Two Buddhas, p131-132The opening passage of [Chapter 10, The Teacher of the Dharma] contains the first mention, recurring throughout the sūtra, of what Chinese exegetes would call the “five practices” or ways of upholding and disseminating the Lotus Sūtra after the Buddha’s passing. Though English translations vary, the five practices are as follows: (1) to accept and uphold the Lotus (to “preserve” it, in the Kubo-Yuyama translation), indicating an underlying faith or commitment; (2) to read it; (3) to recite it from memory (Kubo and Yuyama collapse 2 and 3 as “to recite” the sūtra); (4) to explain it, which would include teaching and interpreting it; and (5) to copy it. These were in fact the forms of sūtra practice widely performed in East Asia, where the Lotus and other sūtras were enshrined, read, recited, copied, and lectured upon for a range of benefits, including protection of the realm, good fortune in this life, and the well-being of the deceased. These “five practices” together employ all three modes of action (karma): that is, actions of body, speech, and mind. For Nichiren, the first of the five, “accepting and upholding” — preserving — was the most important: “Embracing the Lotus Sūtra and chanting Namu Myōhō-renge-kyō at once encompasses all five practices.”
Category Archives: d14b
Reciter of the Dharma
Two Buddhas, p127The title of [Chapter 10] in Sanskrit is dharmabhāṇaka, literally “reciter of the dharma” or “proclaimer of the dharma.” In early Buddhism, the discourses of the Buddha were not committed to writing. Instead, they were memorized by monks who specialized in particular sections of the canon; these monks were called “reciters of the dharma,” as well as “keepers of the dharma” (dharmadhara) and “narrators of the dharma” (dharmakathika). With the rise of the Mahāyāna, the term dharmabhāṇaka seems to refer to those who preached the Mahāyāna sūtras.
General Vows and Special Vows
Buddhism for Today, p133In Buddhism, there are two kinds of vow: “general vow” (sōgan) and “special vow” (betsugan). “General vow” means the vow common to all people. The common desire of all Buddhists is to study the teachings of the Buddha and to extinguish illusions. Their desire is also to benefit many others through attaining enlightenment. This desire is called the general vow. It is divided again into four parts, which are known as the four great vows of the bodhisattva (shi gu-sei-gan).
Merits of Praising the Practicer of the Lotus Sūtra
It is preached in the “Teacher of the Dharma” chapter of the Lotus Sūtra, fascicle 4, that the merits of those who praise the practicer of the Lotus Sūtra are superior to the merits of those who endeavored to seek the Buddhist Way for as long as a kalpa (aeon). Grand Master Miao-lê interprets this scriptural statement saying, “He who torments the upholder of the Lotus Sūtra will have his head split into seven pieces. On the contrary he who sustains the upholder of the Lotus Sūtra will be rewarded with merit greater than the merit of the one giving offerings to the Buddha, who holds the ten epithets.”
Hōren-shō, Letter to Hōren, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 6, Followers I, Page 44-45
The Sin of Slandering a Practicer of the Lotus Sūtra
Suppose a man as evil as Devadatta slandered, physically beat and envied Śākyamuni Buddha, committing all three kinds of acts—physical, verbal, and mental—against the Buddha for as long as one medium kalpa (20 times the length of a kalpa). How serious is the sin committed by this man? This earth is 168,000 yojana in depth, and it supports all the water of the four great oceans, earth, and rocks of nine mountains, numerous trees and plants, and all creatures on top without dropping, tilting or breaking them. On the contrary, Devadatta’s body being five feet tall or so fell into hell breaking through the earth because he committed the Three Rebellious Sins. The hole he fell through still exists today in India. Tripiṭaka Master Hsüan-chuang writes in his Record of the Western Regions that he saw the hole of Devadatta in India while making a pilgrimage from China to India.
However, it is preached in the “Teacher of the Dharma” chapter of the Lotus Sūtra that the sin of slandering a practicer of the Lotus Sūtra in the Latter Age of Degeneration on a mere whim, without any trace of animosity or envy, is more serious than the sin of Devadatta committing the three kinds of acts—verbal, physical, and mental—against the Buddha for as long as a medium kalpa. How much more so then is the sin of people today who, like Devadatta commit the three kinds of evil acts (verbal, physical, and mental) against a practicer of the Lotus Sūtra, by speaking ill of him, censuring him, envying and physically beating him, and trying to kill him for many years!
Hōren-shō, Letter to Hōren, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 6, Followers I, Page 44-45
Abusing a Faithful Believer
As I reflect on things, it is preached in the “Teacher of the Dharma” chapter of the Lotus Sūtra, fascicle 4, “Suppose there is an evil person with a wicked mind who ceaselessly slandered a Buddha for as long as a kalpa (aeon). The sin of such a person would still be considered minor when compared to a person who abused with just a word a faithful believer, clergy or laity, who reads or recites the Lotus Sūtra.” Grand Master Miao-lê interprets this passage stating, “We can say this because the Lotus Sūtra is profound in doctrine and excellent in merit. We cannot say the same about other sutras.”
Hōren-shō, Letter to Hōren, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 6, Followers I, Page 43
The Revelation of the Universal Ground
Two Buddhas, p127-128According to Zhiyi’s parsing, Chapters Two through Nine of the Lotus Sūtra comprise the main exposition of the “trace teaching,” or shakumon, the first fourteen chapters of the Lotus Sūtra. These chapters assert that followers of the two “Hinayāna” vehicles can achieve buddhahood. For the sūtra’s compilers, this message subsumed the entire Buddhist mainstream within its own teaching of the one buddha vehicle and extended the promise of buddhahood to a category of persons — śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas — who had been excluded from that possibility in other Mahāyāna sūtras. In Nichiren’s day, however, the idea of the one vehicle, that buddhahood is in principle open to all, represented the mainstream interpretive position, and his own reading therefore has a somewhat different emphasis. For Nichiren, the sūtra’s assertion that even persons of the two vehicles can become buddhas pointed to the mutual possession of the ten realms and the three thousand realms in a single thought-moment, without which any talk of buddhahood for anyone, even those following the bodhisattva path, can be no more than an abstraction. The revelation of this universal ground, he said, especially in the “Skillful Means” chapter, constitutes the heart of the shakumon portion of the Lotus. Nonetheless, he regarded Chapter Two through Chapter Nine, the main exposition section, as having been preached primarily for the benefit of persons during the Buddha’s lifetime. The remaining chapters, Chapter Ten through Chapter Fourteen, which constituted the remainder of the trace teaching, he saw as explicitly directed toward those who embrace the Lotus after the Buddha’s passing, and therefore, as having great relevance for himself and his followers.
Ānanda and the Lotus Sūtra
Two Buddhas, p123-124Ānanda receives a particularly marvelous prediction, with a very long lifespan and a very long duration of his teaching. This causes some of the bodhisattvas in the audience to be disgruntled, wondering why this monk who is not even an arhat received a better prophecy than they had. The Buddha explains that he and Ānanda had aroused the aspiration for perfect enlightenment in the presence of the same buddha long ago. Ānanda had wanted to preserve the dharma that Śākyamuni would eventually teach. For this reason, he receives this special prophecy. Upon hearing the prophecy, Ānanda is miraculously able to remember the teachings of innumerable buddhas of the past.
This elevation of Ānanda is yet another weapon used by the Lotus Sūtra to assert its legitimacy. If Ānanda can remember the teachings of innumerable buddhas of the past, he is certainly able to remember the teachings of Śākyamuni, suggesting that it was indeed Ānanda who says, “Thus have I heard” at the beginning of the sūtra. In the story of the first council in which he recited the sūtras, Ananda is taken to task by certain senior monks for having encouraged the Buddha to establish the order of nuns, a move that not all (male) members of the saṃgha had approved of. In the centuries that followed, Ānanda would become a beloved figure in the tradition, especially honored by nuns. That he receives a special prophecy in the Lotus Sūtra suggests that the authors of the text not only wished to bring him aboard the great ship of the Mahāyāna (as they did with Śāriputra), but perhaps also that they had a particular affection for him.
Buddhahood for All
Two Buddhas, p125The prophecies in these two chapters [Chapters 8 and 9], whether conferred on individuals or groups, each specify the name of the buddha whom the recipient will become, the name of his buddha land or field of activity, and the length of time that his teaching will endure. For the sūtra’s East Asian commentators, such concrete detail lent these predictions a level of credibility beyond any mere abstract assertion that “persons of the two other vehicles can become buddhas.” Because the Buddha knows the past, present, and future and never lies, it was certain that his śrāvaka disciples would in fact attain buddhahood just as he had predicted. For Nichiren, based on the premise that all ten realms are included in any one realm, the fact that śrāvakas can become buddhas meant that anyone else can as well. Thus, the Buddha’s prediction for any one of these figures could be read as a prediction of certain buddhahood for all who embrace the Lotus Sūtra, regardless of their status.
The Merit of Making Offerings to a Practicer of the Lotus Sūtra
The “Teacher of the Dharma” chapter in the 4th fascicle of the Lotus Sūtra states: “If there is one who, in the quest for the Buddha Way, honors me in countless verses with palms pressed together in my presence throughout one kalpa (aeon), such a person will gain immeasurable benefits because of this praise. But one who extols the upholders of this sūtra will accrue blessings that surpass even those.” This means that the merits received for making offerings to a practicer of the Lotus Sūtra in the Latter Age of Degeneration surpass the benefits received for serving with sincerity a Buddha as noble as Śākyamuni with one’s body; mouth, and mind for an entire medium kalpa (aeon). Although this may seem implausible, there should be no doubt about it because such are the Buddha’s golden words.
Grand Master Miao-lê further clarifies this passage from the sūtra by saying: “Those who slander them (practicers of the Lotus Sūtra), will have their heads split into seven pieces. However, those who make offerings to them (practicers of the Lotus Sūtra) will find that their merits exceed those of a Buddha endowed with the ten honorable titles.” This means that the merit of making offerings to a practicer of the Lotus Sūtra in the Latter Age of Degeneration exceeds that of making offerings to a Buddha with ten honorable titles. It also means that those who persecute a practicer of the Lotus Sūtra in the impure age will have their heads split into seven pieces.
Kō no Ama Gozen Gosho, A Letter to My lady, the Nun Kō, the Nun Myōichi, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 7, Followers II, Pages 165-166