Buddhism for Today, p114-115The question arises as to how we should consider the doctrine of the Three Thousand Realms in One Mind. When we understand this doctrine only theoretically, it cannot generate the power capable of saving others as well as ourselves. This is called the theoretical doctrine of the Three Thousand Realms in One Mind (ri no ichinen-sanzen). Far from saving others, we are unconsciously enslaved by the philosophical theory of the doctrine and eventually may become so obsessed with the thought of the myriad implications of our every act that we become mentally paralyzed, as it were. We must accept this doctrine with an open-hearted, optimistic, and positive attitude.
The doctrine of the Three Thousand Realms in One Mind teaches us that we have the infinite possibility of moving both upward and downward. If we resolve firmly to practice the Buddha’s teachings, we can go upward without fail. Secondly, this doctrine lets us realize clearly that in all the universe, there is no individual existing apart from the whole and that all things are interconnected like the meshes of a net. Individual salvation alone is not true salvation.
When we understand these two teachings not only theoretically but also in the depths of our hearts, we cannot help elevating ourselves and practicing in order to help others. This is called the practical doctrine of the Three Thousand Realms in One Mind (ji no ichinen-sanzen). Unless we thoroughly understand the doctrine of the Three Thousand Realms in One Mind in this way, it does not become a living doctrine.
Nichiren spoke in the highest terms of the doctrine of the Three Thousand Realms in One Mind. He derived his teachings from this doctrine, but ultimately he passed beyond a theoretical understanding and realized that for Buddhists the doctrine should result in faith and practice. Indeed, if we can thoroughly understand the theoretical doctrine, we should awaken to the fact that we must be concerned as long as there is a single person in the world who is suffering. Unlike the worries of an ordinary man, this is a great worry, the Buddha’s worry. This is the meaning of the expression, “When living beings are taken ill, the Buddha suffers pain.” It is also the significance of Nichiren’s words, “Although Nichiren does not weep in reality, tears of worry for others always flow from his eyes.”
If we must be worried about something, we should have the same worry as the Buddha and Nichiren. Such a worry gives us courage and makes us find life worth living. After all is said and done, there is no work that is more valuable in this world than to save people who are suffering. To elevate human beings is the loftiest work. Our own consciousness of having taken part in this work, small as we are — this consciousness alone should brighten our lives.
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Buddhism for Today: A Modern Interpretation of the Threefold Lotus Sutra
The Three Thousand Realms in One Mind
Buddhism for Today, p109-113This doctrine forms the essence of the Makashikan (Mo-ho-chih-kuan), a twenty-section work in which T’ien-t’ai Chih-i of China systematized various teachings included in the Lotus Sutra. This was his new interpretation of the Lotus Sutra. Nichiren regarded Chih-i’s doctrine of the Three Thousand Realms in One Mind as the essence of the Buddha’s teachings.
In the second section his work Kaimoku-shō (Essay on the Eye-opener), Nichiren extolled this doctrine in the following words: “Unless man attains buddhahood through the teaching of the Three Thousand Realms in One Mind, his attaining nirvana and becoming a buddha will be little more than a mere name.” In the first section of the same work, he also praised the doctrine as follows: “The very doctrine of the Three Thousand Realms in One Mind of the Tendai sect appears to be the way to lead man to buddhahood.” Nichiren specifically extolled this doctrine a total of eighteen times in his works.
What is the teaching of the Three Thousand Realms in One Mind? As has been mentioned, our minds revolve ceaselessly in the six worlds of hell (anger), hungry spirits (covetousness), animals (ignorance), demons (dispute), human beings (normality), and heaven (joy). Thus our sufferings continue endlessly.
However, even an ordinary person sometimes rises to the level of the four realms of the saints. He conceives the desire to study the right way to live (śrāvaka), realizing it intuitively from his experiences (pratyekabuddha), and wishing to live for the benefit of people and society (bodhisattva). But he will seldom if ever reach such a mental state of absolute compassion that he completely forgets himself. It would be a great thing if he could maintain such a mental state constantly. But soon his mind returns to that of an ordinary person without his having made any lasting improvement. …
Everyone’s mind possesses the ten realms, the six of the ordinary person and the four of the saint. These ten realms exist in the minds of heavenly beings, as well. The ten realms exist in the mind of each person in each of the ten realms. This is jikkai-gogu, or “the ten realms of being found in one another.”
The seed of the buddha-nature is also possessed by those who are in the worlds of hell and demons, although it is very undeveloped. The doctrine of the Three Thousand Realms in One Mind teaches that even those who are in such a state of mind have the possibility of attaining buddhahood and that the chance of salvation can be found anywhere. In other words, this doctrine teaches plainly that the Buddha’s compassion extends to all living beings. On the other hand, even when one thinks he has realized and become free of the bonds of illusion and suffering, by studying the doctrine he will become able to reflect on his remaining seeds of illusion and will come to wish to devote himself still more to his practice. …
The Ten Suchnesses: This doctrine consists often words prefaced by “such a” or “such an” : “such a form” (nyoze sō), “such a nature” (nyoze shō), “such an embodiment” (nyoze tai), “such a potency” (nyoze riki), “such a function” (nyoze sa), “such a primary cause” (nyoze in), “such a secondary cause” (nyoze en), “such an effect” (nyoze ka), “such a recompense” (nyoze hō), and “such a complete fundamental whole” (nyoze hommatsu kukyō-tō). This doctrine reveals the deepest reality of the existence of all things in the universe, which is called the principle of the Reality of All Existence (shohō jissō). Modern science has analyzed physical substances to the extent of subatomic particles. But the principle of the Reality of All Existence is much more profound than such an analysis, extending even to the mental world. The Chinese character read nyo means shinnyo, meaning “that which is constant and unchanging.” Nyoze means “such” or “thus,” and also “invariably,” “without fail,” or “without error.” …
Buddhism teaches that there are three ways of thinking about society. The first is go’on seken, or the world where an individual mind exerts an influence upon others, in other words, environment in the narrow sense. The second is shujō seken, or the world of which its living beings are regarded as a constituent. Generally speaking, this is a society or nation. The third is kokudo seken, or the world consisting of many societies and countries. This is commonly considered to be the whole world.
We all form part of these three kinds of worlds, which coexist, whether we like it or not. The one thousand functions of our minds are spread over these three kinds of worlds. One thousand multiplied by three is three thousand; thus, all relations in the three constituents of the world (sanzen) are included in a single momentary thought (ichinen) of a human being in his daily life. Hence the term “Three Thousand Realms in One Mind” (ichinen sanzen).
Leading by Example
Buddhism for Today, p136It is most difficult for us to lead those closest to us – our wives, husbands, sons, daughters, and parents – to the Law of the Buddha. If we try to guide them merely by what we say, we can never be completely successful. We have no alternative but to influence them through our practice in our daily lives. If our conduct is ignoble and selfish most of the time, being good only on rare occasions, it will not influence others. Unless we constantly set a good example to the members of our families, they cannot possibly follow us. Sakyamuni Buddha was alluding to this in his teaching.
Repentance: An Indispensable Requisite of Religious Life
Buddhism for Today, p459-460[R]epentance is to learn the teaching of the Great-vehicle and to practice it. Repentance means not compromising with oneself, not having a lukewarm or equivocal attitude, but polishing one’s buddha-nature by gradually removing illusions and defilements from one’s mind. The practice of repentance consists in the bodhisattva practice, through which one not only polishes his buddha-nature but also renders service to others. Repentance is an indispensable requisite of religious life. It is to be hoped that all people will repeatedly read and recite this sutra on repentance, realize its essence, and put it into practice in their daily lives.
The First Requisite
Buddhism for Today, p372Sakyamuni Buddha said to the Buddha Abundant Treasures: “This Bodhisattva Wonder Sound desires to see you.” Instantly the Buddha Abundant Treasures addressed Wonder Sound: “Excellent, excellent, that you have been able to come here to pay homage to Sakyamuni Buddha, to hear the Law-Flower Sutra, and to see Mañjuśrī and the others.”
The words spoken by the Buddha Abundant Treasures contain an important meaning. As a witness to the truth, the Buddha Abundant Treasures declared clearly in his praise of the Bodhisattva Wonder Sound that the first requisite for everybody is always to do the following three things: to pay homage to Sakyamuni Buddha, who preached the truth; to hear the teaching of the truth, namely, the Lotus Sutra; and to follow the pattern of the virtuous bodhisattvas who practice the teaching.
Merit Powers
Buddhism for Today, p17The merit-powers mentioned [in the Ten Merits chapter] are immense. Even if we accomplished only one of them, it would be a wonderful achievement for us as people living in this modern age. When we read of the many merits mentioned here, we must not be daunted by thinking that they are beyond our powers, because if we can accomplish only one merit, we can accomplish others. Let us accomplish just one merit – it is very important that we think this way in order to study eagerly and to persevere in such discipline.
Teaching How To Apply the Lotus Sutra in Our Daily Lives
Buddhism for Today, p423It is not known when and by whom this sutra, the so-called closing sutra of the Lotus Sutra, was first recited. The first man to do so, however, was surely a great person. This is because the Sutra of Meditation on the Bodhisattva Universal Virtue is so profound that it is considered to be the continuation of the Buddha’s preaching of the Lotus Sutra, and because it teaches us how we should actually apply the Lotus Sutra in our daily lives. This method is repentance. The Sutra of Meditation on the Bodhisattva Universal Virtue teaches us the true meaning and method of repentance so thoroughly that it is commonly called “the Sutra of Repentance.”
The Perfume of Faith
Buddhism for Today, p403All people are equal before the teachings of the Buddha. As the Buddha’s disciple, a commoner is equal to a great king. In terms of potential influence, however, a commoner’s resolution to attain Perfect Enlightenment cannot be compared to a king’s. Therefore the Buddha Thunder Voice Constellation King of Wisdom was delighted with King Resplendent’s resolution to seek Perfect Enlightenment and immediately predicted his Perfect Enlightenment.
A leader who has a large following should believe in a right faith. But he should not force it on those under him. If he can handle them with virtue and dignity based on his faith, his fine personality will surely have a good effect on them, just as perfume smells good to everyone in its vicinity.
The True Meaning of Worship
Buddhism for Today, p142“Medicine-King! Erect a stupa of the seven treasures in any place where this sūtra is expounded, read, recited or copied, or in any place where a copy of this sūtra exists! The stupa should be tall, spacious and adorned. You need not enshrine my śarīras in the stupa. Why not? It is because it will contain my perfect body.” Chapter 10, The Teacher of the Dharma
Through these words the Buddha teaches us that it is much more important to revere the Law itself than to worship idols. What he is saying is: However much a person may blaspheme the Buddha, his sin is still light. There is no need to deposit the Buddha’s relics in pagodas. The greatest veneration of the Buddha is to practice the Lotus Sutra, and the heaviest sin is to defame the lay devotees or monks who practice the sutra.
However, we must be careful in our understanding of this teaching. It would be a great mistake to think that it does not matter if we blaspheme the Buddha, or that we should ignore the Buddha’s relics. Sakyamuni Buddha was a great man who left us his precious teachings, and for this reason we cannot revere him too much. We worship the image of the Buddha in order to show our boundless gratitude to the Buddha, who left us his precious teachings. As mentioned repeatedly in this book, it is also done for the sake of deepening our reverence for the Buddha as our ideal, which we wish to approach little by little.
Moreover, through the image of Sakyamuni as the historical Buddha, we worship the Tathāgata Sakyamuni and the Eternal Original Buddha, namely, the Law preached by him. Worshiping the image of the Buddha is not idol worship. Idol worship indicates the idea of regarding the thing itself as the object of worship, believing, for example, that if one worships some object one’s disease will be cured, one will be spared from suffering, or one’s desires will be fulfilled. There is all the difference in the world between true worship and idol worship.
A Ladder By Which We Can Climb To The Buddha’s Abode Above The Clouds
Buddhism for Today, p 309-310In [Chapter 19], the Buddha preached the five kinds of practices of preachers and referred to the vast and boundless merits that can be obtained from such practices. But the ordinary person will naturally be discouraged by the personal discipline required, thinking, “I cannot possibly fulfill the five kinds of practices of preachers.” Perhaps he will opportunistically think, “Well, I will try to do the five kinds of practices for form’s sake.” Unfortunately, ordinary people’s minds operate at this level.
Sakyamuni Buddha could completely perceive the minds of those who listened to his teachings. Therefore, we can guess why he completely changed his preaching method in chapter 20. While telling of his own past life, he wished to make people realize again three important teachings. The first is that to practice thoroughly even only a single kind of good deed is indeed sacred, and to do so is the first step toward salvation. The second is that however many formalities we may learn and practice, there is no essential worth in such learning or practice; the creation of a valid human life consists in our practice of even only a single kind of good deed with devotion and earnest perseverance. The third is that the bodhisattva practice originates with revering others, that is, with our recognizing the buddha-nature of all people. If we try to save others without recognizing their buddha-nature, we only perform empty and formal deeds. True salvation lies in our disclosing of and respect for the buddha-nature innate in others.
The Buddha illustrated these three important teachings in the story of the humanistic bhikṣu Never Despise. Moreover, he declared that Never Despise was the Buddha himself in a former existence. His declaration causes us to feel that the Buddha, who seemed far distant from us, has suddenly approached us. At the same time, we can sense that if we follow the path taken by the Bodhisattva Never Despise, we can surely attain the perfection of our own characters. The Buddha had seemed to exist somewhere above the clouds, far separated from us. However, when he shows us the Bodhisattva Never Despise as himself in a former life, a man who was friendly and humanistic, we feel as if we have found a ladder by which we can climb up to the Buddha’s abode above the clouds. Thus the Buddha gives us great encouragement. We are heartened and can say to ourselves, “There is nothing impossible about the bodhisattva practice. We just begin with following the example of the Bodhisattva Never Despise.” In this sense, chapter 20 has a special place in the concluding part of the Law of Origin — indeed, in the Lotus Sutra as a whole. Many important teachings are included in the story of the Bodhisattva Never Despise.