The inhabitants of the world are destined eventually to receive this blessing, in accordance with the Buddha’s words. But meanwhile they have contracted the fatal habits of illusion and confusion, which pursue them until they find themselves enmeshed in the inextricable tangles of absurd imaginations and false ideas. And they groan in the nets from which, alas, they cannot easily escape. If, on the other hand, a man unfolds his Buddha-intellect, the world displays itself before him in its true aspect; those, therefore, who wish to follow this wise course and experience true spiritual joy, should at once believe in the Good Law, discard the false and temporary theories taught by other sects, and embrace the true and eternal doctrines contained in the [Lotus Sutra]. Then both heaven and earth will be peaceful and prosperous forever; the order of things will be preserved in harmony; climate and temperature will accommodate themselves to the health of man and the fertility of the soil; the world will appear as the Paradise of Buddhas and of Glorious Light; nation will be at peace with nation as though they were brethren; and there will not be a single unhappy or dissatisfied person in the universe. Such is the result believing in the Good Law. Don’t doubt its merits; experience them to begin with, and inquire about them afterwards if you wish. Come one and all, and let us believe in the Good Law!
Doctrines of Nichiren (1893)Quotes
The Influence of Buddhism
Buddhism is usually known in the Occident as a religion of ascetic practice and atheistic ideas. Whatever the Western critics may say, the influence Buddhism exerted everywhere lay in its practice of love and equality, which was an outcome of its fundamental teaching of the unity of all beings, and of its ideal of supreme enlightenment (Bodhi) to be attained by all. This Bodhi amounts to realizing, in the spirit and in life, the basic unity of existence, the spiritual communion pervading the whole universe. This was exemplified by the person of Buddha, not only in his teaching of all-oneness but in his life of all-embracing charity. Those united in the faith in Buddha and his teaching form a close community of spiritual fellowship, in which the truth of oneness is embodied and the life of charity is practised. In short, the principle of the Buddhist religion amounts to faith and life in the Three Treasures (Rama-traya), which means oneness of the Perfect Person (Buddha), the Truth (Dharma), and the Community (Sangha).
History of Japanese ReligionThe True Nature of the Buddha’s Enlightened Life
Based upon his understanding of the Ceremony in the Air, Nichiren taught that we should take refuge in the Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha revealed in the Lotus Sutra as the unity of the historical, ideal, and universal aspects of Buddhahood. These are fully manifested by Shakyamuni Buddha and are also the potential that lies within all of us. The Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha, therefore, should be our focus of devotion if we want to realize for ourselves the true nature of the Buddha’s enlightened life and our own.
Lotus World: An Illustrated Guide to the GohonzonWe Already Have a Seed of Buddha
The lotus [flower symbolizes] that we and all beings have a Buddha-nature. Generally, most plants seed after blooming, but the lotus has already seeded when the flower has bloomed. This shows that we, human beings, were born with the seed of the Buddha-nature originally. Because of the seed we can achieve enlightenment, like the Buddha. Again, this shows a primary teaching of the Lotus Sutra: “We already have a seed of Buddha.”
Spring WritingsDeath as an Illusion
The fact of death is an illusion, but a necessary one along our path. Imagine if we had no death. If there were not the fact of death I am guessing people would value life even less than many appear to do so now. Yet, death is an illusion to the fact of the eternity of life and the eternity of Buddhahood. I like to say that death keeps us honest. If it weren’t for death we may not work to change our lives or at least not in any highly motivated way. Death is the constant reminder of the necessity of working toward manifesting our own enlightenment.
Lecture on the Lotus SutraThe Power of the One Vehicle
In the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha finally introduced the One Vehicle of Buddhahood, which unifies and ultimately transcends the previous three vehicles. The One Vehicle is the teaching that all beings can attain Buddhahood. Even those following the Two Vehicles of the voice-hearers and privately awakened ones, whom the Buddha declared unfit to attain Buddhahood, would be able to do so. In fact, the Lotus Sutra states that they had been on the One Vehicle all along, though they did not know it. This attainment of Buddhahood by those following the Two Vehicles is the main theme of the first half of the Lotus Sutra. In order to ensure that this teaching is understood, the Buddha taught it in many different ways. He used philosophical discourses, parables, similes, past-life experiences, and ultimately gave predictions of Buddhahood to all his many disciples.
More astonishing was the fact that the Buddha predicted that even his traitorous cousin, Devadatta, who had tried to kill him and take over the Sangha, would attain Buddhahood in the future. Shortly after this prediction, an eight-year-old dragon-girl transformed into a Buddha before the eyes of the whole assembly – despite the culturally perceived impediments of her sex, her age, and her birth as an animal. These examples extend the idea that even those previously believed unfit to attain Buddhahood would be able to do so in the end.
Lotus SeedsThe Great Vehicle
Since [reformists] believed that the Buddhist philosophy they advocated was capable of transporting the entire sentient world to Buddhahood, they called it Mahayana (the Great Vehicle) and disparagingly described Abhidharma Buddhism as Hinayana (the Small Vehicle).
Basic Buddhist ConceptsJū-Nyoze
The Ten Suchnesses (Jū-Nyoze) appear in Chapter 2 (Expedient Means) of the Lotus Sutra (Murano, p. 24). This is the portion of the Lotus Sūtra we recite as part of our daily services and which is repeated three times during Hōben-pon. … The Ten Suchnesses are:
- Nyoze-sō, or appearance as such,
- Nyoze-Shō, or natures as such,
- Nyoze-tai, or entities as such,
- Nyoze-riki, or powers as such,
- Nyoze-sa, or activities as such,
- Nyoze-in, or primary causes as such,
- Nyoze-en, or environmental causes as such,
- Nyoze-ka, or effects as such,
- Nyoze-hō, or rewards and retributions as such,
- Nyoze-honmatsu-kukyō-tō, or equality as such despite these differences.
Equal to the Buddha
It is interesting that the Buddha didn’t say that everyone will be just like he was, or that our lives would be identical. They won’t; it isn’t possible. But we can actually attain an enlightenment that is equal to the Buddha’s, even as it manifests differently in our own unique circumstances.
Lotus Path: Practicing the Lotus Sutra Volume 1My Region Is Peace and Rest
Sakyamuni, explaining the real state of this world, says, “This my region is Peace and Rest.” And indeed the world, rightly understood, is the region of peace, joy, and purity, and is free from sadness, trouble, and pain. It is the duty of its inhabitants to welcome those who are born and come, and to mourn for those who die and depart. Thus their life-work is finished, and they will be exempt from disappointment. The Buddha says: “Peaceful and happy in this life, we shall pass into the Good Regions hereafter.”
Doctrines of Nichiren (1893)