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Statues and Portraits of the Eternal Śākyamuni Buddha

During the two millenniums after the death of Śākyamuni Buddha, the Ages of the True Dharma and the Semblance Dharma, some worshiped Śākyamuni Buddha accompanied by Kāśyapa and Ananda as described in the Hinayāna sūtras; others worshiped Him accompanied by such bodhisattvas as Mañjuśrī and Samantabhadra as He appeared in quasi-Mahāyāna sūtras, the Nirvana Sūtra, or the theoretical section of the Lotus Sūtra. Many wooden statues and portraits were made of Śākyamuni Buddha as He preached Hinayāna or quasi-Mahāyāna sūtras, but statues and portraits of the Eternal Śākyamuni Buddha revealed in “The Life Span of the Buddha” chapter of the Lotus Sūtra were never made. Now in the beginning of the Latter Age of Degeneration, is it not the time that such statues and portraits are made for the first time?

Kanjin Honzon-shō, A Treatise Revealing the Spiritual Contemplation and the Most Verable One, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 149

LS32, WONS

Day 3

Day 3 covers the first half of Chapter 2, Expedients.

Day 3 Text with annotationsPlay MP3
Having last month learned of the inexplicable nature of the dharma in gāthās, we learn of the difficulty of understanding the Dharma.

Even the Buddhas’ disciples who made offerings
To the [past] Buddhas in their previous existence,
[Even the disciples] who eliminated all asravas,
[Even the disciples] who are now at the final stage
Of their physical existence,
Cannot understand [the Dharma].

As many people as can fill the world,
Who are as wise as you, Śāriputra, will not be able
To measure the wisdom of the Buddhas,
Even though they try to do so with their combined efforts.

As many people as can fill the worlds of the ten quarters,
Who are as wise as you, Śāriputra,
Or as many other disciples of mine
As can fill the ksetras of the ten quarters,
Will not be able to know [the wisdom of the Buddhas]
Even though they try to do so with their combined efforts.

As many Pratyekabuddhas as can fill
The worlds of the ten quarters, or as many as bamboo groves,
Who are wise enough to reach
The final stage of their physical existence without āsravas,
Will not be able to know
Even a bit of the true wisdom of the Buddhas
Even though they continue trying to do so with all their hearts
For many hundreds of millions of kalpas.

As many Bodhisattvas as rice-plants, hemps, bamboos or reeds,
Or as can fill the ksetras of the ten quarters,
Who have just begun to aspire for enlightenment,
Who made offerings to innumerable Buddhas in their previous existence,
Who understand the meanings of the Dharma [in their own ways],
And who are expounding the Dharma [as they understand it],
Will not be able to know the wisdom of the Buddhas
Even though they continue trying to do so with all their hearts
And with all their wonderful wisdom
For as many kalpas as there are sands in the River Ganges.

As many never-faltering Bodhisattvas
As there are sands in the River Ganges
Will not be able to know the wisdom of the Buddhas
Even though they try to do so with all their hearts.

We may not be able to know the wisdom of the Buddhas, but we certainly try.

“Two Buddhas” discusses different ideas of liberation. The Kegon and Zen traditions hold that “the differentiated phenomena of the world are in their essence no different from the one mind and thus originally pure. From this perspective, the purpose of Buddhist practice is to dispel delusion and return the mind to its original clarity. …

“This model explains principle and phenomena as nondual, but it does not value them equally. The one mind is original, pure, and true, while concrete phenomena are ultimately unreal, arising only as the one mind is filtered through human ignorance. From that perspective, the ordinary elements of daily experience remain at a second-tier level as the epiphenomena of a defiled consciousness. Zhiyi termed this perspective the “realm of the conceivable” – understandable, but not yet adequately expressing the true state of affairs. He himself expressed a different, more subtle view. … [H]e states: ‘Were the mind to give rise to all phenomena, that would be a vertical [relationship]. Were all phenomena to be simultaneously contained within the mind, that would be a horizontal [relationship]. Neither horizontal nor vertical will do. It is simply that the mind is all phenomena and all phenomena are the mind. … [This relationship] is subtle and profound in the extreme; it can neither be grasped conceptually nor expressed in words. Therefore, it is called the realm of the inconceivable.’

“In Zhiyi’s understanding, phenomena do not arise from a pure mind or abstract prior principle. “Principle” means that the material and the mental, subject and object, good and evil, delusion and enlightenment are always nondual and mutually inclusive; this is the ‘real aspect of all dharmas’ that only buddhas can completely know, referred to in the ‘Skillful Means’ chapter. This perspective revalorizes the world, not as a realm of delusion, but as the very locus of enlightenment. The aim of practice, then, is not to recover a primal purity, but to manifest the buddha wisdom even amid ignorance and delusion.”
Two Buddhas, p203-205

As Nichiren writes:

For those who are incapable of understanding the truth of the “3,000 existences contained in one thought,” Lord Śākyamuni Buddha, with His great compassion, wraps this jewel with the five characters of myō, hō, ren, ge, and kyō and hangs it around the neck of the ignorant in the Latter Age of Degeneration.

Kanjin Honzon-shō, A Treatise Revealing the Spiritual Contemplation and the Most Verable One, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 164

d25b, WONS, Eyes

Subduing Evil by Never Despising

[T]he story of Never Despising Bodhisattva in chapter twenty of the Lotus Sūtra is cited by Nichiren as an example of the method of subduing evil. In the chapter the Buddha tells of a bodhisattva who lived during the age of the counterfeit Dharma of the Powerful-Voice-King Buddha. This bodhisattva’s sole practice was to bow to all he met and say to them, “l respect you deeply. I do not despise you. Why is that? It is because you will be able to practice the Way of bodhisattvas and become buddhas.” (Murano 2012, p. 292) Because of this he was called Never Despising Bodhisattva. The arrogant monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen at that time felt that he was speaking falsely and so abused him and even threw things at him. Though forced to run away, Never Despising Bodhisattva did not relent and continued to assure people “in a loud voice from afar” (Murano 2012, p. 293) that they would become buddhas. In time, those who abused him became his followers and took faith in the teaching that they would be able to attain buddhahood. The Buddha goes on to say that Never Despising Bodhisattva was himself in a past life and that because he was able to lead so many people into the way to perfect and complete awakening he was able to meet many hundreds of thousands of millions of buddhas and expound the Lotus Sūtra and ultimately become a buddha himself. Those who abused him had to expiate their sins in the Avici Hell but afterwards were able to become bodhisattvas themselves and meet many buddhas including Śākyamuni Buddha.

In the story of Never Despising Bodhisattva the method of subduing evil becomes clear. The bodhisattva does not berate or argue with others, nor does he resort to the coercive power of the state. Rather, he forthrightly proclaims the True Dharma that all beings can attain buddhahood in the face of disbelief, abuse, and even violence. Never Despising Bodhisattva is not only motivated by compassion, but his sole practice is a gesture of reverence and respect for the buddha-nature in all beings. When faced with abuse and violence he does not allow himself to be hurt but retreats to a safe distance. Instead of retaliating in kind he continues to voice his deepest conviction and reverence. The method of subduing therefore is about having the courage and compassion to stand up for what is right and to give voice to the True Dharma even though one may meet with derision or even persecution.

Open Your Eyes, p564-565
WONS

‘Wear the Gentle Mind and Forbearance as a Robe’

In ancient India, there lived a man named Śaṇavāsa, who was the third of the 24 Buddhist masters entrusted to transmit the Dharma. It is said he was born wearing a robe. This was due to his donation of a robe to the cause of the Buddha Dharma in his previous existence. Therefore, it is preached in the “Teacher of the Dharma” chapter of the Lotus Sūtra, “Wear the gentle mind and forbearance as a robe.”

Nanjō-dono Gohenji, Reply to Lord Nanjō, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 7, Followers II, Pages 18

d21b, WONS

The “Jiga-Ge” Verse

Now Hōren Shōnin, the principal mourner, states that he read and recited the “jiga-ge” verse every morning during the last 13 years. The merit of having done so is immeasurable, something only the Buddhas can comprehend.

The Lotus Sūtra is the bone-marrow of the holy teachings of the Śākyamuni Buddha preached during His lifetime. In particular, the “jiga-ge” verse at the end of the 16th chapter, “Life Span of the Buddha,” is the spirit of the 28 chapters of the Lotus Sūtra. It is the life of the Buddhas in the past, present, and future, and the “jiga-ge” verse is the eyes of the bodhisattvas throughout the universe. I am not speaking of the merit of the “jiga-ge” verse arbitrarily. It is clearly preached by the Buddha in the “Variety of Merits” chapter following the “Life Span of the Buddha” chapter. According to this chapter, the number of people who became Buddhas by listening to the preaching of the “jiga-ge” verse are as numerous as the number of dust particles produced by smashing the triple-thousand worlds. What is more, those who attain enlightenment through the six chapters beginning with the “Medicine King Bodhisattva” chapter, too, have done so due to the residual merit of the “jiga-ge” verse.

Hōren-shō, Letter to Hōren, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 6, Followers I, Page 55-56

WONS, Eyes

The Question of Killing Slanderers

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How did Nichiren understand [Nirvāṇa Sūtra stories of people killed for slandering the Mahāyāna]? In Risshō Ankoku-ron, Nichiren stated that while King Sen’yo and King Virtuous may have killed slanderers of the Dharma in the past, since the appearance of Śākyamuni Buddha the correct method is to simply deny them offerings. The Nirvāṇa Sūtra told those stories of the previous lives of Śākyamuni Buddha in order to emphasize the gravity of slandering the True Dharma and the great virtue of defending the True Dharma but such methods are not being advocated in the present. Instead, the withholding of alms and especially state support from corrupt monks and the support and protection of true monks should now be followed. In accordance with our current laws and the wise separation of church and state, I believe this means that each of us must discern what teachings or causes we should or should not support with our time and money and that the protection of the law should extend equally to all so that there will be no question of religious persecution arising from either the government or the actions of private individuals or institutions. Every religious or spiritual teaching should be free to stand or fall on its own merits or lack thereof.

Open Your Eyes, p562
WONS

Following the Example of Young Ascetic in the Snow Mountains

If something like what is being talked about in the town were to actually happen, it would make me a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, a hundred million times happier than having my proposals accepted. Should I be exiled again it would be for the third time, and the Lotus Sūtra could not possibly consider me, Nichiren, an indolent practicer. As a result, I would be blessed by the favors of Śākyamuni Buddha, the Buddha of Many Treasures, Buddhas in manifestation throughout the universe, and by the numerous bodhisattva disciples of the Original Buddha that emerged from the earth. I am certain of all this and I am looking forward to the experience. I wish to follow the example of Young Ascetic in the Snow Mountains who sacrificed his own body for the Buddhist Dharma, and I wish to sacrifice myself for Bodhisattva Never-Despising, who endured persecution with swords, sticks, pieces of tile and stones. It would be regrettable otherwise to live a useless life and die of an epidemic or old age.

Dannotsu Bō Gohenji, Response to a Follower, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 130-131

WONS, Eyes

A True Monk

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A true monk is one who not only strictly upholds the precepts but who also preaches the True Dharma, even in the face of persecution. Even in pre-Mahāyāna discourses, the Buddha made it clear that he intended for his monks (and even nuns and lay followers) to teach and even to refute false teachings. In the Mahāparinibbāna-sutta the Buddha tells Mara the following:

“Evil One, I will not take final nirvāṇa till I have monks and disciples who are accomplished, trained, skilled, learned, knowers of the Dharma, trained in conformity with the Dharma, correctly trained and walking in the path of the Dharma, who will pass on what they have gained from their Teacher, teach it, declare it, establish it, expound it, analyze it, make it clear; till they shall be able by means of the Dharma to refute false teachings that have arisen, and teach the Dharma of wondrous effect. ” (Walshe, p. 247 adapted)

Nichiren also cites the following passage from the Nirvāṇa Sūtra that likewise emphasizes the duty of true monks to remonstrate with those who are violating the Dharma. The passage reads:

“If a good monk, seeing one who violates the Dharma, does not drive away, reproach, or impeach such a one, know that this monk is the enemy of the Buddha Dharma. If he drives away, reproaches, or impeaches such a one, he is my disciple, a true disciple.” (Yamamoto, p. 67, adapted)

We might recognize in this a Mahāyāna reiteration of the Buddha’s statements in the Mahāparinibbāna-sutta. Nichiren cites a commentary on this passage by Zhiyi’s disciple Guanding (561-632) that makes the point that a true friend will try to prevent a friend from committing evil and so it is more truly compassionate to correct them and in fact lacking in compassionate to remain silent. There are several examples in the Pāli canon of the Buddha remonstrating with monks who were found to be misrepresenting the Buddha Dharma to the detriment of themselves and others. He recognized that there may be times when one has to “be cruel to be kind” as we sometimes put it. There are times when one must speak the truth plainly to those who may not want to hear it.

Open Your Eyes, p554-555
WONS

Only the Odaimoku

Some of my disciples pretend to know the details of doctrines. They are mistaken. The odaimoku, Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō, is the essence of the Lotus Sūtra. It is like a human being’s spirit. If any other teachings were to be added to the odaimoku, it would be the cause of great trouble. It would be like the Empress marrying two Emperors or committing adultery. The teachings of the Lotus Sūtra did not spread far enough during the Ages of the True Dharma and the Semblance Dharma. This was because these periods were intended for other sūtras.

We are presently living in the Latter Age of Degeneration. The Lotus Sūtra and other sūtras are no longer efficacious in bringing about enlightenment. Only the odaimoku can accomplish this. This is not my arbitrary opinion. It was so-arranged by the Buddha, the Buddha of Many Treasures, various Buddhas from all over the universe, and numerous great bodhisattvas from beneath the earth such as Superior Practice Bodhisattva.

It is a serious mistake to mix other teachings with the odaimoku. For example, when the sun rises, we no longer need to use lamps. When it rains, the dew is of no use. A baby does not need any nourishment except for milk. We do not need to add supplements to effective medicine.

Ueno-dono Gohenji, A Reply to Lord Ueno, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 129

WONS, Eyes

Nichiren’s Well-Reasoned Case

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Nichiren is [sometimes] portrayed as an aggressive and even violent fanatic. The extravagant vows that he makes are sometimes cited as evidence of this. For instance, Nichiren vows to never give up the Lotus Sūtra even if someone offered to make him ruler of Japan or threatened to kill his parents. Is this unreasoning aggressive fanaticism, however? Or is it simply a refusal to cave in to bribes or threats? I would note that Nichiren’s parents had already passed away when he wrote this, so this was a bit of rhetoric on Nichiren’s part. What is often overlooked is Nichiren’s caveat: “… I will not submit to them until a man of wisdom defeats me by reason.” Was this empty rhetoric? Why even put that caveat in there? In fact, the whole of the Kaimoku-shō up to the point where Nichiren expresses this vow is a marshaling of texts to support Nichiren’s case that the Lotus Sūtra is the ultimate teaching of the Buddha that should not be neglected, derided, or subordinated to lesser teachings. Now we may or may not accept Nichiren’s reasoning, and may or may not find his proof-texts and the presumption of scriptural authority they rested upon convincing, but I do think Nichiren put in quite a lot of effort to present a well-reasoned case and that as far as he was concerned no one had provided him with any adequate response to the case he was making for the Lotus Sūtra (and against its detractors). Instead, he had been physically attacked on several occasions, banished twice, and almost been executed.

Who exactly was being unreasonable and fanatical about their beliefs? Nichiren, who wrote long essays citing the Buddha’s teachings in order to clarify the Buddha’s true intention? Or those who were trying to silence and even kill him? And what was Nichiren advocating as the ultimate teaching based on the Lotus Sūtra? I rather like the way it is put in Reply to Hoshina Goro Taro (Hoshina Goro Taro-dono Gohenji), a letter attributed to Nichiren.

In Buddhism that teaching is judged supreme that enables all people, whether good or evil, to become Buddhas. Surely anyone can grasp so reasonable a standard. By means of this principle we can compare the various sütras and ascertain which is superior.
(Gosho Translation Committee 1999, p. 156)

Open Your Eyes, p536