Moreover, the “Expedient Means” chapter describes how the five thousand persons of overbearing arrogance withdrew from the assembly. They did so after hearing the Buddha make the concise replacement of the three vehicles with the one vehicle, and when the Buddha was about to begin making the expanded replacement of the three vehicles with the one vehicle. At that time, the Buddha used his power to influence them in such a way that they rose from their seats and withdrew. Later, through the Nirvana Sutra and the four ranks of bodhisattvas, the Buddha made it possible for these persons to achieve enlightenment in their present existence.
On the other hand, in the Non-Substantiality of All Phenomena Sutra it is recorded that Bodhisattva Root of Joy, addressing the monk Superior Intent, forced him to listen to the Mahayana teachings, causing him to speak slanderously of such teachings [and thus create areverse relationship with them]. With regard to these two differing incidents, the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai explains that “the Thus Come One Shakyamuni was exercising the virtue of compassion in causing them to withdraw, while Bodhisattva Root of Joy was exercising the virtue of pity in forcing the monk to listen.”26
The meaning of this passage is that the Buddha was moved by compassion and for the moment put aside thoughts of the later happiness of the five thousand persons. He could not bear to see them slander the Lotus Sutra and suffer the pain of falling into hell, and therefore he inspired them to withdraw from the assembly. It was like the case of a mother who knows that her child is sick but cannot bring herself to inflict suffering on the child, and therefore does not treat the child quickly with moxibustion. In the case of Bodhisattva Root of Joy, he was moved by pity. He did not mind that the person he was addressing would suffer pain for a time, but thought only of that person’s eventual happiness. Therefore he forced the person to listen to the Mahayana teachings. It was like the case of a pitying father who, seeing that his child is ill, is not deterred by the fact that the child may undergo temporary suffering but is concerned only for the child’s eventual welfare. Therefore he applies the treatment of moxibustion.
When the Buddha was in the world, for the first forty and more years of his preaching life he kept the Lotus Sutra a secret. Even the bodhisattvas who had reached the stage of near-perfect enlightenmentor those who had achieved the level of non-regression did not know even the title of the sutra. Furthermore, with regard to the “Life Span” chapter, during the eight years in which the Buddha preached theLotus Sutra, the very title of the chapter was kept secret and only revealed in the latter part of the period. Therefore, one may wonder why one should go about so energetically preaching the Lotus Sutra to ordinary people in this latter age.
In his commentary, the Great Teacher Miao-lo explains this by saying, “The people who lived when the Buddha was in the world had the innate capacity to gain enlightenment, and therefore the Buddha took their capacities carefully into account when he preached to them. But in the case of persons of the latter age, one preaches the truth to them directly so that they can form a relationship with it.”27 The meaning of this passage is as follows. When the Buddha was in the world, there were many persons who were capable of attaining the stage of non-regression during the Buddha’s lifetime. Therefore he did not immediately set forth the doctrines of the Lotus Sutra, for fear that his listeners might slander them, but instead gradually nurtured their capacities and after that preached the Lotus Sutra. In the period following the demise of the Buddha, however, there are few persons who have the capacity to attain enlightenment and many who can only form a relationship with the sutra by hearing it directly. Therefore it is best in most cases simply to preach the Lotus Sutra to them. There are many examples such as those above-mentioned.
When the Buddha was in the world, for the first forty and more years of his preaching life he kept the Lotus Sutra a secret. Even the bodhisattvas who had reached the stage of near-perfect enlightenmentor those who had achieved the level of non-regression did not know even the title of the sutra. Furthermore, with regard to the “Life Span” chapter, during the eight years in which the Buddha preached theLotus Sutra, the very title of the chapter was kept secret and only revealed in the latter part of the period. Therefore, one may wonder why one should go about so energetically preaching the Lotus Sutra to ordinary people in this latter age.
In his commentary, the Great Teacher Miao-lo explains this by saying, “The people who lived when the Buddha was in the world had the innate capacity to gain enlightenment, and therefore the Buddha took their capacities carefully into account when he preached to them. But in the case of persons of the latter age, one preaches the truth to them directly so that they can form a relationship with it.”27 The meaning of this passage is as follows. When the Buddha was in the world, there were many persons who were capable of attaining the stage of non-regression during the Buddha’s lifetime. Therefore he did not immediately set forth the doctrines of the Lotus Sutra, for fear that his listeners might slander them, but instead gradually nurtured their capacities and after that preached the Lotus Sutra. In the period following the demise of the Buddha, however, there are few persons who have the capacity to attain enlightenment and many who can only form a relationship with the sutra by hearing it directly. Therefore it is best in most cases simply to preach the Lotus Sutra to them. There are many examples such as those above-mentioned.
Many of the teachers in the latter age cannot judge the capacities of their listeners. When one cannot tell the capacities of one’s listeners, it is probably best just to preach the true teaching to them in a forceful manner. Thus the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai in his commentary says, “If people’s capacities cannot be judged, one can best avoid error by preaching the teachings of the great vehicle to them.”28 The meaning of this passage is that, when one cannot tell what people’s capacities are, one will not go wrong if one preaches the doctrines of the great vehicle to them.
There is also another approach in which one carefully determines the capacities of the persons of a particular age and preaches the Law to them in an appropriate manner. Thus if the people of a particular country are all believers in the provisional teachings and speak slanderously of the true teaching, stubbornly refusing to accept it, then one should preach the true teaching to them in a rebuking and censorious manner. But whether this approach is appropriate or not will depend upon the times.
real buddhism is so profound.
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