Continente (January 16, 1996)
What does Nichiren Shonin actually mean when he says,”Namu Myoho Renge Kyo is the True Buddha. Sakyamuni and Taho are his functions. I have read this in a Gosho translated as the “True Entity of Life.”
Murano (February 16, 1996)
This is the translation of part of the Shoho-jisso-sho. One can define the Buddha from three angles.
- The Buddha is the one who attained enlightenment by performing the Bodhisattva practices. From this definition, we call him Sambhoga-kaya or the Body of Reward.
- The wisdom of the Buddha is the Dharma itself. From this definition, we call him Dharma-kaya or the Body of the Dharma.
- The Buddha is the one who manifests himself in various forms to save people from suffering. From this definition, we call him Nirmana-kaya or the Body of Manifestation. These three aspects of the Buddha are called Tri-kaya or the Three Bodies of the Buddha.
If the Buddha of the Juryo Chapter speaks by employing the terminology of the Tri-kaya, he would say:
“I performed the Bodhisattva practices and attained enlightenment, that is to say, I obtained my Sambhoga-kaya. It was a long time ago, in the remotest past, not forty and some years ago as you think. When I became the Buddha, there was no other Buddha than I. All the other Buddhas of the worlds of the ten quarters in the past, present and future are my emanations. I am the Original Buddha of them all. I, the Buddha, who am speaking to you now, am the Nirmana-kaya of the Original Buddha. The Original Buddha should be called Sakyamuni because Sakyamuni is my name. I have no other name than Sakyamuni. I am the Historical Sakyamuni Buddha, the Nirmana-kaya of the Original Sakyamuni Buddha, who is my Sambhoga-kaya. I expound the Dharma. The Dharma is universal in space, eternal in time. My wisdom is the Dharma itself. I shall pass away soon, but the Dharma will remain because it is eternal. I shall remain forever in my Dharma-kaya. I am the Eternal Buddha. To wit, I am the Original and Eternal Sakyamuni Buddha. You can call me simply the Etemal Buddha.”
Here we see that the Tri-kaya is told of in regard to the singular person of Sakyamuni Buddha. The expression “three bodies” was used figuratively to show the three virtues of the Buddha: practice, wisdom and compassion. But once the word kaya was used, the meaning of the word as a physical existence overwhelmed the figurative use of the word, and the Buddha of the Three-Bodies-in-One came to erroneously disintegrate into three independent Buddhas to destroy the supremacy of Sakyamuni Buddha.
Shingon Buddhism made the Dharma-kaya independent, and established Dharma-kaya Tathagata (Buddha) called Mahavairocana. According to Shingon Buddhism, Mahavairocana (Dainichi) Tathagata (Nyorai) is the Original Buddha, who is accompanied by four Buddhas, Sakyamuni being only one of the four.
You quote “Myoho Renge Kyo is the True Buddha…” from the translation of the True Entity of Life. The original word of “True Buddha” in the text is Hombutsu. Hombutsu should be translated as the Original Buddha, not as the True Buddha. We have no idea of “True Buddha” in Buddhism. But “True Buddha” is suitable to the Taisekiji theology because they say that Sakyamuni is a discarded, junk Buddha. Used cars can sell again, but junk cannot. They call Sakyamuni Datsubutsu. Datsu means to emancipate from suffering, but they interpret it as ‘to cast off the skin.” They say, “Sakyamuni is now out of use. He is just like the cast-off skin of a snake. He is a discarded junk Buddha. Nichiren is the Tilte Buddha.”
Amitabha Buddhism separated the Sambhoga-kaya from the Buddha of the Three-Bodies-in-One. According to Amitabha Buddhism, Amitabha Buddha is like God; Sakyamuni, like Christ. Amitabha Buddhism has some elements similar to the teachings of Christianity.
The fundamental teaching of Buddhism is that the Buddha was once a man, and that anyone can become a Buddha. You can become a Buddha. But wait. Since you are assured of your Buddhahood, you should be satisfied with that assurance. Nichiren was humble. He was satisfied with the post of the leader of the Samgha of the Lotus Sutra. He was glad to serve the Eternal Sakyamuni Buddha as a member of the Samgha. He would not like to be called Buddha at all. You should join the Samgha, look up at your Compassionate Buddha, and serve him with your leader, Nichiren Shonin.
Maltz (March 7, 1996)
Thank you for your sending me a copy of your answer to the question by Mr. Continente. It cleared up the most important point in understanding Buddhism. It is that the Eternal Sakyamuni Buddha is not different from the Historical Sakyamuni Buddha. I thought that the Eternal Sakyamuni Buddha was somehow a transcendent Original Buddha who surpassed the Historical Sakyamuni Buddha in some mystical way even though the manifestation looks different to the human mind. When Westerners try to grasp Buddhism, they often fall into the patterns that are associated with previous Christian ideas. So, “transcendence” is more of a Christian concept.