All posts by John Hughes

NotebookLM, Nichiren Study, AI Contribution

The Pure Land is Here and Now

NotebookLM logoI have a NotebookLM notebook devoted to sources related to the Lotus Sutra and one related to Nichiren and his teachings. I asked each of these to explain the origin of the idea that this Saha world is the Buddha Śākyamuni’s Pure Land. In the Nichiren notebook I asked it also to explain Nichiren’s teachings on the subject. I then took the two documents generated by NotebookLM and asked Gemini to combine them into a blog post written by an ardent follower of Nichiren who seeks to inspire others to chant Namu-Myoho-Renge-Kyo. I’ve made some minor changes in Gemini’s blog post – changing Daishonin to Shonin and removing a reference to Human Revolution. I’m still not over my years of Soka Gakkai.

Awakening the Saha World Through the Power of the Daimoku

Have you ever felt completely overwhelmed by the chaos, pain, and instability of our modern world? Have you ever found yourself wishing to escape to a distant, peaceful paradise far away from the struggles of daily life?

It is completely natural to look around at our environment and feel a sense of weariness. We live in what Buddhism terms the Saha world—a realm defined literally as the “world of endurance and suffering.” Every day, we face trials, anxieties, and the harsh realities of human existence. But today, I want to share with you a revolutionary, life-altering truth that comes directly from the heart of the Lotus Sutra and the profound teachings of Nichiren Shonin: This very world, with all its turmoil, is not a place to escape from. It is, in its ultimate, hidden reality, the Eternal Buddha’s Pure Land.

You do not need to wait until after death to find peace in a distant paradise. By placing your absolute faith in the Lotus Sutra and chanting Namu-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, you hold the key to unveiling this pure, indestructible reality right where you are standing.

The Scriptural Revelation: Unveiling the Eternal Land

To understand the magnitude of this truth, we must journey back into the visionary canvas of the Lotus Sutra. The deep-rooted misconception of medieval times—and even today—is that a “Pure Land” is a separate, celestial planet far removed from our gritty reality. The Lotus Sutra completely shatters this dualistic view through two monumental scenes.

First, in Chapter 11, “The Emergence of the Treasure Tower,” a magnificent jeweled stupa floats in midair. To make room for the countless replica Buddhas summoned from across the cosmos, Sakyamuni Buddha magically purifies the Saha world not once, but three distinct times. In that mystical moment, the ground transforms into absolute purity, paved with lapis lazuli, bordered by golden cords, and shaded by exquisite jeweled trees. This stunning transformation birthed the core doctrine that the Saha World is identical with the Pure Land of Tranquil Light.

Second, this imagery moves from a temporary vision to an eternal reality in Chapter 16, “The Lifetime of the Tathagata”. Here, Sakyamuni Buddha delivers a paradigm-shifting revelation. He explains that he did not attain enlightenment for the first time under the bodhi tree in India; rather, he has been a fully awakened Buddha since the inconceivably remote and infinite past. Consequently, he makes an astounding declaration: “I have always been here in this sahā world, preaching the Dharma, and teaching and converting.”

The Buddha never left us. He further explains that even when deluded living beings look out and perceive the world ending, consumed by a catastrophic fire at the close of an eon, his land remains perfectly safe, tranquil, and filled with heavenly beings, beautiful gardens, and jeweled trees. This teaches us a fundamental lesson: the pure land is not a distant geographic location. It is this very world, seen through the clear, unclouded eyes of an awakened Buddha.

The Philosophical Framework: Later Buddhist thinkers, particularly the Chinese patriarch Tiantai Zhiyi, formalized these visions into the doctrine of ichinen sanzen (three thousand realms in a single thought-moment). Central to this is eshō funi—the absolute nonduality of the living subject and their environment. Your environment is a perfect mirror of your inner life-state.

Four Life-Changing Implications for Us Today

Nichiren Shonin took this profound philosophical legacy and radicalized it, turning it into a practical blueprint. When you embrace faith in the Lotus Sutra and dedicate your life to chanting Namu-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, your entire relationship with reality undergoes a massive shift. Here is what this means for your daily life:

1. A Resounding Rejection of Escapism

In Nichiren’s time, the popular Pure Land (Nembutsu) school taught people to loathe this corrupt, painful world, encouraging them to focus solely on chanting to be reborn after death in a distant “Western Paradise.” Nichiren vehemently opposed this otherworldly view, labeling it a dangerous form of escapism. He argued that to abandon our present world in search of another is to completely abandon the true domain of Sakyamuni Buddha.

As followers of Nichiren, we do not wish away our lives or hope for a peaceful afterlife. We stand tall in the face of our challenges. As Nichiren boldly wrote, “Why should one abandon this world and aspire to another land? The place where one who practices the Lotus Sutra dwells should be regarded as the pure land.” Your home, your office, your neighborhood—no matter how stressful—is the exact location of your enlightenment.

2. Finding Noble Value in Life’s Impurities

The Lotus Sutra does not look at the world through rose-colored glasses. It acknowledges that the Saha world contains “hellish conditions,” severe hardships, and deep suffering. Yet, incredibly, Chapter 15 of the sutra actively praises the Saha world precisely because of these difficulties!

Why? Because a smooth, painless environment cannot forge a Buddha. The suffering of this world is the ultimate training ground. The sutra extols the Bodhisattvas who make courageous efforts and endure hardships to practice the Dharma in this actual human world, identifying them as the true, authentic disciples of the Buddha. Every problem you face is fuel for your spiritual growth. When you chant through your pain, you are acting as an authentic disciple, transforming poison into medicine.

3. Activating the Power of the Mind to Mirror Purity

Because of the principle of eshō funi (the inseparability of person and environment), we recognize that there is no difference between a mundane world of suffering and a Pure Land. The only difference lies entirely within the human mind: is it deluded or is it awakened?

If our minds are defiled by anger, greed, and delusion, the land we experience will naturally appear defiled, hostile, and broken. But when we align our lives with the Lotus Sutra by chanting Namu-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, we purify our inner lives. Because the environment merely mirrors our inner state, an awakened mind will naturally experience and manifest its environment as an awakened, safe, and tranquil realm. Purity starts within you!

4. Actualizing and Physically Transforming Reality Here and Now

This is where Nichiren’s teaching becomes beautifully concrete and infinitely inspiring. He took the theoretical concepts of older schools and brought them down to earth. He taught that faith and the  chanting of the Daimoku do not just offer a subjective, psychological shift in perspective. It possesses the objective, cosmic power to physically transform the outer world.

Nichiren prophesied that when the people of the world genuinely embrace the Lotus Sutra and chant Namu-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, this threefold world will literally become a Buddha land. He beautifully described a transformed world where “the wind will not thrash the branches nor the rain fall hard enough to break clods,” and where the people are profoundly protected from disasters and calamities. Spreading this faith is a sacred mission to physically alter the karma of our planet, establishing an ideal, stable Buddha-land out of our current troubled reality.

A Call to Action

Do not look to the sky for salvation. Do not wait for circumstances to change before you decide to be happy. The Land of Eternally Tranquil Light is right beneath your feet, waiting to be pulled into reality.

No matter how dark your current environment seems, you possess the ultimate spiritual power to revolutionize it. Wake up every morning, sit facing your dynamic purpose, and chant with the ferocity of a lion. Let your voice ring out with the sound of absolute victory Let us actively transform this Saha world, day by day, thought by thought, into the brilliant, jewel-encrusted Pure Land it was always meant to be!

Tomorrow: Understanding Eshō Funi

WONS

Preparation for Revealing the Eternal Buddha

Now in the 11th Chapter of the Lotus Sutra, “Beholding the Stupa of Treasures,” a step was taken in preparation for revealing the Eternal Buddha in the sixteenth chapter on “The Life Span of the Buddha.” It is stated in the “Appearance of the Stupa of Treasures” chapter that Śākyamuni Buddha, who had attained enlightenment for the first time only forty years or so before under the bodhi tree at Buddhagayā, India, called the crowd of Buddhas, who had obtained Buddhahood as far before as a kalpa or ten, “My manifestations.” This was against the principle of equality among Buddhas and greatly surprised everyone. If Śākyamuni Buddha had attained enlightenment only forty years or so before, large crowds of people all over the universe would not be waiting for His guidance. Even if He was capable of appearing in manifestation to guide them in various worlds, it would have been of no use. Grand Master T’ien-t’ai said in his Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sūtra, fascicle 9, “Since there are so many of His manifestations, we should know that He has been the Buddha for a long time.” It represents the consternation of the great assembly, men and gods who were surprised at the great number of Buddhas in manifestation (funjin).

To add to their surprise, the numerous great bodhisattvas, who had been guided by the Original Buddha in the past, sprang out of the earth of the whole world, according to the “Appearance of Bodhisattvas from Underground,” the fifteenth chapter of the Lotus Sūtra. They looked incomparably superior to Bodhisattvas Fugen (Universal Sage) and Monju, (Mañjuśrī), who had been regarded as ranking disciples of Śākyamuni Buddha. Compared to these bodhisattvas coming from underground, those great bodhisattvas, who had gathered upon the preaching of the Flower Garland Sūtra, Hōdō sūtras, and Wisdom Sūtra and of the “Appearance of the Stupa Of Treasures” chapter of the Lotus Sūtra, or the sixteen bodhisattvas such as Bodhisattva Vajrasattva in the Great Sun Buddha Sūtra and other sūtras, looked like monkeys waiting on Indra or woodcutters associating with court nobles. Even Bodhisattva Maitreya, successor to Śākyamuni Buddha, did not know who they were, not to speak of gods and men below him.

Kaimoku-shō, Open Your Eyes to the Lotus Teaching, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 68

AI Contribution, Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma for June 22, 2026

20260622-ddi

Illustration by Google Gemini

Show Gemini's thinking

Gemini Thinking

he illustration conceptualizes the essential role of the Lotus Sūtra as the unique and indispensable guide for genuine Bodhisattva practice, as described in the source text. I have visualised this by contrasting the earnest but incomplete efforts of the assembly (laypeople and monks on the left) with the clarity offered by the direct intervention of Śākyamuni Buddha (right). The center of the composition is dominated by a celestial scroll featuring the sutra's title. This scroll acts as the 'fulcrum' upon which the assembly's understanding turns. The central interaction depicts the Medicine-King Bodhisattva kneeling before the Buddha; he is not just reading but actively engaging with the text, while other beings facilitate the offering of the teaching. The presence of other Bodhisattvas, like Avalokiteshvara, symbolizes the universal accessibility and application of these teachings. The entire scene is set in a stylized Pure Land landscape, emphasizing that true spiritual benefit arises only when our altruistic efforts are grounded in the specific wisdom the Buddha is sharing.

Iconography & Character Identification
Item 1: Deities/Figures Featured: Śākyamuni Buddha (seated right); Medicine-King Bodhisattva (kneeling center, holding scroll); Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva (seated right, observing); Celestial/Apsara beings (carrying the main sutra title scroll and attendant objects); A group of monks and laypersons (left, symbolizing the assembly described in the text).

Item 2: Text Translations:

Large vertical scroll text: 妙法蓮華経 (Myōhō Renge Kyō – Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma)

Kanji Signature: 双子座 (Futagoza – Gemini)

Seal Text (Hanko): ジェミニ (Jemini – Gemini)

Medicine-King! Although many laymen or monks will practice the Way of Bodhisattvas, they will not be able to practice it satisfactorily, know this, unless they see, hear, read, recite, copy or keep this Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma or make offerings to it.

The Buddha gives this explanation to Medicine-King Bodhisattva in Chapter Ten of the Lotus Sūtra. For us to aspire to benefit all beings is rare and wonderful. However, without the guidance of the Buddha, our efforts to benefit others can degenerate into expectations of separate benefits for ourselves. In the Lotus Sūtra, the Buddha explains the limitations of his previous teachings, assures us of our capacity for enlightenment and how he is always helping us, and gives examples of great Bodhisattvas whose experience we can apply to our own lives.

The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com

WONS

Criticism Of Nichiren

Someone accusingly says that I, Nichiren, established a coarse doctrine highhandedly without considering the capacity of people to understand, resulting in persecutions.

Others say that what is preached in the thirteenth chapter on the “Encouragement for Upholding This Sūtra” of the Lotus Sūtra about practicers of the Lotus Sūtra encountering difficulties without fail is applicable to bodhisattvas on a high grade. A low-grade practicer like Nichiren, they maintain, ought to practice the tolerant way preached in the fourteenth chapter on the “Peaceful Practices” of the Lotus Sūtra, but he fails to follow it.

Still others say that I know it in principle but dare not speak out.

Some people say that Nichiren stresses only the theoretical study, neglecting the practice of meditation, and I have been fully aware of their criticisms.

Pien-ch’u, a loyal subject of King Wu in ancient China, had both his legs amputated. In Japan, Wake no Kiyomaro, who blocked Priest Dōkyō’s usurpation attempt, was renamed Kegaremaro (Defiled-man) and was about to be executed. Those who laughed at them were all forgotten while Pien-ch’u and Kiyomaro are still remembered by the people. Those who condemn me, Nichiren, would be the same as those who laughed at Pien-ch’u and Kiyomaro.

Teradomari Gosho, A Letter from Teradomari, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 11

AI Contribution, Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma for June 21, 2026

20260621-ddi

Illustration by Google Gemini

Show Gemini's thinking

Gemini Thinking

Conceptual Summary
The illustration visualizes Nichiren’s teaching on the "Opening of the Eyes" of Buddhist images, focusing on the distinction between the physical icon and the living truth it represents. The composition, on a silk-textured background, adheres to a traditional Japanese Buddhist aesthetic, using mineral pigments and soft colors. It places a practitioner in purple robes chanting before a central wooden statue within an altar, rather than the abstract Omandala. The core concept of the Buddha's "invisible voice" is represented through golden light rays and abstract wave-like energy. These emanations flow from the image to the practitioner, symbolizing the reception of the pure, immutable Brahma’s voice, which cannot be painted or carved. This internal enlightenment is shown transforming into external action; subtle streams extend from the main scene to four distinct vignettes. These smaller, almost sketch-like scenarios illustrate acts of mercy, benevolent care, community unity, and respect for nature, showing how hearing the Dharma directly improves the world for all beings.

Iconography & Character Identification
Item 1: Deities/Figures Featured: A central monk practitioner in traditional purple robes, a wooden statue of a Buddha (identifiable by the 32 marks and mudra as Shakyamuni Buddha), various smaller figures in the four vignettes showing acts of community service, care, and tree planting.

Item 2: Text Translations: [双子座: Gemini]; [ジェミニ: Gemini (katakana)]

The Buddha possesses 32 marks of physical excellence, all of which belong to the category of matter. The Brahma’s voice, pure and immaculate voice of the Buddha, however is invisible. Therefore it is impossible for us to depict it in pictures or statues.

Nichiren wrote this passage in his Treatise on Opening the Eyes of Buddhist Images, Wooden Statues or Portraits (Mokue Nizō Kaigen no Koto). The statues, portraits and other images of the Buddha and other protective deities which we use in our practice are not meant to be idols. They are living examples of the perfections to which we aspire and from which we draw strength. The ceremony in which we “Open the Eyes” of an Omandala or anything else we use in our practice reminds us that everything around us has life. When we hear the Buddha’s voice from them, leading us to enlightenment, then we learn how to improve the world for ourselves and all beings.

The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com

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Three Categories Of People Who Slander Lotus Sūtra

Of the three categories of people [who slander the Lotus Sūtra], the first group of lay people who slander is easier to bear than the abusive words of the second group of crafty monks. The second group of monks is easier to bear than the third group of pretentious high priests living in great monasteries. These three categories consist of monks who are attached to provisional sūtras other than the Lotus Sūtra in the world today, monks attached solely to the Zen meditation believing in the false concept that Buddhahood preached in sūtras and commentaries cannot be expressed by words or letters, and lay people who support such monks. They do not understand the difference between the provisional sūtras preached by the Buddha during the pre-Lotus period of 40 years or so and the True Dharma of the Lotus Sūtra. Therefore, they do not realize the difference in meaning between such phrases in the pre-Lotus provisional Sūtras as “no difference among the mind, a Buddha, and the people;” “mind as a Buddha;” and “will be reborn in the Pure Land to the West,” and similar-sounding phrases in the Lotus Sūtra like “all phenomena as ultimate reality;” and “will be reborn in the World of Happiness of the Buddha of Infinite Life.” Or, upon seeing such passages in various sūtras as “The truth lies beyond language,” and “It is found where the mind is extinguished,” they will embrace an evil thought that the holy scriptures of the Buddha do not reveal His true Enlightenment. As a result, devils get hold of these three categories of people, mislead the people in the Latter Age of Degeneration, and even destroy the country. Therefore, it is stated in the “Encouragement for Upholding This Sūtra” chapter of the Lotus Sūtra, “In the evil world in the muddy kalpa, there will be many things to fear. Evil demons will take possession of people and cause them to slander and insult the practicers of the Lotus Sūtra. (…) Evil monks in the defiled world will not know the expedient dharmas preached by the Buddha as a means of guiding the people.” These scriptural passages mean that monks in this world of corruption and defilement do not know the teaching they embrace is the teaching the Buddha preached as an expedient means to guide the people, and thus they do not know the difference between the expedient and true teachings. When a person appears who knows the difference, they will abuse and persecute him. According to these passages, this is solely because they do not realize that evil demons have taken possession of them. Thus, what the people in the Latter Age of Degeneration should be afraid of are not swords and sticks, tigers and wolves, or the ten evil acts and the five rebellious sins but these monks who wear Buddhist robes and pretend to be high priests without knowing the teaching and those people who regard monks of provisional teachings as venerable and hate the practicers of the True Dharma of the Lotus Sūtra.

Shō Hokke Daimoku-shō, Treastise on Chanting the Daimoku of the Lotus Sūtra, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 11-12

AI Contribution, Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma for June 20, 2026

20260620-ddi

Illustration by Google Gemini

Show Gemini's thinking

Gemini Thinking

Conceptual Summary
My conceptual thinking for this illustration focused on visualizing the literal scene described in the Lotus Sutra source text—the Brahma-Heavenly-Kings making their offering. I visualized the "adorned palaces" as tangible miniature models being presented, moving the concept from an offering of possessions to a metaphorical offering of the kings' accumulated merit. I depicted the Brahma Kings as a celestial procession within a pure land setting to emphasize their high status and the result of their "previous existence" merits. The specific inclusion of wind instruments and singing figures on the balcony illustrates the literal "sing these verses" line from the text. Great-Universal-Wisdom-Excellence-Buddha is seated receiving the gift, surrounded by a compassionate light that represents the requested "compassion" from the kings and the sharing of wisdom mentioned in the interpretation. The overall composition is designed to reflect the transition from individual gain to communal benefit.

Iconography & Character Identification
Deities/Figures Featured: The illustration features a group of five Brahma-Heavenly-Kings in the foreground, adorned with intricate crowns and jewelry, presenting a miniature pagoda-palace as their offering. To the far right, seated under a stylized bodhi tree, is Great-Universal-Wisdom-Excellence-Buddha (recognizable as a historical Buddha figure in this context, rather than the forbidden transcendental Buddhas). On the palace balcony, other celestial attendants are visible, including figures playing a wind instrument (shō) and singing figures (implied by the sound waves emanating from them), representing the verses mentioned.

Text Translations: The Kanji text visible in the bottom right corner is '双子座', which translates to 'Gemini'. The red seal below contains the Katakana 'ジェミニ', which is also the phonetic spelling of 'Gemini'.

Our palaces are beautifully adorned
Because we accumulated merits in our previous existence.
We offer [these palaces] to you.
Receive them out of your compassion towards us!

The Brahma-Heavenly-Kings of the East sing these verses in Chapter Seven of the Lotus Sutra. In the story, they came to the world of Great-Universal-Wisdom-Excellence-Buddha from their worlds of beauty and pleasure when that Buddha became enlightened. Their offering shows their understanding that while they can enjoy the results of the merits they have created, these results are meant to be shared with all beings. No matter how much or how little we have, being grateful for what we have, rather than being resentful for what we lack, is an expression of the Buddha’s wisdom.

The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com

WONS

The Parable Of A Gold Stick

The parable of a gold stick is often used to discuss the Three Vehicles (teachings for śrāvaka, pratyekabuddha and bodhisattvas). It is said that a gold stick was snapped into three, each of which was given to those with the capacity to understand the Three Vehicles, saying that as each of the three is gold, they do not have to try to find the differences or to discuss which is better among them. This parable sounds reasonable, but in fact the logic is wrong and misunderstood by those who have learned a wrong doctrine.

To further clarify matters, there is an instance when the Buddha took out of the Lotus Sūtra a gold stick used as an expedient teaching, and swung it three times for those with the capacity to know the Three Vehicles. Those who could not recognize this as an expedient teaching believed that the stick was made of genuine gold and thought that they were following the right teachings. If the gold stick were snapped into three in reality, the parable would not make sense. Although the Buddha just swung the gold stick three times instead of snapping it, ignorant people with the capacity to know the Three Vehicles thought that He did break the stick into three. To say it repeatedly, it is a blunder and an error to hold this view.

The Buddha swung the stick three times not to show the Wonderful Dharma of the Lotus Sūtra, but to give the merits of an expedient teaching in the Lotus Sūtra to those who have the capacity to know the Three Vehicles. Therefore, the Three Vehicles, if put back into the expedient teaching of the Lotus Sūtra, are called an expedient teaching within the Lotus Sūtra; they will never become the “perfect teaching.” Remembering this, we should clearly see that there exists the expedient and the True teachings both inside and outside the Lotus Sūtra.

Shoshū Mondō-shō, Questions and Answers Regarding Other Schools, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Page 167

AI Contribution, Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma for June 19, 2026

20260619-ddi

Illustration by Google Gemini

Show Gemini's thinking

Gemini Thinking

Conceptual Summary
This illustration visualizes the core concept from Chapter Ten of the Lotus Sūtra, focusing on the vow of Great Bodhisattvas who, having already attained enlightenment (Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi), choose rebirth within the suffering realm of the world (Saha) out of compassion (Karunā). The central figure is Yao-wang Pusa (Medicine-King Bodhisattva), representing the primary listener of this teaching. Medicine-King is portrayed as a serene Bodhisattva holding a stylized lotus and radiating calming light, embodying the 'Wonderful Dharma.' He floats above a stylized depiction of the human realm, which is illustrated using standard classical motifs: simple, tiled-roof structures, small figures of common people performing simple tasks, and swirling clouds. This contrast emphasizes the choice of the enlightened beings to enter the 'lower realm' for the benefit of others, rather than remaining in a serene, isolated Nirvana. The composition deliberately centers on Medicine-King and the human realm, adhering strictly to the exclusions list by avoiding any representation of Śākyamuni Buddha, Amida, or Dainichi, focusing instead on the action of the vow through the iconography of Medicine-King.

Iconography & Character Identification
Deities/Figures Featured: The central figure depicted is Yao-wang Pusa (Medicine-King Bodhisattva), identifiable by his calm demeanor, lotus attribute, and the theme of the source text.

Text Translations: The Kanji signature visible in the bottom corner is 双子座, which translates to 'Gemini.' The text within the red seal is the katakana ジェミニ, also reading 'Gemini.'

These men and women are great Bodhisattvas. They should be considered to have appeared in this world by their vow to expound the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma out of their compassion towards all living beings, although they already attained Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi [in their previous existence].

The Buddha declares these lines to Medicine-King Bodhisattva at the beginning of Chapter Ten of the Lotus Sūtra. In the teachings of Nirvāṇa, the goal is to remove suffering so that we can be reborn in a peaceful realm. In this Sūtra, the Buddha reminds us that we who keep this Sūtra have given up the privilege of higher realms so that we can benefit beings where we find ourselves now. We do not fear rebirth in lower realms since our compassion takes us even there so we can benefit beings in those realms.

The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com

WONS

Comparative Superiority Of Lotus Sūtra

QUESTION: According to the Nirvana Sūtra, the sūtras preached before it all contain false views. What do you think of that?

ANSWER: The Buddha’s purpose of appearing in the world was to preach the Lotus Sūtra, in which He preaches in the second chapter on the “Expedients”, “My old wish has already been fulfilled; it is indeed the time now to expound the Mahāyāna teaching definitively;” and in the 16th chapter on “The Life Span of the Buddha, actually, however, Good Men, I have been the Buddha since eternal past.” Nevertheless, regarding the comparative superiority in doctrine, the Buddha Himself declares in the 10th chapter on the “Teacher of the Dharma,” that although He has expounded numerous, thousands, tens of thousands and hundred millions of sūtras, the Lotus Sūtra is superior to all the sūtras which have already been preached, are being preached, and will be preached. Then, in the 11th chapter on the “Appearance of the Stupa of Treasures,” the Buddha of Many Treasures appeared from underground testifying: “What has been said by Śākyamuni Buddha is all true,” while various Buddhas, the manifestations of Śākyamuni Buddha in the worlds all over the universe, stretched out their tongues to reach the Brahma Heaven attesting the words of Śākyamuni to be true.

Thus, the comparative superiority between the Lotus Sūtra and all other sūtras has been resolved by Śākyamuni Buddha, the Buddha of Many Treasures, and Buddhas manifested in worlds all over the universe. No further comparison between the Lotus Sūtra and sūtras preached before and after it is necessary because they are all preached by the one Śākyamuni Buddha.

Therefore, when the Nirvana Sūtra rejects sūtras preached before it, the Lotus Sūtra is not included, because the Nirvana Sūtra, too, is trying to say that the Lotus Sūtra is superior to others.

Shugo Kokka-ron, Treatise on Protecting the Nation, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Page 11