The fourth lesson covers Chapter 1, Introductory, and this introduction to the Lotus Sutra offers an opportunity to consider foundational elements of Buddhism that must be grasped before approaching the teaching of the Lotus Sutra.

Consider the three truths. As Nikkyō Niwano writes:

[Śākyamuni taught three truths]: “All things are impermanent” (Shogyō mujō), “Nothing has an ego” (Shohō muga), and “Nirvana is quiescence” (nehan jakujō). These three great truths are also called the Seal of the Three Laws (sambō-in). They are so important that they are said to be the three fundamental principles of Buddhism.

However, an ordinary person cannot easily realize these three great truths. In order to do so, it is necessary for him to practice them and endeavor to achieve them in his daily life: he must practice the bodhisattva way with his mind, his body, and his actions. This means that he must devote himself to the practice of the doctrines of the Eightfold Path (hasshō-dō) and the Six Perfections (roku-haramitsu). The Truth of the Path shows the way to absolute peace and the state of quietude that we can attain by practicing these two doctrines.

The Law of the Four Noble Truths teaches us to face the reality of human suffering (the Truth of Suffering), to grasp its real cause (the Truth of Cause), to practice daily the bodhisattva-way (the Truth of the Path), and thereby to extinguish various sufferings (the Truth of Extinction).

Buddhism for Today, p26-27

This is another opportunity to discuss Buddhist vocabulary and common misperceptions. Consider Nikkyō Niwano’s explanation of the statement “Nirvana Is Quiescence.”

The law that nirvana is quiescence is the third of the three major fundamental principles of Buddhism. This law has been misunderstood because of misconstruing the word “nirvana.” Many people think nirvana is synonymous with death. The words “Śākyamuni Buddha entered nirvana” are ordinarily used to refer to the death of the Buddha. For this reason the law “Nirvana is quiescence” has been understood to refer to a paradise like the Pure Land of Amitābha Buddha, which in Pure Land Buddhism is believed to be our ideal destination after death.

The Sanskrit word nirvāṇa has the negative meaning of “extinction” or “annihilation.” Therefore this word also means the state in which one’s body dies or disappears. At the same time, nirvana means the state reached by extinguishing all illusions, and this is the sense in which it is used in the teachings of the Buddha. In the true sense of the word, nirvana means the state attained by completely destroying all illusions and of never being tempted by them in the future. Therefore the words “Śākyamuni Buddha entered nirvana” mean not his death but the enlightenment attained by him.

The law “Nirvana is quiescence” teaches us that we can completely extinguish all the sufferings of human life and obtain peace and quietude when we destroy all illusions. How can we reach this state? The only way is to realize the two laws “All things are impermanent” and “Nothing has an ego.”

Buddhism for Today, p32