We begin as we did in the classroom. Putting hands together in gassho, Namu-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, Namu-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, Namu-Myoho-Renge-Kyo.

And before we continue, the disclaimer: I am allowed to record Ven. Kenjo Igarashi’s sermons and lectures as long as I don’t publish the actual recording. Since that requires that I must transcribe the hour-long class, there are bound to be errors introduced. Those are mine. Since I’m condensing and editing what I hear, what I write is more paraphrasing than quotes. Again, any errors are mine. I also want to thank Keiko Tsuda for help with the Japanese.

The lesson was about One, only One, Rev. Igarashi explained at the start.

“When I was a college student I was asked at an exam to answer the question, What is One?” He had to fill a legal-size paper with the answer.

“What is One?” he said. “A lot of things.”

He then wrote in Japanese on the chalkboard.

一仏一乗 — Ichibutsu Ichijyou — One Buddha, One Vehicle
一念三千 — Ichinen Sanzen — One moment contains 3000 realms
一念随喜 — Ichinen Zuiki — One moment of faith (Chapter 10)
一念信解 — Ichinen Shinge — One moment of faith that Sakyamuni Buddha’s life is eternal (Chapter 17)

“Lots of ichi,” he said.

The first example: One Buddha, One sutra. Only Sakyamuni Buddha; no other Buddha. And only one vehicle, not two or three.

“The Lotus Sutra teaches about second vehicle or third vehicle,” Rev. Igarashi explained, “but only one vehicle can lead to enlightenment. Only one Buddha; only one vehicle.”

Nichiren taught that only the Lotus Sutra possesses the key to opening enlightenment in our lives. Other teachings, other Buddhas cannot save people, cannot bring true enlightenment. That’s why only one Buddha; only one vehicle. Only Sakyamuni Buddha and the Lotus Sutra can save all of the people.

Rev. Igarashi explained that adding other teachings or other Buddhas to your practice is like adding sand and dirt to a bowl of rice and then eating.

“Why don’t you just eat pure rice?” he said. “Only the Lotus Sutra can bring enlightenment and save other people.”

(On the topic of Ichinen Sanzen, we’ll have to wait until next month. For a preview of the 3,000 realms contained in one moment of thought, see this quote from Lotus Seeds.)

The remaining examples of “one” focus on a single moment.

“Ichinen Zuiki: Only one second, maybe just a half-second, if you rejoice at hearing the Lotus Sutra — if you are listening a short time and then you rejoice — then you are going to get enlightenment — not long, long time,” he said.

He then read from Chapter 10, The Teacher of the Dharma:

“If after my extinction anyone rejoices, even on a moment’s thought, at hearing even a gāthā or a phrase of the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma, I also will assure him of his future attainment of Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi.”

Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi means enlightenment.

“Ichinen Shinge: If you understand — if you believe — the Lotus Sutra and Sakyamuni’s life is eternal — if you believe for only one second or a half-second — you are going to get enlightenment, you are going to be a Buddha in your next life. Only a short time that you believe that Sakyamuni’s life is eternal,” Rev. Igarashi explained, and then quoted from Chapter 17, The Variety of Merits:

“Thereupon the Buddha said to Maitreya Bodhisattva-mahāsattva: “Ajita! Anyone who hears that my life is so long, and understands it by faith even at a moment’s thought, will be able to obtain innumerable merits.”

“Sakyamuni was born in India to save the people living in the defiled world, but already before he was born in India his spirit had already become enlightened a long, long, long time ago,” Rev. Igarashi explained.

Many people cannot believe that Sakyamuni’s life is eternal. That’s why he said in Chapter 17, if you believe for only a second, only a half-second, if you believe from the bottom of your heart, then you are assured by Sakyamuni of getting enlightenment and becoming a Buddha in your next life.

Some people believe we have to study or we have to practice for a long, long, long time over many, many lives otherwise we cannot get enlightenment. They give up.

“But it is not this long, long time but only one second, only half-second if you can believe then you can get enlightenment,” Rev. Igarashi said.

While Ichinen Zuiki, Ichinen Shinge — a single moment of faith — are very easy, if you are thinking of other religions it is not pure. You have to purify your mind and believe Sakyamuni’s life is eternal and the Lotus Sutra is the supreme teaching, then you are going to get enlightenment and get merit.

“Sometimes when people chant Namu Myoho Renge Kyo or the Lotus Sutra, tears fall without explanation,” Rev. Igarashi said. “That means they are very happy. The Lotus Sutra makes them very happy. Maybe he or she understands what the Lotus Sutra says and realizes she will get enlightenment and merits. They are just crying naturally during Namu-Myoho-Renge-Kyo.”

At this point Rev. Igarashi shifted to a discussion of the Parable of the Burning House in Chapter 3 and the deer carts, sheep carts and bullock carts the children wanted.

The śrāvakas and the pratyekabuddhas — nijyou or followers of the two vehicles — think only of their own enlightenment and leaving the suffering world. “We call this thinking very small,” Rev. Igarashi said. “That’s why we call nijyou Hinayana Buddhism. Hinayana Buddhism is a small boat that carries only one person at a time.”

Because nijyou followers only think about themselves, sutras before the Lotus Sutra said they could not get enlightenment. But the Lotus Sutra said even those people can get enlightenment. “We have a big boat to cross the suffering ocean,” Rev. Igarashi said. “Everybody can get in.”

Ichibutsu Ichijyou — only one Buddha, only one vehicle — can save all suffering people.

“We have to practice and we have to try to save all of the people. Trying to save other people is our practice — not only me, not only one,” he said. “Many people are thinking, I’m happy so I don’t care about other people. That’s not the thinking of the big vehicle, Daijyou. That’s why we have to think about Ichibutsu Ichijyou and Daijyou. It is very important. Then we just believe that Sakyamuni Buddha’s life is eternal and a moment’s faith is all that is required.”

Which brought us to Tanshin Mugei — 但信無解.

One only has to believe. Understanding is not required — Tanshin Mugei — believe it even if you don’t understand.

[He also returned to a topic covered in Dec. 17, 2017, service: The story of Ksudrapanthaka, disciple of the Buddha who couldn’t remember anything, even his name. See this post.]

If you seriously believe, even if you don’t understand, you will get enlightenment.

“Many people feel they must understand before they believe,” Rev. Igarashi said. “But if you try practicing, naturally you will come to understand the meaning of the Lotus Sutra. That’s why Nichiren Shonin said ‘Your belief will change to wisdom.’ So even if you don’t understand, if you chant Namu-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, Namu-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, Namu-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, your belief will naturally change to wisdom and then you will understand what the Lotus Sutra is, what Buddhism is.”