The “consummation and perpetuation”

All of the remaining [Lotus Sutra] chapters (17-28), the “Consummation and Perpetuation” of the truths revealed, have always been a strong inspiration to Buddhist piety. The narratives and prophecies contained in them gave consolation in various ways, and the saints in the stories were the objects of pious devotion on the part of many Buddhists. Especially the compassionate help promised to Buddhists by Avalokiteśvara, the god of mercy (chapter 25), was regarded as a powerful incentive to grateful piety. Other saints or deities appearing in these chapters were regarded as protectors of Buddhists, and their worship consisted in devotion to them and dependence on their divine grace. In short, for most Buddhists before Nichiren, the admiration of these chapters and the worship of the divine beings who appear in them amounted to praying for benefits, and even to superstition.

Now Nichiren interpreted the “Consummation and Perpetuation” (chapters 17-28) in a totally different manner. The inspiration he derived from these narratives was a spirit of emulation, instead of mere piety; the life of the true Buddhist was to be lived in emulating the courageous and compassionate spirit of the divine beings and the vows they uttered. This was due to Nichiren’s peculiar conception of the whole [Lotus Sutra], namely, that it was a book not to be read simply by the eyes, or merely understood by the mind, but to be “read by the body,” that is, by flesh and blood. The truths revealed therein were, for Nichiren, the records of the true Buddhist life, which was realized by the saints of the past, and therefore to be striven for by all Buddhists of the coming ages.

Seen in this light, the whole book, and especially the part on the “Consummation and Perpetuation,” was a storehouse of exhortations and precepts, prophecies and assurances, given to the future Buddhists, especially to those living in the latter days of the world. For instance, take chapter 21, on the “Mysterious Power of the Tathāgata.” It is not only a revelation of Buddha’s own divine work, but an assurance given to all Buddhists, that the “Mysterious Power” should be realized and embodied in every Buddhist’s actual life. Nichiren regarded as of the highest importance a passage pointing to a definite person, designating him as “this man.”

Just as the light of the sun and moon
Expels all dimness and darkness,
So this man, living and working in the world,
Repels the gloom (of illusion) of all beings.

How this statement was taken as a prophecy concerning the leader of the true Buddhism in those days, that is, Nichiren himself, will be seen as we follow his growing consciousness of his mission. To take another instance, there is a passage in chapter 23, on the Bodhisattva Bhaiṣajyarāja [Medicine King], foretelling the propagation of the Lotus of Truth in the fifth five hundred years after Buddha’s death. Herein Nichiren saw another prophetic assurance given to his mission.

---

---

NICHIREN: THE BUDDHIST PROPHET

Table of Contents

---