"Shakyamuni is the father, sovereign and teacher of all other Buddhas and all gods, of the whole assembly of men and heavenly beings, and of all sentient beings. What god would rejoice if Shakyamuni were killed? Today all the people of our country have proved to be enemies of Shakyamuni, but more than lay men and women, it is the priests with twisted understanding who are the Buddha's worst enemies. There are two kinds of understanding, true and perverted. No matter how learned a person may appear, if his ideas are warped you should not listen to him. Nor should you follow priests merely because they are venerable or of high rank. But if a person has the wisdom to know the spirit of the Lotus Sutra, no matter how lowly he may appear, worship him and serve him as though he were a living Buddha. This is stated in the sutra. That is why the Great Teacher Dengyo said that lay men and women who believe in this sutra, even if they lack knowledge or violate the precepts, should be seated above Hinayana priests who who strictly observe all 250 commandments. The priests of this Mahayana sutra should therefore be seated even higher. Ryokan of Gokuraku-ji temple is believed to be a living Buddha, but men and women who believe in the Lotus Sutra should be seated high above him. It seems extraordinary that this Ryokan, who observes the 250 commandments, should become angry and glower whenever he sees or hears about Nichiren. The sage, it seems, has been possessed by a devil. He is like a basically even-tempered person who, when drunk, reveals an evil side and causes trouble. The Buddha taught that giving alms to Mahakashyapa, Shariputra, Maudgalyayana and Subhuti, who did not yet know of the Lotus Sutra, would lead one to fall into the three evil paths. He said that these four great disciples were more base than wild dogs or jackals. They adamantly upheld the 250 Buddhist commandments, and their observance of the three thousand standards was as perfect as the harvest moon. But until they embraced the Lotus Sutra, they were still like wild dogs to the Buddha. In comparison, our priests are so base that they are beyond description."
Who are the priests and laypeople who have abandoned Shakyamuni Buddha and the teachings of the Lotus Sutra? Who are the priests and laypeople who revere Shakyamuni and the Lotus Sutra? Ponder this seriously.
＞The Buddha taught that giving alms to Mahakashyapa, Shariputra, Maudgalyayana and Subhuti, who did not yet know of the Lotus Sutra, would lead one to fall into the three evil paths. He said that these four great disciples were more base than wild dogs or jackals.
ReplyDelete＞
Eagerly awaiting which Sutra states this claim and while your at it provide context please.
Before you even provide the sutra reference, perhaps you can enlighten us as to the Gosho referenced above.
ReplyDeleteNám mo bĕn shī shì jiā móu ní fó
Namo Amitabha
Nikke Gosho. You obviously know more than Nichiren iggee:
ReplyDeleteIn the Vimalakīrti Sutra we read: “Vimalakīrti once more questioned Manjushrī, saying, ‘What are the seeds of Buddhahood?’ Manjushrī replied, ‘All the delusions and defilements are the seeds of Buddhahood. Even though a person commits the five cardinal sins and is condemned to the hell of incessant suffering, he is still capable of conceiving the great desire for the way.’”
The same sutra also says: “Good man, let me give you a metaphor. The plains and highlands will never bring forth the stems and blossoms of the blue lotus or the water lily. But the muddy fields that are low-lying and damp—that is where you will find these flowers growing.”
It also says: “One who has already become an arhat and achieved the level of truth that goes with arhatship can never conceive the desire for the way and gain Buddhahood. He is like a man who has destroyed the five sense organs and therefore can never again enjoy the five delights that go with them.”
The point of this sutra is that the three poisons of greed, anger, and foolishness can become the seeds of Buddhahood, and the five cardinal sins such as the killing of one’s father can likewise become the seeds of Buddhahood. Even if the high plains should bring forth blue lotus flowers, the persons of the two vehicles would never attain Buddhahood. The text is saying that, when the goodness of the persons of the two vehicles is compared with the evils of ordinary people, it will be found that, though the evils of ordinary people can lead to Buddhahood, the goodness of the persons of the two vehicles never can. The various Hinayana sutras censure evil and praise good. But this sutra, the Vimalakīrti, condemns the goodness of persons of the two vehicles and praises the evils of ordinary people. It would almost appear that it is not a Buddhist scripture at all, but rather the teachings of some non-Buddhist school. But the point is that it wants to make absolutely clear that the persons of the two vehicles can never become Buddhas.
The Correct and Equal Dhāranī Sutra states: “Manjushrī said to Shāriputra, ‘Can a withered tree put forth new blossoms? Can a mountain stream turn and flow back to its source? Can a shattered rock join itself together again? Can a scorched seed send out sprouts?’ Shāriputra replied, ‘No.’ Manjushrī said, ‘If these things are impossible, then why do you come with joy in your heart and ask me if Buddhahood has been predicted for you in the future?’”
The passage means that, just as a withered tree puts forth no blossoms, a mountain stream never flows backward, a shattered rock cannot be joined, and a scorched seed cannot sprout, so the persons of the two vehicles can never attain Buddhahood. In their case the seeds of Buddhahood have been scorched.
continued
The Larger Wisdom Sutra reads: “All you sons of gods, if you have not yet conceived a desire for perfect enlightenment, now is the time to do so. If you should once enter the realm of the enlightenment of voice-hearers, you would no longer be capable of conceiving such a desire for perfect enlightenment. Why is this? Because you would be outside the world of birth and death, which itself would constitute an obstacle.” This passage indicates that the Buddha36 is not pleased with the persons of the two vehicles because they do not conceive the desire for perfect enlightenment, but that he is pleased with the heavenly beings because they do conceive such a desire.
ReplyDeleteThe Shūramgama Sutra states: “If a person who has committed the five cardinal sins should hear of this shūramgama meditation and should conceive the desire for supreme enlightenment, then he would still be capable of attaining Buddhahood. But, World-Honored One, an arhat who has put an end to outflows is like a broken vessel, and will never be capable of receiving and upholding this meditation.”37
The Vimalakīrti Sutra says, “Those who give alms to you are cultivating for themselves no field of good fortune. Those who give alms to you will fall into the three evil paths.” This passage means that the human and heavenly beings who give alms to the sage monks such as Mahākāshyapa and Shāriputra will invariably fall into the three evil paths. Sage monks such as these, one would suppose, must be the eyes of the human and heavenly beings and the leaders of all living beings, second only to the Buddha himself. It must have been very much against common expectation that the Buddha spoke out time and again against such men before the great assemblies of human and heavenly beings, as we have seen him do. Was he really trying to reprimand his own disciples to death? In addition, he employed countless different metaphors in expressing his condemnation of the persons of the two vehicles, calling them donkey’s milk as compared to cow’s milk, clay vessels as compared to vessels of gold, or the glimmer of a firefly as compared to the light of the sun.
He did not speak of this in one word or two, in one day or two, in one month or two, in one year or two, or in one sutra or two, but over a period of more than forty years, in countless sutras, addressing himself to great assemblies of countless persons, condemning the persons of the two vehicles without a single extenuating word. Thus everyone learned that his condemnation was true. Heaven learned it and earth learned it. Not only one or two, but hundreds, thousands, and tens of thousands of people; the heavenly beings, dragon gods, and the asuras of the threefold world; all the human and heavenly beings, persons of the two vehicles, and great bodhisattvas gathered in assembly from the five regions of India, the four continents, the six heavens of the world of desire, the worlds of form and formlessness, and the worlds of the ten directions, and learned and heard of it. Then all these beings returned to their own lands, explaining the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha of the sahā world one by one to the inhabitants of their respective lands, so that there was not a single being in the countless worlds of the ten directions who did not understand that Mahākāshyapa, Shāriputra, and those like them would never attain Buddhahood, and that it was wrong to give them alms and support." -- Opening of the Eyes
There are, at least several dozen more references to the men of the Two Vehicles being unable to attain Buddhahood in the Mahayana Sutras as noted in the Gosho. Bye ohgee.
"Know Ye! all these three vehicles are praised by sages ...." Chapter 3
ReplyDelete>There are, at least several dozen more references to the men of the Two Vehicles being unable to attain Buddhahood in the Mahayana Sutras as noted in the Gosho. Bye ohgee.
>
And which one of these voluminous references did the Buddha compare these Bodhisattvas Mahasattva's, e.g. Sariputra and Subhuti to howling jackals??? What we see here is another Nichiren deceptive hat trick.
Sharing the Dharma we learned with others is a way of doing good deeds. People who do good deeds are living Bodhisattvas. Buddha valued us as his own children
and expected us to pass on the Dharma Lineage. “One is the
beginning of infinity; and infinity came from one”. If we consider that Dharma benefits the world, we should help to spread the Dharma.I We have always been the children of Buddha. However, we refused to admit that we are capable of practicing the Great Vehicle teaching. Hearers and pratyekabuddhas thought that the Great Teaching was taught for the future Bodhisattvas and Buddhas, which had nothing to do with them who only practiced the Small Vehicle.
The teaching, started with the practical methods and proceeded to the authentic truth, to teach the right person at the right moment. Within the same teaching, some received well and some didn’t, based on their aptitude. However, it’s not to despair because, for example,
all plants receive water from the same rain storm. Big trees got a lot, in the same time, little weed got small amount. But, each one got some water. Just like us, we get out some understanding from each listening of the Dharma talk. Remember the story about the impoverished child who came home to his father who spent much time to guide his son to realize his status. The son did not want to accept the wealth until the father announced that he was the real son of this family.
Buddha’s teaching was equally distributed to everyone. It was our poor perception prevented us from accepting it. Subhuti said: “if we had known that we all can be blessed with Buddhahood, we would have practiced the Great Teaching. It was our ignorance to misunderstand Buddha that he was not teaching us the Great Vehicle. “
Buddha’s teaching is equally distributed to everyone. Our poor perception prevented us from accepting it. Subhuti said: “if we had known that we all can be blessed with Buddhahood, we would have practiced the Great Teaching. It was our ignorance to misunderstand Buddha that he was not teaching us the Great Vehicle. “
Nichiren was only kidding: "Shakyamuni is the father, sovereign and teacher of all other Buddhas and all gods"
ReplyDeleteI asked a 2 part question which could have been answered in one or two brief sentences. You chose to dance around them. Obviously, a Buddha whose virtue is loving kindness could never call his own "children" dogs and jackals. I thought at the least, you could have produced the [ title ] of the gosho quoted.
ReplyDeleteThat's 0 for 2, hey but thanks Vimakakirti, that was most revealing.
"I, Nichiren, am sovereign, teacher, and father and mother to all the people of Japan" Opening of the Eyes. The Buddha's parental roles were not extended to Japan.
ReplyDeleteI wrote "Nikke Gosho" ohgee. Guessed you missed it. I did answer the other question. There are dozens of references to Nijo being unable to attain Supreme and Perfect Enlightenment in many Mahayana sutras and this was reversed by the Lotus Sutra. The Lotus Sutra itself discusses the astonishment and joy of Mahkashapa and others at long last being given the Buddha's prophecy of Buddhahood for them in the Lotus Sutra:
ReplyDeleteGreat hero and stalwart, World-Honored One,
Dharma king of the Shakyas,
because you have pity on us,
favor us with the buddha voice!
If, because you understand our innermost minds,
you bestow a prophecy of buddhahood upon us,
it would be like sweet dew bathing us,
washing away fever and imparting coolness.
Suppose that someone coming from a land of famine
should suddenly encounter a great king’s feast.
p.147His heart still filled with doubt and fear,
he would not dare to eat the food at once,
but if he were instructed by the king to do so,
then he would venture to eat.
We now are like such a person,
for whenever we recall the errors of the lesser vehicle,
we do not know what we should do
to gain the unsurpassed wisdom of a buddha.
Though we hear the Buddha’s voice
telling us that we will attain buddhahood,
in our hearts we still harbor anxiety and fear,
like that person who did not dare to eat.
But now if the Buddha’s prophecy is bestowed upon us,
then joy and peace of mind will quickly be ours.
Great hero and stalwart, World-Honored One,
your constant desire is to set the world at ease.
We beg you to bestow such a prophecy on us,
as you would instruct a starving person to eat." [LS Ch. 6]
continued....
The Buddha talks at length of those who have a "fondness for the petty" [the Nijo] but even they, thanks to the Lotus Sutra will gain emancipation. Thanks to the Lotus Sutra, "now we have become voice-hearers in truth."
ReplyDeleteWho do you think the Buddha is speaking of when he states,
"There are monks and nuns
who behave with overbearing arrogance,
laymen full of self-esteem,
laywomen who are lacking in faith.
Among the four kinds of believers, the likes of these
number five thousand.
They fail to see their own errors,
are heedless and remiss with regard to the precepts,
clinging to their shortcomings, unwilling to change.
But these persons of small wisdom have already left;
the chaff among this assembly
has departed in the face of the Buddha’s authority.
These persons were of paltry merit and virtue,
incapable of receiving this Law.
This assembly is now free of branches and leaves,
made up only of those steadfast and truthful."?
The Nijo who have left the assembly. Those that remain are no longer Voice Hearers because as the Buddha states, "I have no voice-hearer disciples"
continued.....
.
The Buddha discusses the retribution for slandering the Sutra or its votaries:
ReplyDeleteIf a person fails to have faith
but instead slanders this sutra,
immediately he will destroy all the seeds
for becoming a buddha in any world.
Or perhaps he will scowl with knitted brows
and harbor doubt or perplexity.
Listen and I will tell you
the penalty this person must pay.
Whether the Buddha is in the world
or has already entered extinction,
if this person should slander
a sutra such as this,
or on seeing those who read, recite,
copy, and uphold this sutra,
should despise, hate, envy,
or bear grudges against them,
the penalty this person must pay—
listen, I will tell you now:
When his life comes to an end
he will enter the Avichi hell,
be confined there for a whole kalpa,
p.111and when the kalpa ends, be born there again.
He will keep repeating this cycle
for a countless number of kalpas.
Though he may emerge from hell,
he will fall into the realm of beasts,
becoming a dog or jackal,
his form lean and scruffy,
dark, discolored, with scabs and sores,
something for men to make sport of.
Or again he will be
hated and despised by men,
constantly plagued by hunger and thirst,
his bones and flesh dried up,
in life undergoing torment and hardship,
in death buried beneath tiles and stones.
Because he cut off the seeds of buddhahood
he will suffer this penalty.
If he should become a camel
or be born in the shape of a donkey,
his body will constantly bear heavy burdens
and have the stick or whip laid on it.
He will think only of water and grass
and understand nothing else.
Because he slandered this sutra,
this is the punishment he will incur.
continued
Or he will be born as a jackal
ReplyDeletewho comes to the village,
body all scabs and sores,
having only one eye,
by the boys
beaten and cuffed,
suffering grief and pain,
sometimes to the point of death.
And after he has died
he will be born again in the body of a serpent,
long and huge in size,
p.112measuring five hundred yojanas,
deaf, witless, without feet,
slithering along on his belly,
with little creatures
biting and feeding on him,
day and night undergoing hardship,
never knowing rest.
Because he slandered this sutra,
this is the punishment he will incur.
If he should become a human being,
his faculties will be blighted and dull,
he will be puny, vile, bent, crippled,
blind, deaf, hunchbacked.
The things he says
people will not believe,
the breath from his mouth will be constantly foul,
he will be possessed by demons,
poor and lowly,
ordered around by others,
plagued by many ailments, thin and gaunt,
having no one to turn to.
Though he attached himself to others,
they would never think of him;
though he might gain something,
he would at once lose or forget it.
Though he might practice the art of medicine
and by its methods cure someone’s disease,
the person would grow sicker from some other malady
and perhaps in the end would die.
If he himself had an illness,
no one would aid or nurse him,
and though he took good medicine,
it would only make his condition worse.
If others should commit traitorous acts,
plunder, and rob,
blames for such sins
would be unjustly visited on him.
p.113A sinful person of this sort
will never see the Buddha,
the king of the many sages,
preaching the Law, teaching and converting.
A sinful person of this sort
will constantly be born amid difficulties,
crazed, deaf, confused in mind,
and never will hear the Law.
For countless kalpas
numerous as Ganges sands
he will at birth become deaf and dumb,
his faculties impaired,
will constantly dwell in hell,
strolling in it as though it were a garden,
and the other evil paths of existence
he will look on as his own home.
Camel, donkey, pig, dog—
these will be the forms he will take on.
Because he slandered this sutra,
this is the punishment he will incur.
If he should become a human being,
he will be deaf, blind, dumb.
Poverty, want, all kinds of decay
will be his adornment;
water blisters, diabetes,
scabs, sores, ulcers,
maladies such as these
will be his garments.
His body will always smell bad,
filthy and impure.
Deeply attached to views of self,
he will grow in anger and hatred;
aflame with licentious desires,
he will not spurn even birds or beasts.
Because he slandered this sutra,
this is the punishment he will incur.
I tell you, Shariputra,
p.114if I were to describe the punishments that fall
on persons who slander this sutra,
I could exhaust a kalpa and never come to the end.
What about those like yourself who slander the Supreme Votary of the Lotus Sutra, Nichiren Daishonin. I tremble at your fate.
If a person fails to have faith
ReplyDeletebut instead slanders this sutra,
I believe the Buddha is referring to those who distort the intent of the Sutra, e.g. restricting practitioners from the 6 paramitas, inventing a transmission method based on an obscure passage, and further distorting the meaning of the passage; Nichiren practitioners rarely mention the bodhisattva way and when they do, mistakenly believe it's rebuking slander rather than doing good deeds.
A very long time passes before a Buddha appears, so to encounter a Buddha is quite difficult. So even if a buddha comes to this world and wants to share his in like state of mind with everyone, it would still be difficult for us to realize it. Who among us can actually awake in to it? For our minds to realize this state, we still have a long way to go. If we can not reverently accept the great vehicle Dharma, we might misunderstand or not believe it.
We might even slander it. This was what the Buddha considered.
In other words, he contemplated whether people would be able to listen to the Dharma with utmost reverence. Once people have the utmost reverence, "a straightforward mind is where spiritual cultivation takes place."
If they could faithfully accept and practice the Dharma, it would be easy for the Buddha to expound it. However, sentient beings could not accept it with such a straightforward mindset. Even if they were able to do so, they could not put it into practice. This is why it is difficult for the Buddha to teach, because sentient beings lacked the sincerity. This was why they did not have deep faith.
Sakyamuni never referred to his disciples at the Lotus Dharma Assembly as "dogs." Even the 5000 ones who left the assembly were guilty of arrogance rather than slander. The Buddha only feared their conditions had not ripened to accept the one vehicle and they may slander it if they stayed on. Slander is for those who misunderstand the one vehicle and influence others.
" I tremble at your fate."
Save your crocodile tears.
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