Chapter 21, The Supernatural Powers of the Tathāgatas, is an outwardly simple and straightforward chapter. That simplicity is deceptive, as Nikkyō Niwano’s detailed explanation in Buddhism for Today makes clear.
Much of what I set aside during this second reading has already appeared here:
- The Teaching of Wisdom and the Teaching of Compassion
- This chapter is very important because two teachings, the Law of Appearance and the Law of Origin, are brought to their culmination herein. It also teaches us that these two teachings are not separate but, even though they seem different, are one in essence.
- The Complete Union of Understanding and Faith
- We should not study the Lotus Sutra for the sake of learning alone. It is not enough to have understood the sutra intellectually. We cannot be saved in the true sense, nor save the whole of society, until we proceed from understanding to faith and reach the mental state of complete union of understanding and faith.
The rest of these quotes merit setting aside for future consideration.
Analysis and Synthesis
Buddhism for Today, p234Analysis is important when we study anything in depth. To analyze means to divide a thing into portions and examine its structure, its elements, its meaning, and its function. But if we conclude our study with only the analysis of a thing, we have only studied it halfway. After completing the analysis of anything, we must complete our study from a holistic point of view. Then we can ascertain the truth that applies to the whole. This is called synthesis. In every study we can obtain valid results only if analysis and synthesis go hand in hand.
This also applies to the study of the Lotus Sutra. Up to this point we have studied the Buddha’s teachings by analyzing them in order to understand them correctly. If we stop with analysis, however, the teaching remains split into parts and thus tends to be jumbled in our minds. At this point we have not yet really understood it.
Rising Above Self
Buddhism for Today, p235To make offerings to the Buddha or the Law means to express one’s sense of gratitude and make restitution for one’s indebtedness to the Buddha or the Law. When the bodhisattvas widely preach the Buddha’s teachings, this repays their debt for the teachings they have received from the Buddha. This is why the bodhisattvas who had sprung up from the earth are the great bodhisattvas. People at a lower spiritual stage would consider only themselves: “I myself can be saved by doing this practice.” These bodhisattvas, however, rise above self.
The Darkness of Illusion
Buddhism for Today, p238Darkness does not exist as a real entity. Darkness is only a nonlighted state and will disappear when light shines. The same thing can be said of illusion. Only the truth has real existence; illusion is unreal. Illusion is born from the state in which our minds do not yet realize the truth. Illusion will disappear from our minds when we realize the truth.
The Math of Faith
Buddhism for Today, p329-330At first Śākyamuni Buddha preached the tactful teaching. Nevertheless, because the truth is one, it is not an inferior teaching. The tactful teaching was preached only in order to lead people finally to the absolute truth. But the Law of Appearance and the Law of Origin both express important truths and are sacred teachings. If the latter can be compared to multiplication, the former can be likened to addition. Children cannot understand multiplication if they are first taught that two multiplied by three equals six. They must learn addition first. When they understand that two plus two plus two equal six, they can clearly grasp the idea that to multiply two by three is equivalent to adding two three times. Even if they learn the multiplication tables by heart and so “know” that two multiplied by three equals six, they cannot be said to have really grasped multiplication unless they understand addition.
In faith, as in arithmetic, both addition and multiplication are true; both the Law of Appearance and the Law of Origin are the truth. Though faith can be compared to multiplication, it will not become real unless faith as addition is thoroughly understood.
In chapter 18 [The Merits of a Person Who Rejoices at Hearing This Sutra], faith was shown as multiplication: the object of faith multiplied by the mind of faith equals the result of faith. But if we declare at the start, “The object of faith must be the Buddha of non-beginning and non-end,” people will be confused and unable to believe. How much more serious are the consequences of a mistaken object of faith?
In the Law of Appearance, the Buddha taught fully the formation of this world, what human beings ought to be, the right way to live, and ideal human relationships. Through this Law, we can learn the right way of life: to follow the truth permeating everything, that is, to realize the Seal of the Three Laws and the Law of the Twelve Causes, and, based on these teachings, to practice the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, and the Six Perfections. This is the mental stage of faith by addition.
For those who have understood these doctrines, the Buddha revealed that all beings are caused to live by the universal truth, that is, by the Eternal Buddha as the being of non-beginning and non-end. Then the believer realizes, “If we are united with the Buddha, we will come naturally to live according to the truth. That state is our real salvation.” The tactful teaching of the first half of the Lotus Sutra and the true (in the sense of absolute) teaching revealed in the second half of the sutra are both the same truth and lead to the same salvation. This is the teaching of nimon-kyōitsu, “the two Laws are essentially identical in teaching.” The phrase “coughed simultaneously” represents this teaching.
The Spirit of Understanding
Buddhism for Today, p335The various mysterious phenomena known as the ten divine powers of the Tathāgata are described here because this chapter contains the concluding teaching of the entire Lotus Sutra and because it shows the ultimate ideal. The Buddhist terms associated with each of the Tathāgata’s ten divine powers have been explained, but readers need not worry about remembering such specialized Buddhist terms; it is quite sufficient to understand the spirit of what is taught here.
A Righteous Faith
Buddhism for Today, p338-339The Buddha emphasizes here the holiness of his teachings themselves, and he clearly teaches that the right way to maintain faith is to receive, keep, cultivate, and practice the teachings. Accordingly, “a place where a volume of the sutra is kept” should be regarded not as a place where the sutra as an object is kept but as a place where the teaching remains or is correctly practiced and maintained. To interpret the sutra as meaning just a material object – a book or scroll – is mistaken, as we can see from the spirit permeating the passage quoted above.
Why must we be so exacting about the interpretation of the meaning of a single word? This is because we are liable to regard something symbolizing the teaching as supreme and sovereign rather than the teaching itself, and by devoting ourselves to the symbol, we are inclined to indulge in a mistaken faith. Something symbolizing the teaching is holy indeed. But if we devote ourselves to it alone, regarding it as supreme, or if we pay homage to it for the sake of our salvation, we lower the holy teaching of the Buddha to the level of folk religion. Such a deed is a great slandering of the Buddha’s Law. Holiness consists in the Buddha’s teachings themselves, as he has revealed here. A righteous faith exists in whatever place we receive, keep, cultivate, and practice the holy teaching. We must inscribe this on our memories because it is so important that it forms the foundation of our daily lives.
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