Thus it was revealed that Shakyamuni had long been the Buddha since the eternal past and it became clear that various Buddhas in other worlds were all manifestations of Shakyamuni Buddha. Now, however, as Shakyamuni was proved to be the Eternal Buddha, those Buddhas in the Flower Garland Sutra, or Buddhas in the Hodo, Hannya, or Great Sun Buddha sutras all became subordinates of Shakyamuni Buddha.” (Kaimoku Sho, p. 174, translated by Kyotsu Hori, 1987)
BTW, here’s the same quote, as translated by NSIC. Please note the subtle differences:
“When Shakyamuni Buddha revealed that he had gained enlightenment in the far distant past and had since then been constantly in the world, it became apparent that all the other Buddhas were emanations of Shakyamuni… now it becomes apparent that Vairocana Buddha of the Kegon Sutra and various Buddhas of the Hodo, Hannya and Dainichi sutras are in fact all followers of Shakyamuni Buddha.” (MW V.2, p.149)
And again, Nichiren says:
“Since Shakyamuni Buddha is eternal and all other Buddhas in the universe are His manifestations…” (Kaimoku Sho, translated by Kyotsu Hori, p.176).
NSIC translates this as :
“Since the Buddha of the Juryo chapter is revealed as the eternal Buddha…” (the part about the manifestation Buddhas is left out altogether!) [MW V. 2, p.150]
Once again, from the Kaimoku Sho, translated by Kyotsu Hori, p.180:
“But now since it has been revealed that Shakyamuni is the Eternal Buddha…”
“But now that it has become apparent that Shakyamuni Buddha attained enlightenment countless aeons ago,…etc. (MW V.2, p. 151)
“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 country without a king, mountains and rivers without gems, or a man without a soul.” -- The Opening of the Eyes Kyotsu Hori translation.
In the Kanjin Honzon Sho, (translated by Kyotsu Hori) there is not a single sentence where Nichiren even suggests that he is somehow this Eternal Buddha that is found in the Juryo Chapter. Instead, Nichiren says:
“…Shakyamuni Buddha, within our minds, is an ancient Buddha without beginning, manifesting Himself in three bodies and attained Buddhahood in the eternal past.. (ibid. P.94)
Notice, nowhere in the Soka Gakkai (or Nichiren Shoshu) translations do we find, Shakyamuni, "ETERNAL BUDDHA" but in the Nichiren Shu/Kempon Hokke translations from the original Showa Tehon Collection of Goshos, the Gosho translations are replete with "Shakyamuni Buddha of the Juryo Chapter of the Lotus Sutra" or "Shakyamuni is the Eternal Buddha." Were we to read the Ongi Kuden or The True Aspect of All Phenomena, both forged Gosho, this passage would have to be read, "We within the mind of Shakyamuni Buddha are ancient Buddhas without beginning."
“…the Bodhisattvas (who sprang from underneath the ground), as described in the 15th chapter, are followers of the Original Buddha Shakyamuni who resides within our minds.” (p.94)
“Shakyamuni Buddha, the Lord-preacher of this pure land, has never died in the past, nor will he be born in the future. He exists forever, throughout the past, present and future.” (P.100)
“The “honzon” at the scene of this transmission of “Namu Myo Ho Renge Kyo” from the Eternal Buddha to His Original Disciples is… suspended in the sky above the Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni’s Saha-world is a stupa of treasures, in which Shakyamuni Buddha and Taho sit to the left and right of “Myo Ho Renge Kyo”. (P.102)
“Many wooden statues and portraits were made of Shakyamuni Buddha as He preached Hinayana and quasi-Mahayana sutras, but statues and portraits of the Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha revealed in the Juryo Chapter of the Lotus Sutra were never made. Now, in the beginning of Mappo, is it not the time that such statues and portraits are made?” (P.104)
And, from the Ho’on Jo (translated by Taikyo Yajima):
“All the people in Japan as well as the rest of the whole world should revere the Lord Buddha Shakyamuni (Original and Eternal Buddha) revealed in the essential section (honmon) of the Lotus Sutra as the object of worship (honzon).” [P. 198]
Kanjin Honzon-Sho (NOPPA) page 56:
“In fact Sakyamuni began to preach, planting the seed of Buddhahood in the eternal past… Sakyamuni Buddha continued to guide His disciples until they were all sure to attain Buddhahood during the preaching of the Lotus Sutra in His present life, completing the series of His preaching which began in the eternal past.”
Kanjin Honzon-Sho (NOPPA) page 86:
“This means that Sakyamuni Buddha, Taho Buddha, and all the Buddhas in manifestation are in our minds, and that we, upholders of the Lotus Sutra, will follow in their steps and inherit all the merits of those Buddhas.”
and somewhat further along:
“In the same chapter, another passage reads: ‘The duration of My Life, which I obtained through the practice of the bodhisattva way, has not yet expired. It is twice as long as the length of time stated above: 500 dust-particle kalpa.’ This reveals the bodhisattva-realm within our minds. The bodhisattvas described in the fifteenth chapter, ‘Appearance of Bodhisattvas from Under- ground,’ who have sprung out of the great earth, as numerous as the number of dust-particles of 1,000 worlds, are followers of the Original Buddha Sakyamuni who resides within our minds.”
“How lucky I am to be able to go to the Pure Land of Mt. Sacred Eagle and extinguish within one life my sin of slandering the true dharma ever since the eternal past! How glad I feel to be able to go to the Pure Land of Mt. Sacred Eagle and wait on Lord Sakyamuni Buddha, whom I have never seen yet! May I guide first of all those rulers of this land who have persecuted me. May I tell Sakyamuni Buddha about my disciples who have assisted me. may I present this great merit to my parents, who gave birth to me, before I die.”
Fortunately many SGI (Dr. Stone's) passages are not mistranslated, for example:
“Present within our lives is the Lord Shalyamuni who obtained the three enlightened properties of life before gohyaku-jintengo, the Original Buddha since time without begining.” (MW vol 1, The True Object of Worship, pg 65)
“Demonstrating ten great mystic powers the Buddha (Shakyamuni) transferred Namu Myoho renge Kyo to the four great bodhisattvas” (Ibid pg 77)
Since I attained buddhahood
the number of kalpas that have passed
is an immeasurable hundreds, thousands,
ten thousands, millions, trillions, asamkhyas.
Constantly I have preached the Law, teaching,
converting countless millions of living beings,
causing them to enter the buddha way,
all this for immeasurable kalpas.
In order to save living beings,
as an expedient means I appear
to enter nirvana but in truth
I do not pass into extinction.
I am always here, preaching the Law. - LS Chapter 16, The Lifespan of the Tathagata
"The sutra states, “Those persons who had heard the Law dwelled here and there in various Buddha lands, constantly reborn in company with their teachers,” and “If one stays close to the teachers of the Law, one will speedily gain the bodhisattva way. By following and learning from these teachers one will see Buddhas as numerous as Ganges sands.” A commentary says, “Originally one followed this Buddha and for the first time conceived the desire to seek the way. And by following this Buddha again, one will reach the stage where there is no retrogression.” Another commentary says, “In the beginning one followed this Buddha or bodhisattva and formed a bond with him, and so it will be through this Buddha or bodhisattva that one will attain one’s goal.” Above all, be sure to follow your original teacher so that you are able to attain Buddhahood. Shakyamuni Buddha is the original teacher for all people, and moreover, he is endowed with the virtues of sovereign and parent. Because I have expounded this teaching, I have been exiled and almost killed. As the saying goes, “Good advice grates on the ear.” But still I am not discouraged. The Lotus Sutra is like the seed, the Buddha like the sower, and the people like the field. If you deviate from these principles, not even I can save you in your next life." - Nichiren, The Essential for Attaining Buddhahood.
"In the sixteenth chapter, "Duration of the Life of the Buddha," the sutra also declares: ‘As I said before, it is immeasurably long since I, Sakyamuni Buddha, obtained Buddhahood. My life spans an innumerable and incalculably long period of time. Nevertheless, I am always here and I shall never pass away.’" - Kanjin Honzon-Sho, Nichiren Shu Overseas Propagation Promotion Association (NOPPA) page 36
"Finally in the sixteenth chapter, the Buddha sometimes appears as a Buddha in the realm of Buddha but other times appears as some of the others who reside in the other nine realms. This indicates that the ten realms are included in the realm of Buddha’s." - Kanjin Honzon-Sho (NOPPA) page 36
This reference is included to refute the argument saying that Sakyamuni’s enlightenment occurred at a fixed point in the past by his reference to practicing the way of the bodhisattva.
"Born to the human world, Prince Siddhartha, young Sakyamuni, became the Buddha. This evidence should be enough to convince you to believe that the realm of Buddhas exists in the realm of men." - Kanjin Honzon-Sho (NOPPA) page 56
"In fact Sakyamuni began to preach, planting the seed of Buddhahood in the eternal past... Sakyamuni Buddha continued to guide His disciples until they were all sure to attain Buddhahood during the preaching of the Lotus Sutra in His present life, completing the series of His preaching which began in the eternal past." - Kanjin Honzon-Sho (NOPPA) page 86
"This means that Sakyamuni Buddha, Taho Buddha, and all the Buddhas in manifestation are in our minds, and that we, upholders of the Lotus Sutra, will follow in their steps and inherit all the merits of those Buddhas."
"It means that Sakyamuni Buddha, within our minds, is an ancient Buddha without beginning, manifesting Himself in three bodies, and attaining Buddhahood in the eternal past described as 500 dust-particle kalpa ago.
"In the same chapter, another passage reads: ‘The duration of My Life, which I obtained through the practice of the way of bodhisattvas, has not yet expired. It is twice as long as the length of time stated above: 500 dust-particle kalpa.’ This reveals the bodhisattva-realm within our minds. The bodhisattvas described in the fifteenth chapter, ‘Appearance of Bodhisattvas from Underground,’ who have sprung out of the great earth, as numerous as the number of dust-particles of 1,000 worlds, are followers of the Original Buddha Sakyamuni who resides within our minds." - Kanjin Honzon-Sho (NOPPA) page 94
Here Nichiren explains the meaning of the oft mis-quoted reference to Sakyamuni’s practice of the bodhisattva way.
"Now , when the Eternal Buddha was revealed in the essential section of the Lotus Sutra, this world of endurance (Saha-world) became the Eternal Pure Land, indestructible even by the three calamities of conflagration, flooding, and strong winds, which are said to destroy the world. It transcends the four periods of cosmic change: the kalpa of construction, continuance, destruction and emptiness. Sakyamuni Buddha, the Lord-preacher of this pure land, has never died in the past, nor will He be born in the future. He exists forever throughout the past present and future. All those who receive His guidance are one with this Eternal Buddha." - Kanjin Honzon-Sho (NOPPA) page 100
"How lucky I am to be able to go to the Pure Land of Mt. Sacred Eagle and extinguish within one life my sin of slandering the true dharma ever since eternal past! How glad I feel to be able to go to the Pure Land of Mt. Sacred Eagle and wait on Lord Sakyamuni Buddha, whom I have never seen yet! May I guide first of all those rulers of this land who have persecuted me. May I tell Sakyamuni Buddha about my disciples who have assisted me. May I present this great merit to my parents, who gave birth to me, before I die." - Kembutsu Mirai-Ki, NOPPA, page 262
"I, Nichiren, of Awa Province graciously received the teaching of the Lotus Sutra from three masters (Sakyamuni, T’ien-t’ai, and Dengyo) and spread it in the Latter Age of the Decadent Dharma. - Kembutsu Mirai-Ki, NOPPA, page 264
“Now , when the Eternal Buddha was revealed in the essential section of the Lotus Sutra, this world of endurance (Saha-world) became the Eternal Pure Land, indestructible even by the three calamities of conflagration, flooding, and strong winds, which are said to destroy the world. It transcends the four periods of cosmic change: the kalpa of construction, continuance, destruction and emptiness. Sakyamuni Buddha, the Lord-preacher of this pure land, has never died in the past, nor will He be born in the future. He exists forever throughout the past present and future. All those who receive His GUIDANCE are one with this Eternal Buddha.” -- The True Object of Worship
“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 country 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 extoltheir own canons by stating: “The Lord of the Flower Garland Sutra represents the reward-body (hojin) of the Buddha wheras that of the Lotus Sutra the accomodative body (ojin);” or “the Buddha in the sixteenth chapter of the Lotus 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 a gold in the “Lifespan 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 had not been the Eternal Buddha, there could not have been so many who received GUIDANCE from Him.” -- The Opening of the Eyes
yes, the ugly faces are many and run rampant.
ReplyDeletetricky indeed. a bazar looking kosen rufu.
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