QUESTION: Is it possible for us, ordinary people of this latter age of decadence, to grasp such a difficult teaching?

ANSWER: Since you may not be convinced by what I say, let me cite the ninety-third section of Nāgārjuna’s Great Wisdom Discourse: “Contrary to a general belief that an arhat who has attained control of all his evil passions cannot become a Buddha, that he does in fact attain Buddhahood can only be understood by the Buddha. It is well that Buddhist academics discuss this point; however, this is not something that can be proven through polemics. This fruitless discussion need not be necessary. This truth will make itself apparent if and when one attains Buddhahood. Those who have not attained enlightenment need not be pressed to debate a matter as whether one has attained Buddhahood or not and leave that to faith.” This means that the deeper meanings of the Lotus Sūtra (sōtai seed doctrine and immediate attainment of Buddhahood) are not understood even by those bodhisattvas of pre-Lotus sūtras, who believe in the distinct teaching have managed to rid themselves of the eleven forms of ignorance; and such great bodhisattvas of perfect teaching as Samantabhadra and Mañjuśrī, who have torn themselves away from the forty-one types of ignorance. Needless to say, it is much more perplexing for the three vehicles (śrāvaka, pratyekabuddha and bodhisattva) who are associated with the more rudimentary teachings of the piṭaka and common, or for the unenlightened of the latter age. Such is Nāgārjuna’s thesis.

Shimon Butsujō-gi, Listening to the Once Buddha Vehicle Teachings for the First Time, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 248-249

There is an easy way to become a Buddha. Let me teach it to you. To teach something to another person means to provide clear and concrete guidance, for instance teaching a person to oil the wheels when a wagon is too heavy to move or to use a boat to travel over water. Therefore, an easy way to become a Buddha is not at all difficult to find. It is something like giving a cup of water to a thirsty person in a time of drought or providing fire to a person who is chilled to the bone. In other words, it means to offer something unique and precious to others. It is the lifesaving offering of a person just before the last breath.

Ueno-dono Gohenji, Reply to Lord Ueno, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Followers II, Volume 7, Page 43

The Nirvana Sūtra preaches in the twenty-second fascicle, “Ever since incalculable kalpa in the past, the suffering of living beings has not ceased. The amount of bones each living being accumulated in the span of one kalpa piles up as high as Mt. Vipula near Rājagṛha, the amount of milk consumed equals the amount of water in the four oceans surrounding Mt. Sumeru, the amount of blood shed is more than the water in the four oceans, and the amount of tears shed when parents, siblings, wives, children, and relatives pass away is more than the water in the four oceans. Suppose all the plants on the earth were cut into four-inch long pieces that could be used to keep count, we would never be able to tally the number of all the parents we’ve had.”

This scriptural statement is the words of the Buddha uttered during the last moments of His life while lying under the twin śāla trees. It is therefore most important for us to keep it in mind. It states that the number of parents who gave birth and raised us since the eternal past is more than the number of counting sticks produced by cutting all the plants in all the worlds throughout the universe into four-inch pieces.

We have met numerous parents without encountering the Lotus Sūtra. Therefore, it is stated that meeting parents is easy but encountering the Lotus Sūtra is extremely difficult. Now in this life if we steadfastly uphold the difficult-to-encounter Lotus Sūtra even by going against the words of the easy-to-meet parents, we not only can become Buddhas but also lead our parents, who went against the Lotus Sūtra, into the Way of Buddhahood.

Hyōesakan-dono Gohenji, Answer to Lord Ikegami Munenaga, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 6, Followers I, Page 94

The true doctrine of the “attainment of Buddhahood with the present body,” after all, has to be based on the Lotus Sūtra that reveals both doctrines of attainment of Buddhahood by men of the Two Vehicles and attainment of Buddhahood by Śākyamuni Buddha in the eternal past.

Grand Master T’ien-t’ai spoke of the “attainment of Buddhahood with the present body” doctrine, “This is kept secret and has not been revealed in provisional sūtras.” It means that the true doctrine of the “attainment of Buddhahood with the present body” is like an ambrosial scent of a chinaberry that cleanses all other sundry odors.

Ōta-dono Nyōbō Gohenji, A Response to the Wife of Lord Ōta, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 170

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During the Ch’ên and Sui dynasties, roughly between 450 years and 500 years or so after the introduction of Buddhism to Later Han China, there lived a monk called Chih-i. Later called Grand Master T’ien-t’ai, he refuted the false teachings of three Southern and seven Northern schools, and he advocated the theology stating that the Lotus Sūtra ranks first among all the holy sūtras, the Nirvana Sūtra second, and the Flower Garland Sūtra third. This is the first 500-year period of the Age of the Semblance Dharma, which is referred to as the period of wide reading and discussions in the Sūtra of the Great Assembly.

Senji-shō, Selecting the Right time: A Tract by Nichiren, the Buddha’s Disciple, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Page 199

The Great Concentration and Insight states:

“What does it mean to listen to a perfect teaching? It means that one’s ephemeral body would instantly be transformed into that of the everlasting Dharma Body, one’s evil passions into unsurpassed wisdom, and one’s evil karma into emancipation. As it is observable, there are three names to this, but only one thing to which it refers. In short, three aspects have been connected with one phenomenon. In fact, since these three concepts all concern one entity, there should be no differences among them. Should one approach the epitome of the Dharma Body, then one also nears the utmost of wisdom and emancipation. Should one’s wisdom be pure and just, then it follows that one’s Dharma Body and emancipation would also be thus. Should one’s emancipation be free and flowing, then it can be assumed that one’s Dharma Body and wisdom would also be thus. In this way, parallels not only exist between the three bodies and the three evils, but in all phenomena. For this reason, all phenomena are intertwined with notions of Buddhist dharma, such that nothing is missing. This manner of viewing things is what is meant by ‘listening to a perfect teaching.’ ”

This interpretation represents a guide to the opening and merging of sōtai seed.

Shimon Butsujō-gi, Listening to the Once Buddha Vehicle Teachings for the First Time, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 246-247

[I]n Japan, too, the king of devils in the Sixth Heaven mobilizes the troops of ten devils, fighting over this land against practicers of the Lotus Sūtra in the sea of life and death. I, Nichiren, have accompanied the army of those aggressively spreading the Lotus Sūtra for twenty years, without ever entertaining any thoughts of retreat. However, some of my disciples and followers who are weak-willed have mostly given up the faith in the Lotus Sūtra due to the constant persecutions; even among the remaining faithful there are some who are already showing signs of losing interest. Nevertheless, it is commendable for you to have kept your faith in the Lotus Sūtra, though you do not know much about Buddhism. What is more, you even sent your servant all the way to Sado Island to help me. Śākyamuni Buddha and the Buddha of Many Treasures, and many other Buddhas in manifestation coming from all over the universe will be sure to applaud such merits of yours.

Ben-dono Ama Gozen Gosho, A Letter to My Lady, the Nun of Ben-dono, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Biography and Disciples, Volume 5, Pages 156-157

Regarding further the background of the ullambana, Maudgalyāyana was an unenlightened man who was unaware of his mother’s suffering in the realm of hungry spirits. As a child he received a non-Buddhist education in Brahmanism, mastering all the non-Buddhist scriptures such as the four Vedas and eighteen great sūtras, but he was still unable to see where his mother had gone after her death. Later, at the age of 13 Maudgalyāyana, together with Śāriputra, visited Śākyamuni Buddha and became His disciple. He became a sage of the initial rank by eliminating delusions of views, rose to the rank of arhat by overcoming delusions of thought, and gained the three or six kinds of supernatural powers.

With his heavenly eyes wide open, Maudgalyāyana could see everything throughout the triple thousand worlds as though they were all reflected in a spotless mirror. He was able to see everywhere in the great earth and in the three evil realms. It was as if he were looking at the fish below the water through the ice shining in the morning sun. It was then he saw his own mother in the realm of hungry spirits.

Without anything to eat or drink, his mother was emaciated, and her skin looked like a pheasant whose feathers were all plucked, and her bones were worn away to such an extent that they looked like lines of round stones. Her head without hair looked like a ball, her neck as thin as a thread, and her stomach swollen as large as the ocean. Her appearance, as she begged by opening her mouth wide and pressing her palms together, resembled a leech trying to catch the scent of human beings. How heartbreaking it was for Maudgalyāyana to see his own mother, suffering from hunger and wanting to cry at the sight of her own son in her previous life! It must have been sadness beyond description. …

Venerable Maudgalyāyana felt so sorry for his mother that he made use of his supernatural powers to send a meal to her. His mother gladly grabbed the meal with her right hand and put it into her mouth while covering it with the left hand. At this moment the meal somehow changed into fire, bursting into flames, as if wicks were put together to build a fire, causing the mother to get burned all over. Shocked at seeing this, Maudgalyāyana hurriedly used his supernatural powers again to pour plenty of water. The water, however, somehow changed to firewood, causing more burns to his mother. It was a dreadful scene!

Realizing that his own supernatural powers were not enough to save his own mother, Maudgalyāyana hurriedly went to see the Buddha and cried, “I was born in a non-Buddhist family, but became a disciple of the Buddha and ascended to the rank of arhatship, won freedom from the chain of life and death in the triple world, and gained the three or six supernatural powers of arhatship. However, when I tried to save my mother from the great suffering in the realm of hungry spirits, I only intensified her suffering. I am grief-stricken.” The Buddha replied to Maudgalyāyana, “Your mother’s sin is too serious for you alone to save her. No matter how many persons there are, the powers of such as heavenly beings, terrestrial gods, demons, non-Buddhists, Taoist priests, the Four Heavenly Kings, Indra, and the King of the Brahma Heaven cannot save her. You can only save your mother from suffering by gathering holy priests in all the worlds throughout the universe on the 15th of the 7th month, treat them with a feast.” As Maudgalyāyana held a feast according to the instructions of the Buddha, his mother was able to escape the kalpa (aeon) of suffering in the realm of hungry spirits. So, it is preached in the Ullambana Sūtra.

Stemming from this, people in the Latter Age of Degeneration after the passing of the Buddha hold the ullambana service every year on the 15th of the 7th month. Today this is a common practice held as an annual event.

Urabon Gosho, On theUllambana Service, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 172-173

“Evil passions” can be categorized into three delusions: delusions arising from incorrect views and thoughts, delusions as numerous as particles of dust and delusions which hinder the knowledge of the ultimate reality. “Bad actions” refer to such serious sins as the five rebellious sins, the ten evil acts and the four major sins. Dharma Body stands for the Buddha with the Dharma Body, unsurpassed wisdom stands for the Buddha with the Reward Body, and emancipation refers to the Buddha with the Accommodative Body. From an indefinite past, we have been connected with the three paths: evil passions, karma and suffering. Fortunately, because of our association with the Lotus Sūtra, we can be assured that the illusions of the three paths instantly convert to the three merits of Dharma Body, unsurpassed wisdom, and emancipation.

Shimon Butsujō-gi, Listening to the Once Buddha Vehicle Teachings for the First Time, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 247

[There] once was an ordinary man who strictly observed the precept against telling lies. Although his eyes were gouged out, his skin stripped, his flesh cut off, his blood sucked up, his bones broken, his children killed, and his wife attacked, he refused to lie even once for innumerable kalpa (aeons), and thereby attained Buddhahood. As the Buddha, he then preached the Expedients chapter in the Lotus Sūtra: “There is none who will not become a Buddha.” Namely, he has preached that anyone who said “Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō” even once will not fail to become a Buddha. Even if Śākyamuni Buddha alone said this, there should be absolutely no doubt about its veracity. How could the Buddha utter a false statement before the assembly of various Buddhas from all the worlds in the universe? Besides, Śākyamuni Buddha as well as all the Buddhas from the worlds throughout the universe at the same time extended their long tongues to the Mahābrahman Heaven to prove its truthfulness.

Nanjō-dono Gohenji, Reply to Lord Nanjō, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Followers II, Volume 7, Page 41-42