We usually think that Sakyamuni led a limited existence, was born in India over two millennia ago, and died there at the age of eighty. This is correct as far as history goes. But from the essential standpoint, such a limited existence is not the true form of Sakyamuni. An eternal and immortal existence, which exists within and beyond the limited one, is the substance of Sakyamuni Buddha. The vital point of [Chapter 16], “The Duration of the Life of the Tathagata,” is that Sakyamuni, as a historical figure, declares that his essence is eternal and immeasurable. This declaration, the salient feature of the Lotus Sutra, cannot be found in any other sutra.

In Chapter 2, “Expedients,” the Buddha taught that his purpose in this world is to cause all people to open the treasury of the wisdom of the Buddha and for them to be shown, attain, and enter into this treasury. The Buddha Wisdom, of course, is the Buddha’s enlightenment; so this is the same as causing people to attain enlightenment. The teachings which have been developed since Chapter 2 are expressed [in Chapter 16, The Duration of the Life of the Tathāgata,] in terms of Sakyamuni’s deepest and most heartfelt desire. [The Duration of the Life of the Tathāgata] chapter’s final words show the Buddha’s hope that all living beings will attain the same Buddhahood which he himself enjoys.

In this story [in Chapter 16, The Duration of the Life of the Tathāgata], the physician, the children’s father, is compared to the Buddha, and the children are like us, ordinary people. The father’s fictitious death is like the Buddha’s entrance into Nirvana. The children suffering from poison means that our life is afflicted by various worldly desires, the most basic of which are called the “three poisons” (greed, anger, and ignorance). We who writhe in agony but reject the Buddha’s eternal existence, are like delirious children. Only when he has left us, and we have found no other remedy, will we accept the remedy which he has left behind for us to take. And only after we have taken it in faith, does he reveal himself to us in his glorious reality.

We can comprehend this as a theory, or understand in our minds what is meant by the Eternal Buddha, but still not have faith in him. We can understand Buddhism, but still not realize its power. Only when we believe in him, can we actually see the Buddha.

In Buddhism, people worship not only Sakyamuni Buddha but also other Buddhas, such as Amitayus (in the west) and Aksobhya (in the east). Such Buddhas have different names and attributes, and different life spans, long or short. The longest existing one is thought to have lived for several tens of kalpas. At any rate, they are all limited entities, because all of them eventually entered into Nirvana. The main point of the Lotus Sutra is that all Buddhas, by whatever names they may use, are temporary manifestations of the eternal, infinite, and immortal Sakyamuni Buddha. He transforms himself into other Buddhas when necessary to redeem and guide people, who understand him in various ways according to their particular times, places, and levels of culture.

[In Chapter 16, The Duration of the Life of the Tathāgata, Sakyamuni says:]

In reality this world of mine is peaceful.
It is filled with gods and men.
Its gardens, forests, and palaces
Are adorned with all kinds of treasures.
Jewel trees blossom with flowers and fruit;
Sentient beings are joyful here; Deities beat heavenly drums,
Make various kinds of music,
And rain mandarava-flowers on me
And all my assembly (p. 247-248).

This part implies that this very World of Endurance in which we now live transforms into the Buddha’s Pure Land, where there is neither fear nor impurity. The words about heavenly beings, gardens, forests, palaces, treasures, treasure trees, and so forth, express the beauty and wonders of the Pure Land.

In some other Buddhist scriptures, the Sanskrit term for the eternal Buddha is Dharmakaya, which is understood to mean that the truth itself is the Buddha. But the truth as an abstraction has no power to save us. Only when Sakyamuni realizes the truth in his person and activates the character of a Buddha in his practice does he become able to save us by the power of his mercy and wisdom.

[W]e can see the real figure of the Buddha when we devote ourselves to him in faith. We can attain this faithful state when we devote both our body and our soul to the Buddha and become unselfish. In other words, we reach a state in which our hearts are completely honest and gentle, and we leave all our cares in the hands of the Buddha. A simple fervent feeling of entrusting one’s life to the Buddha is the essence of faith. In the words of [Chapter 16, The Duration of the Life of the Tathāgata], we “wish to see (him) with all our hearts, and at the cost of our lives.”

There are two meanings to nirvana. One is the state of enlightenment attained by Sakyamuni after he eliminated all earthly desires. The other is the extinction of a Buddha’s body upon the coming of physical death. The idea behind these definitions is that the Buddha attained eternal life with the extinction of his body.

To cause all people to attain Buddhahood; to direct them all to the one Buddha-world; and to establish Paradise in this actual world of ours, so that absolute individual peace of mind and absolute peace of society are realized. These are the great purposes of the teachings of the Lotus Sutra.

According to Nichiren, Sakyamuni, a Buddha whom we should recognize as the Original Buddha, had the three virtues of master, teacher, and parent. The Buddha is our master (whom we should obey), teacher (whose words we should study), and parent (whose concern for us is boundless).

Of course, these three virtues are familiar in our everyday world, where they are recognized as ethical values. But religious philosophy must go deeper. Nichiren’s reference to the Buddha with the virtues of master, teacher, and parent are meant to humanize an otherwise abstract Buddha, making him seem more human and less transcendent.

Thus the idea of the three virtues signifies that the Buddha, as the Savior of all people, is not just a principle, but also humane in his grace and compassion, like a parent with his children. This view of the Buddha is based upon the philosophy of the Lotus Sutra.