"Nichiren argued on the basis of the nonduality of form and mind that
the written words of the Lotus Sutra are the Buddha’s mind or intent made visible,
a conviction that informed his equating of the Lotus with the primordial
Śākyamuni Buddha himself."*
*Please note, not the primordial Daisaku Ikeda...
Shiki - Form
ReplyDeleteShin - Mind
Funi - Oneness
Shiki Shin Funi is the oneness of body and mind
This oneness does not mean that it is beyond form and mind as with Advaita Vendanta, Zen and the New Zenified SGI.
True Nonduality is the inseparability of body and mind or the oneness of body and mind
For a deeper explanation
San-tai - three truths
Ke - body
Ku - mind
Chu - Governs Ku and Ke
three truths ［三諦］ (Jpn san-tai): Also, threefold truth, triple truth, or three perceptions of the truth. The truth of non-substantiality, the truth of temporary existence, and the truth of the Middle Way. The three integral aspects of the truth, or ultimate reality, formulated by T’ien-t’ai (538–597) in
The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra and Great Concentration and Insight. The truth of non-substantiality means that phenomena have no existence of their own; their true nature is non-substantial, indefinable in terms of existence or nonexistence.
The truth of temporary existence means that, although non-substantial, all things possess a temporary reality that is in constant flux.
The truth of the Middle Way means that the true nature of phenomena is that they are neither non-substantial nor temporary, though they display attributes of both. The Middle Way is the essence of things that continues either in a manifest or a latent state. According to T’ien-t’ai’s explanation, the Tripitaka teaching and the connecting teaching do not reveal the truth of the Middle Way and therefore lack the three truths.
The specific teaching reveals the three truths but shows them as being separate from and independent of one another; that is, it does not teach that these three are inseparable aspects of all phenomena. This view is called the separation of the three truths.
The perfect teaching views the three as an integral whole, each possessing all three within itself. This is called the unification of the three truths.
SGI Dictionary -
The ancient primordial Sakyamuni Buddha is the pinnacle of the unification of the three truths ［円融の三諦］ (Jpn en’yū-no-santai): A principle set forth by T’ien-t’ai (538–597) based on the Lotus Sutra.
ReplyDeleteIt explains the three truths of non-substantiality, temporary existence, and the Middle Way as an integrated whole, each of the three containing all three within itself.
T’ien-t’ai identified this as the view of the three truths revealed in the perfect teaching, or the Lotus Sutra, in contrast to the separation of the three truths, the view espoused in the specific teaching.
Separation of the three truths is the view of the three truths as separate and independent of one another.
The truth of non-substantiality means that phenomena have no existence of their own; their true nature is non-substantial.
The truth of temporary existence means that, although non-substantial in nature, all phenomena possess a temporary reality that is in constant flux.
The truth of the Middle Way means that all phenomena are characterized by both non-substantiality and temporary existence, yet are in essence neither.
The unification of the three truths means that the truths of non-substantiality, temporary existence, and the Middle Way are inherent in all phenomena. T’ien-t’ai taught a form of meditation called the threefold contemplation in a single mind, aimed at grasping the unification of the three truths, eradicating the three categories of illusion, and acquiring the three kinds of wisdom (the wisdom of the two vehicles, the bodhisattva wisdom, and the Buddha wisdom), all at the same time.
The Middle Way aspect of the ultimate reality Chu［中道］ (Skt madhyamā-pratipad; Jpn chūdō): The way or path that transcends polar extremes. The Middle Way also indicates the true nature of all things, which cannot be defined by the absolutes of existence or nonexistence. It transcends the extremes of polar and opposing views, in other words, all duality. However, interpretations of this concept vary considerably from one text or school to another. The three major interpretations of the Middle Way follow:
ReplyDelete(1) In the Hinayana teachings, it is the rejection of the two extremes of self-indulgence and self-mortification. While still a prince, Shakyamuni lived in luxury in his father’s palace, but after renouncing the secular world, he abandoned worldly diversions and for years practiced as an ascetic, leading a life of deprivation and austerity. Eventually he rejected asceticism as well, and after attaining enlightenment he preached a way of life that avoids the extremes of indulgence and denial. The Medium-Length Āgama Sutra, one of the four Chinese Āgama sutras, terms this path the Middle Way. It is exemplified by the doctrine of the eightfold path.
(2) According to Nāgārjuna’s Treatise on the Middle Way, the true nature of all things is that they are neither born nor die, and cannot be defined by either of the two extremes of existence or nonexistence. This true nature of things is non-substantiality, also referred to as the Middle Way. The Treatise on the Middle Way begins: “Neither birth nor extinction, neither cessation nor permanence, neither uniformity nor diversity, neither coming nor going. . . .” This passage is termed the eight negations, or the middle path of the eight negations, and is intended to clarify the concept of the Middle Way.
(3) In terms of T’ien-t’ai’s doctrine of the three truths, the truth of the Middle Way means that the true nature of all things is neither non-substantiality nor temporary existence, but exhibits the characteristics of both.
Sgi Dictionary - now an ignored relic