Category Archives: WONS

Blog, Shodaigyo, WONS

Reidan Daimoku Hand Gestures

Reidan Daimoku
Illustration of Reidan hand gestures accompanying Daimoku chanting. Source: Nichiren Buddhist Sangha of Greater New England


Today I attended Rev. Shoda Kanai’s online Shodaigyo practice at the Nichiren Buddhist Kannon Temple of Nevada. A special treat today was the incorporation of Reidan hand gestures during the Daimoku chanting.

I enjoyed the service and the sermon. I failed miserably at the hand gestures. I’m just terrible at that sort of thing. However, I’m going to see if I can incorporate the three cycles of six movements (see above illustration) as part of my regular daimoku. The six movements with their bad karma out, good fortune in meaning reminds of the earth trembling in six ways. As Nichiren writes:

Interpreting the earth trembling in six ways, Grand Master T’ien-t’ai states in his Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra, fascicle 3:

“The east is blue in color, and it controls the liver, which in turn controls the eyes. The west is white in color, and it controls the lungs, which in turn control the nose. Therefore, saying that the east was raised and the west was lowered means the rise of the merit of the eyes and the decrease in the worldly passions of the nose. In contrast, saying that the west was raised and the east was lowered means that the merit of the nose appears while the evil passions of the eyes decrease. Likewise, the rise and fall of the south and north and those of the center and the four directions mean either the appearance of merit or the decrease of evil passions in the ears and the tongue and in the mind and body respectively.”

Grand Master Miao-lê explains the above in his Annotations on the Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra, “As the eyes and nose represent the east and west, the ears and tongue logically represent the south and north. The center is the mind and the four directions represent the body. The body is equipped with the four sense organs (eyes, ears, nose, and tongue) and the mind reacts to them all. Therefore, it is said that the body and mind rise and fall alternately.”

Zuisō Gosho, Writing on Omens, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Followers I, Volume 6, Page 121

I can’t decide whether Reidan hand movements remind me more of Patty Cake or Macarana.

WONS

Karma Carried From Past Life

I wonder what kind of karma the princess of Lay Priest Ishikawa Hyōe has carried from her past lives. I understand that she chanted “Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō” at the last moment of her life. This is as miraculous as a one-eyed turtle finding a piece of wood with a hole floating in the ocean and climbing into the hole or dropping a line of thread from heaven to thread the eye of a needle stuck in the ground.

Ueno-dono Gohenji, A Reply to Lord Ueno, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 129

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The Responsibility of Spreading Lotus Sūtra in Latter Age of Degeneration

QUESTION: Do you have proof to show that the bodhisattvas who have emerged from the earth are the leading teachers to save the people in this Sahā World in the Latter Age of Degeneration?

ANSWER: It is preached in the 15th chapter on “The Appearance of Bodhisattvas from Underground” in the fifth fascicle of the Lotus Sūtra, “Then the Buddha said to the bodhisattvas more than eight times the number of the sand of the Ganges River, who had come from the other worlds, ‘No, good men! I do not want you to uphold this sūtra after My extinction.’ ” Grand Master T’ien-t’ai interprets this in his Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra, “As the bodhisattvas from the other worlds do not have close connections with this Sahā World, they will never have much success in propagating this sūtra.” Grand Master Miao-lê states in his Annotations on the Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra, “Even bodhisattvas from other worlds were not entrusted with the task. How can we say that it was not entrusted to Śāriputra, a śrāvaka, alone.” Grand Master T’ien-t’ai [sic] also states in the Annotations on the Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra, “Stopping the 80,000 great bodhisattvas that came from other worlds was for the purpose of later calling out the original disciples from underground. Clearly the task of spreading this sūtra was considered too heavy for other bodhisattvas to shoulder.”

The meaning of these citations from sūtras and commentaries on them is that all men of the śrāvaka such as Kāśyapa and Śāriputra; such bodhisattvas of theoretical teaching as Mañjuśrī, Medicine King, Avalokiteśvara and Maitreya (disciples of Buddhas in manifestation); and great bodhisattvas who had come from other worlds were all unable to bear the responsibility of spreading the teaching of the Lotus Sūtra in the Latter Age of Degeneration.

Soya Nyūdō-dono-gari Gosho, A Letter to Lay Priest Lord Soya, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Pages 161-162.

WONS

Merits of the Six Kinds of Practice

It is said in the Sūtra of Infinite Meaning (Muryōgi-kyō), an introductory teaching to the Lotus Sūtra: “Though unable to perform the six kinds of practice leading to Buddhahood— charity, observing precepts, perseverance, effort, meditation and wisdom— upholders of this sūtra will inevitably receive merits from practicing them.”

Kanjin Honzon-shō, A Treatise Revealing the Spiritual Contemplation and the Most Verable One, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 145

WONS

The Wonderful and Perfect Ship of the Lotus Sūtra

Śākyamuni Buddha preached the Hinayāna precepts as an introductory step for a while, but He later prohibited it in the Nirvana Sūtra: “If there is a person who says that the Buddha cannot escape extinction, denying the eternal life of the Buddha, the tongue of such a person will surely fall off.”

Later, in the reign of the fiftieth Emperor Kammu, a sage called Saichō (Grand Master Dengyō) appeared. He first studied the Six Schools of Buddhism: Kegon, Sanron, Hossō, Kusha, Jōjitsu, and Ritsu. He further mastered not only the essence of the Zen School but also the schools of T’ien-t’ai Lotus and Shingon Buddhism which had not yet been introduced to Japan. He deeply grasped the comparative profundity and superiority of those schools.

Then, on the nineteenth of the first month of the 21st year of the Enryaku Era (802), Emperor Kammu paid a visit to the Takaodera Temple, where he summoned the fourteen elder masters of the seven great temples of Nara, such as Zengi and Gonsō, and Priest Saichō (Grand Master Dengyō) to discuss the comparative superiority and profundity of the doctrines as well as the possibility of attaining Buddhahood in the Six Schools of Nara and the T’ien-t’ai Lotus School. Each scholar of these schools claimed that his own school was superior in all the teachings of the Buddha, but they were all refuted by Priest Saichō.

Later, Emperor Kammu sent Wake no Hiroyo as his messenger to the seven great temples of Nara in order to reprimand their masters, who submitted a letter of apology written jointly to the emperor. In this letter of apology, the fourteen masters stated: “Henceforth, all the people in this Sahā World, boarding the wonderful and perfect ship of the Lotus Sūtra, crossing the sea of birth and death, will be able to reach the other shore of enlightenment.”

Shimoyama Goshōsoku, The Shimoyama Letter, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 5, Page 68-69

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The Virtue of the Character ‘Myō’

Women, who were thus despised in various sūtras, were able to attain Buddhahood as soon as Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī expounded the character “myō.” This was so mysterious that Bodhisattva Accumulated Wisdom, the first disciple of the Buddha of Many Treasures in the Treasure Purity World, and Venerable Śāriputra, the wisest disciple of Śākyamuni Buddha, argued against the daughter of a Dragon King to be made a Buddha in the spirit of the various Hinayāna and Mahāyāna sūtras expounded by the Buddha during the 40 years or so of His preaching. Their efforts were in vain, and the daughter of a Dragon King ultimately became a Buddha. The statement in the Flower Garland Sūtra, “Women extirpated the seeds of Buddhahood” and that of the Nirvana Sūtra, “As all rivers are twisted, so are women’s mind” were both invalidated. Both opinions of the Sūtra of the Silver Colored Woman and that the Great Wisdom Discourse by Bodhisattva Nāgārjuna about women proved untrue. Bodhisattva Accumulated Wisdom and Śāriputra were so amazed to see the dragon daughter become a Buddha that they both were at a loss for words. A great crowd of gods and men who witnessed this realized that women and wicked people could attain Buddhahood, and delightedly put their palms together to worship the Buddha. This is entirely due to the virtue of the character “myō.”

There are 2,500 rivers in this world called Jambudvīpa: each river is as twisted as the minds of women, except the Shabaya River, which runs straight into the ocean in the west like a drawn rope. Like this river, the woman who believes in the Lotus Sūtra can go straight into the Pure Land to the West, thanks to the virtue of the character “myō.”

Hokke Daimoku Shō, Treatise on the Daimoku of the Lotus Sūtra, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 45-46

WONS

The Enemy of the True Dharma

[I]t is stated in the Nirvana Sūtra:

“Bodhisattvas, do not be afraid of such things as wild elephants, but fear ‘evil friends.’ Why? Because a wild elephant may destroy our bodies but not our minds, while an ‘evil friend’ can destroy both. A wild elephant may crush merely one person, but an ‘evil friend’ can crush both body and mind of innumerable persons. An elephant may crush merely an impure, stinking body, but an ‘evil friend’ can destroy both pure body and mind. A wild elephant may merely ruin our flesh and blood, while an ‘evil friend’ can corrupt our Buddha nature. Killed by a wild elephant, we may not fall into the three evil realms; however, it seems inevitable for us to fall there when we die of an ‘evil friend.’ This wild elephant is only a physical enemy, while this “evil friend” is the enemy of the True Dharma. You, Bodhisattvas, therefore, should always be careful to stay away from ‘evil friends’.”

Shugo Kokka-ron, Treatise on Protecting the Nation, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Pages 57-58

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Vast Virtue of Lord Śākyamuni Buddha Exists in Our Minds

Finally, let us try to answer your first question whether or not vast virtue of Lord Śākyamuni Buddha exists in our minds. The Sūtra of Infinite Meaning (Muryōgi-kyō), which is regarded as an introductory teaching to the Lotus Sūtra, explains how we attain Buddhahood:

“Suppose there was a prince just born to a king and his queen. Growing up day by day, month by month, year by year, the new prince has reached the age of seven. Though unable to attend the affairs of state, he is respected by his father’s subjects and befriended by children of great kings. He is loved by his royal parents, who find it most enjoyable to chat with him constantly. Why is this? It is because the prince is still young. My good people, he who upholds this Lotus Sūtra is just like this prince. His father is Buddhas; and his mother, this sūtra. Just as the prince was born to the king and his queen, Buddhas and this sūtra are united in one to give birth to the bodhisattva, upholder of this sūtra. Suppose, having listened to the Lotus Sūtra, he reads a phrase or a verse of it, or reads it once, twice, ten, one hundred, one thousand, ten thousand times, or one trillion times the grains of sand of the Ganges River—unlimited and infinite number of times. Even if he had not yet obtained the ultimate truth, he would be respected by all the four groups of Buddhists (monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen) and the eight kinds of gods and semi-gods, protectors of Buddhism. Accompanied by great bodhisattvas, he would always be protected and cared for by Buddhas and completely surrounded by their benevolence. It is because he is a beginner on the way to Buddhahood.”

Then, we come across the following passage in the Sūtra of Meditation on the Universal Sage Bodhisattva (Kan Fugen Bosatsu Gyōbō-kyō), considered to be the conclusion of the Lotus Sūtra: “This Mahāyāna Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma is the treasure house of all the Buddhas and the eyes of all the Buddhas in all the worlds in the universe in the past, present, and future. It is the seed of Buddhahood, giving birth to all the Buddhas in the past, present as well as future. You must put the Mahāyāna teaching into practice lest the seed of Buddhahood be extinguished.” And also: “This Mahāyāna sūtra is the eyes of all the Buddhas. It is by means of this Lotus Sūtra that all the Buddhas reach the stage of having Five Eyes. The Buddha with three bodies (Dharma Body, Reward Body, and Accommodative Body) was born from this sūtra. This sūtra is the great seal of enlightenment impressed upon the sea of Nirvana, from which the Buddha with three pure bodies was born. The triple-bodied Buddha, therefore, is the source of happiness for men and gods alike.”

Kanjin Honzon-shō, A Treatise Revealing the Spiritual Contemplation and the Most Verable One, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 143-144

WONS

A Boy Named Tokushō

In the past a boy named Tokushō offered a rice cake made from sand to Śākyamuni Buddha and thereby was reborn in this world as Emperor Aśoka, who ruled the Jambudvīpa and eventually became a Buddha. Now you have offered fruits and other items to the Lotus Sūtra, and I can imagine how happy the ten female rākṣasa demons, protectors of the Lotus Sūtra, are. It is difficult to write all that I want to say. Please allow me to write you again. Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō. Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō.

Matsuno-dono Goshōsoku, Letter to Lord Matsuno, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 7, Followers II, Page 67

WONS

This World of Delusion

Men and women comprise the living beings who exist in the world of delusion. They were all our parents at some point in our previous lives. Therefore, if there is even a single person who cannot become a Buddha, we, too, are unable to become Buddhas. It is preached that the Two Vehicles do not appreciate the favors they received, and therefore they are forever unable to attain Buddhahood. In short, it is because they are full of ego and unable to treat all living beings with a heart of filial piety. Convinced of the Lotus Sūtra, the Buddha considers all the people in the world of delusion as His parents and He is equipped with the virtue of filial piety.

Śākyamuni Buddha then turns over this virtue of filial piety to those who embrace the Lotus Sūtra. It is like the food taken by a mother that is transformed into breast milk to feed her baby. As it is preached in the “Parable” chapter of the Lotus Sūtra: “Now this triple world is all My domain, and all the living beings in it are all My children,” our Lord Preacher Śākyamuni Buddha feeds us all the living beings in this world of delusion with His virtue of filial piety transformed into the characters of the Lotus Sūtra. It is like a baby, who does not distinguish water from fire or poison from medicine, who can sustain its life by swallowing its mother’s milk.

Hōren-shō, Letter to Hōren, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 6, Followers I, Page 51-52