The fact that Nichiren became enlightened proves that even the multitude, in these Last Days of the Great Law, can get free from all evils and reach the self-same goal. Indeed, to attempt to be a Nichiren and a Sakyamuni should be the first motive of all who believe in our doctrines, and carry their self-reliance to the furthest possible point.
Doctrines of Nichiren (1893)Monthly Archives: August 2018
The Buddha’s Promise
We may get tired or discouraged along the way, but remember the story of the magic city. The Buddha assures us, we have his promise that we cannot fail if we continue to exert ourselves.
If we continue to practice the Lotus Sutra we can establish within our lives the indestructible condition of enlightenment just as we are.
Lotus Path: Practicing the Lotus Sutra Volume 1Daily Dharma – Aug. 20, 2018
Provisional teachings today are enemies of the True Dharma. If provisional teachings stand in your way as you try to spread the One Vehicle teaching of the Lotus Sutra, you should thoroughly refute them. Of the two ways of propagation, this is the aggressive way of the Lotus Sutra.
Nichiren wrote this passage in his Treatise on the True Way of Practicing the Teaching of the Buddha (Nyosetsu Shugyō-shō). We notice in this passage that his instruction is to refute the provisional teachings and not attack those who are attached to them. Even if those whose teachings we challenge become angry and violent, we can understand that we did not cause this reaction. This is one reason the Lotus Sūtra is so difficult. By keeping a mind of compassion we can maintain our respect for others even when we disagree with them. They too are going to become Buddhas, and we are benefiting them, even if they reject our help.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
The Logic of 3000 Realms and a Missionary Life
It has taken me a week to go through the hour-long recording of last week’s adult study class and the sermon that followed the service. While that does disappoint me, the purpose here is to make the information available. Even a week later.
I have seen many diagrams of the concept of Ichinen Sanzen (this, for example) but Rev. Igarashi’s offered an excellent starting place for what he described as “The logic of Ichinen Sanzen. The theory of Ichinen Sanzen. Noumenon. A kind of study.” It was not, he stressed, a deep exploration of the topic.
“Today I just explain the logic of Ichinen Sanzen,” Rev. Igarashi begain. “We already know the 10 realms – Buddha, Bodhisattva, Pratyekabuddha, Śrāvaka, Heavingly Beings, Man, Asura, Animals, Hungry Spirits, and Hell. So this is the 10 realms.”
He then walked though the chart showing how each realm contains the other realms.
“The Buddha – his mind, his spirit, his action – all the time everything is in Buddha,” he explained. “Nichiren Shonin, his actions all the time Bodhisattva. He has Buddha nature too. The Pratyekabuddha — also Engaku — he is walking all the time in Pratyekabuddha mind and action. Also Śrāvaka walking all the time in Śrāvaka world, Śrāvaka spirit. These are the four enlightened worlds. Before Lotus Sutra the Pratyekabuddha and Śrāvaka they never become Buddha. Then in the Lotus Sutra they also are kind of enlightened people. That’s why some day they are going to get enlightenment in the Buddha world.”
The grid of 10 realms by 10 realms creates a 100-realm matrix. Within each of these 100 realms, are the 10 suchnesses outlined in Chapter 2 of the Lotus Sutra:
- Nyoze-sō, or appearances as such,
- Nyoze-Shō, or natures as such,
- Nyoze-tai, or entities as such,
- Nyoze-riki, or powers as such,
- Nyoze-sa, or activities as such,
- Nyoze-in, or primary causes as such,
- Nyoze-en, or environmental causes as such,
- Nyoze-ka, or effects as such,
- Nyoze-hō, or rewards and retributions as such,
- Nyoze-honmatsu-kukyō-tō, or equality as such despite these differences.
“So we develop in the mother’s body we make forms little by little,” Rev. Igarashi explained. “Little by little make forms. Then born from the mother. At that time their nature already exists as humans. After growing the body like humans – embodiment. If body growning and got muscle. If we have got muscle we can do anything. You want to do anything. Then make functions notions. This is very important because if you make functions and our actions make cause. Cause makes condition. And condition make effect. If you make good action then you get good retribution.”
Applying the 10 suchnesses to the 100 realms produces 1000 things at any single moment.
“These 1000 things are not limited to only humans,” Rev. Igarashi explained.
At this point I’m going to borrow from the Lotus Seeds explanation of how these 1000 things are universally applicable:
The 1,000 worlds resulting from the multiplication of the one hundred worlds with the ten factors are made universal by the Three Realms. The Three Realms consist of the individual, who is composed of the Five Aggregates (form, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness); the community of all beings, who are transmigrating through the Ten Worlds; and the land in which they all live. These Three Realms show that the one thousand worlds are present in and manifest themselves through all things without exception. That is, the possibilities that they point to are possessed by individuals, societies, and even non-human and inanimate phenomena.
“Everything has 3000 things,” said Rev. Igarashi. “So that’s why we have to worry about our actions. We are men. Or spirit is men. But we also find some time we’ll make an action in anger, or like hungry spirit – wanting more, more, more, or our actions will be like hell. That’s why we have to be careful. We try to make our actions like a Bodhisattvas or Buddha. If our action is Buddha or Bodhisattvas we can make good actions. That’s why Nichiren Shonin said, If you want to know your future life watch your present life. If you want to know your previous life, watch your present life because your present life makes your future life and your previous life makes your present life. …
“This is only the logic of the 3000 realms, the logic of Ichinen Sanzen, only study. Nichiren Shonin said that the phenomena of Ichinen Sanzen is Namu Myoho Renge Kyo. Everything is contained in Namu Myoho Renge Kyo. That’s why if you chant Namu Myoho Renge Kyo your spirit already understand Ichinen Sanzen. When we chant Namu Myoho Renge Kyo our actions automatically become good actions. …
“The logic of Ichinen Sanzen comes from Tendai. But we need to more than just understand. You must understand in your life, in your practice. Your practice is more important.
“This is not deep. This is just a shallow study. If everyone understand fine. So if you only understand a little bit that’s fine. Only chant Namu Myoho Renge Kyo. The phenomenon of Ichinen Sanzen is more important.”
Rev. Igarashi’s sermon was in response to the passing of a priest who had returned to secular life.
Rev. Igarashi explained that he came from a lay family. He’s explained before that many young priests are the children of priests and have been raised to be priests. He, instead, had to study and pray.
“I asked Nichiren Shonin to please give me a minister’s job. When I was at Minobusan College student I visited Nichiren Shonin’s grave site all the time and prayed and chanted Namu Myoho Renge Kyo every day. Then after that I transferred to Rissho University and graduated. Then I joined the 100-day ascetic practice.
“During the ascetic practice the first time it’s very hard. No sleeping time. No food. No clothes. Almost nothing. And it is held during the wintertime so it’s very cold. Only food twice a day. Only rice porridge and some pickles. Everybody hungry. Everyone kind of like hungry spirit. For 100 days I just pray the same thing: If I can continue to minister job, please give me a minister’s job, otherwise if I change mind to turn to a secular life, please take my life during ascetic practice 100 days. …
“After 80 days I had fasted for one week. No food. Only water. So it’s very hard because I have to do everything with the other ministers – chanting, pouring water seven times a day. No sleeping time. …
When Rev. Igarashi found himself still alive after a week’s fasting, he took it as a sign.
“So that’s why I thought maybe I had some kind of minister’s job. Then after that I finished my 100 days ascetic practice. …
“Someone told me, Why don’t you go overseas? At the time my master was still young so that’s why I thought I would go overseas to the United States for three or four years. I told my master that after three or four years I would come back to Japan and help him.
A lot of things happened in California that prevented his return to Japan.
“So that’s why my master get angry,” he said. “So that’s why I was excommunicated.”
Rev. Igarashi began this sermon mentioning that he came to Los Angeles and something happened, and so he moved to San Francisco. Something happened there but he stayed there until he finally came to Sacramento. Always in his mind was the thought that he would return to Japan and return to secular life.
“I had a lot of chances to return to secular life, but I did not. I became a minister and I prayed, Give me my missionary job. I thought this is my missionary job. That’s why I just continued my missionary work. …
“So that’s why I have been here for over 43 years in the United States. Otherwise I think I’d return to secular life like other ministers. It’s a bit hard. The missionary job in the United States. But I pray and maybe Nichiren Shonin, and Śākyamuni Buddha and the protective Deities all the time support me. That’s why I’m here. …
“Please continue to pray. If you pray all the time Śākyamuni Buddha and Nichiren Shonin and the Deities will guide you and protect you. So please continue your practice of Nichiren Buddhism.”
Day 15
Day 15 concludes Chapter 10, The Teacher of the Dharma, and opens Chapter 11, Beholding the Stūpa of Treasures.
Having last month concluded today’s portion of Chapter 10, The Teacher of the Dharma, we witness the arrival of the Stupa of Treasures.
Thereupon a stupa of the seven treasures sprang up from underground and hung in the sky before the Buddha. The stupa was five hundred yojanas high and two hundred and fifty yojanas wide and deep. lt was adorned with various treasures. It was furnished with five thousand railings and ten million chambers. It was adorned with innumerable banners and streamers, from which jeweled necklaces and billions of jeweled bells were hanging down. The fragrance of tamalapattra and candana was sent forth from the four sides of the stupa to all the corners of the world. Many canopies, adorned with streamers, and made of the seven treasures-gold, silver, lapis lazuli, shell, agate, pearl and ruby were hanging in the sky [one upon another from the top of the stupa] up to the [heaven of the] palaces of the four heavenly-kings. The thirty-three gods offered a rain of heavenly mandārava-flowers to the stupa of treasures. Thousands of billions of living beings, including the other gods, dragons, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, mahoragas, men and nonhuman beings, also offered flowers, incense, necklaces, streamers, canopies and music to the stupa of treasures, venerated the stupa, honored it, and praised it.
Thereupon a loud voice of praise was heard from within the stupa of treasures:
“Excellent, excellent! You, Śākyamuni, the World-Honored One, have expounded to this great multitude the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma, the Teaching of Equality, the Great Wisdom, the Dharma for Bodhisattvas, the Dharma Upheld by the Buddhas. So it is, so it is. What you, Śākyamuni, the World-Honored One, have expounded is all true.”
The Daily Dharma from April 3, 2018, offers this:
Thereupon a loud voice of praise was heard from within the stūpa of treasures: “Excellent, excellent! You, Śākyamuni, the World-Honored One, have expounded to this great multitude the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma, the Teaching of Equality, the Great Wisdom, the Dharma for Bodhisattvas, the Dharma Upheld by the Buddhas. So it is, so it is. What you, Śākyamuni, the World-Honored One, have expounded is all true.”
This declaration comes from Many-Treasures Buddha (Tahō, Prabhutaratna) at the beginning of Chapter Eleven of the Lotus Sūtra. In the story, Many-Treasures came from a world far away from this world of conflict when he heard the Buddha giving his highest teaching and appeared in a tower (stūpa) of wonderful treasures to confirm the truth of this teaching. By the Teaching of Equality, he means that all beings can become enlightened through this teaching. By the Great Wisdom, he means that the teaching is the same as the Buddha’s own mind. By the Dharma for Bodhisattvas, he means that to receive this teaching we awaken to our natures to benefit all beings. And by the Dharma Upheld by the Buddhas, he means that all Buddhas in all worlds encourage and help those who practice this sūtra.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Judging Coarse or Subtle
Chih-i’s endeavor to judge the coarse or the subtle is seen in every part of his discussion of the Four Teachings. However, one ought not to mistake the means as the end. The distinction of the coarse and the subtle is the means for Chih-i to confirm various types of the teaching of the Buddha as legitimate and coherent. This is because, Chih-i repeatedly claims that regardless of whether it is coarse or subtle teaching, all of the teachings of the Buddha are suitable to the circumstances and to the capabilities of listeners with the real intention of the Buddha to enlighten all sentient beings. Given that Chih-i never dwells on any fixed view (which reflects the flexible and comprehensive nature of his perfect and harmonizing philosophy) while confirming the existence of all types of the teaching of the Buddha, Chih-i also vehemently stresses the superiority of the subtle teaching of the Perfect in relation to the other coarse teachings, so that the Ultimate Truth can be eventually realized through the Perfect Teaching. (Page 65)
The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra: Tien-tai Philosophy of BuddhismThree Types of Learning
These three types of learning are precepts, concentration, and wisdom. Precepts (or morality) are for the sake of correctly training mind and body and establishing correct physical and mental habits. Concentration, or meditation, is for the sake of spiritual unification after the mind and body have been properly trained. It produces a state in which the mind is as clear as a mirror and as still as the surface of an undisturbed body of water. Correct wisdom, reached when this kind of spiritual unification has been attained, makes possible correct judgments and suitable actions. In the light of this progression, the order for training and attainment in the three types of learning is this: precepts, concentration, and wisdom.
But, since the three types of learning correspond to three aspects of the human spirit—intellect (wisdom), emotion (concentration), and volition (precepts)—and since all three of these exist simultaneously as parts of the human spirit, the three kinds of learning, too, are not independent of each other but form a unity. From this viewpoint, there is no question of precedence among them. Nonetheless, for the sake of attainment of the states toward which the three kinds of learning are directed, the order precepts, concentration, and wisdom is reasonable.
The Beginnings of BuddhismThe Ideal Aim of Buddhist Perfection
Thus the whole realm of existence is nothing but a stage of “mutual participation” of beings and their conditions, a grand harmony of all possible instruments glorifying in unison the fundamental oneness of existence.
In the light of this world-view, the ideal aim of Buddhist perfection consists in the full realization, on the part of every one, of the Buddha-nature, or in the participation of our life in Buddha’s purpose and work. For Buddha-nature is universally and primordially inherent even in existences of the utmost viciousness, and all of them can be elevated to Buddhahood. Indeed, mankind stands midway between Buddha, the Supreme Enlightened, and the most degraded infernal being, and, therefore, has the possibility of advancing further on the way to Buddhahood or of descending to the beasts or to the nethermost purgatories or hells. Hence the task of man consists in comprehending the truth of the all-pervading Buddha-nature and of mutual participation working throughout the realms of existence, especially the truth of the interaction and interdependence of different beings and their qualities, functions, and so on.
History of Japanese ReligionDaily Dharma – Aug. 19, 2018
Those who read the Lotus Sutra, therefore, should not regard it as consisting of merely written words. The words are the mind of the Buddha.
Nichiren wrote this passage in his Treatise on Opening the Eyes of Buddhist Images, Wooden Statues or Portraits (Mokue Nizō Kaigen no Koto). Here he reminds us of how words affect each of us differently, and even the same person is affected differently in different parts of their life. If we become dogmatically fixed on a single meaning of the Buddha’s highest teaching, and do not continue to indulge our curiosity about the Buddha’s mind, we miss the point.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Day 14
Day 14 covers all of Chapter 9, The Assurance of Future Buddhahood of the Śrāvakas Who Have Something More to Learn and the Śrāvakas Who Have Nothing More to Learn, and opens Chapter 10, The Teacher of the Dharma.
Having last month heard Śākyamuni’s prediction for Rāhula, we repeat in gāthās:
Thereupon the World-Honored One, wishing to repeat what he had said, sang in gāthās:
When I was a crown prince,
Rāhula was my eldest son.
When I attained the enlightenment of the Buddha,
He received the Dharma, and became the son of the Dharma.In his future life he will see
Many hundreds of millions of Buddhas,
Become the eldest son of those Buddhas, and seek
The enlightenment of the Buddha with all his heart.Only I know his secret practices.
He shows himself
To all living beings
In the form of my eldest son.He has many thousands of billions of merits.
His merits are countless.
He dwells peacefully in the Dharma of the Buddha,
And seeks unsurpassed enlightenment.
The Daily Dharma from March 9, 2018, offers this:
Only I know his secret practices.
He shows himself
To all living beings
In the form of my eldest son.
The Buddha sings these verses in Chapter Nine of the Lotus Sūtra, speaking of Rāhula, the son born to him and his wife Yaśodharā before he left his life as a crown prince to seek enlightenment. In his highest teaching, the Buddha reminds us of our vows as Bodhisattvas to come into this world of conflict to benefit all beings. In the preoccupations that come with this life, we can forget these vows; they become a secret even to us. When we hear this Sūtra, we are reminded that we are the dear children of the Dharma, and that enlightenment is our rightful inheritance.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com