Grand Master T’ien-tai awakened to Ichinen Sanzen by practicing spiritual contemplation and insight. He may have meditated while thinking something like, “I was born from my parents. If my parents did not exist, I wouldn’t have existed. In other words, my parents are living in my life. If I trace back my family, there are immeasurable lives living in myself. Not only that but also I have been taken care by innumerable people since I was born. The meals that I ate today are great merits of many farmers’ hard labor. Because of those people, I am able to live my life today. In other words, the lives of those people also exist in my life. We are living in the world based on the culture that was created by people in the past. It means that people in the past who created the culture also live in my life. Not only human but also because of nature such as grass and trees, water and air, and the sun and land, my life has been maintained. However, people in Mappō do not have the same ability as T’ien-tai to awaken to Ichinen Sanzen. Attaining Buddhahood is limited only with Ichinen Sanzen. Following this logic, we wouldn’t be able to attain Buddhahood. With this point as his ultimate conclusion, Säkyamuni Buddha offered us the Odaimoku with his great compassion.
Buddha Seed: Understanding the OdaimokuQuotes
The Ten Worlds and Ten Stages of Enlightenment
The Ten Worlds of Living Beings are as follow:
- The World of Buddhas
- Wise Ones (or Bodhisattvas)
- Those converted by Buddha’s Voice.
- Those who perceive (the Twelve) Causes
- Devas
- Human Beings
- Evil Spirits, or Asuras
- Beasts
- Hungry Devils, or Pretas
- Infernal Beings
These worlds, considered with reference to their degrees of enlightenment, are thus described:
- The State of Mind where Virtue and Wisdom have been fully attained.
- The State of Mind where one can save both himself and others from evil of all kinds.
- The State of Mind where one saves himself only, and without effort.
- The State of Mind where one saves himself only, but at the cost of great effort.
- The State of Mind where one merely enjoys pleasure.
- The State of Mind where one acts well for the sake of acting well.
- The State of Mind where one acts well for the sake of one’s own fame and interest.
- The State of Mind where one is a fool, and is not ashamed of it.
- The State of Mind where one is covetous and sordid.
- The State of Mind where one is lawless and hard-hearted.
Being a Bodhisattva Who Arose From Beneath the Ground
The Bodhisattvas who arose from beneath the ground are none other than ourselves, if we open ourselves up to realizing it. But the realization is not just a mental acceptance of such information. It is deeper. It occurs on a different plane from intellect. In order to be those Bodhisattvas we need to manifest that condition, draw it out of who and what we are in this life. There are not two separate entities, self and Bodhisattva from beneath the earth, however it is up to us to unify them in body and mind, in action and in word.
Lotus Path: Practicing the Lotus Sutra Volume 1The Union of Religious Ideals and National Life
The union of religious ideals and national life thus proclaimed, expounded, and carried out by the prince, became once for all the aim of the greatest Buddhists and the aspiration of the best statesmen in Japan. Through the broad vision and high idealism of his leadership, Buddhism was able to influence the Japanese extensively and profoundly; it was largely due to Buddhist inspiration that the wise prince was able to handle successfully the difficult situations of his government and to lead his people to a high level of culture and spiritual edification.
History of Japanese ReligionA Concrete Aid to Our Own Practice of Buddhism
[Gohonzons] are only expressions of the focus of devotion; the true focus of devotion is the Eternal Buddha transmitting the Wonderful Dharma to us in the depths of our lives. While statues and mandalas can be helpful, they cannot magically grant us enlightenment, nor do they have any other kind of power for us or over us except as a concrete aid to our own practice of Buddhism. We should not become obsessed or dependent upon them, no matter what they represent or what state of life they are expressing. The bottom line is our own practice and realization. The true focus of devotion is in the depths of our lives.
Lotus World: An Illustrated Guide to the GohonzonHealing Suffering With Suffering
We were born with a seed of Buddha-nature, but we haven’t yet awakened the seed by ourselves. Therefore, when we have troubles, we try to resolve anger with anger. When we are suffering, we try to heal the suffering with more suffering. We are pitiful because of ignorance. We need the teaching of enlightenment. We should awaken the seed of Buddha-nature in our minds, make the seed sprout and cultivate the Buddha-nature, because our spirits can be purified through individual enlightenments.
Spring WritingsThe Buddha’s Awakened Life
During the Ceremony in the Air, Shakyamuni Buddha revealed that he did not attain awakening for the first time beneath the Bodhi Tree. He told his startled disciples that his Buddhahood was attained in the infinite past. Ultimately, the Buddha’s awakened life transcends the distinctions between beginning and end, subject and object, or self and other. It defies all categories and cannot be thought of or imagined. It can, however, be experienced when we awaken to these same immeasurable qualities in our own lives by upholding the teachings of the Lotus Sutra.
Lotus SeedsThe Pilgrimage to Mount Sacred Eagle
Most Buddhists do not believe that everything about us ceases to exist upon our death. Death is the starting point of a new journey. Nichiren Shonin taught that death is a pilgrimage to Mount Sacred Eagle – an encounter with the Eternal Buddha and with Nichiren Shonin.
Awakening to the LotusBuddhism’s End in India
By turning away from the people, the Buddhist establishments deprived themselves of wide popular support and made themselves especially vulnerable to the destructive raids of the Muslims. The Buddhist faith was gone; only monasteries and monks remained. When these were wiped out, Buddhism ceased to exist in India. The obliteration was complete by the year 1200.
Basic Buddhist ConceptsEverything in the Universe
[When speaking of 3,000 realms, w]hat does this number three thousand represent? It represents everything not only of the earth, but also of the universe and includes everything in the past, present, and future. Everything of the universe from animals, plants, other beings, visible or invisible, and their activities, workings, and movements are included in the three thousand realms. Everything of the universe exists within each one of us. Everything influences us, works together as primary cause and environmental cause and brings effects, rewards and retributions. All of us exist in relationship with everything in the universe.
Buddha Seed: Understanding the Odaimoku