[T]he Daimoku contains the very essence of the [Lotus Sutra]. If anyone sincerely meditates upon the Truth in his mind, and repeats the Daimoku in his heart, he will surely receive great blessings. Even as regards the common occurrences of our daily life, be they good or bad, pleasurable or painful, if they are only recognized as the mysterious manifestations of the Truth of the Good Law, and as representations of the transcendent power of the [Lotus Sutra], we shall be able to free ourselves from the slavery of earthly rapture as well as rest perfectly content even in the midst of trouble; pains and pleasures will be indifferent to us, we shall be confused by neither; we shall attain to complete self-mastery, controlling our hearts and minds and not being controlled by them; able to suppress the five appetites and the seven passions, and thus become possessed of a Buddha-body, replete with the four attributes of eternity or permanence, peace, enlightenment, and purity. Under these conditions we are enabled to rid our minds of all base and mean propensities; for example, instead of giving rein to anger and fury, we shall quiet ourselves, and think calmly about the matter, and by this means be able to attain our object.
Doctrines of Nichiren (1893)Quotes
All-Embracing
This concept is best typified in the theory “nature embraces the Ultimate Truth” (Hsing-chü Shih-hsiang). “Nature” refers to suchness of things, which is termed by Chih-i as the Dharma-nature, i.e., the Ultimate Truth. The Ultimate Truth is characterized by the Ten Suchnesses in each of the Ten Dharma-realms. Specifically speaking, “nature embraces the Ultimate Truth” means “one instant thought containing three thousand dharmas” (I-nien San-ch’ien). How is this possible? This is because the ten realms (along with the Ten Suchnesses) are inseparable among each other. Any one of the ten realms simultaneously contain the other nine realms. For instance, the realm of the underworld contains the realms of hungry ghosts, animals, asuras, humans, heavenly beings, śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, bodhisattvas and Buddhas. With the ten realms penetrating each other, this adds up to one hundred realms. Since each realm has Ten Suchnesses, the one hundred realms embrace one thousand suchnesses. If we multiply one thousand suchnesses with the three divisions of the universe (living beings, the five aggregates, and the space we live in), there are total number of three thousand dharmas.
This all-embracing theory reveals that the Ultimate Truth does not limit itself to any domain, but instantaneously confirms all existing things in the universe. Macrocosmically speaking, the Ultimate Truth permeates the whole universe; microcosmically speaking, it is embedded in any entity or any moment of consciousness. Therefore, there is no hindrance or limitation between the parts and the whole. Any entity is a representation of the whole, and the whole is embodied by any of its parts. (Page 139)
The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra: Tien-tai Philosophy of BuddhismAn Immortal Harvest and Liberation from Suffering
At a time about ten years after his enlightenment, Shakyamuni was staying at a place called Southern Mountain in the kingdom of Magadha. He was apparently not well known in this region then. A Brahman farmer named Bharadvaja, who lived and worked his land with the aid of laborers, was cultivating his fields with five hundred plows. One morning, having arisen, dressed, and taken his begging bowl, Shakyamuni came to the fields of Bharadvaja, who was just then distributing food to his workers. With his begging bowl in his hands, Shakyamuni approached. Displeased by the appearance of a begging priest, Bharadvaja said, “O samana, I till my fields, plant seed, and live on what I harvest. Instead of amusing yourself and asking others for food, you too should till, plant, and eat what you earn by the sweat of your own labor.”
Although this attitude is perfectly natural from a secular viewpoint, it is surprising in the mouth of a Brahman, a member of the caste of spiritual leaders. It shows that this Brahman, like many others of his age, stressed material and economic matters above all else.
Hoping to correct his mistaken attitude, Shakyamuni said, “Brahman, I too live by tilling the earth and planting seeds.”
Because he failed to understand the meaning of these words, Bharadvaja said, “But, samana, I do not see your farming tools, your yoke, plow, plowshare, goad, or oxen. Nonetheless, you say that you live by tilling the earth and planting seeds. What can you mean
Then Shakyamuni answered in verse, “Faith is my seed. Right actions are the rain. Wisdom is my plow; conscience, my plow pole; the mind, my yoke; and right-mindedness, my plowshare and goad. I guard my body and speech from evil actions. I restrict the amount of food and clothing that I require. I use truth to weed out illusions, and mildness is my emancipation. Spiritual progress is my beast of burden, leading me to the serenity of nirvana, where I will have nothing to grieve about. Such tilling inevitably leads to an immortal harvest and liberation from all suffering.” (page 150)
The Beginnings of BuddhismThe Bodies of the Buddha
The historical Buddha, Sākyamuni, is but one of those adaptive manifestations; he is a Buddha in the Nirmanakāya (Jap. Wō-jin), the “Condescension-body,” the concrete object of our faith. Yet he is the Buddha par excellence for us living in this world and in this world-period, because of the moral and metaphysical bond connecting a being and the world he lives in. Besides this condescending manifestation, Buddha reveals his wisdom and power, exhibiting them in the blissful glories of celestial existence. This supernal revelation is, again, adapted to the respective heights of enlightenment on the part of those who have made a certain advance in moral purity and spiritual vision. Hence the infinite varieties of Buddha’s Sambhogakāya (Jap, Hō-jin), the “Bliss-body,” and hence the varieties of celestial abodes for different blissful lives. Among those abodes of bliss, however, Tendai Buddhism gives a special preference to the “Paradise of Vulture Peak” (Jap. Ryōzen-Jōdo), an idealization of the Vulture Peak where Buddha Sākyamuni is said to have revealed the truth of the Lotus based on the metaphysical conception of the connection between the world and the individual.
History of Japanese ReligionAll-Embracing Ultimate Truth
This concept is best typified in the theory “nature embraces the Ultimate Truth” (Hsing-chü Shih-hsiang). “Nature” refers to suchness of things, which is termed by Chih-i as the Dharma-nature, i.e., the Ultimate Truth. The Ultimate Truth is characterized by the Ten Suchnesses in each of the Ten Dharma-realms. Specifically speaking, “nature embraces the Ultimate Truth” means “one instant thought containing three thousand dharmas” (I-nien San-ch ‘ien). How is this possible? This is because the ten realms (along with the Ten Suchnesses) are inseparable among each other. Any one of the ten realms simultaneously contains the other nine realms. For instance, the realm of the underworld contains the realms of hungry ghosts, animals, asuras, humans, heavenly beings, śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, bodhisattvas and Buddhas. With the ten realms penetrating each other, this adds up to one hundred realms. Since each realm has Ten Suchnesses, the one hundred realms embrace one thousand suchnesses. If we multiply one thousand suchnesses with the three divisions of the universe (living beings, the five aggregates, and the space we live in), there are total number of three thousand dharmas.
This all-embracing theory reveals that the Ultimate Truth does not limit itself to any domain, but instantaneously confirms all existing things in the universe. Macrocosmically speaking, the Ultimate Truth permeates the whole universe; microcosmically speaking, it is embedded in any entity or any moment of consciousness. Therefore, there is no hindrance or limitation between the parts and the whole. Any entity is a representation of the whole, and the whole is embodied by any of its parts. (Page 139)
The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra: Tien-tai Philosophy of BuddhismEmpty Rituals
As I have pointed out, in the time of Shakyamuni few Brahmans and samanas were justly describable as men of religion in the truest sense. Though they were in charge of learning and ceremonies, the Brahmans were concerned most intently with formalities and were not the spiritual leaders of their age but merely habitual performers of empty rituals. Leading materially secure lives on land granted to them by royalty, they turned away from lofty spiritual ideals and concentrated on their own ease. Whereas some of them gained an independent livelihood by industriously tilling their land, others strove only for honor, wealth, and pleasure.
The Beginnings of BuddhismThe P’an-chiao System
Chih-i’s system is so justifiable and complete that no other Chinese schools could establish its own system of classification without reference to his system. Because of Chih-i ‘s remarkable effort, the P’an-chiao system became one of the major characters of Chinese Buddhism, entailing synthesis and unification of Buddhist schools and theories. In the meantime, this system also serves as a rationale for historical and doctrinal continuity of the Buddha’s teaching career, so that Buddhism is treated as a consistent entity. Our view of this system (that is so essential in Chinese Buddhism) is that this technique of synthesis underlies a typical Chinese episteme of constantly seeking for harmony, whether between nature and humans, or among human beings themselves. This episteme is derived from a holistic view of the universe, unifying everything under a single system.
The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra: Tien-tai Philosophy of BuddhismLessons in Elephant Riding
[T]he prince asked what conditions were necessary to enable an ascetic to attain his goal. Shakyamuni replied by relating what he had to say to the art of riding an elephant. Shakyamuni said that for success in elephant riding, the following things are needed: faith, good health, honesty, perseverance in striving to improve, and wisdom. In learning to ride an elephant and in learning Buddhism, absolute faith in and respect for the instructor are essential. The student cannot be frank and open unless he trusts his teacher. Health is needed because even a person with the greatest fervor is unable to carry out strenuous training if he is physically weak. Honesty is required: deceit and trickery may seem to produce good results at first, but they inevitably lead to failure. Constant striving is also important since perseverance and steadfastness are vital to any undertaking. Finally, the person must have deep and extensive experience and knowledge enabling him to view the total picture correctly.
When all of these conditions are present, a person does not require long periods to attain eminence or to become enlightened. If he is instructed in the truth in the morning, he will be able to reach his goal by the evening. (Page 146-147)
The Beginnings of BuddhismBodhisattvas
The pre-Mahayana sutras recognize only two bodhisattvas, Siddhartha Gautama before he attained buddhahood as Shakyamuni Buddha and Maitreya Bodhisattva, who resides in the Heaven of Contentment until he appears as the next Buddha in this world. These sutras leave open the possibility that there might be other bodhisattvas, but none are named. The Mahayana sutras, however, make the bodhisattva the primary ideal of Buddhist practice.
Lotus World: An Illustrated Guide to the GohonzonChih-i’s Classification System
Several attempts to establish a system of categorizing the Buddhist Canon had been made as a means to synthesize diverse Buddhist doctrines. However, … there was not a single theory that could perfectly arrange the whole teaching of the Buddha systematically and justifiably until the emergence of Chih-i. He has formulated a systematic classification P’an-chiao, and has made it the primary recourse of justification for the consistency of all the Buddhist doctrines as a whole. His system of classification consists of three aspects.
- First, the Buddha’s whole teaching career is arranged in five chronological periods that correspond to the five flavors of dairy products, upon which the doctrines that are expounded in these periods are introduced.
- The second aspect is the method the Buddha uses to expound his doctrines in terms of sudden, gradual, indeterminate, and secret, which are related to the five periods.
- Finally, based on the chronological arrangement, the Buddha’s teachings are categorized into the Four Teachings. As we have mentioned above, the Fourfold Teaching is discussed throughout the Hsüan-i (Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sūtra) , and it is so significant that it is the primary principle in systematizing Buddhist doctrines and practices. (Page 136)
The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra: Tien-tai Philosophy of Buddhism