271r1 ‘The “Original Buddha” ... ’ ~ by Ken Mandara ...
(There’s so much that’s been so thoroughly misunderstood regarding who or what the original Buddha is? Each piece of the puzzle is invaluable in the quest of trying to piece together an accurate and complete picture and understanding of Nichiren’s teachings ... MBB. C.)
“It must be underlined that Nichiren never referred to himself neither as a Bodhisattva, let alone as the Buddha or the “Original Buddha”.
Although the doctrine of Nichiren cannot be merely subdivided in pre-Sado and post-Sado periods, it is certain that in the first years of his predication, Nichiren tried to redirect people towards the original founder of Buddhism, who is Śākyamuni in contrast to Dainichi, Amida, Yakushi and other imaginary Buddha, who were worshiped in Japan during his time. The Buddha that Nichiren was referring to however was not Gautama Siddhartha, but rather the “Eternal Śākyamuni” (久遠実成釈迦如 来), who obtained Buddhahood in the remote past as described in the Lotus Sūtra;
“In all the world’s the heavenly and human beings and asuras all believe that the present Śākyamuni Buddha, after leaving the palace of the Śākyas, seated himself in the place of practice not far from the city of Gaya and there attained annuttara-samyak-sambodhi. But good men, it has been immeasurable, boundless hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions of nayutas of kalpas since I in fact attained Buddhahood.”
In his treatise; ‘The Opening of the Eyes’, Nichiren stresses the importance of this revelation found in the Lotus Sūtra. Nichiren often uses this argument to state the correctness of the Lotus Sūtra, especially compared to the Amidist teachings. His two main points were that Śākyamuni’s enlightenment took place in the distant past and the “mutual possession” of the ten worlds and hence the possibility of persons of the two vehicles of Learning and Realization to obtain Buddhahood.
In many of his writings, Nichiren also points out that every person intrinsically possesses the Buddha nature, which is inherent to all sentient and insentient beings. The so-called Eternal Śākyamuni symbolizes such life-condition and not the historical Buddha. In order to distinguish between the two, Nichiren sometimes mentioned a set of statues that is Śākyamuni accompanied by the leading disciples of the original and Eternal Śākyamuni Buddha: Jōgyō (Viśistacāritra), Muhengyō (Anantacaritra), Jōgyō (Visuddacaritra) and Anryūgyō (Supratisthitacāritra). Together, this grouping is defined as Isson-shishi or the “One Venerable and the four Attendants“. The legacy headed by Daikoku Ajari Nichirō or Hikigayatsu lineage, considers this set of five statues as the main object of devotion. In fact, the Isson-shishi is enshrined above the main altar of all temples related to Nichirō as well as other lineages. For most Nichiren denominations, it is admissible to pray to a statue of Śākyamuni Buddha, assuming that the Eternal Buddha is being worshipped. As mentioned, it is also a fact that Nichiren always carried a statue of Śākyamuni with him throughout his life.”
Nichiren confirms Ken Mandara's viewpoint:
Nichiren teaches (as summarized by Ken Mandara): The Shakyamuni Buddha of India is not the Eternal Buddha, save for when he preached the Eight Chapters from the 15th to the 22nd Chapters. These chapters also, are those that reveal the Gohonzon. There is an Eight Chapter School, the Honmon Butsuryu Shu which is based on this teaching.
"During the entire fifty years of Shakyamuni’s teaching, only in the last eight years did he preach the twenty-eight chapters of the Lotus Sutra. Again, of all these chapters, only in the eight chapters did he reveal and transfer the object of devotion to the Bodhisattvas of the Earth. During the two millennia of the Former and Middle Days of the Law, statues were made showing Mahākāshyapa and Ānanda flanking the Shakyamuni Buddha of Hinayana, and Manjushrī and Universal Worthy flanking the Shakyamuni Buddha of the provisional Mahayana, the Nirvana Sutra, and the theoretical teaching of the Lotus Sutra.
Even though statues and paintings were made of these Shakyamuni Buddhas during the two millennia, no image or statue was made of the Buddha of the “Life Span” chapter. Only in the Latter Day of the Law will the representation of that Buddha appear." - The True Object of Worship
and further down
"Shakyamuni Buddha did not transmit the five characters of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the heart of the essential teaching of the Lotus Sutra, even to the bodhisattvas Manjushrī and Medicine King, let alone to any lesser disciples. He summoned from beneath the earth the great bodhisattvas as numerous as the dust particles of a thousand worlds and, as he preached the eight chapters transferred it solely to them." - Ibid
and still further down:
"You who are my disciples, take this to heart! The countless Bodhisattvas of the Earth were the disciples of Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, from the time he first set his mind on and attained enlightenment in the remote past. But they did not come to his place of enlightenment in India, nor did they come to the grove of sal trees when he entered nirvana. They were unfaithful to him. They also failed to appear when the Buddha preached the first fourteen chapters, or the theoretical teaching of the Lotus Sutra, and they left the assembly when he preached the last six chapters of the essential teaching. They only attended the Buddha during the first eight chapters of the essential teaching. Since these noble bodhisattvas received [the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo] and made a solemn oath to Shakyamuni Buddha, Many Treasures Buddha, and the Buddhas of the ten directions, is it possible that they will not appear now at the beginning of the Latter Day of the Law? Know this: in the time for the practice of shakubuku the four bodhisattvas appear as worthy rulers who rebuke and convert ignorant rulers, and in the time for the practice of shōju they appear as priests to embrace and spread the correct teaching." - ibid
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