Nirvana is taught as an awakening in which illusions and karma that lead to rebirth are extinguished. It is a goal along the path to the ultimate goal of becoming a Buddha. Looking at the predictions given to the contemporary disciples of the Buddha we see that the ultimate prediction given to them is not Nirvana but the attainment of Buddhahood in distant worlds; they become Buddhas. In Chapter XVI we learn that the Buddha does not leave the world, that leaving the world in death is only an illusion. Nirvana is not the final goal, but it is one goal along the continuing path to Buddhahood.
Lecture on the Lotus SutraQuotes
Our Inspiration and Guide
The Buddha is not some god-like entity. The inner life of Shakyamuni Buddha is within ourselves. The actual qualities and accomplishments of Shakyamnni Buddha flow naturally from his realization of the ultimate truth. They serve as an inspiration and a guide to what we are capable of doing when we take faith in the Buddha Dharma.
Lotus SeedsThe Buddha’s Last Words
Finally, in the night of February 15th, the Buddha spoke the words, “Make yourself your guiding light; rely on yourself instead of on others. Make the Dharma your guiding light; rely on the Dharma instead of on others.”
Awakening to the LotusThe End of Suffering
No more permanent than any other aspect of the world, suffering can be converted into happiness. But seeking the reason for suffering’s existence is the necessary first step toward achieving this transformation. Only by examining the causal relationship giving rise to sorrows is it possible to discover a logical way to eliminate them. Shakyamuni did precisely this. The second of the Four Noble Truths gives the cause of suffering as craving. (The Twelve-linked Chain of Dependent Origination … is a more detailed explanation of the cause of suffering.) The third and fourth Noble Truths enunciate the way to eliminate suffering, testifying to a state in which suffering is extinct and teaching the Eightfold Path as the way to reach that state. Thus we see the close interrelation of the seals of the Law, the Four Noble Truths, and the law of dependent origination.
Basic Buddhist ConceptsJikkai
The Ten Realms (Jikkai) describe the realm of livings beings and the different ways in which sentient beings experience their lives and their environments. When one multiplies ten realms by ten realms, the result is 100 realms. From top to the bottom, the realms are as follows:
- Realm of Buddha: the state of Buddhahood in which one has attained enlightenment and also is leading others to the same realm.
- Realm of Bodhisattva: the state of practitioner in which one is saving others as well as being practicing oneself.
- Realm of Pratyekabuddha: the state of self-practitioner in which one seeks enlightenment by oneself.
- Realm of Srävaka: the state of self-practitioner in which one seeks own enlightenment by hearing the Buddha’s voice.
- Realm of heavenly being: the state of heavenly being and deity.
- Realm of human being: the state of human being.
- Realm of asura: the state of anger.
- Realm of animal: the state of animalistic behavior.
- Realm of hungry spirit: the state of suffering caused by thirst and hunger arising out of greed.
- Realm of hell: the state of overwhelming suffering.
Peace and Prosperity
[W]hen Nichiren began to promulgate his doctrines he composed an essay called the Rissho Ankoku Ron, or “Treatise on the Establishment of the Good Law and Pacification of the State,” which he offered to the Government of that day in hopes that the rulers would accept its precepts and put them into practice. The peace and prosperity of the individual necessarily depend on those of the family, and those of the family on those of the State: for when the State is unprosperous and disturbed the same condition will extend to both families and individuals.
Doctrines of Nichiren (1893)Distractions
In Buddhism it is easy to be distracted by many things. Life can throw at us so many obstacles that sometimes it is like driving through a heavy rain on a highway and the windshield wipers are going so fast we can’t see much of the road ahead and so we slow down or pull over. It isn’t easy though in our daily lives to actually slow down. Life seems to march inexorably forward with or without us. At times like these we may feel as if we are passengers on a bus being driven madly forward to a destination not of our choosing. There are things we can do though once we become aware of this condition. It is possible to limit the number of interrupting distractions. The first thing that helps is to firmly establish the routine of placing our practice first and foremost in our daily lives. When we can begin our day with even the smallest amount of mindful Buddhist practice we set the stage for how we manage our entire lives.
Lotus Path: Practicing the Lotus Sutra Volume 1The Question of Individual Piety
The thirteenth century marks a significant epoch in the history of Japan. Together with the political and social changes which occurred in that century, new religions or new forms of Buddhism arose in response to the spiritual demands of the people at large. Buddhism ceased to be an affair of national polity and became the question of individual piety.
History of Japanese ReligionThe True Nature of All Beings
[T]he Buddha explains that all beings are capable of attaining Buddhahood, without exception. The Buddha-nature is the true nature of all beings. In Buddha-nature there are no barriers due to race, class, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or even moral quality. The One Vehicle teaches that all people are capable of attaining Buddhahood; all of the previous teachings of the Buddha, separated into several “vehicles,” are skillful methods leading people to the One Vehicle.
Lotus World: An Illustrated Guide to the GohonzonFollowing the Universal Law
[N]o matter how quickly we progress in coming generations, or how many great advancements we make in science and technology, the teaching of the Lotus Sutra will never be contradicted as long as humans follow the universal law, and deliver universal peace and enlightenment for suffering people. “Universal law” refers to eternal truths that never change from the past to the future, such as the law of gravity on this earth…, the law that time is passing constantly and will never change, that all living things have to grow old, and that having been born, all things will die. This teaching extends not only to the laws on Earth, but also to the laws in the universe.
Spring Writings