Once the Eternal Buddha reveals his unborn and deathless true nature, Buddhahood is no longer just a theory, or the achievement of a special person who lived in the distant past, or a remote future possibility. Buddhahood is the essential truth of the present moment that the other teachings point toward. This is why the One Vehicle teaching of the historical Shakyamuni Buddha is considered to be the reflection of the Eternal Buddha in this world of impermanence, while the Eternal Buddha is the ever-present actuality that is the source of all such reflections. It is important that we receive this teaching with faith and rejoicing, and spread it to others.
Lotus SeedsQuotes
Practicing
Buddhism requires regular practice; in fact, most students of Buddhism – including those who do not necessarily consider themselves Buddhists – say that Buddhism cannot be understood without at least trying the practice for a period of time.
Awakening to the LotusNoble Truth of Suffering
All of these obstructions cloud the truth, lead to mistaken thoughts and actions, and prevent the realization of the ideal and thus are causes of suffering. To recognize suffering as suffering and see obstructions as obstructions calls for an understanding of the Buddhist religious ideal. The truths of suffering and its cause are based on the truth of the elimination of suffering. When the possibility of an end to suffering is glimpsed, the true nature of suffering and its causes become clear. Though they should be eliminated, suffering and its causes must be seen as aspects of reality, and the ideal of the elimination of suffering must be realized. Viewed in this way, suffering becomes the noble truth of suffering, and its cause the noble truth of the cause of suffering.Basic Buddhist Concepts
Walking Our Path With The Buddha
We learn that we live with the Buddha and walk on the path of our life with the Buddha. By doing so, we are involved in the eternal life of the Buddha. Now, we as cause and the Buddha as effect no longer theoretically but realistically become one. It is perfectly attaining Buddhahood with cause and effect existing simultaneously; with true cause and effect; with Ichinen Sanzen of Ji; with one’s present body; and with receiving and upholding the teaching of the Lotus Sutra. Therefore, it is not necessary for Odaimoku practitioners to achieve a certain stage (rank) or to practice for a long period of time, because one is directly involved in the Buddha’s life with one’s present body.
Buddha Seed: Understanding the OdaimokuThe Attainment of Bodhisattvaship by Nichiren
Sakyamuni advanced at one step from the state of a human being to the Buddhahood, and thereby brought a thousand everlasting blessings into the world. Nichiren advanced at one step from the state of a human being to that of a Bodhisattva, or wise being, which is only one degree below the Buddhahood. The attainment of Bodhisattvaship by Nichiren constituted a great mission, the influence of which has continued unimpaired for seven hundred years*.
Doctrines of Nichiren (1893)* As of 1893
Insantity
“Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Albert Einstein
So day after day, lifetime after lifetime, and birth after birth, we repeat the cycles of birth, sickness, old age, and death. The four sufferings haunt us, and we try every strategy to eliminate them from our lives. If not our own sufferings we suffer the sickness and death of friends and loved ones. We suffer the attachment to things that are impermanent. We suffer the illusions that we are independent of the things that exist outside ourselves.
I like the phrase, “They are trying to stop suffering by suffering” from Chapter 2 in the Lotus Sutra. How easy it is to keep doing the easy thing, the thing that has not worked well for us in the past?
Buddhism requires us to change, to challenge, to delve deep into our innermost being to try to understand both what is good and beneficial for us and what keeps us from doing that very thing. As long as we keep ignoring the obvious, our suffering, our thinking that there is no other way, we will continue to suffer. Ignorance is one of the three poisons; ignorance traps us in a cycle of ignorance and suffering.
Lotus Path: Practicing the Lotus Sutra Volume 1The Chinese Philosopher Monk Chih-i
It was the Chinese philosopher monk Chih-i (531-97) who formulated a system of religious philosophy on the basis of the book Hokke-kyō or Lotus; it is known as the school of Tendai (Chinese, Tientai), from the name of the mountain where he lived. The chief import of the book is to interpret the person of Buddha as a manifestation of eternal metaphysical entity, and thus to synthesize the two aspects of his being, his actual manifestation or incarnation in human life, and the ontological foundation of his real entity.
History of Japanese ReligionThe Unity of All Three Buddha Bodies
The Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha represents the unity of all three bodies (Sanskrit, trikaya) of a Buddha: the universal Dharma-body (Sanskrit, Dhannakaya), the idealized enjoyment-body (Sanskrit, sambhogakaya), and the historical transformation-body (Sanskrit, nirmanakaya). … Only the Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha accompanied by the four leaders of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth represents all three bodies at once, the unity of the universal, ideal, and historical aspects of Buddhahood. All the other Buddhas are merely his emanations or aspects of him. For this reason the Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha is considered to be the Buddha who is most worthy of reverence.
Lotus World: An Illustrated Guide to the GohonzonAs It Is
When we take all phenomena for granted, a thankful mind cannot survive. The Buddha teaches us to pay attention, observe everything as it is – all phenomena have a cause and effect which relate to each other, influence each other, and become universally “as it is.” When we realize this teaching, we will be impressed by the wonder of nature and the wisdom of our ancestors. Then, gratitude will naturally arise within us.
Summer WritingsOur Deep Bond With All People
From this we can see that even though there may be some who only practice on the surface and appear to do so for personal gain or fame, in the end even that is making a significant cause for their future enlightenment. Sometimes we may question why we have to be around someone who is like that. It is especially challenging when we have to work alongside someone who is that way day after day. It can be very discouraging and even frustrating.
We should, however, keep in mind that we have a deep bond or relationship with all the people and circumstances that arise in our lives. It is our challenge to see each of those as opportunities to change things within our own lives. Perhaps we need to learn to be less critical or judgmental. Perhaps we need to learn to look deeper in the lives of others around us so that we can see their Buddha potential even if at the moment they are not manifesting it. And after all, it is only our personal opinion that the other person is not performing up to our standard.
Lecture on the Lotus Sutra