Nichiren's comprehensive teachings on Shakyamuni Buddha of the Juryo Chapter - Part 1

"Having thus undoubtedly regretted and reversed his previous teachings, he made clear his true intention, saying, “The World-Honored One has long expounded his doctrines and now must reveal the truth,” and “For long he remained silent regarding the essential, in no hurry to speak of it at once.” Thereupon Many Treasures Buddha sprang forth from beneath the earth and added his testimony that what Shakyamunihad said is true, and the Buddhas of the ten directions assembled in the eight directions and reached with their long broad tongues to the palace of the great heavenly king Brahmā in testament. All the beings of the two worlds and the eight groups, who were gathered at the twoplaces and the three assemblies, without a single exception witnessed this. 

In light of the above sutra passages, setting aside evil people and non-Buddhists who do not believe in Buddhism, with regard to those who, though Buddhist believers, have devout faith in provisional teachings preached before the Lotus Sutra such as the Nembutsu, and devote themselves to reciting it ten, a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, or as many as sixty thousand times a day without chantingNam-myoho-renge-kyo even once in the course of ten or twenty years, are they not like a person who, clinging to the transfer deed already nullified by his parent, refuses to accept its revised version? They may appear to others as well as to themselves to have faith in the Buddha’s teachings, but if we go by what the Buddha actually taught, they are unfilial people. 

This is why the second volume of the Lotus Sutra states: “But now this threefold world is all my domain, and the living beings in it are all my children. Now this place is beset by many pains and trials. I am the only person who can rescue and protect others, but though I teach and instruct them, they do not believe or accept my teachings.” 

This passage means that to us living beings the Thus Come One Shakyamuni is our parent, our teacher, and our sovereign. AlthoughAmida, Medicine Master, and other Buddhas are sovereigns to us living beings, they are neither parents nor teachers. Shakyamuni is the only Buddha endowed with all three virtues and to whom we owe a profound debt of gratitude. There are parents and parents, yet none of them can equal Shakyamuni Buddha. There are all manner of teachers and sovereigns, but none as admirable as he is. Could those who disobey the teaching of this parent, teacher, and sovereign possibly not be abandoned by the heavenly gods and the earthly deities? They are the most unfilial of all children. It is for this reason that the Buddha said, “Though I teach and instruct them, they do not believe or accept my teachings.” Even if they follow the sutras preached before the Lotus and practice them for a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, or a million kalpas, if they do not believe in the Lotus Sutra and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo even once, they will be unfilial. They will therefore be abandoned by the sacred ones of the three existences and the ten directions, and hated by both the heavenly gods and the earthly deities. (This is the first of the five guides for propagation.) -- Encouragement to a Sick Person 

"And on another occasion the little retreat where I was living, where I had enshrined a statue of Shakyamuni Buddha as the object of devotion, and where I stored the texts of the various sutras, was attacked and destroyed, and the statue of the Buddha and sutra texts were not only trampled upon, but thrown into the mud and filth. And a scroll of the Lotus Sutra, which I had placed in the breast of my robe, was snatched forth and I was mercilessly beaten over the head with it. These heinous crimes were carried out not because of any ancient enmity harbored against me or because of any offense I had recently committed, but solely because I worked to propagate the teachings of the Lotus Sutra." 

"Shakyamuni Buddha, our father and mother, who is endowed with the three virtues of sovereign, teacher and parent, is the very one who encourages us, the people driven out by all other Buddha, saying, "I alone can save them." The debt of gratitude we owe him is deeper than the ocean, weightier than the earth, vaster than the sky. Though we were to pluck out our two eyes and place them before him as an offering until there were more eyes there than stars in the sky, though we were to strip off our skins and spread them out by the hundreds of thousands of ten thousands until they blanketed the ceiling of heaven, though we were to give him our tears as offerings of water and present him with flowers for the space of a hundred billion kalpas, though we were to offer him our flesh and blood for innumerable kalpas, until our flesh piled up like mountains and our blood overflowed like vast seas, we could never repay a fraction of the debt we owe to this Buddha! (MW vol. 4, The Learned Doctor Shan-wu-wei) 

"However, later seeking and entering the deep cave, you see a single hermitage. The voices of the reading and reciting of the Hokekyo echo against blue heaven and the words of discussing the doctrine of the One Vehicle are heard in the midst of the mountains. Informing [them, of your presence and requesting] admittance, you enter the chamber, place your mother's bones before the Master of Teachings Lord Shakya, cast your five limbs to the ground, press your palms together, and opening your two eyes, look up to the Holy Face: joy overflows your body and the pain of your heart suddenly ceases." (On Forgetting Ones Copy Of The Lotus Sutra, NOPPA Translation) 

http://markrogow.blogspot.com/2017/09/shakyamuni-is-only-buddha-endowed-with.html

This is why the second volume of the Lotus Sutra states: “But now this threefold world is all my domain, and the living beings in it are all my children. Now this place is beset by many pains and trials. I am the only person who can rescue and protect others, but though I teach and instruct them, they do not believe or accept my teachings.”

"For the cause of the Lotus Sutra, I, Nichiren, have likewise been driven from my dwelling and attacked on many occasions, suffering wounds on my body. My disciples have been killed. I have twice been condemned to exile in distant regions. And, once, I was almost beheaded. All this I bore for the sake of the Lotus Sutra.

The Buddha preaches in the Lotus Sutra that more than 2,200 years after his death, in the 5th 500-year period [i.e., at the beginning of the Latter Day of the Law] when the Lotus Sutra is about to spread throughout the world, the Devil of the Sixth Heaven will take possession of people, abusing, striking, banishing or killing those who happen to take faith in this sutra, in an attempt to prevent them from propagating the sutra's teachings. He goes on to say that those who stand in the vanguard at that time win benefit as great as though they had given offerings to the Buddhas of the three existences and the 10 directions. And the Buddha also promises that he will transfer to such persons the benefits resulting from his own trials and the ascetic practices he underwent as a bodhisattva." (Gosho Zenshu, p. 1415)

"The saha world Shakyamuni revealed in the Juryo chapter is the eternal pure land, impervious to the three calamities and the four cycles of change. In this world the Buddha is eternal, transcending birth and death, and his disciples are also eternal. That is why the three thousand worlds or the three realms of existence are within our own lives. The Buddha did not reveal this truth in the first fourteen chapters of the Lotus Sutra because the time was not right and he found his disciples not yet able to grasp the truth." -- The True Object of Worship

"Shakyamuni lives today; this is the age of the Buddha" -- Nichiren Daishonin (On the Buddha's Behavior) 

Nichiren Daishonin worshiped the Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni of the 16th Chapter of the Lotus Sutra, as the teacher, source, substance and entity of Namu Myoho renge kyo and the Gohonzon or as Nichiren states, "The Buddha who is the entity of Myoho-renge-kyo of the “Life Span” chapter of the essential teaching."

Therefore, what follows from a Buddhist logic perspective is: If you wish to have the same Enlightenment as Nichiren Daishonin you must worship the same object as he. Nichiren Shoshu's/SGI's object of worship is not the same as Nichiren's (Shakyamuni Buddha of the Juryo Chapter of the Lotus Sutra) and therefore, your Enlightenment is not the same his. The SGI is even more deluded because they worship Daisaku Ikeda as the source. 

http://markrogow.blogspot.com/2017/10/some-teachings-of-nichiren-on.html

http://markrogow.blogspot.com/2017/10/nichirens-one-original-eternal-buddha.html

"I SUGGEST you begin the religious debate with these words:] “Although I am an ignorant layman, among the teachings I have heard, I was especially impressed by the passage in the second volume of the Lotus Sutra that reads, ‘Now this threefold world [is all my domain . . . ]’”1 This sutra passage means that this country of Japan is the domain of Shakyamuni Buddha. In addition to the fact that all the gods, such as the Sun Goddess, Great Bodhisattva Hachiman, and Emperor Jimmu, and all the people, from the ruler of the nation on down, dwell within his realm, he is the Buddha to whom we living beings are greatly indebted for three reasons. First, he is our sovereign; second, he is our teacher; and third, he is our father. Among all the Buddhas of the ten directions, only Shakyamuni Buddha is endowed with these three virtues. Therefore, even if all the people of the country of Japan were to serve Shakyamuni Buddha wholeheartedly just as they now do Amida Buddha, if they were to place him side by side with another Buddha and treat him in the same manner, that would still be a grave error. For example, though someone were our own ruler and wise besides, if we were to shift our allegiance to the ruler of another country—for instance, if, while dwelling in Japan, we were to pay honor to the king of China or Koryŏ and slight the sovereign of Japan—could we be called persons who honor the great sovereign of this country?"

"Shakyamuni Buddha is the foremost among all the Buddhas." -- Nichiren

“‘Shakyamuni Buddha, world-honored one of right and universal knowledge, I beg that you will act as my tutor. I beg that Manjushri, endowed with great compassion, will through his wisdom grant me the pure Law of the bodhisattvas. That Bodhisattva Maitreya, excellent sun of great compassion, will take pity on me and for that reason permit me to receive the Law of the bodhisattvas. That the buddhas of the ten directions will manifest themselves in order to bear witness for me, that the great bodhisattvas will each one speak his name, and that these excellent great men will shelter and protect living beings and help me and the others." -- Universal Worthy Sutra, epilogue to the Lotus Sutra

"All the True Word priests go through a secret ceremony of anointment, in which pictures of Shakyamuni Buddha and others are painted on an eight-petaled lotus and the participants tread on them with their feet. And because those who took part in this bizarre ritual were revered and treated as the supervisors of various temples by the Retired Emperor of Oki, power passed into the hands of his common subjects, and he met with disgrace in this life." -- Repaying Debts of Gratitude

"...Sakyamuni Buddha is the supreme leader and excellent eyes for all the people. He is the bridge that enables them to cross the river of evil passions; he is the skipper who guides them over the sea of life and death; and he is the fertile field in which they plant the seed of merits...The meaning of these words in the Lotus Sutra is shiningly clear -- brighter than the sun in the blue sky and the full moon at midnight. Look up and put your faith in it. Prostrate yourself before it and think hard about it." -- Opening of the Eyes 

http://markrogow.blogspot.com/2017/10/original-buddha.html

http://markrogow.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-true-object-of-worship-by-nichiren.html

http://markrogow.blogspot.com/2017/10/ri-butsu-or-very-real-buddha.html

http://markrogow.blogspot.com/2017/10/since-beginning-of-kalpa-of-continuance.html

"In fact Sakyamuni began to preach, planting the seed of Buddhahood in the eternal past... Sakyamuni Buddha continued to guide His disciples until they were all sure to attain Buddhahood during the preaching of the Lotus Sutra in His present life, completing the series of His preaching which began in the eternal past." -- Kanjin Honzon-Sho (NOPPA) page 56:

and

"Demonstrating ten great mystic powers the Buddha (Shakyamuni) transferred Namu Myoho renge Kyo to the four great bodhisattvas" (Ibid Kanjin Honzon Sho)

"Again, it is written, “Whosoever receives and keeps this Lotus Sutra, reads it, correctly bears it in mind, practices it, writes and copies it, let it be known that such a person beholds Sakyamuni Buddha face to face, and hears the words of this sutra directly from the Buddha’s mouth. Such a one thus also venerates Sakyamuni Buddha in person.” This passage means that the Lotus Sutra and Sakyamuni Buddha are one and the same thing. For those who don’t believe in the Lotus Sutra, Sakyamuni Buddha has gone to extinction and does not appear anymore, but for those who believe in this sutra, even though it is said that he has gone to extinction, the Buddha is present in this world. Again it is written, “After I have attained Buddhahood and have gone on to nirvana, if there is any place in the ten directions where the Lotus Sutra is preached, with my stupa, I will be there and manifest myself in that place to hear the sutra being preached, and will attest to the truth of the sutra.” This passage means that when we ordinary beings of this latter age of the dharma recite the august title of the Lotus Sutra, Prabhutanaratna Tathagata, on account of his vow, will come and be present. -- (STN 1, 123: 8–14)9 -- Shugo kokka ron by Nichiren Daishonin

"The Nirvana Sutra says: “Rely on the Law and not upon persons. . . . Rely on wisdom and not on discriminative thinking.”

To rely on the Law means to rely on the constantly abiding Law of the Lotus and Nirvana sutras. Not relying on persons means not relying on persons who do not themselves rely on the Lotus and Nirvana sutras. Even though they may be Buddhas or bodhisattvas, if they are Buddhas and bodhisattvas who do not rely on the Lotus and Nirvana sutras, they cannot serve as good friends. And how much more is this so if they are merely scholars, translators of the sacred texts, or ordinary teachers!

To rely on wisdom means to rely on the Buddha. Not relying on discriminative thinking means that one does not rely on those who are on the level of near-perfect enlightenment or below." -- Nichiren [From How Those Initially Aspiring to the Way Can Attain Buddhahood through the Lotus Sutra]

"In the case of the Lotus Sutra, however, all the sutras preached in the first forty and more years are included within this one sutra. The Buddhas of the worlds in the ten directions, who are all endowed with the three bodies, are one and all gathered there, for, as it is explained, all are emanations of the one Buddha, Shakyamuni. Therefore, this one Buddha is none other than all Buddhas, and all Buddhas are thus brought together within the two characters of myōhō."

http://markrogow.blogspot.com/2017/08/by-following-this-buddha-shakyamuni-one.html

http://markrogow.blogspot.com/2017/08/sgi-fails-to-teach-specific-more.html

http://markrogow.blogspot.com/2017/08/sgi-ignores-these-teachings-at-their.html

http://markrogow.blogspot.com/2017/06/nichiren-hombutsuron-nichiren-as-true.html

http://markrogow.blogspot.com/2017/06/shakyamuni-buddha-is-father-and.html

"Answer: The pure lands described in the sutras preached prior to the Lotus Sutra, pure lands in which the Thus Come One Shakyamuni, the true Buddha who gained enlightenment in the inconceivably remote past, manifested himself, are all of them defiled lands."

"How can anyone put faith in such teachers as these, men who slander the Law, and still hope in their next existence to avoid falling into the hell of incessant suffering? On the other hand, ignorant people of the present age, so long as they acknowledge Shakyamuni Buddha as their proper object of devotion, will automatically escape any accusation of unfilial conduct; so long as they put their faith in the Lotus Sutra, though that may not have been what they had in mind, they will be cleared of any fault of slandering the Law." -- Nichiren's writing, On Shan-wu-wei

http://markrogow.blogspot.com/2017/06/they-do-not-know-existence-of-eternal.html

http://markrogow.blogspot.com/2017/06/one-mans-thoughts-on-eternal-buddha.html

"This excellent good medicine I now leave here. You should take it and drink it and not fear that you will not be cured. In the final dharma age, it means Namu Myoho Renge Kyo, "I" means Sakyamuni..." (STN 3:2666) 

"Bodhisattva Superior Practices received the water of the wisdom of the Mystic Law from the Thus Come One Shakyamuni and causes it to flow into the wasteland of the people’s lives in the evil world of the latter age. This is the function of wisdom. Shakyamuni Buddha transferred this teaching to Bodhisattva Superior Practices, and now Nichiren propagates it in Japan. With regard to the transfer of teachings, it is divided into two categories: general and specific. If you confuse the general with the specific even in the slightest, you will never be able to attain Buddhahood and will wander in suffering through endless transmigrations of births and deaths."

"In the “Life Span” chapter of the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha says, “Sometimes I speak of myself, sometimes of others.” The Buddha Good Virtue of the eastern region, the Thus Come One Mahāvairochana of the center, the Buddhas of the ten directions, the seven Buddhas of the past, the Buddhas of the three existences, Bodhisattva Superior Practices and the other bodhisattvas, Manjushrī, Shāriputra and the others, the great heavenly king Brahmā, the devil king of the sixth heaven, the heavenly king Shakra Devānām Indra, the sun god, the moon god, the morning star god, the seven stars of the Big Dipper, the twenty-eight constellations, the five planets, the seven stars, the countless eighty-four thousand other stars, the asura kings, the heavenly gods, earthly gods, gods of the mountains, gods of the seas, household gods, village gods, and the rulers of all the various countries of the world—not one of these is other than [a provisional manifestation of] Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings! The Sun Goddess, Great Bodhisattva Hachiman—both these in their original form are Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings. 

"Shakyamuni Buddha is like the one moon in the sky, and the various other Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and beings are like the reflections floating on ten thousand different bodies of water. Thus a person who fashions a single image of Shakyamuni Buddha is in effect making images of all the Buddhas of the worlds in the ten directions." [Concerning The Buddha Statue Fashioned by Nichigen-nyo] 

“The World-Honored One in his great mercy makes use of a rare thing, in pity and compassion teaching and converting, bringing benefit to us. In numberless millions of kalpas who could ever repay him? Though we offer him our hands and feet, bow our heads in respectful obeisance, and present all manner of offerings, none of us could repay him. Though we lift him on the crown of our heads, bear him on our two shoulders, for kalpas numerous as Ganges sands reverence him with all our hearts; though we come with delicate foods, with countless jeweled robes, with articles of bedding, various kinds of potions and medicines; with ox-head sandalwood and all kinds of rare gems, construct memorial towers and spread the ground with jeweled robes; though we were to do all this by way of offering for kalpas numerous as Ganges sands, still we could not repay him.” -- Lotus Sutra Chapter 4

“Shakyamuni Buddha our father and mother, who is endowed with the three virtues of sovereign, teacher and parent, is the very one who encourages us, the people driven out by all the other Buddhas, saying, ‘I alone can save them’. The debt of gratitude we owe him is deeper than the ocean, weightier than the earth, vaster than the sky. Though we were to pluck out our two eyes and place them before him as an offering until there were more eyes there than stars in the sky, though we were to strip off our skins and spread them out by the hundreds of ten thousands until they blanketed the ceiling of heaven, though we were to give him our tears as offerings of water and present him with flowers for the space of a hundred billion kalpas, though we were to offer him our flesh and blood for innumerable kalpas, until our flesh piled up like mountains and our blood overflowed like vast seas, we could never repay a fraction of the debt we owe to this Buddha!” -- Nichiren

http://markrogow.blogspot.com/2017/01/two-translations-of-same-difficult.html

five cardinal sins. How can they escape falling into the hell of incessant suffering? And finally, they have turned their backs on their teacher, Shakyamuni Buddha, and thus are to be numbered among those who commit the seven cardinal sins. How could they fail to sink into the evil paths of existence?" -- Nichiren

"T’ien-t’ai asserted, 'That which has a profound doctrine and accords with the sutras is to be written down and made available. But put no faith in anything that in word or meaning fails to do so. 'He also said, 'All assertions that lack scriptural proof are to be branded as false.' How would you interpret such statements?" -- Questions and Answers about Embracing the Lotus Sutra 

“What an occasion for rejoicing! Though born into an evil age that is stained with the five impurities, we have been able to see and hear the true words of the one vehicle. We read that a person who has planted roots of good fortune [under Buddhas] equal in number to the sands of the Hiranyavatī or the Ganges River is able to encounter this sutra and take faith in it. Now you have aroused the mind that rejoices in faith. Thus without a doubt, just as a box and its lid fit together, so will your own faith evoke the Buddha’s compassionate response, and the two will unite as one.” -- Nichiren

http://markrogow.blogspot.com/2018/01/you-have-no-grasp-of-anything-beyond.html

"All these beings are disciples of Shakyamuni Buddha. Since the various Buddhas themselves are emanations of Shakyamuni Buddha, it goes without saying that their disciples must be disciples of Shakyamuni. And of course the various deities of the sun, moon and stars, who have dwelt in the world from countless ages in the past must likewise be disciples of Shakyamuni Buddha." "(MW vol 2, Ibid, pg 152)

"When in one's heart one takes faith in Namu Myoho renge kyo, the heart becomes a dwelling and Shakyamuni Buddha takes up residence there. At first one is not aware of this, but gradually, as the months go by, the Buddha in the heart begins to appear as in a dream, and one's heart becomes bit by bit ever more joyful." -- Nichiren Daishonin