Two Buddhas, p173In Zhiyi’s parsing of the Lotus Sūtra, Chapter Fifteen begins the “origin teaching” (J. honmon) or second fourteen chapters of the sūtra, so called because in this latter section of the Lotus the Buddha casts off his transient guise as someone who first gained enlightenment in the present lifetime, and he reveals his true identity as the primordial buddha awakened immeasurable eons ago. As he had with the preceding “trace teaching” (shakumon), or first fourteen chapters, Zhiyi divided this section of the sūtra into three parts. The “introduction” corresponds to the first part of Chapter Fifteen, up to the Buddha’s response to Maitreya’s question about the identity of the bodhisattvas who have emerged from the earth (223). The “main exposition” consists of the remainder of Chapter Fifteen, the whole of Chapter Sixteen, and the first part of Chapter Seventeen (up to the end of Maitreya’s verses on 245). The remaining chapters then correspond to the “dissemination” portion. Though quite short – “one chapter and two halves,” as Nichiren termed it – the main exposition section of the origin teaching was revered by many Japanese Tendai teachers as the very heart of the sūtra and inspired great doctrinal innovation, especially in Nichiren’s own teaching.
Category Archives: d21b
Getting Rid of the Chain of Life and Death
[T]he Lotus Sūtra is likened to the sun. The moon appearing at night with twinkling stars cannot put out the starlight although the moonlight is stronger. During the day, on the contrary, sunlight extinguishes not only starlight but also moonlight. Likewise, pre-Lotus sūtras are like the stars and the theoretical section of the Lotus Sūtra is like the moon whereas the “Life Span of the Buddha” chapter of the Lotus Sūtra is like the sun. Seen from the standpoint of the “Life Span of the Buddha” chapter, even the theoretical section is like the moon, which is not comparable to the sun, not to speak of other sūtras. People cannot work at night with either starlight or moonlight. When day breaks and the sun rises, people begin to work. Likewise, in the pre-Lotus sūtras and in the theoretical section of the Lotus Sūtra, as at night, nobody can cut the chain of life and death to attain enlightenment no matter how hard one tries. On the contrary, in the “Life Span of the Buddha” chapter in the essential section of the Lotus Sūtra, like the sun rising at daybreak, everyone necessarily gets rid of the chain of life and death to attain enlightenment.
Yakuō-bon Tokui-shō, The Essence of the “Medicine King Bodhisattva” Chapter, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 32
Giving One’s Life for the Lotus Sūtra
Two Buddhas, p227-228[T]he Lotus Sūtra seems to urge giving one’s life in its service. Bodhisattvas in the “Perseverance” chapter vow that they “will not be attached to our bodies or lives,” and the “Lifespan” chapter says that the primordial Śākyamuni Buddha will appear before those beings who “are willing to give unsparingly of their bodies and their lives.” How should such passages be understood?
Nichiren addresses this issue in a letter to a disciple, the lay nun Myōichi-ama, expressing sympathy on the death of her husband, who had held fast to his faith despite great difficulties: “Your late husband gave his life for the Lotus Sūtra. His small landholding that barely sustained him was confiscated on account of [his faith in] the Lotus Sūtra. Surely that equaled ‘giving his life.’ The youth of the Snow Mountains [described in the Nirvāṇa Sūtra] offered his body in exchange for half a verse [of a Buddhist teaching], and the bodhisattva Medicine King [Bhaiṣajyarāja] burned his arms [in offering to the Buddha]. They were saints, [and for them, such acts were] like water poured on fire. But your husband was an ordinary man, [and so for him, this sacrifice was] like paper placed in fire. When we take this into consideration, his merit must surely be the same as theirs.”
For Living Beings’ Sake
Two Buddhas, p184What is the significance of the revelation of the Buddha’s immeasurable “lifespan,” that is, the time that has elapsed since his original attainment of supreme enlightenment? English language scholarship on Lotus Sūtra often speaks of the primordial Śākyamuni of the “Lifespan” chapter as the “eternal buddha.” This term is easy to understand but carries Western philosophical overtones of abstract metaphysical truth; the sūtra’s emphasis lies rather in the Buddha’s “constant residing” here in the world. For the sūtra’s compilers, this claim refigured the Buddha in accordance with the Mahāyāna bodhisattva ideal: No longer was he a teacher of the past, forever departed into final nirvāṇa, but an awakened being perpetually active in this and other worlds for living beings’ sake.
Subordinates of Śākyamuni Buddha.
[P]reaching the sixteenth chapter of the Lotus Sūtra, the Buddha declared, “All the gods, men, and asura demons believe that this Śākyamuni Buddha was the one who had left the palace of the Śākya clan and sat in meditation under the bodhi tree not far from the town of Gayā and attained perfect enlightenment.” This declaration in the Lotus Sūtra represents what all the great bodhisattvas had in mind while listening to the sūtras starting with the Flower Garland at the Hall of Enlightenment to the fourteenth “Peaceful Practices” chapter of the Lotus. “To speak the truth, good men,” continued the Buddha, “it has been countless aeons (numerous hundreds, ten thousands, 100 millions, nayuta of kalpa) since I obtained Buddhahood.”
Thus with one stroke He denied as untrue all His previous statements such as “obtaining the first enlightenment” said three times in the Flower Garland Sūtra, “the first enlightenment” in the Āgama sūtras, “the first meditation under the bodhi tree” in the Vimalakirti Sūtra, “sixteen years after the first enlightenment” in the Sūtra of the Great Assembly, “I once sat in meditation at the place of practice in Buddhagayā” in the Great Sun Buddha Sūtra, “for twenty-nine years since His enlightenment” in the Sūtra of the Benevolent King, “I once meditated under the bodhi tree in the place of enlightenment for six years” stated in the Sūtra of Infinite Meaning, and “At first I sat at the place of enlightenment, gazed on the tree, and walked about it meditating” in the “Expedients” (second) chapter of the Lotus Sūtra.
Thus it was revealed that Śākyamuni had long been the Buddha since the eternal past, and it became clear that various Buddhas were all manifestations (funjin) of Śākyamuni Buddha. In the pre-Lotus sūtras, as well as in the theoretical section of the Lotus Sūtra, various Buddhas and Śākyamuni Buddha were on the same level, each practiced Buddhism on their own. Therefore, those who considered various Buddhas to be their Most Venerable One did not worship Śākyamuni. Now, however, as Śākyamuni proved to be the Eternal Buddha, those Buddhas on the lotus petals in the Flower Garland Sūtra, or Buddhas in the Hōdō sūtras, Wisdom and Great Sun Buddha Sūtras all became subordinates of Śākyamuni Buddha.
Kaimoku-shō, Open Your Eyes to the Lotus Teaching, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 74
The Person who has Lost his Right Mind
The reason why such śrāvaka disciples as Śāripūtra and Maudgalyāyana were in the Hell of Incessant Suffering for as long as 3,000 or 500 (million) dust-particle kalpa was not because they committed the crime of ten evil acts, five rebellious sins, or eight rebellious sins such as treason. It was simply because they met “evil friends,” abandoned the faith in the Lotus Sūtra, and moved to the faith in the expedient teachings. Grand Master T’ien-t’ai explains this in his Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sūtra, fascicle 6, “Upon meeting an ‘evil friend,’ people lose their right mind.” The right mind refers to the mind of putting faith in the Lotus Sūtra, and losing the right mind means abandoning the faith in the Lotus Sūtra and putting faith in other sūtras. Therefore, it is preached in the Lotus Sūtra, “The Life Span of the Buddha” chapter, “No matter how effective a medicine is, such a person will never take it.” This is explained by Grand Master T’ien-ta’i in his Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sūtra, fascicle 6, “A person who has lost his right mind will not take a good medicine, no matter how effective it is, choosing instead to roam about the street of life and death, and run away to foreign countries.”
Kyōdai-shō, A Letter to the Ikegami Brothers, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 6, Followers I, Page 75
Hidden Core and Supernatural Powers
Sakyamuni begins [Chapter 16, The Duration of the Life of the Tathāgata,] by appealing three times for his listeners to “understand my sincere and infallible words by faith.” To this appeal, all the Bodhisattvas headed by Maitreya responded each time, “World-Honored One, tell us! We will receive your words by faith.” Then Sakyamuni replied, “Listen to me attentively! I will reveal to you my hidden core and supernatural powers” (p. 241).
Here “hidden core” means his deepest innermost self, and “supernatural powers” are actions outflowing from that hidden core.
Introduction to the Lotus SutraOur Spiritual Parent
We can compare the Buddha’s method with that of parents who raise their children with tender loving care. Most of the time, the children are not aware of how much is being done for them. They take their parents’ love for granted. Often they fully appreciate all that their parents have done for them only after the parents have died. Then they wish they had displayed more gratitude when they had the chance. The parents, on the other hand, must be careful, and not give their children everything they ask for. Pampered children can quickly become spoiled and helpless. Their parents will not be able to care for them forever.
Introduction to the Lotus SutraOpening the Provisional to Reveal the Truth
In [Chapter 16], the “Duration of the Life of the Tathagata,” it is explained that, while Sakyamuni is provisionally appearing in the limited figures of his manifestations, in reality, he is eternal and infinite. This is called “opening the near to reveal the distant,” or “opening the provisional to reveal the truth,” or similar expressions. Moreover, the first half of the Sutra, from Chapters One to Fourteen, is called Provisional, Imprinted, or Secondary (Shakumon), because Sakyamuni expounded it by means of his provisional duplicate; and the second half, from Chapter Fifteen to the final Chapter Twenty-eight, is called Original or Primary (Hommon), because Sakyamuni expounded it in the form of the Original Buddha (Hombutsu).
Introduction to the Lotus SutraHombutsu
In [Chapter 15, The Appearance of Bodhisattvas from Underground], countless Bodhisattvas sprang up from underground. [Chapter 16, The Duration of the Life of the Tathāgata] tells why they appeared. It is presented as an answer to the questions posed by Maitreya Bodhisattva, when he wondered about the marvelous phenomenon which he and his companions had witnessed. It asserts that the Buddha’s lifetime is eternal.
This eternal and immortal Sakyamuni is called the Original Buddha (Hombutsu), because he is the true form of the Buddha. On the other hand, all kinds of limited Buddhas are called duplicates, because they are traces or shadows reflecting the true form. Buddhism believes in many Buddhas, but they are all manifestations of the Original Sakyamuni Buddha. In this way, all religious faiths are seen as one.
Introduction to the Lotus Sutra