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The Wonderful and Perfect Ship of the Lotus Sūtra

Śākyamuni Buddha preached the Hinayāna precepts as an introductory step for a while, but He later prohibited it in the Nirvana Sūtra: “If there is a person who says that the Buddha cannot escape extinction, denying the eternal life of the Buddha, the tongue of such a person will surely fall off.”

Later, in the reign of the fiftieth Emperor Kammu, a sage called Saichō (Grand Master Dengyō) appeared. He first studied the Six Schools of Buddhism: Kegon, Sanron, Hossō, Kusha, Jōjitsu, and Ritsu. He further mastered not only the essence of the Zen School but also the schools of T’ien-t’ai Lotus and Shingon Buddhism which had not yet been introduced to Japan. He deeply grasped the comparative profundity and superiority of those schools.

Then, on the nineteenth of the first month of the 21st year of the Enryaku Era (802), Emperor Kammu paid a visit to the Takaodera Temple, where he summoned the fourteen elder masters of the seven great temples of Nara, such as Zengi and Gonsō, and Priest Saichō (Grand Master Dengyō) to discuss the comparative superiority and profundity of the doctrines as well as the possibility of attaining Buddhahood in the Six Schools of Nara and the T’ien-t’ai Lotus School. Each scholar of these schools claimed that his own school was superior in all the teachings of the Buddha, but they were all refuted by Priest Saichō.

Later, Emperor Kammu sent Wake no Hiroyo as his messenger to the seven great temples of Nara in order to reprimand their masters, who submitted a letter of apology written jointly to the emperor. In this letter of apology, the fourteen masters stated: “Henceforth, all the people in this Sahā World, boarding the wonderful and perfect ship of the Lotus Sūtra, crossing the sea of birth and death, will be able to reach the other shore of enlightenment.”

Shimoyama Goshōsoku, The Shimoyama Letter, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 5, Page 68-69

d17b, WONS

The Virtue of the Character ‘Myō’

Women, who were thus despised in various sūtras, were able to attain Buddhahood as soon as Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī expounded the character “myō.” This was so mysterious that Bodhisattva Accumulated Wisdom, the first disciple of the Buddha of Many Treasures in the Treasure Purity World, and Venerable Śāriputra, the wisest disciple of Śākyamuni Buddha, argued against the daughter of a Dragon King to be made a Buddha in the spirit of the various Hinayāna and Mahāyāna sūtras expounded by the Buddha during the 40 years or so of His preaching. Their efforts were in vain, and the daughter of a Dragon King ultimately became a Buddha. The statement in the Flower Garland Sūtra, “Women extirpated the seeds of Buddhahood” and that of the Nirvana Sūtra, “As all rivers are twisted, so are women’s mind” were both invalidated. Both opinions of the Sūtra of the Silver Colored Woman and that the Great Wisdom Discourse by Bodhisattva Nāgārjuna about women proved untrue. Bodhisattva Accumulated Wisdom and Śāriputra were so amazed to see the dragon daughter become a Buddha that they both were at a loss for words. A great crowd of gods and men who witnessed this realized that women and wicked people could attain Buddhahood, and delightedly put their palms together to worship the Buddha. This is entirely due to the virtue of the character “myō.”

There are 2,500 rivers in this world called Jambudvīpa: each river is as twisted as the minds of women, except the Shabaya River, which runs straight into the ocean in the west like a drawn rope. Like this river, the woman who believes in the Lotus Sūtra can go straight into the Pure Land to the West, thanks to the virtue of the character “myō.”

Hokke Daimoku Shō, Treatise on the Daimoku of the Lotus Sūtra, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 45-46

WONS

The Enemy of the True Dharma

[I]t is stated in the Nirvana Sūtra:

“Bodhisattvas, do not be afraid of such things as wild elephants, but fear ‘evil friends.’ Why? Because a wild elephant may destroy our bodies but not our minds, while an ‘evil friend’ can destroy both. A wild elephant may crush merely one person, but an ‘evil friend’ can crush both body and mind of innumerable persons. An elephant may crush merely an impure, stinking body, but an ‘evil friend’ can destroy both pure body and mind. A wild elephant may merely ruin our flesh and blood, while an ‘evil friend’ can corrupt our Buddha nature. Killed by a wild elephant, we may not fall into the three evil realms; however, it seems inevitable for us to fall there when we die of an ‘evil friend.’ This wild elephant is only a physical enemy, while this “evil friend” is the enemy of the True Dharma. You, Bodhisattvas, therefore, should always be careful to stay away from ‘evil friends’.”

Shugo Kokka-ron, Treatise on Protecting the Nation, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Pages 57-58

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Vast Virtue of Lord Śākyamuni Buddha Exists in Our Minds

Finally, let us try to answer your first question whether or not vast virtue of Lord Śākyamuni Buddha exists in our minds. The Sūtra of Infinite Meaning (Muryōgi-kyō), which is regarded as an introductory teaching to the Lotus Sūtra, explains how we attain Buddhahood:

“Suppose there was a prince just born to a king and his queen. Growing up day by day, month by month, year by year, the new prince has reached the age of seven. Though unable to attend the affairs of state, he is respected by his father’s subjects and befriended by children of great kings. He is loved by his royal parents, who find it most enjoyable to chat with him constantly. Why is this? It is because the prince is still young. My good people, he who upholds this Lotus Sūtra is just like this prince. His father is Buddhas; and his mother, this sūtra. Just as the prince was born to the king and his queen, Buddhas and this sūtra are united in one to give birth to the bodhisattva, upholder of this sūtra. Suppose, having listened to the Lotus Sūtra, he reads a phrase or a verse of it, or reads it once, twice, ten, one hundred, one thousand, ten thousand times, or one trillion times the grains of sand of the Ganges River—unlimited and infinite number of times. Even if he had not yet obtained the ultimate truth, he would be respected by all the four groups of Buddhists (monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen) and the eight kinds of gods and semi-gods, protectors of Buddhism. Accompanied by great bodhisattvas, he would always be protected and cared for by Buddhas and completely surrounded by their benevolence. It is because he is a beginner on the way to Buddhahood.”

Then, we come across the following passage in the Sūtra of Meditation on the Universal Sage Bodhisattva (Kan Fugen Bosatsu Gyōbō-kyō), considered to be the conclusion of the Lotus Sūtra: “This Mahāyāna Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma is the treasure house of all the Buddhas and the eyes of all the Buddhas in all the worlds in the universe in the past, present, and future. It is the seed of Buddhahood, giving birth to all the Buddhas in the past, present as well as future. You must put the Mahāyāna teaching into practice lest the seed of Buddhahood be extinguished.” And also: “This Mahāyāna sūtra is the eyes of all the Buddhas. It is by means of this Lotus Sūtra that all the Buddhas reach the stage of having Five Eyes. The Buddha with three bodies (Dharma Body, Reward Body, and Accommodative Body) was born from this sūtra. This sūtra is the great seal of enlightenment impressed upon the sea of Nirvana, from which the Buddha with three pure bodies was born. The triple-bodied Buddha, therefore, is the source of happiness for men and gods alike.”

Kanjin Honzon-shō, A Treatise Revealing the Spiritual Contemplation and the Most Verable One, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 143-144

WONS

A Boy Named Tokushō

In the past a boy named Tokushō offered a rice cake made from sand to Śākyamuni Buddha and thereby was reborn in this world as Emperor Aśoka, who ruled the Jambudvīpa and eventually became a Buddha. Now you have offered fruits and other items to the Lotus Sūtra, and I can imagine how happy the ten female rākṣasa demons, protectors of the Lotus Sūtra, are. It is difficult to write all that I want to say. Please allow me to write you again. Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō. Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō.

Matsuno-dono Goshōsoku, Letter to Lord Matsuno, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 7, Followers II, Page 67

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This World of Delusion

Men and women comprise the living beings who exist in the world of delusion. They were all our parents at some point in our previous lives. Therefore, if there is even a single person who cannot become a Buddha, we, too, are unable to become Buddhas. It is preached that the Two Vehicles do not appreciate the favors they received, and therefore they are forever unable to attain Buddhahood. In short, it is because they are full of ego and unable to treat all living beings with a heart of filial piety. Convinced of the Lotus Sūtra, the Buddha considers all the people in the world of delusion as His parents and He is equipped with the virtue of filial piety.

Śākyamuni Buddha then turns over this virtue of filial piety to those who embrace the Lotus Sūtra. It is like the food taken by a mother that is transformed into breast milk to feed her baby. As it is preached in the “Parable” chapter of the Lotus Sūtra: “Now this triple world is all My domain, and all the living beings in it are all My children,” our Lord Preacher Śākyamuni Buddha feeds us all the living beings in this world of delusion with His virtue of filial piety transformed into the characters of the Lotus Sūtra. It is like a baby, who does not distinguish water from fire or poison from medicine, who can sustain its life by swallowing its mother’s milk.

Hōren-shō, Letter to Hōren, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 6, Followers I, Page 51-52

WONS

Surprises in the Lotus Sūtra

People all know that those who chant “Namu Amidabutsu” at the last moment of their lives are able to be reborn in the Pure Land of Utmost Bliss as preached by the Buddha. However, for some reason the Buddha amended this preaching, declaring in the Sūtra of Infinite Meaning, “The truth has not yet been revealed,” and in the “Expedients” chapter of the Lotus Sūtra, “(The Buddha) dutifully discards the provisional teachings.” This was a great surprise to me. Whenever I mention this fact, no one believes me. Instead, all Japan is infuriated, and I am considered a liar.

What is more, the Hinayāna sūtras preach that no Buddha exists in the worlds throughout the universe and no one is equipped with the Buddha-nature, but the Mahāyāna sūtras, on the contrary, preach that Buddhas exist throughout the universe and that every being possesses the Buddha-nature. As a consequence, no one has faith in the Hinayāna sūtras while everyone believes in the Mahāyāna sūtras.

There are a few more surprises. When the Buddha declared in the Lotus Sūtra that this sūtra was the sole truth, thus negating all the sūtras that had already been preached, the Sūtra of Infinite Meaning which was being preached, as well as the Nirvana Sūtra which would be preached later, the Buddha’s disciples all were taken aback and could not believe what was said. At this point the Buddha of Many Treasures came to bear witness in the “Appearance of the Stupa of Treasures” chapter that what the Buddha preached was indeed true. By touching the Brahma Heaven with their tongues, the various Buddhas from all over the universe also certified that what the Buddha had said was nothing but the truth. After this certification, the Buddha of Many Treasures closed the doors of the stupa, and the Buddhas from all over the universe went back to their home lands. No matter what sūtra the Buddha preached thereafter, there can be no denying the truth of the teachings of the Lotus Sūtra because the Buddha of Many Treasures and other Buddhas have already certified its veracity. Besides, everyone realized the truth of the Lotus Sūtra as well. Therefore, sūtras preached after the Lotus Sūtra such as the Sūtra of Meditation on the Universal Sage Bodhisattva and the Nirvana Sūtra can only praise, not slander, the teachings of the Lotus Sūtra.

Ueno-dono Gohenji, A Reply to Lord Ueno, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 128

LS32, WONS

Day 30

Day 30 covers all of Chapter 26, Dhāraṇīs

Day 30 Text with annotationsPlay MP3
Having last month received Vaiśravaṇa Heavenly-King’s dhārāni spells, we receive World-Holding Heavenly-King’s dhārāni spells.

Thereupon World-Holding Heavenly-King, accompanied by thousands of billions of nayutas of gandharvas who were surrounding him respectfully, came to the Buddha, joined his hands together, and said to him, “World-Honored One! I also will protect the keeper of the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma with dhārānis, with divine spells.”

Then he uttered spells,” Akyanei (1), kyanei (2), kuri (3), kendari (4), sendari (5), matōgi (6), jōguri (7), furoshani (8), atchi (9).”

[He said to the Buddha:]

“World-Honored One! These dhārānis, these divine spells, have already been uttered by four thousand and two hundred million Buddhas. Those who attack and abuse this teacher of the Dharma should be considered to have attacked and abused those Buddhas.”

Nichiren offers this on the Dhārāṇi chapter:

The Dhārāṇi chapter states that two bodhisattvas, two heavenly kings and ten female rākṣasa demons will protect the practicer of the Lotus Sūtra. The two bodhisattvas are the Bodhisattva Medicine King and the Bodhisattva Brave Donor. The two heavenly kings are Vaiśravaṇa and Dhṛtarāṣṭra. The ten female rākṣasa demons are ten great demons, mothers of all demons in the four quarters of the world. Their mother is Hāriti.

They eat men after the custom of demons. A man’s body is composed of thirty-six substances such as excrement, urine, spittle, flesh, blood, skin, bone, five viscera and six entrails, hair, breath, and spirit. Inferior demons feed on excrement and the like. Mediocre demons feed on bones and the like. Superior demons feed on spiritual essence. The ten female rākṣasa demons have supreme qualities and thus feed on man’s spiritual essence. They are the great demons of epidemic.

Nichinyo Gozen Gohenji, A Response to My Lady Nichinyo, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 4, Faith and Practice,
Page 134

d14b, d19b, d20b, WONS

Bodhisattvas With Close Relationships with Sahā World

During the first 500 years in the millennium of the Age of the True Dharma, men of śrāvaka all passed away, while in the last 500 years nearly all those bodhisattvas who had come from other worlds went back to their own lands. In the 1,000 years of the Age of the Semblance Dharma, Avalokiteśvara was reincarnated as Nan-yüeh; Medicine King Bodhisattva as T’ien-t’ai or Dengyō; Mañjuśrī as Gyōki, and Maitreya as Great Teacher Fu Hsi to help all the people.

Now in the Latter Age of Degeneration, these bodhisattvas, too, have all retired to their original dwellings. Other heavenly gods and terrestrial deities who are supposed to protect this world have either left it for other places or refused to protect the evil country while remaining in this world. They are also powerless in this world because they have not been fed with the taste of the True Dharma. For instance, nobody except great bodhisattvas with the Dharma Body can enter the three evil realms to save suffering beings because nobody except them are able to bear the great suffering there.

On the other hand, those great bodhisattvas emerged from the great earth in the first place have been in the Sahā World for incalculable aeons; in the second place they have been disciples of Śākyamuni Buddha ever since He was awakened by aspiration for enlightenment in the eternal past; and thirdly they were the first to receive the seed of Buddhahood in this Sahā World. More than any other great bodhisattvas, they have thus had close relationships with this Sahā World from their past lives.

Soya Nyūdō-dono-gari Gosho, A Letter to Lay Priest Lord Soya, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Pages 160-161.

d19b, d20b, WONS

Four Great Bodhisattvas for the Latter Age of Degeneration

These four great bodhisattvas neither presented themselves at the seat of enlightenment under the bodhi tree where Śākyamuni Buddha attained Buddhahood for the first time, nor rushed to the vicinity of the Hiraṇyavati River when the Buddha passed away. During the eight years when the Buddha preached the Lotus Sūtra on Mt. Sacred Eagle, moreover, they were neither among those holy people such as Bodhisattvas Mañjuśrī and Maitreya who assisted Him in preaching the preface and main discourse of the theoretical section, nor among such great bodhisattvas as Avalokiteśvara and Wonderful Voice who vowed to spread the sūtra after the death of the Buddha at the assembly in the epilogue of the essential section. Upholding solely this one great secret dharma, they retired to their true abode underground, not once reappearing in the world even after the death of the Buddha, for 2,000 years in the Ages of the True Dharma and Semblance Dharma. This was, after all, because the Buddha entrusted to them the propagation of this one great secret dharma solely in the Latter Age of Degeneration.

Soya Nyūdō-dono-gari Gosho, A Letter to Lay Priest Lord Soya, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Pages 160.