Category Archives: WONS

WONS

Only the Lotus Sūtra Reveals True Meaning of pre-Lotus sūtras

[I]t is against the will of the Buddha to interpret the pre-Lotus sūtras according to the words of those sūtras. This is so because, as stated in the third fascicle of the Annotations on the Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra, the whole truth is not revealed in the pre-Lotus sūtras. It is further said in the tenth fascicle of the Commentary on the Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sūtra that only the Lotus Sūtra reveals the true meaning of the pre-Lotus as well as the meaning of the Lotus Sūtra, the sole purpose of the Buddha appearing in this world.

Nijō Sabutsu Ji, Obtaining Buddhahood by the Two Vehicles, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Page 228

WONS

Facial Expression of the Ten Realms

QUESTION: I do not dare question what the Lotus Sūtra says and how T’ien-t’ai and his disciple Chang-an interpreted it regarding the “mutual possession of ten realms.” However, they sound as though they are calling fire, “water,” and black, “white.” It is hard to understand although I believe this is what the Buddha preached. Now, no matter how many times we look at each other’s faces, we see only a human being, not anything of other realms. It is the same with our own face. How is it possible to believe in the “mutual possession of the ten realms” doctrine?

ANSWER: As we often look at each other’s faces, we notice our facial expression changes from time to time. It is full of delight, anger, or calm sometimes; but other times it changes to greed, ignorance, or flattery. Anger represents hells; greed—hungry spirits; ignorance—beasts; flattery—asura demons; delight—gods; and calm—men. Thus, we see in the countenance of people six realms of illusion, from hells to the realm of gods. We cannot see four realms of holy ones (śrāvaka, pratyekabuddha, bodhisattvas, and Buddhas), which are hidden from our eyes. Nevertheless, we must be able to see them, too, if we look for them carefully.

Kanjin Honzon-shō, A Treatise Revealing the Spiritual Contemplation and the Most Verable One, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 134-135

d14b, WONS

Merits of Giving Alms to Practicer of the Lotus Sūtra

It is preached in the “Teacher of the Dharma” chapter of the Lotus Sūtra, fascicle 4: “Suppose a person in search of the Buddha Way comes before me with his hands pressed together in prayer before Me and praises Me for as long as a kalpa (aeon) with numerous verses. Such a person will gain innumerable blessings. A person who glorifies an upholder of this sūtra will gain even more blessings.” This scriptural statement means that the merit of giving alms to a less intelligent practicer of the Lotus Sūtra in the Latter Age of Degeneration who is about to die of starvation is superior to the merit of supporting the Lord Preacher Śākyamuni Buddha for the period of one kalpa.

Matsuno-dono Goshōsoku, Letter to Lord Matsuno, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 7, Followers II, Page 66

WONS

Daigaku Seson

To begin with, our Lord Preacher Śākyamuni Buddha is called Daigaku Seson (Greatly Enlightened World-Honored One). The Chinese character son of “Seson” means takashi (high), and it also means kō (filial piety). As Śākyamuni Buddha is the most filial of all dutiful children, He is called the World-Honored One. Śākyamuni Buddha has a golden body, and is equipped with 32 marks of physical excellence. One of His 32 marks is that no one can see the top of His head. The Buddha is 16 feet tall, but when non-Buddhists with bamboo sticks tried to measure His height with a 16-foot long bamboo stick, it was in vain. Even King of Brahma Heaven cannot see the top of His head. This is such an inexplicable physical mark of the Buddha. Why is the Buddha equipped with such an excellent mark as this? It is because He is a great being who is foremost in filial piety.

Hōren-shō, Letter to Hōren, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 6, Followers I, Page 50-51

WONS

Merits of Offerings to the Lotus Sūtra

There once lived a king called the Great King Aśoka, who ruled one-quarter of the world. Accompanied by the Dragon King, King Aśoka could cause it to rain as he wished, and he was also attended to by demons. An evil king at first, King Aśoka later converted to Buddhism, gave alms to Buddhist priests as many as 60,000 each day, and built stone pagodas, 84,000 in number.

When we look at the previous life of this Great King, we note that during the Buddha’s lifetime there were two boys named Tokushō and Mushō. One day, when the Buddha was passing by, the two made a “rice cake” from mud, and offered it to Him. Due to this sincere offering to the Buddha, one of the two was reborn as the Great King Aśoka 200 years later.

The Buddha is great, but compared to the Lotus Sūtra He is like the light of a firefly, in front of the sun and moon. When compared in terms of height, the Buddha is like the earth while the Lotus Sūtra reaches the heavens. If making offerings to the Buddha has such great merit, how much more so does one gain by making offerings to the Lotus Sūtra.

The two boys received such a wonderful benefit from the Buddha despite their seemingly insignificant acts. How much more benefit will you receive for your various offerings to the Lotus Sūtra! Moreover, when Tokushō and Mushō made their offerings to the Buddha, it was not during a time of famine while we are now suffering from famine. Hence your gifts at this time are even more precious than the gifts of the two small boys.

From this point of view, how can Śākyamuni Buddha, the Buddha of Many Treasures, and the ten female rākṣasa demons neglect to protect you who made offerings to the Lotus Sūtra?

Ueno-dono Gohenji, A Reply to Lord Ueno, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 125-126

d20b, WONS

The Essence of the Lotus Sūtra: Myō, Hō, Ren, Ge, and Kyō

These four great bodhisattvas were like the four wise men of Shang-Shan. Appearing in the Lotus assemblies, they glorified Śākyamuni Buddha, the Buddha of Many Treasures and Buddhas in manifestation, and they knocked down the proud banners of slanderers of the True Dharma just as the gale winds blow away twigs. Attendees of the assemblies showed respect to them as if heavenly beings obeyed Indra. Devadatta, who had struck Śākyamuni Buddha, pressed his palms together to express heartfelt respect to them; and Kokālika, who had lied to present himself as innocent and slandered Śāriputra, prostrated to repent his past sins. Great bodhisattvas like Mañjuśrī were ashamed of themselves and speechless, while Hinayāna sages like Śāriputra silently bowed.

Then the Enlightened and World Honored One, Śākyamuni Buddha, expounded “The Life Span of the Buddha” chapter and entrusted the four great bodhisattvas with the task of transmitting it after displaying the ten kinds of divine powers in “The Divine Powers of the Buddha” chapter. What was the dharma that was entrusted to them? Reducing the whole of the Lotus Sūtra, we produce its condensed form. By reducing this condensed form further we get the essence of the Lotus Sūtra: the five Chinese characters of myō, hō, ren, ge, and kyō, in which the Five Profound Meanings of the Lotus Sūtra—its name, entity, quality, function and teaching—are all contained. For instance, this is like Chiu Pao-yüan who selected the horse not by the color of its hair but its speed of running, and Shih T’ao-lin who concentrated on grasping the gist of Buddhist teachings while discarding the particulars in lecturing on the sūtras.

Soya Nyūdō-dono-gari Gosho, A Letter to Lay Priest Lord Soya, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Pages 159.

d3b, d4b, WONS

If Easy to Believe, the Sūtra Is Not the True Dharma

After all, those with capacity to understand and have full faith in Buddhism who had the luck of listening to Śākyamuni Buddha preach the Lotus Sūtra in India must have accumulated a great deal of merit in their past lives. Moreover, they were fortunate to have been assisted and guided by the Lord Śākyamuni Buddha, the Buddha of Many Treasures, who had come to attest to the truth of Śākyamuni’s words, various Buddhas in manifestation who had come from all over the universe, numerous bodhisattvas who had sprung up from underground, and such distinguished disciples of Śākyamuni Buddha as Mañjuśrī and Maitreya. Nevertheless, there were some who were not converted to the Lotus Sūtra. This is the reason why those self-conceited, as many as 5,000, moved out when the Buddha was about to start preaching (chapter 2, “Expedients”), and why some men and gods were transferred to other worlds (chapter 11, “The Appearance of the Stupa of Treasures”). It was so even while Śākyamuni Buddha was alive. How much more difficult is it to believe in the Lotus Sūtra in the Ages of the True Dharma and Semblance Dharma after the death of Śākyamuni Buddha, not to say in the beginning of the Latter Age of Degeneration? If you could easily believe in the sūtra, it would mean that the sūtra is not the True Dharma.

Kanjin Honzon-shō, A Treatise Revealing the Spiritual Contemplation and the Most Verable One, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 134

WONS

Ice and Fire

Ice, before the sun rises, is as hard as gold. Fire, when there is no water, is as hot as iron in a furnace. However, hard ice can easily be melted by the sun in summer and fire can be extinguished by water. In the same fashion, although the esoterists appear to be noble and wise, they are like those who rely on the hardness of ice, without seeing the potential of the sun, or fire without considering water.

Oto Gozen Go-shōsoku, A Letter to Lady Oto, Nyonin Gosho, Letters Addressed to Female Followers, Page 116

WONS

69,384 Kinds of ‘Wonders’ in the Lotus Sūtra

The Lotus Sūtra consists of two “wonders,” one is the first 14 chapters called the theoretical section, and the other the last 14 chapters called the essential section. The two “wonders” can be divided into 10 “wonders” each, amounting to twenty. Or, the 30 “wonders” of the theoretical section and the 30 “wonders” of the essential section are put together to be 60. The 40 “wonders” of both theoretical and essential sections and the 40 “wonders” of meditation are joined together to be 120 tiers of “wonders.” Each of the 69,384 Chinese characters of the Lotus Sūtra has its own “wonder,” which means that there are in total 69,384 kinds of “wonders.”

Hokke Daimoku Shō, Treatise on the Daimoku of the Lotus Sūtra, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 42

Eyes, WONS

Twenty Important Doctrines and Two Important Teachings

Quote

Why is the Lotus Sūtra considered the highest teaching of Śākyamuni Buddha? Kyōtsū Hori’s translation of Kaimoku-shō has Nichiren state, “Twenty important doctrines are in this Lotus Sūtra.” (Hori 2002, p. 34) Senchū Murano’s version states, “The Buddha expounds two important teachings in this sūtra.” (Murano 2000, p. 13). …

The twenty important doctrines can be found in the commentary Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sūtra by Zhiyi. In that work Zhiyi states that there are ten “wonders” or “subtleties” (he uses the Chinese word miao, which is myō in Japanese) that can be found in the Trace Gate (J. Shakumon) comprised of the first fourteen chapters of the Lotus Sūtra, and there are another ten wonders that can be found in the Original Gate (J. Honmon) comprised of the last fourteen chapters of the Lotus Sūtra. The two important teachings are the One Vehicle teaching expounded in the Trace Gate and the Buddha’s revelation of the true extent of his lifespan expounded in the Original Gate.

Open Your Eyes, p141