Two Buddhas, p199-200[I]n another extravagant illustration of the Lotus Sūtra’s inconceivable liberative powers, the Buddha asks his hearers to imagine that one person, hearing the Lotus Sūtra, rejoices and teaches it to another, who similarly rejoices and teaches it to another, and so on. The merit gained by the fiftieth person in succession on merely hearing the sūtra and rejoicing in its message, Śākyamuni says, is incalculably, inconceivably greater than that of someone who over an eighty-year period first gives immeasurable gifts to beings in billions of worlds and then leads them to the liberation of an arhat.
Today we are inclined to read these statements with attention to their rhetorical function in “constructing” the Lotus Sūtra as inconceivably wonderful. Nichiren and his contemporaries, however, would not have seen this as a rhetorical device. For them, the sūtras faithfully recorded the words of the Buddha, who is by definition both omniscient and free from falsehood. In short, they were statements of literal truth. “What other sūtra,” Nichiren asks, “teaches that incalculable merit accrues to one who arouses even a single thought of willing acceptance, or to the fiftieth person who rejoices upon hearing it? Other sūtras do not claim such merit for even the first, second, third, or tenth hearer, let alone the fiftieth!”
As he had with the notions of the first stage of faith and the first stage of practice that are based on the “Description of Merits” chapter, Nichiren employed the analogy of “transmission to the fiftieth person” from the “Merits of Joyful Acceptance” chapter to counter claims from Pure Land devotees that the Lotus Sūtra, being extremely profound, was too difficult to practice for deluded persons of the Final Dharma age. If ease of practice were to be a criterion, he said, no practice could be easier than spontaneously rejoicing on hearing the Lotus Sūtra. Nichiren argued that, far from excluding the ignorant, it is precisely because the Lotus Sūtra is so profound that it can save beings of any capacity whatsoever. In this connection, he often cited Zhanran’s remark: “The more true the teaching, the lower the capacity [of the persons it can bring to liberation.]” However limited one’s capacity might be, that person is ennobled by their Lotus Sūtra practice. Therefore, Nichiren wrote, his followers were not to be despised: “If one looks into their past, they are great bodhisattvas who have made offerings for eight billion eons to buddhas numerous as the sands of the Hiraṇyavatī and Ganges rivers. And in terms of the future, they will be endowed with the merit of the fiftieth person [to hear the sūtra], which surpasses that of one who gives gifts to incalculable sentient beings for a period of eighty years. They are like a crown prince wrapped in swaddling clothes or a newborn dragon. Do not look down on them. Do not hold them in contempt!”
Monthly Archives: October 2019
Saichō’s Grand Plan
During the last years of his life, Saichō focused his attention on the precepts, the most basic element of the threefold learning (precepts, meditation, wisdom). He believed that if he could purge all Hinayāna elements from the precepts, he would eliminate a major reason why Tendai monks backslid in their practice and defected from the Tendai School. Saichō intended his reforms of monastic discipline and administration to be the first and most basic step in his program to reformulate all the practices of his school so that they would reflect the doctrines of the Perfect teaching. In addition to reforming the precepts, Saichō probably intended to revise the traditional Tendai meditation and doctrinal systems, possibly by supplementing them with Esoteric practices and teachings. However, he died before he could complete his plans.
Saichō: The Establishment of the Japanese Tendai School, p204Protection for the Practicer of the Lotus Sūtra
I, Nichiren, believe that as soon as the practicer of the Lotus Sūtra appears, all those gods such as the Sun God and the Moon God, who heard the preaching of the Lotus in the “three meetings at two places” (on Mt. Sacred Eagle and in the Stupa appearing high in the sky) will hurry to his aid just as a magnet attracts pieces of iron and the moon reflects itself on the water. They will bear his difficulties and carry out the vows they made before the Buddha at those meetings. Nevertheless, they have not come to rescue me, Nichiren. Is it because I am not a practicer of the Lotus Sūtra? I must reconsider the sūtra in the light of my own background in order to see what is wrong with me.
Kaimoku-shō, Open Your Eyes to the Lotus Teaching, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 81
Daily Dharma – Oct. 23, 2019
Sometimes he chided him, saying:
“Work hard!”
At other times he coaxed him, saying:
“I will treat you as my son.”
These verses are part of the story of the Wayward Son told by Subhūti, Mahā-Kātyāyana, Mahā-Kāśyapa, and Mahā-Maudgalyāyana in Chapter Four of the Lotus Sūtra. The son in the story has become attached to his lowly existence. The father must teach him slowly with expedients to prepare him to come into his inheritance. The story explains the disciples’ understanding of how the Buddha uses expedients to prepare us to aspire for enlightenment. The Buddha leads each of us differently, and as we progress in our wisdom, he changes how he teaches us. All this is preparation for us to come into the Buddha’s own mind and enjoy his wisdom.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Day 22
Day 22 covers all of Chapter 17, The Variety of Merits.
Having last month heard the merits received by those who heard of the duration of the Buddha’s life, consider the reaction of the gods to this announcement.
When the Buddha said that these Bodhisattva-mahāsattva had obtained the great benefits of the Dharma, [the gods) in heaven rained mandārava-flowers and mahā-mandārava-flowers on the many hundreds of thousands of billions of Buddhas sitting on the lion-like seats under the jeweled trees. They also rained those flowers on [the two Buddhas:] Many-Treasures Tathāgata, who had passed away a long time ago, and Śākyamuni Buddha, both of whom were sitting on the lion-like seat in the stupa of the seven treasures. They also rained those flowers on the great Bodhisattvas’ and the four kinds of devotees. They also rained the fine powder of the incense of candana and aloes [on them). Heavenly drums automatically sounded wonderful and deep in the sky. [The gods] also rained thousands of heavenly garments and hung many necklaces made of pearls, mani gems or free-at-will gems over the nine quarters. They also burned priceless incense which was put in incense-burners of many treasures. The incense-burners automatically went around the great congregation, and the odor of the incense was offered to all the members of the congregation. Above each of the Buddhas [sitting under the trees), Bodhisattvas lined up vertically one upon another to the Heaven of Brahman, holding canopies and streamers. They praised the Buddhas, singing innumerable verses with their wonderful voices.
The Practice Appropriate to the Final Dharma Age
Two Buddhas, p194The first part of Chapter Seventeen is counted as part of the “one chapter and two halves” that constitute the “main exposition” section of the origin teaching. The remainder of the chapter (from “At that time the Buddha addressed bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya … ,” (245) speaks of the merits to be gained after the Buddha’s parinirvāṇa and thus begins the “dissemination” section of the origin teaching. Nichiren drew on this chapter and the next to support his fundamental assertion that chanting Namu Myōhō-renge-kyō is the practice appropriate to the Final Dharma age and contains all possible merit — indeed, the whole of the Buddhist path — within itself.
Saichō’s Efforts at Revealing and Harmonizing
Some modern Tendai scholars such as Fukuda Gyōei and Kimura Shūshō have suggested that Saichō’s proposal that the Ssu fen lü ordination be used as an expedient was primarily a conciliatory gesture to the Nara monks. They have argued that once circumstances changed, the Tendai School could abandon provisional Hinayāna ordinations without violating Saichō’s proposals.
Their position ignored an important aspect of Saichō’s thought. In making his proposals, Saichō may also have been trying to reconcile some differences between his plan and the position of the Chinese Tien t’ai School. Chih-i and Chan-jan had maintained that if a candidate received the Hinayāna precepts with a Mahāyāna mind, he could observe those precepts as a Mahāyāna practitioner. Since the Ssu fen lü precepts ultimately were devised to lead people to Buddhahood, they potentially revealed that final goal. This explanation was called the kaie (revealing and harmonizing) interpretation of the precepts.
The term kaie refers to the One-vehicle teaching of the Lotus Sūtra. According to this teaching the Buddha’s statements about the Three Vehicles in other sūtras can all be revealed to be in harmony with the teaching of the one ultimate vehicle which leads to Buddhahood. Chih-i used the principle of kaie as a basic mode in his classifications of the Buddha’s teachings. All of the Buddha’s teachings, even Hinayāna doctrines, pointed towards and could be shown to potentially contain the Buddha’s final teaching, which was fully revealed in the Lotus Sūtra. When this teaching was applied to the precepts, it resulted in a rationale that enabled monks who considered themselves to be Mahāyāna Buddhists to observe the Ssu fen lü precepts. Although the precepts had Hinayāna origins, they could still be observed by Mahāyāna monks because they ultimately pointed towards Buddhahood.
Saichō: The Establishment of the Japanese Tendai School, p199-200Medicine Suitable to the Condition of the Patient
Our Compassionate Father, the Greatly Awakened and World Honored One, appeared in this world in Central India when the life span of human beings was 100 years and spent His life preaching the holy teachings for all living beings. All living beings during the lifetime of the Buddha were closely related to the Buddha due to the accumulated merit of their virtuous deeds in the past. Therefore, they were able to attain Buddhahood during the lifetime of the Buddha. For the sake of those living after the passing of the Buddha, however, the Buddha expressed His 84,000 holy teachings in writing, giving Hinayāna sūtras to Honorable Kāśyapa and Mahāyāna sūtras including the Lotus Sūtra and Nirvana Sūtra to Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī to be spread among living beings after the passing of the Buddha.
However, the five characters of Myō, Hō, Ren, Ge, and Kyō, which are the essence of the 84,000 holy teachings and the primary object of the Lotus Sūtra, were entrusted neither to Kāśyapa nor Ānanda. They were not given to great bodhisattvas such as Mañjuśrī, Samantabhadra, Avalokiteśvara, Maitreya, Earth Repository, or Nāgārjuna. They were all anxious to receive the five characters from the Buddha but their request was denied. Śākyamuni Buddha in a Stupa decorated with the seven treasures instead called out an elder named Superior Practice Bodhisattva from the bottom of the earth and gave him the five characters of Myō, Hō, Ren, Ge, and Kyō before the Buddha of Many Treasures and Buddhas in manifestation coming from all the worlds throughout the universe.
Why did Śākyamuni Buddha do this? All living beings after the passing of the Buddha are considered the same dear children to Śākyamuni Buddha. According to the general practice of physicians, the Buddha prescribed medicine suitable to the condition of the patient. Therefore, the Buddha directed Kāśyapa, Ānanda, and others to prescribe the medicine of Hinayāna sūtras to all living beings during the first half (500 years) of the Age of the True Dharma. For the second half of the Age of the True Dharma such bodhisattvas as Mañjuśrī, Maitreya, Nāgārjuna and Vasubandhu, were directed to prescribe such Mahāyāna sūtras as the Flower Garland Sūtra, the Great Sun Buddha Sūtra, and the Wisdom Sūtra for all living beings. For the Age of the Semblance Dharma, the ten-century period beginning in the 1,000th year after the passing of the Buddha, Medicine King Bodhisattva and others were ordered to prescribe the Lotus Sūtra with the exception of the daimoku for all living beings.
However, in the Latter Age of Degeneration beginning 2,000 years after the passing of the Buddha, the Hinayāna and Mahāyāna sutras given to Kāśyapa, Ānanda, Mañjuśrī, Maitreya, Medicine King, Avalokiteśvara and others were no longer useful as medicine for living beings. It is because they were no longer effective as cures for the severe ailments of living beings. While the Buddha considered what to do about this, Superior Practice Bodhisattva emerged from the earth. The Buddha then ordered the bodhisattva to give the five characters of Myō, Hō, Ren, Ge, and Kyō to all living beings throughout the Jambudvīpa.
Takahashi Nyūdō-dono Gohenji, A Response to Lay Priest Lord Takahashi, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 7, Followers II, Pages 74-75
Daily Dharma – Oct. 22, 2019
Evil people in the future will doubt the One Vehicle
When they hear it from a Buddha.
They will not believe or receive it.
They will violate the Dharma, and fall into the evil regions.
The Buddha declares these verses in Chapter Two of the Lotus Sūtra. Nichiren wrote that while some people think hell is below the earth, it is really contained in our own bodies and minds. If we cannot believe or accept the Dharma the Buddha teaches us, then we are not seeing the world for what it is. We are creating worlds of our own separate from the Buddha’s world. We create worlds of greed, anger and ignorance, in which it is even more difficult to hear the Dharma. But even in these difficult worlds, the Buddha exists and works to benefit us. If we remember to look for him, he will show us the way out.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Day 21
Day 21 covers all of Chapter 16, The Duration of the Life of the Tathāgata.
Having last month heard Śākyamuni that he became the Buddha in the remotest past, we hear his expedient efforts in this Saha world and elsewhere.
“Good men! During this time I gave various names to myself, for instance, the Burning-Light Buddha. I also said, ‘That Buddha entered into Nirvāṇa.’ I did all these things only as expedients.
“Good men! When some people came to me, I saw the strength of the power of their faith and of the other faculties of theirs with the eyes of the Buddha. Then I named myself differently, and told them of the duration of my life differently, according to their capacities. l also said to them, ‘I shall enter into Nirvāṇa.’ I expounded the Wonderful Dharma with these various expedients, and caused the living beings to rejoice.
“Good men! When I saw that some people of little virtue and of much defilement were seeking the teachings of the Lesser Vehicle, I told them, ‘I renounced my family when I was young, and attained Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi [forty and odd years ago].’ In reality I became the Buddha in the remotest past as I previously stated. I told them this as an expedient to teach them, to lead them into the Way to Buddhahood.