Category Archives: WONS

WONS

What to Rely On

Concerning the judgment of the comparative superiority of the Buddhist sūtras in the future, the Buddha preached in the Nirvana Sūtra, “Rely upon reason, not upon men.” Bodhisattva Nāgārjuna stated in his Commentary on the Ten Stages, “It is right to depend on the sūtra; it is not right not to depend on the sūtra.” T’ien-t’ai said in the Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sūtra, “Accept what is in accordance with the sūtra; not to believe in what is not said in the sūtra in letter or in spirit.” Grand Master Dengyō in his Outstanding Principles of the Lotus Sūtra said, “Rely upon what the Buddha preached; never believe in what is transmitted orally.”

Senji-shō, Selecting the Right time: A Tract by Nichiren, the Buddha’s Disciple, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Page 234

WONS

Interpreting Sūtras According to Intent of the Buddha

What is the difference in interpretation of sūtras between Grand Master T’ien-t’ai and masters of other Buddhist Schools? Masters of other schools interpret sūtras respectively and think that they understand the meaning of each sūtra. Grand Master T’ien-t’ai, on the other hand, interprets sūtras according to the intent of the Buddha as He preached in the Lotus Sūtra on the pre-Lotus sūtras of the first forty years or so. Therefore, though the Lotus Sūtra seems different from the sūtras compiled by Venerable Ānanda, it agrees with the Buddha’s will.

Nijō Sabutsu Ji, Obtaining Buddhahood by the Two Vehicles, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Page 229

WONS

The Seed in ‘3,000 Existences Contained in One Thought’

Nonetheless, without the seed of Buddhahood established on the basis of the “3,000 existences contained in one thought” doctrine, attainment of Buddhahood by all sentient beings or the worship of wooden statues and portraits are empty names without reality.

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

WONS

The Activities of a Man Depend on the Power of His Wife

An arrow flies by the strength of a bow and the clouds move by the power of a dragon. Likewise, the activities of a man depend on the power of his wife. Lord Toki’s visiting me here in the deep mountain of Minobu this time is solely due to your power, My Lady the Nun.

When we see smoke, we think of fire. When we see rain, we think of the dragon that causes it. Likewise, when we see a husband’s conduct, we can think of his wife who motivates him. When I recently saw your husband, Lord Toki, I felt as though I saw you in person.

Toki-ama Gozen Gosho, A Letter to My Lady, the Nun Toki, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 7, Followers II, Page 116

d3b, d4b, WONS

The Inexplicable Merit of Having Heard the Lotus Sūtra

When the “Expedients” chapter of the Lotus Sūtra was preached, 5,000 self-conceited ones did not believe in what they heard and withdrew from the preaching of the Lotus Sūtra. Nevertheless, they became Buddhas in three months’ time because they did not slander the Lotus Sūtra. Referring to this incident, it is preached in the Nirvana Sūtra, “Both believers and non-believers will be born in the Immovable Land.” Those who heard the Lotus Sūtra can become Buddhas even if they do not put faith in the sūtra, so long as they do not slander it, due to the inexplicable merit of having heard the sūtra. This is like the person bitten by a poisonous snake called shichibuja who is bound to fall within taking seven steps and is unable to take the eighth step due to the inexplicable work of the poison. Or it is also like an embryo that changes its shape within seven days and never stays in one shape for more than eight days.

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

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

d19b, WONS

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