Category Archives: WONS

WONS

What Use Is It To Possess an Intelligence that Lacks Sophistication?

What use is it to possess an intelligence that lacks sophistication? If only you are intelligent enough to distinguish heat from cold, you will understand the importance of the “good friend.”

This being said, it is most difficult to encounter the “good friend.” Indeed, the Buddha likened the difficulty to a one-eyed turtle in the ocean finding a piece of floating sandalwood with the right-sized hole so it can get into the hole, or a string lowered from the Brahma Heaven to be threaded through the eye of a needle on the earth.

Moreover, in the evil world in the Latter Age of Degeneration, the “good friend” is as scarce as the amount of soil on a fingernail while “evil friends,” who lead the people to evil realms, are as numerous as the number of dust particles of the great earth.

San Sanzō Kiu no Koto, Concerning the Prayer Services for Rain by Three Tripiṭaka Masters, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Pages 204.

d21b, WONS

The Buddha’s Intent Reflected Upon Clear Mirror of Scriptures

When we think of the Buddha’s intent reflected upon the clear mirror of these scriptures, we see that His appearance in this world was not for the sake of those who heard Him preach the Lotus Sūtra for eight years on Mt. Sacred Eagle. It was for those in the Ages of the True Dharma and the Semblance Dharma, and in the Latter Age of Degeneration. More precisely, it was not for the sake of those in the 2,000 years of the True Dharma and the Semblance Dharma, but for those like myself in the beginning of the Latter Age. The “sick ones” refer to the slanderers of the Lotus Sūtra after the death of Śākyamuni Buddha. It was “for those who did not perceive and accept this medicine excellent both in color and flavor” that the Buddha said he would “leave this excellent medicine.”

If we think of it this way, we can see why the bodhisattvas from underground did not appear during the Ages of the True Dharma and the Semblance Dharma. The 1,000-year Age of the True Dharma was appropriate for Hinayāna and provisional Mahāyāna Buddhism, but not fit for the preaching of the Lotus Sūtra in terms of both the “capacity” of those to be taught and the “time” for it to be preached. Therefore, four ranks of Bodhisattva-teachers (Four Reliances) preached the Hinayāna and provisional Mahāyāna teachings in order for the people to attain Buddhahood by nurturing the seed of Buddhahood that they had received during the lifetime of Śākyamuni Buddha. They did not preach the Lotus Sūtra then because they knew that if they had preached it, many people would have slandered it rendering it impossible to nurture the seed of Buddhahood. The capacity of the people for comprehension then was like that of those who listened to the Buddha preach in the first four of the five periods during His lifetime.

Kanjin Honzon-shō, A Treatise Revealing the Spiritual Contemplation and the Most Verable One, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 161

WONS

Pile Up Your Faith in the Lotus Sutra

According to the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha carries on His shoulders and back men and women who have firm faith in the sutra. Tripiṭaka Master Kumārāyana is said to have been carried on the back of a wooden statue of Śākyamuni Buddha. As for myself, the Buddha took my place to save my life at Tatsunokuchi. This has always been true, today as in the past. You are my followers. How can you each fail to attain Buddhahood? No matter whom you remarry, do not follow him if he does not believe in the Lotus Sutra. Have a stronger affirmation than ever.

Ice is made of water, but it is colder than water. Blue colored cloth is colored by indigo, but it will be bluer than indigo when dyed repeatedly. In the same fashion, if you pile up your faith in the Lotus Sutra, you will be filled with more vitality and blessings than other people.

Oto Gozen Go-shōsoku, A Letter to Lady Oto, Nyonin Gosho, Letters Addressed to Female Followers, Page 122-124

WONS

When a Man of Knowledge Recites Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō

I have never seen or heard of any man of knowledge who recited “Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō” himself and advised others to do so during the 700-year period between the reigns of Emperor Kimmei, when Buddhism was introduced to Japan, and the latest emperor. It is only natural that when the sun rises, stars disappear; and when a wise king rises to power, an ignorant king is destroyed. So when the True Dharma spreads, provisional ones decline; and when a man of knowledge recites “Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō,” ignorant people follow him, just as a body is followed by its shadow and a sound is followed by its echo. Consider what is said above. I, Nichiren, undoubtedly am the prime practicer of the Lotus Sūtra in Japan. No one in China, India, and in the whole world is comparable to me.

Senji-shō, Selecting the Right time: A Tract by Nichiren, the Buddha’s Disciple, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Page 238

WONS

All the Dharma of the Buddha

Having thus manifested the ten divine powers, Śākyamuni Buddha transmitted the five characters of myō, hō, ren, ge, and kyō to the original disciples of the Buddha since the eternal past, who had sprung up from underground. So it is stated in the chapter on the “Divine Powers”:

“Thereupon Śākyamuni Buddha proclaimed to the host of those bodhisattvas such as Superior Practice, who had sprung from underground: ‘The divine powers of the Buddhas are as immeasurable, boundless and unfathomable as shown above. Nevertheless, I shall not be able to reveal all the merits of this sūtra even if I continue telling them, for the sake of its transmission, with my divine powers for infinite myriads of kalpa. To sum up, all the dharma of the Buddha, all the unrestricted divine powers of the Buddha, all the most secretly treasured teachings of the Buddha, and all the profundity of the Buddha are clearly revealed and explained in this Lotus Sūtra.’ ”

T’ien-t’ai comments on this in his Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra: “Following ‘Thereupon Śākyamuni Buddha said to the host of bodhisattvas’ is the third section of the chapter on the ‘Divine Powers,’ summarizing the essence of the Lotus Sūtra and transmitting it to the bodhisattvas from underground.” Dengyō interpreted this in his Outstanding Principle of the Lotus Sūtra (Hokke shūku):

“Again, the chapter on the ‘Divine Powers of the Buddha’ says: ‘To sum up, all the dharmas of the Buddha. … are clearly revealed in this Lotus Sūtra.’ This makes it clear that the dharmas embodying Perfect Enlightenment of the Buddha in the eternal past, all the unrestricted divine powers which the Buddha attained in the eternal past, all the teachings in which the Buddha’s Perfect Enlightenment in the eternal past is most secretly treasured, and all the profundity which the Buddha attained in the eternal past, are all clearly revealed and explained in this sūtra.’ ”

Kanjin Honzon-shō, A Treatise Revealing the Spiritual Contemplation and the Most Verable One, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 158-159

WONS

Those Who Despise a Practicer of the Lotus Sūtra

It is preached in the Lotus Sūtra that anyone who hates a practicer of the Lotus Sūtra is certain to fall into the Avīci Hell without fail. The fourth fascicle of the sūtra (“Teacher of the Dharma” chapter) preaches, “The sin of abusing a practicer of the Lotus Sūtra in the Latter Age of Degeneration is more serious than if one abused the Buddha for as long as a medium kalpa (aeon).” The seventh fascicle (“Never Despising Bodhisattva” chapter) declares, “Those who despise a practicer of the Lotus Sūtra will wallow in the Hell of Incessant Suffering for 1,000 kalpa (aeons).” The fifth fascicle (“Encouragement for Keeping This Sūtra” chapter) preaches, “During the Latter Age of Degeneration after my passing a practicer of the Lotus Sūtra will appear. Then in the country a great number of priests, observers, and violators of the Buddhist precepts will gather together to bring false charges against the practicer and advise the king to exile or behead the practicer.” Each of these scriptural statements match me perfectly. Therefore, I am certain that I am a practicer of the Lotus Sūtra and you, who help me, will inevitably attain Buddhahood in the future.

Matsuno-dono Gohenji, Response to Lord Matsuno, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 7, Followers II, Page 70

WONS

A Life Dedicate to the Lotus Sūtra

From the time I began preaching the teaching of the Lotus Sūtra, I have resolved to dedicate my life to the Lotus Sūtra and spread my name in the Pure Land of Buddhas in all the worlds throughout the universe. Thus, I have been prepared to meet with persecution.

Ichinosawa Nyūdō Gosho, A Letter to Lay Priest Ichinosawa, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 6, Followers I, Page 161

WONS

Solely Due to My Disseminating the Lotus Sūtra

Now, I, as the messenger of Lord Śākyamuni Buddha, the Buddha of Many Treasures, and Buddhas in manifestation in all the worlds in the universe, only spread the teaching of the Lotus Sūtra without committing any worldly crime. The Kamakura Shogunate, nevertheless, not only allowed all the people in Japan to hate me but also exiled me twice, disgracing me by taking me along the streets of Kamakura in broad daylight as though I were a national traitor. Besides, they tore down my hermitage enshrining Śākyamuni Buddha as the Most Venerable One (honzon) and all the Buddhist scriptures. They made people not only trample the statue of the Buddha and scrolls of sūtras but also threw them in the mud and excrement. Furthermore, they took out the Lotus Sūtra from my bosom and hit me on the head with it mercilessly. My persecution as severe as this was neither due to any long-standing enmity nor any crime I have committed. It was solely due to my disseminating the Lotus Sūtra that I have been persecuted so severely.

Shinkoku-ō Gosho, Sovereigns of Our Divine Land, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Page 184

d25b, WONS

The Vow of Bodhisattvas Who Sprang Up from Underground

The twenty-first chapter of the Lotus Sūtra, the “Divine Powers of the Buddha,” says: “Thereupon those bodhisattvas who had sprung up from underground, as numerous as the dust-particles of 1,000 worlds, all heartfully pressed their hands together in reverence of the Buddha, looked up to the noble countenance of the Buddha and said to Him, ‘World Honored One! We will propagate this sūtra after Your death in the lands of Buddhas in manifestation (funjin Buddhas) and in this world from which You will pass away.’ ”

T’ien-t’ai offers an interpretation of this in his Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra: “No bodhisattvas other than those who had sprung up from underground made this vow to the Buddha.” Tao-hsien declared in his Supplement to the Annotations on the Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra: “The propagation of this sūtra was entrusted only to those bodhisattvas who had sprung up from underground. Why was it so? Because it was the dharma preached by the Eternal Buddha in the eternal past, the task of preaching it was entrusted to those who received His guidance in the eternal past.”

After all, Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī (Monjushiri) is a disciple of the Immovable (Fudō) Buddha of the Golden World in the east; Avalokiteśvara (Kannon) is that of the Buddha of Infinite Life in the west; Bodhisattva Medicine King (Yakuō), of Sun Moon Pure Bright Virtue (Nichigatsu Jōmyō-toku) Buddha; and Bodhisattva Samantabhadra (Fugen), of Treasure Power Virtue (Hōitoku) Buddha. These bodhisattvas have come to this world solely to assist Śākyamuni Buddha in carrying out the work of His ministry. They merely represent bodhisattvas who appeared in sūtras preached before the Lotus Sūtra or in its theoretical section, and who did not possess the great dharma of the essential section. How can they qualify to propagate it in the Latter Age of Degeneration?

Kanjin Honzon-shō, A Treatise Revealing the Spiritual Contemplation and the Most Verable One, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 157-158

WONS

The Difficulty of Propagating the Lotus Sūtra in Latter Age

In the presence of the Buddha of Many Treasures and the Buddhas manifested all over the universe, Śākyamuni Buddha clearly explained the difficulty of propagating the Lotus Sūtra in the Latter Age of Degeneration. In response, various bodhisattvas vowed: “Even if we are regularly abused, despised, and banished from our dwellings by those possessed by demons, we will endure all for the sake of propagating the Lotus Sūtra.” Also, it is preached in the Sūtra of the Golden Splendor, in which four Buddhas appeared in four directions verifying the truth of Śākyamuni Buddha’s teaching: “When evil men are respected and good men are punished, the country will be invaded and destroyed by foreign troops.” Consequently, no matter how they despise and mistreat Nichiren Shōnin, the words of Śākyamuni Buddha and the verification of them by the Buddha of Many Treasures and the Buddhas manifested all over the universe will endure, so that the Lotus Sūtra will surely spread.

Shimoyama Goshōsoku, The Shimoyama Letter, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 5, Page 85-86