[Chih-i’s] talent lies in the fact that he not only absorbed and incorporated different views and theories, but also went beyond all of his predecessors and contemporaries by formulating his own system of thought. Since his system is based on a complete evaluation and critique of all other available views of his time, it is thus endowed with the features of syncretism, comprehensiveness, and completeness, and a sense of harmony, flexibility, and perfection.
The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra: Tien-tai Philosophy of BuddhismQuotes
Purifying The World
The many religions that existed in India both before and after Buddhism taught personal discipline and liberation alone. Almost none of them gave thought to instructing others or society in general or to the creation of an ideal realm in the actual world. Initially, Shakyamuni left his father’s home and undertook the life of religious discipline for the realization of his own personal ideal. But when he had developed a correct view of the world and of man through observations of the nature of human life and the universe, he saw that human beings do not live in isolation. The fate of each person, intimately connected with the flow from past to present and from present to future, is further intimately connected with the fates of the people around him, with society, and with the natural environment. For this reason, individual happiness cannot result from the improvement of the individual alone. Shakyamuni realized that, because of the Law of Causation, such happiness can only result from simultaneous improvement in society and the environment. From this standpoint, he naturally adopted the policy of saving and teaching others. This characteristic attitude sets Buddhism apart from other Indian religions and philosophies and explains its spread beyond India to the rest of the world. (Page 40-41)
The Beginnings of BuddhismThe Five False Views
The last of the six fundamental obstructions is false views, of which there are five kinds. Adding these to the previous five of the six fundamental obstructions gives us what are known in Buddhism as the ten fundamental obstructions. The five false views are (1) belief that the perceivable self, which is only a temporary aggregation of elements determined by cause and effect, is a true, persistent entity, (2) belief in either of the extreme views of eternal existence or the annihilation of existence, (3) rejection of the law of cause and effect, (4) belief in mistaken theories of cause and effect (such as those put forth by other teachers in Shakyamuni’s time, described in chapter two), and (5) belief that any of the previous four false views are the truth, that is, taking a mistaken ideal for a true ideal. The obstruction known as false views is ignorance of the truth taught by Buddhism and the adoption of false ideals in its stead. This is foolishness at its most stubborn and dangerous. Greed, anger, foolishness, pride, and doubt are known as the five dull obstructions, while the five false views are called the five sharp obstructions.
Basic Buddhist Concepts
Chih-i, Tendai and Nichiren
With regard to Tendai Buddhism in Japan that was founded by Saichō (767-822), it was “essentially the same as its parent sect in China, and was based like it on the teachings of the Lotus Sūtra.” The Nichiren School in Japan that is founded by Nichiren (1222-1282) not only worships the Lotus Sūtra as the supreme of all scriptures, but also goes so far as to only chant the title of the Lotus Sūtra as the most revered phrase, representing the cause and effect of Buddhahood. This can be seen as the impact of Chih-i’s effort of interpreting the title of the Lotus Sūtra in his work Hsüan-i (Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sūtra).
The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra: Tien-tai Philosophy of BuddhismTwelve Stages Of Attainment
Śākyamuni then explained the twelve stages by means of which he attained the highest enlightenment. He divided each of the Four Noble Truths into three stages of attainment. In the first stage, he acquired theoretical understanding of the Four Noble Truths as they are. In the second stage, he put his theoretical knowledge into practice. Doing this involves a correct understanding of the nature of suffering, the extinction of the causes of suffering, the application of the ways in which those causes are eliminated and traveling the full Path. As one continues practical application in connection with the Four Noble Truths, theory and practice come to agree entirely, and one arrives at the third stage, where all the practical aims have been fulfilled. At this point, one is ready for the highest enlightenment.
Śākyamuni explained that only when he had completed these three stages was he sufficiently convinced of being a supremely enlightened Buddha to announce his nature publicly. Only then had he achieved perfect liberation, and only then had he escaped from the cycle of birth, death, and transmigration.
The Beginnings of BuddhismTrue Cause and True Effect
Endlessness of effect is natural. Here it is revealed that both the nine realms as cause and the realm of Buddha as effect are beginningless and endless in the past, present, and future. To conclude, cause and effect originally existed simultaneously; they exist in the present time, and they will exist in the future. At this point, there is no time difference between the nine realms as cause and the realm of Buddha as effect, and they exist simultaneously. This is true cause and true effect which is the relationship of cause and effect based on the enlightenment of the Original Buddha.
Now, the true meaning of the mutual possession of ten realms and three thousand existences in one thought is established. If effect comes out only after the work of cause is completed, there would be some time distance between cause and effect; mutual possession could not be established.
Buddha Seed: Understanding the OdaimokuMother and Child
The biography of Kumārajīva describes how he displayed his talent even when he was still in his mother’s womb. It is said that after his mother conceived him, the wisdom of Kumārajīva was so highly effective that he even influenced his mother, with which she became very knowledgeable, and her understanding ability was doubled than before. In addition, she was able to speak Sanskrit language without ever having learned it before, and was extremely fluent in being engaged in debate. (Page 10)
The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra: Tien-tai Philosophy of BuddhismTo Become a Bodhisattva, or Even a Buddha
It is not difficult for any one to become a Bodhisattva, or even a Buddha. Women, too, may succeed, in spite of the exceptional difficulty which popular Buddhist teaching attributes to the female sex in such a quest. Why, even a female dragon is said to have attained to Buddhahood; and if that is true, why not a female human bing? Devadatta became a Buddha in spite of his infernal character. Why, then, not another man?
Doctrines of Nichiren (1893)The Heart of the Matter
Here is the heart of the matter: Every day we should live our lives as not just disciples of the Buddha, but as Bodhisattvas from beneath the ground, disciples of the Eternal Buddha. Our actions are the most powerful form of speech.
Lotus Path: Practicing the Lotus Sutra Volume 1The Essence of T’ien-t’ai Buddhism
At the time of Chih-i, facing voluminous Buddhist scriptures and commentaries and diverse discourses, there was obviously an urgent need for a comprehensive guideline to swim through controversies in order to get a clear picture of what the real theme of the teaching of the Buddha is. Only when the real intention of the Buddha was grasped, the disputes over various Buddhist principles could be resolved. It was Chih-i who has come to the scene to fulfill this huge task. He has appropriately chosen the Lotus Sūtra to be the supreme doctrine, because of its reconcilable nature in incorporating all divisions of Buddhism, and because it equally addresses all sentient beings. The essence of T’ien-t’ai Buddhism is revealed through this text with Chih-i’s unique interpretations. When the concepts and principles in Indian Buddhism are reshaped, remolded, redefined, and re-categorized with Chinese epistemology in Chih-i’s system, they become distinctively Chinese, forming the main characteristics of Chinese Buddhism. Therefore, Chih-i is worthy to be called one of the greatest Buddhist masters in China, who contributed greatly to Chinese Buddhism which developed to full bloom in the T’ang Dynasty. (Preface xix-xxx)
The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra: Tien-tai Philosophy of Buddhism