It has taken me a week to go through the hour-long recording of last week’s adult study class and the sermon that followed the service. While that does disappoint me, the purpose here is to make the information available. Even a week later.
I have seen many diagrams of the concept of Ichinen Sanzen (this, for example) but Rev. Igarashi’s offered an excellent starting place for what he described as “The logic of Ichinen Sanzen. The theory of Ichinen Sanzen. Noumenon. A kind of study.” It was not, he stressed, a deep exploration of the topic.
“Today I just explain the logic of Ichinen Sanzen,” Rev. Igarashi begain. “We already know the 10 realms – Buddha, Bodhisattva, Pratyekabuddha, Śrāvaka, Heavingly Beings, Man, Asura, Animals, Hungry Spirits, and Hell. So this is the 10 realms.”
He then walked though the chart showing how each realm contains the other realms.
“The Buddha – his mind, his spirit, his action – all the time everything is in Buddha,” he explained. “Nichiren Shonin, his actions all the time Bodhisattva. He has Buddha nature too. The Pratyekabuddha — also Engaku — he is walking all the time in Pratyekabuddha mind and action. Also Śrāvaka walking all the time in Śrāvaka world, Śrāvaka spirit. These are the four enlightened worlds. Before Lotus Sutra the Pratyekabuddha and Śrāvaka they never become Buddha. Then in the Lotus Sutra they also are kind of enlightened people. That’s why some day they are going to get enlightenment in the Buddha world.”
The grid of 10 realms by 10 realms creates a 100-realm matrix. Within each of these 100 realms, are the 10 suchnesses outlined in Chapter 2 of the Lotus Sutra:
- Nyoze-sō, or appearances as such,
- Nyoze-Shō, or natures as such,
- Nyoze-tai, or entities as such,
- Nyoze-riki, or powers as such,
- Nyoze-sa, or activities as such,
- Nyoze-in, or primary causes as such,
- Nyoze-en, or environmental causes as such,
- Nyoze-ka, or effects as such,
- Nyoze-hō, or rewards and retributions as such,
- Nyoze-honmatsu-kukyō-tō, or equality as such despite these differences.
“So we develop in the mother’s body we make forms little by little,” Rev. Igarashi explained. “Little by little make forms. Then born from the mother. At that time their nature already exists as humans. After growing the body like humans – embodiment. If body growning and got muscle. If we have got muscle we can do anything. You want to do anything. Then make functions notions. This is very important because if you make functions and our actions make cause. Cause makes condition. And condition make effect. If you make good action then you get good retribution.”
Applying the 10 suchnesses to the 100 realms produces 1000 things at any single moment.
“These 1000 things are not limited to only humans,” Rev. Igarashi explained.
At this point I’m going to borrow from the Lotus Seeds explanation of how these 1000 things are universally applicable:
The 1,000 worlds resulting from the multiplication of the one hundred worlds with the ten factors are made universal by the Three Realms. The Three Realms consist of the individual, who is composed of the Five Aggregates (form, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness); the community of all beings, who are transmigrating through the Ten Worlds; and the land in which they all live. These Three Realms show that the one thousand worlds are present in and manifest themselves through all things without exception. That is, the possibilities that they point to are possessed by individuals, societies, and even non-human and inanimate phenomena.
“Everything has 3000 things,” said Rev. Igarashi. “So that’s why we have to worry about our actions. We are men. Or spirit is men. But we also find some time we’ll make an action in anger, or like hungry spirit – wanting more, more, more, or our actions will be like hell. That’s why we have to be careful. We try to make our actions like a Bodhisattvas or Buddha. If our action is Buddha or Bodhisattvas we can make good actions. That’s why Nichiren Shonin said, If you want to know your future life watch your present life. If you want to know your previous life, watch your present life because your present life makes your future life and your previous life makes your present life. …
“This is only the logic of the 3000 realms, the logic of Ichinen Sanzen, only study. Nichiren Shonin said that the phenomena of Ichinen Sanzen is Namu Myoho Renge Kyo. Everything is contained in Namu Myoho Renge Kyo. That’s why if you chant Namu Myoho Renge Kyo your spirit already understand Ichinen Sanzen. When we chant Namu Myoho Renge Kyo our actions automatically become good actions. …
“The logic of Ichinen Sanzen comes from Tendai. But we need to more than just understand. You must understand in your life, in your practice. Your practice is more important.
“This is not deep. This is just a shallow study. If everyone understand fine. So if you only understand a little bit that’s fine. Only chant Namu Myoho Renge Kyo. The phenomenon of Ichinen Sanzen is more important.”
Rev. Igarashi’s sermon was in response to the passing of a priest who had returned to secular life.
Rev. Igarashi explained that he came from a lay family. He’s explained before that many young priests are the children of priests and have been raised to be priests. He, instead, had to study and pray.
“I asked Nichiren Shonin to please give me a minister’s job. When I was at Minobusan College student I visited Nichiren Shonin’s grave site all the time and prayed and chanted Namu Myoho Renge Kyo every day. Then after that I transferred to Rissho University and graduated. Then I joined the 100-day ascetic practice.
“During the ascetic practice the first time it’s very hard. No sleeping time. No food. No clothes. Almost nothing. And it is held during the wintertime so it’s very cold. Only food twice a day. Only rice porridge and some pickles. Everybody hungry. Everyone kind of like hungry spirit. For 100 days I just pray the same thing: If I can continue to minister job, please give me a minister’s job, otherwise if I change mind to turn to a secular life, please take my life during ascetic practice 100 days. …
“After 80 days I had fasted for one week. No food. Only water. So it’s very hard because I have to do everything with the other ministers – chanting, pouring water seven times a day. No sleeping time. …
When Rev. Igarashi found himself still alive after a week’s fasting, he took it as a sign.
“So that’s why I thought maybe I had some kind of minister’s job. Then after that I finished my 100 days ascetic practice. …
“Someone told me, Why don’t you go overseas? At the time my master was still young so that’s why I thought I would go overseas to the United States for three or four years. I told my master that after three or four years I would come back to Japan and help him.
A lot of things happened in California that prevented his return to Japan.
“So that’s why my master get angry,” he said. “So that’s why I was excommunicated.”
Rev. Igarashi began this sermon mentioning that he came to Los Angeles and something happened, and so he moved to San Francisco. Something happened there but he stayed there until he finally came to Sacramento. Always in his mind was the thought that he would return to Japan and return to secular life.
“I had a lot of chances to return to secular life, but I did not. I became a minister and I prayed, Give me my missionary job. I thought this is my missionary job. That’s why I just continued my missionary work. …
“So that’s why I have been here for over 43 years in the United States. Otherwise I think I’d return to secular life like other ministers. It’s a bit hard. The missionary job in the United States. But I pray and maybe Nichiren Shonin, and Śākyamuni Buddha and the protective Deities all the time support me. That’s why I’m here. …
“Please continue to pray. If you pray all the time Śākyamuni Buddha and Nichiren Shonin and the Deities will guide you and protect you. So please continue your practice of Nichiren Buddhism.”