Category Archives: WONS

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
WONS

The Difference Between Expedient and True Teachings

[T]he Annotations on the Great Concentration and Insight, fascicle 1, states: “Those who listen without revering the perfect and sudden true teaching are influenced by the recent academic tradition of ‘mixing up’ expedient and true teachings among those who study Mahāyāna Buddhism.” Those who do not know the difference between the expedient and true teachings of the Mahāyāna are referred to as “mixed up.” As a result those who believe in the Lotus Sūtra, the true Mahāyāna teaching, are as rare as the soil on a fingernail while those who do not believe in the sūtra and are diverted to expedient teachings are as immeasurable as the dust in the worlds throughout the universe.

Regretting this, Grand Master Miao-lê laments in his Annotations on the Great Concentration and Insight, fascicle 1: “In the Age of the Semblance Dharma and the Latter Age of Degeneration, people are so heartless and impious that they don’t even try to contemplate the perfect and sudden true teaching, scriptures of which are overflowing the libraries and chests, to the very end. They are born and die in vain. How pathetic their lives are!” This remark in the Annotations by Grand Master Miao-lê, an avatar of a bodhisattva, I believe, is his long-range prediction on the state of Japan today, in the Latter Age of Degeneration.

Shugo Kokka-ron, Treatise on Protecting the Nation, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Page 55

LS32, WONS

Day 7

Day 7 concludes Chapter 3, A Parable, and begins Chapter 4, Understanding by Faith.

Day 7 Text with annotationsPlay MP3
Having last month concluded Chapter 3, A Parable, we begin Chapter 4, Understanding by Faith, with the men of wisdom explaining why they had not sought Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi.

Thereupon the men living the life of wisdom: Subhūti, Mahā-Kātyāyana, Mahā-Kāśyapa, and Mahā-Maudgalyāyana felt strange because they heard the Dharma from the Buddha that they had never heard before, and because they heard that the World-Honored One had assured Śāriputra of his future attainment of Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi. They felt like dancing with joy, rose from their seats, adjusted their robes, bared their right shoulders, put their right knees on the ground, joined their hands together with all their hearts, bent themselves respectfully, looked up at the honorable face, and said to the Buddha:

“We elders of the Saṃgha were already old and decrepit [when we heard of Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi]. We did not seek Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi because we thought that we had already attained Nirvāṇa, and also because we thought that we were too old and decrepit to do so.’ You have been expounding the Dharma for a long time. We have been in your congregation all the while. We were already tired [when we heard of Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi]. Therefore, we just cherished the truth that nothing is substantial, the truth that nothing is different from any other thing, and the truth that nothing more is to be sought. We did not wish to perform the Bodhisattva practices, that is, to purify the world of the Buddha and to lead all living beings [to Buddhahood] by displaying supernatural powers because you had already led us out of the triple world and caused us to attain Nirvāṇa. Neither did we wish at all to attain Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi, which you were teaching to Bodhisattvas, because we were already too old and decrepit to do so. But now we are very glad to hear that you have assured a Śrāvakas of his future attainment of Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi. We have the greatest joy that we have ever had. We have never expected to hear such a rare teaching all of a sudden. How glad we are! We have obtained great benefits. We have obtained innumerable treasures although we did not seek them.

Nichiren discusses Mahā-Kāśyapa’s lineage in his letter Reply to Lord Tokimitsu:

Venerable Mahā-Kāśyapa was the most honorable among the Buddha’s disciples. Concerning his lineage, he was the son of Nyagrodha, a millionaire in Magadha, India. The house of his millionaire father was as huge as 1,000 tatami mats, with each mat being seven feet thick and costing at least 1,000 ryō (gold coins). His house had as many as 999 ploughs, each costing 1,000 ryō. It is also said that his house included 60 warehouses each containing 340 koku (about 1200 metric tons) of gold. Nyagrodha was a very wealthy person.

The wife of Mahā-Kāśyapa had a golden body so brilliant that it illuminated an area 16 ri (about 80 km) around herself. She was more beautiful than Princess Sotoori of Japan or Lady Li of Han China. Having aspirations for enlightenment, Kāśyapa and his wife became disciples of the Buddha and were guaranteed by the Buddha to become the future Light Buddha in the Lotus Sūtra.

Looking into their Buddhist practices in their prior existences, the husband was reborn as Venerable Mahā-Kāśyapa due to his offering of a bowl of barley rice to a pratyekabuddha. His wife, a poor woman, paid one gold coin to a Buddhist sculptor for gilding a statue of Vipaśyin Buddha and thereby was reborn as a beautiful golden woman to be the wife of Mahā-Kāśyapa.

Tokimitsu-dono Gohenji, Reply to Lord Tokimitsu, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 7, Followers II, Pages 25