Montgomery (June 28, 1985)
It says in the Kan-fugen-gyo, “Sakyamuni Buddha is called “Vairocana-Who-Pervades-All-Places….” Did Nichiren use the name of Vairocana to designate the Eternal Buddha? It says in the English Buddhist Dictionary by Soothill, “A of Avam is Vairocana’s germ word in the Garbha-dhatu; vam, that in the Vajra-dhatu. Hence, avam includes both. A-vam-ramham-kham is the highest formula in the Shingon sect. It represents all the elements. It represents not only the corporeal parts of Vairocana but also his Dharma-kaya. A-vi-ra-hum-kham, the five syllables of the spell of Vairocana represent the five elements.” Kukai writes extensively on hum. He breaks it down to haum. Nichiren was thoroughly familiar with the complexities of esotericism. Perhaps he wanted to write one mandala which would supersede both the mandalas of esotericism.

Murano (August 18, 1985)
Vairocana literally means “a thing which shines.” It primarily meant the sun, and then the Buddha. It says in the Kan-fugen-gyo, Sakyamuni Buddha is called Vairocana, the One Who Pervades All Places. The abode of the Buddha called Eternally Tranquil Light.” Nichiren never used Vairocana as an epithet of the Buddha because the Shingon Sect identifies Vairocana with Mahavairocana.

Nichiren did not worship Ragaraja or Acalanatha. He even criticized Acalanatha-worship in the Kito-sho. Acalanatha by no means represents Vajradhatu. Ragaraja does not represent Garbha-dhatu, either. In Nichiren’s time, Acalanatha-worship was popular among the Taimitsu Esoteric Buddhists while Ragaraja-worship was popular among the Tomitsu Esoteric Buddhists. It seems that Nichiren put their bijas, which are not mentioned in the Lotus Sutra, to show that both Taimitsu and Tomitsu are under the umbrella of the Myoho-renge-kyo. Nichiren never intended to unite the two mandalas of the Shingon Sect.