This is a continuation of the introduction to Miraculous Stories from the Japanese Buddhist Tradition.
From Kyoko Motomochi Nakamura preface:
Kyōkai reveals his view of man in a section of his autobiographical material (111.38). Although man is driven by desire, he also possesses potential for enlightenment. Kyōkai believed that some people totally lacked such potential, for in interpreting his first dream, he says: “ ‘He does not have any ways to support them’ means that those who lack potential are not oriented for enlightenment” (111.38). In the note to a story on a wicked robber who broke a Buddhist statue, he quotes from the Nehan-gyō [Nirvāṇa Sūtra], and adds his comment:
“Those of the ichisendai shall perish forever. If you kill even an ant, you will be accused of the sin of killing; you will not, however, be accused of the sin of killing if you kill the ichisendai.” (Because the ichisendai slanders the Three Treasures, fails to preach to all beings, and lacks a sense of gratitude, killing him is not a sin.) [11.22].
Ichisendai is a transliteration of a Sanskrit term icchantika, which is translated as “culmination of desires” “one lacking faith,” “one lacking good stock.” It designates a man who is driven continuously by his desires and lacks any potential for enlightenment, who commits sins and never repents.
Ichisendai was a controversial concept in both Chinese and Japanese Buddhism, for it conflicts with the idea of universal Buddha-nature expounded in the same Nehan-gyō. Since the goal of Buddhists is enlightenment, the doctrine of Buddha-nature or Tathāgatagarbha is fundamental. The Hoke-kyō and Nehan-gyō, which influenced Kyōkai more than any other scriptures, are known for the doctrine that Buddha-nature exists in all sentient beings, while both denounce those who slander Mahayana teachings. However, Kyōkai never stressed the central message of the Nehan-gyō, that all sentient beings have Buddha-nature; instead, he repeatedly warned against those who committed offenses against the Three Treasures, such as persecutors of monks, usurpers of temple properties, and slanderers of dharma. Kyōkai explicitly says that a man who commits such acts is inferior to an ant. He also says:
Without compassion man is just like a crow. The Nehan-gyō says: “Though there is a distinction in respectability between man and animal, they share the fact that they cherish life and take death seriously.” [11.101
Man shares a common destiny of mortality with other living beings, and knowledge of mortality makes him cherish both his own life and that of others. However, he differs from them in that he is able to attain enlightenment. Buddhists often say that it is difficult to obtain birth as a human being and hear dharma. This statement can be understood only in the context of the Buddhist cosmology which presupposes an infinite expanse of time and various modes of existence. If a man fails to make good use of this rare opportunity with gratitude, he is no better than an animal. (Page 61-62)
Doctrine of universal salvation
In the Japanese religious tradition, no clear-cut distinction can be made between sacred and secular. What is closest to “sacred” is (sei, shō, or hijiri), but its antonym is “ordinary,” as understood by Kyōkai. “Sacred” means “supreme, preeminent, extraordinary.” No discontinuity exists. This is the basis for the doctrine of universal salvation. Each person has the potential to be a bodhisattva, although there are differences in the degrees of achievement, which is by no means predestined. The ideal image of man is not a scholarly and virtuous monk, but one who lives an ordinary life yet reveals an extraordinary quality through such a life. In other words, he is in society and at the same time rises above society. (Page 79)