PART THREE:
It is said that one of the sacred titles of the Buddha is "the world honored one". In the present age, there is hardly anywhere in the literate hemisphere that one or another of the Buddha's titles is not known. If he is not known as Shakyamuni, then he is known as Gautama, or the "awakened one", or the historical Buddha, or simply the Buddha. Moreover, there is no historical personage in the larger Buddhist world culture that is more universally acknowledged than Shakyamuni or any Mahayana sutra more highly revered than the Lotus. Although, relatively few western people know much about the essentials, it would be difficult to have any knowledge of world religions and philosophies and not have heard of the middle way doctrine.
The severe austerities that Gautama underwent in his quest to discover, understand, and elucidate the fundamental causes and cures of suffering, were an unprecedented display of courage, discipline, and dedication. Moreover,after enlightenment, the social and cultural austerities he endured to ensure the integrity of his ministry and the purity of his teachings were a profound testament to the strength of his faith (17). The diamond hard body of practical and philosophical wisdom he fashioned in ancient India, left an extraordinarily influential imprint on the very record of civilization. Three thousand years later, the impact of his historical turning of the wheel of the law, still reverberates across the waters of human consciousness. His essential teachings have inspired and guided seekers of the way ever since. His teachings inspired his immediate disciples, his life and teachings were the inspiration behind the Lotus Sutra, he inspired all the bodhisattvas of the former and middle days of the law, he inspired Nagajuna, T'ien- t'ai, Miao-lo, Dengyo and he inspired Nichiren Daishonin. Without the seed of Shakyamuni's original enlightenment, the accomplishments of all these others, including Nichiren Daishonin, would be practically less than dust. How could anyone reasonably doubt that Shakyamuni is the Tathagata, the original parent, teacher, and sovereign of the Buddha land, the world honored one? To deny this is to literally cut oneself off from the life blood of the Buddhist faith.
The life and legend of Shakyamuni reflects a very high ideal of human existence. It reflects a standard of successful altruistic living which is of history changing impact. This ideal speaks to both the individual and the collective, even though embracing its full measure seems far beyond either the desire or the capacity of us ordinary people. However, that is not a bad thing, we need not turn away in fear because it is neither our capacity nor our personal role in the scheme of things to duplicate the details of Shakyamuni's personal life or otherwise match his historical fame. The Lotus Sutra teaches that we are all equal in our potentiality for enlightenment. However, in matters of faith and wisdom, it is a very rare that anyone succeeds in coming even near the historical and legendary stature that Shakyamuni obtained. Indeed, Shakyamuni lived the life that he did in order to produce a decisive legacy for the ages. The wonderful thing, is that Shakyamuni's life was one that was lived long for the standard of his time, and one lived with extraordinarily impeccable intent and success. As a testimony to the most profound teachings of Shakyamuni, the Lotus Sutra expounds the essential causes and effects that lead to the universal eradication of suffering. From this standpoint, it is an absolute certainty that anyone can find something within its pages that is worth study and reflection. If we have no ideals to regularly observe that are clearly beyond our measure, than no possibility of beneficial advancement in our own lives or in the life of the race is conceivable. Such is the Lotus Sutra, the quintessential Buddhist masterpiece of philosophical and cosmological writing, the crown jewel of the Mahayana.
You say that you fear that Nichiren Daishonin's great contribution will be lost if he is not endowed with the status of the true Buddha. The sages tell us that, "those who do not learn the lessons of history are bound to repeat them." I therefore suggest that you should fear the loss of Shakyamuni's legacy every bit as much. This is sometimes the hardest thing to understand, but the essential diamond hard nature of Shakyamuni's original enlightenment cannot be improved upon, it can only be studied and emulated. Nichiren Daishonin's orthodox Buddhism and his own faith rests upon the legacy of Shakyamuni's original enlightenment. What a shame it would be to have the original antecedents of the Buddhist faith annihilated from the memory of the race. To loose the jewel of wisdom and insight that Shakyamuni crafted, would be on a par with loosing the gifts of tool making and written language, like being relegated to the status of wild animals in the wilderness who never learned who their own parents were. If anything, the world suffers from lack of sufficient knowledge about the life and teachings of Lord Shakyamuni. It should therefore be clear that Nichiren Daishonin had very deep and far reaching justification for defining the true object of worship as he did. As followers of Nichiren Daishonin, we should endeavor to cultivate respect in the manner that he prescribed.
Nevertheless, we are still left with the central issue of this discussion. That is, "if Nichiren Daishonin is not the true Buddha, then who indeed is he and how should we represent him?" Historically, we know that Nichiren Daishonin was a Mahayana Buddhist priest, a disciple of Shakyamuni, a Daimoku master, a mandala maker of extraordinary accomplishment, and the foremost votary of the Lotus Sutra in the latter age of the law. The unique character of his accomplishment was punctuated by the prescription of Namu Myoho Renge Kyo as the essential practice, clarification of the true object of worship, inscription of Gohonzon, and the formulation of landmark doctrinal standard forinterpreting and practicing the Lotus Sutra. At the heart of it, he distilled the most essential teachings of Buddhism down into a formula of faith, practice, and study that common people like ourselves could regularly embrace while continuing to build and live ordinary lives. This was indeed an accomplishment of extraordinarily great insight, wisdom, and compassion. The product of an enlightened life lived in the service of the Eternal Buddha and the people of the earth. As a votary of the Lotus Sutra, Nichiren Daishonin's life vow was to practice, expound, and propagate its teachings as the essential prescription to overcome the karmic effects of slander and to extinguishsuffering.
By historical precedent, a Buddha is a sage who has achieved a state of perfect illumination from practicing the teachings of the original Buddha Shakyamuni. In regard to the matter, Nichiren Daishonin wrote:
"Although not worthy of the honor, Nichiren was nevertheless the first to spread the Mystic Law entrusted to Bodhisattva Jogyo for propagation in the Latter Day of the Law. Nichiren Daishonin was also the first to inscribe the Gohonzon, which is the embodiment of the Buddha from the remote past as revealed in the Juryo chapter of the essential teaching, of Taho Buddha who appeared when the Hoto chapter of the theoretical teaching was preached, and the Bodhisattvas of the Earth who emerged with the Yujutsu chapter. No matter how people mayhate Nichiren Daishonin, they cannot possibly alter the fact of his
enlightenment. "(2)
In the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni vowed to make everyone equal to himself in terms of the benefits of the enlightenment that he himself obtained. Unquestionably, Nichiren Daishonin's own enlightenment is an historically decisive instance of the fulfillment of Lord Shakyamuni's promise. As the Buddha's disciple, Nichiren Daishonin's enlightenment was the product of the original Buddha's most profound teachings as they had been preserved and illuminated through the succession of votaries of the Lotus Sutra to the time of Nichiren Daishonin's appearance at the beginning of the latter age. Nichiren Daishonen's Buddhism is orthodox Mahayana Buddhism refined and expounded in accordance with the essential prescription of that lineage.
The labor of successfully establishing Nichiren Daishonin's orthodox Buddhism in this country, is a process of correctly establishing its status relative to the original teachings of Lord Shakyamuni. Many of us in this country began our journey as followers and practitioners of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism based on the belief that he is the true Buddha. As an expedient for centering on the essential practice, this initial shaping of belief and understanding was not really so incorrect as it could have been. This is particularly so considering the myriad of less worthy personages and teachings that one's faith could be invested in. It is also true that because of this investment in Nichiren as True Buddha, ironically, more people have ended up ascribing less significance to Nichiren Daishonin than would be expected. Despite elevating Nichiren to true Buddha status fewer and fewer people seem to have respect for the Nichiren Lotus Sutra Buddhism. *Imagine, there are a group of vociferous supporters of the vice president who claim that Joe Biden and not Barack Obama is the true head of state. Through no fault of his own, Joe biden being a loyal follower of president Obama, in the mind of the vast majority of the people, his status has become that of usurper. The people will in the end, turn away from Joe Biden, his power and influence to support the president will be diminished and people may even begin to harbor doubts about the programs of the president and the Law of the land.*
The issue can also be looked at from the standpoint of the three virtues of sovereign, teacher, and parent. The true orthodox stand of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism specifies that the only personage that legitimately possesses all three virtues is Lord Shakyamuni the master of teachings. (18)(19) Nevertheless, anyone who takes Nichiren's Daishonin's orthodox Buddhism seriously, will have some functional tendency to ascribe these virtues to him. (2) However, such an ascription can only hold orthodox validity when it is understood that Lord Shakyamuni is Nichiren Daishonin's sovereign lord and therefore the true sovereign, parent, and teacher of our faith. The term "Daishonin" means "great teacher". Therefore, the correct orthodox endowment of Nichiren Daishonin is with the virtue of teacher of Lord Shakyamuni's Buddha Dharma. Failure to be observant of this relationship between Lord Shakyamuni and Nichiren Daishonin is tantamount to denying the true cause underlying Nichiren Daishonin's own enlightenment. The original vow to bring all people to enlightenment was Lord Shakyamuni's. In turn, all the Buddha's, bodhisattvas, and guardian deities that attended the ceremony in the sky, made their vows to Lord Shakyamuni. It was also to Lord Shakyamuni that Nichiren Daishonin made his vow to propagate the Lotus Sutra in the latter age. In Nichiren Daishonin's true orthodox Buddhism, Lord Shakyamuni of the 16th chapter of the Lotus Sutra is the original and eternal Buddha and therefore the original benefactor of the Buddha Dharma, Myoho Renge Kyo.
As Lord Shakyamuni's disciple and emissary, Nichiren Daishonin's life work was in the service of guiding all people to enlightenment through the profound teachings of Myoho Renge Kyo. The most fundamental linguistic identity of "Myoho Renge Kyo", is the actual title of the written scripture of Lotus Sutra itself. Consequently, the phrase "Namu Myoho Renge Kyo" should clearly imply being attendant upon both the Daimoku and the Dharma teachings expounded within. In the final analysis, the very essence of Nichiren Daishonin's faith, is the Buddha Dharma originally expounded by the eternal Buddha Lord Shakyamuni. This Dharma is mirrored in the depths of Gohonzon and in the depths of the written scripture of the Lotus Sutra itself. A new Daimoku movement is emerging in this country that is anchored in this original and eternal Buddhism of Lord Shakyamuni. This movement is based on the true meaning of Nichiren Daishonin's faith as it has been restored, preserved, and taught by the succession of true followers since Nichiren Daishonin's own time. The lineage of this succession is exemplified by Nichiju Shonin, who founded the Kempon Hokke sect of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism many centuries ago in Japan. (1) It is through the vehicle of this movement that the people of this country now have both the alternative and the opportunity to learn and practice the Buddhism of Namu Myoho Renge Kyo as Nichiren Daishonin truly intended.
So now, the present discourse has gone full circle to where it began. Who then is Nichiren Daishonin? Of course, in the final analysis, I can only speak for myself as Nichiren Daishonin's gosho is the true doctrinal authority, not what I have to say.
Nevertheless, at least for me, under the original and eternal sovereignty and parenthood of Lord Shakyamuni, Nichiren Daishonin is my historical teacher and sangha leader in this latter day of the law. He is the founder and patriarchal elder of the orthodox Mahayana Buddhism that I practice. His gosho teachings are most excellent. As Daishonen, he is the authority on how the Lotus Sutra should be interpreted and how the essential practices of Buddhism should be performed in this latter age. As lay follower and practitioner of the Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism, I endeavor to be attendant upon the oneness of the true Buddha and true Dharma revealed in the teachings of the Lotus Sutra of Shakyamuni as
Nichiren Daishonin prescribed.
"A passage from the Lotus Sutra reads, '...as though one had found a ship to make the crossing.' This 'ship' might be described as follows: The Lord Buddha, a shipbuilder of infinitely profound wisdom, gathered the lumber of the four tastes and eight teachings, planed it by honestly discarding the provisional teachings, cut and assembled the planks, using both right and wrong, and completed the craft by driving home the spikes of the one, supreme teaching. Thus he launched the ship upon the sea of suffering. Unfurling the sails of the three thousand conditions on the mast of the Middle Way doctrine, driven by the fair wind of 'all phenomena reveal the true entity,' the vessel surges ahead, carrying all believers who can enter Buddhahood by their pure faith. Shakyamuni Buddha is the helmsman, Taho Buddha mans the sails, and the four Bodhisattvas led by Jogyo strain in unison at the creaking oars. This is the ship in 'a ship to make the crossing,' the vessel of Myoho-renge- kyo. Those who board it are the disciples and followers of Nichiren. Believe this wholeheartedly. " (20)
NAMU MYOHO RENGE KYO
References and Notes:
(1) Kempon Hokke Bukkokukai Manual For New Believers, Hokke Kai International, Eugene, OR, 1997.
(2) Nichiren Daishonin, "The True Entity of Life", Volume I, NSIC, 1979.
(3) Nichiren Daishonin, "The True Object of Worship - Kanjin no Honzon Sho", Volume I, NSIC, 1979.
(4) Note: The term "Daimoku" means "title of a Sutra". The Hokke Gengi, which is one of major works of Tien-T'ai, is said to have expounded the premise that the essence of the entire Lotus Sutra is expressed in the title. The Hokke Gengi is further said to provide
exhaustive interpretation of each of the five characters of Myo-ho-ren-ge-kyo. It is unfortunate that no English translations of the major works of Tien-T'ai have yet been made available.
(5) Dictionary of Buddhist Terms and Concepts, NSIC, 1983.
(6) Note: the actual wording of this translation had it as the "treasure tower" in reference to the apparition in the sky described in the 11th chapter of the Lotus Sutra. However, various
other English translations of the Lotus Sutra have this chapter titled as the, "Jeweled Stupa", or "Precious Stupa", or just "Stupa" or "Shrine". Therefore, the term "Stupa" was considered more faithful to the original meaning.
(7) Nichiren Daishonin, "Earthly Desires Are Enlightenment" , Volume I, NSIC, 1979.
(8) Nichiren Daishonin, "The Selection of the Time", Volume III, NSIC, 1985.
(9) Nichiren Daishonin, "This Person Will Practice Among The People", Volume VI, 1993.
(10) Hurvitz, Leon. "Scripture of the Lotus Blossom of the Fine Dharma", Translated from the Chinese of Kummarajiva, Columbia University Press, New York, 1979.
(11) Kubota, Rev, Tetsujo; H.G. Lamont (translator) , "A Talk on Nichiren Daishonin Shonin's Object of Worship", Sankibo Buddhist Book Store LTD. Tokyo, Japan1994.
(12) Kubota, Rev. Tetsujo; H.G. Lamont (translator) , "The Essential Services of the Kempon Hokke Sect", Kempon Hokke Bukkoku Kai, Japan, 1995.
(13) Nichiren Daishonin Daishonin, "The Opening of the Eyes, Part II", Volume II, NSIC,1984.
(14) Note: It is interesting to observe that the older "Newtonian" physics is viewed as a special instance of general relativity. This is somewhat analogous to the Buddhist concept of a provisional teaching, which is characterized as an expedient understanding or partial truth. It would be incorrect to define the physics of Einstein as a complete truth. Nevertheless, it constitutes a more complete truth about physical reality than Newtonian physics alone.
(15) Nichiren Daishonin, "On Practicing the Buddha's Teachings" - "Nyosetsu Shugyo Sho", Volume I, NSIC, 1979.
(16 ) Note: Parallel to the division between true and provisional teachings, Nichiren Daishonin's gosho is made up of both major and minor writings. His major writings are characterized as those that elucidate the foundation of his orthodox Buddhism and were written for general dissemination. In contrast, his "minor" writings are characterized as those that were specifically written for a particular person, an expedient medicine to deal with a unique ailment or problem and therefore not necessarily applicable to all people.
(17) Lotus Sutra, Chapter 14, or Chapter 13 in the Kern Translation.
(18) Nichiren Daishonin, "The Teaching in Accordance with the Buddha's Own Mind", Volume 7, NSIC, 1994.
(19) Nichiren Daishonin, "On Prayer", Volume 7, NSIC, 1994.
(20) Nichiren Daishonin, "A Ship to Cross the Sea of Suffering," Quotation extracted from "Kempon Hokke Bukkokukai Manual for new Believers", October, 1997.
*Added by me*
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