Nara and Kyoto. During that period, he read all the important Buddhist texts to which he had access. In ‘Letter to the Brothers’, written at Mount Minobu on 16 April 1275, Nichiren Daishonin states:

Entering the sutra repository and examining the complete collection contained therein, I found that there were two versions of the sutras and treatises brought to China between the Yung-p’ing era of the Later-Han and the end of the T’ang dynasty. There were 5,048 volumes of the older translations and 7,399 volumes of the newer translations. Each sutra, by virtue of its contents, claimed to be the highest teaching of all. However, the comparison reveals that the Lotus Sutra is as superior to all the other sutras as heaven is to the earth. It rises above them like a cloud above the ground. If other sutras should be compared to stars, the Lotus Sutra is like the moon. If they are as torches, stars or the moon, the Lotus Sutra is then as bright as the sun (WND, p. 493).

After some fourteen years of study, he finally became convinced that Shakyamuni’s ultimate teaching was found nowhere other than in the Lotus Sutra. Further, he realised that he, Rencho, had been born into this world to reveal the teaching, predicted in the Lotus Sutra, by which all people would be able to attain enlightenment in the Latter Day of the Law.

Proclamation of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo

When Rencho returned at the end of his long years of study, the priests of Seicho-ji were eager to learn from him. His old master, Dozen-bo, was very proud of the young man, who had worked with such determination and carried his studies further than he himself could have done. To celebrate his return and to discover the depth of his knowledge, the priests organised a meeting at which Rencho was to preach a sermon, and invited dignitaries from the surrounding area.

Very early on the morning of 28 April 1253 he chanted Nam-myoho-renge-kyo for the first time, thereby providing the key for all future generations to unlock the treasure of enlightenment hidden in their hearts.

Later that day a large audience duly gathered at the appointed time and place, in the courtyard of the Jibutsu-do meeting-hall at Seicho-ji. At noon, Rencho appeared and recited Nam-myoho-renge-kyo three times, declaring it to be the only teaching that would enable all human beings, in the Latter Day of the Law, to reach supreme enlightenment in this lifetime. His audience was completely surprised – no one had ever heard this invocation before.

Rencho continued by declaring that he had taken a new name, Nichiren (Sun Lotus), and then refuted the four most influential Buddhist schools of the time. The practice of Nembutsu, he said, far from leading human beings to a paradise after death, led to the hell of incessant suffering. He described Zen, which categorically rejected all the sutras and was widely practised by the samurai of the shogunate at Kamakura, as ‘the teaching of devils’; he denounced Shingon esotericism as ‘the ruin of the nation’; and attacked the errors of the Ritsu school as ‘traitorous’. Based on Shakyamuni’s Agama teachings, Ritsu taught that a person searching for enlightenment should observe many precepts and complicated rules of conduct.

In pronouncing these four refutations – the so-called ‘four dictums’- Nichiren Daishonin [8] effectively declared that none of the existing Buddhist schools had the power to save humanity, and that practising their teachings actually caused suffering to individuals and society.

If a few people among those listening were touched by what Nichiren Daishonin had said, no one understood him. On 28April 1253, Nichiren Daishonin opened the way for humanity’s happiness, for eternity, ready to confront incomprehension and persecutions. Both began the very same day.

Among those listening to Nichiren Daishonin was a vassal of the steward of the region, Tojo Kanegobu, a fervent believer of the Pure Land school. When this man reported to his master that Nichiren Daishonin had predicted the hell of incessant suffering to all those who practised the Nembutsu teachings, Tojo immediately issued an arrest warrant for the young arrogant priest. His men demanded that Dozen-bo give him up, but Dozen-bo sent word to warn Nichiren Daishonin to leave the temple immediately. Guided by two priests, Joken-bo and Gijo-bo, Nichiren Daishonin escaped by a little-known path and went to Shoren-bo, a small temple that sheltered him for a time.

In the summer of 1253, Nichiren Daishonin went to Kamakura and settled in the small hermitage of Matsubagayatsu. Only a few months after his arrival, in November 1253, a travelling priest became the first of Nichiren Daishonin’s disciples. He was called Joben, but on conversion changed his name to Nissho. He later became the eldest of the six elder priests. Other disciples followed. Some were priests, like the twelve-year-old novice who later became Nichiro, another of the six elder priests. Others belonged to the families of samurai, like Toki Goro Tanetsugu, who later became a lay priest by the name of Toki Jonin. Among these first disciples were also Shijo Kingo, Kudo Yoshitaka and Ikegami Munenaka.

Rissho Ankoku Ron - (On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the peace of the Land)

During this period, famine and epidemics were ravaging the country. According to the documents of the time, such as Azumakagami, [9] from 1257 to 1260 numerous extraordinary natural phenomena followed one another. After the great Kamakura earthquake of May 1257, tremors shook the region, culminating in another huge earthquake in August, and again in November. In August 1258 violent winds ravaged Kamakura and a tempest hit Kyoto, causing enormous damage to the cereal crops. In October 1258 torrential rain beat down on Kamakura, causing a flood that killed many people and carried away numerous dwellings.

In March 1259, in accordance with custom, the government proclaimed a new era in order to try to surmount these calamities. The gesture proved fruitless, and in April 1260, the government again proclaimed a new era: that same month an immense fire ravaged Kamakura, followed in June by violent winds and floods.

In 1258, Nichiren Daishonin went to Jisso-ji, a temple in Iwamoto that contained in its library all of Shakyamuni’s sutras. There he met a twelve-year-old novice, Hoki-bo, who had the chance to serve him and soon expressed the desire to become his disciple. In time, as Nikko Shonin, he would become Nichiren Daishonin’s immediate successor.

The Daishonin consulted all the sutras in Jisso-ji’s library, seeking to determine from a Buddhist viewpoint the fundamental cause of, and remedy to, human suffering, in particular the suffering being then experienced by the Japanese people. He concluded that the nation’s misfortunes sprang from its disregard and slander of the Lotus Sutra. The ‘Simile and Parable’ (third) chapter of the Lotus Sutra, for example, speaks of the importance of ‘not accepting a single verse/of the other sutras’. Here and elsewhere Shakyamuni makes it clear that his fundamental teachings are only found in the Lotus Sutra. All the Buddhist schools in Japan at this period, however, with the exception of the Tendai school, were founded on Shakyamuni’s provisional teachings, expounded prior to the Lotus Sutra. Even the Tendai school, which was originally based on the Lotus Sutra, had become sullied by the teachings of the Shingon and Pure Land schools.

Nichiren Daishonin formulated the conclusion of his research in a treatise entitled ‘Rissho Ankoku Ron’ (‘On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land). On 16 July 1260, he presented this treatise to Hojo Tokiyori, the retired regent but still Japan’s most influential political figure. ‘Rissho Ankoku Ron’ is known as Nichiren Daishonin’s first remonstrance with the government, and begins with a description of the misery of the era:

Once there was a traveller who spoke these words in sorrow to his host: ‘In recent years, there have been unusual disturbances in the heavens, strange occurrences on earth, famine and pestilence, all affecting every corner of the empire and spreading throughout the land. Oxen and horses lie dead in the streets and the bones of the stricken crowd the highways. Over half the population has already been carried off by death, and there is hardly a single person who does not grieve’ (WND, p. 6).

Nichiren Daishonin expressed his conviction that the fundamental cause of the disasters that had struck the country lay in the fact that everyone, ‘from the sovereign to the most humble’, was opposed to or ignorant of the teaching of the Lotus Sutra. He particularly criticised most Honen, the founder of the Pure Land school, a branch of Amida Buddhism that had become very popular in Japan.

Quoting the Daijutsu Kyo (Great Collection sutra) and Yakushi Sutras (the Medicine Master sutras), which elaborate the three calamities and the seven disasters [10], Nichiren Daishonin predicted that civil war and foreign invasion, the only disasters that had not yet occurred, would surely happen if the country continued to reject correct teaching, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

Nichiren Daishonin knew perfectly well that he would encounter violent persecution if he addressed ‘Rissho Ankoku Ron’ to Hojo Tokiyori, but did so nonetheless from profound compassion for humanity, considering the sufferings of others as though they were his own. Sure enough, priests and believers of the Pure Land school soon took action against Nichiren Daishonin and his disciples.

Persecution at Matsubagayatsu and exile to Izu

During the night of 27 August 1260, several hundred of them attacked Nichiren Daishonin’s dwelling at Matsubagayatsu, intent on murdering him. The action was instigated by Hojo Shigetoki, father of the current regent Hojo Nagatoki and a Pure Land school follower himself, and was supported by several senior Pure Land school priests. Fortunately, Nichiren Daishonin managed to escape and took refuge at the house of one of his disciples, Toki Jonin.

In spite of the danger he risked, Nichiren Daishonin returned to Kamakura the following spring and once again began to propagate his teachings. His overwhelming desire was to awaken the Japanese people to the truth of Buddhism.

Seeing the rapid increase in the number of Nichiren Daishonin’s disciples, the Pure Land school priests continued to slander him to the authorities and demanded action. This time they were more successful – the regent himself, Hojo Nakatoki, supported their accusations and on 12 May 1261, without even a court case, the government sent Nichiren Daishonin into exile to Ito, a Pure Land school stronghold on the Izu peninsula.

He was abandoned on a beach by his guards they reached Ito, however, and left to his fate. Despite the hostitlity generally felt by people towards exiles, Nichiren Daishonin was taken in and cared for by a fisherman called Funamaori Yasuburo and his wife. Later, they became his disciples. This clearly shows the affinity Nichiren Daishonin felt towards ordinary people, a feeling that was increasingly reciprocated during his lifetime. Shortly thereafter, hearing that the local steward was ill, Nichiren Daishonin successfully prayed for his recovery: the lord also became a follower.

In February 1263, after almost two years in Izu, the Daishonin was pardoned. As he explains in ‘On Persecutions Befalling the Sage’, ‘the lay priest of Saimyo-ji [Hojo-Tokiyori 1227-1263], now deceased, and the priest ruler [Hojo Tokimune 1251-1284] permitted my return from my exiles when they found I was innocent of the accusations against me’ (WND, p. 997). It is also likely that Hojo Tokiyori understood Nichiren Daishonin’s true intention in sending him ‘Rissho Ankoku Ron’ in July 1260, and shared his desire to protect the Japanese people from further catastrophes. Once pardoned, the Daishonin returned to Kamakura.

The Komatsubara Persecution

In autumn 1264, learning about the serious illness of his mother, Nichiren Daishonin decided to visit Awa for the first time in ten years. His father had died in 1258.

Rejoicing at the news of the Daishonin’s return after such a long absence, his disciple Kudo Yoshitaka invited him to his house at Amatsu. On 11 November 1264, on his way to Yoshitaka, his old enemy Tojo Kagenobu, steward of the region, ambushed the Daishonin and his disciples at a place called Komatsubara. Hearing of the attack, Yoshitaka rushed to the scene with a few of his followers to protect his master. But they were greatly outnumbered and Yoshitaka and another follower, Kyonin-bo, were killed. Nichiren Daishonin himself was injured on the forehead by a sword and had his left arm broken. Even so, once again he escaped. This incident is known as the Komatsubara Persecution.

Nichiren Daishonin returned to Kamakura in early 1268. In January of that year an envoy from the Mongol Empire had arrived in Kamakura with a message demanding that Japan acknowledge fealty to their empire, or face invasion. The envoy was sent back empty-handed and the Japanese government began to prepare for war. This confirmed Nichiren Daishonin’s prediction of foreign invasion, made in ‘Rissho Ankoku Ron’.

In April 1268, Nichiren Daishonin sent ‘The Rationale for writing “On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land”’ to an active member of the government. In it he explained the circumstances leading to his writing ‘Rissho Ankoku Ron’, and reminded the shogunate of its conclusions:

Now, nine years after I presented my memorial [to the lay priest of Saimyo-ji], in the intercalary first month of this year [1268], the official letter arrived from the great kingdom of the Mongols. The events that have occurred match the predictions made in my memorial as exactly as do the two halves of a tally (WND , p. 163).

In October, he sent letters to eleven high-ranking political and religious leaders pointing out that his predictions in ‘Rissho Ankoku Ron’ were now being fulfilled, and calling for a public religious debate to demonstrate the validity of his teachings. His appeal was ignored.

Nichiren Daishonin was a man of great learning, reason enough for the religious leaders of Kamakura to refuse to debate with him. But he knew that there was another reason for their refusal, which had been clearly stated in the thirteenth chapter of the Lotus Sutra:

These men with evil in their hearts,

constantly thinking of worldly affairs,

will borrow the name of forest-dwelling monks… [11]

In short, he knew them to be hypocrites who preached doctrines they themselves could or would not put into action.

The second warning to the government

In 1271, Japan suffered a severe drought and the government asked Ryokan, chief priest of the Shingon-Ritsu school, to pray for rain. When Nichiren Daishonin heard this, he issued a public challenge, vowing to become Ryokan’s disciple if he managed to make it rain within seven days. If Ryokan failed, however, he should admit that he was a sham, a priest upholding erroneous teachings and deceiving the people, and become the Daishonin’s disciple. Ryokan accepted the challenge, confident of winning, but was humiliated when his prayers failed. Rather than discarding his beliefs, however, he plotted to get rid of his rival. Venerated as a great humanitarian and the foremost Buddhist scholar of the city, he found Nichiren Daishonin’s continual challenges and criticisms intolerable. Conspiring with his followers, he began to spread false and malicious rumours about the Daishonin among the wives of leading government officials.

The tactic worked. On 10 September 1271, Nichiren Daishonin was summoned and questioned by Hei no Saemon, Deputy Chief of the Office of Military and Police Affairs (the chief being the regent himself). Nichiren Daishonin repeated his prediction that the nation would fall into ruin if the true Law continued to be slandered. This encounter is known as the second remonstration with the government (the first was ‘Rissho Ankoku Ron’). Writing of this meeting in the Gosho ‘The Action of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra’, Nichiren Daishonin warns Hei no Saemon:

‘If you wish to maintain this land in peace and security, it is imperative that you summon the priests of the other schools for a debate in your presence. If you ignore this advice and punish me unreasonably on their behalf, the entire country will regret your decision. If you condemn me, you will be rejecting the Buddha’s envoy…’

Hearing this, the magistrate Hei no Saemon, forgetting all the dignity of his rank, became wild with rage like the grand minister of state and lay priest [Taira no Kiyomori]’ (WND , p.765).

Not surprisingly, the meeting ended without agreement.

The Tatsunokuchi Persecution

Hei no Saemon was far from finished, though. On the night of 12 September 1271, he and a troop of armed soldiers arrested Nichiren Daishonin. Treating him like a traitor, they took him to Tatsunokuchi beach, an execution site near Kamakura: on his own initiative, Hei no Saemon had decided to have Nichiren Daishonin beheaded at once.

On the way to Tatsunokuchi, however, the arresting party passed the shrine to Hachiman, one of Japan’s protective deities. The Daishonin demanded they all stop for a moment. The soldiers complied and at once he reprimanded Hachiman:

‘Great Boddhisatva Hachiman, are you truly a god ? … I, Nichiren, am the foremost votary of the Lotus Sutra in all of Japan, and an entirely without guilt… When Shakyamuni Buddha expounded the Lotus Sutra, Many Treasures Buddha and the Buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten direction gathered, shining like so many suns and moons, stars and mirrors. In the presence of the countless heavenly gods as well as the benevolent deities and sages of India, China, and Japan, Shakyamuni Buddha urged each one to submit a written pledge to protect the votary of the Lotus Sutra at all times. Each and every one of you gods made this pledge. I should not have to remind you. Why do you not appear at once to fulfil your solemn oath?’ Finally I called out, ‘If I am executed tonight and go to the pure land of Eagle Peak, I will dare to report to Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, that the Sun Goddess and Great Buddhisatva Hachiman are the deities who have broken their oath to him. If you feel this will go hard with you, you had better do something about it right away!’ (WND, p. 767).

So saying, Nichiren Daishonin remounted his horse and the party continued on to Tatsunokuchi. There, summoned by his master, Shijo Kingo [12] rushed barefoot to join him, with his three brothers. He held the reins of Nichiren Daishonin’s horse until they reached the execution site, ready to give his own life.

At the moment when Nichiren Daishonin was about to be beheaded, however, a bright object crossed the sky, turning night into day. Panicking, the executioner threw away his sword and the petrified soldiers were unable to proceed with the execution.

This event is of the utmost significance. Not only did the Buddhist gods [13] protect Nichiren Daishonin, saving him from death, but at this crucial moment he revealed his true identity as the original Buddha by discarding his provisional or transient identity as ‘the votary of the Lotus Sutra’. This is known in Buddhism as hosshaku kempon -literally, ‘to cast off the transient and reveal the true’. In the treatise ‘The Opening of the Eyes’, Nichiren Daishonin writes:

On the twelfth day of the ninth month of last year, between the hours of the Rat and the Ox (11 p.m. to 3 a.m.), this person named Nichiren was beheaded. It is his soul that has come to the island of Sado’ (WND, p. 269).

Exile to Sado Island

The authorities detained Nichiren Daishonin, at Echi, Sagami prefecture, as they tried to decide what to do. The verdict was exile once more, and so, on 10 October 1271, he was taken north from Echi, to Sado Island in the Sea of Japan. Here, on 1 November, he was forced to settle in a small, ruined temple in an old cemetery at Tsukahara. He had no warm clothes or enough food to sustain him against the terrible, cold weather. Moreover, the inhabitants of the island were very hostile: not only were they mainly Pure Land school believers, but exiles to Sado were, for the most part, common criminals and normally treated as outlaws; small wonder the authorities did not expect the Daishonin to survive the winter.

Even in these most difficult times, though, Nikko Shonin continued to follow and serve his master. And far from dying, Nichiren Daishonin increasingly won support from the local population and converted many individuals to his teachings, including Abutsu-bo and his wife, Ko Nyudo and his wife, Nakaoki Nyudo and Sairen-bo Nichijyo.

With their foe in exile, the leaders of the other Buddhist schools should have been satisfied, but anything short of his demise was, for them, unthinkable. To settle the issue, early in 1272 scores of priests converged on the island from their home provinces across the sea, in the area that is now Niigata, Nagano and Yamagata prefectures. On Sado they discussed the matter with the deputy constable, Homma Shigetsura, but he dashed their hopes for a quick end to their enemy by telling them:

‘An official letter from the regent directs that the priest shall not be executed. This is no ordinary, contemptible criminal, and if anything happens to him, I , Shigetsura, will be guilty of grave dereliction. Instead of killing him, why don’t you confront him in religious debate?’ (WND, p. 771)

The ‘Tsukahara Debate’ – as it became known - duly took place on 16-17January 1272, pitting Nichiren Daishonin against several hundred priests of the other schools. He describes the event in the Gosho ‘The Action of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra’:

I responded to each, establishing the exact meaning of what had been said, then coming back with questions. However, I needed to ask only one or two at most before they were completely silenced…. I overturned them as easily as a sharp sword cutting through a melon or a gale bending the grass. They not only were poorly versed in the Buddhist teachings but contradicted themselves. They confused sutras with treatises or commentaries with treatises’ (WND, p.771-772).

After the debate, many of those attending abandoned their beliefs, or even converted to the Nichiren Daishonin’s teachings on the spot.

In February, the predictions of a civil war made by the Daishonin twelve years earlier, in ‘Rissho Ankoku Ron’, became reality when conflicts arose within the ruling Hojo clan, which culminated in violent clashes at both Kamakura and Kyoto. The government began to take Nichiren Daishonin more seriously and, as a consequence, he was transferred in April from his hut at Tsukahara to an ordinary residence at Ichinosawa on Sado Island.

Shortly after the Tatsunokuchi Persecution, while still on the mainland, Nichiren Daishonin had begun to inscribe personal Gohonzons for his closest followers. On Sado, he produced many important writings including, ‘The Opening of the Eyes’, ‘The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind’, ‘The Entity of the Mystic Law’ and ‘The Letter from Sado’. These Gosho are so important because they explain the significance of the Gohonzon and, in so doing, lay the foundations of the Daishonin’s teachings. For example, ‘The Opening of the Eyes’ explains why the Daishonin is the person qualified to establish the Gohonzon. ‘The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind’ explains why Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the Law to be established, why in the form of the Gohonzon, and why the present period is the correct time for the establishment of the supreme object of worship.

Retirement to Mount Minobu

In February 1274, the then regent, Hojo Tokimune, granted Nichiren Daishonin permission to leave Sado Island. This was an unprecedented act, and was probably motivated by two events that took place in 1273: the attempted rebellion of Hojo Tokimune’s brother, and the arrival, once again, of a Mongol delegation to Japan. Both confirmed the Daishonin’s predictions, made in ‘Rissho Ankoku Ron’ years earlier.

He left Ichinosawa on 13 March for Kamakura and on 8 April met Hei no Saemon at the latter’s request. For the third time, he remonstrated with the government, urging it to abandon its support of erroneous doctrines and take faith in the correct teaching. He warned that the Mongol invasion was imminent, but still the government refused to listen. A few months later, in October, Kublai Khan’s forces attacked the southern part of Japan.

According to ancient Chinese custom, if a sage gives three warnings to the authorities and these warnings go unheeded, he should retire to a mountain retreat. Therefore, Nichiren Daishonin retired to the remoteness of Mount Minobu, on the land of Hakiri Rokuro Sanenaga,[14] steward of the Minobu area, in the province of Kai (present day Yamanashi prefecture). His retirement did not mean he was turning his back on the world, however. Rather, it was linked to his profound mission to convince people of the fundamental reason for his appearance in this world. At Minobu he would continue to write and to raise disciples capable of propagating the Law.

On 17 May 1274 Nichiren Daishonin settled in a small house built for him by his disciples in the valley to the west of Mount Minobu. He described his new home thus:

There is not a single dwelling other than mine in the area. My only visitors, as infrequent as they are, are the monkeys that come swinging through the treetops. And to my regret, even they do not stay for long, but scurry back to where they come from’ (WND, p. 755).

He devoted much of his time to writing, and nearly half of his extant works date from this period. He also spent much time lecturing and training his disciples, in particular Nikko Shonin. Nikko Shonin faithfully recorded these lectures in the ‘Ongi Kuden’ (The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings), another of Nichiren Daishonin’s most important works, which gives his interpretation of the Lotus Sutra.

The Atsuhara Persecution and fulfilment of the Daishonin’s mission

In 1275, Nikko Shonin took the lead in propagating Nichiren Daishonin’s teachings in the Fuji area, centred on the village of Atsuhara, and succeeded in converting many lay people (mostly farmers) and priests. One strong lay supporter in the area was Nanjo Tokimitsu, who had met Nikko Shonin some ten years earlier when Nikko had been sent by Nichiren Daishonin to pray over the tomb of Tokimitsu’s recently deceased father. The seven-year-old Tokimitsu had taken Nikko as a guide in faith and now, though still only in his late teens, contributed wholeheartedly to the propagation movement, making his home the focal point of these activities.

The propagation caused intense opposition from the local temples, however, which feared losing income from converted parishioners. In particular, the assistant chief priest of Ryusen temple in Atsuhara village, Gyochi, grew increasingly jealous and angry. A priest of the Tendai school, Gyochi had been misappropriating temple funds, accepting bribes and exploiting the peasant followers of the temple for his own profit. Seeing his income threatened, he began to harass the Daishonin’s followers and falsely accused twenty disciples of stealing rice while harvesting the temple’s fields. Gyochi conspired with the secular authorities to have them arrested and taken to Kamakura on 21 September 1279, where he tried to force them to renounce their faith in Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. They refused, even under torture and the threat of death.

Meanwhile, Nanjo Tokimitsu fought at the risk of his life to protect the Law and his precious fellow believers, despite severe government reprisals – he was so heavily taxed, for example, that he even had to sell his horse, a vital necessity for a samurai-farmer.

Nichiren Daishonin was deeply moved by the attitude of these disciples, who were ready to give their lives if need be to defend the Law. Realising that the time had come for him

to fulfil his ultimate purpose in life, on 12 October 1279, he inscribed the Dai-Gohonzon. In the Gosho ‘On Persecutions Befalling the Sage’, he discusses the significance of this event:

Now, in the second year of Koan (1279), cyclical sign tsuchinoto-u, it has been twenty-seven years since I first proclaimed this teaching at Seicho-ji temple. It was at the hour of the horse [noon] on the twenty-eight day of the fourth month in the fifth year of Kencho (1253), cyclical sign mizunoto-ushi, on the southern side of the image hall in the Shobutsu-bo of Seicho-ji temple in Tojo Village. Tojo is now a district, but was then a part of Nagasa District of Awa Province. Here is located what was once the second, but is now the country’s most important centre founded by Minamoto no Yoritomo, the general of the right, to the Sun Goddess. The Budhha fulfilled the purpose of his advent in a little over forty years, the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai took about thirty years, and the Great Teacher Dengyo, some twenty years. I have spoken repeatedly of the indescribable persecutions they suffered during those years. For me it took twenty-seven years, and the great persecutions I faced during this period are well known to you all (WND, p. 996).

Three days later, on 15 October, three of the farmer-disciples held in Kamakura were beheaded – the brothers Jinshiro, Yagoro and Yarokuro. Seeing that the seventeen others still refused to recant, the authorities realised that further executions were useless, however, and so simply banished them from Atsuhara. The harassment of the Daishonin’s followers continued intermittently for a time, then petered out. Collectively, the persecution of his followers in and around Atsuhara from 1275 to 1281, culminating in the deaths of the three brothers, is known as the Atsuhara Persecution.

A life of boundless compassion

Until the end of his life, Nichiren Daishonin never ceased to manifest immense consideration, suffering next to those who were suffering and praying day and night for them. For example, when Shichiro Goro, the young brother of Nanjo Tokimitsu, died suddenly at the age of sixteen, the Daishonin wrote to the grieving mother:

Your late son Goro comes inevitably to mind. The blossoms that once fell are about bloom again, and the withered grasses have begun to sprout anew. Why does the late Goro not return as well? Ah, if he were to come back with the evanescent flowers and grasses, then even though we are not Hitomaro, we would wait by the blossoms; even though we are not tethered horses, we would never leave the grass! (WND, p. 1091)

He continually encouraged Goro’s mother until she found the strength to pick herself up again.

Transmission of the Law and the death of Nichiren Daishonin

By 1280, Nichiren Daishonin had already decided upon Nikko Shonin as his successor, as he states in the document that he transferred to him, ‘The Hundred and Six Comparisons’. Nikko was clearly foremost among his disciples in faith, practice and study. He accompanied and served Nichiren Daishonin twice in exile (in Izu and on Sado), and he was also the most active in propagation activities and in training other disciples. Nikko had a deep respect for Nichiren Daishonin as the Buddha for this age, and understood the profound meaning of his teachings from the viewpoint of faith. He was therefore the person to whom Nichiren Daishonin transferred all his teachings and the Dai-Gohonzon, inscribed for all humankind, in September 1282. He formally certified Nikko as his successor and the leader of the propagation of his Buddhism in the ‘Document for Entrusting the Law Which Nichiren Propagated throughout His Life’.

Shortly after this, on 8 September 1282, his health deteriorating further, the Daishonin took the advice of his disciples to visit the hot springs at Hitachi. He left Mount Minobu, where he had lived for nine years, and stopped off at the springs en route to the residence of one of his lifelong followers, Ikegami Munenaka. Here, in Musashi (present day Tokyo), he drew up his final testament for the future. On 8 October he designated six senior priests as his most important priest-disciples - Nissho, Nichiro, Nikko, Niko, Nitcho and Nichiji – and entrusted them with the mission to train and develop followers in the different regions of Japan.

On 13 October, just before his death, Nichiren Daishonin wrote a second transfer document, ‘Document for Entrusting Minobu-san’, again designating Nikko as his legitimate successor. In this he entrusts all of his teachings to Nikko and appoints him high priest of Kuon temple .[15]

At Ikegami Munenaka’s home that same day, aged 60, Nichiren Daishonin passed away.

[1] Tendai school : founded by T’ien-t’ai (538-597) in China. Miao-lo (711-782) is revered as the restorer of this school. It was introduced into Japan in the 9th century by Dengyo (767-822) who had studied the doctrine in China. Thanks to his efforts, the Lotus Sutra become widely recognized in Japan.
[2] Shingon school : school which upholds the esoteric teaching. The word shingon corresponds to the Sanskrit word mantra (secret word, mystic syllable). Shingon bases its doctrine on the Dainichi and Kongôchô sutras.
[3] Pure Land school : A school based on the three ‘Pure Land’ sutras, provisional teachings expounded by Shakyamuni prior to the Lotus Sutra. Honen, the school’s founder, explained that this world of suffering – the saha world - is an impure land and that only by chanting ‘Nam Amida Butsu’ (the nembutsu) could ordinary people be reborn in a paradise situated in the west of the universe, where Amida Buddha resides. This school refuted all the other sutras and in particular the Lotus Sutra. In preaching that salvation exists only in a future life and a faraway land, Nembutsu encouraged an attitude in Japanese society of resignation, inertia and longing for escape.
[4]A representation of this bodhisattva was enshrined during the 8th century at Seicho-ji. Bodhisattva Kokuzo was called the bodhisattva of space because his wisdom and his good fortune were considered as vast as the universe itself.
[5] Eight Schools : the schools of Kusha, Jojitsu, Sanron, Ritsu, Hosso, Kegon, which were properous during the Nara period (710-794), and the schools of Tendai and Shingon which were introduced during the Heian period (794-1185).
[6] The Chinese character ze is comprised of three radicals that signify ’the person’, ’under’and ’the sun’; sho means ’sage’ or sacred’; Rencho means ’lotus growth’.
[7] monasteries of Mount Hiei and Mount Koya: head temples, respectively, of theTendai and Shingon schools.
[8] Daishonin – Literally, ‘Great Sage’; an honorific title later given to Nichiren by his disciples.
[9] An official chronical of the times compiled by the Kamakura government.
[10] Three calamities and seven disasters : Calamities describied in various sutras. There are two categories of the three calamities. The minor ones are inflation (especially when caused by famine), war and pestilence. The major ones are disasters caused by fire, wind and water at the end of the world. The seven disasters include war and natural disasters and are usually considered to result from slander of the correct Law. The seven disasters differ slightly according to various sutras.
[11] LS13, p. 194
[12] (1230 - 1300) Samurai and disciple of Nichiren Daishonin.
[13] (Jap. shoten zenjin): benevolent heavenly beings. Traditionally, gods who assembled to listen to Shakyamuni teach the Lotus Sutra and vowed to guard its devotees, but interpreted to mean the life-supporting and protecting power inherent in the universe, including one’s own life, which can be activated by one’s Buddhist practice.
[14] Hakiri had been introduced to Nichiren Daishonin’s teachings by Nikko Shonin and became a strong supporter. Following the Daishonin’s death, however, he committed a number of slanderous acts under the influence of Niko, one of the six senior priests, and eventually prompted Nikko to abandon Minobu, taking with him the Dai-Gohonzon, the Daishonin’s ashes and other treasures.
[15] Kuon temple: built at Mount Minobu in November 1281.

(from: http://www.guidestud.org/chapter_3.htm )

 

[Guest]

NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"We practice the Daishonin’s Buddhism for the sake of the present and the future—a future that is determined by our struggle in the present. What we do right here and now is what counts. The Daishonin cites: 'If you want to understand what results will be manifested in the future, look at the causes that exist in the present' (WND, 279)."

SGI Newsletter No. 6962, NATIONWIDE EXECUTIVE CONFERENCE—SESSION 2 [OF 4], Self-Development Is the Key to Fostering Others, held on July 31st, 2006, and translated Sep. 12th, 2006)

 

[Bonzo]

Howdy easy and T!!

nam myoho renge kyo!!!!!!

I was just wondering, and its probably posted somewhere allready, but sometimes i just feel the need to chant NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO, is it not right to just open the doors to your Gohonzon and just do NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO for awhile without doing Gongyo? Also, is Diamoku the combination of Gongyo and then Nam myoho renge kyo? In other words there are times during the day when i just want to chant Nam myoho renge kyo like i can do at the SGI Center, room D, I just walk in sit down and join in. I still have to read Gongyo, im chanting for it to be memorized cause man, its just an awesome feeling doing it, but a bit tough having to read it.

Any tips on memorizing it?

And like today, at about noon i just wanted to chant Nam myoho renge kyo for awhile, like i said, can i do that?

peace and thanks my brothers!

bonz







>>>>>>>>>>nam myoho renge kyo>>>>>>>>>>

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Any tips on memorizing it?

And like today, at about noon i just wanted to chant Nam myoho renge kyo for awhile, like i said, can i do that?

peace and thanks my brothers!

bonz







>>>>>>>>>>nam myoho renge kyo>>>>>>>>>>

Repetition. Do it every day and without you realizing it, you will have it memorized within six weeks. Hide and watch.

Daimoku is chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. OF COURSE YOU CAN CHANT DAIMOKU TO YOUR OWN GOHONZON WITHOUT DOING GONGYO. IT IS THE MAIN REASON YOU WERE ENCOURAGED BY EVERYONE TO RECEIVE IT!

CHANT AWAY AND KEEP ON SHINING BROTHER!

T

 

[scegy]

bonzo: i asked myself the same question, but i think the answear is again in consistence, you can chant in every way you want, but some day you will want to know more and you will learn, take your time.

 

[Bonzo]

AWESOME!!! Thats what i wanted to hear, there will be alot more Daimoku going on cause i just get the urge to chant at different times of the day, but i will still do morning and evening Gongyo.

One more thing, i want a book i can take with me to the beach after work or read at lunch or whenever i have time. What do you recomend for starters? I just went to the SGI website and theres alot of books! Where do i begin? I have read and printed so much material thats been posted here, especially in the last couple days, but i need a book that i can take with me wherever i go.

Suggetions?

sorry if im buggin ya

Bonz



nam myoho renge kyo

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Even a word or a phrase of the correct teaching will enable one to gain the way, if it suits the time and the capacity of the people. But though one studies a thousand sutras and ten thousand treatises, one will not attain Buddhahood if these teachings are unsuitable for the time and the people's capacity.

[ Letter from Sado, WND Page 302 ]

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Bonz:

Basics of Buddhism by Pat Allwright

This is the one I am most familiar with and can endorse whole-heartedly: http://www.sgi-usa.org/Merchant2/me...e_Code=SOS&Product_Code=1055&Category_Code=B1

However, this has been sold out for some time at sgi-usa online. But you can get it from the UK for five pounds rather than twelve dollars US, which helps pay back the freight cost for shipping it from the UK to where you are. Check on that, but you can order it here from the UK: http://www.sgi-uk.org/index.php/publications/book

Other than that, go for:

http://www.sgi-usa.org/Merchant2/me...e_Code=SOS&Product_Code=1102&Category_Code=B1

You'll be shocked how much you can learn by reading that dictionary!!!

Also: http://www.sgi-usa.org/Merchant2/me...e_Code=SOS&Product_Code=4105&Category_Code=B1

This is only a buck and gives you a great brief overview of where you want to be headed with your life (faith).

If you want something more substantive, I think now I can say that you should read this: http://www.sgi-usa.org/Merchant2/me...re_Code=SOS&Product_Code=1162&Category_Code=S

Although I must admit I have yet to read it even though I own it. But having now admitted that and seen what Richard Causton must have been all about, I am going to do that NOW.

OK, I just pulled it out from the bottom of the stack and will start my read as soon as I send this post. Thank you Bonzo!

Sorry to you and anyone else that has asked the question, that I did not answer it sooner.

Deep respect,

T

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Your earnest resolve shows in your having travelled such a long way."

(Letter to the Mother of Oto Gozen - Gosho Zenshu, page 1223) Selection source: The New Human Revolution, Volume 19, Seikyo Shimbun, September 16th, 2006

 

[Guest]

Gosho Excerpt:


"Even a word or a phrase of the correct teaching will enable one to gain the way, if it suits the time and the capacity of the people. But though one studies a thousand sutras and ten thousand treatises, one will not attain Buddhahood if these teachings are unsuitable for the time and the people's capacity."


Letter from Sado,
(The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, pg# 302)
Written to Toki Jonin on 20 March 1272 from Sado - Tsukihara
http://sgi-usa.org/buddhism/library/Nichiren/wnd/concord/pages.view/302.html




Daily Encouragement:

Buddhism teaches, through the example of Bodhisattva Never Disparaging, to never look down on anyone. This is the essence of Buddhism. Nichiren Daishonin states that the "ultimate transmission" of Buddhism is to accord friends and fellow believers who are striving for kosen-rufu the same respect and reverence one would a Buddha.

Lectures and articles about Nichiren Buddhism: http://sgi-usa.org/buddhism/

I personally chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo exponentially more than Gongyo simply because it is the primary and gongyo is the secondary. In fact I chant all day everywhere with no shame, at work, in the car, at the store, before and after phonecalls, here on the forum, everywhere I love the sound of daimoku and love joining others in chanting daimoku so much as well.

Yes the Buddhist Dictionary is the BEST! SOO SOO GOOD, thats where I got the definition of the Three Secret Laws, Ichinen, and all the terms that do not make much sense until you read the definition and look into it further. The best for me is THE WRITINGS OF NICHIREN DAISHONIN. OHH I ADORE them as one of my favorite treasure and my wife picks it up also from time to time, its written so well that its like everytime I read the Goshos they are written just for me and I have read about 150 goshos (I may have perused them all due to this thread) and everytime I read them again here on the thread or pickup the Goshos again its gets even better.

I find it essential to really spark up myself to read a couple Goshos which I can find here on the thread or just pickup my Gosho book in the morning and then after work so that I can just keep the dailouge between me and the Daishonin when I chant more relavent and find a better basis in reality but quite frankly I am so new to this practice that when I chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo I can see with my Buddha Wisdom that I base many of my actions and reactions on Deluded Thinking, everything I have here in front of me is an Illusion to a certain degree but Myoho-Renge-Kyo within me is the constant, THE LAW which guides my Bodhisattva Spirit and works toward Kosen-rufu is real!

When you have the Fundamental Darkness clouding your thoughts and actions chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and change those feelings from within. Thus you will engage your Human Revolution more directly and effectuate greater results. I thought I have come a long way a couple months ago now I see this is just the beginning of the greatest part of my life and everyday I am LEADING A WINNING LIFE.

I am a cub of the Lion King and Like the ROAR LION KING I PROCLAIM:

NAM-MYOHO-RENGE-KYO!!!!!