Category Archives: d4b

d4b, WONS

Why the Buddha Expounded the Lotus Sūtra

Dividing the preachings of fifty years in His lifetime into two, provisional and true, Śākyamuni Buddha Himself clearly declared that we should discard provisional sūtras and seek refuge in the true sūtras. Thus, it is stated in the second chapter on “Expedients” of the Lotus Sūtra that the Buddha preached provisional sūtras in forty years or so because He was afraid that “the people would be unable to understand and sink in pain if He praised only the way to Buddhahood.” He, nevertheless, was also concerned that “if I guide people merely with Hinayāna dharma, even just one person, I would be committing the sin of greed.” Therefore, in order to avoid committing such a sin and upholding “His basic purpose of leading people into Mahāyāna teaching,” the Buddha expounded the Lotus Sūtra, achieving His purpose.

Shugo Kokka-ron, Treatise on Protecting the Nation, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Page 27

d3b, d4b, Blog, LS Biography

Odds and Ends from The Lotus Sutra: A Biography

This is a followup to yesterday’s post about The Lotus Sutra: A Biography with a few additional ideas I want to save for later retrieval.

On the fate of the 5,000 arrogant monks who walked out in Chapter 2, Expedients, of the Lotus Sūtra:

For Zhiyi, and for many readers over the centuries, the Lotus Sūtra has two major messages. The first, found in the first half of the sūtra, is that there are not three vehicles; there is one vehicle, which will eventually transport all sentient beings to buddhahood. The second, found in the second half of the sūtra, is that the lifespan of the Buddha is immeasurable. These two doctrines are generally compatible with the Nirvāṇa Sūtra, allowing Zhiyi to continue to uphold the supremacy of the Lotus. But if everything is said in the Lotus, what is the purpose of the Nirvāṇa? Here, those five thousand haughty monks and nuns who walked out in the second chapter of the Lotus Sūtra come to the rescue. The sūtra does not explain what became of them, but Zhiyi explains that they returned to the assembly that surrounded the Buddha’s deathbed. The Buddha thus compassionately reiterated the central message of the Lotus Sūtra to those who had missed it the first time. It was also important, at the moment of his apparent passage into Nirvāṇa, for the Buddha to reiterate what he had declared in the Lotus: that like the wise physician, the Buddha only pretends to die; in fact his lifespan is immeasurable. (Page 56-57)

On the great merit earned by the grasshopper.

Discussing Great Japanese Miraculous Tales of the Lotus Sūtra (Dainihonkoku hokekyōkenki), completed in 1044 by the monk Chingen:

Grasshopper on a lotusOne of several anthologies of miracle tales about the Lotus, this collection includes rather standard Buddhist stories of miracle cures (a blind woman regains her sight by reciting the Lotus), divine retribution (a man who ridicules a reciter of the Lotus loses his voice), and deaths attended by heavenly fragrances, beautiful music, and auspicious dreams. In one story, a monk memorizes the first twenty-five chapters of the Lotus but, despite repeated efforts, is unable to memorize the final three. He eventually learns in a dream that in a previous life he had been a grasshopper who perched in a temple room where a monk was reciting the sūtra. After reciting the first seven scrolls of the sūtra (which contain the first twenty-five chapters), the monk rested before beginning the final roll. He leaned against the wall and inadvertently killed the grasshopper. The grasshopper was reborn as a human as a result of the merit he received from hearing the first twenty-five chapters of the Lotus. When he became a monk, however, he was unable to memorize the final three chapters because he, as the grasshopper, had died before he heard them. (Page 79-80)

On how Nichiren judged the six Buddhist schools of Nara.

He seems to have arrived at this conviction [of the supremacy of the Lotus Sūtra] through something of a process of elimination, but only after a serious survey of the Japanese sects of the day. He began with the belief that the word of the Buddha was superior to that of the various Indian Buddhist masters, such that one’s allegiance should be to a sūtra rather than to a treatise (śāstra). This immediately eliminated five of the six “Nara schools” of Buddhism, which were based on various Madhyamaka (Sanron), Yogācāra (Hossō), and Abhidharma treatises (Kusha and Jōjitsu), as well as on (in the case of Ritsu) the monastic code (vinaya). Among the Nara schools, that left only Kegon, based on the Flower Garland Sūtra, which Nichiren rejected. He already had an antipathy for Pure Land, but he was attracted to Shingon, famous for its doctrine that it is possible to “achieve buddhahood in this very body” (sokushin jōbutsu), that is, during the present lifetime. He found what would prove to be for him a more compelling doctrine in the Tendai sect, which, based in part on Zhiyi’s famous doctrine of “the three thousand realms in a single thought,” proclaimed that all beings are endowed with original enlightenment (hongaku). Nichiren eventually decided that the Tendai sect, with its conviction that the Lotus Sūtra was the Buddha’s highest teaching, was the superior form of Buddhism, although he felt that in the centuries since its founding, its purity had been diluted by the admixture of other practices, especially devotion to Amitābha. (Page 82-83)

On the topic of Nichiren Shoshu.

“We recall that in Nichiren Shōshū, the dharma in the three jewels is not the Lotus Sūtra; it is the three great secret doctrines: the honzon, the daimoku, and the kaidan.” (Page 221)

On SGI as a separate Buddhist organization

We find in the charter no mention of slandering the dharma (or the consequences of doing so), no mention of shakubuku, and no mention of the Lotus Sūtra. (Page 211)

LS32, d3b, d4b, d5b, d6b, LS Introduction

The Unity of All Religions

Great Master Chih-i extolled the teaching of the One Vehicle as the unifying principle of Buddhism, presenting it as the doctrine which “opens the Three to reveal the One (Vehicle)” or “encompasses the three with the One.” Since the Three Vehicles symbolize all the sects of Buddhism united through this principle, the One Vehicle could also mean the unity of all the religions of the world, non-Buddhist as well as Buddhist.

Introduction to the Lotus Sutra

LS32, d3b, d4b, LS Introduction

At Root, All People Are The Same

Why Sakyamuni did not prevent [the 5,000 monks and lay followers] from departing [in Chapter 2, Expedients] has been discussed since ancient times. The matter should not be interpreted as a lack of mercy on the part of Sakyamuni; quite the contrary, it shows his infinite patience and compassion. The teaching of the Lotus Sutra allows everyone to become a Buddha, even heretics who oppose the right teaching. Obviously at this point the five thousand arrogant monks were heretics. They were intentionally presented here to show that even a heretic can be saved by Sakyamuni’s mercy and become a Buddha sooner or later. The Buddha does not prevent them at this time so as not to hurt their feelings; he knows that eventually they will return. At root, all people are the same, as we saw in the tenth “Suchness.” This identity, which exists along with manifold differences—as seen in the first nine Suchnesses—is called the “Void” or “Emptiness” in Buddhist philosophy.

Introduction to the Lotus Sutra

LS32, d3b, d4b, LS Introduction

The Departure of the 5,000

[In Chapter 2, Expedients, T]he Buddha confirmed the existence of the highest truth, which can be attained only by a Buddha. The next question is, how does Sakyamuni Buddha expound this highest truth to living beings? That is what Sariputra and the entire congregation wanted to know. Three times Sariputra asked for an explanation, but three times his request was denied. (This is called the “Three Requests and the Three Denials.”) Sakyamuni had good reason to refuse Sariputra’s requests. The audience, you may recall, was composed mostly of followers of the Lesser Vehicle. These people had spent long years of their lives in rigorous religious exercises and were convinced they had finally arrived at the truth. They were called arhats—perfect ones. Most of them would feel insulted to hear that they had been on the wrong track all this time. It is difficult to be told that one is wrong, especially after having worked so hard and accomplished so much.

Finally, however, Sakyamuni decided to accept the earnest pleas of Sariputra. Before he even began to speak, five thousand monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen from the congregation stood up and walked out. They were sure that they already knew the highest truth, and saw no need to listen any more. Like religious fanatics everywhere, they were arrogant in their assurance and unwilling to be contradicted or be littled. The Buddha remained silent and made no move to prevent them from leaving. “Let the arrogant ones go!” he told Sariputra. “Listen carefully, and I will explain it to you.”

Introduction to the Lotus Sutra

LS32, d4b, LS Introduction

Heavenly King Brahman

What is the significance of expedients? First of all, let us think about this question from the standpoint of Buddhism in general.

There is a legend that Sakyamuni, when he attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree at Buddha Gaya, in north-eastern India, was so impressed by its profundity that he remained motionless for hours. Then the Heavenly King Brahman, the lord of our world, came to him and said, “Your state of enlightenment is, indeed, impressive. Nevertheless, no matter how wonderful it may be to you, what good is it to anyone else? How are you going to serve people if you remain silent? Now that you have attained the ultimate truth, Please expound it to the people of the world and deliver them, too, from suffering.” After considering this request, Sakyamuni nodded in agreement, rose from his seat, and set out for Sarnath, where he delivered his first sermon

This legend shows that the profound depth of the Buddha’s enlightenment is almost impossible to express in words. (Otherwise the Buddha would have taught it immediately.) Nevertheless, it must be presented in words and expressed somehow if it is to help people. Words, however, are not always the perfect means of representing facts; they can express only part of them. For instance, we often find it difficult to express our innermost thoughts or complicated physical problems in words. (Physicists generally must resort to mathematical formulae; musicians use music; artists paint, and so on.)

Introduction to the Lotus Sutra

LS32, d4b, LS Introduction

Small Good Deeds

Toward the end of [Chapter 2], the Buddha expounds a well-known teaching called, “A small good deed leads a person to become a Buddha.” This teaching states that whenever someone shows sincere faith in the Buddha by performing a good deed, no matter how tiny it may be, this act sets him on the path to Buddhahood, and he or she is sure to become a Buddha eventually. Even though such a person is not yet a Buddha, he or she is on the way, and deserves respect as a future Buddha.

For example, even a person who has never performed any special practice can become a Buddha simply by making an offering, such as incense, flowers, or the wonderful sounds of music, in front of a Stupa (a round dome-shaped shrine) or an image of the Buddha. The sutra repeatedly maintains that such people “have already attained the enlightenment of the Buddha.” Furthermore, just entering a shrine only once and reciting, “Namo Buddhaya” (Homage to the Buddha!), or offering a single flower, is enough to enable anyone to become a Buddha. What is more, even a child at play, who pretends to build a Stupa by heaping up a pile of sand or dirt, “has already become a Buddha.” In the same way, if a child draws a picture of the Buddha on a wall with a stick or the back of his fingernail, and makes a gesture of praying to it, he or she has already become a Buddha (or, as the sutra says again, “has already attained the enlightenment of the Buddha”), (The Buddha is pure good: any act of good on our part, no matter how small or insignificant it may appear to be, puts us in his embrace from which nothing can ever separate us.)

The sutra presents various instances, one by one in order, to show that any small act of good will on our part enables us to become a Buddha. From these concrete examples, we can see that the One Vehicle is the teaching of the Buddha himself—boundless in bounty, pouring forth perfect life in limitless supply, lending a hand to everyone, and leading all of us to his own enlightenment. Finally, the sutra adds, “Anyone who even hears the Dharma (law/truth) will not fail to become a Buddha!”

Introduction to the Lotus Sutra

LS32, d3b, d4b, LS Introduction

Unity of the Three in the One

In Chapter Two, “Expedients,” the Buddha revealed the three vehicles to be expedients – that is, provisional teachings. He clarified that the unity of the three in the One Buddha Vehicle is the true teaching. This is called “opening the provisional to reveal the truth,” or “opening the three to reveal the one,” or “the three teachings become one.”

Introduction to the Lotus Sutra

LS32, d3b, d4b, LS Introduction

The Same Despite Apparent Differences

Sakyamuni had numerous followers and believers. Because their social and educational backgrounds were so diverse, he expounded the law in various ways according to each individual’s background. Furthermore, as the level of their understanding also differed, the Buddha adjusted his ways of preaching accordingly. This approach is called the expedient method of teaching. It resulted in a variety of sutras. The teachings in these sutras were not necessarily the same. They were presented as expedients for one single purpose: to lead people to aspire to the same enlightenment as that of the Buddha. Because all of these expedients came out of the Buddha’s wisdom and compassion, and were results of his desire to communicate the truth of his enlightenment, their fundamental idea must be one and the same despite their apparent differences.

Introduction to the Lotus Sutra

LS32, d3b, d4b, LS Introduction

The Ultimate Truth

The idea of the One Vehicle can be applied to the secular world as well. The diversification of world culture has created differences in ideas, or in the ways of thinking, among nations. Human culture has developed as a result of our search for the ultimate truth. In the process of cultural advancement through the pursuit of ultimate truth, conflicts often emerge due to our many theoretical differences. History tells us that these confrontations sometimes lead to bitter disputes or even war. Despite all differences in the process, however, these theories or ideas must eventually be unified, because they are all leading to the one single goal of the ultimate truth. The Lotus Sutra clarifies this concept through the teaching of the One Vehicle.

Introduction to the Lotus Sutra