The entire Opening of the Eyes -- Translation by Kyotsu Hori

Kyotsu Hori's translation is from the Showa Tehon Collection of Gosho, directly from the original. It is the most faithful english translation of the Opening of the Eyes

The Opening of the Eyes is one of the two most important works by Nichiren Daishonin. The other is The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind (The True Object of Worship). The Opening of the Eyes explains the object of worship in terms of the Original Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni of the Juryo Chapter of the Lotus Sutra specifically, and we as votaries of the Lotus Sutra generally. The object of worship in terms of the Law (Dharma) is explained in the True Object of Worship.

The oneness of person (Buddha, the subject) and Law (object) is the Object of Worship. From the standpoint of the practitioner, it is the fusion of person and Object of Worship (Kyochi Myogo) that leads to Buddhahood. While a practitioner is chanting Namu Myoho renge Kyo to the Gohonzon, he or she is in the Realm of Buddha. This can be understood by the Mutual Possession of the Ten Worlds and the oneness of person and the environment (Esho Funi). It is not the scope of this commentary to fully illucidate this process. Suffice it to say, the Object of Worship revealed by the Original Buddha Shakyamuni of the 16th Chapter of the Lotus Sutra and propagated by Nichiren Daishonin is the only environment of Buddha on Earth (Buddha's Land). When we enter the Buddha's Land, we naturally take on the characteristics of a Buddha. The process is analogous to anger transforming into tranquility at a favorite beach.

Nichiren Daishonin wrote this treatise from his graveyard hut while in exile on Sado during the coldest month of february, 1272. He had to lick the frozen writing brush to soften it. Despite having no access to a library and the wind and snow penetrating the gaping holes in his hut, he completed this masterpiece. The powers of his memory and concentration are incomprehensible. His compassion was limitless. This is my favorite writing of Nichiren Daishonin. Everytime I read it I get choked up with emotion.

Kyotsu Hori first outlines the Opening of the Eyes as follows:

CONTENTS

PART I PROLOGUE

Chapter I Confucianism, Brahmanism, and Buddhism

Chapter II "3000 in One Thought," the Cardinal Doctrine of the Lotus Sutra

PART II MAIN DISCOURSE

Chapter III Obtaining Buddhahood by Men of the Two Vehicles

Chapter IV Eternal Life of the Buddha

Chapter V Nichiren a Practitioner of the Lotus Sutra

Chapter VI Protection by Arhats

Chapter VII Protection by Bodhisattvas

Chapter VIII Five Holy Proclamations

Chapter IX Three Kinds of Enemies of the Lotus Sutra

Chapter X Why is Nichiren being Persecuted

PART III EPILOGUE

Chapter XI Persuasive and Aggressive Means of Propagation

Please note, Kyotsu Hori translates "Obtaining" Buddhahood not "Attaining" Buddhahood. In the Latter Day we obtain Buddhahood by virtue of the Original Eternal Buddha (Gohonzon), not by our power alone. This fact is perfectly explained by the concept of the Four Powers [the power of the Law, the power of the Buddha, the power of faith, and the power of practice practice] and the Buddhist principle of Dependent Origination.

The Opening of the Eyes: Confucianism, Brahmanism, and Buddhism [PROLOGUE  PART 1 Chapter 1]

"A man should respect these three: his ruler, his teacher, and his parents. Everyone should study three disciplines: Confucianism, Brahmanism, and Buddhism.

First of all, in Confucianism the Three Emporors (Fu-hsi, Shen-nung, Yellow Emporor), Five Rulers (Shao-hao, Chuan-hsu, Ti-hung, Yao, Shun) of ancient China are called the most respected under heaven. They are reguarded as the leaders of the people and the bridge for them to cross the river of illusions. Until the time of the Three Emperors, people like birds and beasts had no idea who their fathers were. However, since the time of the Five Rulers, people became aware of who their parents were and acted dutifully toward them. King Shun, for instance, treated his stubborn and ignorant father respectfully despite his father plotting to have him killed in favor of his younger half-brother. Han Kao-tze, the Founder of the Former Han dynasty, continued reverencing his father even after he became the emperor. King Wu, the founder of the Chou dynasty, had a wooden statue of his late father, King Wen, carved and carried it in battle with the last king of Yin (Shang). A man called Ting-lan of Later Han in China, is said to have had a statue of his mother made and treated it respectfully as though it were alive. These are examples of filial devotion.

It is said that Pi-kan of the Yin (Shang) dynasty, worrying about the downfall of the dynasty, dared to speak up against Chieh, and was beheaded by the king. Returning from a political mission, a man named Hunh-yen of Wei found that his ruler, the Duke of I (Yee), had been killed. The northern barbarians had cannabilized the duke leaving only his liver on the road. Hung-yen picked the liver up, cut open his own stomach to insert it, and died. These are examples of loyal subjects.

I-shou was the teacher of Yao, Wu-shih was that of Shun,, T'ai-kung-wang was of King Wen of Chou, and Lao-tsu was of Confucius. They were called the Four Sages. Even the kings and rulers, who were most respected under heaven, bowed low and all the people respectfully held their hands together in front of them.

These sages wrote some 3,000 scrolls including the San-fen (Records of Three Emperors), Wu-tien (Records of the Three Rulers), and San-shih (Records of Three Dynasties). Explained in them was nothing more than the "Three Mysteries." The "Three Mysteries" mean, first of all, the "mystery of being," which maintains that everything is created from an original substance called tai-chi. This is the philosophy established by the Duke of Chou and Confucious.

The second is the "mystery of non-being," set forth by Lao-Tsu, who insisted that the source of all beings is an indefinable mystic principle called wu-chi.

Finally, the "mystery of being and non-being" is the philosophy of Chuang-tzu. He stated that beings are created sometimes from tai-chi, but other times from wu-chi.

Mystery can mean profoundness, but it also can mean darkness. In explaining the meaning of life: positions in society, happiness and sorrow, right and wrong, or gains and loses, some of these sages (like Confucius) state that these all arise from tai-chi, while other sages (like Lao-tzu) maintain that they are merely spontaneous. Though exquisite their philosophies may appear, they actually know nothing of life in the past or in the future. As they are in darkness their philosophies are mysterious. Knowing only the present, they insist that in this present world we have to protect ourselves and maintain peace in our country by establishing benevolence and righteousness to avoid bringing ruin upon our families and our country.

These wise and holy men are sages, but they are as ignorant of the past just as men can not see their backs, and they can not see into the future just as blind men can not see in the front. They merely maintain that if one manages his house well, performs filial devotion, and practices the Five Virtues (benevolence, righteousness, politeness, wisdom and fidelity) in this world, people will revere him, and his fame will spread so widely in the land that a wise king will invite him to be his minister or teacher, or even put him on the throne. Even heaven will come to defend and serve him! For instance, they say, King Wu of Chou had five elders who served him, and twenty eight constellations came to assist Emperor Kuang-wu of the later Han as his twenty eight generals.

Ignorant of the past and future, however, these sages can not help in the future lives of their parents, rulers, and teachers. Not knowing what they owe to them in the past, they can not be considered to be truly holy and wise. This is why Confucius said, "Truly wise and holy men do not exist in China, but in the land to the west, there is a man called Buddha. He is a true sage."

Confucius thus indicated Confucianism to be the first step toward Buddhism knowing that Confucianism was not the true way for a wise and holy man. It would be easier, Confucus knew, for the people to understand the fundamental Buddhist teachings of commandments, meditation, and wisdom if they first learned the fundamental Confucian concepts of rituals and music. He therefore, taught the kings' subjects to be loyal to their rulers, children to be devoted to their parents, and students to respect their teachers. Grand Master Miao-le, therefore declared: "The dissemination of Buddhism in China indeed depended on Confucianism. Buddhism found its way by following on the heels of the rituals and music of Confucianism."

Citing the Konkomyo-kyo (Sutra of the Golden Light), T'ien-t'ai stated in his Mo-ho-chih-kuan (Great Concentration and Insight): "Since all the right teachings in the world are based on Buddhism, those who truly know the worldly teachings know the teachings of the Buddha." He also states: "The Buddha sent three sages to convert the people of China." Miao-le's commentary on this (Chih-kuan fu-hsing-chuan-hung chueh, 6) is: "According to the Shojo hogyo-kyo (Practicing the Pure Dharma Sutra), Bodhisattva Gakko reincarnated as Yen-hui in China; Bodhisattva Kojo as Confucious; and Bodhisattva Kasyapa, as Lao-tzu."

Chapter I Confucianism, Brahmanism, and Buddhism continued:

"Next, in Brahmanism of India, the three-eyed and eight armed god and goddess, Siva and Vishnu, are considered to be the compassionate parents and supreme lords of all the people. The Masters named Kapila, Uluka, and Usabha, who lived about 800 years before the time of Sakyamuni Buddha, are called the Three Hermits. The teachings of these Three Hermits, 60,000 in number, are entitled the Four Vedas. Thus at the ttime of Sakyamuni's birth, six powerful Brahmiin masters who had studied these Brahmin scriptures had become teachers of kings all over India. Their branch schools numbered in the 90's, each of which was divided into many sub branches. They all took pride in themselves, each claiming to be higher than the top of heaven(Hisoten), and sticking to their own rock-like contentions. Their teachings are incomparable more profound and exquisite than those of the Confucian masters. They see through not only two, three, or seven lives in the past and future but also 80,000 kalpa past and future.

Their teachings may be summed up in three categories: (1) Some maintain that all phenomena arise from causes, (2) while others claim that all phenomena are spontaneous without any relationship between cause and effect. (3) Still others insist that such relationship may or may not exist between cause and effect.

Among these Brahmin schools, better ones observe the Five Commandments or Ten Commandments, practice preliminary meditation, and work their way up inch by inch like a measuring worm to the summit of heaven (Hisoten). They take it for the world of Nirvana but as soon as they reach their heaven, they all plunge into the Three Evil Realms (hell, realm of hungry souls, and that of beasts) at the bottom. none remain in their heaven although they believe that those who reach Hisoten remain there forever enjoying complete freedom from the cycle of life and death.

Still they are less objectionable compared to other Brahmin schools, which stubbornly insist on following what they had inherited from their masters. Some of them bathe in the Ganges River three times a day in the midst of winter, while others pull out hairs, throw themselves against rocks, roast themselves in fire, burn their limbs and heads, or stay naked. They sacrifice a number of horses, burn grass and trees, or worship every tree, hoping to gain happpiness.

These evil teachings are numerous in number, and their teachers are revered as highly as Indra is by the gods and an emperor by his subjects. Nevertheless, followers of the 95 brahmin schools, whether they are beeter or worse, are unable to leave the cycle of birth and death. Those who follow better masters will fall into evil realms in two or three lives, while those who follow worse masters are bound to plunge there in the next life.

After all, the most important thing for Brahmanism is, like Confucianism, to prepare the way to Buddhism. This is why some Brahmans maintain that the Buddha will be born 1,000 years later, while others insist on 100 years later. It is said, therefore, in the Nirvana Sutra that what is written in all the Brahman scriptures is nothing but the teaching of the Buddha. Again, it is said in the Lotus Sutra that disciples of the Buddha sometimes pretend to be contaminated with the Three Poisons of greed, anger, and ignoranceor show the heretic viewdenying the law of cause and effectas an expedient means to save the people.

In the third place, 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 live and death; and He is the fertile field in which they plant the seed of merits. The so-called Four Sages of Confucianism and Three hermits of Brahmanism, despite their worthy names, are actually unenlightened men unable to rid themselves of the Three Delusions (all delusions and evil passions). Although their names suggest they are wise men, in reality they are as ignorant as infants, who know nothing of the principle of cause and effect. How can we cross the sea of life and death aboard a ship steered by such men? How can we pass through the winding streets of the Six Realms of delusions and evil passions over to the world of Nirvana by means of a bridge constructed by such men? Our Sakyamuni has already crossed the sea of life and death for Arhats, not to speak of that for the unenlightened. He has already extinguished fundamental ignorance, not to speak of delusions and evil passions deriving from it.

Throughout his life ---- fifty years since attaining enlightenment at the age of thirty to His death at the age of eighty ---- Sakyamuni Buddha preached His holy teaching. Each of His writings and words represent the truth. Not a sentence or line does not ring true. Even sages and wise men of Confucianism and Brahmanism never spoke falsely in presenting their thoughts. They spoke the truth. How much more so with Sakyamuni Buddha, who was a man of truth since uncountable kalpa in the past? Therefore, what He preached during His life of fifty years is greater as a teaching of salvation when compared to Confucianism and Brahmanism. Ever since his attainment of Buddhahood till the eve of His death, He preached only the truth.

Considering the 80,000 teachings preached by the Buddha in various sutras for fifty years, however, we see differences among them, such as those between Hinayana and Mahayana Buddhism, provisional and ultimate sutras, exoteric and esoteric teachings, general and rough expressions, genuine and expedient words, or true and false opinions.

The Lotus Sutra alone among them represents the true words of our Lord Sakyamuni Buddha and various Buddhas residing in the worlds throughout the universe in the past, present, and future. Sakyamuni Buddha declared that, although the scriptures preached during the first some forty years are as numerous as sands of the Ganges River, they did not reveal the truth, which would be explained in the Lotus Sutra during the following eight years. At the moment Taho Buddha emerged from the earth and attested it all to the truth. Then various Buddhas in manifestation (funjin) came crowding together from various worlds in the universe attesting it to be true and rejoicing by touching the Brahma with their long tongues. 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."

The Opening of the Eyes: "3,000 in One Thought.", The Cardinal Doctrine of the Lotus Sutra PART 1 PROLOGUE Chapter 2

"Two important doctrines are in this Lotus Sutra. Such schools as Kusha, Jojitsu, Ritsu, Hosso and Sanron do not know even their names while the two schools of Kegon and Shingon plagiarized them to build their own fundamental structure. The '3,000 in one thought' doctrine, founded on these two basic doctrines, is hidden between the lines of the sixteenth chapter on "The Life Span of the Buddha" in the essential (hommon) section of the Lotus Sutra. Although Nagarjuna and Vasubandhu were aware of it, they did not speak of it. It is only our Grand Master T'ien-t'ai who preached it.

The teaching of the "3,000 in one thought" is based on the "mutually-possessed characteristics of the Ten Realms" meaning that each of the Ten realms has the characteristics of the other nine. Ignorant of the Ten Realms, the Hosso and Sanron Schools established the Eight Realm theology, missing the realm of bodhisattvas and that of Buddhas. How can they know of the mutually-possessed characteristics of the Ten Realms? The Kusha, Jojitsu, and Ritsu Schools, based on the Agon Sutras, Hinayana sutras, preach only Six Realms ignoring the top four of the ten. They insist on the existence of the one and only Buddha in the worlds throughout the universe, denying the existence of His manifestation in each of these worlds. It is only natural that they leave out the concept of every human being having the Buddha-nature. They do not recognize the possession of the Buddha-nature by man.

Nevertheless, the Ritsu and Jojitsu Schools today speak of the existence of Buddhas in various worlds throughout the universe or of the Buddha-nature in man. It must have been that scholars after the death of the Buddha plagiarized the Mahayana doctrines to the advantage of their own schools. For instance, Brahman teachings before the time of the Buddha were shallow in theology. After the Buddha, however, they seemed to realize their own shortcomings as they learned from Buddhism and cunningly stole Buddhist concepts to make their own heretic teaching more sophistacated. They are the so-called Buddhists assisting heretics and heretics stealing Buddhism.

The same can be said of Confucianism. Confucian and Taoist scholars before Buddhism was introduced to China had been as simple and immature as infants. However, in the later Han dynasty when Buddhism came to China and gradually spread after the initial controversies, some Buddhist monks returned home because they could not keep Buddhist commandments or chose to return to secular life. Some Buddhist monks simply adopted Buddhist teachings into Confucianism and Taoism in collaboration with secular men. Therefore Grand Master T'ien-t'ai states in the Mo-ho-chih-kuan, no. 5:

'Nowadays there are many evil monks who, having

abandoned the Buddhist commandments, would go

back to secular life and being afraid of punishment,

would become Taoist teachers. Again contrary to the

Taoist teaching, they would seek fame and profit by

boastfully talking about Chuang-tzu and Lao-tzu. They

would utilize Buddhist concepts in their interpretation

of Taoism, forcibly taking the high for the low, crushing

the honorable to mix it with the humble. and leveling

Buddhism to Taoism.'

Grand Master Miao-le elaborates on this in his commentary on the Mo-ho-chih-kuan:

'Some Buddhist monks destroy Buddhsim. Men like Wei

Yuan-sung abandon Buddhist commandments, secularize

themselves, and work havoc upon Buddhism as laymen.

They plagiarize Buddhism to bolster Taoism. "Forcibly

taking the high for the low" means that these men with

the heart of Taoist masters, forcibly equate Buddhism

and Taoism, mixing up the right and evil. With their

shallow background in Buddhist ministry, they plagiarize

the just teaching of Buddhism to back up the false teaching

of Taoism, and forcibly cram the 80,000 teachings of the

Buddha in twelve kinds of scriptures into the base teachings

of Taoism with 5,000 words in two rolls in order to support

their false and base teaching. This is what is meant by

"crushing the honorable to mix with the humble."'

In contemplating these interpretations by T'ien-t'ai and Miao-le, we can see that they are in agreement with the foregoing. The same thing was happening in Buddhism itself. Introduced in the Yung-p'ing era of the Later Han period, Buddhism showed supremacy over Confucianism, establishing itself in China. Three Southern and seven Northern masters of Chinese Buddhism competed with each other for supremacy as though orchids and chrysanthemums bloomed at the same time. They were all refuted, however, by Grand Master T'ien-t'ai of Chen-Sui china, and Buddhism was revived by him as the saving of all living beings.

Afterward the Hosso, Shingon and Kegon Schools were transmitted from India. The Hosso School among them was against T'ien-t'ai in theology. opposing each other like water and fire. Although the Venerable Hsuang-chuang and his disciple, Grand Master Tz'u-en of the Hosso School, did not go as far as to abandon their own school, they seem to have surrendered to T'ien-t'ai in heart as they read his interpretations carefully and realized their own fallacies.

Next, Kegon and Shingon were originally provisional schools based on provisional sutras. Venerable Subhakarasimha (Shan-wu-wei) and Vajra-bodhi (Chin-kang-chih) stole the '3,000 in one thought' concept from T'ien-t'ai using it, as the basis for their own school. They added to it the symbolic finger signs and mantras to appear superior to others. Those scholars who do not know this believe that the Great Sun Buddha Sutra has had the '3,000 in one thought' doctrine from its beginning in India. At the time of Ch'en-kuang, the Kegon School stole the doctrine and read it into the words of the Flower Garland Sutra asserting, 'Mind is like a skillful painter.' People do not realize this.

The Six schools of Nara such as Kegon were brought over to Japan before the Tendai and Shingon Schools. The Kegon, Sanron, and Hosso Schools continued to disagree like water and fire. Then grand Master Dengyo appeared in Japan and not only refuted the fallacies of the Six schools of nara but also decisively proved that the Shingon School had stolen the T'ien-t'ai interpretation of the Lotus Sutra in order to establish its own foundation.

Grand Master Dengyo cast aside the opinions of various teachers in various schools and based his argument solely on Buddhist scriptures. He thus won in polemic against high priests of the Six Schools --- eight, twelve, fourteen and some three hundred in number --- as well as Grand Master Kobo. Everyone in Japan without exception surrendered to the Tendai School. As temples in Nara, Toji Temple in Kyoto, as well as all the temples in the entire land of Japan came under the spell of Mt. Hiei.

Grand Master Dengyo also clarified in his Ebyo-shu that founders of various Buddhist schools in China had surrendered to T'ien-t'ai, which made it possible to escape the charge of slandering the true dharma.

Afterward as the world degenerated and the understanding of the people deteriorated, the fine theology of T'ien-t'ai was no longer studied. As other schools grew stronger in devotion, the Tendai School was reduced gradually by the Six schools of Nara and Shingon until it was no longer equal even to them. It was further reduced by the unworthy Zen and Pure Land Schools with lay members moving over to these false schools. The movement was gradual at first, but in the end even revered high priests all left Tendai for those schools of Zen and Pure Land to strengthen them. Meanwhile the farms and fiefs of the Six Nara Schools as well as those of the Tendai and Shingon were all destroyed, and the true dharma of the Lotus disappeared. Not having tasted the delicacy of the true dharma, such great righteous guardian deities as Goddess Amaterasu, Shohachiman, and Sanno left the land, leaving room for demons to grow in power, and this country was about to crumble."

The Opening of the Eyes: Obtaining Buddhahood by Men of the Two Vehicles PART TWO MAIN DISCOURSE Chapter 3 [with commentary]

"Now in my humble opinion, there are many differences between those scriptures preached by the Buddha during the first some forty years and the Lotus sutra, which was preached during the last eight years. However, what scholars consider to be most important, with which I certainly agree, are the concepts of nijo-sabutsu (obtaining Buddhahood by two categories of Hinayana sages called Two Vehicles: sravaka and pratyekabuddha) and kuon-jitsujo (the eternal life of the Buddha).First as for nijo-sabutsu, it is revealed in the Lotus sutra that Sariputra is the future Keko Buddha while Kasyapa will be Komyo Buddha in the future; Subhuti, Myoso Buddha; Katyayana, Embunadai-Konko Buddha; Maudgalyayana, Tamara-bassendan-ko Buddha; Purna, Homyo Buddha; Ananda, Senkaie-jizai-tsuo Buddha; Rahula, To-shippo-ke Buddha; two groups of arhats, 500 and 700 in number respectively, Fumyo Buddhahs; 2000 of those who have obtained arhatship and those who have not, Hoso Buddhas; and female disciples of Maha-Pajapati and Yasodhara will be Issai-shujo-kiken Buddha and Gusoku-semman-Koso Buddha respectively in the future.

These people of the Two Vehicles appear to be respected as future Buddhas in the Lotus Sutra, but are often disappointing in scriptures preached before it, where it is considered that they are unable to ever obtain Buddhahood. The Buddha is a man of true words, and that is the reason why He is called a sage or great man. Wise men sages, or hermits of Confucianism and Brahmanism must have been so named because they were men of true words. The Buddha is called a great man because He is superior to all these people. This great man, the Buddha declared in the Expedients Chapter of the Lotus Sutra that He had come to this world for the sole purpose of carrying out one one important task of preaching the Lotus sutra. He also declared in the Muryo-gi-kyo (Sutra of Infinite Meaning): "The true teaching has not been revealed for some forty years since His enlightenment; it will be revealed at long last; He will reveal it by casting aside all expedient means."

These words of the Buddha were attested to be true by Taho Buddha in the Appearance of a Stupa Chapter of the Lotus Sutra, and various Buddhas in manifestation (funjin) also stuchk out their tongues confirming the truth of these words in the Superhuman Power Chapter of the Lotus Sutra. Under the circumstances who could cast doubt on the words in the Lotus Sutra assuring that such Hinayana sages (Two Vehicles) as Sariputra and Kasyapa would be the future Keko Buddha and Komyo Buddha?

It is also true, however, that the scriptures preached prior to the Lotus Sutra are also the true words of the Buddha. Among those scriptures, (1) the Flower Garland Sutra states:

There are just two places where the Great-Medicine-

King tree, representing the wisdom of the Buddha,

is unable to grow: a large chasm where hinaya

sages of Two Vehicles (nijo) have falleninto

believing to have attained arhatship, and a great

body ofpoisonous water, contaminated with greed

and attachment, where those who do not listen to

Buddhism (issendai: icchantika) are drowned.

It means that in the Himalaya Mountains there is a huge tree named the "Limitless Root" or "Great-Medicine-King Tree;" it is the supreme king of all trees in the entire world, measuring 168,000 yojana in height; all trees and grasses in the whole world have roots in it, bearing flowers and fruits in accordance with the condition of the branches, leaves, flowers, and fruits of this giant tree. In this sutra the giant tree stands for the Buddha-nature while all the trees and grasses represent all the people. However, this giant tree cannot grow in a burning pit and in poisonous water. The state of mind of the people referred to in the Two Vehicles is likened to a burning pit, and the hearts of issendai (those who do not listen to Buddhism) are likened to this poisonous body of water. It means that these two kinds of people will never become Buddhas.

(2) The Dai-jikkyo (Sutra of Great Assembly) expresses:

Two categories of people, sravaka and pratyekkabuddha,

will never be able to repay what they owe to their parents

even if they appreciate them. they are like a man who has

fallen into a chasm, unable to help himself and others.

Having fallen into a pit of liberation from delusions and

evil passions, they are unable to help others as well as

themselves."

When Sakyamuni obtained the Buddahood under the bodhi tree and began preaching the Flower Garland Sutra, various Buddhas came from all over the universe to comfort Him. In addition, they sent great bodhisaatvas over to hear Him preach. At the time of preaching the Hannya (Wisdom) Sutra, the long tongue of Sakyamuni Buddha covered His entire domain consisting of one billion worlds, attesting to the truth, while 1000 Buddhas appeared from all directions. When the Konkomyo Sutra was preached. four Buddhas appeared in four directions. At the time of the Amitabha Sutra, Buddhas appeared in six directions, each covering its one-billion-world domain with its tongue to testify its truth. In case of the Dai-jikkyo various Buddhas and bodhisattvas gathered together in a courtyard called Dai-hobo.

Considering these testimonies of Buddhas and bodhisattvas in various sutras with that in the Lotus Sutra, they are like yellow rocks against gold nuggets, white clouds against white mountains, white pieces of ice against mirrors of silver, and black color against blue color. Even such a clear difference may not be distinguished by those poor-eyesighted, crooked-eyed, one-eyed, or evil-eyed.

As the Flower Garland Sutra was preached first, it had no preceding sutras to compare with; the words of the Buddha could not be contradictory. How could there be any serious doubt about the sutra? As for such sutras as the Dai-jikkyo, Hannya-kyo, Konkomyo-kyo, and Amithaba, it was for chastising the men of the Two Vehicles who attached themselves to the hinayana sutras, that the existence of the Pure Land in each of all the worlds in the universe was preached. It was to encourage the unenlightened and bodhisattvas to aspire to the Pure Land and men of the Two Vehicles to realize what was wrong with themselves.

Because these Mahayana sutras were a little different from the Hinayana sutras, such things were mentioned as Buddhas appearing all over in the universe, bodhisattvas dispatched from all over in the universe, the same Mahayana sutras preached in all the worlds in the universe, and Buddhas coming together from all over in the universe. It was also said that Sakyamuni covered His entire domain of one billion worlds with his huge tongue, or the various Buddhas did the same. This must have been just to tear apart what was preached in the hinayana sutras: the existence of the sole Buddha in the entire universe. It was not as serious a matter as it was with the Lotus. Sutra. The latter revealed the fundamental difference from other Mahayana sutras preached before it, causing sravaka men such as Sariputra, great bodhisattvas, and men and gods to wonder whether or not it was a devil pretending to be the Buddha who preached the sutra. Nevertheless,, those poor-sighted followers of the Kegon, Hosso, Sanron, Shingon, and Pure Land Schools saw no difference between their canons and the Lotus. Their eyes must have been poor indeed.

During the lifetime of Sakyamuni Buddha there might have been some who cast aside the sutras preached during the first some forty years of His preaching and sided, though with difficulty, with the Lotus Sutra. After His death, however, it must have been difficult to open, read and put faith in this sutra. For one, while those sutras preached before the Lotus Sutra consist of many words, the Lotus itself consists of just a few words. While the former consist of many sutras. the latter consists of just one. While the former are preachings of many years, the latter is of just eight years. To many, the Buddha is a great liar who cannot be trusted. If they believe in Him at all, they might believe in those sutras preached before the Lotus Sutra, never in the Lotus itself. Also, it appears today that everyone puts faith in the Lotus, but their faith is superficial, not with heart. They willingly put faith in those who do not see any difference between the Lotus Sutra on one hand and the Great Sun Buddha Sutra, the Flower Garland Sutra, or the Amitabha Sutra on the other, without believing in those who see the differences between them. Even if they believe in the latter, they do so reluctantly.

Nobody believes in me, Nichiren, who is saying it was Grand Master Dengyo alone who read the Lotus Sutra correctly some 700 years after the introduction of Buddhism to Japan. It is stated, however, in the Lotus Sutra: "It is not difficult to grab Mt. Sumeru, the highest peak in the world, and throw it over to any of those numerous Buddha-lands, but it is difficult to preach the Lotus Sutra in this decadent world after the death of the Buddha." My stubborn insistence is matched by the sutra.

It is said in the Nirvana Sutra, an amplification of the Lotus sutra: "The slanderers of true dharma in the latter age of decay are countless in number just as the soil of the entire worlds in the universe is immeasurable. Those who keep the true dharma are few in number just like a bit of soil on a fingernail." What should we think of this? Please think hard whether or not the people in Japan represent a bit of soil on a fingernail, and Nichiren represents the soil in the entire universe.

Reason wins under the rule of a wise king, and unreasonableness gets the upper hand under the rule of an unwise sovereign. So remember it is in the world of saintly people that the true teachings of the Lotus is revealed. Regarding this theology concerning whether or not it is possible for men of the Two Vehicles to become Buddhas, those sutras preached before the Lotus Sutra appear more powerful than the theological section shakumon) of the Lotus. If the former, which insist that it is impossible, win over the latter, which maintains that it is possible, such men of the Two Vehicles as Sariputra will never be able to attain Buddhahood. How regrettable it would be for them!

"The 3000 scrolls of Confucian writings can be boiled down to two: filial devotion and loyalty to the ruler. Loyalty also stems from filial devotion. To be filial means to be high.; heaven is high but not at all higher than being filial. To be filial also means to be deep; the earth is deep but not any deeper than being filial. Both sages and wise men also come from filial devotion. How much more should students of Buddhism realize the favors they receive and repay them? Disciples of the Buddha should not fail to feel grateful for the Four Favors (received from parents, people, sovereign, and Buddhism) and repay them.

Moreover such men of the Two Vehicles as Sariputra and Kasyapa kept 250 Buddhist Commandments, lived a life of dignity in accordance with 3,000 rules, progressively mastered the three steps of meditation, completely studied the Agon Sutras (Hinayana Scriptures), and won liberty from all delusions and evil passions in the world of unenlightened people. They should be examples of people who know the Four Favors and repay them. In spite of all this, the Buddha condemned them for not realizing what they had owed. The reason for this is that it is for the purpose of saving parents that a man leaves his parents' house and takes a Buddhist vow, but those men of the two Vehicles, who free themselves from delusions and evil passions, do not save others. Even if they help others to a certain degree, they are still to be blamed for not repaying what they owe their parents so long as their parents are left wandering on the path with no possibility whatsoever of obtaining Buddhahood.

(3) It is said in the Yuima (Vimalakirti) Sutra:

Vimilikirti also asked ManjusriL "What is the seed of

Buddhahood?" Manjusri replied, "All the delusions

and evil passions of men are the seed of Buddhahood.

Even those who have committed the Five Rebellious

Sins such as murdering their own parents, and are bound

to go thebottom of hell can have an aspiration for

Buddhahood." He continued, 'Good men! just as the

beautiful and fragrant and blue lotus flowers bloom in

a muddy field and do not bloom on a dry plateau, the

seed of Buddhahood does not germinate in the heart

of the Two Vehicles.' Manjusri further stated,  'Those

who have already achieved complete freedom from all

cravings and obtained arhatship are unable to aspire for

Buddhahood and obtain it. It is just like those whose five

sensory organs are damaged, and cannot enjoy five

desires of form, sound, smell, taste, and touch.'

This means that even if the Three Poisons of greed, anger, and ignorance become the seed of Buddhahood; even if the Five Rebellious Sins such as murdering a father become the seed of Buddhahood; and even if the blue lotus plants would grow on a dry plateau, the men of the Two Vehicles will never become Buddhas. That is to say, in comparing good deeds by the men of the Two Vehicles with evil acts of the unenlightened, although the latter deserve to be Buddhas, the former do not. While Hinayana sutras chastise the evil and praise the virtuous, this Vimilikirti Sutra slanders the virtuous acts of the men of the Two Vehicles and praises the evil deeds of the unenlightened people. This sound like a heretic teaching rather than a Buddhist sutra. It must have been said, however, in order to stress the impossibility of ever obtaining the Buddhahood by the men of the Two Vehicles.

(4) Again it is stated in the Hodo-darani-kyo (Sutra of Mahayana Darani)

Bodhisattva Manjusri asked Sariputra: "Would you say

that dead trees would bloom, rivers would go back to

mountains, pieces of a broken rock would become whole,

and toasted would ever germinate?" Sariputra answered,

"No, that would be impossible." The Bodhisattva then

retorted, "If these cannot happen, why do you, a man

of the Two Vehicles, feel happy in asking about obtaining

Buddhahood in the future?"

This means that just as dead trees will not bloom, river water will never flow back to the original mountain, broken rocks will never become whole, and toasted seeds will never germinate, the men of the Two Vehicles like Sariputra will never obtain Buddhahood as their seed of Buddhahood has been burned.

(5) The Daibon-hannya-kyo (Larger Wisdom Sutra expresses:

Tose in the ralm of heaven, who have not yet aspired

to Buddhahood, should do so now. Having reached the

realm of sravaka, they will never have aspiration for

Buddhahood,. Why will they not? It is because it will

present an obstacle for a man of sravaka to terminate

the cycle of birth and death.

It means that we should not admire the men of the Two Vehicles because they will never aspire to Buddhahood. We should admire those in heaven because they will.

(6) Again in the shuryo-gon-gyo (Heroic Valor Sutra):

Even those who committed Five Rebellious Sins will be

able to obtain Buddhahood if they aspire it upon hearing

about this Heroic Valor Meditation. Oh, World Honored

One, those arhats who have gotten rid of all delusions

and evil passions are like a broken utensil. They will

never deserve this meditation and obtain Buddhahood.

(7) Finally it is stated again in the Yuima Sutra, "Those who give alms to you, men of the Two Vehicles, can not sow in a rich field, where seeds of the Buddhahood can grow. Those who give offerings to the Two Vehicles will plunge into the Three Evil Realms."

It means that those men and gods who support such saintly monks as Sariputra and Kasyapa will never fail to plunge into hell, the realm of hungry souls, or that of birds or beasts. With the exception of the Buddha Himself, these saintly monks had been considered nothing but the eyes for men and gods, and the leaders of all people. It was therefore hard to understand why it was repeatedly stated before a great crowd of men and gods that these saintly Hinayana men would never obtain Buddhahood. was the Buddha simply trying to punish His own disiples with death? In addition, the Buddha cited numerous parables such as "cow's milk and donkey's milk," "ceramics and golden utensils," and "fireflies under the sun," to compare bodhisattvas and men of Two Vehicles, harshly condemning the latter. Not in a few words, not for a few days or months or years, and not in a few scriptures, the Buddha relentlessly condemned them for more than forty years, in numerous scriptures, and before crowds of numerous great assemblies.

Everyone, you and I and heaven and earth, know that the Buddha is a man of truth. It is not one or two persons but hundreds, thousands, and tens of thousands of people who know this. Gods, dragons and asura demons in the world of unenlightened beings know it. All the people, gods, men of the Two Vehicles and great bodhisattvas who have gathered together from all over India, four continents of the world, six heavens in the world of desire, world of no desire, world of no form, and from all the worlds in the universe know this. They all heard the Buddha condemn men of the Two Vehicles. Upon returning to their own lands, they told everyone what they has heard from Him in the world of human beings. Therefore, everyone in the entire universe without exception knew that Kasyapa and Sariputra would never achieve Buddhahood. and that they therefore should not give offerings to them.

Nevertheless, the Buddha suddenly retracted His words and stated in the Lotus Sutra, preached in the last eight years, that the men of the Two Vehicles could obtain Buddhahood. How could a large assembly of men and gods believe in this? Not only did they find it hard to believe, they began finding contradictions between the Lotus and earlier sutras. As a result His preachings over fifty years were about to be judged false. Therefore, the Buddha had to declare that He had not revealed the truth during the first some forty years of His preaching. While they were wondering, however, whether or not it was a demon in the heaven appearing to be the Buddha who preached the Lotus Sutra in the last eight years, the Buddha seriously proceeded to define the times, places and names of those men of the Two Vehicles as future Buddhas. That is to say, the Buddha declared in which lands and when they would attain Buddhahood and what disciples they would have then.

The Lord Buddha in effect seemed to have contradicted Himself. It was not without reason Brahmins laughed at him as a big liar. Accused of contradiction in His own words by the dumbfounded crowd of men and gods, Lord Sakyamuni Buddha tried in vain to dispel their doubts by explaining them away one way or another. Just when the Buddha was having a difficult time to quiet them, Taho Buddha of the Hojo World to the east emerged from the earth in front of Him aboard the great stupa of the seven treasures, 500 yojana high and 250 yojana wide, and ascended up high in the sky. It was as though the full moon appeared over the mountain range in the midst of a pitch-dark night. From this great stupa of seven treasures hung in the sky without touching the earth or sky sounded the loud voice of Taho Buddha praising the Buddha and attesting that He spoke truly:

Excellent, excellent! You, Sakyamuni Buddha, have

preached to this large crowd the Sutra of the Lotus

Flower of the Wonderful Law, representing the great

wisdom of the Buddha. who perceives the absolute

truth in every phenomena and who makes no

distinction between ordinary people and themselves.

It teaches the way of bodhisattvas, and is recognized

and upheld by various Buddhas. You are right; You

are correct. What you, Sakyamuni Buddha have

preached is all true (Lotus Sutra, chapter 11,

"Appearance of a Stupa")

Then Lord Sakyamuni and other Buddhas too attested to the truth of the Lotus Sutra as it is stated in its twenty-first chapter on 'The Superhuman Power.':

At this point, Sakyamuni Buddha displayed a great

superhuman power in the presence of a large crowd,

including not only the countless bodhisattvas, such

as Manjusri, who had long lived in this human world,

but also other men and non-human beings. He stretched

out His broad long tongue upward until its tip reached the

world of Brahma, and emitted the rays of light from all

His pores to shine on the entire universe. All Buddhas

sitting on the lion-shaped thrones under the jeweled trees

in their respective worlds in the whole universe also

stretched out their broad and long tongues and emitted

countless rays of light.

"Then Sakyamuni Buddha," says the twenty second chapter (Transmission), of the Lotus Sutra, "sent back those funjin Buddhas who had come from all over the universe to their homelands, and said to Taho Buddha, 'May the stupa of the Taho Buddha be where it was.' "

Opening of the Eyes: The Eternal Life of the Buddha PART II MAIN DISCOURSE Chapter IV [with commentary]

"In the second place, let us discuss the concept of Kuon-jitsujo (eternal life of the Buddha) revealed in the essential section (hommon) of the Lotus Sutra.

Lord Sakyamuni Buddha, grandson of King Simhahanu and the first son of King Suddhodana, was born during the first small kalpa within the kalpa of Continuance, when the human lifespan was gradually decreasing to 100 years. As a child He was called prince Siddharta, namely Bodhisattva Goal Achieved. Sakyamuni Buddha, who had left home at the age of nineteen and obtained enlightenment at the age of thirty, immediately began preaching the Flower Garland Sutra at the spot where He was enlightened. appearing as the Birushana (Vairocana) Buddha in the Lotus Repository World, He preached the great dharma based on the extremely fine theology of 'ten mysteries,' 'six characteristics, and 'the interdependency of all phenomena.' Various Buddhas in the universe appeared, and all the bodhisattvas gathered to listen to Him. In view of the place, the intelligence of the audience, and number of Buddhas gathered there, as well as the fact it was the first sermon of the Sakyamuni Buddha, there did not seem to be any reason why any great dharma should have been concealed in the Flower Garland Sutra. Therefore, it is stated in it that the Buddha showed his unrestricted power in expounding the sutra of perfection.

The 60-fasicled Flower Garland Sutra --- each word or dot in it without exception --- should be flawless and perfect. For instance, a single crystal ball, which could produce as much treasure as you wished, is as good as a countless number of them. One ball would pour out as much treasure as ten thousand balls. So one word in the Flower Garland Sutra should have been as valuable as 10,000 words. An assertion in the sutra that "there is no distinction among the mind, the Buddha, and the unenlightened" is said to be the theological foundation of not only the Kegon but also the Hosso, Sanron, Shingon, and Tendai Schools. What should be concealed in such a great sutra as this? Nevertheless, it is asserted in this sutra that men of the Two Vehicles as well as those who do not listen to Buddhism (issendai) will never attain Buddhahood. This seems like a flaw in the crystal ball. in addition, it is repeated three times that Sakyamuni Buddha achieved enlightenment for the first time under the bodhi tree, concealing His enlightenment in the eternal past as expounded in the sixteenth chapter of the Lotus Sutra. This seems to be like a cracked crystal ball, the moon hidden by clouds, or the sun eclipsed. This is indeed inexplicable.

Compared to the Flower Garland Sutra, such sutras as the Agon, Hodo, Hannya, and Great Sun Buddha are not worth mentioning, although they too embody the honorable teachings of the Buddha. No reason seems to be given why what is not revealed in the former should be revealed in the latter. Consequently, the Agon Sutra says, 'When He achieved enlightenment for the first time....' The Dai-jikkyo talks about 'the first sixteen years after the Buddha achieved enlightenment.' It is said in the Yuima Sutra that He at first sat under the bodhi tree, striving to expel demons. the Great sun Buddha Sutra says, 'I once sat under the bodhi tree to obtain enlightenment,' while the Hannya ninno-kyo talks of twenty-nine years since His enlightenment.

These provisional sutras are not worthy of discussion. What surprises me is that even the Muryo-gi-kyo, the preliminary to the Lotus Sutra, agrees with the Flower Garland Sutra when it says, "Having sat in meditation under the bodhi tree for six years, I finally obtained perfect enlightenment." This is strange because the sutra looks down on such a profound Flower Garland concept as the 'mind as the ultimate reality' and Hodo and Hannya concepts of "ocean imprint meditation" and 'the indistinguishableness of phenomena' as being 'not yet revealing the truth,' or ]a roundabout way to Buddhahood.'

Since the Muryo-gi-kyo is merely the introduction to the Lotus Sutra, perhaps the main points have not been made yet. In the Lotus Sutra proper, however, the Buddha revealed the single path to enlightenment, having synthesized three kinds of teaching for bodhisattvas, pratyekabuddhas (engaku), and sravakas (shomon). He declared in the theological (shakumon) section of the Lotus Sutra: 'Only Buddhas wholly perceive the reality of all phenomena; 'the truth will be revealed after preaching provisional teachings for some fifty years;' and 'He will discard provisional teachings and will concentrate only on the supreme way.' Taho Buddha then declared that those words of the Buddha in the eight chapters in the theological section (shakumon) of the Lotus Sutra were all true. What then should have been left unrevealed? Nevertheless, the eternal life of the Buddha was not revealed; instead it is said, 'At first He sat at the place of enlightenment, gazed on the tree, and walked about it meditating.' This is the greatest wonder of all. Thus it is stated in the fifteenth 'Appearance of Bodhisattvas from Underground'' chapter of the Lotus Sutra that bodhisattva Maitreya wondered why the Buddha claimed to have taught the great bodhisattvas, who had never been seen before in the last forty years, and caused them to aspire for enlightenment. so he asked:

When You, the Buddha, were the crown prince, you left

the palace of the Sakya clan, sat in meditation under the

bodhi tree not far from the city of Gaya, and obtained the

perfect enlightenment. It has only been some forty years

since then. How could You, World Honored One, have

achieved so much in a short period of time?

It was at this point that lord Sakyamuni decided to preach the 'Life Span of the Buddha' chapter in order to dispel such doubts. Referring to what has been said in the pre-Lotus sutras and in the theological section of the Lotus Sutra, He said, 'Gods, men and asura demons in all the worlds think that I Sakyamuni Buddha, left the palace of the Sakya, sat under the Bodhi tree not far from the city of Gaya, and attained perfect enlightenment.' Then He answered squarely to the question by declaring, ]To tell the truth, however, it has been innumerable and incalculable kalpas since I attained Buddhahood.

Such sutras as the Flower Garland. Hannya, and Great Sun Buddha conceal not only the possibility of the Men of the Two Vehicles attaining Buddhahood but also Sakyamuni attaining perfect enlightenment in the eternal past.

These sutras have two faults. In the first place, as they make a clear distinction between bodhisattvas and men of the Two Vehicles asserting that only the former can obtain Buddhahood, they fail to outgrow the provisional teachings and to reveal the doctrine of '3,000 in one thought' preached in the theological section of the Lotus Sutra. In the second place, by stating that Sakyamuni Buddha attained Buddhahood for the first time in this life, they have not yet outgrown the theological section of the the Lotus Sutra. failing to reveal what the Eternal Buddha expounded in the essential section of the Lotus Sutra. These two great doctrines, nijo sabutsu and kuon jitsuju, are the backbone of the teaching of the Buddha throughout His life and the essence of all the Buddhist scriptures.

The second chapter, 'Expedients,' in the theological section of the Lotus Sutra makes up for one of the two faults of the pre-Lotus sutras by revealing the concept of '3,000 in one thought. and nijo sabutsu. Yet, since the chapter has not yet revealed the original and eternal Buddha, it does not show the real concept of the '3,000 in one thought.' Nor does it establish the true meaning of nijo sabutsu. They are like the reflections of the moon in the water, or rootless grass floating on waves.

Coming to the essential section of the Lotus Sutra, it was revealed that the Buddha had attained enlightenment in the eternal past, making it untenable to assert that He attained Buddhahood for the first time in this world. Thus the Eternal Buddha doctrine destroyed the Buddhahood resulting from the Four Teachings (all Buddhist scriptures other than the essential section of the Lotus Sutra). As the Buddhahood resulting from the Four Teachings became untenable, those Four Teachings proved to be invalid. Thus the Ten Realm doctrine preached in the pre-Lotus and the theological section of the Lotus Sutra was destroyed and the causal relationship among the eternal Ten Realms was established in the essential section of the Lotus Sutra. This is the true doctrine of cause and result. In this relationship the Nine Realms are all included in the realm of the Eternal Buddha, and the realm of the Buddha is in each of the eternal Nine Realms. This is truly the 'mutually-possessed characteristics of the Ten Realms,' '100 realms each possessing ten factors of existence' and '3,000 in one thought.'

Looking back in this light, Vairocana Buddha on the lotus platform and various Buddhas around Him who came from all over the universe as described in the Flower Garland Sutra, Sakyamuni Buddha of the Hinayana Agon Sutras, as well as provisional Buddhas of all the pre-Lotus sutras (such as Hodo, Hannya, Konkomyo, Amitabha, and Great Sun Buddha) are all mere manifestations of this Eternal Buddha. They are like shadows of the moon in the sky reflecting in large or small containers of water. Sectarian students confused with doctrines of their own schools or not knowing the sixteenth chapter of the Lotus Sutra, mistake the moon in the water for the real one; they try to go into the water to grasp this illusion or tie it up with a rope. In T'ien-t'ai's words they 'look at only the moon in the pond, without knowing the moon in the sky.'

I, Nichiren, believe that the doctrine of nijo sabutsu of the pre-Lotus sutras which deny the possibility of attaining Buddhahood by men of the Two Vehicles seems to have the upper hand. Concerning the doctrine of kuon jitsujo expounded in the essential section of the Lotus, the pre-Lotus sutras, which maintain that Sakyamuni's attainment of Buddhahood occurred in this world are incomparably stronger. For not only are they stronger, the first fourteen chapters of the Lotus Sutra, too solely side with them and do not mention the eternal life of the Buddha. With the exception of the fifteenth and sixteenth chapters ('Appearance of Bodhisattvas from underground' and the 'Life Span of the Buddha'), the latter fourteen chapters of the Lotus Sutra all describe Shakyamuni's attainment of Buddhahood for the first time in this world.

In the forty fascicled Dai-hatsunehan-gyo, Sakyamuni's last teaching under the sala trees, as well as in various Mahayana sutras preached before and after the Lotus Sutra, not a single word is said of the Eternal Buddha. Although the absolute nature of Buddhahood has been explained to be 'without beginning and without end,' the eternity of Buddhas in Buddha lands or in this world has not been revealed. How can anyone side with only the two chapters in the Lotus Sutra and discard the wide range of Mahayana sutras: pre-Lotus, most of the Lotus, and the Nirvana?

Now, the Hosso School of Buddhism originated with Asanga. a great commentator appearing in India 900 years after the death of the Buddha. At night he went up to the inner palace of Bodhisattva Maitreya in heaven and asked him questions concerning all the holy teachings of the Buddha. During the day, he spread the Hosso doctrine in the country of Aodhya, His disciples included such great masters as Vasubandhu, Dharmapala, Nanda, and Silabhadra. Even king Harsavardhana bowed before him and all the people in India pulled down their banners and followed him. Master Hsuan-chuang of china spent seventeen years in India visiting some 130 lands and studying Buddhism. rejecting all other schools, he chose the Hosso School to transmit to China and passed it on to the sage king, Emperor T'ai-tsung of T'ang. He had such disciples as Shen-fang, Chia-shang, P'u-kuang, and K'uei-chi. and he resided at the great T'zu-en Temple, spreading the teaching in more than 360 lands in China.

In Japan, during the reign of Emperor Kotoku, the 37th ruler, Doji, Dosho and other monks transmitted this school from China and practiced it at the Yamashina Temple. Thus this sect must have been the prime school of Buddhism in the three countries of India, China, and Japan. The gist of this Hosso is as follows:

According to all the Buddhist scriptures, beginning with

the Flower Garland Sutra and ending with the Lotus and

Nirvana Sutras, those issendai (who do not listen to the

teachings of the Buddha) and men of the Two Vehicles

will never become Buddhas. The Buddha never is two-

faced. Once he decides that Buddhahood is unattainable,

He willnever change His mind even if the sun and moon

should fall and the great earth should tumble. Therefore,

even in the Lotus Sutra and Nirvana Sutra it is not definitely

stated that the two categories of people who had been

rejectedin the pre-Lotus sutras, those issendai and men

of the TwoVehicles, will attain Buddhahood.

Close your eyes and think hard. If it is stated in the Lotus

Sutra and Nirvana Sutra that those two categories of men

will obtain Buddhahood, why is it that such great comment-

ators as Asanga and Vasubandu, and such scholars as

Hsuan-chuangand T'zu-en di not find this? Why is it that

they did not write about it, believe and transmit it, or ask

Bodhisattva Maitreya about it? Although you appear to rely

on the words of the Lotus Sutra, actually you believe in the

slanted view of Tien-t'ai, Miao-le, and Dengyo and read

Buddhist scriptures through their prejudices. This may be

the reason why you consider the Lotus Sutra and those

sutras preached before it incompatible to each other like

fire and water.

The Kegon and Shingon Schools, which are incomparably superior to the Hosso and Sanron Schools, maintain:

Concepts of nijo sabutsu and kuon-jitsujo are not limited

to the Lotus Sutra. they are clearly mentioned in the Flower

Garland Sutra and the Great Sun Buddha Sutra. Tu-shun,

Chih-yen, Fa-tz'ang, Chen-kuan of the Kegon School and

Subhakarasimha (Shan-wu-wei), Vajrabodhi, Amoghavajra

(Pu-k'ung) of the Shingon School are incomparably higher

in rank than T'ien-t'ai and Dengyo. Furthermore, Subhakar-

asimha and others are in the direct line of the Great Sun

Buddha. How could these people, temporary manifestations

of Buddhas and bodhisattvas make mistakes? Accordingly,

it is said in the Flower Garland Sutra, "It has been immeas-

urable kalpa since Sakyamuni Buddha attained Buddhahood."

The Great Sun Buddha Sutra states, "I am the origin of

everything." How could you say that the doctrine of the

Eternal Buddha is limited to the sixteenth chapter of the

Lotus Sutra? It is speaking like a frog in a well who has

never seen an ocean, or a mountain woodcutter who has

never visited the capital. Isn't it that you have seen only

one chapter of the Lotus without knowing such sutras as

the Flower Garland and the Great Sun Buddh? Moreover,

do all those in India, China, Silla, and Paeche except T'ien

-t'ai, Miao-le, and Dengyo say that nijo-sabutsu and kuon

jitsujo concepts are revealed only in the Lotus Sutra?

Thus, there are differences of opinion among Buddhist schools concerning nijo sabutsu and kuon jitsujo. Although the Lotus Sutra expounded in the last eight years is different from those other sutras expounded in the previous 40 years, and although it is the rule that when there is a discrepancy between older and newer legal judgements, the newer one takes precedent over the old, the pre-Lotus sutras seem more influential than the Lotus. Things might have been as they should be while Sakyamuni Buddha was alive, but after His death many commentators and teachers have been leaning toward the pre-Lotus sutras.

Thus it is difficult to have faith in the Lotus Sutra. Moreover, we gradually approach the Latter Age of Decadent Dharma; sages and wise men gradually disappear while the puzzled grow in number. These people easily fall into error even in dealing with trivial matters of the world, not to speak of understanding the exquisite dharma, transcending worldly matters. Men of the Vaitsiputriya and Vaipula Scools were wise people; yet they were unable to distinguish between Mahayana and Hinayana sutras. Wu-kou and Mo-t'a were clever but unable to differentiate the true teachings from the provisional ones. It was within the first 1,000 years after the death of Sakyamuni Buddha, not far from His time, and within the land of India that errors like this had already occurred. How much more so in countries such as China and Japan, which are far away from the land of the Buddha, where different languages are spoken, where people are slow to understand the teaching of the Buddha, where life span is shorter, and where greediness, anger, and stupidity are twice as much! It has been many years since the Buddha has passed away; Buddhist sutras are misunderstood. Does anyone understand them correctly? The Buddha predicts in the Nirvana Sutra: "Those who uphold the true dharma in the Latter age of the Decadent Dharma are as little as a bit of soil on a fingernail while slanderers of Buddhism are as numerous as the soil of the entire universe."

It is said in the Hometsujin-kyo: 'Slanderers of Buddhism are as numerous as sands of the Ganges river, while those who uphold the true dharma are just a pebble or two.' It would be difficult to find even one person upholding the true dharma in a period of 500 or 1,000 years. Those who fall into evil realms because of their worldly crimes are as little as a bit of soil on a fingernail, while those who fall there because of crimes against Buddhism are as numerous as the soil of the entire worlds in the universe. More Monks than laymen, more nuns than women fall in the evil realms.

Opening of the Eyes: Nichiren, a Practitioner of the Lotus Sutra MAIN DISCOURSE Part 2 Chapter V with commentary

Now I, Nichiren believe it has already been more than 200 years since the arrival of the Latter Age of the Decadent Dharma. I was born in a remote country place. Moreover, I am a poor monk without social status. While having traversed the Six realms in my past lives, I must have sometimes been born a great king in the human or celestial realm, making everyone obey me just as a strong wind sways the twigs of small trees. Still, I could not obtain Buddhahood then. At other times, I must have gone up step by step the way of a great bodhisattva according to Hinayana and Mahayana sutras. Having practiced the way of a bodhisaatvas for as long as one, two, and innumerable kalpa, I was about to reach the state of non-retrogression. However, a powerful evil karma prevented me from obtaining Buddhahood.

According to the "Parable of a Magic City" chapter of the Lotus Sutra there were three categories of people who had an opportunity to listen to the sutra and sow the seed of Buddhahood during the time of Daitsuchiso Buddha in the past. They all were to obtain Buddhahood eventually with the third and last group being guaranteed of being future Buddhas upon listening to Sakyamuni Buddhapreach the Lotus Sutra. I wonder whether or not I was excluded from this third category of people. Or, am I one of those who. while having listened to the Lotus Sutra and sowed the seed of Buddhahood 500 dust-particle kalpa (gohyaku-jintengo) in the past, have kept falling back till today without eventually getting it? While practicing the Lotus Sutra in this present life, overcoming bad worldly karmas, royal persecutions, and accusations by heretics and Hinayana schools; I was able to realize that people have been fooled by such devilish men as Tao-sh'o, Shan-tao, and Honen, who appeared to have mastered provisional and true Mahayana sutras.

Talking highly of the Lotus Sutra and slighting the intelligence of the people, they fooled the people by saying that the doctrine of the Lotus was too exquisite to understand., that there never had been anyone who obtained Buddhahood through the sutra, or that not even one out of 1,000 persons had obtained Buddhahood through it. During an innumerable number of past lives, the people have been fooled this way immeasurable times into believing provisional sutras. From provisional sutras the fell into Hinayana sutras, to Confucianism, and Brahmanism, and finally to evil realms.

I, Nichiren, am the only one who knows this in Japan. If I speak out even one word of this, royal persecutions will never fail to befall my parents, brothers, and teachers. If I do not speak out, however, it would seem that I did not have compassion.. wondering whether or not I should speak out in the light of the Lotus, Nirvana, and other sutras, I came to realize that if I did not speak out, I would fall without fail into the hell of incessant agony in future lives even if nothing happened to me in this life. If I spoke out, I realized, the Three Hindrances and Four Devils would overtake me.

Vacillating between the two, that I should speak out and that I should not, if I were to back down in the face of royal persecutions, , I hit upon the "six difficulties" and "nine easier actions" mentioned in the eleventh chapter, "Appearance of a Stupa," in the Lotus Sutra. It says that even a man as powerless as I can throw Mt. Sumeru, even a man with as little superhuman power as I can carry a stack of hay on his back and survive the disastrous conflagration at the end of the world, and even a man as ignorant as i can memorize various sutras as numerous as the sands of the Ganges River, Even more so, it is not easy to uphold even a word or a phrase of the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Age of the Decadent Dharma. This must be it! I have made a vow that this time I will have an unbending aspiration to Buddhahood and never fall back!

It has already been more than twenty years since I began speaking for this sutra, and my troubles have been increasing day by day, month by month, and year by year. Small troubles are incalculable while severe ones are four in number. Not talking about two of them, I have already been the target of royal persecution, and my life now is in jeopardy. Moreover, my senior disciples and lay supporters, including those laymen who had just come to hear me speak, were punished severely as though they had been rebels.

It is said in the Lotus Sutra fascicle four: "This sutra was the target of much hatred and jealosy even during the lifetime of the Buddha, not to speak of after His death." It says in the second fascicle: "Seeing a person who reads, recites, copoies, or keeps this sutra, some will despise and hate him, look at him with jealousy, and harbor enmity against him." And in the fifth fascicle: "Many people in the world will hate it and very few believ in it." "Ignorant people will speak ill of him and abuse him." "In order to speak ill of him and to slander him, they will say to kings, ministers, and Brahmans, and influential householders that he has heretic views." "He will sometimes be driven out of his monastery." It is also said in the seventh fascicle: 'They will strike him with sticks, pieces of wood and tile or stones.' The Nirvana Sutra states:

Thereupon numerous Brahmans gatheres together and

went to see King Ajatasatru of the Magadha kingdom

saying, "Now, there is a most wicked man, a wanderer,

who is Gautama. For the purpose of making a profit, all

wicked men in the world are gathering around him and

becoming his followers, doing nothinggood. Withhis occult

power Gautama converted such men as Kasyapa, Sariputra,

and Maudgalyayana."

Explaining the hatred and jealousy against the Lotus Sutra during the Buddha's lfetime referred to in the fourth fascicle, Tien-t'ai said: "Even during the lifetime of the Buddha it was difficult to spread the Lotus Sutra. How much more so after His death? It is because people do not listen to the true dharma, that it is difficult to teach and guide them." Commenting on this, Miao-le said: 'Hatred means slavery to delusions and evil passions and jealousy unwilling to listen to the Lotus.'

Just as the Buddha was confronted with hatred and jealousy when he tried to preach the Lotus Sutra, so it is with those who tried after His death. Numerous scholars in China, including three Southern masters and seven Northern masters, considered T'ien-t'ai the hated enemy. A Japanese Hosso monk, Tokuitsu, had this to say: 'what's the matter with you, Master T'ien-t'ai? Whose disciple are you? With your less than three-inch-long tongue, you have slandered the Hosso doctrine preached by the Buddha with His long and wide tongue.' Chih-tu of Tung-ch'un was questioned: "Much hatred and jealousy existed even during the Buddha's lifetime. Why is it that those who expound this Lotus Sutra after His death encounter so many difficulties?" He answered:

"As a popular saying goes, a good medicine tastes bitter.

This sutra tears down the barriers among the Five Realms

(of human beings, gods, sravaka, pratyekabuddha and

bodhisattvas) and establishes the one ultimate teaching.

Therefore it rejects the common men and scolds the holy

men, refuses the Mahayana and breaks down the Hinayana,

calls celestial demons poisonous insects, regards Brahmans

vicious evils, disparagingly calls men of the Two Vehicles who

stuck to the Hinayana the poor and lowly, and discourages

bodhisattvas by calling them novices. This is the reason why

celestial demons hate to listen to it; it grates upon Brahman

ears; Hinayana sages of the Two Vehicles are alarmed; and

bodhisattvas are discouraged. All of these fellows make

trouble for those who spread the Lotus Sutra. How can we

say that "much hatred and jealousy" is merely an empty

expression?"

In Japan, superintendants of Buddhist priests in nara defamed Grand Master Dengyo in their petition to the Imperial Court, 'There was a Brahmin wizard in the land of Hsia to the west of china, while there is a bald headed Buddhist monk with a honey tongue in the Land to the East. They are in a secret league to fool the world.'

Grand Master Dengyo refuted this in his Kaikenron, 'We hear of Hui-kung in the past in Ch'i China; now we see six superintendents of Nara in Japan. How true is it of the Lotus Sutra prediction: How much more hatred and jealousy after the death of the Buddha! He also stated in the Hokke shuku:

As for the time, it is toward the end of the Middle Age of

the Imitative Dharma and in the beginning of the Latter

Age of the Decadent Dharma; looking at the land, it is to

the east of T'ang China and west of Katsu, and looking at

the people, they live in the evil world filled with defilements

and engage in constant warfare. It is said in the Lotus Sutra,

"There is much hatred and jealousy even during the Buddha's

lifetime, not to speak of after His death." How true this is!

Now if a child is given moxa treatment by his mother, he inevitably resents his mother. Given precious medicine, a seriously sick person may grumble at its bitter taste. So it was with the Lotus Sutra even during the lifetime of the Buddha. How much more so after the death of the Buddha and in a remote corner of the land! Just like mountains placed on tops of mountains and waves on tops of waves, difficulties on top of difficulties and abuses on top of abuses will occur.

It was T'ien-t'ai alone who correctly read the Lotus Sutra and all the Buddhist scriptures during the Middle Age of the Imitative Dharma. Various masters in Northern and Southern China hated him. However, as sagacious rulers of the Chen and Sui dynasties in China clarified who was right through polemic debates in front of their own eyes, his enemies eventually disappeared. Toward the end of the Middle Age of the Imitative Dharma, Dengyo alone in Japan correctly read the Lotus Sutra and all the Buddhist scriptures. Although seven great temples of Nara rose against him, nothing happened to him because Emperors Kammu and Saga themselves clarified who was right.

But now, it has been over 200 years since the beginning of the Latter Age of the Decadent Dharma. I have not been allowed to meet opponents in polemic; instead I have been banished with my life in jeopardy. It proves that the warning in the Lotus Sutra of much more hatred and jealousy after the death of the Buddha is not an empty threat. It also proves that we are in the beginning of the endless warfare and in a decadent world of corruption where unreasonableness takes precedent over reason.

Therefore, although my comprehension of the Lotus Sutra is not worth even one ten millionth of that of T'ien-t'ai and Dengyo, I dare say that my endurance on its behalf and compassion for the people are beyond these masters. I am sure I deserve to receive heavenly protection, but there is not even a shred of it. Instead I have been condemned to heavier and heavier penalties. Looming back in this light, I wonder whether or not I am a practitioner of the Lotus Sutra and whether or not various gods and deities have left this land. However, if only I, Nichiren had not been born in this country, the twenty-line verse of the thirteenth chapter, "The Encouragement of Keeping this Sutra," in the fifth fascicle of the Lotus Sutra would be empty words and the Buddha would almost be a great liar. Those uncountable numbers of bodhisattvas, who made the vow to uphold the Lotus Sutra, would be accused of committing the same sin of lying as Devadetta did.

The verse says, 'Ignorant people will speak ill of us, and threaten us with swords or sticks.' Looking at the world today, is their any Buddhist priest other than I, Nichiren, who is spoken ill of, abused, and threatened with swords or sticks on account of the Lotus Sutra? If I, Nichiren were not here, this verse would be a false prediction.

It also says: 'Monks in this evil world will be cunning and ready to flatter others. they will preach the dharma to laymen for worldly gain and be respected by the people just as the arhat who has the Six Superhuman Powers is..' If there were no Anitabha Buddhists or priests of Zen or Ritsu Schools of Buddhism in this world, this prediction would also make the Buddha a great liar.

It says, 'In order to slander us in the midst of a great crowd of people they will speak ill of us to kings, ministers, Brahamans, and men of influence.'

These would be empty words unless Buddhist priests in this world slandered me and had me exiled.

It is further stated, "We will be banished many times." If I, Nichiren had not been exiled repeatedly on account of the Lotus Sutra, what would we do with these two words of "many times?" Even T'ien-t'ai and Dengyo did not read these two words from experience, not to speak of other people. I, Nichiren alone read them from experience. For I perfectly fit the Buddha's description of the persons reading the Lotus Sutra "in the dreadful and evil world" at the beginning of the Latter Age.

For example, the Buddha predicted in the Fuhozo Sutra (Heistory of the Buddha's Successors) that one hundred years after His death there would be a great king named Asoka. It is predicted in the Maha Sutra that 600 years after the death of the Buddha, there would be a man named Nagrjuna in South India, while the Daihi-kyo (Sutra of the Great Compassion) says: "Sixty years after the Buddha's death there will be a man called Madhyantika, who will build a base in the Palace of the Dragon King to spread Buddhism." These predictions of the Buddha all came true. Otherwise, who would have faith in Buddhism.

Nevertheless, in both the Sho-hoke-kyo (Chinese translation of the Lotus Sutra by Dharmaraksha) and myo-hoe-kyo (Kumarajiva's Chinese translation of the Lotus Sutra) the Buddha has precisely defined the time for the spread of this sutra to be when the 'world is dreadful and evil.' 'The future Latter Age,' 'The Latter Age when the dharma is about to be extinguished,' "or the fifth five-hundred-year period after the death of the Buddha.' Had there not been three kinds of strong enemies against the practitioner of the Lotus today, who would believe in the Buddha? Had there not been Nichiren, who would be the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra to prove the Buddha's prediction?

Even three Southern masters and seven Northern masters in China as well as seven great temples of Nara in Japan were among the enemies of the Lotus Sutra during the Middle Age of the Imitative Dharma. How could schools of Zen, Ritsu, and Amidists today escape from being enemies of the sutra? As the words of the sutra correspond with me, the deeper I fall into disgrace with the shogunate, the greater my pleasure is. This is like a Hinayana bodhisattva, who has not completely exterminated all delusions and evil passions, wishing to reborn in this world. That is to say, as he sees his parents suffering greatly in hell, he would intentionally accumulate bad karmas in order to go to hell himself, where he would be glad to share their sufferings. I, Nichiren, am in a similar situation,. Though my sufferings today are difficult to bear, I am happy for in the future I will be free from the evil realms.

The Opening of the Eyes: Protection by Arhats MAIN DISCOURSE Part 2 Chapter VI with Commentary

Nevertheless, people doubt me, and I myself wonder why gods and deities have not come to help me. They made vows to the Buddha to protect a practitioner of the Lotus Sutra. I would think therefore, that they should hurriedly come to the aid of a practitioner of the Lotus Sutra, even if he is like a monkey, and carry out their promise to the Buddha. Yet, none has come to help me. Does that mean that I am not a practitioner of the Lotus Sutra? Since this question is the basis of this writing and of cardinal importance in my life, I will take this up again and again in order to find a definite answer.

Chi-cha of Wu in Ancient China is said to have seen the lord of Hsu and sensed that the Lord was envious of of his (Chi-cha's) treasured sword given by his king. Realizing that he had yet to perform a royal mission, Chi-cha decided to present the sword to the Lord on his way back. However, the Lord was already dead when Chi-cha tried to see him again. Therefore, it is said, he placed the sword on the Lord's tomb to carry out what he had promised in his heart. A man named Wang-shou is said to have paid for drinking water from a river by throwing coins in it, while Hung-yen followed his slain lord in death, by cutting his stomach and inserting his lord's liver in it.

These are examples of wise men repaying favors they had received. How much more would great sages like Sariputra and Kasyapa repay favors? Upholding the 250 Commandments and 3,000 rules of dignified conduct without fail, and free of delusions in view and thought, they won freedom from the Six Realms of transmigration. They are leaders of Brahma, Indra, gods and deities and eyes of all the people.

Nevertheless, they have been discarded as being unable to obtain Buddhahood in those sutras some forty years before the Lotus Sutra. By taking the pill of immortality, the Lotus Sutra, they were sure of obtaining Buddhahood as though a roasted seed would germinate, a broken rock becomes whole again, and a dead tree bears flowers and fruits. Not having formally become Buddhas by going through the eight stages in the life of the Budda, how can they afford to forget what they owed to the sutra? If they did, they would be not only inferior to such wise men as Chi-cha and Hung-yen but also similar to those beasts which bites the hand that feeds them.

A turtle which had been saved by a man named Mao-pao in Chin China is said to have never forgotten his kindness and came to help him escape across a river when he was defeated in a battle. Han Emperor Wu-ti is said to have released a large fish he caught in Lake Kun-ming, In gratitude, it is said, the fish at night presented him with a large gem. Even beasts repay the kindness they receive, not to speak those great saints.

Venerable Ananda was the second son of King Dronodana while venerable Rahula was a grandson of King Suddodana. Born into families of high social standing and having attained the arhatship, they both had been considered as having no possibility of obtaining Buddhahood. During the eight year preaching of the Lotus Sutra on Mt. Sacred Eagle, however, they were granted the titles of Sengaiejizitsuo Buddha and Toshippoke Buddha respectively. Had they not been assured of Buddhahood thanks to the Lotus Sutra who would respect them no matter how noble their family blood and how great their sainthood had been?

King Chieh of the Hsia Dynasty and King Chou of the Yin (Shang) Dynasty were rulers of ancient China who were respected by their subjects. However, when they lost their kingdoms as a result of tyrannical governing, the term 'Chieh-Chou' became a symbol of all that is wicked and cruel. Even men of humble origin or men with leprosy would feel offended today if they are called Chieh or Chou.

Had it not been for the Lotus Sutra, who would know the names of as many as 1,200 or innumerable sravaka who were assured of obtaining Buddhahood in the sutra, or who would listen to them? Even if 1,000 sravaka gathered together after the death of the Sakyamuni Buddha and compiled all the Buddhist scriptures, nobody would read them, not to speak of making their portraits and statues objects of worship. As they are, those arhats are respected and worshiped today simply because they were assured of Buddhahood in the Lotus Sutra. Without the Lotus Sutra, they would be like fish without water, monkeys without trees, infants without breasts, and subjects without a sovereign. How can they afford to discard a practitioner of the Lotus Sutra?

Listening to the sutras expounded before the Lotus, those men of sravaka gained the Eyes of Heaven and Eyes of Wisdom, in addition to human eyes. Besides they gained the Eyes of Dharma as well as the Eyes of Buddha listening to the Lotus Sutra. They should be able to see through all the worlds in the universe, not to speak of finding a practitioner of the Lotus Sutra in this world. Even if I, Nichiren were so wicked a person to have abused those men of sravaka with slanderous words or struck them with sticks or swords for billions of trillions of kalpa, they would not abandon me so long as I am a practitioner of the Lotus Sutra. For instance, do any parents abandon thir children who abuse them? It is said that an owl, when grown up, eats its mother, but a mother owl does not give up its baby. A beast called hakyo is said to devour its father when grown up, but its father does not abandon its child. These are acts of beasts and birds. How could such saints of sravaka abandon a practitioner of the Lotus Sutra? Therefore, the four great men of sravaka have expressed their gratitude to the Buddha for assuring them of Buddhahood, saying:

Now we are men of sravaka

In the true sense of the word,

Who can cause everyone to listen

To the way of the Buddha.

Now we are arhats

In the true sense of the word,

Who deserve to receive offerings

In various worlds

Among various creatures,

Gods, men, devils and Brahmans.

You, the World-Honored One,

Have done a great favor

Out of Your deep compassion

In expounding this rare teaching of Lotus

Who would be able to repay Your favors

Even in innumerable kalpa?

No one will be able to repay Your favors

Even if he tries to do so

By serving You with his hands and feet,

Respectfully bowing his head to You,

And offering you all he had.

No one will be able to repay Your favors

Even if he tries to do so

By carrying You on his head and shoulders,

Showing respect from the bottom of his heart

For kalpa as incalculable as sands of the Ganges River.

No one will be able to repay Your favors

Even if he tries to do so

By offering You delicious food,

Garments adorned with invaluable treasures,

And various beddings and medicines;

Or by erecting stupas

Made of Malayan sandalwoods,

Adorned with precious treasures;

Or by spreading garments of treasures

On the ground as offerings to You

For as long as incalculable kalpa

As many as sands of the Ganges River.

In the sutras preached before the Lotus Sutra, men of sravaka were scolded and humiliated in great assemblies of men and gods on numerous occasions. Having heard that men of sravaka would never obtain Buddhahood, for instance, Venerable Kasyapa cried out with a loud voice that resounded throughout the entire world, causing dumbfounded Venerable Subhuti to drop his alms bowl. Having been told that sravaka men were not entitled to receive alms, Sariputra spit out the food he had in his mouth. Unable to see the intelligence of his audience, Purna was scolded for breing as stupid as putting manure in a beautiffuly decorated vase. The Buddha, who praised the Hinayana sutras of Agon-gyo and earnestly urged His disciplesto uphold the 250 Commandments earlier at the Deer Park, now suddenly changed His mind and scolded them as vehemently as this. It was a contradiction hard for them to swallow.

In another instance, the Buddha scolded Devedatta for being such a fool as to transform himself into an infant who, while being embraced by King Ajatasatru of Magadha, sucked the kings saliva. Devedatta, feeling a strong resentment against the Buddha as if he had been shot through the chest by a poisoned arrow, vowed:

Gautama is not a Buddha. I am the first son of King

Dronodana, elder brother of Venerable Ananda, and

a member of the Gautama clan. No matter how badly

I behaved, he should have told me about it privately.

How could he be a Buddha or a great man when he

put me to such shame in the midst of a large crowd

of men and gods? Formerly he was my enemy who

robbed me of the woman I had loved. Now he is my

enemy who insulted me in front of a crowd. He will

remain my sworn enemy generation after generation,

life after life.

As I contemplate from these instances, such great men of sravaka as Sariputra, Kasyapa, and Maudgalyayana were originally from Brahman families or Brahman elders. Therefore they were believed in and respected by kings and lay followers. Some of them were originally of high social status and from rich families. Giving up rank and homor and suppressing their pride, they took off the layman's clothes to put on shabby looking siol-colored robes, discarding their hossu brush of white long hair and bow and arrow, symbols of their high social standing. Like beggars, they followed Sakyamuni Buddha, each holding a beggars bowl in hand, without a house to shelter them against the rain and wimd, and with few clothes and little food to keep them alive. As all the people in the whole of India were disciples and followers of Brahmanism, even the Buddha Himself encountered nine great difficulties, including Devedatta's attempt to kill Him by rolling a huge rock down a hill on Him, King Ajatasatru's attempt at killing Him by releasing a drunken elephant to attack Him, and King Ajita's attempt at the Buddha's life by giving Him only horse feed for ninety days.

When the Buddha went to a Brahman village to beg for food, He did not receive any offering except for a bowlful of water in which rice had been washed. It is also said that the Buddha was once accused of breaking the Buddhist rule by a Brahmin woman named Cinca who, placing a bowl on her stomach, claimed to be made pregnant by the Buddha. Even the Buddha was confronted with difficulties such as these, not to speak of His disciples, who had to go through numerous difficulties.

Countless people of the Sakya clan were murdered by king Virudhaka of Sravasti, and many more of them were trampled to death by drunken elephants. Nun Utpalavarna was beaten to death by Devedatta, and Venerable Kalodayin was murdered and buried in horse manure, while venerable Maudgalyayana was beaten to death by a group of Brahmins armed with bamboo sticks. Moreover, the influential Six Schools of Brahmanism joined forces in appealing to such powerful kings as Ajatasatru and Prasenajit saying:

Sakyamuni is the most evil man in this world.

Wherever He goes, there are three calamities

and seven disasters. Just as many rivers flow

into an ocean and many trees grow on a huge

mountain, many evil men such as Kasyapa,

Sariputra, Maudgalyayana, and Subhuti gather

around Sakyamuni. The primary duties of man

are to be a loyal subject and a filial child. However,

they are fooled by Sakyamuni into renouncing their

families against parental wishes. They hide them-

selves in the mountains, against the royal ordinance.

As such they should not be allowed to stay in the

country. It is due to their presence that we have

frequent cosmic disorders and natural calamities

in our land these years.

These were difficult enough to bear, but there were more to come, making it hard for them to follow the Buddha. not knowing what to do upon being scolded and shamed by the Buddha in front of the great crowd of men and gods, they only remained bewildered.

The heaviest blow of all hit them when the Buddha stated in the Yuima Sutra:

'Those who offer alms to you, men of sravaka, can not be called those who sow the seed in the 'fertile rice fields' where the seed of Buddhahood can germinate and grow. Those who give offering to you will fall into the three evil Realms of hell, of hungry souls and of beasts and birds.'

This was when the Buddha was staying in the Amra Garden, where an immeasurably large crowd including the Brahma Heaven King, Indra, the sun and the moon, the Four Heavenly Kings, and gods and dragon-gods in the heaven and earth gathered. In the midst of them, the Buddha declared, 'Those gods and men who give offerings to monks like Subhuti will fall into the Three Evil Realms.' How could they, those gods and men who heard Him say this, present offerings to such men of sravaka? After all, it even appeared that the Buddha was trying to kill off those men of the Two Vehicles. Right-hearted men felt that He was too severe. Those Hinayana sages were barely able to sustain their lives with the offerings given to the Buddha.

If Sakyamuni Buddha had passed away after preaching only some forty years without preaching the Lotus in the last eight years, who would have given offerings to these respectable people? They would certainly be in the realm of the hungry souls.

However, just as the sun in spring melts away the ice and the strong wind shakes off all the dew, those sutras preached in some forty years were discredited at once by one statement: 'The truth has not been revealed yet.' Just as the strong wind dispels disperses dark clouds revealing the full moon in the sky and the sun shines in the clear sky, it was made shiningly clear that 'the Buddha reveals the truth after preaching provisional dharma for a long time.' It was stated in the Lotus Sutra, the spotless mirror, in the indisputable words of the Buddha as clear as the sun and the moon in the sky that men like Sariputra and Kasyapa could obtain Buddahood and that they would be Keko Buddha and Komyo Buddha respectively in the future. That was the very reason why lay followers among gods and men after the death of the Buddha continued to look up to those Hinayana sages as if they were Buddhas.When the water is clear the moon is bound to reflect in it. when the wind blows, trees and grasses are bound to bend. So, when there is a practitioner of the Lotus Sutra, those Hinayana sages such as Sariputra and Kasyapa should come to see him even if it means they have to overcome such obstacles as great fires or huge rocks. Kasyapa is said to have begun meditation to wait for the future Buddha of Maitreya, but this is not the time for him to do so. I wonder why they have not rushed to rescue the practitioner of the Lotus when his life is at stake. Does this mean that the Lotus Sutra widely spreading during the Latter Age of the Decadent Dharma, predicted in the sutra, has not come true?

Are these words "widely spread" false? Am I, Nichiren, not a practitioner of the Lotus? Are they protecting those great liars of the Zen School, who insist that the truth can not be expressed in writing and therefore, the Lotus Sutra is not the truth? Are they defending the Pure Land School which, seeing no use for the Lotus Sutra in this Latter Age, urged that the gate to the Lotus Sutra be closed and the sutra be thrown away, and to close down Lotus temples. Or is it that gods and deities, shying away from the great difficulties in this decadent world, do not descend to help the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra in spite of their vow before the Buddha to do so? Both the sun and the moon are still in the sky, Mt. Sumeru still exists, the tide of the sea still rises and ebbs, and four seasons come and go in order. Why is it then that no one comes to help the practitioner of the Lotus? This doubt of mine grows greater and greater.

Opening of the Eyes: Protection by Bodhisattvas, PART 2 MAIN DISCOURSE Chapter VII with Commentary

Again, it appears that in the pre-Lotus sutras great bodhisattvas, gods, and men were guaranteed to obtain Buddahood in the future. However, that guarantee is merely of color and shape without substance, just like trying to grab the moon's reflection in the water or taking the shadow for reality. We might say in those pre-Lotus sutras they do not owe the Buddha as much as they seemed.

Upon reaching enlightenment under the bodhi tree, Sakyamuni Buddha did not preach. Instead some sixty great bodhisattvas such as Hoe, Kudokurin, Kongodo, and Kongozo appeared before the Lord Sakyamuni from all over the universe to preach, in response to the request of such bodhisattvas as Genju and Gedatsugatsu, the doctrine concerning the fifty-two steps to Buddhahood. This fifty-two step doctrine was not what they learned from Sakyamuni. The Kings of Brahma Heaven of all the worlds in the universe and others also came to preach, but what they preached was not what they learned from Sakyamuni. All the great bodhisattvas, gods, dragon-gods, and others in the Flower Garland assembly were great bodhisattvas who had won Mahayana enlightenment before Sakyamuni Buddha. They might have been Sakyamuni's disciples in the past when He was still practicing the way of bodhisattva. Or, they might have been disciples of those Buddhas in the universe who had won Buddhahood before Sakyamuni. At any rate they were not disciples of Lord Sakyamuni preaching the Flower Garland Sutra aFter attaining enlightenment under the bodhi tree.

It was only after Sakyamuni began preaching the Four Teachings (zogyo-Hinayana teaching, tsugyo-common teaching, bekkyo-Mahayana teaching and engyo-perfect teaching) in the Agon, Hodo, and Hannya sutras that He began having disciples. These sutras were preached by Sakyamuni, but His preachings in them were not really His own. Why is that so? It is because the bekkyo and engyo teachings in the Hodo and Hannya sutras were not any different from those in the Flower Garland Sutra, which were not of Sakyamuni Himself but of such great bodhisattvas as Hoe. Those bodhisattvas appear at first glance to have been the Buddha's disciples, but it is more proper to say that they were His teachers. Having listened to them preach bekkyo and engyo teachings in the Flower Garland Sutra, the Buddha learned from them and repeated the teachings when he preached the Hodo and Hannya Sutras later. Therefore the bekkyo and engyo teachings of the Hodo and Hannya are exactly like those in the Flower Garland Sutra, and those great bodhisattvas are teachers of Sakyamuni Buddha. This is the reason these bodhisattvas were called "good friends" meaning not exactly teachers nor disciples. The two teachings of zokyo and tsugyo are merely branches of bekkyo and engyo. Those bodhisattvas such as How who knew the latter should have known the former as well.

The teacher reveals to disciples what they do not know. For instance, all Brahmans among men and gods before the time of Sakyamuni Buddha were disciples of Siva, Visnu, and the Three Hermits. Although they split into ninety-five schools, their teachings did not go beyond those of the Three Hermits. Lord Sakyamuni had also been a student of Brahmanism, but while practicing ascetic and non-ascetic practices for twelve years, He perceived the principles of suffering, emptiness, impermanence and egolessness in all phenomena.

Thus, He was able to remove Himself as a student of Brahmanism and claim to have won His wisdom without the guidance of teachers. So men and gods respected Him as a great teacher. During the time when the Flower Garland, Agon, Hodo, and Hannya sutras were preached, the Lord Sakyamuni was not the teacher who revealed what others did not know, but he was rather a student of such bodhisattvas as Hoe. Likewise, it is said in the Lotus Sutra that bodhisattva Monjusri was a teacher of Sakyamuni Buddha for nine generations. In various sutras preached before the Lotus, the Buddha is quoted to have said that He "never preached even one word." It means that His preachings did not go beyond what was preached by such bodhisattvas as Hoe. Nobody actually owes the Buddha for His teaching and guidance during the preaching of all the sutras expounded before the Lotus Sutra.

When the Buddha at the age of seventy-two preached the Muryogi-kyo on Mt. Sacred Eagle in Magadha India, He dicredited all the sutras expounded in the preceding forty years by declaring, "No truth has been revealed for some forty years." Upon hearing it, great bodhisattvas as well as gods and people were all shocked and wished to know the true teaching. Although a shred of truth seems to have been revealed in the muryogi-kyo (Sutra of Infinite Meanings), the truth itself was not revealed. It was as though the moon was about to appear over the mountains in the east; its rays shone through the mountains in the west, but nobody could yet see the moon.

In revealing the single path to enlightenment replacing the three kinds of teaching for bodhisattas, sravaka, and pratyekabuddha in the second chapter on the "Expedients" of the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha briefly expressed the "3,000 in one thought" doctrine held in His bosom. Since it was the first time for the Buddha to reveal the truth, it sounded to His disciples as faint as the voice of a nightingale heard by the half-asleep or the moon rising over a mountain covered by a thin cloud. Surprised by the words of the Buddha, Sariputra and other disciples called on gods, dragon-gods, and great bodhisattvas, and together they petitioned the Buddha: Gods and dragon-gods as numerous as sands of the Ganges River, 80,000 bodhisattvas trying to attain Buddhahood, and Wheel-Turning Noble Kings in millions and billions of lands all respectfully held hands together in gassho and wished to hear the perfect teaching." In other words they requested Him to preach the doctrine which they had never heard of during His preaching of the Flower Garland, Agon, Hodo, and Hannya sutras expounded in some forty years preceding the Lotus Sutra.

As for the 'perfect teaching' which they wished to hear, it is said in the Nirvana Sutra, 'The prefex 'sad' of saddharma means perfect.' It is said in the Wu-i wu-teta-cheng ssu-lun hsuan-i chi by Chun-cheng of Tang China, "The prefix 'sad' of saddharmais a Sanskrit word meaning six, which is the perfect number in India." Chi-ts'ang of Sui China says in his Fa-hua-i-shu, "The 'sad' means perfect," while T'ien-t'ai says in his Fa-hua hsuan-i, fascicle 8, "The 'sad' is a Sanskrit word translated here as Miao in Chinese.' Bodhisattva Nagarjuna, the thirteenth patriarch in the succession of the Buddhism, the premogenitore of schools of Buddhism such as Flower Garland and Shingon, a reincarnation of bodhisattva Hounjizaio Buddha, a great sage who attained the first stage of bodhisattvahood, says in his 1,000 fascicle work of Dai-chido-ron (Great Wisdom Discourse) that 'sad' means six.

The Miao-fa-lien hua-ching is a chinese designation for the Lotus Sutra, which is called the Saddharma-pundarika-sutra in India, Venerable Subhakarasimha's mantra representing the gist of the Lotus Sutra are as follows:

I put my faith in the everywhere-penetrating

Buddha, the three-bodied Buddha. When one

attains all the Buddha's wisdom and eyesight,

he will, like the all-embracing space, be able to

get rid of all delusions and evil passions. When

he accepts the teaching of The Sutra of the Lotus

Flower of the Wonderful Dharma, lives with joy,

and firmly upholds the teaching; he will inevitably

attain the state of emptiness, formlessness, and no

desire.

These mantras representing the gist of the Lotus Sutra came from an iron stupa in Southern India. The "Satsuri-daruma" among them means the true dharma, while "satsu" means sho (true) or myo (wonderful). Therefore the Lotus Sutra is called either the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the True Dharma or the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma. Placing the two words of "na" and "mu" in front of the latter, we get "Namu-myoho-renge-kyo" (I put my faith in the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma).

The word myo means gusoku (to be perfect), namely fulfillment of the six paramita or six practices required for the attainment of Buddhahood. Sariputra and others wished to know the way in which a bodhisattva could fulfill the six paramita in order to obtain Buddhahood. "Gu" in "gusoku' means mutually-possessed characteristics or the Ten Realms, and "soku" means to be satisfactory, that is to say, each of the Ten Realms contains in itself characteristics of the other Nine Realms. Altogether, of the 69,384 characters of the Lotus Sutra in the twenty-eight chapters in eight fascicles, each contains in it the character of myo; each of them represents the Buddha with thirty-two or eighty marks of physical excellence. As each of the Ten Realms contains in it characteristics of the realm of Buddha, Grand Master Miao-le stated, "Each realm contains characteristics of the realm of Buddha, not to speak of those of the other Nine Realms."

Then Bodhisattva Maitreya and other great bodhisattvas began to doubt the Buddha. At the time the Flower Garland Sutra was preached, numerous great bodhisattvas such as Hoe gathered. While wondering who they were, Maitreya and others were told by Sakyamuni Buddha, apparently to their satisfaction, that Hoe and other great bodhisattvas were Sakyamuni's "good friends." The same thing happened to those great bodhisattvas who gathered together at Daihobo where the Daijikkyo was preached, and to those who gathered at Lake White Heron upon the preaching of the Hannya Sutra. The great bodhisattvas appearing from underground now, however, seemed incomparably superior to them, and it appeared probable that they were teachers of Sakyamuni Buddha. Nevertheless, the Buddha declared that it was He who caused them to aspire to enlightenment, as if the Buddha taught and guided immature people as His disciples. It was only natural, therefore, that Bodhisattva Maitreya and others had serious doubts about Sakyamuni Buddha.

Prince Shotoku of Japan was a son of Emperor Yomei, the thirty-second sovereign of Japan. When he was six years old, elderly men coming from Packche, Koguryo, and Tang China paid homage to the Emperor. The six year old crown prince declared that they were his disciples, and these elderly men holding hands in reverence said that the crown prince was their teacher. It was indeed a wonder. It is also said in a work of Confucianism that a certain man, while walking on a street, came across a young man about thirty years old beating an old man of about eighty years old on the street. Asked what was the matter, the story says, the young man answered that this elderly man he was beating was his son.

The relationship between Sakyamuni and great bodhisattvas from underground is similar to these stories. Therefore, Bodhisattva Maitreya and others asked a question, "World-Honored One! When You were the crown prince, You left the palace of the Sakya clan and sat in meditation under the bodhi tree not far from the town of gaya until you attained perfect enlightenment. It has only been some forty years. How could You, World-Honored One, achieve so much in so short a time?"

For some forty years starting with the Flower Garland Sutra, bodhisattvas have asked questions in every assembly to dispel the doubts all beings might have had. This, however, is the most serious question of all.

In the Muryogi-kyo, for instance, 80,000 bodhisattvas such as Daishogon put forth a serious question concerning the apparent discrepancy in time required for attaining Buddhahood. While it had been said in the sutras preached in the first some forty years that it would take many kalpa, now in the Muryogi-kyo it was preached that one could obtain Buddhahood immediately with his own body. Though serious the question of Daishogon, that of maitreya was more crucial.

In another instance, cited in the Kanmuryoju-kyo, it is said that king Ajatasatru, incited by Devedatta, imprisoned his own father, King Bimbisara, and tried to murder his own mother, Vaidehi, but two loyal subjects, Jivaka and Candraprabha, talked him into releasing his mother. Inviting the Buddha, Vaidehi first of all asked this question: "For what crime I might have committed in past lives, did I give birth to such an evil son like this? What causes You, World-Honored One, to be born as a cousin of such a wicked man as Devedatta?" This was a very serious doubt. "Wheel Turning Noble Kings are not born related to enemies. Indra is not born related to a demon. The Buddha has been a man of compassion from the time of innumerable kalpa in the past. Why was he born related to to devedatta, the great enemy? Isn't it because he was not really the Buddha?" Vaidehi might well have wondered. The Buddha did not answer this question. Therefore those who read the Kanmuryoju-kyo do not understand the real relationship between Sakyamuni and Devedatta unless they read the twelth chapter, "Devedatta," of the Lotus Sutra. This serious question of Vaidehi was not so serious a question as the one asked by Maitreya.

The thirty-six questions asked by Kasyapa in the Nirvana Sutra were not so serious as the one asked by Maitreya. If the Buddha had not squarely answered the question to dispel this doubt, the whole teaching of Buddhism would have appeared to be worthless, and the questions of everyone would have remained unanswered. Here lies the importance of the sixteenth chapter, 'The Life Span of the Buddha,' of the Lotus Sutra.

Thereafter, preaching the sixteenth chapter of the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha declared, 'All the gods, men, and asura demons believed that this Sakyamuni Buddha was the one who had left the palace of the Sakya clan and sat in meditation under the bodhi tree not far from the town of Gaya and attained perfect enlightenment.'

This declaration of the Lotus Sutra represented what all the great bodhisattvas had in mind while listening to the sutras starting with the Flower Garland at the place of His enlightenment to the 'Peaceful Practice' chapter of the Lotus. 'To speak the truth, good men,' continued the Buddha, 'It has been countless years (many hundreds of thousands of trillions of nayuta kalpa) since I obtained Buddhahood.'

Thus with one stroke He denied as untrue all His previous statements such as 'obtaining the first enlightenment' said three times in the Flower Garland Sutra, 'the first enlightenment' in the Agon Sutra, 'the first meditation under the bodhi tree' in the Yuima Sutra, 'the first sixteen years after enlightenment in the Daijikkyo,' 'I once sat in meditation at the place of enlightenment to expel four demons' in the Great Sun Buddha Sutra, 'for twenty-nine years since His enlightenment' in the Ninno Sutra, 'I once meditated under the bodhi tree in the place of enlightenment for six years' stated in the Muryoyogi-kyo, and 'At first I sat at the place of enlightenment, gazed on the tree, and walked about it meditating' in the 'Expedients' (second) chapter of the Lotus Sutra.

Thus it was revealed that Sakyamuni had long been the Buddha since the eternal past, and it became clear that various Buddhas in other worlds were all manifestations of Sakyamuni Buddha. In the pre-Lotus sutras, as well as the theological section of the Lotus Sutra, various Buddhas and Sakyamuni Buddha were on the same level, each practiced Buddhism on their own. Therefore, those who considered various Buddhas to be their main figures of worship did not worship Sakyamuni. Now, however, as Sakyamuni was proved to be the Eternal Buddha, those Buddhas on the lotus petals in the Flower Garland Sutra, or Buddhas in the Hodo, Hannya, or Great Sun Buddha sutras all became subordinates of Sakyamuni Buddha.

Obtaining enlightenment at the age of thirty, Sakyamuni Buddha took over this world, which had been domains of Braham King, the king of devils in the Sixth Heaven, and others. But now the Buddha reversed what had been said in the pre-Lotus sutras and in the theological section of the Lotus that this world is the defiled land whereas other worlds in the universe are pure lands. He now declared that this world is the land of the Original Buddha and what had been said to be pure lands throughout the universe are defiled lands of manifestations.

Since Sakyamuni Buddha is Eternal and all other Buddhas in the universe are His manifestations, then those great bodhisattvas converted by manifested Buddhas are also disciples of Lord Sakyamuni Buddha. If the "Life Span of the Buddha" chapter had not been expounded, it would be like the sky without the sun and moon, a contry without a king, mountains and rivers without gems, or a man without a soul. Nevertheless, seemingly knowledgeable men of such provisional schools of Buddhism as Ch'eng-kuan of the Hua-yen, Chia-hsiang of the San-lun, Tz'u-en of the Fa-hsiang, and Kobo of the Shingon tried to extol their own canons by stating: 'The lord of the Flower Garland Sutra represents the reward-body (Hojin) of the Buddha whereas that of the Lotus Sutra the accommodative-body (Ojin);' or 'the Buddha in the sixteenth chapter is an illusion; it is the Great Sun Buddha who is enlightened.' Clouds cover the moon and slanderers hide wise men. When people slander, ordinary yellow rocks appear to be of gold and slanderers seem to be wise. Scholars in this age of decay, blinded by slanderous words, do not see the value of the gold in the 'Life Span of the Buddha' chapter. Even among men of the Tendai School some are fooled into taking a yellow rock for gold. They should know that if Sakyamuni Buddha had not been the Eternal Buddha, there could not have been so many who received guidance from Him.

The moon does not shy away from its own reflection but it can not reflect without water. Even though the Buddha hopes to convert the populace, He can not appear in this world to convert the populace unless the causative relationship is ripe. It is like Hinayana sages of sravaka, who have listened to the Mahayana teaching and ascended the ladder of the bodhisattva way leading to Buddhahood, until they are able to guide the people. In the end, however, they have to wait for the future for their Buddhahood. It is because they have listened only to the pre-Lotus sutras and strove for self-control and self-salvation without creating enough causative relationship for them to appear in this world to complete the eight phases of Buddhahood in order to guide the people. If Sakyamuni has attained Buddhahood for the first time in this world, Brahma King, Indra, the sun, the moon, the Four Heavenly Kings, and others who owned this world as their domain from its beginning, would have been the Buddha's disciples only for some forty years. And those who listened to the preaching of the Lotus eight years on Mt. Sacred Eagle could hardly think that their new master, who had attained Buddhahood only some forty years ago, had actually been the Buddha since time immemorial. It seemed to them that Sakyamuni was behind those who had been in this world such as Braham King, Indra, and the Four Heavenly Kings.

But now since it has been revealed that Sakyamuni is the Eternal Buddha, Bodhisattva Nikki and Gakko, disciples of Yakushi Buddha in the world to the east; Bodhisattva Kannon and Seishi, disciples of Amitabha Buddha in a land to the west; various disciples of Buddhas in various lands throughout the universe as well as disciples of the Great Sun Buddha depicted in both the Diamond Realm Mandala and the Matrix-store Realm Mandala of the Great Sun Buddha and the Kangocho-kyo now are all disciples of Sakyamuni Buddha. Since Buddhas in the worlds throughout the universe are all manifestations of Sakyamuni Buddha, their disciples are of course of Sakyamuni's disciples. The sun, the moon, and stars, that have been in this world from the beginning, are disciples of Sakyamuni Buddha.

Nevertheless, all Buddhist schools except for Tendai are confused with their main objects of worship. The Kusha, Jojitsu, and Ritsu Schools make the main object of worship Sakyamuni Buddha who attained Buddhahood by going through the thirty-four steps of fighting against delusions and evil passions. This is like a crown prince of a world-honored sovereign, who, confused, thinks of himself as a son of an ordinary subject.

The Four Schools of Kegon, Shingon, Sanron, and Hosso are of Mahayana Buddhism, among which two schools of Hosso and Sanron worship as their main object of worship a Buddha similar to the accommodative body of Mahayana Buddha (shojin). It is just like a crown prince of a Heavenly King thinking of himself as the son of a warrior.

The Kegon and Shingon schools establish Vairocana and the Great Sun Buddha instead of Sakyamuni Buddha as the object of worship respectively. It is like a king's son despising his father while respecting a nameless person who acts as though he were the King of the Dharma.

The Pure Land School considers Amitabha Buddha, who is merely a manifestation of Sakyamuni in the Pure Land to the West, to be the lord of this world and abandons Sakyamuni, who is the real lord of this world. The Zen school, just like a lowly man with little virtue despising his parents, despises the Buddha and His sutras.

They are all confused about the main object of worship. It is analogous to the situation before the time of the Three Emperors, when people did not know who their fathers were and behaved like beasts and birds. Those Buddhist schools which do not know of the 'Life Span of the Buddha' chapter are the same as beasts and birds; they do not know the debt they owe to the Eternal Buddha. Grand Master Miao-le declared: Eternity in the life of the Buddha, who is our parent, has not been revealed in the pre-Lotus sutras. If one does not know the eternity in the life of his father, the Buddha, he is also confused about the Buddha land his father governs. Such a man, no matter how capable he may be, is not at all worthy of a human."

Grand Master Miao-le was a man of the T'ien-pao Period toward the end of T'ang China. Having widely read and deeply contemplated canons of the San-lun (Sanron), Hua-yen (Kegon), Fa-hsiang (Hosso), and Chen-yen (Shingon) Schools, he concluded that those who do not know of the Original Buddha revealed in 'The Life Span of the Buddha' chapter are like 'beasts and birds, who may be talented but do not know of the land governed by the father. 'No matter how capable he may be' refers to men like Fa-ts'ang and Ch'eng-kuan of the Hua-yen (Kegon) School and Venerable Subhakarasimha (Shan-wu-wei) of the Chen-yen (Shingon) School, who were men of talent but, like children who do not know their father, did not know of the true and eternal Sakyamuni Buddha.

Grand Master Dengyo, the primogenitor of exoteric and esoteric Buddhism in Japan has said in his Hokke Shuku (Outstanding Principles of the Lotus Sutra):

The canons of other schools, too, preach

some ultimate reality, which is the mother

of Buddhahood. However, those schools

have motherly love but no strictness of the

father. Only the Tendai Lotus School, with

both its strictness and love, is the parent of

all sages, wise men, those who have much

to learn and nothing to learn, as well as those

who aspire for enlightenment.

As for the three steps for obtaining Buddhahood: its seeding, nurturing and harvest, even those terms are not mentioned in canons of the Shingon or Kegon School, not to speak of its true meaning. They maintain that one would be able to reach the first of the ten stages of bodhisattvahood and obtain Buddhahood within the present lifetime. However, as provisional sutras they do not preach the planting of seeds in the past. Thus they talk about attaining buddhahood without planting seeds, which is like Chiao-kao of Ch'in China or Yuge-no-Dokyo of Japan trying to usurp the throne without any right.

These schools of Buddhism fight one another for the sole ownership of the seed of Buddhahood, but I, Nichiren do not jump in the scramble, leaving the matter up to the sutras. Based on the concept of the seed of Buddhahood preached in the Lotus Sutra, Bodhisattva Vasubandhu insisted on the 'supremacy of the seed.' This later became the '3,000 in one thought' doctrine of T'ien-t'ai. The seed that enabled those Buddhas of various Mahayana sutras such as the Flower Garland and Great Sun Buddha to obtain Buddhahood is explained in the '3,000 in one thought' doctrine. It was Grand Master T'ien-t'ai alone who perceived this doctrine.

Ch'eng-kuan of the Kegon School plagiarized this doctrine to interpret a saying in the Flower Garland Sutra as: 'Mind is like a skillful painter.' Canons of the Shingon school such as the Great Sun Buddha Sutra do not contain any of the 'attainment of Buddhahood by the Two Vehicles,' 'eternity in the life of the Buddha,' and '3,000 in one thought' doctrines. Having come to Chiina and and read Mo-ho-chih-kuan of T'ien-t'ai, Subhakarasimha thought of reading the T'ien-t'ai concept of '3,000 in one thought' into such expressions in the Great Sun Buddha Sutra as 'reality of mind' and 'the Buddha as the origin of all things' in order to lay the foundation for the Chen-yen (Shingon) School. He further adopted the finger signs and mantra words and created a theology maintaining that the Lotus Sutra and the Great Sun Buddha Sutra were equal in doctrine (because both have the '3,000 in one thought' doctrine), but in ritualism the latter is superior (because it has the finger signs and mantra). Where in the Great Sun buddha Sutra can we find doctrines of the 'attainment of Buddhahood by men of the Two Vehicles' and 'mutually-possessed characteristics of the Ten realms' represented in the Daimond Realm and the Matrix-store Realm Mandalas? This is the most serious falsification of all. Grand Master Dengyo has declared:

The newly transmitted Shingon School has

hidden the fact that its interpretation of the

Great Sun Buddha Sutra was written by the

T'ien-t'ai monk I-hsiang on the basis of what

he heard from Subhakarasimha and his own

knowledge of T'ien-t'ai doctrine. The Kegon

(Flower Garland) School, which had been

introduced to Japan earlier, has hidden such

influence of T'ien-t'ai upon its theology as

Fa-tsang's Five Teachings based on the

Four Teachings of T'ien-t'ai.

If one had gone to Hokkaido, he might be able to claim this well known Japanese poem by Hitomaro to be his own:

At the first light of dawn

A boat leaves the foggy beach of Akashi,

Disappearing behind an island

Perhaps islanders would be fooled by such a man. So are scholars of China and Japan by Subhakarasimha and Fa-tsang. Liang-hsu of the Tendai School in China had this to say: 'Compared to the Lotus Sutra, teachings of such schools as Chen-yen (Shingon), Shan (Zen), Hua-yen (Kegon), and San-lun (Sanron), are expedient gates leading to the true teaching of the Lotus.' It was because of his false preaching, stolen from the T'ien-t'ai doctrine, that Venerable Subhakarasimha was punished by Emma, the Lord of the Law. It must have been due to his change of mind and submission to the Lotus that he was later released. It was to show their submission to the Lotus that Subhakarasimha and Amoghavajra (Pu-k'ung) thereafter placed the Lotus Sutra in the center between the Diamond Realm Mandala and the Matrix-store Realm Mandala as if it were the great king served at left and right by two subordinates, the Great Sun Buddha Sutra of the Matrix-store Realm and the Kongocho-kyo of the Diamond Realm. In assessing the doctrines of various sutras, Kobo of Japan regarded the Flower Garland higher than the Lotus, the latter placed behind the Great Sun Buddha and Flower Garland. However, he, too, in transmitting ritualism to his disciples such as Jitsue, Shinga, Encho, and Kojo, placed the Lotus Sutra in the center between the two mandalas as mentioned above.

In another instance, when grand Master Chia-hsiang of the san-lun School wrote the Fa-hua-hsuan-lun in ten fascicles, he maintained, in contradiction to T|'ien-t'ai. that the Lotus Sutra was inferior to the Hannya Sutra and therefore was preached before it. He also insisted that the Lotus Sutra meant to lead the two Vehicles of sravaka and paratyekabuddha into bodhisattvahood whereas T'ien-t'ai had said all three groups were to merge into Buddhahood. However, he later submitted to T'ien-t'ai and served him seven years discontinuing his own lectures, dispersing his disciples, and even making himself a stool for T'ien-t'ai to climb up onto a pulpit. Grand Master T'zu-en of the Fa-hsiang School expressed many false concepts in his Fa-yuan-i-lin-chang in seven fascicles (revised edition in twelve fascicles). Looking down on the Lotus he wrote: 'The One-Vehicle teaching for all the people is merely expedient, while the three separate teachings for bodhisattvas, sravaka and pratyekabuddha are the true teaching.' However, one of his disciples, Ching-shui, later wrote the Fa-hua-hsuan-tsan-yao-chi: in the fourth fascicle of which, he maintained that the One-Vehicle teaching in the Lotus is also true. Although his written statements were ambiguous, his heart was with T'ien-t'ai.

Ch'eng-kuan of the Hua-yen School wrote a commentary on the Flower Garland Sutra, in which he compared it with the Lotus and seemed to have concluded that the Lotus was expedient. However, he later wrote that the T'ien-t'ai School considered the '3,000 in one thought' doctrine to be true, as did his own school. Isn't it that Chen-kuan regretted what he had written earlier? So did Grand Master Kobo. Without a mirror, one can not see his own face. Without enemies, one can not see his own faults. Scholars of the Shingon and other schools did not realize their own faults until they met Grand Master Dengyo.

Therefore we say that, although Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, men, and gods appearing in various sutras seemed to have attained Buddhahood through their respective sutras, in reality they were truly enlightened because of the Lotus Sutra. The great vow of Sakyamuni and other Buddhas to save a countless number of people was fulfilled in this sutra of Lotus. in the second chapter, it is stated, "My (Buddha's) all wishes are fully satisfied."

As I contemplate, it is doubtless that Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and gods appearing in such sutras as the Flower Garland, Kanmuryoju-kyo and Great Sun Buddha Sutra would protect those who read and practice them. However, if those who read and practice those sutras should become antagonist to practitioners of the Lotus Sutra, those deities would abandon practitioners of the Flower Garland and other sutras for those of the Lotus Sutra.

It is, for instance, like a filial son who would abandon his own father for royal service if his compassionate father should become an enemy of the king. This is a most filial act, and the same could be said of Buddhism. I believe that the Buddhas, bodhisattvas and ten female rasetsu demons mentioned in the Lotus will protect me. In addition, numerous Buddhas in six directions and twenty-five bodhisattvas mentioned in the canons of the Pur Land School, 1,200 deities appearing in the two mandalas of the Shingon School, as well as all Buddhas and guardian deities of the seven schools of Buddhism will protect Nichiren. I believe it was in this way that guardian deities of the seven schools of Buddhism protected Grand Master Dengyo.

Opening of the Eyes: Five Holy Proclamations MAIN DISCOURSE Part 2 Chapter VIII with Commentary

I, Nichiren believe as soon as the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra appears, all those gods such as the Sun God and the Moon God who heard the preaching of the Lotus in three meetings at two places (on Mt. Sacred Eagle and in a stupa appearing high in the sky) will hurry to his aid just as a magnet attracts pieces of iron and the moon reflects itself on the water. They will bear his difficulties and carry out the vows they made before the Buddha at those meetings.

Nevertheless, they have not come to rescue me, Nichiren. Is it because I am not a votary of the Lotus Sutra? I must reconsider the sutra in light of my own background in order to see what is wrong with me.

Some might ask how do I know that the Pure Land and Zen Schools today are enemies of the Lotus Sutra and 'evil friends' of all people. To this I would not answer in my own words. Instead, I would show them the ugly faces of the slanderers of the true dharma reflected in the mirror of sutras and commentaries although I can't help those who were born blind.

In the eleventh chapter, "The Appearance of the Stupa of Treasures," in the Lotus Sutra fascicle four, it is written:

Then Taho Buddha in the stupa of treasures offered

half of his seat to Sakyamuni Buddha and the great

crowd saw the two Buddhas sit cross-legged on the

lion-shaped throne in the stupa of the seven treasures.

Sakyamuni Buddha spoke out resoundingly to monks,

nuns, laymen, and laywomen: 'who will expound the

Lotus Sutra widely in this world? Now is the time. I

shall enter Nirvana before long, and therefore hope

to transmit this Lotus Sutra to someone so that it may

be preserved after My death.'

This was the first proclamation of the Buddha. 'Then Sakyamuni Buddha, wishing to repeat what he had said, declared in verse in the same chapter":

The Saintly Master, the Taho Buddha,

Who had passed away a long time ago,

Came riding in the stupa of treasures

For the sake of the dharma

Why don't you, everyone

Strive to preserve the dharma?

Buddhas in My manifestation

As numerous in number

As the sand in the Ganges River

Also came to hear the dharma.

Leaving their wonderful worlds,

Parting from their disciples,

And giving up the offerings made to them

By gods, men, and dragon-gods,

They came here to have the dharma

Forever preserved

Just as a strong wind

Sways the twigs of a tree

Those Buddhas employ these expedients

To have the dharma forever preserved.

Listen everyone!

Who will uphold this sutra,

And read and recite it

After my death?

Now is the time for you

To make your vows before Me.

This was his second proclamation. Sakyamuni continued on:

The Taho Buddha

And the Buddhas of my manifestation

Who have assembled here

Know this desire of Mine.

Good men! consider thoroughly

before making a great vow

to preach this sutra

For it is difficult to do so.

It is not so difficult

to preach all other sutras,

Which are as numerous

As the sands of the Ganges River,

It is not so difficult

To take Mt. Sumeru

And throw it over to

Countless Buddha-lands

As it is difficult

To preach this sutra

In the evil world

After My death.

It is not so difficult

To carry a stack of hay

And remain unburnt in the conflagration

Burning down the whole world

As it is difficult

To uphold this sutra

And preach to even one person

After My death.

Good men!

Who will uphold this sutra

And read and recite it

After My death?

Now is the time for you

To make a vow before the Buddha.

This was the third proclamation of Sakyamuni Buddha. The fourth and fifth, which appear in the 'Devedatta' chapter, will be considered later.

The meaning of these words in the "Appearance of the Stupa " chapter is clear. It is as clear as the great sun shining in the sky or a mole on a white face. Nevertheless, those who were born blind, those who have slanted eyes, who are one eyed, who believe that only their own teachers are wise men, or those who are stuck to false teachings will not be able to see. Despite all the difficulties, however, I will try to write down here for those who would aspire for Buddhahood.

It is difficult to have the chance of hearing the Lotus Sutra, harder than to see the once-in-3,000-years peach flowers at Hsi Wang-mu's orchard or the udonge blossom, which is said to bloom once in 3,000 years to foretell the coming of the Wheel-Turning King. You should also know that even the eight year war between Han Kao-tsu and Hsiang Yu for the control of China, the seven year war in Japan between Minamoto-no-Yoritomo and Taira-no-Munemori, the struggle for power between the asura demons and Indra, or the battle between a monster bird konji-cho and a dragon king at Lake Anavatapta, does not exceed in importance and intensity the war between the Lotus and all other sutras. The Lotus Sutra was spread over Japan twice; due to Grand Master Dengyo and me, Nichiren. Blind persons will not believe this; it can't be helped. These words in the Lotus are an assessment through the meeting of Sakyamuni, Taho, and other Buddhas from all over the universe of all the Buddhist scriptures that exist in Japan, China, India, the Dragon Palace, heaven and all the worlds of the universe.

You might wonder whether those sutras such as the Flower Garland, Hodo, Hannya, Jimmitsu, Ryoga, Great Sun Buddha, and Nirvana are among what the Lotus Sutra calls the 'nine easier' ones or the 'six difficult' ones to spread after the death of Sakyamuni Buddha. To this question, people have different answers. Flower Garland scholars such as Tu-shun, Chih-yen, Fa-tsang, and Ch'en-kuang say, 'Both the Flower Garland and Lotus Sutras are among the 'six difficult' ones. In name they are two separate sutras, but they are one in principle or in what they preach, just as there are four separate gates leading to the one one truth.'

Venerable Hsuan-tsang, Grand master T'z u-en and other Fa-hsiang scholars maintain, 'Both the Jimmitsu-kyo and Lotus Sutra are among the 'six difficult' ones because they preach the most sophisticated of the 'consciousness-only' doctrine expounded at the third or final stage, according to Fa-hsiang theology.'

Chi-tsang (Chia-hsiang) and others of the San-lun School maintain: 'The Hannya and Lotus Sutras are different in name but identical in body; they preach the same dharma.'

Venerable Subhakarasimha, Vajrabodhi, Amoghavajra, and other Indian-Chinese Chen-yen (Shingon) scholars say, 'The Great Sun Buddha Sutra and the Lotus Sutra are the same in principle; they both are among the 'six difficult ones.' However, Grand Master Kobo in Japan states, "The Great Sun Buddha Sutra is not among either the 'six difficult' nor the 'nine easier' ones. It is not among the scriptures preached by Sakyamuni; it was preached by the 'dharma-body' of the Great Sun Buddha.' Some say, 'As the Flower Garland Sutra was preached by the 'reward-body' of the Buddha, it does not belong to either the 'six difficult' ones nor the 'nine easier' ones.' Founders and scholars of these four schools maintain this; later scholars repeat the same.

It is regrettable to say that if I, Nichiren spoke up against them without reservation, people today would not even look at me. They would further heap injustices upon me even to the point of slandering me to the king and endangering my life. Nevertheless, in the Nirvana Sutra preached under the twin sala tree, the will of our compassionate Father Sakyamuni Buddha, it is said that we should rely on the dharma preached by the Buddha, not upon interpretations by teachers. It means that bodhisattvas, who are to lead the people after the death of the Buddha, are divided into four groups. In the fourth group are the highest ranking bodhisattvas such as Samantabhadra and Manjusri, and even they should not be trusted unless they preach with sutras in hand.

It is also said in the Nirvana Sutra that we should rely only upon perfect sutras, not upon the imperfect sutras. This means that we must distinguish the true sutra from provisional ones before relying upon it. In the Juju bibasha-ron by Bodhisattva Nagarjuna it is also said that we should rely upon the true sutra and not upon provisional ones. Grand Master T'ien-t'ai says, 'Adopt whatever agrees with the sutra, and not believe in that which is not found in the sutra in word or in meaning,' while Grand Master Dengyo states, 'Rely upon the words of the Buddha; do not believe in what has been transmitted orally.' Enchin, the Grand Master Chisho, states that we should transmit the Buddhas's teaching only from sutras.

Now, as for the assessments of the sutras by the founding fathers of the four Buddhist schools, their judgments seem to conform, more or less, to sutras and their commentaries. However, they all seem to stick to the teaching of their own schools without correcting the errors of their own teachers. Their opinions are formed from egotism and distorted interpretations of sutras. It is self decorated egocentricity! Men of Vatsiputra and Vaipula Schools, after the death of the Buddha, were stronger in theology than Brahamanism before the rise of Buddhism in India. Confucianism since the Later han, when Buddhism was introduced to China, became more intricate than Confucianism in the time of the Three Emperors and Five Rulers, when Buddhism was unknown in China. In the same way, teachers of such schools as Kegon, Hosso, and Shingon, envious of T'ien-t'ai's true teaching, tend to resort to distorted interpretations of the true Lotus Sutra in order to fit it into their provisional teachings. Surely, those who aspire to enlightenment should not be biased, stay away from sectarian quarrels and not despise other people.

It is said in the Lotus that among the sutras which had already been preached, are now being preached, and will be preached, the Lotus Sutra is supreme. Commenting on this, Grand Master Miao-le states,: 'Besides the Lotus Sutra, some sutras claim to be the king of sutras, but they are not really the first among sutras as they do not claim to be one among those which have already been preached, are being preached, and will be preached.' He also asserts, 'Although the Lotus Sutra is incomparable dharma above all the scriptures preached in the past, present, and future, many are confused about this, and they will suffer for ever from slandering the true dharma.'

Surprised by this statement in the Lotus Sutra and his commentary on it, I have read all the Buddhist scriptures and commentaries by later teachers. As a result all my doubts have melted away. It is not even worth mentioning that ignorant men of the Shingon School today believe that their's is superior to the Lotus Sutra because they have finger signs and mantras or simply because Grand Master Jikaku said so.

(I) Likewise, it is said in the Mitsugon-kyo (Secret Solemnity Sutra): 'Such sutras as the Juji-kyo (Ten Stages), Flower Garland Sutra, Daiju-kimnara-kyo (Great Tree King Kimnara), Jinzu-kyo (Supernatural Powers), and Shoman-gyo (Shrimala) are all begotten from this Mitsugon-kyo. As such, this sutra is superior to all the Buddhist scriptures.'

(II) The Daiun-gyo (Great Cloud Sutra) says: 'This Daiun-gyo is the Wheel-Turning Noble King among sutras because it preaches the real nature of the people and everlasting Buddha-nature.'

(III) The Six Paramita Sutra states:

All the true dharmas preached by numerous

Buddhas in the past and all the 84,000 wonderful

dharmas I am preaching in this world can be

grouped in five categories: 1. sutras, the Buddhas

teachings; 2. commandments; 3. commentaries on

sutras; 4. Buddha-wisdom; and 5. mystic spells.

With these five, I shall preach and converty all the

people. Even if the people are incapable of upholding

the sutras, commandments, commentaries, and 

Buddha-wisdom, I can still enable them to attain

enlightenment. Even if they have committed such

sins as the 'four major sins,' 'eight major sins,' or

'five rebellious acts', or even if those issendai

(icchantika), who slander Mahayana sutras, have

committed serious sins, I can still enable them to

purge themselves of their sins and obtain emancipation

and enlightenment at once. It is to such people that I

preach the teachings of the mystic spells. These five

categories of teachings are analogous to the 'five tastes'

of milk and four milk products, the most refined of which

is the wonderful taste of "clarified butter" (daigo or ghee).

The teaching of the mystic spells is like the taste of ghee,

which is the most exquisite of the five. It can cure various

sicknesses and keep both body and mind healthy. So, the

teaching of the mystic spells is the most admirable teaching

of Buddhism because it can extinguish the serious sins of

the people.'

(IV) Next, in the Gejjimmitsu-kyo (The Profound Secrets Sutra), it is stated:

The Bodhisattva Shogiisho (Superlative Truth)

again said to the Buddha that the World Honored One was

at first in the Deer Park in Baranasi, where He preached

the true teaching of the Four Noble Truths to those who

aspires for the Hinayana sage of sravaka. It was such a

rare teaching never preached before by gods or people.

Nevertheless, the preaching preached then was imperfect,

not without room for improvement and criticism. It was the

source of endless controversy.

In the second period of preaching for those who aspired to

practice Mahayana Buddhism. the Buddha preached that all

phenomena are void without substance, without life and death,

originally constant and unchanging, and in the state of Nirvana.

This was the preaching of the true dharma without revealing the

true intention of the Buddha. It was rarer than the one preached

in the first period, but still there was room for further improvement,

It was not yet a perfect teaching and was a source of constant

squabbling.

And now in the third period, the Buddha preached, for those who

seek the teaching for all to obtain Buddhaood, that all phenomena

are void without substance, without life and death, originally constant

and unchanging, in the state of Nirvana, and of no substance. This is

the preaching of the true dharma with the Buddha's intention clearly

revealed. It is the most wonderful and rarest of all sutras. What the

Buddha preaches now is the supreme teaching with no room for

improvement or criticism. It is the perfect teaching, which could not

cause any controversy.

(V) The Daihannya-kyo (Great Wisdom Sutra) states: 'By following 
whatever teaching one listens to, either within Buddhism or outside, 
as an expedient, one can grasp the exquisite principle of the 'wisdom'
in this sutra. All worldly matters and actions can be led into ultimate 
truth by this 'wisdom." Nothing exists outside the realm of ultimate 
truth.'

(VI) It is said in the Great Sun Buddha Sutra, fascicle one:

Bodhisattva Kongo! Practicing Mahayana Buddhism

means to aspire to the teaching of void and know

that there is no 'self' in all phenomena. Why is that

so? It is because practitioners of mahayana Buddhism

in the past observing the arayashiki (alaya-consciousness),

the substance of all phenomena, knew that all phenomena

are illusory.

Bodhisattva Kongo! He thus abandoned the teaching of

egolessness, won freedom of mind, and realized that

he was originally without birth or death.

The so-called 'emptiness' is beyond the realm of the six

sensory organs and is without form or boundary, beyond

futile squabbles and is analogous to space. A phenomena

is not an entity in itself.

The great Sun Buddha said to Bodhisattva Kongo that

Buddhahood is to know one's mind as it is.

(VII) Then it is asserted in the Flower Garland Sutra:

Among the people in all worlds, there are few who

aspire to the sravaka way. Even fewer people seek

the pratyekabuddha way. Those who seek the Mahayana

teaching are extremely rare. Even then it is easier to seek

the Mahayana teaching as compared to having faith in this

Flower Garland Sutra, which is extremely difficult to do. How

much more difficult it is to uphold it, remember it correctly,

practice as it teaches, and understand it truly! It is not so

difficult to sustain on the head all the worlds in the universe

for as long as one kalpa without moving an inch as it is to

have faith in this dharma. It is not so meritorious to offer

various things of joy to people as numerous as the dust of

all the worlds in the universe for as long as one kalpa as it

is to believe in this dharma. It is not so difficult to sustain

ten Buddha-lands in a palm and float in the air for as long

as one kalpa as it is to believe in this dharma. It is not so

meritorious to offer things of joy to people as numerous

as the dust of ten Buddha-lands for as long as one kalpa

as it is to believe in this dharma. It is not so meritorious

to revere and give offerings to Buddhas as innumerable

as the dust of ten Buddha-lands for as long as one kalpa

as it is to uphold this sutra.

VIII Finally it is said in the Nirvana Sutra:

Although these Mahayana scriptures have immeasurable

merits, they can not even be compared with this Nirvana

Sutra. The latter is a hundred, a thousand, a hundred

thousand trillion times, or infinite number of times more

meritorious than the former. Good men! It is analogous to

a cow producing milk, which in turn produces cream, which

in turn produces curdled milk, which in turn produces butter,

which in turn produces clarified butter called daigo. This daigo

is the supreme product and it cures all sicknesses of the people

who take it as if it contained all medicines in it. Good men!

The Buddha is the same. He preached the Flower Garland

Sutra, which in turn produced Hodo Sutras, from which

stemmed the Hannya Sutra, from which was produced the

Nirvana Sutra. The Nirvana Sutra is like the taste of daigo,

an allegory of the Buddha-nature expounded in the Nirvana

Sutra.

Each of the eight sutras cited above thus claims to be the supreme one. However when compared to the references in the Lotus Sutra to 'the sutras preached in the past, being preached at present, and will be preached in the future' and 'six difficult' and 'nine easier ones,' those statements look like stars compared to the moon and the nine mountain ranges of the world compared to Mt. Sumeru.

Nevertheless, even such master teachers as Ch'eng-kuang of the Hua-yen School, Tz'u-en of the Fa-hsiang School, Chia-hsiang of the San-lun School, and Kobo of the Shingon School, who appeared to have the eye of a Buddha, were confused by those sutras. How much more confused are those blind present-day scholars! How can they see the comparative merits of those sutras? They are unable to perceive even a clear distinction between black and white or Mt. Sumeru and a poppy-seed, not to speak of a principle as abstract as the sky. Since they do not know the depth of the teaching, no one knows the depth of the principle preached in the teaching. As the Lotus and other sutras are in separate fascicles and are out of sequence, it is difficult to differentiate the doctrine contained in them. Therefore, I cited from the eight sutras above in order to help ignorant people. In considering kings, we must know the difference between great ones and minor ones. The Daiun-kyo, which claims to be the king of sutras, cited above, is merely a minor king.

In considering " all," we must know the difference between all of a portion and all of a total. When the Mitsugon-kyo says that it is the most superior of the scriptures, it does not mean all the Buddhist scriptures. In considering the "five tastes," we must know whether they are applicable to all Buddhism or only a portion of Buddhism. The Six Paramita Sutra cited above talks of the attainment of Buddhahood by all the people but not by men of the Two Vehicles, whose Buddha-nature has been burnt away. How much less do they speak of the Eternal Buddha! The 'five tastes' doctrine of this sutra is not equal to that of the Nirvana Sutra. How can it face up to the Lotus Sutra, either the theological section of the essential section? Confused with this sutra, however, Grand Master Kobo of Japan classified the Lotus Sutra as the fourth or the second from the top among the 'five tastes.' Even the fifth or the most refined daigo taste of the Six Paramita Sutra can not equal that of the Nirvana Sutra. How can it face up to the Lotus Sutra which is superior to the Nirvana Sutra? What happened to Grand Master Kobo? Nevertheless, he called Grand Master T'ien-t'ai and other teachers thieves when he claimed in his Kemmitsu nikyo-ron that Chinese teachers competed against one another in stealing the daigo taste of the Six Paramita Sutra. Praising his own school, he further stated in it that regrettably wise men in the past had not tasted daigo.

Leaving aside the question, I will write this for my followers. Others will not believe in me and go to hell for slandering the true dharma, which would in turn cause them to obtain Buddhahood. It is possible to know the salinity of the ocean by tasting one drop of water, and the advent of spring by seeing a flower bloom. In the same way without sailing thousands of miles over to Sung China, without spending as long as three years as Fa-hsien did to visit Mt. Sacred Eagle, without entering the Dragon Palace as Nagarjuna did, without visiting Bodhisattva Maitreya as Asanga did, or without attending the three assemblies for lectures on the Lotus Sutra (Two on Mt. Sacred Eagle and one up in the sky) you should be able to perceive the relative merits of all the sutras preached by the Buddha during His lifetime by reading this writing of mine.

As snakes are relatives of dragons, they can foretell a flood seven days before its coming. As crows had been fortune-tellers in past lives, they can foretell the fortune of the year. Birds are superior to human beings in their ability to fly. In knowing the comparative merits of sutras, I, Nichiren am superior to Ch'eng-kuan of Hua-yen, Ch'ia-hsiang of San'lun, Tz'u-en of Fa-hsian, and Kobo of Shingon. It is because I follow the tradition of T'ien-t'ai and Dengyo. These masters had not yielded to the authority of T'ien-t'ai and Dengyo; how could they avoid the crime of slandering the true dharma?

It is I, Nichiren, who is the richest in Japan today, because I sacrifice my life for the sake of the Lotus Sutra and leave my name for posterity. Gods of rivers take orders from the masters of a great ocean, and gods of mountains follow the king of Mt. Sumeru. Likewise, when one knows the meaning of the "six difficult ones and nine easier ones" and "scriptures preached in past, are preached at present, and will be preached in the future" in the Lotus Sutra, one would automatically know the comparative merits of all Buddhist scriptures without reading them.

Besides the three proclamations made in the "Appearance of s Stupa" (11th) chapter of the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha issued two more proclamations in the following twelfth chapter, "Devedatta," of the same sutra with the intention of having it spread after His death. Devedatta had been reguarded as a man of issendai who did not have any possibility of attaining Buddhahood. He, nevertheless, was assured by the Buddha of becoming Tenno Buddha in the future. The forty-fascicled Nirvana Sutra has stated the existence of Buddha-nature in all, which is realized in this "Devedatta" chapter. Numerous offenders such as monk Zensho and King Ajatasatru committed the Five Rebellious sins or slandered the true dharma. Since the worst of them, Devedatta, was assured of becoming a Buddha in the future, all others would naturally be assured just as people follow the leader and twigs and leaves join a tree. That is to say, the example of Devedatta assured of being the future Tenno Buddha has made it unmistakable that all offenders of the Five Rebellious Sins or Seven Rebellious Sins, slanderers of the true dharma, and men of issendai --- all of them would attain Buddhahood someday. This is somewhat like deadly poison turning into 'nectar,' the best of all tastes.

Also, the example of a dragon girl becoming a buddha does not mean only her. It means the attainment of Buddhahood by all women. In the Hinayana sutras preached before the Lotus Sutra, woman is not thought of in attaining Buddhahood. Various Mahayana sutras appear to recognize women attaining Buddhahood or women going to the Buddha land, but only after they changed themselves to the good by giving up the evil. This is not an immediate attainment of Buddhahood in this world, which can only be possible through the '3,000 in one thought' doctrine. Therefore, what the Buddha promised in those Mahayana sutras is in name only. On the other hand, the attainment of Buddhahood by a dragon girl in the Lotus Sutra is meant as an example among many, opening the way for women of the Latter Age to attain Buddhahood or reach the Buddha land.

Filial devotion in Confucianism is limited to this life. Confucian sages and wise men are in name only because they do not help parents in their future lives. Brahmins know of the past as well as the future, but they do not know how to help parents. Only Buddhism is worthy of being the way of sages and wise men, as it helps parents in future lives. However, both the Mahayana and Hinayana sutras expounded before the Lotus Sutra preach Buddhahood in name only, without substance. Therefore, the practitioners of such sutras would not be able to attain Buddhahood even for themselves, not to talk about helping parents obtain Buddhaood. Now, coming to the Lotus Sutra, when enlightenment of women was revealed, enlightenment of mothers was realized; and when a man as wicked as Devedatta could attain Buddhahood, enlightenment of fathers was realized. These are two proclamations of the Buddha in the 'Devedatta' chapter, and this is the reason why the Lotus Sutra is the sutra of the filial way among the Buddhist scriptures.

The Opening of the Eyes: Three Kinds of Enemies of the Lotus Sutra PART 2 MAIN DISCOURSE Chapter IX with commentary

Surprised at these five proclamations of the Buddha, three of which were revealed in the eleventh chapter and two in the twelth chapter of the Lotus Sutra, bodhisattvas swore to live up to His expectations in the thirteenth chapter entitled "The Encouragement of Keeping this Sutra." Citing sutras as a mirror reflecting the truth, I now let you know how men of the Zen, Ritsu, and Pure Land Schools and their followers today slander the true dharma.

A man called Nichiren was beheaded at one o'clock during the night of the twelfth day in the ninth month last year. His soul has come to the province of Sado and is writing this in the midst of snow in February the following year to be sent to his closest related disciples from past lives. As such this writing of mine may sound frightening to you and precious at the same time. How fearful others will be when they read this writing! This is the bright mirror in which Sakyamuni and Taho Buddhas and other Buddhas in the universe reflected the state of Japan in the future, namely conditions of Japan today. Consider this as my memento in case I die.

As for the difficulties confronting those who would spread the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Age, first of all it is said in the thirteenth chapter, "Encouragement of Keeping the Sutra:"

We beseech You not to worry!

We will expound this sutra

In the frightful world

After Your death.

Ignorant people may speak

Ill of us and slander us

Or abuse us with swords or sticks.

We will endure all of them.

Monks in the evil world

Cunning, crooked, flattering, and arrogant,

Boast themselves enlightened

While they are not.

Some monks will stay in a monastery,

Wearing robes, sitting quietly,

claiming to be practicing the true way

Despising others staying among the people.

Attached to profit making,

They will preach the dharma for lay people

And will be revered by the people

As though they were arhats with Six Superhuman Powers.

They will have evil thoughts.

Always thinking of worldly matters,

Taking advantage of being in a monastery,

They will be happy to find our faults.

In order to slander us

Among the large crowd

They will always speak ill of us

To the king, ministers, Brahmans,

Lay believers and other monks

Saying that we are crooked in opinion

And preach Brahman teachings.

In the evil world in the kalpa of defilement

Many dreadful matters

Such as evil spirits abusing and shaming us,

As we spread the true dharma.

Evil monks of the defiled world,

Without knowledge of the Buddha

Using the expedient and provisional teachings,

Will slander us and frown at us;

Often we will be chased out of monasteries.

Grand Master Miao-le explains this situation in the eighth fascicle of his commentary on the Fa-hua-wen-chu:

This citation from the thirteenth chapter of the

Lotus Sutra could be divided into three parts.

The first line (four phrases) refers to the evil

people as a whole, that is the so-called self-

conceited lay people. The next line refers to

the self-conceited monks, while the following

seven lines refers to those arrogant monks

who consider themselves sages. Of the three,

persecution by the first group of arrogant lay

people is endurable. That of the second group

is harder to endure, while that of the third group,

self styled sages, is most difficult to endure. The

second and third groups are more cunning and

less likely to reveal their faults.

Monk Chih-tu of tung-ch'un states in his Fa-hua-i-tsuan:

First in the five lines starting with "ignorant people,"

the first verse and four phrases refer to the suffering

of "thee kinds of evil acts" --- physical, verbal, and

psychological acts --- committed by lay people. The

next verse beginning with "monks in the evil world"

refer to self-conceited arrogant monks. Third, the

three verses following "some monks will stay in a

monastary" refer to self-conceited sages, who lead

all the wicked people.

He also writes: "Two lines following 'in order to slander us' refer to reporting to the authorities false charges against the true dharma and against those who spread it."

It is said in the Nirvana Sutra, fascicle nine: "Good men! suppose a man of issendai pretending to be an arhat stays in a remote corner of tranquility, slandering Mahayana sutras. Ignorant people who see him may think him to be an arhat or a great bodhisattva." The sutra says also:

At the time this Nirvana Sutra spreads all over the

world, evil monks will steal it and forcible divide it

up into many parts destroying the excellent color,

fragrance, and taste of the true dharma. Although

these evil monks may recite such sutras, they will

miss the true teaching of the Buddha replacing it

with meaningless words of flowery rhetoric. They

will rearrange the sutra taking the beginning part

of the sutra and putting it at the end or visa versa,

or they will move the beginning and ending parts

to the mid-section, or the mid-part to the beginning

or ending part. You must know that such evil monks

are the demons' companions.

The six-facicled Hatsunaion-gyo [Nirvana Sutra] states:

There will be a man of issendai who acts like an arhat

but commits evil acts; and there will be an arhat who

acts like a man of issendai but has compassion. An

arhat-like man of the issendai refers to the people

who slander Mahayana Buddhism. An arhat who acts

like the man of issendai refers to a man who despises

the Hinayana sages of sravaka and widely preaches

Mahayana Buddhism, assuring the people that both he

and they are bodhisattvas because everybody has

Buddha-nature in himself. Nevertheless, those people

would consider him a man of issendai.

It is said in the Nirvana Sutra:

After the death of the Buddha, and after the Age of the

True Dharma is over, monks in the Age of the Imitative

dharma will no longer be sages. On the surface, they will

appear to keep commandments and recite sutras a little,

but they will devour rich food and enjoy a prosperous life.

Although  they will wear robes of Buddhist monks they will act

for selfish gain just like hunters walking slowly aiming at

game with narrow eyes, or cats stalking a rat. They will

always claim to be arhats. Outwardly, they will appear to

be wise men and virtuous people, but in heart they will

harbor greed and jealousy just like Brahmans practicing the

exersize of keeping silence. They will appear to be Buddhist

monks, but actually are not. With their rampant evil thoughts

they will slander the true dharma.

Now, in the light of the Lotus preached on Mt. Sacred Eagle and Nirvana preached under the twin sala tree, as bright as the sun and the moon, and commentaries by Miao-le of P'i-chan and Chih-tu of Tung-ch'un as brilliant as a clear mirror, sectarian schools today and ugly faces of Zen, Ritsu, and Pure Land follower in entire Japan are seen without a trace of a cloud.

It is said in the Myohorenge-kyo (Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Dharma) that it would be spread "in the dreadful world after the death of the Buddha" (Chapter 13); "in the latter evil day," "in the latter days," "during the latter days when the dharma is about to disappear" (Chapter 14); "in the evil days of decadent dharma" (Chapter 17); and "during the fifth 500-year period after the death of the Buddha" (Chapter 23). Likewise it is said in the shohoke-kyo (Lotus Sutra of the True Dharma, "Kanzeppon" chapter, that the sutra would be spread "in the latter days" and "in the coming latter days." The tembon Hokekyo (Lotus Sutra with Additions) says the same.

Grand master T'ien-t'ai has written: "The three Southern masters and seven Northern masters of Buddhism in China during the Age of the Imitative Dharma have become enemies of the Lotus Sutra." Grand Master Dengyo has this to say: "Toward the end of the Age of the Imitative Dharma scholars of the Six schools of Nara were the enemies of the Lotus." During the time of these two grand masters however, the enemies had not yet become apparent.

As for the Latter Age of the Decadent dharma, it was determined by innumerous bodhisattvas, eighty trillion nayuta in number, that there would be three kinds of enemies of the Lotus Sutra at the beginning of the Latter Age following the 1,000-year Age of the True Dharma and another 1,000-year Age of the Imitative dharma after the death of the Buddha. This was determined in the presence of Sakyamuni Buddha and Taho Buddha sitting side by side in the stupa of seven treasures like the sun and moon, as well as Buddhas in manifestation (funjin Buddhas) from all over the universe sitting under trees of gems like stars in the sky. How could this be false?

It has been some 2,200 years since the death of Sakyamuni Buddha. Even if a finger pointing to the earth misses it, or flowers fail to bloom in spring, the three kinds of enemies of the Lotus Sutra are bound to appear in Japan. If so, who will be among the three kinds of enemies? Or, who will be considered to be a practitioner of the Lotus Sutra? We are not sure. Are we among the so-called three kinds of enemies? Or are we among the practitioners of the Lotus Sutra? We are not sure.

It was during the night of the day of the fourth month in the twenty-fourth year (1029 B.C.) of King Chou, the fourth sovereign of the Chou dynasty in ancient China, that rays of light in five colors flashed in the sky from north to south, brightening it as though it were daytime. The earth trembled six ways, rivers, ponds, and wells rose without rain, and all grasses and trees blossomed and bore fruit. It was miraculous! Greatly alarmed, King Chao consulted historian Su-yu about this and was told that this was an omen of the birth of a sage in the land to the west. The historian continued: "Nothing will happen for now, but in a thousand years the teaching of that sage, who was just born in the western land, will come to this land to save the people." Su-yu was a petty Confucianist who had not yet eliminated delusions and evil passions. Yet he was able to foretell 1,000 years in advance. As he predicted, Buddhism was introduced to China 1,015 years after the death of the Buddha, in the tenth year of the Yung-p'ing era (67 A.D.) during the reign of Ming-ti, the second emperor of the Later han.

The prediction of the Lotus Sutra is incomparably superior to that of Su-yu, as it was presented by bodhisattvas in the presence of Sakyamuni Buddha, and Taho Buddha, and Buddhas in manifestation who had come from all over the universe. As such, how could there not be three kinds of enemies of the Lotus Sutra in Japan today? Sakyamuni has said in the Fuhozo-kyo (Buddha's Successors Sutra): "During the 1,000 year Age of the True dharma after my death, twenty -four would come in succession to spread My true dharma." Besides such direct disciples as Kasyapa and Ananda, Monk Parsva, and Bodhisattva Asvaghosa and Nagarjuna had already appeared exactly as predicted 100, 600, and 700 years after the death of the Buddha respectively. Why is it that only this prediction of three kinds of enemies of the Lotus Sutra has not come true? If this prediction has not come true, the whole teaching of the Lotus Sutra will be false and the assurance that Sariputra and Kasyapa be the future Keko and Komyo Buddhas respectively would come to naught. This would mean that the pre-Lotus sutras would in turn become true and final with the result that Sariputra and other sravaka men would never obtain Buddhahood. It would mean that we should not offer any alms to such sravaka men as Ananda even if we should do so to dogs and foxes. What should we do the? What should we do?

The "ignorant people," the first of the three kinds of enemies of the Lotus Sutra, seem to be influential followers of the second and third enemies referred to as "monks in the evil world" and "monks in robes or patched rags" in the sutra. Grand Master Miao-le referred to this first kind of enemy as "self-conceited lay people," while Monk Chih-tu said that they would "raise false charges to the authorities."

As for the second group of the three enemies of the Lotus Sutra, it is said in the Lotus Sutra: "Monks in the evil world will be cunning, flattering and arrogant, and boast of themselves as enlightened while they have not understood anything." The Nirvana Sutra states: "There will be evil monks then.... Although these evil monks recite such sutras, they will lose sight of the profound teaching of the Buddha."

Grand Master T'ien-t'ai laments in his Mo-ho shih-kuan: "Those without faith in the Lotus Sutra consider it to be only for sages and to be too difficult for ignorant people like themselves. Those without wisdom become self-conceited considering themselves equal to the Buddha."

For instance, grand master Tao-cho stated in his An-le-chi that the second reason why the Lotus Sutra should be given up was that its teaching was too profound for ignorant people to understand. Likewise, Honen states in his Senchaku-shu: "All religious practices except for the nembutsu do not suit the intelligence of the people nor the time." Grand Master Miao-le in his Commentary on the Fa-hua- Wen-chu, fascicle 10, warned against such misconceptions by saying:

Those who would misunderstand the Lotus Sutra

perhaps do not know how meritorious the acts of

beginners can be. they give credit to those of high

rank and despise the beginners. It is shown in the

Lotus sutra that even the acts of beginners can be

meritorious in the strength of the sutra.

Grand Master Dengyo also claims:

The ages of the True Dharma and the imitative

Dharma are about to pass with the Latter age of

the Decadent Dharma just around the corner. It

is exactly the time now for all people to be saved

by the one true teaching of the Lotus Sutra. How

do I know it? It is said in the fourteenth chapter,

"Peaceful Practices," of the Lotus Sutra that the

sutra would spread in the Latter Age when the

Dharma is about to disappear.

Venerable Eshin says, "The Whole of Japan is ready to believe in the perfect teaching of the Lotus Sutra."

Whom should we believe in, Tao-ch'o, Dengyo, Honen or Eshin? Tao-ch'o and honen do not have any basis in the Buddhist scriptures, while Dengyo and Eshin who, at least in this writing cited by the Daishonin, base their assertions firmly upon the Lotus Sutra. Moreover, to all Buddhist monks in Japan, Grand Master Dengyo of Mt. Hiei is the master presiding over their initiation ceremony. How could they follow Honen, who is haunted by a heavenly devil. and abandon the master who performs their own initiation ceremony? If Honen is a wise man, why did he not mention in his Senchaku-shu those interpretations of Dengyo and Eshin and compare them with his own? Since he did not do so, he is to be blamed for having concealed them. It is Honen and other monks without any commandments and with evil views that are pointed to in the Lotus Sutra as "the monks in the evil world," the second of the three kinds of enemies of the Lotus Sutra.

It is said in the Nirvana Sutra: 'Before listening to the Lotus Sutra, we had all been men of evil views." Grand Master Miao-le explains this in his Fa-hua hsuan-i shih-ch'ien: "The Buddha himself called his pre-Lotus Three Teachings (zokyo or Hinayana, tsugyo or common to Hinayana and Mahayana, and bekkyo or Mahayana) evil." T'ien-t'ai, citing the words of the Nirvana Sutra just mentioned, says in his Mo-ho chih-kuan: "They called themselves evil. isn't 'evil' bad?" Miao-le explains this in his commentary to the Mo-ho chih-kuan:

"Evil" means "wicked." Therefore we must know

that only the engyo (perfect teaching) among the

Four Teachings is correct. But it has two meanings.

First it means that following the "perfect teaching"

(engyo) while rejecting the remaining three is correct,

and rejecting the "perfect teaching" while following

the three is erroneous. This is a relative point of view.

Secondly, it means that attachment to the 'perfect

teaching' is considered erroneous while detachment

from it is correct. This is an absolute point of view in

which there is no difference in the eyes of the Buddha

between the 'perfect teaching' and the remaining three

of the so-called Four Teachings. Either way, we have to

stay away from error. It is bad to attach ourselves to

the 'perfect teaching,' how much worse it is to attach

ourselves to the Three Teachings!

Compared to Hinayana Buddhism all Brahma schools are in error. compared to the Lotus Sutra, the correct way of Hinayana Buddhism or first four of the so-called "five tastes" and the first three of the Four Teachings are all evil and erroneous. the Lotus Sutra alone is true and correct. The 'perfect teaching" preached in such pre-Lotus sutras as the Flower Garland, Hodo, and Hannya Sutras is called perfect but its perfection is only from a relative point of view. it is still inferior to the absolute exquisiteness of the Lotus Sutra.

Also, the "perfect teaching" of the pre-Lotus sutras is erroneous because it still remains in the first three categories of the Four Teachings. Therefore, we are still treading the way of error even if we practice the ultimate teaching of the pre-Lotus sutras such as the Flower Garland and Hannya. How much more should Honen and his disciples and followers be in error! They depended on such petty sutras as the Kanmuryoju-kyo, which are inferior to such pre-Lotus sutras as the Flower Garland and Hannya, taking the "Lotus" in the Kanmuryoju-kyo and urging the people to discard the Lotus sutra. Aren't they the so-called slanderers of the true dharma? Sakyamuni, Taho, and numerous other Buddhas from all over the universe came to this world in order to have the Lotus Sutra remain here forever. Honen and Pure Land believers in Japan claim that the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Age of the Decadent Dharma will perish before the Pure Land School. Aren't they the enemies of Sakyamuni, Taho, and the many other buddhas from all the worlds in the universe?

The Opening of the Eyes: Why is Nichiren Being Persecuted PART 2 MAIN DISCOURSE Chapter X with commentary

Some raise the question: Although there seem to be the three kinds of enemies of the Lotus in the world today, practitioners of the Lotus Sutra are not found anywhere. It is difficult for us to call you a practitioner of the Lotus because there is a great deal of discrepancy. Affirming divine intervention in favor of a practitioner, the Lotus Sutra says: 'Heavenly servants will come to serve the man who upholds the Lotus Sutra, swords and sticks will not injure him, and poisons will not harm him;' 'His life in this world will be peaceful and he will be reborn in a better place in the future;' or 'He will be rewarded with happiness in this present world.' The sutra also lists the punishments for the slanderers of the practitioner: 'Should anyone hate and speak ill of the man who upholds the Lotus Sutra, his mouth will be sealed --- anyone who does harm to him will have his head split into seven pieces like a twig of an arjaka tree;' and 'If anyone, upon seeing a man upholding this sutra, exposes his faults, justifiably or not, such a man will be afflicted with white leprosy.'

They have a good reason to doubt me. So I will answer their question to dispel their doubt. It is said in the 'Never-Despising Bodhisattva' (20th) chapter of the Lotus Sutra: 'The practitioner of the Lotus will be spoken ill of, despised, or struck with sticks, tiles, and stones;' while it is said in the Nirvana Sutra that such a man will be killed or hurt. The Lotus Sutra also states that those who spread it will be the target of much hatred and jealousy even during the lifetime of the Buddha. The Buddha Himself had his finger injured by Devedatta, and He met serious crises like this nine times during His lifetime. Wasn't He a practitioner of the Lotus Sutra? Can't we call Bodhisattva Fukyo (Never-Despising) a practitioner of the Lotus Sutra because he was despised and beaten? Venerable Maudgalyayana was murdered by Brahmans armed with bamboo sticks. this occurred after he was assured that he would be a future Buddha in the Lotus Sutra. Bodhisaattva Kanadeva and Shishi Sonja, fourteenth and twenty-fifth patriarchs of Buddhism who transmitted the Buddha's teaching, were both murdered. Were they not practitioners of the Lotus? Chu Tao-sheng was banished to a temple in Su-chou, Fa-tao was banished to the south of the Yangtze River with his face branded with a hot iron rod. Were these monks not practitioners of the Lotus Sutra? both Sugawara Michizane of Japan and Po Chu-i of China were banished. Were they not worthy wise men?

I wonder why these men were persecuted? Suppose there is a person who never slandered the Lotus Sutra in his previous lives and is upholding it in this present life. Whoever accuses him for a trivial worldly offense, or for no offense at all, will immediately receive punishment. Asura demons who attacked Indra were immediately repulsed and the monster bird Kon-ji-cho who invaded Lake Anokuda to devour a dragon king was killed on the spot. Grand Master T'ien-t'ai asserts, "Our troubles and sufferings in this world are all due to our sins in our past lives, and rewards for our meritorious acts in this life will be received in our future lives." It is also said in the Shinjikan-gyo: 'Our virtues or vices in our past can be seen in our present fortune; our future fortune can be seen in our present acts,' and in the 'Never-Despising Bodhisattva' chapter of the Lotus Sutra: 'Thus the bodhisattva made amends for the past.' It seems that the Never-Despising (Fukyo) Bodhisattva was attacked with rocks and tiles because of his past sins.

It seems also that those who are destined for hell in the next life do not receive punishment even for serious sins in this life. For instance, some issendai do not even receive punishment. As for such people, it is stated in the Nirvana Sutra that Bodhisattva Kasyapa told the Buddha, 'Just as rays of sunlight reach the hearts of all through the pores of their skin, the teaching of the Buddha reaches all, planting in them the seed of Buddhahood.' The bodhisattvas then asked the Buddha: 'World-Honored One! How can we plant the seed of Buddhahood in a person who does not aspire to Buddhahood? The Buddha replied:

Suppose there is a person who. after listening to

the Nirvana Sutra, does not aspire to Buddhahood

but slanders the true dharma instead. Such a man

would dream a frightening dream of a rasetsu devil

at night, in which the devil would threaten to kill him

unless he immediately aspired for Buddhahood. Suppose

he, frightened, awoke, changed his mind and began

aspiring to enlightenment, such a man is a great

bodhisattva.'

Thus, except for extremely wicked men, when people slander the true dharma, they will immediately dream like this and repent their folly. The nirvana Sutra also states that men of issendai, will never aspire for enlightenment. It is as certain as water not being found in dead trees and rocky mountains; as toasted seeds not germinating even in rain; as gems purifying dirty water but not the soil; as poison entering the human body when handled by a wounded hand; and as a great rain not remaining in the sky. A number of these similes are cited in the sutra to show that men of issendai are not punished in this world, because it is certain that they will go to the worst of hells in the next life. It is just like the notorious reigns of King Chieh of Hsia and King Chou of Yin (Shang) in ancient China. Natural calamities did not occur during their reigns as their rule was to be destroyed for their great sins.

It could also be that the true dharma has been slandered and guardian deities have abandoned this land of Japan. As a result, slanderers of the true dharma are not punished while those upholding it are left without divine assistance and are subjected to great difficulties. what is said in the Konkomyo-kyo: 'The number of those who practice the true dharma grow less by day' refers to this land today, when the true dharma is being slandered. I have explained this in detail in my Rissho ankoku-ron (Treatise on spreading Peace Throughout the Country by Establishing Righteousness).

In the final analysis, no matter how I am abandoned by gods and how much difficulty I encounter, I will uphold the Lotus Sutra at the cost of my own life. Sariputra could not attain Buddhahood after having practiced the way of Bodhisattva for as long as sixty kalpa because he could not endure the difficulty presented by a Brahman who asked him for his eyes. Those who had received the seed of Buddhahood from the Eternal Buddha and Daitsuchisho Buddha an incalculable number of kalpa ago could not obtain Buddhahood for as long as 500 or 3,000 dust-particle kala (gohyaku-jintengo or sanzen-jintengo) until they had listened to the preaching of the Lotus Sutra on Mt. Sacred eagle in this world. It was because they had been misled by these 'evil friends' to abandon the Lotus Sutra. No matter what happens, abandoning the Lotus Sutra would cause us to be plunged into hell.

I have made a vow. Even if someone says that he would make me the ruler of Japan on the condition to give up the Lotus Sutra and rely upon the Kanmuryo-ju-kyo for my salvation in the next life, or even if someone threatens me saying that he will execute my parents if I do not say 'Namu Amida Butsu,' and no matter how many great difficulties fall upon me, I will not submit to them until a man of wisdom defeats me by reason. Ther difficulties are like dust in the wind. I will never break my vow to become the eyes of Japan, and become a great vessel for Japan.

Some might wonder: 'How do you know that your banishment and death sentence are results of your sins in past lives?' To them I would answer that copper mirrors reflect only colors and shapes and the mirror of the First Emperor Ch'in used to test his subjects showed only present sins, but the mirror of Buddhhism shows the virtues or vices of one in the past. Therefore it is said in the Hatsunaion-gyo:

Good men! Since you have committed numerous

evil deeds and accumulated bad karma, you have

to suffer in compensation for them. You may be

slighted, may look ugly, may suffer from lack of

clothing or from insufficient food, unable to make

a fortune, born to a poor family, or suffer from royal

persecutions., and many other difficulties. The reason

you receive relatively light punishment like these in this

world is due to your merit upholding the dharma.

Otherwise you might have been punished much more

severely.

This matches me, Nichiren, as perfectly as two halves of a tally. It explains why I have been persecuted, and all my numerous doubts have faded away.

Let us tally this sutra, phrase by phrase against me. As for 'being slighted,' which is phrased in the Lotus Sutra as 'being slighted, despised, hated with jealousy,' I, Nichiren, have been despised more than twenty years. 'Being ugly-looking,' and 'suffering from lack of food and clothing,' 'unable to make a fortune,' 'born to a poor family,' 'suffering from royal persecutions,' and so on are all about me. Who can doubt it? It is stated in the Lotus Sutra that such men will 'be exiled many times' and this is restated in this Hatsunaion-gyo (Nirvana Sutra), as such men will 'have many difficulties.' The Hatsunaion-gyo says, 'Due to your merit of upholding the dharma, you will receive relatively light punishment in this world;' and this is explained in the Mo-ho-chih-kuan, fascicle 5 as follows:

The merit of trivial acts of practicing Buddhism

without tranquility of mind and meditation on truth

is not strong enough to bring out our past sins hidden

in ourselves. Only when we practice tranquility of

mind and meditation on truth under any circumstances,

can we bring our past sins out to the surface. We will

then be confronted at once by the Three Hindrances

and Four Devils."

In the immemorial past, I must have been born a wicked king and must have deprived practitioners of the Lotus Sutra of their food and clothing and their properties on numerous occasions just as some people today in Japan have been destroying the Lotus temples. I must have also cut off the heads of numerous practitioners of the Lotus Sutra. I may have purged myself of some of these grave sins but not all of them. Even if I have, there are the residual. In order to attain Buddhahood, I must completely compensate for all these serious sins. My merits in spreading the Lotus Sutra are still shallow while my sins in the past are still deep. If I had preached only provisional sutras, grave sins in my past lives would not have been revealed. It is like forging iron, for instance. Unless you heat it and forge it hard, hidden scars will not be seen. They appear only when the iron is hit hard many times by an anvil. Or it is analogous to squeezing hemp seeds. Unless squeezed hard, there is little oil. Ever since I, Nichiren strongly condemned those who slander the true dharma in Japan, I have been persecuted. It must be that grave sins in my past lives are revealed through my merits in defending the dharma in this life. It is just as a piece of iron remains black unless heated by fire, and becomes red when placed in fire. Even calm water makes waves when quickly stirred by a log. A sleeping lion roars loudly when awakened by a touch of a hand.

There is an analogy in the Nirvana Sutra:

a sickly poor woman did not have a house to live in

nor anyone to support her. She wandered around

begging for food. while staying in an inn she gave

birth to a child. The inn keeper chased her out.

Carrying the infant born only a short while ago,

she tried to go to some other place. On the way,

she was overtaken by a bad storm, suffered from

hunger and cold and was attacked by mosquitoes,

horse flies, bees, and other poisonous insects.

Coming to the Ganges River, she tried to wade

through it carrying her baby. She was carried

away by the flowing river, but she clung to her

infant until both of them drowned. Such a woman

will be reborn in the Brahma heaven due to her

merits of compassion. Monjusri! If a good man

wishes to uphold the true dharma, he must do the

same as the poor woman in sacrificing her own life

in the Ganges because of her love for her child. Good

man! Bodhisattvas upholding the dharma should also

be ready to sacrifice their lives. such people will be

able to attain Buddhahood without seeking it, just as

the poor woman will be reborn in the Brahma Heaven

without seeking it.

Grand Master Chang-an has interpreted this citation with the concepts of 'Three Hindrances' (evil passion, evil karmas, and painful retributions). You should read it. As I examine it comparing it to a person who spread the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Age of the decadent Dharma, 'a poor person' refers to a man with little knowledge of Buddhism, and 'a woman' refers to a person with a little compassion. The 'inn' means the world of defilement. 'A child' refers to faith in the Lotus Sutra, which is the seed of Buddhahood. 'Being chased out of the inn' refers to the banishment, and the 'infant born only a short while ago' stands for the short period of time since the person began spreading the Lotus Sutra. The 'bad storm' by which she was overtaken refers to the shogunal order of banishment, while 'bees and horseflies' mean that he had been talked ill of and abused by ignorant people. The drowning of the mother and her baby refers to beheading for his unwavering faith in the Lotus Sutra. Rebirth in the Brahma Heaven means his attainment of Buddhahood.

The principle of karmic law, which decides our fate in future lives, is the same from hell to the Buddha-land. As for the retribution in hell, only those who have committed the Five Rebellious Sins and slanderers of the dharma would fall into the hell of incessant suffering (mugen jigoku). Offenders of other crimes, even a murderer of all people in China and Japan, would not fall in the hell of incessant suffering. Instead they would go to other hells and suffer many years there. Or it would be impossible for us in the world of desire to be reborn in the world of no desire (shikikai) even if we should uphold all the commandments and practice all the virtuous acts without tranquility of mind and meditation on truth. To be reborn the King of Brahma Heaven in the world of no desire, we have to accumulate the merit of compassion in addition to practicing meditation for beginners. The rebirth of this poor woman in the brahma heaven because of her compassion for her child does not follow ordinary karmic law. Chan-an has two interpretations on this, but after all it is nothing but motherly compassion for a child that made the difference. Concentration of mind on a child looks like meditation. Thinking of a child from the bottom of one's heart looks like compassion. this is probably the reason why the mother was reborn in the brahma Heaven although she had not accumulated any other favorable karma.

Also, many ways are claimed for leading to Buddhahood, such as the "mind only" doctrine (mind is the ultimate existence and all phenomena are its manifestations) of the Kegon School, the Sanron doctrine of the 'middle path of the eightfold negation' (The middle path shown through the negation of eight false views of reality: Neither birth nor extinction; neither cessation nor permanence; etc.), the 'consciousness only' doctrine of the Hosso School, and the Shingon doctrine of the 'five wheels' (earth, water, fire, wind, and space); but none of these seem to work in actuality. The only way seemingly leading us to Buddhahood is the '3,000 in one thought' doctrine of T'ien-t'ai.

However, we in the Latter Age of the Decadent Dharma do not possess the intelligence to understand it; nevertheless, anyone who upholds it with complete faith in it will be able to attain Buddhahood. Among all the sutras preached by Sakyamuni during His lifetime, only the Lotus Sutra embodies the gem of the '3,000 in one thought' doctrine. Doctrines of other sutras may look like gems, but in actuality they are merely yellow rocks. Just as, no matter how hard you squeeze sand, you will not get oil, or barren women will never have children, even wise men will not be able to attain Buddhahood by means of other sutras. As for the Lotus Sutra, even ignorant persons will be able to plant the seed of Buddhahood. This citation from the Nirvana Sutra stating, "Such people would be able to obtain Buddhahood", must have meant the attainment of Buddhahood by means of the Lotus Sutra.

Not only I, Nichiren but also my disciples will reach the land of Buddha unfailingly so long as we hold on to unwavering faith no matter what difficulty confronts us. I have always told my disciples not to have doubts about the lack of heavenly protection and not to lament the lack of tranquility in this world. I am afraid, however, that they might all have doubts about these and no longer listen to me. It seems only natural that ordinary people, in face of reality, will forget what they had promised. Having pity on their families, my lay followers must lament on being separated from wives and children in this world. However, had they ever been separated from their beloved families without sorrow throughout many lives in the past? Had they ever been separated for the sake of Buddhism? Theirs must have been the same sad separation. Since everyone has to be separated from his family, he should continue upholding the Lotus Sutra and attain Buddhahood in the land of the Eternal Buddha, so that he will be able to return to this world to save his wife and children.