Today, March 20, 2022, is the Spring Equinox. Three days before today and three days after Nichiren Buddhist practitioners consider the Six Paramitas and assess how well they have approached each perfection. In the middle of this seven-day practice, Nichiren churches pay homage to ancestors and loved ones who have passed away.

This week is called Higan, which translates literally as arriving at the other shore. For purposes of my 800 Years of Faith project, I want to use this opportunity to consider how practice and study make it possible to advance once we have our initial moment of faith.

The essential nature of practice is well illustrated by Nikkyō Niwano’s discussion of Buddhist fundamentals in Buddhism for Today:

“[Śākyamuni taught three truths]: ‘All things are impermanent’ (Shogyō mujō), ‘Nothing has an ego’ (Shohō muga), and ‘Nirvana is quiescence’ (nehan jakujō). These three great truths are also called the Seal of the Three Laws (sambō-in). They are so important that they are said to be the three fundamental principles of Buddhism.

“However, an ordinary person cannot easily realize these three great truths. In order to do so, it is necessary for him to practice them and endeavor to achieve them in his daily life: he must practice the bodhisattva way with his mind, his body, and his actions. This means that he must devote himself to the practice of the doctrines of the Eightfold Path (hasshō-dō) and the Six Perfections (roku-haramitsu).

Buddhism for Today, p26-27

The need for study is underscored by the common misinterpretation of “Nirvana is quiescence.” As Nikkyō Niwano explains:

“[The law that nirvana is quiescence] has been misunderstood because of misconstruing the word “nirvana.” Many people think nirvana is synonymous with death. The words “Śākyamuni Buddha entered nirvana” are ordinarily used to refer to the death of the Buddha. For this reason the law “Nirvana is quiescence” has been understood to refer to a paradise like the Pure Land of Amitābha Buddha, which in Pure Land Buddhism is believed to be our ideal destination after death.

“The Sanskrit word nirvāṇa has the negative meaning of ‘extinction’ or ‘annihilation.’ Therefore this word also means the state in which one’s body dies or disappears. At the same time, nirvana means the state reached by extinguishing all illusions, and this is the sense in which it is used in the teachings of the Buddha. In the true sense of the word, nirvana means the state attained by completely destroying all illusions and of never being tempted by them in the future. Therefore the words ‘Śākyamuni Buddha entered nirvana’ mean not his death but the enlightenment attained by him.

“The law ‘Nirvana is quiescence’ teaches us that we can completely extinguish all the sufferings of human life and obtain peace and quietude when we destroy all illusions. How can we reach this state? The only way is to realize the two laws ‘All things are impermanent’ and ‘Nothing has an ego.’ ”

Buddhism for Today, p32

With practice and study, faith will surely grow.

---

Table of Contents Next Essay