Chanting Growers Group

[PassTheDoobie]

Brother BOG, I understand and completely agree with what you are saying conceptually. Everything you said is a universal truth, but in my thinking lacks one important clarification. The following is just my opinion, but I woud hasten to add one point:

I believe from what I have read, personages are important as it relates to whom one's 'Master' may be. I am talking about Buddhas, here, not common mortals. I personally don’t believe there is a “Nichiren conceptual version of the universal structure.” I believe the Gohonzon depicts the universal structure, and that the structure of the Universe at the most fundamental level is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

I have experienced with my life the reasons I believe this to be true. I have had prayers answered over and over for many, many years. I have read teachings that are clear and have shown themselves to be correct. What has worked for me has worked universally for all the others that I have shared it with.

What Buddha bestowed this treasure of all teachings of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo? The teachings call this Buddha the Nam-myoho-renge-kyo Thus Come One. It is his life that has given us the light to see through our fundamental darkness. It is his compassion to freely give of himself that gives us the key to the Law that has been the teacher of the enlightenment of all other Buddhas and allows us to manifest our transcendental powers. This Buddha is the Buddha of Beginningless Time. This Buddha was the first to perceive the Law, and thereby became the Entity of the Law.

But as his followers he gives us the means to become equal to himself in regards to enlightenment. The Law and the Person are both contained in Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. This is NEVER separate. But one’s ability to discern this point is a matter of faith. And as long as one chants Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, whether one perceives the Entity of the Lotus or the metaphor of the Lotus, one is giving alms to the Buddha of Beginningless Times and is therefore able to manifest transcendental powers and achieve victory over all obstacles.

T

 

[PassTheDoobie]

As a PS for further clarity…

As a PS for further clarity…

(Everything I am saying is opinion...)

It is due to this reality that one may come to establish a personal relationship with Nichiren Daishonin. This is the difference in having a Gohonzon and not. The Daimoku is the same. The Buddha that bestows this Treasure does not change.

However, one’s filial obligation of devotion does not change either. Cause and Effect is a very capable teacher. Keep seeking, and one's life will guide them to the truth. That truth will constantly be changing because one's capacity to perceive the truth will be constantly expanding.

The Mercy of the Gohonzon is Infinite!

Once again, I encourage everyone to establish a personal relationship with Nichiren Daishonin!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra / WND pg. 763 (conclusion)

The Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra / WND pg. 763 (conclusion)

People are able to be born in human form because they have observed the five precepts in a previous existence. And if they continue to observe the five precepts in this life, then the twenty-five benevolent deities will protect them, and Same Birth and Same Name, the two heavenly messengers who have been with each of them since birth on their shoulders, will guard them. So long as they commit no fault, the demons will have no chance to do them harm. And yet in this country of Japan, there are countless people who cry out in misery. We know, too, that the people on the islands of Iki and Tsu-shima had to suffer at the hands of the Mongols, and what befell the defenders of the Dazaifu in Kyushu. What fault were the people of this country guilty of that they should meet with such a fate? One would surely like to know the answer. One or two of the persons there may have been guilty of evil, but is it possible that all of them could have been?

The blame lies entirely in the fact that this country is filled with the disciples of those who despised the Lotus Sutra - True Word priests who follow the doctrines handed down from Kobo, Jikaku, and Chisho; Nembutsu priests who are latter-day disciples of Shan-tao and Honen; and the followers of Bodhidharma and the other patriarchs of the Zen school. That is why Brahma, Shakra, the four heavenly kings, and the other deities, true to the vows they took when the Lotus Sutra was expounded to split into seven pieces the head [of anyone who troubles (36) a preacher of the sutra], have sent down this punishment.

Some people may be perplexed at this point and object that, although those who do harm to the votary of the Lotus Sutra are supposed to have their heads split into seven pieces, there are people who slander the priest Nichiren and yet do not have broken heads. Are we to conclude, they may ask, that the priest Nichiren is not a true votary of the Lotus Sutra?

I would reply by saying that, if Nichiren is not a votary of the Lotus Sutra, then who is? Is Honen a votary, who in his writings ordered people to throw the Lotus Sutra away? Is the Great Teacher Kobo a votary, who said that Shakyamuni Buddha was still in the region of darkness? Or are Shan-wu-wei and Jikaku votaries, who taught that, although the Lotus Sutra and the Mahavairochana Sutra are equal in terms of principle, the latter is superior in practice?

Again, this matter of the head being split into seven pieces - one need not imagine the kind of split made by a sharp sword. On the contrary, the Lotus Sutra says that the split is like that (37) of the "branches of the arjaka tree." In a person's head there are seven drops of liquid, and outside there are seven demons. If the demons drink one drop, the person's head begins to ache. If they drink three drops, his life will be endangered, and if they drink all seven drops, he will die. People in the world today all have heads that have split apart like the branches of the arjaka tree, but they are so steeped in evil karma that they are not even aware of the fact. They are like persons who have been injured while they were asleep or in a state of drunkenness, and have not yet become conscious of their injury.

Rather than saying that the head is split into seven pieces, we sometimes say that the mind is split into seven pieces. The skull bone under the scalp cracks or even breaks apart at the time of death. Many people of our own period had their heads split open in the great earthquake of the Shoka era (1257) or at the time of the appearance of the great comet in the Bun'ei era (1264). At the time their heads split open, they had a severe coughing condition, and when their five solid internal (38) organs failed to function correctly, they suffered from dysentery. How could they have failed to realize that they were being punished because they slandered the votary of the Lotus Sutra!

Because venison is tasty, the deer is hunted and killed; because oil can be obtained from the turtle, the turtle loses its life. If a woman is beautiful, there will be many who envy her. The ruler of a nation has much to fear from other nations, and the life of a man with great wealth is constantly in danger. One who abides by the Lotus Sutra will inevitably attain Buddhahood. Therefore, the devil king of the sixth heaven, the lord of this threefold world, will become intensely jealous of anyone who abides by the sutra. This devil king, we are told, attaches himself like a plague demon to people in a way that cannot be detected by the eye. Thereafter, like persons who gradually become drunk on fine old wine, rulers, fathers and mothers, wives and children gradually become possessed by him and are filled with jealousy toward the votary of the Lotus Sutra. And that is precisely the situation we face today in the world around us. Because I chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, I have for over twenty years been driven from place to place. Twice I have incurred the wrath of the authorities, and in the end I have retired to this mountain.

Here I am surrounded by four mountains, Shichimen to the west, Tenshi to the east, Minobu to the north, and Takatori to the south. Each is high enough to touch the sky, and so steep that even flying birds have trouble crossing them. In their midst are four rivers called Fuji, Haya, Oshira, and Minobu. In the middle, in a ravine some hundred yards or so across, I have built my hut. I cannot see the sun in the daytime or the moon at night. In winter there is deep snow, and in summer the grass grows thick. Because so few people come to see me, the trail is very hard to travel. This year, especially, the snow is so deep that I have no visitors at all. Knowing that my life may end at any time, I put all my trust in the Lotus Sutra. In these circumstances, your letter was particularly welcome. It seemed almost like a message from Shakyamuni Buddha or from my departed parents, and I cannot tell you how grateful I was.

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo

Notes:

36. Lotus Sutra, chap. 26. It states, "If there are those who fail to heed our spells and trouble and disrupt the preachers of the Law, their heads will split into seven pieces."
37. Ibid. The arjaka tree grows in India and other tropical places. It is said that, when a branch of this tree falls to the ground, it splits into seven pieces.
38. The lungs, heart, spleen, liver, and kidneys.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Opening of the Eyes / WND pg. 220

The Opening of the Eyes / WND pg. 220

Background

This treatise is one of Nichiren Daishonin's five most important writings, in which he reveals his identity as the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law who possesses the three virtues of sovereign, teacher, and parent. In the second month of the ninth year of Bun'ei (1272), still in exile under harsh conditions on Sado Island, the Daishonin completed this work in two volumes and addressed it to Shijo Kingo, one of his leading disciples in Kamakura and a samurai who was in the employ of the ruling Hojo clan, on behalf of all his followers. When the Daishonin was taken to Tatsunokuchi in Kamakura in 1271, Shijo Kingo accompanied him, having resolved to die by his side, and personally witnessed his triumph over execution. Also, he had journeyed to Sado to visit the Daishonin in exile and sent his messengers to him with writing materials and other necessities.

The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind, written in 1273, clarifies, from the viewpoint of the Law, the object of devotion that enables all people to attain Buddhahood. The Opening of the Eyes treats the same subject in terms of the Person; that is, it shows Nichiren Daishonin to be the Buddha who would establish the object of devotion for all humankind to achieve Buddhahood. The object of devotion is the embodiment of the Daishonin's enlightenment to Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the Law implied in the depths of the Lotus Sutra.

Nichiren Daishonin's life on the forbidding island of Sado was full of hardship; his hut was open to wind and snow, and he lacked food, clothing, and writing materials. In addition to his physical suffering, he was greatly troubled by the news that many of his followers in Kamakura had abandoned their faith. Feeling himself constantly facing the shadow of death, the Daishonin wrote this treatise to encourage his disciples as though it were his last will and testament.

Nichiren Daishonin later described his motives behind the work in his Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra: "After everyone had gone, I began to put into shape a work in two volumes called The Opening of the Eyes, which I had been working on since the eleventh month of the previous year. I wanted to record the wonder of Nichiren, in case I should be beheaded. The essential message in this work is that the destiny of Japan depends solely upon Nichiren. A house without pillars collapses, and a person without a soul is dead. Nichiren is the soul of the people of this country" (p. 772).

The title The Opening of the Eyes means to enable people to see the truth, in other words, to free people from illusions and distorted views and awaken them to an understanding of the correct teaching and its correct teacher. The work describes the role the Daishonin played in championing the supremacy of the Lotus Sutra and in spreading its teachings, as he himself viewed and experienced it. A passage from this treatise reads: "On the twelfth day of the ninth month of last year, between the hours of the rat and the ox (11:00 PM to 3:00 AM), this person named Nichiren was beheaded. It is his soul that has come to this island of Sado" (p. 269). It was through the Tatsunokuchi Persecution that Nichiren Daishonin revealed his true identity as the eternal Buddha. This passage refers to the death of a common person named Nichiren and indicates that from then on the Daishonin was to reveal in full his enlightenment as the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law.

Nichiren Daishonin begins this treatise with the words, "There are three categories of people that all human beings should respect. They are the sovereign, the teacher, and the parent" (p. 220). The three virtues of sovereign, teacher, and parent are equated with the qualifications of a Buddha. The virtue of sovereign is the power to protect all living beings; the virtue of teacher is the wisdom to lead all to enlightenment, and the virtue of parent means compassion to nurture and support them. These three virtues constitute a theme that runs throughout this treatise, and at the conclusion of this work the Daishonin declares, "I, Nichiren, am sovereign, teacher, and father and mother to all the people of Japan" (p. 287).

At the outset Nichiren Daishonin discusses Confucianism, Taoism, Brahmanism, Hinayana, and provisional Mahayana Buddhism, and then moves on to the Lotus Sutra. He attributes the disasters ravaging Japan to the confusion in Buddhism and the failure by both rulers and subjects to recognize the supremacy of the Lotus Sutra. Here he cites two reasons why the sutra is supreme. One is that the theoretical teaching (the first half of the sutra) reveals that people of the two vehicles can attain enlightenment, a possibility utterly denied in the previous forty-two years of the Buddha's preaching. This substantiates the mutual possession of the Ten Worlds and the statement that Buddhahood is open to all. The other reason is that, in the essential teaching (the latter half of the sutra), Shakyamuni Buddha proclaims that he first attained enlightenment in an unfathomably remote past.

The Daishonin states that Shakyamuni Buddha himself declared that the Lotus Sutra is "the most difficult to believe and the most difficult to understand." In this sutra the Buddha implied the supreme teaching, as stated: "The doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life is found in only one place, hidden in the depths of the 'Life Span' chapter of the essential teaching of the Lotus Sutra" (p. 224). The Daishonin takes the position that only the revelation of the truth of Buddhism can save the nation and the people. This conviction, he says, has moved him to propagate the essence of the Lotus Sutra in spite of the persecution that he knew he would incur. He realized that his followers might doubt him because of the apparent failure of the gods to protect a votary of the Lotus Sutra. Therefore, he stated: "This doubt lies at the heart of this piece I am writing. And because it is the most important concern of my entire life, I will raise it again and again here, and emphasize it more than ever, before I attempt to answer it" (p. 243).

The second part of this treatise discusses the "Emerging from the Earth" and the "Life Span" chapters of the Lotus Sutra, where Shakyamuni Buddha summons forth countless bodhisattvas from beneath the earth and reveals that he actually attained enlightenment in the remote past, and that all the Buddhas of the other sutras are his emanations and all the bodhisattvas, his disciples. Nichiren Daishonin clarifies that the Buddha of the "Life Span" chapter is the teacher of all Buddhas.

At this point, an implicit analogy begins to emerge. The doubt held by Shakyamuni's disciples about how he could possibly have taught the countless Bodhisattvas of the Earth in this life leads to the revelation of his true identity as the Buddha who attained enlightenment countless kalpas ago. Similarly, the doubt held by the Daishonin's followers about why he has been exiled and suffered so many persecutions leads to an understanding of his true identity as the Buddha of the Latter Day.

Then the Daishonin mentions the principle of sowing, maturing, and harvesting. He points to the unsurpassed Law whereby all Buddhas attain enlightenment - Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. This Law is what lies in the depths of the "Life Span" chapter. Nichiren Daishonin directly teaches this Law, the true cause for attaining Buddhahood, and his Buddhism is called the Buddhism of sowing because it implants this "seed of enlightenment" in the lives of those who practice it. In this light, he possesses the virtues of sovereign, teacher, and parent for humanity as a whole.

Nichiren Daishonin explains that each sutra has its own claim to excellence; he also gives examples of statements in which various sutras assert their own superiority to other teachings. But the Lotus Sutra alone declares that it is supreme among all sutras, and the Daishonin reconfirms its supremacy. The Lotus Sutra speaks of the three powerful enemies of the sutra and prophesies opposition and hostility toward the sutra and its votary. All this the Daishonin had himself encountered; all this is predicted in the sutra. As the votary of the Lotus Sutra, he vows to stake his life on the cause of saving all people, saying: "Let the gods forsake me. Let all persecutions assail me. Still I will give my life for the sake of the Law. . . . I will be the pillar of Japan. I will be the eyes of Japan. I will be the great ship of Japan. This is my vow, and I will never forsake it" (pp. 280-81). Then he assures his disciples that they will definitely attain Buddhahood as long as they do not permit themselves to be overcome by doubts, even when difficulties befall them.

In the final section of this treatise, Nichiren Daishonin explains that there are two ways to propagate the Lotus Sutra: shoju, or gentle persuasion, and shakubuku, or strict refutation. Here, the Daishonin argues that both methods should be used, because there are two kinds of countries, those whose people are ignorant of the correct teaching of Buddhism and those whose people deliberately oppose it. But Japan, as a nation that slanders the correct teaching, requires the shakubuku method. Then he concludes that to remove suffering and give joy to the people is the Buddha's teaching. The Daishonin has devoted himself to refuting and rooting out the causes of human misery. For him, the exile to Sado was only a "small suffering" in this life. Indeed, he feels "great joy" because of the results he is confident will come in the future.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The title The Opening of the Eyes means to enable people to see the truth, in other words, to free people from illusions and distorted views and awaken them to an understanding of the correct teaching and its correct teacher.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Opening of the Eyes / WND pg. 220

The Opening of the Eyes / WND pg. 220

Part One

There are three categories of people that all human beings should respect. They are the sovereign, the teacher, and the parent. There are three types of doctrines that are to be studied. They are Confucianism, Brahmanism, and Buddhism.

Confucianism describes the Three Sovereigns, the Five Emperors, and the Three Kings, whom it calls the Honorable Ones of Heaven. These men are depicted as the heads of the government officials and the bridges for the populace. In the age before the Three Sovereigns, people were no better than birds and beasts in that they did not even know who their own fathers were. But from the time of the Five Emperors on, they came to know who their fathers and mothers were, treating them according to the dictates of (1) filial piety. Thus Ch'ung-hua served his father with reverence, though the latter was stubborn and hardheaded. Also, (2) the governor of P'ei, after he became the emperor, continued to pay great respect to his father, the Venerable Sire. King Wu of the Chou dynasty made a wooden image of his father, the Earl of (3) the West, and Ting Lan fashioned a (4) statue of his mother. All of these men are models of filial piety.

The high minister Pi Kan, seeing that the Yin dynasty was on the path to ruin, strongly admonished the ruler, though it cost him his head. Hung Yen, finding that his lord, Duke Yi, had been killed, cut open his own stomach and inserted the duke's liver in it before he died. These men may serve as models of loyalty.

Yin Shou was the teacher of Emperor Yao, Wu Ch'eng was the teacher of Emperor Shun, T'ai-kung Wang was (5) the teacher of King Wen, and Lao Tzu (6) was the teacher of Confucius. These teachers are known as the four sages. Even the Honorable Ones of Heaven bow their heads to them in respect, and all people press their palms together in reverence. Sages such as these have left behind writings that run to over three thousand volumes in such works as the Three Records, the Five Canons, and the Three Histories. But all these writings in the end do not advance beyond the three mysteries. The first of the three mysteries is Being. This is the principle taught by the Duke of Chou and others. The second mystery is Non-Being, which was expounded by Lao Tzu. The third is Both Being and Non-Being, which is the mystery set forth by Chuang Tzu. Mystery denotes darkness. Some say that, if we ask what existed before our ancestors were born, we will find that life was born out of the primal force, while others declare that eminence and ignobility, joy and sorrow, right and wrong, gain and loss occur simply as part of the natural order.

These are theories that are cleverly argued, but that fail to take cognizance of either the past or the future. Mystery, as we have seen, means darkness or obscurity, and it is for this reason that it is called mystery. It is a theory that deals with matters only in terms of the present. Speaking in terms of the present, the Confucians declare that one should abide by the principles (7) of benevolence and righteousness, and thereby insure safety to oneself and peace and order to the state. If one departs from these principles, they say, then one's family will be doomed and one's house overthrown. But although the wise and worthies who preach this doctrine are acclaimed as sages, in their lack of knowledge about the past they are like ordinary people unable to see their own backs, and in their understanding about the future they are like a blind man unable to see what lies before him.

If, in terms of the present, one brings order to one's family, carries out the demands of filial piety, and faithfully practices the five constant virtues, then one's associates will respect one, and one's name will become known throughout the country. If there is a worthy ruler on the throne, he will invite such a person to become his minister or his teacher, or may even cede his position to him. Heaven too will come to protect and watch over such a person. Such were the so-called (8) Five Elders who gathered about and assisted King Wu of the Chou dynasty, or the twenty-eight generals of Emperor Kuang-wu of the Later Han, who were likened to the twenty-eight constellations of the sky. But since such persons know nothing about the past or the future, they cannot assist their parents, their sovereign, or their teacher in making provisions for their future lives, and are therefore unable to repay the debt they owe them. Such persons are not true worthies or sages.

Confucius declared that there were no worthies or sages in his country, but that in the land to the west there was one named Buddha who was a (9) sage. This indicates that non-Buddhist texts should be regarded as a first step toward Buddhist doctrine. Confucius (10) first taught propriety and music so that, when the Buddhist scriptures were brought to China, the concepts of (11) the precepts, meditation, and wisdom could be more readily grasped. He taught the ideals of ruler and minister so that the distinction between superior and subordinate could be made clear, he taught the ideal of parenthood so that the importance of filial piety could be appreciated, and he explained the ideal of the teacher so that people might learn to follow.

The Great Teacher Miao-lo says, "The propagation of Buddhism truly depends on this. First the teachings on propriety and music were set forth, and (12) later the true way was introduced." T'ien-t'ai states, "In the Golden Light Sutra it is recorded that 'all the good teachings that exist in the world derive from this sutra. To have a profound knowledge of this world is itself Buddhism (13) ' " In Great Concentration and Insight we read, "I [the Buddha] have (14) dispatched the Three Sages to educate the land of China." In The Annotations on "Great Concentration and Insight" we read: "The Practice of the Pure Law Sutra states that Bodhisattva Moonlight appeared in that land under the name Yen Hui, Bodhisattva Bright Pure appeared there as Confucius, and Bodhisattva Kashyapa appeared as Lao Tzu. Since the sutra is speaking from the point of view of India, it refers to China as 'that land.'"

Secondly, we come to the non-Buddhist teachings of India. In Brahmanism we find the two deities: Shiva, who has three eyes and eight arms, and Vishnu. They are hailed as the loving father and compassionate mother of all living beings and are also called the Honorable Ones of Heaven and sovereigns. In addition, there are three men, Kapila, (15) Uluka, and Rishabha, who are known as the three ascetics. These ascetics lived somewhere around eight hundred years before the time of the Buddha. The teachings expounded by the three ascetics are known as the four Vedas and number sixty thousand.

Later, in the time of the Buddha, there were the six non-Buddhist teachers who studied and transmitted these non-Buddhist scriptures and acted as tutors to the kings of the five regions of India. Their teachings split into ninety-five or ninety-six different lines, forming school after school. The banners of their pride were raised higher than the heaven where there is neither (16) thought nor no thought, and their dogmatic rigidity was harder than metal or stone. But in their skill and depth of understanding, they surpassed anything known in Confucianism. They were able to perceive two, three, or even seven existences, a period of eighty thousand kalpas, into the past, and they likewise knew what would happen eighty thousand kalpas in the future. As the fundamental principle of their doctrine, some of these schools taught that causes produce effects, others taught that causes do not produce effects, while still others taught that causes both do and do not produce effects. Such were the fundamental principles of these non-Buddhist schools.

The devout followers of the non-Buddhist teachings observe the five precepts and the ten good precepts, practice the kind of meditation that is still accompanied by outflows, and, ascending (17) to the worlds of form and formlessness, believe they have attained nirvana when they reach the highest of the heavens. But although they make their way upward bit by bit like an inchworm, they fall back from the heaven where there is neither thought nor no thought, and descend instead into the three evil paths. Not a single one succeeds in remaining on the level of the heavens, though they believe that once having attained that level they will never descend from it. Each approves and practices the doctrines taught by his teacher and firmly abides by them. Thus some of them bathe three times a day in the Ganges even on cold winter days, while others pull out the hairs on their head, fling themselves against rocks, expose themselves to fire, burn their bodies, or go about stark naked. Again there are those who believe they can gain good fortune by sacrificing many horses, or who burn grasses and trees, or make obeisance to every tree they encounter.

Erroneous teachings such as these are too numerous to be counted. Their adherents pay as much respect and honor to the teachers who propound them as the heavenly deities pay to the lord Shakra, or the court ministers pay to the ruler of the empire. But not a single person who adheres to these ninety-five types of higher or lower non-Buddhist teachings ever escapes from the cycle of birth and death. Those who follow teachers of the better sort will, after two or three rebirths, fall into the evil paths, while those who follow evil teachers will fall into the evil paths in their very next rebirth.

And yet the main point of these non-Buddhist teachings constitutes an important means of entry into Buddhism. Some of them state, "A thousand years from now, the Buddha will (18) appear in the world," while others state, "A hundred years from now, the (19) Buddha will appear in the world." The Nirvana Sutra remarks, "All of the non-Buddhist scriptures and writings in society are themselves Buddhist teachings, not non-Buddhist teachings." And in the Lotus Sutra it is written, "Before the multitude they seem possessed of the three poisons or manifest the signs of distorted views. My disciples in this manner use expedient means to save (20) living beings."

Thirdly, we come to Buddhism. One should know that the World-Honored One of Great Enlightenment is a great leader for all living beings, a great eye for them, a great bridge, a great helmsman, a great field of good fortune. The four sages and three ascetics of the Confucian and Brahmanical scriptures and teachings are referred to as sages, but in fact they are no more than ordinary people who have not yet been able to eradicate the three categories of illusion. They are referred to as wise men, but in fact they are no more than infants who cannot under-stand the principles of cause and effect. With their teachings for a ship, could one ever cross over the sea of the sufferings of birth and death? With their teachings for a bridge, could one ever escape from the maze of the six paths? But the Buddha, our great teacher, has advanced beyond even transmigration with change and advance, let alone transmigration with differences and limitations. (21) He has wiped out even the very root of fundamental darkness, let alone the illusions of thought and desire that are as minor as branches and leaves.

This Buddha, from the time of his enlightenment at the age of thirty until his passing at the age of eighty, expounded his sacred teachings for a period of fifty years. Each word, each phrase he spoke is true; not a sentence, not a verse is false. The words of the sages and worthies preserved in the scriptures and teachings of Confucianism and Brahmanism, as we have noted, are free of error, and the words match the spirit in which they were spoken. But how much more true is this in the case of the Buddha, who had spoken not a false word for countless kalpas! In comparison to the non-Buddhist scriptures and teachings, the doctrines that he expounded in a period of fifty or so years represent the great vehicle, the true words of (22) the great man. Everything that he preached, from the dawn of his enlightenment until the evening that he entered into nirvana, is none other than the truth.

However, when we examine the eighty thousand teachings of Buddhism expounded during a period of fifty or so years and recorded in scriptures, we find that they fall into various categories such as Hinayana and Mahayana, provisional and true sutras, exoteric and esoteric teachings, detailed and rough discourses, true words and false words, correct and incorrect views. But among these, the Lotus Sutra alone represents the correct teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, the truthful words of the Buddhas of the three existences and the ten directions. The World-Honored One of Great Enlightenment designated a specific period of the preceding forty years and more, and defined the various sutras preached during that period, numerous as the sands of the Ganges, as the sutras in which he had "not yet (23) revealed the truth." He designated the Lotus Sutra preached during the eight years as the sutra in which he "now (24) must reveal the truth." Thus Many Treasures Buddha came forth from beneath the earth to testify that "all that you have expounded [in the Lotus (25) Sutra] is the truth," and the Buddhas who are emanations of Shakyamuni gathered together and extended their long tongues up to the Brahma heaven (26) in testimony. These words are perfectly clear, perfectly understandable, brighter than the sun on a clear day, or like the full moon at midnight. Look up to them and believe them, andwhen you turn away, cherish them in your heart!

The Lotus Sutra contains two important (27) teachings. The Dharma Analysis Treasury, Establishment of Truth, Precepts, Dharma Characteristics, and Three Treatises schools have never heard even so much as the name of these teachings. The Flower Garland and True Word schools, on the other hand, have surreptitiously stolen these doctrines and made them the heart of their own teachings. The doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life is found in only one place, hidden in the depths of the "Life Span" chapter of the essential teaching of the Lotus Sutra. Nagarjuna and Vasubandhu were aware of it but did not bring it forth into the light. T'ien-t'ai Chih-che alone embraced it and kept it ever in mind.

The doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life begins with the concept of the mutual possession of the Ten Worlds. But the Dharma Characteristics and Three Treatises schools speak only of eight worlds and know nothing of the entirety of the Ten Worlds, much less of the concept of their mutual possession. The Dharma Analysis Treasury, Establishment of Truth, and Precepts schools derive their teachings from the Agama sutras. They are aware only of the six worlds and know nothing of the other four worlds. They declare that in all the ten directions there is only one Buddha, and do not even preach that there is any other Buddha in any of the ten directions. Of the principle that "all sentient beings alike possess the (28) Buddha nature," they of course say nothing at all. They refuse to acknowledge that even a single person possesses the Buddha nature. In spite of this, one will sometimes hear members of the Precepts and Establishment of Truth schools declaring that there are Buddhas in the ten directions, or that all living beings possess the Buddha nature. This is because the teachers of these schools who appeared after the passing away of the Buddha had stolen these Mahayana doctrines and incorporated them into the teachings of their own schools.

To illustrate, in the period before the appearance of Buddhism, the proponents of the non-Buddhist teachings in India were not so bound up in their own views. But after the appearance of the Buddha, when they had listened to and observed the Buddhist teachings, they became aware of the shortcomings of their own doctrines. They then conceived the clever idea of appropriating Buddhist teachings and incorporating them into their own doctrines, and as a result they fell into even deeper error than before. These are examples of the errors known as "appropriating Buddhism (29)" or "plagiarizing Buddhism."

The same thing occurred in the case of non-Buddhist scriptures in China. Before Buddhism was brought to China, Confucianism and Taoism were rather naive and childish affairs. But in the Later Han, Buddhism was introduced to China and challenged the native doctrines. In time, as Buddhism became more popular, there were certain Buddhist priests who, because they had broken the precepts, were forced to return to secular life, or who elected to join forces with the native creeds. Through such men, Buddhist doctrines were stolen and incorporated into the Confucian and Taoist teachings.

Notes:

1. Also known as Yü Shun. He is the last of the Five Emperors, legendary rulers of ancient China.
2. The governor of P'ei refers to Liu Pang (247-195 BCE), the founder of the Former Han dynasty.
3. When King Wu decided to overthrow the tyrant Chou of the Yin dynasty, before setting out on his campaign, he carved a wooden figure of his father, who had cherished the same desire to save the people. The Earl of the West refers to King Wen of the Chou dynasty, the third of the Three Kings who reigned after the Five Emperors.
4. During the Later Han dynasty, Ting Lan, who had lost his mother at the age of fifteen, made a statue of her and served it as if she had been still alive.
5. Yin Shou and Wu Ch'eng are legendary figures. T'ai-kung Wang was a general who served King Wen and, after the king's death, served King Wu, Wen's son. He fought valorously with King Chou of the Yin dynasty and contributed to the prosperity of the Chou dynasty.
6. This assertion is found in Chuang Tzu and Records of the Historian.
7. The principles refer to the first two of the five constant virtues taught by Confucius.
8. Their names are unknown.
9. This is found in Lieh Tzu, an early Taoist text.
10. Propriety and music were regarded as instrumental in enhancing people's sense of morality, and in maintaining social order.
11. The three types of learning or disciplines essential for the Buddhist practitioner.
12. The Annotations on "Great Concentration and Insight." "The true way" here refers to Buddhism.
13. Great Concentration and Insight.
14. Confucius, his disciple Yen Hui, and Lao Tzu.
15. Kapila and Uluka were the respective founders of the Samkhya and Vaisheshika schools, two of the six major schools of Brahmanism in ancient India. Rishabha's teachings are said to have prepared the way for Jainism. They were called the three ascetics.
16. The world of formlessness being divided into four realms, this refers to the uppermost.
17. "Outflows" here means illusions or defilements. The worlds of form and formlessness are the two highest worlds of the threefold world.
18. Possibly a rephrasing of a passage in the Nirvana Sutra.
19. Possibly a rephrasing of a passage in the Nirvana Sutra.
20. Lotus Sutra, chap. 8.
21. "Transmigration with differences and limitations" refers to the transmigration of unenlightened beings through the six paths. In this repeating cycle of rebirth through the six lower deluded worlds, living beings are born with limited spans of life and in different forms in accordance with their karma. "Transmigration with change and advance" refers to the transmigration of voice-hearers, cause-awakened ones, and bodhisattvas. In this transmigration, they change, or emancipate, from the body subject to transmigration of delusion with differences and limitations, while gradually removing illusions leading to sufferings.
22. The great man refers here to the Buddha.
23. A passage from the Immeasurable Meanings Sutra that reads, "In these more than forty years, I have not yet revealed the truth."
24. Lotus Sutra, chap. 2. It reads, "The World-Honored One has long expounded his doctrines and now must reveal the truth."
25. Ibid., chap. 11.
26. This is described in chapter 21 of the Lotus Sutra.
27. This refers to the theory of three thousand realms in a single moment of life based on the theoretical teaching (first half) of the Lotus Sutra, and the actuality of three thousand realms in a single moment of life based on the essential teaching (latter half) of the sutra.
28. Nirvana Sutra.
29. "Appropriating Buddhism" refers to the incorporating of the Hinayana teachings by non-Buddhists into their own doctrine, claiming it as their own teaching. "Plagiarizing Buddhism" refers to the plagiarizing of Buddhist teachings by non-Buddhists who set forth Mahayana teachings as the doctrine of their own school. They are described in Great Concentration and Insight.

(to be continued)

 

[SoCal Hippy]

"The Gohonzon, in a sense, can be compared to a map pointing to the
location of the supreme treasure of life and the universe-the Mystic
Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. This treasure map tells us that the
treasure is found within our lives. To those who can understand the
map, it is not just a piece of paper but an invaluable object equal in
value to the "treasure," that is, life's supreme condition and
potential itself. To those who fail to grasp its message, however, the
map's worth will be reduced to that of a mere scroll."

http://www.sgi-usa.org/buddhism/library/Nichiren/Gohonzon/

 

[SoCal Hippy]

When once we chant Myoho-renge-kyo, with just that single sound we
summon forth and manifest the Buddha nature of all Buddhas; all
existences; all bodhisattvas; all voice-hearers; all the deities such
as Brahma, Shakra, and King Yama; the sun and moon, and the myriad
stars; the heavenly gods and earthly deities, on down to hell-
dwellers, hungry spirits, animals, asuras, human and heavenly beings,
and all other living beings. This blessing is immeasurable and
boundless.

(WND, 887)
How Those Initially Aspiring to the Way Can Attain Buddhahood through
the Lotus Sutra
Written to the lay nun Myoho in 1277

 

[SoCal Hippy]

November, 2005 Living Buddhism, "From the Publisher"

I have been peripherally involved in sharing the results of an
important project of the "Soka Gakkai and its affiliated Institute
of Oriental Philosophy with US and Canadian scholars who specialize
in studies of the early versions of the Lotus Sutra. The series
consists of six different works, including two that are dramatic
color facsimiles of Sanskrit manuscripts originally written on palm
leaves.

The first, and one of the most important works in the series, was
made possible through the very positive relationships established by
SGI President Ikeda with representatives of the Chinese government
and its scholarly community. Previously unpublished, the Sanskrit
Lotus Sutra Fragments from the Lushun Museum Collection appear in a
single volume with digitally enhanced color photographs of the
fragments with facing romanized Sanskrit and the corresponding text
from Kumarajiva's Chinese translation.

Among the world's oldest (fifth or sixth century) extant Sanskrit
Lotus Sutra manuscripts, they are closest in time to the original
copy of Kumarajiva's translation in the Later Qin dynasty (384-417).
Some scholars, using later Sanskrit versions to compare with the
Kumarajiva translation, have suggested that he was too liberal in
his work. These fragments indicate that the differences between
Kumarajiva's translation and later Sanskrit versions are due to
changes made in copying and editing and not to an overly liberal
translation by Kumarajiva.

This problem is one that exists in all manuscripts prior to the age
of photo reproduction, both Asian and European, since the manual
copying of the texts was easily influenced by errors in
transcription as well as by the unintentional inclusion of marginal
annotations into the body of the text.

Other works include manuscripts from collections in Nepal, Russia,
England, Germany and Japan. Three of the texts were among the seven
used in the first English translation of the Lotus Sutra from
Sanskrit made by Hendrik Kern in 1884.

This project has particular significance for Soka Gakkai
practitioners since Nichiren relied on the Kumarajiva translation of
the Lotus Sutra as the scriptural basis for his teaching. The entire
series serves to preserve and more widely communicate the Lotus
Sutra for the benefit of present and future generations. I am proud
that the SGI is playing an important in this effort.

Guy McCloskey
Publisher

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Opening of the Eyes / WND pg. 220 (continued)

The Opening of the Eyes / WND pg. 220 (continued)

In volume five of Great Concentration and Insight we read: "These days there are many devilish monks who break the precepts and return to lay life. Fearing that they will be punished for their action, they then go over to the side of the Taoists. Hoping to gain fame and profit, they speak extravagantly of the merits of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu, usurping Buddhist concepts and reading them into their erroneous scriptures. They twist what is lofty and force it into a mean context; they destroy what is exalted and drag it down among the base, striving to put the two on an equal level."

On "Great Concentration and Insight" comments on this passage as follows: "Though they are monks, they destroy the teachings of Buddhism. Some break the precepts and return to lay life, as Wei Yüan-sung did. Then, as laymen, they work to destroy the teachings of Buddhism. Men of this kind steal and usurp the correct teachings of Buddhism and use them to supplement and bolster the erroneous writings. The passage on 'twisting what is lofty . . .' means that, adopting the outlook of the Taoists, they try to place Buddhism and Taoism on the same level, to make equals of the correct and the erroneous, though reason tells us that this could never be. Having once been followers of Buddhist teachings, they steal what is correct and use it to bolster what is incorrect. They twist the lofty eighty thousand teachings of the twelve divisions of the Buddhist canon and force them into the mean context of Lao Tzu's two chapters and five thousand words, using them to interpret the base and mistaken teachings of that text. This is what is meant by 'destroying what is exalted and dragging it down among the base.'" These comments should be carefully noted, for they explain the meaning of the foregoing description of events.

The same sort of thing happened within Buddhism itself. Buddhism was introduced to China during the Yung-p'ing era (CE 58-75) of the Later Han dynasty, and in time established its supremacy over Confucian and Taoist teachings. But differences of opinion developed within Buddhism, resulting in the three schools of the south and seven schools of the north, which sprang up here and there like so many orchids or chrysanthemums. In the time of the Ch'en and Sui dynasties, however, the Great Teacher Chih-che defeated these various schools and returned Buddhism once more to its primary objective of saving all living beings.

Later, the teachings of the Dharma Characteristics and True Word schools were introduced from India, and the Flower Garland school also made its appearance. Among these schools, the Dharma Characteristics school set itself up as an arch opponent of the T'ien-t'ai school, because their teachings are as contradictory to each other as fire is to water. However, when the Tripitaka Master Hsüan-tsang and the Great Teacher Tz'u-en closely examined the works of T'ien-t'ai, they came to realize that the views of their own school were in error. Although they did not openly repudiate their own school, it appears that in their hearts they switched their allegiance to the T'ien-t'ai teachings.

From the beginning the Flower Garland and True Word schools were both provisional schools based upon provisional sutras. But the Tripitaka masters Shan-wu-wei and Chin-kang-chih [who introduced the esoteric True Word teachings to China] usurped the T'ien-t'ai doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life and made it the core of the teachings of their school, adding the practice of mudras and mantras and convincing themselves that their teachings surpassed T'ien-t'ai's. As a result, students of Buddhism, unaware of the real facts, came to believe that the doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life was to be found in the Mahavairochana Sutra that had been brought from India. Similarly, in the time of the Flower Garland patriarch Ch'eng-kuan, the T'ien-t'ai doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life was surreptitiously incorporated and used to interpret the passage in the Flower Garland Sutra that reads, "The mind is like a skilled painter." People were unaware that this was what had happened.

In the case of our own country of Japan, the Flower Garland and the other schools that comprised the six schools of Nara were introduced to Japan before the T'ien-t'ai (or Tendai) and True Word schools. The Flower Garland, Three Treatises, and Dharma Characteristics schools argued and contended, as inimical to one another as water and fire. When the Great Teacher Dengyo appeared in Japan, he not only exposed the errors of the six schools, but also made it clear that the True Word school had stolen the principles of the Lotus Sutra as expounded by T'ien-t'ai and made them the heart of the teachings of its own school. The Great Teacher Dengyo set aside the various tenets propounded by the leaders of the other schools and, solely in the light of the sutras, attacked their views. As a result, he was able to defeat eight eminent priests of the six schools, then twelve priests, then fourteen, then over three hundred, as well as the Great Teacher Kobo. Soon there was not a single person in all Japan who did not acknowledge allegiance to the Tendai school, and the great temples of Nara, To-ji, and other temples throughout all the provinces became subordinate to the head temple of the Tendai school at Mount Hiei. The Great Teacher Dengyo also made it clear that the founders of the various other schools in China, by acknowledging allegiance to the doctrines of T'ien-t'ai, had escaped committing the error of slandering the correct teachings of Buddhism.

Later, however, conditions in the world declined, and people became increasingly shallow in wisdom. They no longer studied or understood the profound doctrines of the Tendai school, and the other schools became more and more firmly attached to their own prejudiced views. Eventually, the six schools and the True Word school turned upon and attacked the Tendai school. The latter, growing ever weaker, in the end found that it was no match for the other schools. To aggravate the situation, absurd new schools such as Zen and Pure Land appeared and began attacking the Tendai school as well, and more and more of its lay supporters transferred their allegiance to these erroneous schools. In the end, even those priests of the Tendai school who were looked up to as men of eminent virtue all admitted defeat and lent their support to these schools. Not only Tendai but True Word and the six schools as well were forced to yield their lands and estates to these new misguided schools, and the correct teachings [of the Lotus Sutra] fell into oblivion. As a result, the Sun Goddess, the god Hachiman, the Mountain King of Mount Hiei, and the other great benevolent deities who guard the nation, no longer able to taste the flavor of the correct teaching, departed from the land. Demons came forward to take their place, and it became apparent that the nation was doomed.

Here, with my humble outlook, I have considered the differences between the teachings expounded by the Buddha Shakyamuni during the first forty and more years and those expounded in the Lotus Sutra during the last eight years of his life. Although both differ in many ways, contemporary scholars have already expressed the opinion, and it is my conviction as well, that the chief difference lies in the fact that the Lotus Sutra teaches that persons of the two vehicles can attain Buddhahood, and that the Buddha Shakyamuni in reality attained enlightenment at an inconceivably distant time in the past.

When we examine the text of the Lotus Sutra, we see that it predicts that Shariputra will become the Thus Come One Flower Glow, that Mahakashyapa will become the Thus Come One Light Bright, Subhuti will become the Thus Come One Rare Form, Katyayana will become the Thus Come One Jambunada Gold Light, Maudgalyayana will become Tamalapattra Sandalwood Fragrance Buddha, Purna will become the Thus Come One Law Bright, Ananda will become Mountain Sea Wisdom Unrestricted Power King Buddha, Rahula will become the Thus Come One Stepping on Seven Treasure Flowers, the five hundred and seven hundred voice-hearers will become Thus Come Ones Universal Brightness, the two thousand who have more to learn or do not have more to learn will become Thus Come Ones Jewel Sign, the nuns Mahaprajapati and Yashodhara will become Thus Come Ones Gladly Seen by All Living Beings and Endowed with a Thousand Ten Thousand Glowing Marks, respectively.

Thus, if we examine the Lotus Sutra, we will realize that these persons are worthy of great honor. But when we search through the scriptures expounded in the period previous to the Lotus Sutra, we find to our regret that the situation is far different.

The Buddha, the World-Honored One, is a man of truthful words. Therefore, he is designated the sage and the great man. In the non-Buddhist scriptures of India and China, there are also persons called worthies, sages, or heavenly ascetics because they speak words of truth. But because the Buddha surpasses all these, he is known as the great man.

[When he expounded the Lotus Sutra,] this great man said, "The Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones, appear in (30) the world for one great reason alone." He also said, "I have not yet revealed (31) the truth," "The World-Honored One has long expounded his doctrines and (32) now must reveal the truth," and "Honestly discarding expedient means, [I will (33) preach only the unsurpassed way]." Many Treasures Buddha added his testimony to the words of the Buddha, and the emanations of the Buddha put forth their tongues as a token of assent. Who, then, could possibly doubt that Shariputra will in the future become the Thus Come One Flower Glow, that Mahakashyapa will become the Thus Come One Light Bright, or that the other predictions made by the Buddha will come true?

Notes:

30. Lotus Sutra, chap. 2.
31. Immeasurable Meanings Sutra. See n. 23.
32. Lotus Sutra, chap. 2.
33. Ibid.

(to be continued from pg. 227)

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Opening of the Eyes / WND pg. 220 (continued)

The Opening of the Eyes / WND pg. 220 (continued)

Nevertheless, all the sutras preceding the Lotus Sutra also represent the true words of the Buddha. The Great and Vast Buddha Flower Garland Sutra states: "There are only two places where the Great Medicine King Tree, which is the wisdom of the Thus Come One, will not grow and bring benefit to the world. It will not grow in the vast void that is the deep pit into which persons of the two vehicles fall, or in the profoundly distorted and craving-filled waters wherein drown beings unfit for Buddhahood who destroy their own roots of goodness."

This passage may be explained as follows. In the Snow Mountains, there is a huge tree that has numberless roots. It is called the Great Medicine King Tree and is the monarch of all the trees that grow in the land of Jambudvipa. It measures 168,000 yojanas in height. All the other trees and plants of Jambudvipa depend upon the roots, branches, flowers, and fruit of this tree to attain their own flowering and fruition. Therefore, this tree is employed as a metaphor for the Buddha nature, and the various other trees and plants stand for all living beings. But this great tree will not grow in a fiery pit or in the (34) watery circle. The fiery pit is used as a metaphor for the mind of persons of the two vehicles, and the watery circle is used as a metaphor for the mind of icchantikas, or persons of incorrigible disbelief. The scripture is saying that these two categories of beings will never attain Buddhahood.

The Great Collection Sutra states: "There are two types of persons who are destined to die and not to be reborn, and who in the end will never be able to understand or repay their obligations. One is the voice-hearer, and the other is the cause-awakened one. Suppose that a person falls into a deep pit. That person will be unable to benefit himself or to benefit others. The voice-hearer and the cause-awakened one are like this. They fall into the pit of emancipation and can benefit neither themselves nor others."

The more than three thousand volumes of Confucian and Taoist literature of China on the whole stress two principles, namely, filial piety and loyalty to the sovereign. But loyalty is nothing more than an extension of filial piety. Filial piety may be described as lofty. Though heaven is lofty, it is no loftier than the ideal of filial piety. Filial piety may be called deep. Though earth is deep, it is no deeper than filial piety. Sages and worthies are the product of filial piety. It goes without saying, therefore, that persons who study the teachings of Buddhism must also [observe the ideal of filial piety and] understand and repay their obligations. The disciples of the Buddha must without fail understand the four debts (35) of gratitude and know how to repay them.

In addition, Shariputra, Mahakashyapa, and the other disciples who were persons of the two vehicles carefully observed the two hundred and fifty precepts and the three thousand rules of conduct, mastered the three types of meditation - known as flavor meditation, pure meditation, and free-of-outflows meditation - and the Agama sutras, and freed themselves from the illusions of thought and desire in the threefold world. They must therefore have been models in the understanding and repaying of obligations.

And yet the World-Honored One declared that they were men who did not understand obligation. He said this because, when a man leaves his parents and home and becomes a monk, he should always have as his goal the salvation of his father and mother. But these men of the two vehicles, although they thought they had attained emancipation, did nothing to benefit others. And even if they had done a certain amount to benefit others, they had led their parents to a path whereby they could never attain Buddhahood. Thus, contrary to what one might expect, they became known as men who did not understand their obligations.

In the Vimalakirti Sutra we read: "Vimalakirti once more questioned Manjushri, saying, 'What are the seeds of Buddhahood?' Manjushri replied, 'All the delusions and defilements are the seeds of Buddhahood. Even though a person commits the five cardinal sins and is condemned to the hell of incessant suffering, he is still capable of conceiving the great desire for the way.'"

The same sutra also says: "Good man, let me give you a metaphor. The plains and highlands will never bring forth the stems and blossoms of the blue lotus or the water lily. But the muddy fields that are low-lying and damp - that is where you will find these flowers growing."

It also says: "One who has already become an arhat and achieved the level of truth that goes with arhatship can never conceive the desire for the way and gain Buddhahood. He is like a man who has destroyed the five sense organs and therefore can never again enjoy the five delights that go with them."

The point of this sutra is that the three poisons of greed, anger, and foolishness can become the seeds of Buddhahood, and the five cardinal sins such as the killing of one's father can likewise become the seeds of Buddhahood. Even if the high plains should bring forth blue lotus flowers, the persons of the two vehicles would never attain Buddhahood. The text is saying that, when the goodness of the persons of the two vehicles is compared with the evils of ordinary people, it will be found that, though the evils of ordinary people can lead to Buddhahood, the goodness of the persons of the two vehicles never can. The various Hinayana sutras censure evil and praise good. But this sutra, the Vimalakirti, condemns the goodness of persons of the two vehicles and praises the evils of ordinary people. It would almost appear that it is not a Buddhist scripture at all, but rather the teachings of some non-Buddhist school. But the point is that it wants to make absolutely clear that the persons of the two vehicles can never become Buddhas.

The Correct and Equal Dharani Sutra states: "Manjushri said to Shariputra, 'Can a withered tree put forth new blossoms? Can a mountain stream turn and flow back to its source? Can a shattered rock join itself together again? Can a scorched seed send out sprouts?' Shariputra replied, 'No.' Manjushri said, 'If these things are impossible, then why do you come with joy in your heart and ask me if Buddhahood has been predicted for you in the future?'"

The passage means that, just as a withered tree puts forth no blossoms, a mountain stream never flows backward, a shattered rock cannot be joined, and a scorched seed cannot sprout, so the persons of the two vehicles can never attain Buddhahood. In their case the seeds of Buddhahood have been scorched.

The Larger Wisdom Sutra reads: "All you sons of gods, if you have not yet conceived a desire for perfect enlightenment, now is the time to do so. If you should once enter the realm of the enlightenment of voice-hearers, you would no longer be capable of conceiving such a desire for perfect enlightenment. Why is this? Because you would be outside the world of birth and death, which itself would constitute an obstacle." This passage indicates (36) that the Buddha is not pleased with the persons of the two vehicles because they do not conceive the desire for perfect enlightenment, but that he is pleased with the heavenly beings because they do conceive such a desire.

The Shuramgama Sutra states: "If a person who has committed the five cardinal sins should hear of this shuramgama meditation and should conceive the desire for supreme enlightenment, then he would still be capable of attaining Buddhahood. But, World-Honored One, an arhat who has put an end to outflows is like a broken vessel, and will never be capable of receiving and (37) upholding this meditation."

The Vimalakirti Sutra says, "Those who give alms to you are cultivating for themselves no field of good fortune. Those who give alms to you will fall into the three evil paths." This passage means that the human and heavenly beings who give alms to the sage monks such as Mahakashyapa and Shariputra will invariably fall into the three evil paths. Sage monks such as these, one would suppose, must be the eyes of the human and heavenly beings and the leaders of all living beings, second only to the Buddha himself. It must have been very much against common expectation that the Buddha spoke out time and again against such men before the great assemblies of human and heavenly beings, as we have seen him do. Was he really trying to reprimand his own disciples to death? In addition, he employed countless different metaphors in expressing his condemnation of the persons of the two vehicles, calling them donkey's milk as compared to cow's milk, clay vessels as compared to vessels of gold, or the glimmer of a firefly as compared to the light of the sun.

Notes:

34. According to ancient Indian cosmology, the watery circle is one of three circles, made respectively of gold, water, and wind, that supported Mount Sumeru and the surrounding continents.
35. The debts owed to one's parents, teacher, sovereign, and the three treasures of Buddhism.
36. In the Larger Wisdom Sutra, these words are spoken by Subhuti, a disciple of the Buddha, but the Daishonin is treating them here as the words of Shakyamuni Buddha himself, who expounded the sutra.
37. This is the statement that the heavenly beings made with tears of joy, when they heard the Buddha preaching. The shuramgama meditation is supposed to prevent one from being troubled by earthly desires and illusions.

(to be continued from Pg. 230)

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Shariputra (Skt)
[舎利弗] (Pali.: Sariputta; Jpn.: Sharihotsu)

1. One of Shakyamuni Buddha's ten major disciples, known as foremost in wisdom. Shariputra means "son of Shari"(Shari was his mother). Shariputra is also known as Upatishya (Pali Upatissa). Born to a Brahman family in Nalaka in the suburbs of Rajagriha, the capital of Magadha, he was a close friend of Maudgalyayana from childhood. Together they had both become followers of Sanjaya Belatthiputta, a skeptic and one of the six non-Buddhist teachers. Not long after Shakyamuni attained enlightenment, Shariputra happened to meet Ashvajit, a disciple of Shakyamuni, at Rajagriha. Ashvajit taught him about the law of causation, and Shariputra was so impressed by the implication of this doctrine and by Ashvajit's noble bearing that he became Shakyamuni's disciple. Maudgalyayana followed his friend into the Buddhist Order, and the two brought all of Sanjaya's 250 disciples with them. From early on in Shakyamuni's preaching life, both were reckoned by the Buddha as his foremost disciples. Shariputra in particular was esteemed by the Buddha so highly as to be regarded by him as his successor. He fell ill, however, and died several months before Shakyamuni in his native village, Nalaka. In the Lotus Sutra, Shariputra alone constitutes the first of the three groups of voice-hearers to have grasped the Buddha's teaching, for he understood the Buddha's intention on hearing him preach the true aspect of all phenomena in the "Expedient Means" (second) chapter of the sutra. The "Simile and Parable" (third) chapter predicts that he will in a future existence become a Buddha named Flower Glow.

Mahakashyapa (Skt)
[摩訶 葉] (Pali.: Mahakassapa; Jpn.: Makakasho)

1. Also known as Kashyapa. One of Shakyamuni's ten major disciples, known as foremost in the ascetic practices called dhuta. He was born to a Brahman family in a village near Rajagriha, the capital of the Indian kingdom of Magadha. He married BhaddaKapilani and with her later renounced secular life and became Shakyamuni Buddha's disciple. Only eight days later, Mahakashyapa is said to have attained the state of arhat. He persisted in Buddhist practice and won Shakyamuni's deep trust to the extent that the Buddha sometimes asked him to preach in his stead. He is said to have been almost the same age as Shakyamuni. Shortly after Shakyamuni's death, Mahakashyapa, as the head of the Buddhist Order, presided over the First Buddhist Council, at which the Buddha's teachings were compiled. He died at Mount Kukkutapada in Magadha after transferring leadership of the Order to Ananda, another of Shakyamuni's ten major disciples. In the Lotus Sutra, Mahakashyapa belongs to the second of the three groups of voice-hearers, having understood the Buddha's true intention through the parable of the three carts and the burning house related in the sutra's "Simile and Parable" (third) chapter. The "Bestowal of Prophecy" (sixth) chapter states that he will become a Buddha named Light Bright Thus Come One. He is regarded as the first of the Buddha's twenty-three or twenty-four successors.

arhat (Skt)
[阿羅漢] (Jpn.: arakan)

1. One who has attained the highest of the four stages that voice-hearers aim to achieve through the practice of Hinayana teachings, that is, the highest stage of Hinayana enlightenment. Arhat means one worthy of respect. In Chinese Buddhist scriptures, it is interpreted in several ways: one worthy of offerings; one who has nothing more to learn, meaning that an arhat has completed his learning and practice; destroyer of bandits, meaning that an arhat has repelled the "bandits" that are the illusions of thought and desire; and a person of "no rebirth," because an arhat has freed himself from transmigration in the six paths. Of these, the "one worthy of offerings" is among the ten honorable titles of a Buddha, thus indicating that arhat was originally synonymous with Buddha. With the rise of Mahayana Buddhism, the term arhat came to refer exclusively to the sages of Hinayana Buddhism.

two vehicles
[二乗] (Jpn.: nijo)

1. The vehicles or teachings that lead voice-hearers (Skt shravaka ) and cause-awakened ones (pratyekabuddha) to their respective levels of enlightenment. The vehicle of voice-hearers was intended to lead persons of that capacity to the state of arhat via the teaching of the four noble truths; the vehicle of cause-awakened ones leads those individuals to the awakening to the truths of impermanence and of causal relationship via the teaching of the twelve-linked chain of causation. In early Buddhism, pratyekabuddhas, or cause-awakened ones, referred to those who lived apart from human habitation; with no chance to hear the Buddha's teachings, they nevertheless realized the impermanence of all things by observing changes in nature such as the scattering of blossoms or the falling of leaves. Hence they were also called self-awakened ones.

Buddhist texts describe two kinds of self-awakened ones: The first are those who were originally the Buddha's voice-hearer disciples but who, on reaching the stage just below arhatship, chose to practice alone toward the goal of becoming arhats. The second are those who practiced alone in an age without a Buddha and without learning from anyone and achieved a level of enlightenment. Mahayana Buddhism describes the two vehicle teachings as "lesser vehicles," or Hinayana teachings. The provisional Mahayana teachings condemn persons of the two vehicles for seeking their own enlightenment without working for the enlightenment of others, and assert that they can never attain Buddhahood. The Lotus Sutra reveals the one vehicle of Buddhahood and identifies all three vehicles-those of voice-hearers, cause-awakened ones, and bodhisattvas-as expedient means that lead people to the one Buddha vehicle. According to the Lotus Sutra, therefore, even those of the two vehicles can become Buddhas. This is substantiated in the sutra by Shakyamuni's prophecy that all of his voice-hearer disciples will in the future become Buddhas, specifying when and where this will take place and what names they will assume at that time.

From source: The Soka Gakkai Dictionary of Buddhism

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Daishonin states,
"The voice carries out the work of the Buddha"*
The voice of the Mystic Law is
the sound of the universe.
When we chant daimoku,
all the protective functions of the universe will rejoice
and certainly work to protect us!

*"Ongi kuden" - Gosho Zenshu, page 708, The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, page 4

** "The Daishonin says, 'The voice of chanting daimoku cannot fail to reach all the worlds in the ten directions' (GZ, 808). The voice is what matters."

"The Daishonin says, 'Ultimately, since this is the mantra [true words] of the dharani of the Mystic Law, the words and sounds of all beings in the Ten Dharma Worlds from Buddhahood to Hell are all dharani [to protect the votaries of the Lotus Sutra] .... Dharani are part of the function of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo'(GZ, 802)."

"The macrocosm of the universe is an expression of the five characters of the Mystic Law, as is the microcosm of our lives and the protection dharani described in the 'Dharani' chapter. This means that we, as votaries of the Mystic Law, will receive the universe's protection depending on how vibrant our lives are. The universe protects those whose lives burn with faith."

(The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, Volume 6, "Dharani" chapter)

 

[SoCal Hippy]

The benefit of all the other sutras is uncertain, because they teach
that one must first make good causes and only then can one become a
Buddha at some later time. With regard to the Lotus Sutra, when one's
hand takes it up, that hand immediately attains Buddhahood, and when
one's mouth chants it, that mouth is itself a Buddha, as, for example,
the moon is reflected in the water the moment it appears from behind
the eastern mountains, or as a sound and it's echo arise
simultaneously.

(WND, 1099)
Wu-lung and I-lung
Written to the lay nun Ueno on November 15, 1281

from "Daily Wisdom - from the writings of Nichiren Daishonin"

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Opening of the Eyes / WND pg. 220 (continued)

The Opening of the Eyes / WND pg. 220 (continued)

He did not speak of this in one word or two, in one day or two, in one month or two, in one year or two, or in one sutra or two, but over a period of more than forty years, in countless sutras, addressing himself to great assemblies of countless persons, condemning the persons of the two vehicles without a single extenuating word. Thus everyone learned that his condemnation was true. Heaven learned it and earth learned it. Not only one or two, but hundreds, thousands, and tens of thousands of people; the heavenly beings, dragon gods, and the asuras of the threefold world; all the human and heavenly beings, persons of the two vehicles, and great bodhisattvas gathered in assembly from the five regions of India, the four continents, the six heavens of the world of desire, the worlds of form and formlessness, and the worlds of the ten directions, and learned and heard of it. Then all these beings returned to their own lands, explaining the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha of the saha world one by one to the inhabitants of their respective lands, so that there was not a single being in the countless worlds of the ten directions who did not understand that Mahakashyapa, Shariputra, and those like them would never attain Buddha-hood, and that it was wrong to give them alms and support.

In the Lotus Sutra preached during the last eight years of his life, however, the Buddha suddenly regretted and retracted his earlier position and instead taught that persons of the two vehicles can in fact attain Buddhahood. Could the human and heavenly beings gathered in the great assembly to listen to him be expected to believe this? Would they not rather reject it and in addition begin to entertain doubts about all the sutras preached in this and earlier periods? They would wonder if all the teachings put forward in the entire fifty years of the Buddha's preaching were not, in fact, false and erroneous doctrines.

To be sure, there is a sutra passage that says, "In these more than forty years, I have not yet revealed the (38) truth." Nevertheless, one might wonder if the heavenly devil had not taken on the Buddha's form and preached this sutra of the last eight years, the Lotus. In the sutra, however, the Buddha describes quite specifically how his disciples of the two vehicles will attain Buddhahood and reveals the kalpas and the lands in which they will appear, the names they will bear, and the disciples they will teach. Thus it becomes apparent that Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, is saying two different things. This clearly means that he is contradicting his own words. This is why the Brahmanists laugh at the Buddha and call him the great prevaricator.

But just as the human and heavenly beings in the great assembly were feeling downcast in the face of this contradiction, the Thus Come One Many Treasures, who dwells in the World of Treasure Purity in the east, appeared in a huge tower adorned with the seven kinds of treasures and measuring five hundred yojanas high and two hundred and fifty yojanas wide. The human and heavenly beings in the great assembly accused Shakyamuni Buddha of contradicting his own words, and although the Buddha answered in one way or another, he was in considerable embarrassment, being unable to dispel their doubts, when the treasure tower emerged out of the ground before him and ascended into the sky. It came forth like the full moon rising from behind the eastern mountain in the dark of night. The tower of seven kinds of treasures ascended into the sky, clinging neither to the earth nor to the roof of the heavens, but hanging in midair, and from within the tower a pure and far-reaching voice issued, speaking words of testimony. [As the Lotus Sutra describes it:] "At that time a loud voice issued from the treasure tower, speaking words of praise: 'Excellent, excellent! Shakyamuni, World-Honored One, that you can take the great wisdom of equality, a Law to instruct the bodhisattvas, guarded and kept in mind by the Buddhas, the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law, and preach it for the sake of the great assembly! It is as you say, as you say. Shakyamuni, World-Honored One, all that you have (39) expounded is the truth!'"

[Elsewhere the Lotus Sutra says:] "At that time the World-Honored One, in the presence of Manjushri and the other immeasurable hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions of bodhisattvas and mahasattvas who from of old had dwelled in the saha world, as well as . . . human and nonhuman beings - before all these he displayed his great super-natural powers. He extended his long broad tongue upward till it reached the Brahma heaven, and from all his pores [he emitted immeasurable, countless beams of light that illuminated] all the worlds in the ten directions.

"The other Buddhas, seated on lion seats underneath the numerous jeweled trees, did likewise, extending their long broad tongues and emitting immeasurable (40) beams of light."

And it also says: "Shakyamuni Buddha caused the Buddhas who were emanations of his body and had come from the ten directions to return each one to his original land, saying, '[Each of these Buddhas may proceed at his own pleasure.] The tower of Many Treasures Buddha may also return to its (41) former position.'"

In the past, when the World-Honored One of Great Enlightenment first (42) attained the way, Buddhas appeared in the ten directions to counsel and encourage him, and various great bodhisattvas were dispatched to him. When he preached the Wisdom Sutra, he covered the major world system with his long tongue, and a thousand Buddhas appeared in the ten directions. When he preached the Golden Light (43) Sutra, the four Buddhas appeared in the four directions, and when he preached the Amida Sutra, the Buddhas (44) of the six directions covered the major world system with their tongues. And when he preached the Great Collection Sutra, the Buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions gathered in the Great Treasure Chamber.


Notes:

38. Immeasurable Meanings Sutra, regarded as an introduction to the Lotus Sutra.
39. Lotus Sutra, chap. 11.
40. Ibid., chap. 21.
41. Ibid., chap. 22.
42. This indicates the preaching of the Flower Garland Sutra.
43. The four Buddhas are Akshobhya (east), Jewel Sign (south), Infinite Life (west), and Subtle and Wonderful Voice (north).
44. The six directions refer to east, west, north, south, up, and down.

(to be continued from pg. 231)

 

[SoCal Hippy]

Thus it seemed that I could not possibly escape with my life. Whatever
the design of the heavenly gods in the matter may have been, every
single steward and Nembutsu believer worthy of the name kept strict
watch on my hut day and night, determined to prevent anyone from
communicating with me. Never in any lifetime will I forget how in
those circumstance you, with Abutsu-bo carrying a wooden container of
food on his back, came in the night again and again to bring me aid.

(WND, 932-33)
The Sutra of True Requital
Written to the lay nun Sennichi on July 28, 1278

from "Daily Wisdom - from the writings of Nichiren Daishonin"

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Opening of the Eyes / WND pg. 220 (continued)

The Opening of the Eyes / WND pg. 220 (continued)

But when we compare the auspicious signs that accompanied these sutras with those accompanying the Lotus Sutra, we find that they are like a yellow stone compared to gold, a white cloud to a white mountain, ice to a silver mirror, or the color black to the color blue - the bleary-eyed, the squint-eyed, the one-eyed, and the wrong-viewed will be likely to confuse them.

Since the Flower Garland Sutra was the first sutra to be preached, there were no previous words of the Buddha for it to contradict, and so it naturally raised no doubts. In the case of the Great Collection Sutra, the Larger Wisdom Sutra, the Golden Light Sutra, and the Amida Sutra, the Buddha, in order to censure the ideal of the two vehicles demonstrated in the various Hinayana sutras, described the pure lands of the ten directions, and thereby inspired ordinary people and bodhisattvas to aspire to attain them. Thus he caused the persons of the two vehicles to feel confounded and vexed.

Again, because there are certain differences between the Hinayana sutras and the Mahayana sutras mentioned above, we find that in some cases Buddhas appeared in the ten directions, in others great bodhisattvas were dispatched from the ten directions, or it was made clear that the particular sutra was expounded in the worlds of the ten directions, or that various Buddha came from the ten directions to meet in assembly. In some cases, it was said that Shakyamuni Buddha covered the major world system with his tongue, while in others it was the various Buddhas who put forth their tongues. All of these statements are intended to combat the view expounded in the Hinayana sutras that in the worlds of the ten directions there is only one Buddha.

But in the case of the Lotus Sutra, it differs so greatly from the previous Mahayana sutras that Shariputra and the other voice-hearers, the great bodhisattvas, and the various human and heavenly beings, when they heard the Buddha preach it, were led to think, "Is this not a devil pretending to be the (45) Buddha?" And yet those bleary-eyed men of the Flower Garland, Dharma Characteristics, Three Treatises, True Word, and Nembutsu schools all seem to think that their own particular sutras are exactly the same as the Lotus Sutra. That is what I call wretched perception indeed!

While the Buddha was still in this world, there were undoubtedly those who set aside the sutras he had taught during the first forty and more years of his teaching life and embraced the Lotus Sutra. But after he passed away, it must have been difficult to find persons who would open and read this sutra and accept its teachings. To begin with, the sutras preached earlier run to countless words, while the Lotus Sutra is limited in length. The earlier sutras are numerous, but the Lotus Sutra is no more than a single work. The earlier sutras were preached over a period of many years, but the Lotus Sutra was preached in a mere eight years.

Moreover, the Buddha, as we have seen, has been called the great liar, and therefore one can hardly be expected to believe his words. If one makes a great effort to believe the unbelievable, one can perhaps bring oneself to believe in the earlier sutras but not in the Lotus Sutra. The people today appear to believe in the Lotus Sutra, but in fact they do not really believe in it. The reason is this: When someone assures them that the Lotus Sutra is the same as the Mahavairochana Sutra, or that it is the same as the Flower Garland Sutra or the Amida Sutra, they are pleased and place their faith in this person. If someone tells them that the Lotus Sutra is completely different from all the other sutras, they will not listen to him, or even if they should listen, they would not think that the person was really speaking the truth.

Nichiren has this to say. It is now over seven hundred years since Buddhism was introduced to Japan. During that time, only the Great Teacher Dengyo truly understood the Lotus Sutra, but no one is willing to heed this fact that Nichiren has been teaching. It is just as the Lotus Sutra says: "If you were to seize Mount Sumeru and fling it far off to the measureless Buddha lands, that too would not be difficult. . . . But if after the Buddha has entered extinction, in the time of evil, you can preach this sutra, that will be (46) difficult indeed!"

The powerful assertions I am putting forward are in complete accord with the sutra itself. But as the Nirvana Sutra, which is intended to propagate the Lotus Sutra, states: in the defiled times of the latter age, those who slander the correct teaching will be as numerous as the specks of dirt in all the lands of the ten directions, while those who uphold the correct teaching will be as few as the specks of dirt that can be placed on a fingernail. What do you think of that? Would you say that the people of Japan can be squeezed into the space of a fingernail? Would you say that I, Nichiren, occupy the ten directions? Consider the matter carefully.

In the reign of a worthy ruler, what is reasonable will prevail, but when a foolish ruler reigns, then what is un-reasonable will have supremacy. One should understand that, in similar fashion, when a sage is in the world, then the true significance of the Lotus Sutra will become apparent.

In my remarks here, I have been contrasting the early sutras with the theoretical teaching of the Lotus Sutra, and it would appear as though the early sutras are in a position to prevail. But if they really win out over the theoretical teaching, then it means that Shariputra and the other persons of the two vehicles will never be able to attain Buddhahood. That would surely be lamentable!

Notes:

45. Lotus Sutra, chap. 3.
46. Ibid., chap. 11.

(to be continued from pg.233)

 

[PassTheDoobie]

(In reference to my post at the top of this page

(In reference to my post at the top of this page

dharani (Skt)
[陀羅尼] (Jpn.: darani)

A formula said to protect those who recite it and to benefit them by virtue of its mysterious power. The word dharani literally means to preserve and uphold [the Buddha's teachings in one's heart]. Dharaniis rendered in Chinese Buddhist scriptures as "all-retaining" or "able to retain." One who upholds and recites a dharaniis believed not only to remember all of the Buddha's teachings and never to forget them, but also to deflect evil influences. Dharanis are recited in Sanskrit, and some have no known meaning. They are especially valued in Esoteric Buddhism.

From source: The Soka Gakkai Dictionary of Buddhism

 

[Babbabud]

This is cool

This is cool

Great page
http://www.sgi-usa.org/buddhism/library/Nichiren/Gohonzon/meaning.htm

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Opening of the Eyes / WND pg. 220 (continued)

The Opening of the Eyes / WND pg. 220 (continued)

I turn now to the second important (47) teaching of the Lotus Sutra. Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, was born in the kalpa of continuance, in the ninth period of decrease, when the span of human life measured a hundred years. He was the grandson of King Simhahanu and the son and heir of King Shuddhodana. As a boy he was known as Crown Prince Siddhartha, or the Bodhisattva All Goals Achieved. At the age of nineteen he left his family, and at thirty he attained enlightenment. At his place of enlightenment, the World-Honored One first revealed the ceremony of Vairochana Buddha of the Lotus Treasury World, a Land of Actual Reward, and expounded the ten mysteries, the six forms, the perfect interfusion of all things, and the subtle and wonderful great teaching for immediate attainment of the ultimate fruit. At that time the Buddhas of the ten directions appeared on the scene, and all the bodhisattvas gathered about like clouds. In view of the place where Shakyamuni preached, the capacity of the listeners, the presence of the Buddhas, and the fact that it was the first sermon, is there any reason the Buddha could have concealed or held back the great doctrine? Therefore, the Flower Garland Sutra says, "He displayed his power freely and expounded a sutra of perfection and fullness."

The work, which consists of sixty volumes, is indeed a sutra of perfection and fullness in its every character and stroke. It may be compared to the wish-granting jewel that, though it is a single jewel, is the equal of countless such jewels. For the single jewel can rain down ten thousand treasures, which are equal to the treasures brought forth by ten thousand jewels. In the same way, one character of the Flower Garland Sutra is equal to ten thousand characters. The passage that expounds the identity of "the mind, the Buddha, and all living beings" represents the core not only of Flower Garland teachings, but of the teachings of the Dharma Characteristics, Three Treatises, True Word, and Tendai schools as well.

In such a superb sutra, how could there be any truths that are hidden from the hearer? And yet we find the sutra declaring that persons of the two vehicles and icchantikas can never attain Buddhahood. Here is the flaw in the jewel. Moreover, in three places the sutra speaks of Shakyamuni Buddha as attaining enlightenment for the first time in this world. It thus hides the fact that Shakyamuni Buddha actually attained enlightenment in the remote past, as revealed in the "Life Span" chapter of the Lotus Sutra. Thus, the Flower Garland Sutra is in fact a chipped jewel, a moon veiled in clouds, a sun in eclipse. A strange thing indeed!

The sutras of the Agama, Correct and Equal, and Wisdom periods, such as the Mahavairochana Sutra, since they were expounded by the Buddha, are splendid works, and yet they cannot begin to compare with the Flower Garland Sutra. Therefore, one could hardly expect that doctrines concealed even in the Flower Garland Sutra would be revealed in these sutras. Thus we find that the Miscellaneous Agama Sutra speaks of Shakyamuni Buddha as having attained the way for the first time in his present existence; the Great Collection Sutra says, "It is sixteen years since the Thus Come One first attained the way"; and the Vimalakirti Sutra states, "For the first time the Buddha sat beneath the bodhi tree and through his might conquered the devil." Likewise, the Mahavairochana Sutra describes the Buddha's enlightenment as having taken place "long ago when I sat in the place of meditation," and the Benevolent Kings Wisdom Sutra refers to it as an event of "twenty-nine years" in the past.

It is hardly surprising that these sutras should speak in this fashion. But there is something that is an astonishment to both the ear and the eye. This is the fact that the Immeasurable Meanings Sutra also speaks in the same way. In the Immeasurable Meanings Sutra, the Buddha denies the great doctrines, such as the Flower Garland Sutra concept of the phenomenal world as created by the mind alone, the concept of the ocean-imprint meditation set forth in the sutras of the Correct and Equal period, and the Wisdom Sutra concept of mutual identification and non-duality, when he declares, "I have not yet revealed the truth." The Immeasurable Meanings Sutra regards the practices taught in the previous sutras as practices that require many kalpas to complete. However, the same sutra says, "In the past I sat upright in the place of meditation for six years under the bodhi tree and was able to gain supreme perfect enlightenment," using the same type of language as the Flower Garland Sutra, the first sutra Shakyamuni preached after his enlightenment, when it talks of the Buddha having attained enlightenment for the first time in this world.

Strange as this may seem, we may suppose that, since the Immeasurable Meanings Sutra is intended to serve as an introduction to the Lotus Sutra, it deliberately refrains from speaking about doctrines to be revealed in the Lotus Sutra itself. But when we turn to the Lotus Sutra, we find that, in the sections where the Buddha discusses in both concise and expanded form the replacement of the three vehicles with the one vehicle, he says, "The true aspect of all phenomena can only be understood and shared between Buddhas (48)," "The World-Honored One has long expounded his doctrines [and now must reveal the truth]," and "Honestly discarding expedient means, [I will preach only the unsurpassed way]." Moreover, Many Treasures Buddha testifies to the verity of the eight (49) chapters of the theoretical teaching, declaring that these are all true. We would suppose, therefore, that in them there would be nothing held back or concealed. Nevertheless, the Buddha hides the fact that he attained enlightenment countless kalpas ago, for he says, "I first sat in the place of meditation and gazed at the tree and walked (50) around it." This is surely the most astounding fact of all.

In the "Emerging from the Earth" chapter, a multitude of bodhisattvas who had not been seen previously in the more than forty years of the Buddha's preaching life suddenly appear, and the Buddha says, "I taught and converted them, and caused them for the first time to set their minds on the way." Bodhisattva Maitreya, puzzled by this announcement, says: "[World-Honored One], when the Thus Come One was crown prince, you left the palace of the Shakyas and sat in the place of meditation not far from the city of Gaya, and there attained supreme perfect enlightenment. Barely forty years or more have passed since then. World-Honored One, how in that short time could you have accomplished so much work as a Buddha?"

Notes:

47. The revelation that Shakyamuni Buddha attained enlightenment countless kalpas in the past. This appears in the "Life Span" chapter of the essential teaching of the Lotus Sutra. The first important teaching is that persons of the two vehicles can attain Buddhahood. This is explained in the theoretical teaching of the Lotus Sutra.
48. Lotus Sutra, chap. 2. In this chapter Shakyamuni expounded the ten factors to indicate that all people are endowed with the Buddha nature; this provided a theoretical basis for the assertion that all people can become Buddhas. Later in the same chapter Shakyamuni declares that all the teachings he expounded serve to reveal the one vehicle leading all to Buddhahood.
49. The eight chapters from the "Expedient Means" (2nd) chapter to the "Prophecies" (9th) chapter.
50. Lotus Sutra, chap. 2.

(to be continued from pg. 235)