Category Archives: WONS

d19b, d3b, WONS

Difficulty in Meeting the Lotus Sūtra

The Lotus Sūtra preaches in chapter 2, “Expedients,” of the first fascicle that to have the opportunity to hear teachers of this sūtra is rare even during innumerable kalpa (aeons) of time. The sūtra also states in chapter 14, “peaceful Practices,” of the fifth fascicle that it is difficult to hear even the title of the Lotus Sūtra in the innumerable countries. The above indicates how difficult it is for us to meet the Lotus Sūtra, and problems involved to even hear the title of the Lotus Sūtra. Therefore, the Suśānta Buddha and the Buddha of Many Treasures, who appeared in the world before the time of Śākyamuni Buddha did not even mention the title of the Lotus Sūtra. Even Śākyamuni Buddha, who appeared in this world to expound the Lotus Sūtra, did not reveal its title for 42 years, until at the age of 72 He finally chanted the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma and expounded the sūtra for the first time in India. Nothing, however, not even the name of the sūtra was heard in such large countries as China, or Japan. Nothing about this sūtra was heard of for over 1,000 years after the extinction of the Buddha. Finally, after 1,350 years or so, only the title of the Lotus Sūtra was made known.

This is why the opportunity to encounter the Lotus Sūtra is compared to uḍumbara flowers, which are said to blossom only once in 3,000 years. The difficulty is also compared to the story of a one-eyed turtle finding a floating piece of wood in the ocean in order to dry its shell once in innumerable kalpa (aeons). Suppose that one sets up a needle on the earth and throws a poppy seed down from the palace of the King of the Mahā-brahman Heaven high up in the sky in such a way as the tip of the needle pierces through the seed. This is almost impossible, yet it is even more difficult to encounter the Lotus Sūtra after the passing of the Buddha. Suppose one sets up a needle on top of Mt. Sumeru and throws a piece of string on a windy day from another Mt. Sumeru standing too far to see. It is impossible to thread the needle set up on the first Mt. Sumeru. It is, however, even more difficult to experience the daimoku of the Lotus Sūtra.

Therefore, you should realize that being able to chant the daimoku of this sūtra is an experience more wonderful than a blind person gaining his eyesight and seeing his parents for the first time and rarer than a man being captured by a mighty enemy and being released by a special pardon to be reunited with his wife and children.

Hokke Daimoku Shō, Treatise on the Daimoku of the Lotus Sūtra, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 38-39

WONS

Reason for Transmigrating the Six Realms

The reason why those who had received the seed of Buddhahood in the eternal past have been transmigrating the six realms (lower states of existence) ever since for as long as “500 dust-particle kalpa” without attaining Buddhahood, and those who had heard the Lotus Sūtra at the time of the Great Universal Wisdom Buddha have been undergoing transmigration in the six realms ever since for the “3,000 dust-particle kalpa” was because they abandoned the great teaching of the Lotus, seeking refuge instead in expedient and Hinayāna sūtras preached forty years or so before the Lotus Sūtra. Later they gave up faith in those expedient sūtras, too, and thus have continued to transmigrate through the six realms.

Shugo Kokka-ron, Treatise on Protecting the Nation, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Page 42

WONS

Holding on to Unwavering Faith

Not only I, Nichiren, but also my disciples will reach the land of Buddha unfailingly so long as we all hold on to unwavering faith no matter what difficulty confronts us. I have always told my disciples not to have a doubt about the lack of heavenly protection and not to lament the lack of tranquility in this world. I am afraid, however, that they might all have doubts about these and no longer listen to me. It seems only natural that ordinary people, in face of reality, will forget what they promised. Having pity on their families, my lay followers must lament being separated from wives and children in this world. However, had they ever been truly separated from their beloved families throughout many lives in the past? Had they ever been separated for the sake of Buddhism? Theirs must have been the same sad separation. I, Nichiren, should continue upholding the Lotus Sūtra and go to the Pure Land of Mt. Sacred Eagle, so that I will be able to return to this world to guide the people.

Kaimoku-shō, Open Your Eyes to the Lotus Teaching, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 109

WONS

The Kalpa of Decrease

The Kalpa of Decrease is a period of cosmic change in which the individual life span decreases from 80,000 years to ten and human beings degenerate. The cause of this decrease in life span and degeneration of human life lies in the mind of human beings. Namely, as the three evil passions of human beings — greed, anger, and ignorance — grow rampant, the life span of human beings gradually decreases, and their height is diminished.

Before the transmission of Buddhism to China and Japan, non-Buddhist teachings of the Three Emperors, Five Rulers, and Three Sages were used to educate the people and govern the country. As a result, human hearts hardened and virtue declined while evil flourished.

Chie Bōkoku Gosho, Evil Wisdom Destroying the Country, Volume 7, Followers II, Pages 84

2buddhas, WONS

Incorporating the Provisional in the One Vehicle

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Zhiyi had taught that the Lotus Sūtra has the function of “opening and integrating” (J. kaie) the three vehicles within the one vehicle. … Nichiren understood this as opening the nine realms to reveal the buddha realm. But what did it mean in terms of practice? Nichiren’s contemporaries often freely combined copying and reciting the Lotus Sūtra with nenbutsu chanting, esoteric rituals, and other modes of Buddhist devotion. For many Tendai scholars of the day, the distinction between true and provisional teachings did not mean renouncing practices other than the Lotus Sūtra. It would indeed be a mistake, they said, to recite other sūtras or chant the names of the various buddhas and bodhisattvas thinking that these represented separate truths. But the one vehicle of the Lotus Sūtra integrates all other teachings within itself, just as the great ocean gathers all rivers. Therefore, they claimed, any practice — whether esoteric ritual performance, sūtra copying, or nenbutsu recitation — in effect becomes the practice of the Lotus Sūtra when carried out with this understanding. Others, however, disagreed, and none more vocally than Nichiren. To argue his point, he inverted the “rivers and ocean” metaphor. Once integrated into the Lotus Sūtra, he said, the nenbutsu, esoteric rites, and other practices lose their identity as independent practices, just as the many rivers emptying into the ocean assume the same salty flavor and lose their original names. Precisely because provisional teachings are integrated into the all encompassing principle of the one vehicle, they are no longer to be practiced as independent forms. At the same time, however, Nichiren insisted that the daimoku contains all truth and blessings within itself. Because the daimoku is all-encompassing, chanting it would confer all the benefits that the religious practices of his day were thought to produce: this-worldly benefits such as protection and healing, assurance for the afterlife, and buddhahood itself. His aim was not to eradicate the spectrum of religious interpretations, but to undercut their basis in other traditions and assimilate them to the Lotus Sūtra alone.

Two Buddhas, p72-73
WONS

Failing to Understand with Faith

It is stated in the Expenses and Food for Bodhisattva Way by Bodhisattva Nāgārjuna: “The World Honored One expounds the five rebellious sins, sinners of which are destined to fall into the Hell of Incessant Suffering. … If someone does not understand with faith the profound dharma and harbors an evil opinion regarding it, the sin of this person, compared to the one who commits the five rebellious sins, is many times, even hundreds of times heavier.”

Toki-dono Gosho, A Letter to Lord Toki, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 116-117

2buddhas, WONS

Shoju or Shakubuku

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Buddhist sūtras specify two approaches to teaching the dharma: shōju, or leading others gradually without criticizing their present stance, and shakubuku, or actively rebuking attachment to false views. The choice between them, Nichiren said, should depend on the time and place. In his view, in Japan at the beginning of the Final Dharma age — a time and place where the Lotus Sūtra was being rejected in favor of provisional teachings — the confrontational shakubuku method should take precedence over the more accommodating shōju approach.

Two Buddhas, p86
WONS

Study Sūtras Before Choosing Your Sect

Grand Master Dengyō praises his own sect in his Outstanding Principles of the Lotus Sūtra, “The superiority of the Tendai (T’ien-t’ai) Lotus Sect to other Buddhist schools stems from the superiority of its basic sūtra, the Lotus Sūtra. I am not praising our own and slandering other schools. Wise gentlemen, please study the sūtras before choosing your sect.” He also declares in this writing, “The person who upholds the Lotus Sūtra is foremost among all the people. This is what the Buddha preached. How can it be my own fanciful words of self-praise?”

Ōta-dono-gari Gosho, A Letter to Lord Ōta, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Pages 201-202.

2buddhas, WONS

Then and Now

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In the contemporary world, where the violence and suffering brought about by religious conflict are so starkly evident, Nichiren’s emphasis on the exclusive truth of the Lotus Sūtra and his assertive mode of proselytizing sometimes provoke antipathy, as they fly in the face of ideals of tolerance and religious pluralism. Both traditional temple organizations and long-established lay groups of Nichiren Buddhism tend to be more accommodating and to take a milder approach in spreading their teachings, in keeping with Nichiren’s admonition that the method of propagation should accord with the times. Nichiren, however, lived in a very different world, where his conviction of the Lotus Sūtra’s sole efficacy in the age of the Final Dharma demanded resolute opposition to other Buddhist forms. This stance sharply differentiated him from the Buddhist mainstream of his day. Though it drew hostility, it may well have enabled his fledgling community to survive beyond his lifetime by carving out a unique religious identity.

Two Buddhas, p32
WONS

The Only Way Seemingly Leading to Buddhahood

The only way seemingly that leads to Buddhahood is the “3,000 in one thought” doctrine of T’ien-t’ai. However, we in the Latter Age of Degeneration do not possess the intelligence to understand it; nevertheless, among all the sūtras preached by Śākyamuni during His lifetime, only the Lotus Sūtra embodies the gem of the “3,000 in one thought” doctrine. Doctrines of other sūtras may look like gems, but in actuality they are merely yellow rocks. Just as, no matter how hard you squeeze sand, you will not get oil, or barren women will never have children, even wise men will not be able to attain Buddhahood by means of other sūtras. As for the Lotus Sūtra, even ignorant persons will be able to plant the seed of Buddhahood.

Kaimoku-shō, Open Your Eyes to the Lotus Teaching, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 108-109