Taisekeji Tom Foolery

Taisekaji/ original SGI translation of a passage of the True Object of Worship:

"The essential teaching of the Lotus Sutra and true Buddhism are both pure teachings that lead directly to Buddhahood. However, Shakyamuni's is the Buddhism of the harvest, and this is the Buddhism of sowing. The core of his teachings is one chapter and two halves, and for me it is Myoho-renge-kyo alone."  (MW vol I Kanjin No Honzon Sho,p. 72)

           

Kyotsu Hori tranlsation:

"It is evident that the Revelation of Eternity was preached for the sake of us who live at the beginning of the period of Deprivation.  It this respect, we are as blessed as those who heard the Buddha in person, the only difference being that they brought to fruit their seeds of Buddhahood by hearing directly the 'One Chapter and Two Halves, whereas we are endowed with the seeds of Buddhahood by receiving the Five Words." (Five Major Writings of Nichiren, Kanjin No Honzon Sho, pg 37

Taisekaji:

"Essentially, the bodhisattvas of the theoretical teaching and the bodhisattvas of the other worlds were not qualified to inherit Nam‑Myoho‑Renge‑Kyo, the heart of the Juryo chapter, which only Nichiren has realized. At the dawn of the Latter Day evil people who slander the Law would fill the land, and so the Buddha rejected their pledge and instead summoned the Bodhisattvas of the Earth. He entrusted Nam‑Myoho‑Renge‑Kyo [the five characters] to them for the salvation of all mankind. (MW 1, p. 73/ Shinpen p. 657)²

Kyotsu Hori (expanded to include the Taisekaji quote, with "Five Words", the translation for Namu Myoho Renge kyo.):

"Strangely enough, however, the Buddha answered, 'Nay good people, you need not occupy yourselves with this task.'  Why did he say so?  It was because he did not intend to entrust them; he merely desired to inform them of the existence of another group of Bodhisattvas who were properly qualified for this work. In a few moments, the Buddha summoned the Bodhisattvas equal to the dust-atoms of one thousand words in number from the gaps of the earth, and in Chapter XXI, he entrusted them with the Five Words. These Bodhisattvas were called up because they were the Buddha's disciples who had followed him from the beginning of his beginningless life; that is, they were the disciples of the Original Buddha, while the Bodhisattvas who had already assembled were the disciples of the Buddha Shakyamuni of Manifestation or of the Buddhas of other worlds, not the disciples of the Original Buddha." (Ibid, pg 38)

SGI updated translation:

"Essentially, the great bodhisattvas taught by the Buddha in his transient status and the great bodhisattvas who gathered from the other worlds were not qualified to inherit the “Life Span” chapter that reveals the eternal Buddha’s inner truth. At the dawn of the Latter Day evil people who slander the correct teaching would fill the land, so Shakyamuni Buddha rejected the pledge of these bodhisattvas and instead summoned the multitude of great bodhisattvas from beneath the earth. He entrusted them with the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo, the heart of the “Life Span” chapter, for the enlightenment of all beings in the land of Jambudvipa. The bodhisattvas taught by the Buddha in his transient status were also unqualified because they had not been the disciples of Shakyamuni Buddha since the time he had first set his mind on and attained enlightenment in the remote past. The Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai states, “[The Buddha said of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth,] ‘These are my disciples, destined to propagate my Law.’ ” Miao-lo says, “The children propagate the Law of the father, and this benefits the world.” The Supplement to “The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra” states, “The Law embodied therein [in the Lotus Sutra] is the Law that was realized countless kalpas in the past, and therefore it was entrusted to persons who had been the Buddha’s disciples from countless kalpas in the past.”