ON FOUR STAGES OF FAITH AND FIVE STAGES OF PRACTICE

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faith, Gosho, Lotus Sutra, Nichiren Buddhism, Nichiren Daishonin, On the Four Stages of Faith and the Five Stages of Practice, practice

The transmission section has two parts. The first is that of the theoretical teaching and consists of the five chapters beginning with the “Teacher of the Law” chapter. The second is that of the essential teaching and consists of the latter part of the “Distinctions in Benefits” chapter through the eleven chapters that comprise the remainder of the sutra. The five chapters from the theoretical teaching and the eleven and a half chapters from the essential teaching combine to make sixteen and a half chapters, and in these it is clearly explained how one should practice the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Day of the Law. If this is not convincing enough, then further examining the matter in light of the Universal Worthy and Nirvana sutras³ will surely leave no doubt.

Within these chapters of transmission, the four stages of faith and the five stages of practice expounded in the “Distinctions in Benefits” chapter refer to what is most important in the practice of the Lotus Sutra, and are a standard for those living in the time of the Buddha and after his passing.

Ching-hsi⁴ writes, “‘To produce even a single moment of belief and understanding’ represents the beginning in the practice of the essential teaching.”⁵ Of these various stages, the four stages of faith are intended for those living in the Buddha’s lifetime, and the five stages of practice, for those living after his passing. Among these, the first of the four stages of faith is that of producing even a single moment of belief and understanding, and the first of the five stages of practice is that of rejoicing on hearing the Lotus Sutra. These two stages together are the treasure chest of the hundred worlds and thousand factors and of three thousand realms in a single moment of life; they are the gate from p.784which all Buddhas of the ten directions and the three existences emerge.

The two sage and worthy teachers T’ien-t’ai and Miao-lo established these two initial stages of faith and practice, and put forth three interpretations concerning them. One equates them with the stage of resemblance to enlightenment, the ten stages of faith, and the stage of the iron-wheel-turning king.⁶ The second equates them with the first of the five stages of practice, which are identified with the stage of perception and action, at which one has not yet severed the illusions of thought and desire. The third equates them with the stage of hearing the name and words of the truth.

In reconciling these differences of interpretation, Great Concentration and Insight states: “The Buddha’s intentions are difficult to determine. He explained things differently according to the differing capacities of his listeners. If only we understand this, then what need is there for troublesome disputes?”

My opinion is that, of the three interpretations, the one that refers to hearing the name and words of the truth accords best with the text of the Lotus Sutra. For, in describing the first of the five stages of practice that apply to the time after the Buddha’s passing, the sutra speaks of those who “[hear this sutra and] do not slander or speak ill of it but feel joy in their hearts.”⁷ If one equates the stage described here with a level as advanced as the five stages of practice at the stage of resemblance to enlightenment, then the words “do not slander or speak ill of it” would hardly be appropriate.

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This work is one of Nichiren Daishonin’s ten major writings. It is thought to have been written on the tenth day of the fourth month in the third year of Kenji (1277). This work is the Daishonin’s reply to Toki Jōnin, one of the Daishonin’s most learned and devout disciples. In it he stresses that chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with faith in the Mystic Law is the correct practice for the Latter Day of the Law and contains the merit of all other practices within it, leading directly to Buddhahood.

In the opening section, the Daishonin takes issue with those of his contemporaries who hold that practitioners of the Lotus Sutra must devote themselves to the three types of learning: precepts, meditation, and wisdom. These three were traditionally said to encompass the whole of Buddhist practice. The Daishonin begins his explanation by discussing the “four stages of faith and the five stages of practice” enumerated by the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai on the basis of the “Distinctions in Benefits” chapter of the Lotus Sutra. The first stage of faith, that of “producing even a single moment of belief and understanding,” and the first stage of practice, that of “rejoicing on hearing the Lotus Sutra,” correspond to the status of practitioners in the Latter Day of the Law, the Daishonin says. Among various interpretations of these initial stages set forth in the recorded teachings of T’ien-t’ai and Miao-lo, he designates as most appropriate the view that they correspond to the stage of hearing the name and words of the truth, the stage where one first hears and takes faith in the Lotus Sutra. For people at these initial stages, the Daishonin continues, of the three types of learning, the Buddha restricted the practice of precepts and meditation, emphasizing only wisdom. And, because the wisdom of people in the Latter Day is inadequate, they should substitute faith; faith in the Lotus Sutra becomes the cause for acquiring the Buddha wisdom.

The four stages of faith are for those who embrace the Lotus Sutra during Shakyamuni’s lifetime, and the five stages of practice are for believers in the sutra after Shakyamuni’s death. The four stages of faith are (1) to believe in and understand the sutra even for a moment, (2) to generally understand the import of the words of the sutra, (3) to expound the teaching of the sutra widely for others, and (4) to realize with deep faith the truth expounded by the Buddha.

The five stages of practice are (1) to rejoice on hearing the Lotus Sutra, (2) to read and recite the sutra, (3) to expound the sutra to others, (4) to embrace the sutra and practice the six pāramitās, and (5) to perfect one’s practice of the six pāramitās. The Daishonin defines the correct stage for practitioners in the Latter Day of the Law to be the first of the four stages of faith and the first of the five stages of practice, that is, to believe in and understand the Lotus Sutra even for a moment and to rejoice on hearing the sutra. 

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THE TWO KINDS OF FAITH

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faith, fire, Gosho, Nichiren Buddhism, Nichiren Daishonin, The Two Kinds of Faith, water

Today there are people who have faith in the Lotus Sutra. The belief of some is like fire while that of others is like water. When the former listen to the teachings, their passion flares up like fire, but as time goes on, they tend to discard their faith. To have faith like water means to believe continuously without ever regressing. Since you visit me constantly, regardless of the difficulties, your belief is comparable to flowing water. It is worthy of great respect!

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Nichiren Daishonin wrote this letter at Minobu to Nanjō Tokimitsu, the steward of Ueno Village in Suruga Province, in the second month of the fourth year of Kenji (1278). He introduces the concept of the two kinds of faith: faith like ephemeral fire and faith like ever-flowing water.

One cannot attain Buddhahood if, though practicing eagerly at one point, one later gives into doubt and strays from the path of faith. The Daishonin here puts emphasis on the non-regressing faith that never wavers, no matter what obstacles one encounters.

“Faith like fire” corresponds to the faith of those who, when they listen to the teachings, are inspired to strive actively in their Buddhist practice, just like fire burns brightly when logs are added, but who lose enthusiasm as time passes, just like a fire that eventually burns out. This kind of faith is not self-motivated but stimulated by external influences. Thus, when the fuel or inspiration runs out, the passion is extinguished.

“Faith like water”, on the other hand, corresponds to the faith of those who have an inner generated seeking spirit for attaining the Buddha way. Such people continue to press forward unflaggingly,  remaining steadfast in their Buddhist practice, refusing to be deterred by external influences.

Even when the ship of our lives is sailing smoothly, we must keep our eyes on the compass, courageously taking the helm and vigilantly steer our course. We must always renew our faith, challenge ourselves and win over obstacles, continuing to grow and move forward, just like water flows unwaveringly making its path through all obstacles.

ON CONSECRATING AN IMAGE OF SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA

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Buddha, Gosho, Lotus Sutra, Nichiren Buddhism, Nichiren Daishonin, On Consecrating an Image of Shakyamuni Buddha Made by Shijō Kingo, Shakyamuni

You should understand, therefore, that it is the power of the Buddhist Law that enables the deities of the sun and moon to make their rounds of the four continents. The Golden Light and Sovereign Kings sutras are mere expedient teachings leading to the Lotus Sutra. When compared with the Lotus Sutra, they are like milk compared with ghee, or metal compared with precious gems. And yet, inferior as these sutras are, they enable the heavenly deities to circle the four continents. How much more power can these deities gain, then, by tasting the sweet ghee of the Lotus Sutra.

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Nichiren Daishonin wrote this letter at Minobu to Shijō Kingo in 1276, when he was fifty-five. Evidently Shijō Kingo had made a wooden image of Shakyamuni Buddha for the benefit of his deceased parents and asked the Daishonin to perform the eye-opening ceremony to consecrate it. This letter is the Daishonin’s reply.

In the opening section, the Daishonin says that only when the Lotus Sutra is used at the eye-opening ceremony to consecrate a Buddha image will that image become endowed with the five types of vision and the Buddha’s three bodies. He states that while the sun and the moon deities gained vitality from hearing the Golden Light Sutra, which is inferior to the Lotus Sutra, the benefits would be manifold even to deities if the heard the Lotus Sutra.

Making Buddha images was a widespread practice, and, in an age when most people revered the Buddha Amida, the Daishonin was tolerant of the making of images of Shakyamuni as an act leading toward correct understanding. Emphasising on the superiority of the Lotus Sutra, he says that it can infuse such paintings and statues with a “soul” or spiritual property.

THE TRUE ASPECT OF ALL PHENOMENA

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Buddhahood, Gosho, Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, Nichiren Buddhism, Nichiren Daishonin, Ten Factors, Ten Worlds, The True Aspect of All Phenomena

QUESTION: The “Expedient Means” chapter in the first volume of the Lotus Sutra states, “The true aspect of all phenomena [can only be understood and shared between Buddhas. This reality consists of the appearance, nature . . . and] their consistency from beginning to end.” What does this passage mean?

Answer: It means that all beings and environments in the Ten Worlds, from hell, the lowest, to Buddhahood, the highest, are without exception manifestations of Myoho-renge-kyo. If there is an environment, living beings are bound to dwell there. A commentary states, “Living beings and their environments always manifest Myoho-renge-kyo.”¹ Another says: “The true aspect invariably manifests in all phenomena, and all phenomena invariably manifest in the ten factors. The ten factors invariably manifest in the Ten Worlds, and the Ten Worlds invariably manifest in life and its environment.”² And “Both the beings and the environment of the Avīchi hell exist entirely within the life of the highest sage [Buddha], and what is more, the life and the environment of Vairochana [Buddha] never transcend the lives of common mortals.”³ These explanations are precise and clear. Who could have doubts? Thus, the entire realm of phenomena is no different than the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo.

Even the two Buddhas, Shakyamuni and Many Treasures, in performing the functions of the benefit of the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo, manifested themselves as the two Buddhas, and seated together in the treasure tower, nodded in mutual agreement.

No one but Nichiren has ever revealed teachings like these. Though T’ien-t’ai, Miao-lo, and Dengyō knew about them in their hearts, they never put them into words. They went about their lives keeping this knowledge to themselves. And there was good reason for this. The Buddha had not entrusted them with the task, the time had not yet come, and they had not been the Buddha’s disciples from the distant past. Only Superior Practices, Boundless Practices, and the other foremost leaders and guiding teachers among the Bodhisattvas of the Earth cannot only appear during the first five hundred years of the Latter Day of the Law and spread the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo, the essence of all phenomena, but also give concrete form to the ceremony of the two Buddhas seated side by side in the treasure tower. The reason is that what they are to spread and give concrete form to is none other than the teaching of the actual three thousand realms in a single moment of life in the “Life Span” chapter of the essential teaching.

Therefore, the two Buddhas, Shakyamuni and Many Treasures, are Buddhas who are functions [of Myoho-renge-kyo]. It is Myoho-renge-kyo that is the true Buddha.⁴ This is what is described in the sutra as “the Thus Come One’s secret and his transcendental powers.”⁵ The “Thus Come One’s secret” refers to the entity of the Buddha’s three bodies, and it refers to the true Buddha. “His transcendental powers” refers to the functions of the three bodies, and it refers to provisional Buddhas. A common mortal is an entity of the three bodies, and a true Buddha. A Buddha is a function of the three bodies, and a provisional Buddha. In that case, though it is thought that Shakyamuni Buddha possesses the three virtues of sovereign, teacher, and parent for the sake of all of us living beings, that is not so. On the contrary, it is common mortals who endow him with the three virtues.

The “Thus Come One” is explained clearly in T’ien-t’ai’s commentary as follows: “The Thus Come One is a general designation for the Buddhas of the ten directions and the three existences, for the two Buddhas, the three Buddhas,⁶ the true Buddha, and provisional Buddhas.”⁷ The “true Buddha” here means common mortals, whereas “provisional Buddhas” means Buddhas. However, because of the difference between ordinary people and Buddhas that stems from the disparity between delusion and enlightenment, ordinary people are unaware that they are endowed with both the entity and the functions of the three bodies.

“All phenomena” in the sutra refers to the Ten Worlds, and the “true aspect,” to what they actually are. The “true aspect” is another name for Myoho-renge-kyo; hence all phenomena are Myoho-renge-kyo. Hell’s displaying the form of hell is its true aspect. When hell changes into the realm of hungry spirits, that is no longer the true form of hell. A Buddha displays the form of a Buddha, and a common mortal, that of a common mortal. The entities of all phenomena are entities of Myoho-renge-kyo. That is the meaning of “the true aspect of all phenomena.” T’ien-t’aistates that the profound principle of the true aspect is the originally inherent Myoho-renge-kyo.⁸ This interpretation identifies the phrase “true aspect” with the theoretical teaching and “the originally inherent Myoho-renge-kyo” with the essential teaching. You should ponder this interpretation deep in your heart.

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Nichiren Daishonin wrote this letter to Sairen-bō Nichijō while at Ichinosawa on Sado Island in the fifth month of the tenth year of Bun’ei (1273). A former Tendai priest, he already knew something about “the true aspect of all phenomena”; it was a fundamental concept in the Tendai school of Buddhism. He could not, however, satisfactorily come to grips with this concept through T’ien-t’ai’s theory alone, so he asked the Daishonin for an explanation. The True Aspect of All Phenomena is the Daishonin’s reply.

This Gosho  begins with a passage from the “Expedient Means” chapter—the heart of the theoretical teaching of the Lotus Sutra—that implies that no phenomenon is in any way different from the true aspect, or Myoho-renge-kyo. It also implies that all the innumerable forms and realities that exist, both concrete and abstract, are manifestations of Myoho-renge-kyo. The Daishonin then explains the essence of the Lotus Sutra, Myoho-renge-kyo, and its embodiment, the Gohonzon. This is the first element—the object of devotion in terms of the Law.

After clarifying the ultimate teaching of the Lotus Sutra, the Daishonin states that Bodhisattva Superior Practices, the leader of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth, will propagate that teaching, and that he himself is carrying out the mission entrusted to that bodhisattva. In light of his own behavior and his fulfillment of the predictions in the Lotus Sutra, Nichiren Daishonin suggests that he himself is Bodhisattva Superior Practices. A more profound interpretation, however, identifies him as the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law, whose purpose was to establish the Gohonzon for the enlightenment of all people in the Latter Day. Thus True Aspect of All Phenomena also explains the object of devotion in terms of the Person. This is the second element. Referring to both the Person and the Law, the Daishonin clarifies the fundamental object of devotion for the people of the Latter Day.

“All phenomena” indicates life in the ten worlds and its environment, or all living beings and the realms in which they dwell. In other words, it refers to all nature, to all things and phenomena.

“True aspect,” just as it sounds, means the true reality just as it is. The true aspect of all phenomena might be thought of as the undisguised truth of all things.

The ultimate truth or reality that permeates all phenomena and is in no way separate from them. A principle expressed in the “Expedient Means” (second) chapter of the Lotus Sutra. The chapter states: “The true aspect of all phenomena can only be understood and shared between Buddhas. This reality consists of the appearance, nature, entity, power, influence, internal cause, relation, latent effect, manifest effect, and their consistency from beginning to end.” The “Expedient Means” chapter defines the true aspect of all phenomena as the ten factors of life from “appearance” through “their consistency from beginning to end,” which describe the unchanging aspect of life common to all phenomena. Since the ten factors exist in any being of the Ten Worlds, there can be no fundamental distinction between a Buddha and an ordinary person. This revelation of the ten factors of life thus establishes a theoretical basis for the universal attainment of Buddhahood. Based on this passage of the “Expedient Means” chapter, T’ient’ai (538-597) established the philosophical system of three thousand realms in a single moment of life. In his 1273 work titled The True Aspect of All Phenomena, Nichiren defined “all phenomena” as all living beings and their environments in the Ten Worlds, and “the true aspect” as the Law of Myoho-renge-kyo, the ultimate reality permeating all living beings and their environments in any of the Ten Worlds.All phenomena, he stated, are manifestations of this universal Law; phenomena and the ultimate truth are inseparable and non-dual.

On a deeper level, Nichiren explains that the ten factors are in fact a manifestation of the underlying creative and compassionate life of the cosmos. He expressed this as the Mystic Law or Myoho-renge-kyo. To view all things as the manifestations of the Mystic Law of life is thus to perceive what the Lotus Sutra refers to as the “true aspect of all phenomena.”

But this truth does not justify a “laissez-faire” attitude to life. It is not correct to say that someone is a Buddha just as they are, even if they make no effort or carry out no practice. Simply saying that reality, full of suffering and problems, is itself the true entity, manifesting the enlightened life of the cosmos, cannot lead to improvement in people’s lives or society. Rather, the true aspect should be understood as a potential to be realized. Nichiren taught that it is not enough to be aware on a theoretical level of the true aspect of our lives. Rather, he urged his followers to commit themselves to their Buddhist practice in the midst of the realities that confronted them. It is by transforming ourselves and our surroundings, making them shine with the positive potentials they hold, that we reveal the true aspect of all phenomena—the state of Buddhahood—in our own lives.

THE REAL ASPECT OF THE GOHONZON

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faith, Gohonzon, Gosho, Mandala, Mutual Possession, Nichiren Buddhism, Nichiren Daishonin, The Real Aspect of the Gohonzon

How wondrous it is that, around two hundred years and more into the Latter Day of the Law, I was the first to reveal as the banner of propagation of the Lotus Sutra this great mandala that even those such as Nāgārjuna and Vasubandhu, T’ien-t’ai and Miao-lo were unable to express. This mandala is in no way my invention. It is the object of devotion that depicts Shakyamuni Buddha, the World-Honored One, seated in the treasure tower of Many Treasures Buddha, and the Buddhas who were Shakyamuni’s emanations as perfectly as a print matches its woodblock. Thus the five characters of the Lotus Sutra’s title are suspended in the center, while the four heavenly kings are seated at the four corners of the treasure tower. Shakyamuni, Many Treasures, and the four leaders of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth are side by side at the top. Seated below them are the bodhisattvas, including Universal Worthy and Manjushrī, and the voice-hearers, including Shāriputra and Maudgalyāyana. [Beside them are] the gods of the sun and moon, the devil king of the sixth heaven, the dragon king, and an asura. In addition,the wisdom kings Immovable and Craving-Filled take up their stations to the south and north. The evil and treacherous Devadatta and the ignorant dragon king’s daughter form a group. Not only the Mother of Demon Children and the ten demon daughters, who are evil demonsthat sap the lives of people throughout the major world system, but also the Sun Goddess, Great Bodhisattva Hachiman, and the seven reigns of the heavenly gods and five reigns of the earthly gods, who are the guardian deities of Japan—all the various great and small gods, that is,the main gods, are ranged in rows. How then could the remaining subordinate gods be left out? The “Treasure Tower” chapter states, “[Shakyamuni Buddha used his transcendental powers to] lift all the members of the great assembly up into the air.”

Without exception, all these Buddhas, bodhisattvas, great sages, and, in general, all the various beings of the two worlds and the eight groups² who appear in the “Introduction” chapter of the Lotus Sutra dwell in this Gohonzon. Illuminated by the light of the five characters of the Mystic Law, they display the dignified attributes that they inherently possess. This is the object of devotion.

This is what is meant when the sutra says “the true aspect of all phenomena.”³ Miao-lo stated: “The true aspect invariably manifests in all phenomena, and all phenomena invariably manifest in the ten factors. The ten factors invariably manifest in the Ten Worlds, and the Ten Worlds invariably manifest in life and its environment.”⁴ It is also stated that the profound principle of the true aspect is the originally inherentMyoho-renge-kyo.⁵ The Great Teacher Dengyō said, “A single moment of life comprising the three thousand realms is itself the Buddha of limitless joy; this Buddha has forsaken august appearances.”⁶ Therefore, this Gohonzon shall be called the great mandala never before known; it did not appear until more than 2,220 years after the Buddha’s passing.

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In this reply to Nichinyo, Nichiren Daishonin expresses his gratitude for her offerings to the Gohonzon and explains the significance of the object of devotion. The exact identity of Nichinyo is unclear. She is thought tohave been either the wife of Ikegami Munenaka, the older of the Ikegami brothers, or a daughter of the lay priest Matsuno Rokurō Saemon, an earnest believer in Suruga Province. Judging from two letters theDaishonin sent her, she seems to have been a woman of good education and considerable affluence. Moreover, as the recipient of a Gohonzon, or object of devotion, she was evidently a sincere believer. This letter contains a description of the Gohonzon that details the figures represented therein and their significance. The Daishonin also underscores the importance of faith in the Gohonzon.

In the first half of the letter, the Daishonin points out the rarity and importance of the Gohonzon. He cites the Lotus Sutra and other worksto show that the Gohonzon is the embodiment of “the true aspect of all phenomena” and “the three thousand realms in a single moment of life.”

Nichiren Daishonin [states]: “This mandala is in no way my invention”. The Gohonzon, he assures us, is not his arbitrary creation. It is the object of devotion depicting the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo —the Law for manifesting Buddhahood, which is inherent within our own life—embodied by Shakyamuni Buddha, seated in the treasure tower of Many Treasures Buddha, and all the Buddhas who were his emanations. In other words, the Gohonzon is a perfect representation of the “true aspect of all phenomena,” and the foundation principles of the “mutual possession of the Ten Worlds”  and “three thousand realms in a single moment of life,” all of which were elucidated during the Ceremony in the Air of the Lotus Sutra.

When we look at the layout of the Gohonzon, we see that Nam-myoho-rengekyo—referred to in this letter as “the five characters of the Lotus Sutra’s title”—is written down the center, flanked by representatives of each of the Ten Worlds. This indicates that all living beings of the Ten Worlds, from the Buddhas and bodhisattvas on down, are without exception embodied in the Gohonzon. This accords with the passage from “Treasure Tower,” the 11th chapter of the Lotus Sutra, cited by Nichiren in this letter: “[Shakyamuni Buddha used his transcendental powers to] lift all the members of the great assembly up into the air”. The Gohonzon, therefore, includes without exception “all the various beings” of the Ten Worlds. It is a representation of the “mutual possession of the Ten Worlds,” the principle that all living beings, when illuminated by the light of the Mystic Law, can display the “dignified attributes that they inherently possess”. In short, when all of the functions of the Ten Worlds within our lives are enveloped in the light of the wisdom and compassion of the world of Buddhahood, we can give expression to the power of supreme goodness and create enduring value. It also means that each unique individual comes to shine as an entity of the Mystic Law and manifest their inherently dignified nature. The Gohonzon enables us to build what Mr. Toda described as “a joyful, pure and sunny realm of friends living together in harmony and peace.” In such a realm, everyone—irrespective of their circumstances or whether they are still in the process of transforming their karma— shines with the “dignified attributes that they inherently possess.” Those in the world of hell, for instance, manifest the world of hell contained within the world of Buddhahood, and though there may still be suffering, it is not the hopeless suffering of wandering lost in eternal darkness. They can bring forth the courage to face difficult realities head-on, the wisdom to surmount the obstacles and barriers arising from within and from without, and the powerful life force to make new strides forward. Sufferings become challenges that aid one’s personal transformation and growth, becoming springboards to great development. Illuminated by the light of the five characters of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the noble state of life that is one with the Mystic Law functions vibrantly even in the world of hell. The meaning of the sufferings of hell is thereby turned around completely. While in prison, founding Soka Gakkai president Tsunesaburo Makiguchi serenely wrote: “Concentrating intently on my faith is my work right now. If I can do that, I am not the least bit anxious . . . Depending on one’s frame of mind, even hell can be enjoyable.”6 Mr. Toda also said that if we base ourselves on the Gohonzon, we can gain a state of being in which we are filled with boundless joy wherever we go. Every person’s life is an entity that inherently embodies the principles of the mutual possession of the Ten Worlds and the three thousand realms in a single moment of life. In essence, it is perfect and complete—there is nothing extraneous to be subtracted and nothing lacking that needs to be added. No existence is without its joys and sorrows, its ups and downs. And no matter how we might try, we cannot avoid the universal sufferings of birth, aging, sickness and death. The mutual possession of the Ten Worlds is the true aspect of life, and each of the mutually inclusive Ten Worlds is a manifestation of the Mystic Law. The Gohonzon and faith in the Mystic Law enable us to draw out the supreme life state of Buddhahood and firmly establish it in our being. The layout of the Gohonzon is based on the true aspect of all phenomena elucidated in the Lotus Sutra, clarifying that we as ordinary people can manifest the boundless life state of Buddhahood in our present form. No such object of devotion ever existed in Buddhism prior to this. Though there were many magnificent depictions of Buddhas and bodhisattvas in paintings and sculptures, there was no mandala embodying the principle of the mutual possession of the Ten Worlds that enabled ordinary people to attain enlightenment. Nichiren Daishonin was the first to reveal the Gohonzon that illuminates the dignified attributes that we inherently possess, in other words, an object of devotion for the enlightenment of all humanity. This Gohonzon was truly the “great mandala never before known”, depicting the realm of a truly humanistic Buddhism.

FLOWERING AND BEARING GAIN

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Disciple, Flowering and Bearing Grain, Gosho, Mentor, Nichiren Buddhism, Nichiren Daishonin

It is said that, if a teacher has a good disciple, both will gain the fruit of Buddhahood, but if a teacher fosters a bad disciple, both will fall into hell. If teacher and disciple are of different minds, they will never accomplish anything. I will elaborate on this point later.

 

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Nichiren Daishonin sent this message from Minobu in the fourth month of 1278 for the second memorial service for Dōzen-bō. Dōzen-bō had been a senior priest at Seichō-ji temple, where the Daishonin entered the priesthood. The Daishonin studied under him from the age of twelve. The letter was addressed to his former seniors at Seichō-ji, Jōken-bō and Gijō-bō.

Although Nichiren Daishonin’s teacher, Dozen-bo, had attempted to return to his faith in the Lotus Sutra after Nichiren had rebuked his slander of the Law, he died without completely giving up his attachment to the Nembutsu practice. But if a disciple such as the Daishonin were to attain Buddhahood through practicing the correct teaching, then through that benefit, it would also be possible for Dozen-bo to attain enlightenment, as well. This is what Nichiren is describing when he writes, “If a teacher has a good disciple, both will gain the fruit of Buddhahood.”

By the same token, however, a “bad disciple,” one who has been led astray by erroneous teachings, will not be able to attain Buddhahood, nor lead the teacher to enlightenment. As a result, as the Daishonin writes, both the disciple and the teacher “will fall into hell” .

In another writing, he also states, “If lay believers and their teacher pray with differing minds, their prayers will be as futile as trying to kindle a fire on water” (“The Eight Winds,”). The unchanging rule for victory in Nichiren Buddhism is for mentor and disciple to unite in spirit and align in purpose, like two interlocking gears. Above all, Nichiren followed the path of a genuine disciple, of a “good disciple” who was also able to guide his teacher to Buddhahood. The victory of the disciple is the victory of the teacher. The disciple is critical in determining the result. In the writing “Flowering and Bearing Grain,” the Daishonin not only describes his own spirit as a disciple, but also seeks to encourage his seniors Joken-bo and Gijo-bo, who shared Dozen-bo as their teacher, to also be good disciples able to lead their teacher to Buddhahood.

As long as he lived, Josei Toda remained a true disciple of Tsunesaburo Makiguchi. When he spoke of Mr. Makiguchi, a grave expression came over Mr. Toda’s face. “Disciples have to follow the path of disciples,” he said, stressing that disciples need to put their mentor’s teachings into action in their own lives. He was also uncompromising toward those who tried to destroy this infinitely precious realm of mentor and disciple in Buddhism. He strictly emphasized that we must never allow anyone to harm the pure realm of faith of those dedicated to kosen-rufu. It was his solemn injunction that we protect the realm of mentor and disciple.

The mentor-disciple relationship is the core foundation of Nichiren Buddhism. This is because the profound, powerful and beautiful life-to-life interaction that takes place within the mentor-disciple relationship enables us to break free from our attachments to our small lesser selves and realize a state of life based on our boundless greater selves. When mentor and disciple are united, they can achieve anything and always be victorious. The path of mentor and disciple is the great path for absolute victory.

The Buddha is a teacher who has realized a profound inner transformation. In the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni says, “At the start I took a vow, / hoping to make all persons / equal to me, without any distinction between us”. This, in other words, is the great vow to enable all people to attain Buddhahood. The unfolding drama of disciples standing up to realize this vow of the Buddha is indeed the central theme of the Lotus Sutra. The widespread propagation of the Law—the movement for kosen-rufu—is an unceasing, momentous struggle to elevate all humanity to the same life state as the Buddha.

Throughout his writings, Nichiren Daishonin frequently uses the expressions “Nichiren’s disciples” or “my disciples.” The path of kosen-rufu entails standing up with a profound sense of mission as a disciple of the Daishonin. It is the noble spiritual struggle to bring about an inner transformation in the lives of all humanity through the process of human revolution in an age steeped in the three poisons, and racked by endless conflict and tragedy. This struggle will eventually bring about a change in the life state of humanity as a whole and, with it, also a change in the destiny of the world.

THE UNIVERSAL SALTY TASTE

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Buddhahood, faith, Gosho, Lotus Sutra, Nichiren Buddhism, Nichiren Daishonin, The Universal Salty Taste

THERE are six kinds of flavors. The first is subtle, the second, salty, the third, pungent, the fourth, sour, the fifth, sweet, and the sixth, bitter. Even if one were to prepare a feast of a hundred flavors, if the single flavor of salt were missing, it would be no feast for a great king. Without salt, even the delicacies of land and sea are tasteless.

The ocean has eight mysterious qualities. First, it gradually becomes deeper. Second, being deep, its bottom is hard to fathom. Third, its salty taste is the same everywhere. Fourth, its ebb and flow follows certain rules. Fifth, it contains various treasure storehouses. Sixth, creatures of great size exist and dwell in it. Seventh, it refuses to house corpses. Eighth, it takes in all rivers and heavy rainfall without either increasing or decreasing.

[The Nirvana Sutra] compares “it gradually becomes deeper” to the Lotus Sutra leading everyone, from ordinary people who lack understanding to sages who possess it, to attain the Buddha way. The reason [the sutra uses the metaphor] “being deep, its bottom is hard to fathom” is that the realm of the Lotus Sutra can only be understood and shared between Buddhas, while those at the stage of near-perfect enlightenment or below are unable to master it. “Its salty taste is the same everywhere” compares all rivers, which contain no salt, to all sutras other than the Lotus, which offer no way to attain enlightenment. [TheNirvana Sutra] compares the water of all the rivers flowing into the sea and becoming salty to the people of different capacities instructed through the various provisional teachings who attain the Buddha way when they take faith in the Lotus Sutra. It compares “its ebb and flow follows certain rules” to upholders of the Mystic Law who even though they were to lose their lives would attain the stage of non-regression. It compares “it contains various treasure storehouses” to the countless practices and good deeds of all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas, and the blessings of the various pāramitās being contained in the Mystic Law. The reason for “creatures of great size exist and dwell in it” is that, because the Buddhas and bodhisattvas possess great wisdom, they are called “creatures of great size,” and that their great bodies, great aspiring minds, great distinguishing features, great evil-conquering force, great preaching, great authority, great transcendental powers, great compassion, and great pity all arise naturally from the Lotus Sutra. The reason for “it refuses to house corpses” is that with the Lotus Sutra one can free oneself for all eternity from slander and incorrigible disbelief. The reason for “without either increasing or decreasing” is that the heart of the Lotus Sutra is the universality of the Buddha nature in all living beings.

The brine in a tub or jar of pickled vines ebbs and flows in accordance with the brine of the sea.¹ One who upholds the Lotus Sutra and is subjected to imprisonment is like the salt in a tub or jar, while the Thus Come One Shakyamuni who freed himself from the burning house² is like the salt of the sea. To condemn one who upholds the Lotus is to condemn the Thus Come One Shakyamuni. How astonished Brahmā, Shakra, and the four heavenly kings must be! If not now, when will the ten demon daughters’ vow to split the head of one who persecutes a follower of the Lotus into seven pieces³ be carried out?

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The date and recipient of this letter are unknown, as are the reasons for its writing. The statements “One who upholds the Lotus Sutra and is subjected to imprisonment” and “To condemn one who upholds the Lotus” indicate that Nichiren Daishonin wrote this letter at a time when he or his disciples were undergoing persecution. Several views exist concerning the year of its writing. One is that it was written in 1261 when the Daishonin was in exile in Izu; another, in 1271 when he was in exile on Sado Island; and a third, in 1279, during the worst period of the Atsuhara Persecution. Of these, 1261 seems most likely.

In this letter, the Daishonin says that there are six kinds of flavors, of which salt is the most important. Without salt, any food will be bland. In employing this simile, the Daishonin is indicating that none of the sutras assume their true significance unless they are based on the truth revealed in the Lotus Sutra. Then he cites the eight mystic qualities of the ocean enumerated in the Nirvana Sutra. But while the Nirvana Sutra actually applies these qualities to itself, the Daishonin asserts that it is using them to praise the superiority of the Lotus Sutra.

Nichiren then goes on to use the above passages to explain how the Lotus Sutra leads all people to Budhahood, and is thus superior to all other Sutras. He compares the Lotus Sutra and the Niravana Sutra drawing a simile with the ocean. He states

• Gradually becomes deeper:

He states that like the ocean, the Lotus Sutra  “gradually becomes deeper” as compared to the older Sutras leading everyone to enlightenment regardless of their capacity for understanding.

• Being deep, its bottom is hard to fathom

The realm of the Lotus Sutra can only be understood and shared between Buddhas, while those at the stage of near-perfect enlightenment or below are unable to master it. This explains one of the essential aspects of the Lotus Sutra in that it cannot be fully understood by our wakeful consciousness. That is to say, that to believe the Lotus Sutra is not so much an act of studying, consciously assimilating, and benefiting from practices – but one of faith.

• Its salty taste is the same everywhere

Here, Nichiren compares all rivers, which contain no salt, to all sutras other than the Lotus, which offer no way to attain enlightenment. However, the Nirvana Sutra only refers to the salty taste of the ocean as being uniform – All beings possess the Buddha Nature and ride in one vehicle. That is to say, that there is one Emancipation. It doesn’t come in different flavours. The Nirvana Sutra is not saying that all other teachings are worthless – just that there is only one state of Buddhahood. This vexes me. Also, it is the function of the rivers to carry minerals, including salt, into the oceans. So, without them, there could be no ocean.

• Its ebb and flow follows certain rules

It compares “its ebb and flow follows certain rules” to upholders of the Mystic Law who even though they were to lose their lives would attain the stage of non-regression. Just as the ocean follows its set pattern and does not come to any person, Buddhahood  too is eternal and unchanging – it does not come to those who do not carry out the practices.

• It contains various treasure storehouses

 Nichiren cites countless practices and good deeds of all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas, and the blessings of the various paramitas being contained in the Mystic Law. Again, the Nirvana Sutra contains a somewhat more verbose list of benefits including the Eightfold Path.

• Creatures of great size exist and dwell in it

Just as the ocean holds creatures of great size that  dwell in it, the Lotus Sutra too goves rise to the Buddhas and bodhisattvas possess great wisdom, and all great acts of Buddha nature manifest naturally from the Lotus Sutra.

• It refuses to house corpses

Again, just as the ocean refuses to house corpses, with the Lotus Sutra one can free oneself for all eternity from slander and incorrigible disbelief. The Daishonin implies the Lotus Sutra doesn’t simply remain pure of dead bodies, but also offers one the facility to free oneself from the practices that would otherwise prevent emancipation.

• Without either increasing or decreasing

The ocean takes within itself all the rivers and rain without changing itself. Similarly, the heart of the Lotus Sutra is the universality of the Buddha nature in all living beings. Buddhahood is boundless. It is this essentially empty nature of Buddhahood that makes it infinite in its reach – thus Universal in nature, encompassing within itself all of the universe without being affected by it.

In the final section, the Daishonin compares the salt in a jar or tub of pickled vines to a follower of the Lotus Sutra, and the salt of the ocean, to Shakyamuni Buddha. The brine in a jar or tub ebbs and flows exactly as the ocean does, and by analogy, to imprison a votary of the Lotus Sutra is to imprison Shakyamuni Buddha.

EARTHLY DESIRES ARE ENLIGHTENMENT

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Earthly Desires, Earthly Desires Are Enlightenment, Enlightenment, Gosho, Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, Nichiren Buddhism, Nichiren Daishonin

What is meant by this “wisdom”? It is the entity of the true aspect of all phenomena, and of the ten factors of life that lead all beings to Buddhahood. What then is that entity? It is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. A commentary states that the profound principle of the true aspect is the originally inherent Myoho-renge-kyo.³ We learn that that true aspect of all phenomena is also the two Buddhas Shakyamuni and Many Treasures[seated together in the treasure tower]. “All phenomena” corresponds to Many Treasures, and “the true aspect” corresponds to Shakyamuni. These are also the two elements of reality and wisdom. Many Treasures is reality; Shakyamuni is wisdom. It is the enlightenment that reality and wisdom are two, and yet they are not two.

These are teachings of prime importance. These are also what is called “earthly desires are enlightenment,” and “the sufferings of birth and death are nirvana.” Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo during the physical union of man and woman is indeed what is called “earthly desires are enlightenment,” and “the sufferings of birth and death are nirvana.” “The sufferings of birth and death are nirvana” exists only in realizing that the entity of life throughout its cycle of birth and death is neither born nor destroyed. The Universal Worthy Sutra states, “Without either cutting off earthly desires or separating themselves from the five desires, they can purify all their senses and wipe away all their offenses.”Great Concentration and Insight says, “The ignorance and dust of desires are enlightenment, and the sufferings of birth and death are nirvana.” The “Life Span” chapter of the Lotus Sutra says, “At all times I think to myself: How can I cause living beings to gain entry into the unsurpassed way and quickly acquire the body of a Buddha?” The “Expedient Means” chapter says, “The characteristics of the world are constantly abiding.” Surely such statements refer to these principles. Thus what is called the entity is none other than Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

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In the letter, the Daishonin explains the power of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo in terms of such profound Buddhist principles as the fusion of reality and wisdom, and earthly desires are enlightenment. Although Hinayana Buddhism teaches that earthly desires must be eliminated to attain enlightenment, Mahayana, and particularly the Lotus Sutra, teaches that earthly desires are one with and inseparable from enlightenment. The reason is that both are the workings, or expression, of life itself, and thus are the same in their source. A Mahayana principle based on the view that earthly desires cannot exist independently on their own; therefore one can attain enlightenment without eliminating earthly desires. This contrasts with the Hinayana view that extinguishing earthly desires is a prerequisite for enlightenment. According to the Hinayana teachings, earthly desires and enlightenment are two independent and opposing factors, and the two cannot coexist; while the Mahayana teachings reveal that earthly desires are one with and inseparable from enlightenment. This is because all things, even earthly desires and enlightenment, are manifestations of the unchanging reality or truth—and thus are non-dual at their source.

The Universal Worthy Sutra, an epilogue to the Lotus Sutra, states, “Without either cutting off earthly desires or separating themselves from the five desires, they can purify all their senses and wipe away all their offenses.” T’ien-t’ai (538–597) says in Great Concentration and Insight, “The ignorance and dust of desires are enlightenment, and the sufferings of birth and death are nirvana.” In The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Nichiren (1222–1282) states: “The idea of gradually overcoming delusions is not the ultimate meaning of the ‘Life Span’ chapter [of the Lotus Sutra]. You should understand that the ultimate meaning of this chapter is that ordinary mortals, just as they are in their original state of being, are Buddhas,” and, “Today, when Nichiren and his followers recite the words Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, they are burning the firewood of earthly desires, summoning up the wisdom-fire of enlightenment.”

Nichiren Daishonin teaches that, when one bases one’s life on Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, earthly desires work naturally for one’s own and others’ happiness. The great power of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, which is inherently positive and creative, directs the great energy of one’s earthly desires toward happiness and value for all. Thus, when one chants the daimoku, “earthly desires are enlightenment.”

Early Buddhist teachings regard earthly desires, or deluded impulses, as sources of suffering and impediments to enlightenment. In contrast, the principle of three thousand realms in a single moment of life reveals that the potential for Buddhahood exists even within states of delusion and desire. Nichiren writes that when we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo we are “burning the firewood of earthly desires, summoning up the wisdom fire of Bodhi or enlightenment” (OTT, p. 11). Desires and suffering fuel our Buddhist practice and enable us to bring forth enlightened wisdom.

WHAT IT MEANS TO HEAR THE BUDDHA VEHICLE

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Buddhahood, changing poison into medicine, faith, Gohonzon, Gosho, Lotus Sutra, Mystic Law, Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, Nichiren Buddhism, Nichiren Daishonin, The four devils, The three obstacles, What It Means to Hear the Buddha Vehicle

Objection: Water does not come from fire, and grass does not grow from a stone. Evil causes produce evil effects, good causes call forth good responses—such is the fixed principle in the Buddhist teaching. If we inquire into our beginnings, we find that the seminal fluid and blood of the father and mother, the two fluids, one white, one red, come together to produce a single being. And this is the root of evil, the source of impurity. Though the great ocean itself should wash over us, it could not wash away this impurity.

And if we inquire into the root of the suffering that is inflicted upon our persons, we find that it derives from the three poisons of greed, anger, and foolishness. Through the two paths of earthly desires and suffering, karma is created. And this path of karma is none other than what binds us to the realm of birth and death. We are like birds shut up in a cage. How can these three paths of earthly desires, karma, and suffering be called three causes leading to Buddhahood? You may gather together turds and try to make sandalwood of them, but they will never have the aroma of sandalwood!

Answer: Your objection is quite reasonable. And rather than try to address it, I would like simply to quote the words of Bodhisattva Nāgārjuna, the thirteenth of the Buddha’s successors and founder of the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai’s line, who in explaining the word myō, or “wonderful,” in the term myōhō says it is “like a great physician who can change poison into medicine.”⁸

What is the poison? It is the three paths of earthly desires, karma, and suffering that are our lot. What is the medicine? It is the Dharma body, wisdom, and emancipation. And what does it mean to change poison into medicine? It means to transform the three paths into the three virtues: the Dharma body, wisdom, and emancipation. T’ien-t’ai says, “The character myō is defined as being beyond ordinary comprehension.”⁹ And he also says, “Life at each moment . . . This is what we mean when we speak of the ‘region of the unfathomable.’”¹⁰

This is what the attainment of Buddhahood in one’s present form means. In recent times the Flower Garland and True Word schools, having stolen this doctrine, treat it as their own. They are outrageous thieves, the most outrageous in the world!

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Nichiren Daishonin wrote this letter on the twenty-eighth day of the second month in 1278 to thank Toki Jōnin for his offering of seven strings of coins. The Daishonin confirms that the coins are to be used for memorial services commemorating the anniversary of the passing of Toki’s mother.

The “region of the unfathomable” means that the principle of changing poison into medicine is truly wonderful, mystic and unfathomable. The Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom, attributed to Nagarjuna, compares the Lotus Sutra to “a great physician who changes poison into medicine”. This is because the Lotus Sutra opens the possibility of enlightenment to people whose arrogance and complacency had caused them to “scorch the seeds of Buddhahood.” In earlier sutras such people had been condemned as being incapable of becoming Buddhas. An important implication of this principle, thus, is that there is no one who is beyond redemption. Nagarjuna expressed “myo” in Myoho-renge-kyo as changing poison into medicine. This metaphor signifies that the Mystic Law is endowed with the power to transform “poison” into extreme opposite, “medicine”.

The word “poison” here refers to the three evil paths of:

• Earthly desires: Delusions in out life that come out of our greed, anger, ignorance and arrogance.
• Karma: Means the negative effects manifested in our life because of the thoughts, and deeds driven by earthly desires
• Suffering: A form of retribution we experience because of our earthly desires and karma.

Thus the three parts represent the vicious cycle of earthly desires, karma, and suffering that will spin us deeper into evil darkness and misery.

“Medicine”, on the other hand, refers to the three virtues of:

• Dharma body: It implies the eternal life or embodying the eternal truth
• Wisdom:  It is the wisdom of the Buddha’s enlightenment that enables us to perceive ourselves holistically and helps us walk the correct path
• Emancipation: It is the state of Buddhahood, a boundless state of life in which we are utterly free from all shackles of ego, attachment and other restrictions.

Changing poison into medicine the transformation of a common mortal’s life which is controlled by the cycle of the three paths of earthly desire, karma and suffering into an indestructible state of happiness imbued with the three virtues of the Dharma body, wisdom and emancipation through the power of the mystic law. The process of changing poison into medicine begins when we approach difficult experiences as an opportunity to reflect on ourselves and to strengthen and develop our courage and compassion. The more we are able to do this, the more we are able to grow in vitality and wisdom and realize a truly expansive state of life.

Suffering can thus serve as a springboard for a deeper experience of happiness. From the perspective of Buddhism, inherent in all negative experiences is this profound positive potential. However, if we are defeated by suffering or respond to challenging circumstances in negative and destructive ways, the original “poison” is not transformed but remains poison.

Buddhism teaches that suffering derives from karma, the causes that we ourselves have created. The Buddhist teaching of karma is one of personal responsibility. It is therefore our responsibility to transform sufferings into value-creating experiences. The Buddhist view of karma is not fixed or fatalistic—even the most deeply entrenched karmic patterns can be transformed.

By taking a difficult situation—illness, unemployment, bereavement, betrayal—and using it as an opportunity to deepen our sense of personal responsibility, we can gain and develop the kind of self-knowledge from which benefit flows. Buddhism teaches that self-knowledge ultimately is awareness of our own infinite potential, our capacity for inner strength, wisdom and compassion. This infinite potential is referred to as our “Buddha nature.”

The original meaning of the phrase “to turn poison into medicine” relates to this level of self-knowledge.

In the “Belief and Understanding” chapter of the Lotus Sutra, Subhuti and others of the Buddha’s long-time disciples respond to the prophecy that another disciple, Shariputra, will attain the ultimate enlightenment. The disciples admit that they had long ago given up on becoming Buddhas themselves, but that on hearing the teaching of the Lotus Sutra they renounced their earlier stance of resignation and spiritual laziness: “[T]heir minds were moved as seldom before and danced for joy.” Nagarjuna and T’ien-t’ai (538–597) therefore compare the Buddha to a good doctor capable of turning poison (the laziness and resignation of the aged disciples) into medicine (a sincere aspiration for the ultimate enlightenment of Buddhahood).

This teaching of the possibility of profound transformation makes Buddhism a deeply optimistic philosophy. This optimism propels Buddhists as they seek to transform the negative and destructive tendencies within their lives as well as those in society and the world at large.

The Daishonin demonstrated with his life the meaning of “changing poison into medicine” by actually confronting the three obstacles and four devils and overcome several attacks by the three powerful enemies, in particular by tenji-ma, or the devil of the sixth heaven.

Nichiren Daishonin established the true object of devotion, the Gohonzon, based on the proof he demonstrated of the of the validity  of the principle of “actual ichinen sanzen“. The Gohonzon is the manifestation of the principle of actual ichinen sanzen which he himself proved with  his life.

To have faith in the Gohonzon means to believe in the power of myoho, the Mystic Law, to “transform the three evil paths into the three virtues”. No matter how severe the cycle of earthly desire, karma and suffering may be, we must bring forth string, unwavering faith in the power of myoho, or the Mystic Law. In order to enable us to overcome the vicious cycle, the Daishonin established the object of devotion.

 

LETTER TO THE BROTHERS

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Gosho, Letter to the Brothers, Lotus Sutra, Nichiren Buddhism, Nichiren Daishonin, The four devils, The three obstacles, Three Thousand Realms

The doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life revealed in the fifth volume of Great Concentration and Insight is especially profound. If you propagate it, devils will arise without fail. If they did not, there would be no way of knowing that this is the correct teaching. One passage from the same volume reads: “As practice progresses and understanding grows, the three obstacles and four devils emerge in confusing form, vying with one another to interfere . . . One should be neither influenced nor frightened by them. If one falls under their influence, one will be led into the paths of evil. If one is frightened by them, one will be prevented from practicing the correct teaching.” This statement not only applies to me, but also is a guide for my followers. Reverently make this teaching your own, and transmit it as an axiom of faith for future generations.

The three obstacles in this passage are the obstacle of earthly desires, the obstacle of karma, and the obstacle of retribution. The obstacle of earthly desires is the impediments to one’s practice that arise from greed, anger, foolishness, and the like; the obstacle of karma is the hindrances presented by one’s wife or children; and the obstacle of retribution is the hindrances caused by one’s sovereign or parents. Of the four devils, the workings of the devil king of the sixth heaven are of this last kind.

 

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In this passage, Nichiren Daishonin emphasizes that those who practice and propagate the correct teaching of Buddhism will invariably encounter obstacles, and that the appearance of such obstacles serves to confirm the validity of their practice. This is a fundamental principle of Buddhism and a major point of this letter.

The “doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life” mentioned in the first sentence is the supreme philosophical achievement of the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai (533-97) of China. It is set forth in Great Concentration and Insight, a compilation of T’ien-t’ai’s profound lectures recorded by his immediate disciple, Chang-an. Based on the Lotus Sutra, the doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life clarifies the ultimate oneness of absolute reality (Buddhahood) and the phenomenal world (environment).

A life-moment refers to the reality or true state of an individual’s life at any given moment; and 3,000 refers to the diversity of potential states or conditions it can assume at that moment. T’ien-t’ai explained that a life-moment contains within it the Ten Worlds, their mutual possession (making 100 worlds), the ten factors (making 1,000 factors) and the three realms (making 3,000 realms). With this theory, T’ien-t’ai demonstrated that all phenomena-body and mind, self and environment, sentient and insentient, cause and effect-are integrated in the life-moment of the common mortal. One’s life at each moment actually contains the whole of reality and pervades the entire universe. However, T’ien-t’ai’s three thousand realms in a single moment of life refers in theory to the life of Buddhahood latent within all people. Therefore it is called the theoretical three thousand realms. In contrast, three thousand realms in a single moment of life, as set forth in the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin, refers to the means to manifest Buddhahood as a reality within the lives of all people.It is therefore called the actual three thousand realms.

Nichiren refers to three thousand realms in a single moment of life revealed in the fifth volume of Great Concentration and Insight because he wishes to stress the principle of the three obstacles and four devils set forth in that same volume. However, in terms of our own practice, we should understand it as referring to Nam-myoho-renge-kyo of the Three Great Secret Laws, and not to the theoretical three thousand realms in a single moment of life of T’ien-t’ai.

“The doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life” is the teaching that enables ordinary, unenlightened people to become Buddhas. Therefore it is only natural that great obstacles attend its practice and propagation.

Overcoming the three obstacles and four devils through practicing and propagating the Law is the means to end the suffering that originates in our fundamental darkness. President Ikeda explains that “lessening karmic retribution means putting an end in this lifetime to the cycle of misery and misfortune that has continued in our lives from the distant past up to the present. Persecutions and obstacles present us with a golden opportunity to attain enlightenment. They are a springboard for greatly expanding our state of life. That transform the source of our suffering and bring forth the power to overcome it. When this transformation of our fundamental darkness takes place in the context of propagating the Law, our Buddha nature is strengthened to the utmost and we are assured of victory.

By overcoming unbelievable persecution and hardship, Nichiren proved to all of us that an ordinary person can attain Buddhahood through dedicated practice and propagation. He states “Here, a single individual has been used as an example, but the same thing applies equally to all living beings” (“The Unanimous Declaration by the Buddhas,” WND-2, 844). By using Nichiren as a model, however, does not mean we must experience the same persecution and hardship that he did.

 

December 2005, Living Buddhism