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Remonstrating the Moon God

It was night on the thirteenth day of the month. Dozens of soldiers were on guard duty around my room and in the big garden. As it was the thirteenth night of the ninth month and the moon was shining in the clear sky, I stepped out into the garden at midnight to recite the verse at the end of the 16th chapter, “The Life Span of the Buddha,” of the Lotus Sūtra several times. In addition, after briefly explaining the comparative superiority of various Buddhist schools and outline of the Lotus Sūtra, I declared to the moon:

“Are you not the Moon God who attended the assembly in which the Buddha Śākyamuni preached the Lotus Sūtra? Are you not the very Moon God who was ordered directly by Śākyamuni Buddha in the eleventh chapter, “Appearance of the Stupa of Treasures,” of the Lotus Sūtra to spread the Lotus Sūtra and protect the practicers of the Lotus Sūtra after His death? Are you not the god who was touched by the Buddha on the head three times and made a great vow to carry out the Buddha’s order without fail in the twenty-second chapter, “Transmission,” of the Lotus Sūtra? The vow you made in front of the Buddha would be mere empty words if not for the great difficulties of Nichiren and if you had no chance to carry out your vow. At this moment I am faced with such a great difficulty for the sake of the Lotus Sūtra. You should be delighted to take the place of a practicer of the Lotus Sūtra, carry out the Buddha’s order and show the evidence of your oath. It is quite unbelievable that you have not shown any sign of fulfilling your oath at the very moment when Nichiren is condemned for the sake of the Lotus Sūtra. Should there be no sign in Japan where Nichiren is sentenced to be exiled, I will not return to Kamakura even if I were to be pardoned. What happens to you, Moon God, who does not show any sign but continues to shine carefree in a clear sky? It is preached in the Sūtra of the Great Assembly: ‘The sun and moon will not shine;’ in the Sūtra of the Benevolent King: ‘The sun and moon will lose their brightness;’ and in the Sūtra of the Golden Splendor ‘The 33 gods each gets angry’ in the land where the True Dharma is slandered. What happened to you, Moon God? Why can you not respond?”

In this manner I sternly accused the Moon God. Perhaps because of this a star looking like Venus suddenly came down from the heaven and perched on a branch of a plum tree in the front garden. The soldiers on guard duty were all astonished at its sight and jumped off the veranda. Some crouched in the garden, while others ran and hid themselves behind the house. Soon the whole sky became dark, strong winds began to blow, and the horrible sound of the howling sea of Enoshima Island echoed in the sky as loudly as huge drums.

Shuju Onfurumai Gosho, Reminiscences: from Tatsunokuchi to Minobu, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Biography and Disciples, Volume 5, Pages 30-31

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The Lotus Sūtra Mountain

Let me next use a metaphor of a mountain to help explain the Lotus Sūtra. There are ten mountains of treasures, of which Mt. Sumeru is supreme. The ten mountains of treasures consist of 1. Sessen (Snowy Mt.), 2. Kōsen (Fragrant Mt.), 3. Karira-sen (Mt. Kharādiya), 4. Senshō-sen (Hermit Sage Mt.), 5. Yugenta-sen, 6. Meni-sen, 7. Nimindara-sen, 8. Shakara-sen, 9. Shukue-sen, and 10. Mt. Sumeru. The first nine of these ten mountains are like sūtras other than the Lotus Sūtra, though each of them is equipped with a treasure. Mt. Sumeru is equipped with all the nine treasures, each of which is superior in quality to the one in the corresponding mountain. It is like how gold in the mundane world is valuable but not comparable to the purplish gold said to be from the river running through the mango forest in the Jambudvīpa continent.

Yakuō-bon Tokui-shō, The Essence of the “Medicine King Bodhisattva” Chapter, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 30

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The Secretly Treasured Doctrine of the Buddha

QUESTION: Various sūtras other than the Lotus Sūtra also state that an evil person can become a Buddha. It is preached in the Flower Garland Sūtra that five hundred evil people such as Devadatta will become Buddhas in the future. The Fuchō Zammai Sūtra states that an evil king, Ajātaśatru, will become a Buddha in the future and in the Sūtra of Mahāyāna Dhārani is the story of Vāsudeva, who had gone to hell because of his evil deeds but was guaranteed future Buddhahood. As for the enlightenment of women, the Bosatsu Shotai Sūtra says that any woman can become a Buddha. As for the enlightenment of beasts and birds, the Agama sūtras say that a pigeon will be a Buddha in the future. The enlightenment of the Two Vehicles is mentioned in the Sūtra of Mahāyāna Dhārani and the Heroic Valor Sūtra. The enlightenment of bodhisattvas is mentioned in such sūtras as the Flower Garland Sūtra. As for rebirth in the Pure Land by ordinary people bound by evil passions, the Sūtra of Meditation on the Buddha of Infinite Life says that even “the lowest grade in the lowest class” will be reborn in the Pure Land of the Buddha of Infinite Life, no matter how serious one’s sin is. As for a woman turning into a man, the Sūtra of the Buddha of Infinite Life states in the thirty-fifth of its forty-eight vows that a woman can turn into a man by reciting the name of the Buddha of Infinite Life and be reborn in the Pure Land. How are these enlightenments thus revealed in these various provisional sūtras different from the assurance of future Buddhahood of the Two Vehicles, a dragon girl, Devadatta, and bodhisattvas in the Lotus Sūtra? Also, there is no doubt that they all attain Buddhahood in these various sūtras even though there are some differences between them and the Lotus Sūtra. What do you think of this?

ANSWER: It is easy to answer your question based on the teachings passed down to me which I hold dear. After hearing my answer, you will clearly see that the Lotus Sūtra is superior to the various other sūtras and determine whether or not it is indeed possible to become Buddhas in those sūtras. However, I cannot write this down on paper because it is the secretly treasured doctrine of the Buddha.

Ichidai Shōgyō Tai-I, Outline of All the Holy Teachings of the Buddha, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Page 88-89

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Day 21

Day 21 covers all of Chapter 16, The Duration of the Life of the Tathāgata.

Day 21 Text with annotationsPlay MP3

Having last month concluded Chapter 16, The Duration of the Life of the Tathāgata, we begin again with Śākyamuni telling the congregation to pay attention.

Thereupon the Buddha aid to the great multitude including Bodhisattvas and others, “Good men! Understand my sincere and infallible words by faith!”
He said to the great multitude again, “Understand my sincere and infallible words by faith!”

He said to them once again, “Understand my sincere and infallible words by faith!”

Thereupon the great multitude of Bodhisattvas, headed by Maitreya, joined their hands together and said to the Buddha, “World-Honor done, tell us! We will receive your words by faith.”

They said this three times. Then they said once again, “Tell us! We will receive your words by faith.”

Thereupon the World-Honored One, seeing that they repeated their appeal even after they repeated it three times, said to them:

“Listen to me attentively! I will tell you about my hidden core and supernatural powers. The gods, men and asuras in the world think that I, Śākyamuni Buddha, left the palace of the Śākyas, sat at the place of enlightenment not far from the City of Gayā, and attained Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi [forty and odd years ago]. To tell the truth, good men, it is many hundreds of thousands of billions of nayutas of kalpas since I became the Buddha. Suppose someone smashed into dust five hundred thousand billion nayuta asaṃkhya worlds, which were each composed of one thousand million Sumeru-worlds, and went to the east [carrying the dust with him). When he reached a world at a distance of five hundred thousand billion nayuta asaṃkhya worlds [from this world], he put a particle of dust on that world. Then he went on again to the east, and repeated the putting of a particle of the dust [on the world at every distance of five hundred thousand billion nayuta asaṃkhya worlds] until the particles of the dust were exhausted. Good men! What do you think of this? Do you think that the number of the world he went through is conceivable, countable, or not?”

Maitreya Bodhisattva and others said to the Buddha:

“World-Honored One! Those worlds are innumerable, uncountable, inconceivable. No Śrāvaka or Pratyekabuddha could count them even by his wisdom-without-āsravas. We are now in the state of avaivartika, but cannot, either. World-Honored One! Those worlds are innumerable.”

Thereupon the Buddha said to the great multitude of Bodhisattvas:

“Good Men! Now I will tell you clearly. Suppose those worlds, whether they were marked with the particles of the dust or not, were smashed into dust. The number of the kalpas which have elapsed since I became the Buddha is on hundred thousand billion nayuta asaṃkhyas larger than the number of the particles of the dust thus produced. All this time I have been living in this Sahā-World, and teaching [the living beings of this world] by expounding the Dharma to them. I also have been leading and benefiting the living beings of one hundred thousand billion nayuta asaṃkhya worlds outside this world.

Nichiren comments on what happened when the Eternal Buddha was revealed in his letter, A Treatise :Revealing the Spiritual Contemplation and the Most Verable One:

[W]hen the Eternal Buddha was revealed in the essential section of the Lotus Sūtra, this world of endurance (Sahā World) became the Eternal Pure Land, indestructible even by the three calamities of conflagration, flooding, and strong winds, which are said to destroy the world. It transcends the four periods of cosmic change: the kalpa of construction, continuance, destruction, and emptiness. Śākyamuni Buddha, the Lord-preacher of this Pure Land, has never died in the past, nor will He be born in the future. He exists forever throughout the past, present, and future. All those who receive His guidance are one with this Eternal Buddha. It is because each of our minds is equipped with the “3,000 modes of existence” and the “three factors,” namely, all living beings, the land in which they live, and the five elements of living beings (matter, perception, conception, volition and consciousness).

This truth was not made clear in the first fourteen chapters of the theoretical section of the Lotus Sūtra. Perhaps it was because the time was not ripe at this stage of preaching the Lotus Sūtra; and capacity of comprehension on the part of the listeners was not yet sufficient.

Kanjin Honzon-shō, A Treatise Revealing the Spiritual Contemplation and the Most Verable One, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 148

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The Four Bodhisattvas from Underground

Among those great bodhisattvas, appearing out of the earth of the whole world, four great sages of Jōgyō (Superior Practice), Muhengyō (Limitless Practice), Jōgyō (Pure Practice), and Anryūgyō (Steadily Established Practice) were outstanding in appearance. Awe stricken by these four, those great bodhisattvas and others who had come to listen to the preaching of the Lotus Sūtra on Mt. Sacred Eagle and up in the sky could not even gaze upon them nor understand who they were. Standing in front of these four who had come from underground, four bodhisattvas in the Flower Garland Sūtra, four bodhisattvas in the Great Sun Buddha Sūtra, and sixteen bodhisattvas in the Diamond Peak Sūtra seemed to be men squinting at the sun or fishermen facing the emperor. These four bodhisattvas from underground were like the four sages such as T’ai-kung-wang living with the people, or four elder statesmen of Shang-shan waiting on Emperor Hui, the second emperor of the Former Han dynasty. The four bodhisattvas from underground, indeed, appeared commanding and awe-inspiring. With the exception of Śākyamuni, the Buddha of Many Treasures, and Buddhas in manifestation, they would have been looked up to by everyone as “good friends.”

Kaimoku-shō, Open Your Eyes to the Lotus Teaching, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 70-71

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Day 20

Day 20 completes Chapter 15, The Appearance of Bodhisattvas from Underground, and concludes the Fifth Volume of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

Day 20 Text with annotationsPlay MP3

Having last month considered Maitreya Bodhisattva’s puzzlement about the great Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas who sprang up from underground, we consider further Maitreya’s puzzlement.

Some great Bodhisattvas are each accompanied by attendants
Sixty thousand times as many as the sands of the River Ganges.
They are seeking the enlightenment of the Buddha
With all their hearts.

The number of these great teachers is sixty thousand times
The number of the sands of the River Ganges.
They came together and made offerings to you.
Now they protect and keep this sūtra.
The attendants or disciples accompanying
Each [of the other great Bodhisattvas] number
Fifty thousand times or forty thousand times
Or thirty thousand times or twenty thousand times
Or ten thousand times or a thousand times
Or a hundred times as many as the sands of the River Ganges,
Or a half, a third, or a quarter
Of the number of the sands of the River Ganges,
Or as many as the sands of the River Ganges Divided by a billion;
Or ten million nayuta, a billion or fifty million,
Or a million, ten thousand, a thousand or a hundred,
Or fifty, ten, three, two or one.
[The great Bodhisattvas] who are accompanied
By less attendants are even more numerous.
Some [great Bodhisattvas] have no attendants
Because they prefer a solitary life.
They are the most numerous.
They came together to you.

No one will be able to count
All [these great Bodhisattvas] even if he uses
A counting wand for more kalpas
Than the number of the sands of the River Ganges.

These Bodhisattvas have
Great powers, virtues and energy.
Who expounded the Dharma to them? Who taught them?
Who qualified them to attain [perfect enlightenment]?

Under whom did they begin to aspire for enlightenment?
What teaching of the Buddha did they extol?
What sūtra did they keep and practice?
What teaching of the Buddha did they study?

These Bodhisattvas have supernatural powers
And the great power of wisdom.
The ground of this world quaked and cracked.
They sprang up from under the four quarters of this world.

World-Honored One!
I have never seen them before.
I do not know
Any of them.

They appeared suddenly from underground.
Tell me why!
Many thousands of myriads
Of millions of Bodhisattvas
In this great congregation
Also want to know this.

There must be some reason.
Possessor of Immeasurable Virtues!
World-Honored One!
Remove our doubts!

Nichiren addresses these doubts in his letter Open Your Eyes to the Lotus Teaching:

Grand Master Miao-lê further explained in his Annotations on the Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra, “Wise men know things in advance as a snake knows that it is a snake.” The meaning of these words in the Lotus Sūtra and annotations by T’ien-t’ai and Miao-lê are clear, that is to say, nobody had ever seen or heard of those bodhisattvas from the earth after Śākyamuni’s enlightenment under the bodhi tree till today, either in this world or in any of the worlds in the universe.

So the Buddha answered the question of Bodhisattva Maitreya: “Maitreya! It was I who taught and guided those great bodhisattvas whom you said you had never seen. After I attained perfect enlightenment in this Sahā World, I taught, guided, and controlled them, and encouraged them to aspire for enlightenment.” He continued, “After I sat in meditation under the bodhi tree near the town of Gayā and was able to attain perfect enlightenment, I taught and guided them, while preaching the supreme dharma and caused them to aspire for enlightenment. Now they have all been proceeding to the highest enlightenment without falling back I have taught and guided them since the eternal past.”

Then Bodhisattva Maitreya and other great bodhisattvas began to doubt the Buddha. At the time the Flower Garland Sūtra was preached, numerous great bodhisattvas such as Dharma Wisdom gathered. While wondering who they were, Maitreya and others were told by Śākyamuni Buddha, apparently to their satisfaction, that Dharma Wisdom and other great bodhisattvas were Śākyamuni’s “good friends.” The same thing happened to those great bodhisattvas who gathered together at Daihōbō where the Sūtra of the Great Assembly was preached, and to those who gathered at Lake White Heron upon the preaching of the Wisdom Sūtra. The great bodhisattvas appearing from underground now, however, seemed incomparably superior to them, and it appeared probable that they were teachers of Śākyamuni Buddha. Nevertheless, the Buddha declared that it was He who caused them to aspire for enlightenment, as if the Buddha taught and guided immature people as His disciples. It was only natural, therefore, that Bodhisattva Maitreya and others had serious doubts about Śākyamuni Buddha.

Kaimoku-shō, Open Your Eyes to the Lotus Teaching, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 72

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The Merit of Making Offerings to a Practicer of the Lotus Sūtra

The “Teacher of the Dharma” chapter in the 4th fascicle of the Lotus Sūtra states: “If there is one who, in the quest for the Buddha Way, honors me in countless verses with palms pressed together in my presence throughout one kalpa (aeon), such a person will gain immeasurable benefits because of this praise. But one who extols the upholders of this sūtra will accrue blessings that surpass even those.” This means that the merits received for making offerings to a practicer of the Lotus Sūtra in the Latter Age of Degeneration surpass the benefits received for serving with sincerity a Buddha as noble as Śākyamuni with one’s body; mouth, and mind for an entire medium kalpa (aeon). Although this may seem implausible, there should be no doubt about it because such are the Buddha’s golden words.

Grand Master Miao-lê further clarifies this passage from the sūtra by saying: “Those who slander them (practicers of the Lotus Sūtra), will have their heads split into seven pieces. However, those who make offerings to them (practicers of the Lotus Sūtra) will find that their merits exceed those of a Buddha endowed with the ten honorable titles.” This means that the merit of making offerings to a practicer of the Lotus Sūtra in the Latter Age of Degeneration exceeds that of making offerings to a Buddha with ten honorable titles. It also means that those who persecute a practicer of the Lotus Sūtra in the impure age will have their heads split into seven pieces.

Kō no Ama Gozen Gosho, A Letter to My lady, the Nun Kō, the Nun Myōichi, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 7, Followers II, Pages 165-166

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Day 19

Day 19 concludes Chapter 14, Peaceful Practices, and begins Chapter 15, The Appearance of Bodhisattvas from Underground.

Day 19 Text with annotationsPlay MP3

Having last month considered how Śākyamuni is like the king who rewards his soldiers’ efforts, we consider why Śākyamuni teaches this sūtra lastly.

“Mañjuśrī! This Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma is the most excellent and profound teaching of all the Tathāgatas. Therefore, I expound it lastly just as the powerful king gave the brilliant gem lastly, the one which he had kept [in his topknot) for a long time.

“Mañjuśrī! This Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma is the treasury of the hidden core of the Buddhas, of the Tathāgatas. It is superior to all the other sūtras. I kept it [in secret] and refrained from expounding it for the long night. Now I expound it to you today for the first time.”

Nichiren comments on this in Selecting the Right Time:

It is said in the Lotus Sūtra, fascicle 5 (chapter 14): “This Lotus Sūtra is the secret treasure of all Buddhas. It is supreme of all sūtras.” Please note that “it is supreme of all sūtras.” According to this sūtra, therefore, he who insists that the Lotus Sūtra is supreme of all sūtras is a true practicer of the Lotus Sūtra, isn’t he? Nevertheless, many who are revered in the land insist that there are sūtras superior to the Lotus. Standing against these monks, who are revered by the king and his subjects, the practicer of the Lotus Sūtra is poor and powerless, with all the people in the land despising him. Under such circumstances, if he points out their sin of slandering the True Dharma as stubbornly as Never Despising Bodhisattva or as decisively as Commentator Bhadraruci defeated Brahman, the Boaster, his life will be in jeopardy. This seems of prime importance. This fits me, Nichiren.

Senji-shō, Selecting the Right Time: A Tract by Nichiren, the Buddha’s Disciple, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1,
Page 250-251

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Difficulty in Meeting a Practicer of the Lotus Sūtra

Putting aside the preciousness of the Lotus Sūtra for now, it is all the more difficult for us to meet a practicer of the Lotus Sūtra who preaches the sūtra as expounded in it than for a one-eyed turtle to find a piece of sandalwood tree floating on the sea or for anyone to lift Mt. Sumeru with a lotus root into the air.

Kyōdai-shō, A Letter to the Ikegami Brothers, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 6, Followers I, Page 74

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Stages of Practice

Because in a later section, when speaking of the fourth stage of practice the sūtra says, “Needless to say, anyone who not only keeps this sūtra but also gives alms, observes the precepts, practices patience, makes endeavors, concentrates his mind, and seeks wisdom, will be able to obtain the most excellent and innumerable merits.” This passage from the sūtra makes it clear that people in the first, second, and third stages of practice should refrain giving alms, observing the precepts, and the rest of the first five bodhisattva practices until they arrive at the fourth stage of practice and then they are allowed to begin practicing them. Therefore, if they are only allowed to practice them at this stage, we know that they should refrain from practicing them in the first stage.

Shishin Gohon-shō, The Four Depths of Faith and Five Stages of Practice, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 104