Two Buddhas, p207-208[T]he Lotus Sūtra itself does not contain the words “buddha nature,” a concept developed in later Mahāyāna sūtras, such as the Nirvāṇa Sūtra. For that reason, some early Chinese exegetes argued that the Nirvāṇa Sūtra, and not the Lotus, represented the Buddha’s highest teaching. In contrast, the “three great masters of the Sui dynasty” – Huiyuan, Zhiyi, and Jizang – drew on the Sadāparibhūta chapter to argue that the idea of innate buddha nature is fully present in the Lotus Sūtra, even though that specific phrase does not occur there.
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Always Despised But Never Despising
Two Buddhas, p207We cannot know for certain, but the story of Sadāparibhūta [Never-Despising Bodhisattva] may reflect the experience of the Lotus Sūtra’s compilers in encountering anger and contempt from mainstream Buddhist monastics. The Sanskrit name Sadāparibhūta actually means “Always Despised.” As an ordinary monk without any particular accomplishments, Sadāparibhūta had no obvious authority for delivering predictions of future buddhahood, and monastics who looked askance at the nascent Mahāyāna movement may have found his words presumptuous and offensive. Hence, he was “always despised.” Dharmaraksa, who first rendered the Lotus Sūtra into Chinese, translated the bodhisattva’s name in this way. But Kumārajīva instead adopted “Never Despising,” shifting emphasis to the bodhisattva’s attitude of reverence for all. As Nichiren expresses it: “In the past, the bodhisattva Sadāparibhūta carried out the practice of veneration, saying that all beings have the buddha nature; that if they embrace the Lotus Sūtra, they are certain to attain buddhahood; and that to slight another is to slight the Buddha himself. He bowed even to those who did not embrace the Lotus Sūtra, because they too had the buddha nature and might someday accept the sūtra.”
Rejecting the Bodhisattvas from Other Worlds
Two Buddhas, p174Zhiyi proposed several reasons why the Buddha ultimately rejected the offer of the bodhisattvas from other worlds to propagate the Lotus Sūtra in the present, Sahā world and instead summoned the bodhisattvas from beneath the earth. The bodhisattvas from other worlds, he said, had responsibilities to benefit the beings of their own lands that they could not neglect. Furthermore, their ties to this world were only superficial, and so their efforts at spreading the dharma would have been ineffective. Had the Buddha accepted their offer, he would have had no reason to summon the bodhisattvas from beneath the earth. These bodhisattvas were Śākyamuni’s original disciples, taught by him since the inconceivably distant past. Their ties to the Sahā world were profound, and they could also travel to other realms and benefit the beings there. And, without their presence, Śākyamuni could not have revealed his true identity as the Buddha awakened since the inconceivably distant past.
The Arrival of the Stupa of Seven Treasures
Everyone, you and I and heaven and earth, know that the Buddha is a man of truth. It is not one or two persons but hundreds, thousands, and tens of thousands of people who know this. Gods, dragons, and asura demons in the triple world of illusion (realm of desire, realm of form and formless realm) know it. All the people, gods, men of the Two Vehicles and great bodhisattvas who have gathered together from all over India, four continents of the world, six heavens in the realm of desire, realm of form, formless realm and from all the worlds in the universe know this. They all heard the Buddha condemn the men of the Two Vehicles. Upon returning to their own lands, they told everyone what they had heard from Śākyamuni Buddha in the Sahā World. Therefore, everyone in the entire universe without exception knew that such men of the Two Vehicles as Kāśyapa and Śāripūtra would never achieve Buddhahood and that they therefore should not give offerings to them.
Nevertheless, the Buddha suddenly retracted His words and stated in the Lotus Sūtra, preached in the last eight years, that the men of the Two Vehicles could obtain Buddhahood. How could a large assembly of men and gods believe in this? Not only did they find it hard to believe, they began finding contradictions between the Lotus and earlier sūtras. As a result His preachings over fifty years were about to be judged false. While they were wondering whether or not it was that the Buddha had not revealed the truth during the first forty years or so of His preaching and that it was a demon in heaven appearing to be the Buddha who preached the Lotus Sūtra in the last eight years, the Buddha seriously proceeded to define the times, places and names of those men of the Two Vehicles as future Buddhas. That is to say, the Buddha declared in which lands and when they would attain Buddhahood and what disciples they would have then.
Lord Śākyamuni Buddha in effect seemed to have contradicted Himself. It was not without reason that non-Buddhist heretics (gedō) laughed at Him as a big liar. Accused of contradiction in His own words by the dumbfounded crowd of men and gods, Lord Śākyamuni Buddha tried in vain to dispel their doubts by explaining them away one way or another. Just when the Buddha was having a difficult time to quiet them, the Buddha of Many Treasures of the Hōjō (Treasure Purity) World to the east emerged from the earth in front of Him aboard the great Stupa of seven treasures, 500 yojana high and 250 yojana wide, and ascended up high in the sky. It was as though the full moon appeared over the mountain range in the midst of a pitch-dark night. From this great Stupa of seven treasures hanging in the sky without touching the earth or sky sounded the crisp voice of the Buddha of Many Treasures attesting that Śākyamuni Buddha spoke truly. It is declared in the Lotus Sūtra, chapter 11 on the “Appearance of the Stupa of Treasures”:
Just then resounded the loud voice of the Buddha of Many Treasures in the stupa of treasures praising Śākyamuni Buddha, “Excellent, excellent! You, Śākyamuni Buddha, have preached to this large crowd the Sūtra of the Lotus Flowers of the Wonderful Dharma, representing the great wisdom of the Buddha, who perceived the absolute truth in every phenomenon and who makes no distinction among all living beings. It teaches the way of bodhisattvas, and is recognized and upheld by various Buddhas. You are right; You are correct. What You, Śākyamuni Buddha, have preached is all true.”
Then Lord Śākyamuni and His funjin Buddhas manifested in various worlds all over the universe too attested to the truth of the Lotus Sūtra as it is stated in its twenty-first chapter of “The Divine Powers of the Buddha”:
At this point, Śākyamuni Buddha displayed a great superhuman power in the presence of a large crowd, including not only the countless bodhisattvas, such as Mañjuśrī, who had long lived in this Sahā World, but also other men and non-human beings. He stretched out His broad, long tongue upward until its tip reached the Brahma Heaven and emitted the rays of light from all of His pores to shine on the entire universe. All Buddhas sitting on the lion-shaped thrones under the jeweled trees in their respective worlds in the whole universe also stretched out their broad, long tongues and emitted countless rays of light.
“Then Śākyamuni Buddha,” says the twenty-second chapter on the “Transmission” of the Lotus Sūtra, “sent back those funjin Buddhas who had come from all over the universe to their homelands, and said to the Buddha of Many Treasures, ‘May this Stupa of the Buddha of Many Treasures be where it was.’ ”
Kaimoku-shō, Open Your Eyes to the Lotus Teaching, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 41-43
‘Divine Powers of the Buddha’ Omens
The Buddha, moreover, showed the ten supernatural powers in the “Divine Powers of the Buddha” chapter. These divine powers were far superior to the omens displayed in the “Introductory” and “Emergence of the Bodhisattvas from the Earth” chapters. In the case of the “Introductory” chapter, the rays of light emitted from the forehead of the Buddha shone on 18,000 lands to the east. Compared to this, similar rays of light shown in the “Divine Powers of the Buddha” chapter shone on all the worlds throughout the universe. The trembling of the earth described in the “Introductory” chapter was limited to the triple thousand worlds, but the great earthquakes of the “Divine Powers of the Buddha” chapter covered all the worlds of numerous Buddhas, where the earth trembled in six different ways. Compared to the great omens described in the “Divine Powers of the Buddha” chapter, other omens were indeed inferior.
Zuisō Gosho, Writing on Omens, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 6, Followers I, Page 123
Great Omens of the “Divine Powers of the Buddha” Chapter
Now, the great omens of the “Divine Powers of the Buddha” chapter are excellent signs for the essence of the Lotus Sutra, the five Chinese characters of myō, hō, ren, ge, and kyō, to be spread in the Latter Age of Degeneration after 2,000 years of the Ages of the True and Semblance Dharmas following the passing of the Buddha. Therefore, it is preached in the Lotus Sūtra, “Rejoicing at the good news of this Lotus Sūtra to be upheld after the passing of the Buddha, various Buddhas all demonstrated numerous supernatural powers (in the ‘Divine Powers of the Buddha’ chapter),” and “Those who uphold this sūtra in the evil world during the Latter Age of Degeneration earn the same merits gained by donating various offerings to the Buddha (in the ‘Variety of Merits’ chapter).”
Zuisō Gosho, Writing on Omens, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 6, Followers I, Page 123
Lightening Karmic Retribution
The Nirvana Sūtra preaches a doctrine called “lightening the karmic retribution.” It proclaims that when a retribution accumulated from the evil karma in one’s previous lives is too heavy to be atoned for in this life, one will have to endure the suffering in hell in the future. One may, however, bear hell’s suffering in the present life instead so that one’s suffering in hell in a future life disappears instantly and one will instead be able to receive the blessings of the realm of humanity and that of heavenly beings, as well as the blessings of the Three Vehicles and attain Buddhahood after death. It was not without reason that Never Despising Bodhisattva was spoken ill of, slandered, beaten with sticks and pieces of wood, or had rubble thrown at him. His persecution in this life seems to be the consequences of his slandering the True Dharma in his previous lives. Therefore it is stated in the sūtra, “His sins have been atoned.” I believe it means that Never Despising Bodhisattva’s past sin ceased to exist through his persecution.
Tenjū Kyōju Hōmon, Lightening the Karmic Retribution, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Followers I, Volume 6, Page 29
Benefit Produced By Evil Karman From One’s Former Action
In Chih-i’s view, nothing good comes into being without evil. Evil assists sentient beings in pursuing good deeds and in accumulating merits. This is exemplified through evidence from the Lotus Sūtra. One example is drawn from one of the previous lives of the Buddha, when he was known as Sadāparibhūta-bodhisattva. This bodhisattva bowed humbly to everyone, claiming that someday they would all become Buddhas. His actions infuriated many people, and they scolded and beat him. As a result, those beings had to suffer from their karman in hell. However, as soon as they paid their dues, the cause and condition of their previous meeting with the bodhisattva matured, and they were able to meet the Buddha in their present lifetime. Upon receiving the Buddha’s teaching in the Lotus Sūtra, they entered the stage of non-retrogression (Skr., avinivartanīya). This case shows that the evil karman of beings in the past gives rise to the opportunity for beings to be taught by the Buddha in the present. This benefit is produced by the evil karman from one’s former action. Chih-i regards this situation as “the evil of oneself aiding the good of oneself.” Another example illustrates the benefit that is produced by the evil karman of others. This refers to the Buddha’s cousin Devadatta, who is regarded as an evil person because of attempting to kill the Buddha and alienating the Buddha’s saṃgha (community). However, the Buddha claims that Devadatta is a good friend. Chih-i uses this example to argue, “The evil of others can aid the good of oneself.” (Vol. 2, Page 259-260)
The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra: Tien-tai Philosophy of BuddhismDissemination in the Age of Degeneration
Judging from the Sutra as a whole, we can see that the Bodhisattvas taught by the Original Buddha assume the duty to disseminate the Lotus Sutra in the future, especially in the Age of Degeneration. The Age of Degeneration in this defiled World of Endurance will be filled with hazards and many people will reject the Lotus Sutra and oppose its teachers. Such a time and place will require Bodhisattvas of outstanding ability, ones who can overcome attitudes of apathy or resentment. The Bodhisattvas taught by the Provisional Buddha, on the other hand, are assigned a much easier task. They will work in this world during the Ages of Right Teaching and Counterfeit Teaching, or else in other worlds.
Introduction to the Lotus SutraKamon
The studies conducted over so many centuries made possible a deeper understanding of the Lotus Sutra, and methodological standards for its interpretation were established. One example is called Kamon. It is a classification of the twenty-eight chapters into several sets for a systematic explanation of their meaning.
The major Kamon is the “Three Parts of Each of the Two Divisions of the Lotus Sutra” which was established by Great Master Chih-i. Most commentators since his time have accepted his guidelines. …
[T]he “Three Parts of Each of the Two Divisions of the Lotus Sutra” refers to the division of the Sutra into two main sections: the first half, consisting of Chapters One through Fourteen, and the second half, consisting of Chapters Fifteen through Twenty-eight. Kamon gives a detailed explanation of the reason for this division. The first half is named Shakumon, literally “imprinted gate.” Its main purpose is to teach how “hearers” and Pratyekabuddhas can attain Buddhahood in the One Vehicle. The second half is called Hommon, which means “Primal Gate” or “Primal Mystery.” This part reveals Sakyamuni to be the infinite, absolute Buddha, the Buddha who attained enlightenment in the remotest past but still leads living beings in the present. These two points are considered the fundamental ideas of the Lotus Sutra.
Introduction to the Lotus Sutra