Buddhism for Today, p357The greatest homage of the Bodhisattva Loveliness to the Buddha was to endeavor to maintain the Buddha’s teachings forever and to memorize and extol them. However, as a believer who practiced the Lotus Sutra, he was not satisfied with such practices because he realized that the greatest homage to the Buddha is to practice his teachings oneself. Therefore the Bodhisattva Loveliness burned his arms. In other words, he devoted himself to the practice of the Law with no concern for whatever trouble, pain, or difficulty it might entail. His practices themselves became a great light that led all the people to dispel the darkness in their minds, causing them to seek the Way voluntarily. From this description, we can understand what great merit our practice of the Law will bring to us.
Category Archives: d27b
Showing Comparative Superiority of Various Sūtras
QUESTION: What is the purpose of discussing the comparative superiority among sūtras, which were all preached by one Buddha?
ANSWER: It is preached in the Lotus Sūtra, fascicle 7 (Chapter 23, “The Previous Life of Medicine King Bodhisattva”), “He who upholds this sūtra is foremost among all living beings just as this sūtra is foremost among all the sūtras.” This chapter of the Lotus Sūtra also enumerates ten similes that expound the Lotus Sūtra as supreme among all sūtras which have already been preached, are now being preached, and will be preached (i-kon-tō). The eighth of the ten similes is the one just cited above. In short, the true intent of the Buddha in preaching this sūtra is not to show the comparative superiority of various sūtras but to preach that the practicers of the Lotus Sūtra are foremost among all the people. The practicers of expedient sūtras such as the Great Sun Buddha Sūtra are like various mountains, stars, rivers, and the people whereas the practicers of the Lotus Sūtra are like Mt. Sumeru, the sun and the moon, a great ocean, and the great king.
Ōta-dono-gari Gosho, A Letter to Lord Ōta, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Pages 200-201.
Upholding the Lotus No Matter What
Two Buddhas, p228-229Nichiren emphasized, not the literal performance of self-sacrifice in offering to the sūtra as exemplified by Bhaiṣajyarāja’s [Medicine King] self-immolation, but the willingness to face abuse, ostracism, verbal and physical attacks, or indeed, any sort of hardship in order to uphold and spread the sūtra’s teachings. In his reading, the offering that ordinary people can make, done with firm resolve, is the moral equivalent of the advanced bodhisattva’s sacrifice of his body, and it yields identical merit.
From another perspective, Nichiren concluded that the acts of Bhaiṣajyarāja and other bodhisattvas in the sūtras who relinquished eyes, limbs, and life itself for the dharma’s sake were no longer appropriate to his own era. As a young man, he wrote, he had taken the statement in the “Perseverance” chapter, “We will not be attached to our bodies or our lives,” to mean heroic undertakings on the order of making the perilous sea crossing to China to study the dharma, as pioneering Japanese monks like Saichō and Kūkai had done, or offering up one’s body in self-sacrifice like the bodhisattva Bhaiṣajyarāja. But over time, he concluded that this was not the sūtra’s true intent: “At a time when the country is filled with respected persons who declare that there are other sūtras that surpass the Lotus Sūtra and join in attacking its votary, and when such persons are revered by the ruler and his ministers while the votary of the Lotus Sūtra, being poor and humble, is despised by the entire country, if he persists in his assertions as did [the bodhisattva] Sadāparibhūta or the scholar-monk Bhadraruci, it may well cost his life. [To maintain one’s resolve at such at time] is the most important thing of all.” What counts, in short, is upholding the Lotus, no matter what.
The Lotus Sūtra and Its Practice in the Final Dharma Age
Two Buddhas, p236Chapters Twenty-Three, Twenty-Four, and Twenty-Five describe how specific bodhisattvas display their powers in the world to benefit sentient beings. As noted earlier, at one point in its compilation history, the Lotus Sūtra probably concluded with Chapter Twenty-Two, “Entrustment.” These three subsequent chapters represent a later stratum of the text, added as devotion to the bodhisattvas in question was gradually assimilated to the Lotus. From Nichiren’s standpoint, the bodhisattvas appearing in these chapters had received only the general transmission described in the “Entrustment” chapter. Either they had come from other worlds, or they were followers of Śākyamuni in his provisional guise as the Buddha of the trace teaching or shakumon portion of the sūtra. Thus, their work was chiefly confined to the True and Semblance Dharma ages. Yet, as we see, Nichiren drew on these chapters to make points about the Lotus Sūtra and its practice in the Final Dharma age.
Absolutely True Without Violating Precept Against Lying
The Buddha in the past as an ordinary person practiced Hinayāna sūtras. Having received the Five Precepts, He strictly upheld the fourth precept: not to tell lies. He did not breach this precept at the cost of His fortune or His life. Next, practicing the Mahāyāna precepts, He observed the Ten Major Precepts, the fourth of which prohibits telling lies. As he firmly upheld this precept for immeasurable kalpa (aeons), He finally was able to become a Buddha with a long and wide tongue, one of the 32 characteristics of the Buddha. This long and wide tongue of the Buddha covers the Buddha’s face, reaching the hair of His head. Or, it is said, it reaches the Brahma Heaven. There are five seal like letters on the tongue, which is bronze in color. Two gems under the tongue pour out nectar. These characteristics all stem from the virtue of observing the precept of not lying. With this tongue the Buddha has said, “Even if the eyes of various Buddhas throughout the past, present, and future should fall on the great earth, no woman in this dharma world would be able to become a Buddha.” Therefore, it seems that all women in the world can never attain Buddhahood regardless of what happens in the world.
Accordingly, once born as a woman, it seems useless even if she is chosen as the Empress, Empress Dowager, or Grand Empress Dowager. It seems to be worthless also for a woman to practice meritorious acts or perform Buddhist services. It is inexplicable, however, that the attainment of Buddhahood by women is allowed in this “Medicine King Bodhisattva” chapter of the Lotus Sūtra. Is this sūtra deceitful, or is that sūtra not truthful? Is either guilty of lying? One Buddha is making two opposing statements, which is impossible to believe.
However, it is preached in the Sūtra of Infinite Meaning, “The truth has not been revealed in 40 years or so,” and in the Nirvana Sūtra, “The Buddha has never uttered a false word, but if people make a false statement, He will follow their mind.” When we contemplate these scriptural statements, it seems untrue that the Buddha has ever negated rebirth in the Pure Land or attaining Buddhahood by women. It is preached in the Lotus Sūtra, “As for the Buddha’s Dharma, the truth will necessarily be revealed after a long time;” and “the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma … is nothing but true.” Contemplating these statements, I believe the Lotus Sūtra, that preaches certain rebirth in the Pure Land or attainment of Buddhahood by women, is absolutely true without violating the precept against lying.
Yakuō-bon Tokui-shō, The Essence of the “Medicine King Bodhisattva” Chapter, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 33-34
Pre-Lotus Sūtras Are Like Lands of Poverty
Many other similes are cited in [Medicine King Bodhisattva] chapter, including “a ferryboat to cross over a river.” The meaning of this simile is that the pre-Lotus sūtras are like a raft or a light boat for crossing over the ocean of life and death. It is not easy to cross over an ocean aboard a raft or a small boat from this shore of life and death to the other shore of enlightenment. It is impossible to reach the shore of the Pure Land of Utmost Bliss. For instance, a light boat may be able to start from Chikushi Province (Fukuoka Prefecture) and arrive at Kamakura or Enoshima in the Kanto District, but not to reach T’ang China. A large ship from China can travel from Japan to China without trouble. This chapter also compares having faith in the Lotus Sūtra to a person of poverty finding treasure. The pre-Lotus sūtras are like lands of poverty and those who believe in them are likened to hungry souls. The Lotus Sūtra, on the contrary, is like a mountain of treasures and those who have faith in it are people of wealth.
QUESTION: Do you have scriptural support to claim that pre-Lotus sūtras are like countries of destitution?
ANSWER: The “Assurance of Future Buddhahood” chapter of the Lotus Sūtra preaches, “It is like someone coming from a land of famine suddenly encountering the meal of a great king.”
Yakuō-bon Tokui-shō, The Essence of the “Medicine King Bodhisattva” Chapter, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 32
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
Bodhisattvas Who Meet the Needs of Sentient Beings
[Chapter 24] and the preceding, “Bhaiṣajyarāja” [The Previous Life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva] chapter feature bodhisattvas who manifest themselves in a variety of forms in order to meet the needs of sentient beings. Chapter 24 enumerates thirty-four appearances assumed by the bodhisattva Gadgadasvara [Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva] through his mastery of the samādhi of manifesting all physical forms, the same samādhi attributed to the bodhisattva Sarvarūpasaṃdarśana [Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva] in Chapter 23. Chapter 25 similarly lists thirty-three forms assumed by the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara [World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva]. The phrase “gateway to everywhere” (J. fumon), sometimes translated as “universal gate,” in the title of Chapter 25 refers to precisely this activity by which buddhas and bodhisattvas assume various forms to aid suffering beings. An eleventh-century poem based on this chapter celebrates the universal compassion of Avalokiteśvara:
the world is saved
because no one can shut
the gate to everywhere:
O who will not enter?
The Last Five Hundred Years
Two Buddhas, p230-231After the ten analogies and ten similes, the Lotus goes on to extol the merits of embracing the “Bhaiṣajyarāja” chapter [The Previous Life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva] specifically, suggesting that it may have been composed by a group of Lotus practitioners particularly devoted to this bodhisattva. Nichiren, however, read the passage as applying to his own time and to the Lotus as a whole. For example, a statement near the end of this chapter reads, “During the period of five hundred years after my parinirvāṇa, you must spread it far and wide in Jambudvipa [i.e., this world] and not allow it to be destroyed.” The “five hundred years after my parinirvāṇa” here probably indicates the time in which the Lotus Sūtra’s compilers understood themselves to be living, that is, within five centuries of the historical Buddha’s death. But in Kumārajīva’s Chinese translation, “the period of five hundred years after” can also be read as “the last five hundred years.” Nichiren, like other later East Asian interpreters, took this phrase to mean the last of five consecutive five-hundred-year periods following the parinirvāṇa as described in the Great Collection Sūtra (Skt. Mahāsamnipāta Sūtra; Ch. Daji jing, T 397); the “last five hundred years” is predicted to be a time of dissension among the Buddha’s followers, corresponding to the beginning of the mappō era, when the true dharma will be obscured. In other words, Nichiren took this passage as referring to his own, present time. Repudiating the idea that mappō is necessarily an age of Buddhism’s decline, he drew on the third analogy of the “Bhaiṣajyarāja” chapter, which compares the Lotus Sūtra to the moon that outshines all stars. “The blessings of the Lotus Sūtra surpass those of other sūtras even during the two thousand years of the True and Semblance Dharma ages,” he wrote. “But when the spring and summer of the two thousand years of the True Dharma and Semblance Dharma ages are over and the autumn and winter of the Final Dharma age have arrived, then the light of this moon [i.e., the Lotus] will shine even more brightly.” In the sūtra text, the “it” which is to be “spread far and wide” (J. kōsen-rufu) refers specifically to the “Bhaiṣajyarāja” chapter. Nichiren, however, took it as referring to the sūtra itself, and more specifically, to its title or daimoku, Namu Myōhō-renge-kyō.
The Lotus Sūtra’s Power of Divine Help
It is stated [in “Medicine King Bodhisattva” chapter] that this sūtra will spread widely in Jambudvīpa after 2,000 years. In this statement the Lotus Sūtra is likened to the third parable of the Moon. Grand Master Dengyō interprets this, “The Ages of the True Dharma and the Semblance Dharma have already passed, and the Latter Age of Degeneration is around the corner. Now is the time for the One Vehicle teaching of the Lotus Sūtra to spread.” The divine help of the Lotus Sūtra is superior to other sūtras in both the Ages of the True Dharma and the Semblance Dharma. However, as the moonlight is brighter in the fall and winter than in the spring and summer, the Lotus Sūtra’s power of divine help grows more powerful in the Latter Age than in the 2,000-year period of the Ages of the True and Semblance Dharmas.
Yakuō-bon Tokui-shō, The Essence of the “Medicine King Bodhisattva” Chapter, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 31