Ongi Kuden:
"You must listen carefully and hear of the Thus Come One's secret and his transcendental powers." (LS p. 225, 3LS p. 249)
The countless entities in the three thousand worlds, which are undergoing the process of birth, life, change, and extinction, are embodiments of [these] transcendental powers. As for 'transcendental powers,' the actions that are carried out instant by instant, motion by motion by us, the living beings, are called 'transcendental powers.' Apart from attaining Buddhahood, there are no 'secret' or 'transcendental powers.' In the final analysis, the five characters of Myoho Renge Kyo are synonymous with the phrase 'the Thus Come One's secret and transcendental powers.' (Gosho Zenshu p. 753)
The sutra states, "But good men, it has been immeasurable boundless hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions of nayutas of kalpas since I in fact attained Buddhahood." (LS p. 225, 3LS p. 250)
'I' [in the above passage] refers to Shakyamuni, who attained enlightenment in the remote past. However, according to the actual meaning of this [Juryo] chapter, 'I' represents all living beings in the universe. The Ten Worlds are each indicated by 'I.' 'In fact' means establishing that these are the Buddhas inherently endowed with the three eternal properties, this is the meaning of 'fact.' 'Attained' means to open. All phenomena of the universe are 'opened' to reveal them as the Buddha inherently endowed with the three eternal properties. Being awakened to this is called 'Buddhahood.' As for 'since' [irai] 'I' indicates the past, and 'rai,' the future. This passage is saying that the Buddhahood 'I in fact attained' is immeasurable and boundless in both the past and future. This [passage further] indicates the hundred realms, thousand factors and the three thousand realms in a single thought-moment. As for the two words 'hundreds' and 'thousands,' 'hundreds' means indicates the hundred realms and thousands is the thousand realms. These are practically the single thought-moment being three thousand realms in actuality. (Gosho Zenshu p. 753)
Kempon Hokke:
Once again we see in all its ignominy, the east is west, up is down, black is white, teachings of the Ongi Kuden adopted or created by Taisekaji. "I" specifically refers to Shakyamuni Buddha and generally to us, not the other way around. The Taisekaji teachings are those of arrogant licentiousness that is so appealing to the people of the Latter Day, those people thrown out by all the other Buddhas. Unfilial sons can not succeed their father Thoe who would depose their father from his rightful place, can not be counted as the Buddha's successors.
Ongi Kuden:
Now Nichiren and his disciples who chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo are the main subjects of the Juryo chapter. In general, bodhisattvas taught by the Buddha, in his provisional aspect, cannot uphold this chapter. For them, the theoretical teaching is primary and the essential teaching secondary, while for us the essential teaching is primary and the theoretical teaching is secondary."
Kempon Hokke:
The main subject of the Juryo Chapter is The Father of the World, the one who saves his children from the various sufferings and travails, the Skillful Physician who cures his children with the medicine of Namu Myoho renge kyo, Shakyamuni Buddha. The children are not the main subject. It is not we who save our father. It is only by accepting and acknowledging the medicine (Law) and our father (Buddha) that we become equal to him. It is not by accepting the medicine and then turning around and declaring that it was our medicine all along and we, in fact, pounded and sifted and gave the medicine to our father. Why would anyone teach that it is we who endowed Shakyamuni Buddha with the Three Properties of the Buddha's life? To what purpose does it serve, if not to trivialize the accomplishments of our father, Shakyamuni Buddha? Nichiren says unfilial sons do not inherit the lands and riches of the father. This is the reason the Nichiren Shoshu and SGI members remain unenlightened worldlings. They are those without gratitude for their father, or those with misplaced gratitude to Daisaku Ikeda and the High Priests of Taisekaji, or those who follow the person and not the Law.
The Ongi Kuden continues:
"Even so, this chapter is not the essential teaching for the Latter Day of the Law. The reason is that this chapter confers the benefit of [reaping the harvest of] emancipation for those who lived in Shakyamuni's lifetime, while only the five characters sow the seed [of Buddhahood] for those who would come in the future, that is, at the present time. This being the case, the Buddha's lifetime was the age for the benefits of [the harvest of] emancipation, while the last age is the time for sowing the seed. In the Latter Day of the Law, sowing the seed is the basis. Nichiren and his disciples, who chant the Daimoku, are the parents of mankind because they save them from the hell of incessant suffering." (Gosho Zenshu p. 753)
Kempon Hokke:
This is a restatement of the teachings in the True Object of Worship:
"It is stated in the tenth chapter of the Lotus Sutra, 'The Teacher of the Dharma': 'This sutra has aroused much hatred and jealousy even in the lifetime of the Buddha. How much more can this be expected after His death!' And in the eleventh chapter, 'Appearance of the Stupa of Treasures': 'Taho Buddha and the Buddhas in manifestation (funjin Buddhas) from all the worlds in the universe gathered together to make this dharma live forever....Buddhas in manifestation should remember My (the Buddha's) intention to keep on spreading the dharma forever.'You may find similar statements in the thirteen chapter, 'Encouragement for Upholding this Sutra', and fourteenth chapter, 'Peaceful Practices'. They show that the theoretical section of the Lotus Sutra is directed to those in the beginning of the Latter Age.
The essential section of the Lotus Sutra is preached solely for those living in the beginning of the Latter Age. At first glance it appears that the seed of Buddhahood was planted in them by the Eternal Buddha in the eternal past or 500 dust particle kalpa ago. The seed germinated and grew within them with the help of all the sutras from the Lotus Sutra preached by the sixteenth prince of Daitsuchisho Buddha in 3,000 dust particle kalpa in the past to all those preached by Sakyamuni in his life before the Lotus Sutra and the theoretical section of the Lotus Sutra. Finally the essential section of the Lotus Sutra enabled them to attain Buddhahood.
On closer examination, however, the essential section differs from the theoretical section. That is to say the essential section, all through the prologue, the main discourse, and the epilogue, was preached for those people in the beginning of the Latter Age of the Decadent Dharma. The teaching of the essential section during the lifetime of Sakyamuni Buddha and that which would spread in the beginning of the Latter Age are likewise absolutely perfect. However the former is for attaining enlightenment, whereas the latter is for sowing the seed of Buddhahood. While the former is crystallized in the sixteenth chapter, 'Duration of the Life of the Buddha', with half a chapter each preceding and following it, the latter is solely embodied in the five characters of Myo, Ho, Ren, Ge, and Kyo, the title of the Lotus Sutra." Kanjin Honzon Sho, Nichiren Shu (NOPPA 1991) pp 120 - 122;
What was referred to by Nichiren as "the teaching for attaining enlightenment" [ Buddhism of the Harvest] is Shakyamuni Buddha teaching the Essential Section of the Lotus Sutra during his lifetime. In this age we also only rely on the Lotus Sutra (Myoho renge kyo) but the faith, practice, and propagation in the differs from that of the Buddha during his lifetime. We rely on the Daimoku transmitted by the Buddha to the Bodhisattvas of the Earth who are to propagate the Lotus Sutra in this age. In Chapter 15 of the Lotus Sutra, the various provisional Bodhisattvas from this and other worlds ask to expound the Lotus Sutra. However, the Buddha rejects their offer.
Nichiren, referencing Tien-tai, discusses this rejection: "After all, Sakyamuni Buddha could not reveal his innermost enlightenment, or the great dharma hidden in the lines of the Duration of the Life of the Buddha Chapter to those great bodhisattvas from other worlds who had been guided by the teaching of the theoretical section." Kanjin Honzon Sho, Nichiren Shu (NOPPA 1991) p 126; MW 173.
Nichiren continues,
"Lands at the beginning of the Latter Age slander the true dharma and those who live there have poor capacity for comprehension and faith in Buddhism. Therefore, instead of relying on Buddhas from other worlds, the Buddha called out great bodhisattvas from underground to entrust them with the task of transmitting the five characters of Myo, Ho, Ren, Ge, and Kyo, the essence of the 'Duration of the Life of the Buddha' chapter, to the people in this world. It meant also that those guided by the teaching of the theoretical section were not the original disciples of Sakyamuni Buddha." Kanjin Honzon Sho, Nichiren
Shu (NOPPA 1991) p 126; MW 173.
"Having thus manifested the ten divine powers, Sakyamuni Buddha transmitted the five characters of Myo, Ho, Ren, Ge, and Kyo to the original disciples of the Buddha since the eternal past, who had sprung up from underground." Kanjin Honzon Sho, Nichiren Shu (NOPPA 1991) p 140; MW 176.
The real meaning of the Buddhism of the Harvest and the Buddhism of the Sowing, is not that there are two different Buddhisms or two different Buddhas. This age, however, is for sowing the seed of Buddhahood rather than harvesting the seed
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