Since the Great Concentration and Insight preaches the way of practicing the spiritual contemplation according to the doctrine of “3,000 existences in one thought” in the Lotus Sūtra, the way to practice the “threefold contemplation in a single thought” is nothing but recognizing the Wonderful Dharma to be beyond conceptual understanding. Therefore, the priests who … Continue reading ‘Threefold Contemplation in a Single Thought’→
QUESTION: If anyone associates with a false teacher, despite his faith in the Lotus Sūtra, he will fall into the three evil realms, won’t he? ANSWER: If anyone without comprehension of the Lotus Sūtra, meets with “evil friends” of expedient teachings and retreats from the true teaching, he will without fail fall into the three … Continue reading Those Who Believe in the Lotus Sūtra→
[T]he “3,000 existences contained in one thought” doctrine is based on the three realms of existence: the realm of living beings, the realm of five components, and the realm of environment. Putting aside the first two realms for now, the third realm of environment includes trees and plants. The five colors of paint are made … Continue reading Inspiring a Soul into Portraits and Wooden Statues→
When the Lotus Sūtra was preached on Mt. Sacred Eagle, King Ajātaśatru, the most unfilial man in the world, attended the meeting; even Devadatta, who had abused the True Dharma throughout his life, was guaranteed to be Tennō (Heavenly King) Buddha in the future. Furthermore, a dragon girl, though females were considered incapable of becoming … Continue reading Each Letter of This Sūtra Represents a Wish-Fulfilling Gem→
It is said in a non-Buddhist writing that those who can predict things before they actually take place can be called sages. In Buddhism, those who see life in the past, present, and future are called sages. I made three outstanding predictions. … It was not I, Nichiren, who made these three important predictions. I … Continue reading A Mind of Any Person Is Equipped with Seed of Buddhahood→
When the Buddha preached the Flower Garland Sūtra at the Hall of Enlightenment, various Buddhas appeared from the worlds in ten directions, and all great bodhisattvas gathered together. Moreover, the Great King of the Brahma Heaven, Indra, and the Four Heavenly Kings danced for joy; eight kinds of gods and semi-gods such as dragon gods … Continue reading ‘The Time Was Not Ripe’→
In discussing Thich Nhat Hanh’s interpretation of the Lotus Sutra it is important to underscore that Thich Nhat Hanh is not Nichiren or a follower of Nichiren or even a follower of T’ien T’ai. Nichiren and T’ien T’ai looked upon the Lotus Sutra as the ultimate teaching of the Buddha, the ocean into which all … Continue reading Viewing the Lotus Sutra from the Inside Out→
For those who are incapable of understanding the truth of the “3,000 existences contained in one thought,” Lord Śākyamuni Buddha, with His great compassion, wraps this jewel with the five characters of myō, hō, ren, ge, and kyō and hangs it around the neck of the ignorant in the Latter Age of Degeneration. The four … Continue reading Jewel with Five Characters of Myō, Hō, Ren, Ge, and Kyō→
Shakyamuni Buddha passed way 3,000 years ago but his soul still lives on. He became one with the cosmos. From our view, the universe is vast. It is, however, but one, large lifeform when perceived through the eye of a Buddha. The life of this vast universe is the life of (Hon Butsu) the Original Buddha itself. The world where we live is the pure land of the Buddha, and this Buddha land, as such, is called (Jojyakkodo) The Eternal Pure Land. We, being ordinary people without this perception, choose to instead vandalize this world through our selfishness and become out-of-control. The world becomes a difficult place to live in with the killing of each other through war and the destruction of the environment as a result of satisfying selfish, human interest. As human beings, we should share the responsibility for the sufferings of each other and the difficult world in which we live. We must come to understand that as our primary responsibility as human beings.
Toward the end of the Age of the Semblance Dharma, Bodhisattvas Avalokiteśvara (Kannon) and the Medicine King (Yakuō) appeared in this world as Nan-yüeh and T’ien-t’ai respectively, and they thoroughly explained the doctrines of “1,000 aspects contained in 100 realms” and “3,000 existences contained in one thought,” stressing the theoretical section as the central theme … Continue reading The Actual Way of Realizing Ichinen Sanzen→
