Nikken's End #6A: The Semantics of Anger: Hatred of Shakyamuni -
Nikken's End ? or NIKKEN ZENned ? You be the judge ...
=2E "What distinguished the Indian system from that of the
=2E ancient Western world is the absence of slavery. The
=2E caste system made formal slavery unnecessary in ancient
=2E India."
=2E
=2E - from The Two Cl***** of the Four-Fold Caste System, by
=2E Sudheer Birodkar.
In Nikken's Threefold World, which is "the world of unenlightened
beings who transmigrate within the Six Paths" ** [Hell, Hunger,
Animality, Anger, Humanity and Heaven] ... the 6th chapter describes
the structure of Nikken's World of Anger.
** Soka Gakkai Dictionary of Buddhism
________ Table of Contents _______________________
=2E
=2E Belligerent Demons
=2E
=2E Taking the Angry Path
=2E
=2E Defeating the Anger of the Three Powerful Enemies
=2E
=2E Asuras Attacking Shakyamuni
=2E
=2E Hatred of the Lotus Sutra
=2E
=2E Devotion to the Lotus Sutra
=2E
=2E Nichiren Shoshu Hates Both
=2E Shakyamuni and Lotus Sutra
=2E
=2E Definition of Anger (Shura or Asuras)
=2E
=2E Getting Some Help
=2E
=2E The Survivor Gita
__________________________________________________
________ Belligerent Demons ______________________
=46rom the definitions listed in the "Writings of Nichiren Daishonin"
=2E Asura
_________
=2E
=2E (Skt) A type of demon in Indian mythology, contentious
=2E and belligerent by nature, who fights continually with
=2E the god Shakra, or Indra. The world of asuras
=2E constitutes one of the six paths of existence.
=2E
=2E
=2E Beings of the two worlds and the eight groups
_________________________________________________
=2E
=2E The beings who assembled to listen to the preaching of
=2E the Lotus Sutra. They are listed in the "Introduction"
=2E chapter of the sutra. They are beings who reside in the
=2E two worlds, the first two divisions of the threefold
=2E world: the world of desire and the world of form. The
=2E eight groups are a further division of the beings of the
=2E two worlds. They are: (1) the gods of the world of
=2E desire, (2) the gods of the world of form, (3) dragon
=2E kings and their followers, (4) kimnara kings and their
=2E followers, (5) gandharva kings and their followers, (6)
=2E asura kings and their followers, (7) garuda kings and
=2E their followers, and (8) the king of the human world
=2E (Ajatashatru) and his followers.
=2E
=2E
=2E Eight kinds of nonhuman beings
__________________________________
=2E
=2E Beings that protect Buddhism. They are: gods, dragons, a
=2E kind of demon called yaksha, gods of music called
=2E gandharva, belligerent demons called asura, garuda
=2E (birds that prey on dragons), kimnara (gods with
=2E beautiful voices), and mahoraga (gods shaped like
=2E s****s).
=2E
=2E
=2E Evil paths
______________
=2E
=2E Also, evil paths of existence. The realm of suffering
=2E into which one who has committed evil acts descends;
=2E also the suffering that such a person undergoes. "Path"
=2E here means a state or realm of existence, or
=2E specifically, any of the Ten Worlds. The worlds of hell,
=2E hungry spirits, and animals are called the three evil
=2E paths, and these three plus the realm of asuras are
=2E called the four evil paths.
=2E
=2E
=2E Ten Worlds
______________
=2E
=2E Distinct realms or categories of beings. From the lowest
=2E to the highest; they are the realms of (1) hell, (2)
=2E hungry spirits, (3) animals, (4) asuras, (5) human
=2E beings, (6) heavenly beings, (7) voice-hearers, (8)
=2E causeawakened ones, (9) bodhisattvas, and (10)
=2E Buddhas.The Ten Worlds are also interpreted as states of
=2E life.
=2E
=2E
=2E World of desire
___________________
=2E
=2E The first division of the threefold world. It is called
=2E the world of desire because its inhabitants are ruled by
=2E various desires, such as ***ual desire and the desire
=2E for food. The world of desire comprises the four evil
=2E paths of existence (the realms of hell, hungry spirits,
=2E animals, and asuras), the four continents (the realm of
=2E human beings) surrounding Mount Sumeru, and the six
=2E heavens (the realm of heavenly beings) of the world of
=2E desire. In the sixth, or highest, of these six heavens
=2E dwells the devil king of the sixth heaven, who is said
=2E to have a strong desire to control others and prevent
=2E them from attaining enlightenment.
[... unless they demonstrate faith in the Lotus Sutra. In that case,
he lets the votaries of the Lotus Sutra through his domain.]
The six paths that humans transmigrate through are all in the World of
Desire, the first of the Threefold World.
=2E World of form
_________________
=2E
=2E The second division of the threefold world, located
=2E above the world of desire. Beings in this realm have
=2E physical bodies and are subject to certain material
=2E restrictions, but they have no desire and feed on light.
=2E The world of form consists of the four meditation
=2E heavens and is further subdivided into eighteen heavens
=2E (sixteen or seventeen according to other explanations).
=2E
=2E
=2E World of formlessness
_________________________
=2E
=2E The third division of the threefold world. The world of
=2E formlessness is the realm beyond form or matter, in
=2E other words, a purely spiritual and nonmaterial realm.
=2E This world comprises four realms, which are, in an
=2E ascending order of quality: the realm of boundless empty
=2E space; the realm of boundless consciousness; the realm
=2E of nothingness; and the realm of neither thought nor no
=2E thought. With regard to the life span of beings in these
=2E four realms, it is 20,000 kalpas in the first realm,
=2E 40,000 kalpas in the second realm, 60,000 kalpas in the
=2E third realm, and 80,000 kalpas in the fourth realm.
=2E Nevertheless, beings in these realms are not free from
=2E the sufferings of birth and death.
To judge from the stories of Rahula, the king of the asuras, when one
acts in anger, there is a tendency to do oneself harm.
In "The Selection of the Time", WND, p. 573
=2E When the asuras fought with the lord Shakra, they first
=2E of all [Rahula] shot arrows at the sun and moon.
In "On Repaying Debts Of Gratitude", WND, p. 721
=2E The king of the asuras [Rahula], angered at the deity
=2E Shakra, shot an arrow at the sun god, but the arrow came
=2E back and struck the king himself in the eye.
=2E
=2E Note 30. It is said that the asura king was blinded by the
=2E light of the sun and moon when he tried to do battle
=2E with the god Shakra.
In "The Bodies And Minds Of Ordinary Beings", WND, p. 1136
=2E Note 14. According to The Treatise on the Great
=2E Perfection of Wisdom, when the asura king Rahula
=2E threatened to swallow the moon, the Buddha reproved him,
=2E saying that, if he did so, his head would split into
=2E seven pieces. A version of the same story in The Words
=2E and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra says that Rahula
=2E threatened to engulf both the sun and moon.
________ Taking the Angry Path ___________________
The kinds of effects that come from actions taken in anger, are
related to the seriousness of the offense: that which the anger is
directed towards.
In "Letter to the Brothers", WND, p. 494
=2E To put this simply, when one strikes at air, one's fist
=2E will not hurt, but when one hits a rock, one feels pain.
=2E The offense of killing an evil person is minor compared
=2E with the offense of killing a good person, which is
=2E grave. If one kills someone who is not one's kin, it is
=2E like striking mud with one's fist, but if one kills
=2E one's own parents, it is like hitting a rock. A dog may
=2E bark at a deer without having its skull broken, but if
=2E it barks at a lion, its bowels will rot. An asura who
=2E tried to swallow the sun and moon had his head shattered
=2E into seven pieces. Because Devadatta harmed the Buddha,
=2E the earth split open and swallowed him alive. The
=2E seriousness of an offense depends on the person one
=2E harms.
Like each of the Nine Worlds, the World of Anger contains the World of
Buddhahood.
In "The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind Established in the
Fifth Five-Hundred-Year Period after the Thus Come One's Passing",
WND, p. 357
=2E The sutra says that, by listening to one verse or one
=2E phrase of the sutra, the asura king Balin will attain
=2E supreme perfect enlightenment. [Note 15: A rephrasing of
=2E a passage in chapter 10 of the Lotus Sutra.] Thus the
=2E world of asuras contains the Ten Worlds.
A confusing point is that rage, which is mostly unfocused, is the
appearance of the World of Hell. Beings in the World of Anger (Asuras)
have the appearance of perversity. They have a strong desire to bring
down, crush or obliterate some object of that anger.
In "The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind Established in the
Fifth Five-Hundred-Year Period after the Thus Come One's Passing",
WND, p. 358
=2E When we look from time to time at a person's face, we
=2E find him or her sometimes joyful, sometimes enraged, and
=2E sometimes calm. At times greed appears in the person's
=2E face, at times foolishness, and at times perversity.
=2E Rage is the world of hell, greed is that of hungry
=2E spirits, foolishness is that of animals, perversity is
=2E that of asuras, joy is that of heaven, and calmness is
=2E that of human beings. These worlds, the six paths, are
=2E all present in the physical appearance of the person's
=2E face. The remaining four noble worlds are hidden and
=2E dormant and do not appear in the face, but if we search
=2E carefully, we can tell that they are there.
If the state of Anger becomes prevalent in the realm of living beings,
then the condition of society becomes more belligerent.
In "On Prayer", WND, p. 337
=2E Heaven will invariably protect a person who observes the
=2E precepts and practices goodness. If people who are born
=2E into the human realm do not observe the precepts or
=2E practice goodness, then when they die, they will in most
=2E cases be reborn in the realm of the asura. And if those
=2E in the realm of the asura become very numerous, they
=2E will grow arrogant and will inevitably offend against
=2E heaven.
In "Letter to Niike", WND, p. 1026
=2E The realm of asuras consists of strife.
In "Letter To Akimoto", WND, p. 1018
=2E When the three calamities pile up month after month and
=2E the seven disasters appear day after day, then hunger
=2E and thirst will prevail and the country will be changed
=2E into a realm of hungry spirits. When plague and disease
=2E sweep over the land, the country will become a realm of
=2E hell. When warfare breaks out, it will be transformed
=2E into a realm of asuras. And when parents, brothers, and
=2E sisters, ignoring the fact that they are kin, begin
=2E taking each other for a husband or wife, the country
=2E will become a realm of animals. Under such
=2E cir***stances, one does not have to wait until death to
=2E fall into the three evil paths. While one is still
=2E alive, the country in which one lives will be changed
=2E into these four evil realms.
________ Defeating the Anger of the ______________
________ Three Powerful Enemies
Asuras is the mental state of the Three Powerful Enemies who
obsessively attack the votaries of the Lotus Sutra. Their minds are
possessed by the Devil King of the Sixth Heaven, and they become his
minions.
The Three Powerful Enemies can only be defeated by faith in the Lotus
Sutra. The traditional bodhisattva way of pursuing the Paramitas
(almsgiving, precepts, forbearance, assiduousness, meditation -
Mahayana; and obtaining wisdom - Hinayana) are insufficient to defeat
a strong enemy.
In "Letter From Sado", WND, p. 302
=2E It is the nature of beasts to threaten the weak and fear
=2E the strong. Our contem****ary scholars of the various
=2E schools are just like them. They despise a wise man
=2E without power, but fear evil rulers. They are no more
=2E than fawning retainers. Only by defeating a powerful
=2E enemy can one prove one's real strength. When an evil
=2E ruler in consort with priests of erroneous teachings
=2E tries to destroy the correct teaching and do away with a
=2E man of wisdom, those with the heart of a lion king are
=2E sure to attain Buddhahood. Like Nichiren, for example. I
=2E say this not out of arrogance, but because I am deeply
=2E committed to the correct teaching. An arrogant person
=2E will always be overcome with fear when meeting a strong
=2E enemy, as was the haughty asura who shrank in size and
=2E hid himself in a lotus blossom in Heat-Free Lake when
=2E reproached by Shakra. Even a word or a phrase of the
=2E correct teaching will enable one to gain the way, if it
=2E suits the time and the capacity of the people.
Having a powerful determination to accomplish Kosen Rufu, the
widespread propagation of the Law, is essential in defeating the Three
Powerful Enemies and Devadatta.
In "Letter From Sado", WND, p. 306
=2E An asura contended that the Buddha taught only eighteen
=2E elements, [Note 19: Eighteen elements: The comprehensive
=2E concept of the three interrelated categories: the six
=2E sense organs (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind),
=2E the six objects they perceive, and the six
=2E consciousnesses or the sense organs' functions of
=2E perceiving the objects.] but that he himself expounded
=2E nineteen. The non-Buddhist teachers claimed that the
=2E Buddha offered only one way to enlightenment, but that
=2E they had ninety-five. [Note 20: Based on a passage in
=2E The Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom. The
=2E "ninetyfive" ways may be ascribable to the fact that
=2E there were ninety-five non-Buddhist schools during
=2E Shakyamuni's day.] In the same way, the renegade
=2E disciples say, "Though the priest Nichiren is our
=2E teacher, he is too forceful. We will spread the Lotus
=2E Sutra in a more peaceful way." In so asserting, they are
=2E being as ridiculous as fireflies laughing at the sun and
=2E moon, an anthill belittling Mount Hua, wells and brooks
=2E despising the river and the ocean, or a magpie mocking a
=2E phoenix. Nam myoho-renge-kyo. - Nichiren
To convert poison into medicine (Hendoku Iyaku) you must first have
poison.
For an individual doing their Human Revolution, that poison can
involve (i.e.) an external cause which manifests an asura, which can
create a slander of the Law or the Three Treasures. From the slander
comes misery, and through sincere practice the poison is converted
into the medicine of wisdom.
In the Ongi Kuden it states ...
=2E "Faith is like the price [of a jewel], and wisdom, like
=2E the jewel itself." (Gosho Zenshu p. 724)
If we are timid and never strike out boldly, and therefore encounter
evil externally and internally, then it becomes difficult to do our
Human Revolution. By simply skittering around the surface of our life
and never digging in, we are effectively appeasing evil. Appeasement
of evil will never lead to an unsurpassed enlightenment.
This is why the sufferings and difficulties experienced by members of
the Soka Gakkai (SGI) in our dealings with the Nichiren Shoshu
Priesthood ... are in reality our Nirvana.
So, in essence, the Nichiren Shoshu Priesthood are necessary for the
Human Revolution of the Soka Gakkai.
Without their great Anger directed at our obliteration, the great
weight of the accomplishment of Kosen Rufu could not be lifted.
In "The Selection of the Time", WND, p. 583
=2E If what he says is correct, then a person who upholds
=2E the Lotus Sutra just as it teaches must be superior to
=2E the king Brahma and more worthy than the lord Shakra. If
=2E you have asuras to help you, you can lift and carry even
=2E Mount Sumeru. If you have dragons in your employ, you
=2E can drain all the water in the ocean until it runs dry.
The asuras and dragons are the muscles behind the great effort of
lifting Kosen Rufu !!!
And the vast quantities of poison released by the slanders of Nikken
and his toxic crew are necessary, to create the showers of jewels of
wisdom.
In "The Pure and Far-Reaching Voice", WND, p. 332
=2E The wish-granting jewels are the relics of Shakyamuni
=2E Buddha. The dragon kings received them and carried them
=2E on their heads, and Shakra held them in his hand and
=2E caused treasures to rain down. [Note 17: According to
=2E The Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom, the god
=2E Shakra caused treasures to rain down throughout the land
=2E of Jambudvipa in a battle with asuras.] The reason why
=2E the body and bones of the Buddha can become wish-
=2E granting jewels is because the great precept [Note 18:
=2E The great precept refers here to the truth of the Lotus
=2E Sutra.] he observed over a period of innumerable kalpas
=2E imbued his body with its fragrance and permeated his
=2E bones, so that they became jewels capable of saving all
=2E beings.
This is why the path of Asuras is simultaneously included in the Four
Evil Paths [(1) hell, (2) hungry spirits, (3) animals, (4) asuras] and
the Three Good Paths [(4) asuras, (5) human beings, (6) heavenly
beings].
Anger can be a source of self-destructive rage leading to the path of
hell, or a source of a determination to change things to make a better
world in the path of humanity (human beings).
In the case of the votary of the Lotus Sutra, anger is the source of
determination to accomplish Kosen Rufu. This determination is not
discernably different from the enlightenment of the Buddha ... as is
shown on the Gohonzon as the Four Bodhisattvas receive the Law from
Shakyamuni Buddha, vowing to spread the Law widely throughout
Jambudvipa, as Many Treasures (Taho Buddha) approves.
A large part of Volume 4 of President Ikeda's "Wisdom of the Lotus
Sutra" is dedicated to exploring this very crucial topic (the pivotal
position of the world of Anger in the the six worlds: 1-Hell, 2-
Hunger, 3-Animality, 4-Anger, 5-Humanity and 6-Heaven). This volume
MUST be read and understood !!! (Then read and understand the
others ...)
________ Asuras Attacking Shakyamuni _____________
Since this is true in the mundane way for common people and in a
dramatic way for the votaries of the Lotus Sutra ... how did the kind
of Asuras who targetted the Buddha more than 2500 years ago in India
appear, and what were the results?
In the experiences of Shakyamuni, as written by Nichiren ...
In "The Four Debts of Gratitude", WND, p. 41-42
=2E For these reasons, when the Thus Come One Shakyamuni
=2E made his advent in this world, some people offered him
=2E food into which they had mixed poison. Others tried to
=2E harm him by means of swords and staves, mad elephants,
=2E lions, fierce bulls, or savage dogs. Still others
=2E charged him with violating women, condemned him as a man
=2E of lowly status, or accused him of killing. Again, some,
=2E when they encountered him, covered their eyes to avoid
=2E seeing him, and others closed their doors and shuttered
=2E their windows. Still others re****ted to the kings and
=2E ministers that he held erroneous views and was given to
=2E slandering exalted personages. These incidents are
=2E described in the Great Collection Sutra, the Nirvana
=2E Sutra, and other scriptures. The Buddha was innocent of
=2E all such evil deeds. Yet this world is peculiar or
=2E deficient in that those with bad karma are born into it
=2E and inhabit it in great numbers. Moreover, the devil
=2E king of the sixth heaven, scheming to prevent the people
=2E of this world from leaving it for the pure lands, seizes
=2E every op****tunity to carry out his perverse acts.
=2E
=2E It appears that his scheming is ultimately intended to
=2E prevent the Buddha from expounding the Lotus Sutra. The
=2E reason is that the nature of this devil king is to
=2E rejoice at those who create the karma of the three evil
=2E paths and to grieve at those who form the karma of the
=2E three good paths. [Note 3: The three good paths are
=2E those of asuras, human beings, and heavenly beings, in
=2E contrast to the three evil paths of hell, hungry
=2E spirits, and animals.] Yet he does not lament so greatly
=2E over those who form the karma of the three good paths,
=2E but he sorrows indeed at those who aspire to the three
=2E vehicles. Again, he may not sorrow so much over those
=2E who seek to attain the three vehicles, but he grieves
=2E bitterly at those who form the karma to become Buddhas
=2E and avails himself of every op****tunity to obstruct
=2E them. He knows that those who hear even a single
=2E sentence or phrase of the Lotus Sutra will attain
=2E Buddhahood without fail and, exceedingly distressed by
=2E this, contrives various plots and restrains and
=2E persecutes believers in an attempt to make them abandon
=2E their faith.
So, for Shakyamuni, overcoming the Asuras directed at him was
necessary to prove the validity of the Lotus Sutra, his highest
teaching.
Without the poison of doubt, raised by the attacks of Devadatta and
his minions against the Buddha and his followers, there would have
been no way to create the medicine of faith in the Lotus Sutra in the
hearts of the people of that time. And then his teachings would have
faded away.
The Buddha IS the Buddha, because of his victory over the impossible
odds created by endless waves of persecution from all quarters.
Another name for the Buddha is "Victorious One".
In "The Living Buddha", by Daisaku Ikeda [1973, English 1976], pp.
121-5
=2E DEVADATTA'S REVOLT - With the admission of
=2E Mahaprajapati, the order came to consist of both monks
=2E and nuns, and the number of nuns increased considerably
=2E in Shakyamuni's later years. Among the most notable were
=2E Khema, the consort of King Bimbisara, who was regarded
=2E as "foremost in wisdom" among the nuns; Uppalavanna, the
=2E daughter of a Savatthi merchant; and Dammadina, who was
=2E regarded as "foremost in preaching."
=2E
=2E In the course of the growth and development of the
=2E order, a very serious event occurred. This was the so-
=2E called revolt of Devadatta, which caused the Buddha
=2E considerable anxiety in his closing years. Let us
=2E examine the motives and cir***stances that led to the
=2E revolt.
=2E
=2E Devadatta, it will be recalled, was one of the nobles of
=2E the Shakya tribe who were converted at the time of
=2E Shakyamuni's visit to Kapilavastu. He was a cousin of
=2E Shakyamuni and a brother of the famous disciple Ananda.
=2E He was converted when be was still in his twenties, as
=2E was Ananda; both were about thirty years younger than
=2E Shakyamuni. Far from being a troublemaker, he was
=2E instrumental, along with the other young nobles of the
=2E Shakya clan, in instilling vigor into the order.
=2E
=2E The first indications of his treachery came to light
=2E immediately after a visit that Shakyamuni made to the
=2E region of Kosambi to the west. Shakyamuni seems to have
=2E made a number of journeys to Kosambi, but this
=2E particular one took place about thirty years after his
=2E enlightenment. At this time Devadatta, who had
=2E previously been so guileless and single-minded in his
=2E religious practice, began to be consumed by thoughts of
=2E wealth and fame. Such ambitions have often been known to
=2E corrupt men's minds, and Devadatta, in spite of his
=2E earlier sincerity, proved to be no exception. Filled
=2E with dreams of winning the leader****p of the order away
=2E from Shakyamuni, he began by approaching Ajatashatru,
=2E the son of King Bimbisara of Magadha.
=2E
=2E Devadatta knew that Prince Ajatashatru was jealous of
=2E the prestige his father enjoyed and disgruntled because
=2E his father would not relinquish the throne to him, and
=2E Devadatta skillfully played upon the prince's discontent
=2E and frustration until he had worked his way into the
=2E young man's confidence. The prince in turn presented
=2E various gifts to Devadatta, which aroused the envy of
=2E the other members of the order. Shakyamuni thereupon
=2E admonished his disciples for their pettiness of mind,
=2E reminding them that the passion for fame and wealth ran
=2E fundamentally counter to the Buddhist spirit and
=2E practice and prophesying that the prince's gifts and
=2E honors would eventually be the ruin of Devadatta.
=2E
=2E Shakyamuni had by this time no doubt seen through
=2E Devadatta's ambitions. At first merely envious of the
=2E universal adulation that Shakyamuni enjoyed from the
=2E people around him, Devadatta had become increasingly
=2E jealous of the Buddha and convinced that he himself
=2E should take over the leader****p of the order. In fact,
=2E he even went so far as to ask Shakyamuni in the presence
=2E of the other disciples to retire and place the Sangha in
=2E his charge. Shakyamuni reproached him stiffly, saying
=2E that this was out of the question; he would not entrust
=2E the leader****p of the order even to such outstanding
=2E disciples as Shariputra and Maudgalyayana, much less to
=2E a person like Devadatta. This was a great blow to the
=2E pride of the ambitious Devadatta. He was especially hurt
=2E because Shakyamuni had told him that Shariputra and
=2E Maudgalyayana were like "blazing torches," whereas his
=2E own mediocre intelligence shed "even less light than a
=2E night lamp." Having thus failed to acquire the position
=2E he coveted, he seems to have lost all sense of reason
=2E and human decency, and began to hatch various schemes to
=2E do away with Shakyamuni.
=2E
=2E First he goaded Prince Ajatashatru into rebelling
=2E against his father, who, it will be recalled, was a
=2E patron and faithful follower of Shakyamuni. The prince,
=2E convinced that his father's longevity would bar him from
=2E the throne forever, had the old king imprisoned and
=2E starved to death, taking his place as ruler of Magadha.
=2E According to a somewhat different version of the tale,
=2E the king discovered the conspiracy beforehand but,
=2E seeing how anxious his son was to reign, voluntarily
=2E relinquished the throne to him. In any event, through
=2E Devadatta's machinations Ajatashatru became the king of
=2E Magadha and Devadatta's enthusiastic patron and
=2E sup****ter.
=2E
=2E Devadatta's next step was to plot an attack on
=2E Shakyamuni. He persuaded the king to hire assassins to
=2E kill Shakyamuni, but when the assassins saw the Buddha,
=2E they fell at his feet in wor****p. This scheme having
=2E failed, he grew bolder and, choosing a time when
=2E Shakyamuni was at Mount Gridhrakuta, or Vulture Peak,
=2E hurled a rock down at him from the mountaintop. Only a
=2E fragment of the rock struck Shakyamuni, injuring him
=2E slightly in the foot, but the incident is significant as
=2E the first attempt made by Devadatta in person to take
=2E the Buddha's life. Another legend relates that Devadatta
=2E loosed a mad elephant in the street where Shakyamuni was
=2E begging alms, but the elephant, like the hired
=2E assassins, was awed and humbled by the Buddha's presence
=2E and did him no harm.
=2E
=2E Devadatta's gravest offense, however, is said to have
=2E been his attempt to sow dissension in the order, which
=2E up until this time had enjoyed great harmony and unity
=2E of purpose. His efforts to bring about a schism began
=2E with the so-called Five Practices, a set of rules that
=2E he requested the members of the order to adopt. These
=2E rules dictated that (1) the monks should live in remote
=2E places away from villages or towns; (2) the members of
=2E the order should live only on alms and refuse offerings
=2E or invitations; (3) the members should wear only robes
=2E made of rags and not donated robes; (4) they should sit
=2E under trees and should not be allowed to enter houses;
=2E and (5) they should not eat the flesh of animals or
=2E fish.
=2E
=2E The fact that Devadatta could come forward with these
=2E proposals is ample indication that, as we have said
=2E above, the Buddhist Order did not practice or condone
=2E extreme austerities or forms of discipline.
=2E Specifically, the first proposal was intended as an
=2E indirect criticism of the order for using the Jetavana
=2E Monastery, Bamboo Grove Monastery, and similar
=2E establishments as headquarters and retreats during the
=2E rainy season, while the second expressed disapproval of
=2E the quite considerable donations that were often
=2E presented to the order by wealthy and influential
=2E believers as Shakyamuni's fame spread among the
=2E populace.
=2E
=2E As the proposals indicate, Devadatta, his earlier
=2E schemes having failed, was attempting to create
=2E dissension within the order by pretending to be in favor
=2E of far greater austerities than had been practiced
=2E heretofore and by urging the monks and nuns to sup****t
=2E his suggestions. It was, in a sense, a very clever plot.
=2E As Devadatta had foreseen, Shakyamuni would not
=2E countenance the enforcement of such strict rules and
=2E abruptly dismissed the proposals. Devadatta, feigning
=2E outrage, then called upon the other members of the order
=2E to sup****t him. Attracted to the principles of purity
=2E and austerity that he upheld, we are told, about five
=2E hundred recently ordained members left the order and
=2E followed Devadatta to Gayasisa. This was the first
=2E schism to occur in the history of the Sangha.
=2E
=2E The moral of this episode would seem to be that
=2E ambitious men, by proclaiming high-sounding principles
=2E and appearing to be purer in faith than those around
=2E them, are capable of deceiving and leading others
=2E astray. It points up more than ever the truism that one
=2E cannot judge a man on the basis of his words alone - It
=2E is unfortunate that in the history of mankind, appeals
=2E for greater purity and fidelity to higher principles
=2E should so often be employed by hypocritical men as tools
=2E to mislead others and advance their own schemes.
=2E
=2E By cleverly exploiting people's psychological weaknesses
=2E Devadatta was able, as we have seen, to bring about a
=2E tem****ary schism within the order. Shakyamuni, however,
=2E dispatched his most trusted disciples, Shariputra and
=2E Maudgalyayana, to preach to the dissidents, and the five
=2E hundred monks, seeing through Devadatta's pretensions,
=2E soon returned to the fold. According to legend, when
=2E Devadatta learned of this he was so enraged that he
=2E coughed up blood and died not long after.
In the previous paragraph, we see clearly that the path of
disconnecting the followers of Devadatta is crucial to defeating
Devadatta.
Devadatta [always] precipitates the split in the Sangha.
Shariputra and Maudgalyayana [always] are the loyal followers that
heal the split by disconnecting the errant followers of Devadatta, who
only then ceases to be a continuing and grave slander.
Why these two?
Shariputra was the first of the two lifelong friends to find Buddhism
through his sincere seeking spirit, by perceiving the truth of
Shakyamuni's teachings in his follower Assaji. Shariputra was of the
category of follower called Shravaka or "Voice-Hearer" (ibid. p. 91),
or "one who is capable of gaining enlightenment simply by listening to
an exposition of the principles of the Law." He was of the first group
of voice-hearers who attained enlightenment upon hearing the 2nd
chapter of the Lotus Sutra (Expedient Means), and was to become known
as "foremost in wisdom".
Maudgalyayana was of the second group of voice-hearers, who attained
enlightenment upon hearing the 3rd chapter of the Lotus Sutra (Simile
and Parable), and was to become known as "foremost in transcendental
powers." He was famous for his great compassion in saving his deceased
mother from the world of hungry spirits.
The reason then becomes clear for these two disciples to be sent to
retrieve the 500 former followers of Shakyamuni: Maudgalyayana had the
compassion to bring back the deceased seeking spirit of the 500 errant
priests, while Shariputra had the vast knowledge and sheer mental
ability to defeat Devadatta in any debate and absolutely refute each
and every erroneous distortion that Devadatta had made.
The cir***stances surrounding the task of disconnection, are thusly
not simply an embarrassing necessity to Buddhism, but instead comprise
the highest example of correct Buddhist practice.
Buddhism is not some search for tranquility in a better set of
cir***stances, it is a battle with the greatest evil, both external
and internal, which is ... the distortion of the true teachings of the
Buddha, the Lotus Sutra.
This explains the 26th and last Admonition of Nikko
=2E 26. You should treasure those practitioners who are
=2E skilled in difficult debate, just as the late master
=2E [Nichiren Daishonin] did.
Shariputra, and those like him, may be difficult to live with and be
around from time to time, and many may become jealous at their skill
with and understanding of the Law. However, they are indispensible to
the Sangha at those crucial moments, and so we abide with them in
peaceful coexistence at other moments, appearing less crucial.
President Ikeda continues in the same passage from "The Living
Buddha" ...
=2E Both because of the enormity of his deeds and the fact
=2E that in the end he failed so completely, the subject of
=2E Devadatta's revolt is treated at length in the Buddhist
=2E scriptures. In the Devadatta Chapter of the Lotus Sutra,
=2E Shakyamuni is depicted as prophesying salvation and
=2E enlightenment for the reprobate, setting forth the
=2E doctrine that even the most evil of men can attain
=2E Buddhahood.
=2E
=2E In the Lotus Sutra, Devadatta the historical personage
=2E is used to typify what is in fact a universal tendency
=2E within man. For the ambition and the passion for honor
=2E and wealth that drove Devadatta to his acts of evil lurk
=2E in our minds as well, an inherent part of human nature.
=2E Blinded by ambition, we too are in danger of losing
=2E self-control and a proper sense of perspective, and may
=2E even attempt to satisfy our desires through deceit or
=2E evildoing. But at the same time the Lotus Sutra teaches
=2E us that we too are certain to achieve Buddhahood if we
=2E can learn to contemplate and understand our own natures
=2E and devote ourselves wholeheartedly to the highest
=2E objectives.
=2E
=2E Therefore the problem before us is how we are to keep in
=2E check the Devadatta who inhabits the deep recesses of
=2E our mind and awaken the Buddhahood inherent in us. This
=2E is the most essential point in Buddhist practice, and it
=2E is through the process of striving to solve this problem
=2E that we develop true strength of character. For this
=2E reason the Devadatta episode is of great significance to
=2E us today, offering an op****tunity to think deeply about
=2E our own faith and manner of life.
=2E
=2E As for Devadatta's royal patron King Ajatashatru, he is
=2E said to have fallen gravely ill as a result of the evil
=2E deeds that he committed. He repented and became a devout
=2E Buddhist, and after Shakyamuni's death he continued to
=2E work diligently for the propagation of the faith. He is
=2E well known in later times for the part that he played in
=2E helping to collect and put in order the Buddhist
=2E scriptures. His stormy life is dramatically described in
=2E various works, notably the Mahaparinirvana Sutra, or
=2E Sutra of the Great Nirvana, but we will not dwell
=2E further on his story here.
________ Hatred of the Lotus Sutra _______________
After the death of the Lord of Teachings, Shakyamuni's remnants are
only those sutras that it is HIS INTENT that should be studied and
followed. No other intent should be followed in this regard. And yet,
there are many who after the Buddha's death would slander his intent
and the purpose of his advent, the Lotus Sutra. During his life, he
****elded the Lotus Sutra from hatred by becoming the focus of asuras
himself. After his death, this mission is left to his followers.
Many would attack the validity of the true teachings, from almost
every angle. It is my intent to ward off as many attacks as I am
capable of refuting.
Do***entary Validity
--------------------
The 28-chapter Lotus Sutra, is described by the Buddha himself in his
final teaching: the Nirvana Sutra, as the highest teaching of the
Buddha (himself), in the past, present and future. Those are his
golden words, and must be heeded regarding his teachings, foremost
over ANY other's words regarding his teachings.
In a sense, the Nirvana is the "dying declaration" of the Buddha, and
must be considered then to be, in the very least, sworn testimony.
The Nirvana Sutra describes three sutras as having the highest flavor
of the five flavors (milk, cream, curdled milk, butter and ghee),
which is the flavor of "ghee" (clarified butter).
Those three sutras are ...
1. The Sutra of Immeasurable Meanings. This is brief and incomplete,
and not final.
2. The Lotus Sutra, which is clearly both complete and final. It
contains a beginning, middle and end as three meetings in two places
at the Ceremony in the Air over Eagle Peak. Everything is there.
3. The Nirvana Sutra. This is certainly final, but is only partial in
containing some pieces of the Lotus Sutra, but is not complete.
Hence, of all the 80,000 sutras in the Dharma Space Treasury, only the
Lotus Sutra is of the highest flavor of ghee, while also being both
complete and final.
But, don't take my word on this, here is Nichiren's quote on this
dispute, from "On Repaying Debts of Gratitude", WND p. 692 ...
=2E Wondering how to resolve this dilemma, I made a vow. I
=2E decided that I would not heed the claims of these eight
=2E or ten schools, but would do as the Great Teacher T'ien-
=2E t'ai did and let the sutras themselves be my sole
=2E teacher, in this way determining which of the various
=2E teachings of the Buddha's lifetime are superior and
=2E which are inferior. With this in mind, I began to read
=2E through all the sutras.
=2E
=2E In a scripture called the Nirvana Sutra, the Buddha
=2E says, "Rely on the Law and not upon persons." Relying on
=2E the Law here means relying on the various sutras. Not
=2E relying upon persons means not relying on persons other
=2E than the Buddha, such as the bodhisattvas Universal
=2E Worthy and Manjushri or the various Buddhist teachers I
=2E have enumerated earlier.
=2E
=2E In the same sutra, the Buddha also says, "Rely on sutras
=2E that are complete and final and not on those that are
=2E not complete and final." When he speaks of the "sutras
=2E that are complete and final," he is referring to the
=2E Lotus Sutra, and when he speaks of "those that are not
=2E complete and final," he means the Flower Garland,
=2E Mahavairochana, Nirvana, and other sutras preached
=2E before, during, and after the preaching of the Lotus
=2E Sutra.
=2E
=2E If we are to believe these dying words of the Buddha, we
=2E must conclude that the Lotus Sutra is the only bright
=2E mirror we should have, and that through it we can
=2E understand the heart of all the sutras.
With little meaningful argument to the contrary, those who question
the validity of the Nirvana Sutra and the Lotus Sutra must of
necessity question ALL of sutras of the Buddha, since they all arrive
through the prodigious and precise memory of Ananda at the First
Council 30 years after the death of the Buddha, which was presided
over by Mahakashyapa. (See the chapter on the First Council, from the
book by President Ikeda, "Buddhism in the First Millenium".)
After that historic gathering collected and organized the sutras, they
were memorized and recited by the followers of the Buddha for
centuries before being written down (in Sanskrit/Brahmi, see note) and
then translated by Tripitaka Master Kumarajiva into classical Chinese,
which is the most superior translation of the Buddha's intent,
according to all of the greatest Buddhist scholars in history: T'ien-
T'ai, Chang-an, Miao-lo, Dengyo and finally, Nichiren Daishonin.
There are those that would argue that the Pali (Southern) Canon
precedes the Sanskrit (Northern) Canon. This argument comes from
archeological evidence, and ignores the testimony of all of the
Chinese scholars of the time, who upheld the Lotus Sutra. One cannot
argue truth from science, which is ultimately a process employing weak
logic. Science, which piles up a mountain of evidence to make a case,
can at any point have that mountain flattened by a single experiment,
measurement, or observation (in the case of archeology).
So, the fact that the oldest surviving manuscript copies of the sutras
may be in Pali, is not evidence of origination, but merely of lack of
the diligence which was possessed by Archimedes and others who wrote
on parchment (animal skin) rather than on less survivable paper. So,
at any time, there is an oldest surviving paper manuscript of the
sutras in one of the languages of the time, THAT HAS BEEN DISCOVERED.
And the foolish assumption would be that it would be "more" original.
But no real scientist would make such a mistake, only pop theologians
or their fans would.
Science would not trump the written evidence of the true Tripitaka
Masters of the time, who are listed above. They visited the libraries
of the great temples of the time, which were destroyed, or had
manuscripts which did not survive and were re-copied by hand. So we
must trust especially T'ien-T'ai and Kumarajiva, who were there when
those earliest originals were still extant. The Dharma Space Treasury
of those early libraries is gone, and is not amenable to the
techniques of science.
These lines of argument, which attack the testimony of the Northern
Tripitaka Masters are bad science and must be abandoned. The correct
line of argument comes in three pieces.
1. Clearly, if the Buddha's teachings have overall validity (if the
mind of Ananda was accurate, and the oral tradition of recitation was
precise, and that the sutras survived intact.) ... then the Nirvana
Sutra must be heeded, and the Lotus Sutra is the only complete and
final teaching (highest flavor of "ghee") in the three existences of
past, present and future. Otherwise, all of Buddhism must be rejected
IN ITS TOTALITY including all those aberrations calling themselves
"Buddhism" which are based upon provisional teachings and rejectionist
variants like Zen, which would not exist except for the Buddha, whose
teachings they distort.
This means that you must accept all of the sutras as valid do***ents
at the time of their being written down in Sanskrit, or discard
Buddhism entirely.
2. If you allow all of the teachings to survive step 1, then you must
heed the Buddha's dying declaration in the Nirvana Sutra. This means
that 79,999 of those 80,000 sutras must be discarded, leaving the lone
remnant of the Buddha's life as the Lotus Sutra, his true intent.
Furthermore, only the Northern Tripitaka which actually results in
upholding the Lotus Sutra can be correct.
Indeed, only Kumarajiva's translation, alone of the 186 translators of
the sutras into Chinese (see Nichiren's passage on Kumarajiva, below)
made the correct translation of the Lotus Sutra into Chinese.
The proof of this is actual proof: only Kumarajiva's translation of
the Lotus Sutra actually results in upholding the Lotus Sutra in the
history of Buddhism. Every other translation results in slandering the
Buddha's highest teaching by mixing with provisional teachings, or to
enhance Zen or further some other evil end.
3. And finally, only the First, Second and Third Doctrines (see below)
of Lotus Sutra Buddhism can reveal what is ultimately the correct view
of the Lotus Sutra, and what is the correct practice.
This is because no other practice of the Lotus Sutra makes the cause
for Kosen Rufu, the widespread propagation of the Law. This is
mandatory as the vow which is taken by the Bodhisattvas of the Earth
when they receive the Law from the Lord of Teachings Shakyamuni before
the opened Treasure Tower and the assembly, as is stated in the heart
of the Lotus Sutra itself.
No escape from that point.
First, let's fill in some evidence for argument #1.
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D
NOTE
=2E Brahmi is syllabary, a kind of phonetic and
=2E written language. Languages which used Brahmi as
=2E their script: Indo-Aryan (Vedic, Sanskrit,
=2E Prakrits, Pali), Iranian (Sacian), and Tocharic.
=2E http://www.pratyeka.org/buddhist-history/
=2E
=2E The oldest Buddhist manuscripts are found in
=2E the Dunhuang (Dunjuang) Caves in China, along the
=2E Silk Road. The International Dunhuang project has
=2E identified 12,252 Buddhist manuscripts found along
=2E the vast network of caves in many countries (as of
=2E October, 2003) ...
=2E
=2E International Dunhuang (Dunjuang) Project
=2E _________________________________________
=2E
=2E Dunhuang cave manuscripts:
=2E http://idp.bl.uk/
=2E
=2E There are 12,252 Buddhist manuscripts, of
=2E which 810 are digitized, and the breakdown of
=2E these manuscripts is as follows:
=2E
=2E 12,202 Chinese, some mixed - 400-1000CE
=2E 12 Brahmi, Khotanese - 600-799CE
=2E 4 Khotanese, Chinese - 600-799CE
=2E 1 Sanskrit, Chinese and Tibetan - 800-900CE:
=2E this is a mediocre text with some charms,
=2E also a simple translation chart.
=2E 14 Sogdian (some also Chinese) - 400-1000CE
=2E 43 Tibetan, Chinese - 400-1000CE
=2E 2 Uighur, Chinese - 1200-1399CE
=2E
=2E The reason so little of the Buddhist canon has
=2E survived in written Indian languages is that (1)
=2E translation to Chinese was the strong wish of the
=2E Chinese rulers at the time and (2) the Indian
=2E manuscripts that existed at the time were located
=2E in India, or did not survive the years since
=2E translation.
=2E
=2E As Buddhism died out on the Indian
=2E subcontinent, they were all destroyed. The
=2E culminating act of Islamic aggression was the
=2E sacking of the Buddhist University at Nalanda in
=2E North India in 1197 CE, which resulted in the
=2E complete elimination of Buddhism in any form, from
=2E the Indian subcontinent. (This is not to be held
=2E against Moslems in any way, since it was predicted
=2E by the Buddha himself, and they merely bore out
=2E his prediction.)
=2E
=2E The only surviving Buddhist texts from the
=2E Indian tradition are in Pali, and are Southern
=2E Buddhist, or Theravada manuscripts from the island
=2E kingdom of Sri Lanka. Some have deduced
=2E incorrectly from this that the sutras were
=2E originally written in Pali instead of
=2E Brahmi/Sanskrit syllabary writings.
=2E
=2E That incorrect assumption is not sup****ted by
=2E the earlier Chinese texts which contain the entire
=2E Northern Buddhist or Mahayana canon and which are
=2E found in conjunction with Brahmi, Sanskrit and
=2E many other languages, but NOT Pali Buddhist texts,
=2E in the Dunhuang Cave collection.
END NOTE.
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D
ALL of the Northern Buddhist or Mahayana sutras, the teachings of the
Buddha which collectively constitute the Buddhist Canon (Tripitaka),
arrive to us through this one route, and by no other route. It is
literally all or none, as far as do***entary validity is concerned.
All of it traces back to the memory of Ananda.
Translation Validity
--------------------
(This part addresses argument #2.)
There is the question of which translation into Chinese should be
considered the highest translation of the Sutras.
First off, Nichiren Daishonin mentions Huang Ti of China (Yellow
Emperor from 221 BCE to 210 BCE) as a great healer, whose medicine
will be inadequate to heal mental illness in the Latter Day of the
Law. "But the man called the Buddha was a superb physician who far
surpassed them [him]." from "The Good Medicine for All Ills", WND p.
937.
Huang Ti was also the Emperor who unified China and eradicated
regional written forms of Chinese, creating one written dialect. From
the Wikipedia on Huang Ti (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huang_Ti)
...
=2E Qin **** Huang [Huang Ti] and Li Si unified China
=2E economically by standardizing weights and measures, the
=2E currency, the length of the axles of carts (so every
=2E cart could run smoothly in the ruts of the new roads),
=2E the legal system, and so on.
=2E
=2E Perhaps most im****tantly, the Chinese script was
=2E unified. A new script was developed by Li Si, called the
=2E small seal script, based on the script in use in the
=2E State of Qin, and this new script was made mandatory,
=2E thus doing away with all the regional scripts and local
=2E Chinese characters that existed in the various Chinese
=2E states. Edicts written in the new script were carved on
=2E the walls of sacred mountains around China, such as the
=2E famous carved edicts of Mount Taishan, to let Heaven
=2E know of the unification of Earth under an emperor, and
=2E also to propagate the new script among people.
Six hundred years after Huang Ti set the stage for a universal written
script across the Far East, we have Kumarajiva.
401-411 CE: Tripitaka Master Kumarajiva, who was taken prisoner by
General Lu Kuang and his army at the behest of Fu Chien, ruler of the
Ch'in Dynasty, translated the Sutras, and especially the 28 Chapter
Lotus Sutra, the Buddha's highest teaching of his last 8 years, from
Sanskrit into classical Chinese at Ch'ang-an. In all he translated 35
works in 294 volumes, in a mere ten years. He stated that if his
tongue burned when he was cremated, that all of his translations
should be discarded. It didn't and they weren't. His translation of
the Lotus Sutra, is now translated into English by Burton Watson. The
full 28 Chapters of the Lotus Sutra (and many other wonderful things)
are online at the SGI website:
=2E
http://www.sgi-usa.org/buddhism/library/Buddhism/LotusSutra/index.html=
=46rom "The Selection of the Time - Nichiren, disciple of Shakyamuni
Buddha", the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin pp. 554-555 ...
=2E 'When both old and new translations (80) are
=2E taken into consideration, we find that there are
=2E 186 persons who have brought sutras and treatises
=2E from India and introduced them to China in
=2E translation. With the exception of one man, the
=2E Tripitaka Master Kumarajiva, all of these
=2E translators have made errors of some kind. But
=2E among them, Pu-k'ung is remarkable for the large
=2E number of his errors. It is clear that he
=2E deliberately set out to confuse and mislead
=2E others.'
=2E
=2E 'Question: How do you know that the
=2E translators other than Kumarajiva made errors? Do
=2E you mean not only to destroy the Zen, Nembutsu,
=2E True Word, and the others of the seven major
=2E schools, but to discredit all the works of the
=2E translators that have been introduced to China
=2E and Japan?'
=2E
=2E 'Answer: This is a highly confidential matter,
=2E and I should discuss it in detail only when I am
=2E face to face with the inquirer. However, I will
=2E make a few comments here. Kumarajiva himself
=2E said: "When I examine the various sutras in use
=2E in China, I find that all of them differ from the
=2E Sanskrit originals. How can I make people
=2E understand this? I have only one great wish. My
=2E body is unclean, for I have taken a wife. But my
=2E tongue alone is pure and could never speak false
=2E words concerning the teachings of Buddhism. After
=2E I die, make certain that I am cremated. If at
=2E that time my tongue is consumed by the flames,
=2E then you may discard all the sutras that I have
=2E translated." Such were the words that he spoke
=2E again and again from his lecture platform. As a
=2E result, everyone from the ruler on down to the
=2E common people hoped they would not die before
=2E Kumarajiva [so that they might see what
=2E happened].'
=2E
=2E 'Eventually Kumarajiva died and was cremated,
=2E and his impure body was completely reduced to
=2E ashes. Only his tongue remained, resting atop a
=2E blue lotus that had sprung up in the midst of the
=2E flames. It sent out ****ning rays of five-colored
=2E light that made the night as bright as day and in
=2E the daytime outshone the rays of the sun. This,
=2E then, is why the sutras translated by all the
=2E other scholars came to be held in little esteem,
=2E while those translated by Kumarajiva,
=2E particularly his translation of the Lotus Sutra,
=2E spread rapidly throughout China.(81)'
=2E
=2E 'Question: That tells us about the translators
=2E who lived at the time of Kumarajiva or before.
=2E But what about later translators such as Shan-wu-
=2E wei or Pu-k'ung?'
=2E
=2E 'Answer: Even in the case of translators who
=2E lived after Kumarajiva, if their tongues burned
=2E up when they were cremated, it means that there
=2E are errors in their work. The Dharma
=2E Characteristics school in earlier times enjoyed a
=2E great popularity in Japan. But the Great Teacher
=2E Dengyo attacked it, pointing out that, though the
=2E tongue of Kumarajiva was not consumed by the
=2E flames, those of Hs=FCan-tsang and Tz'u-en burned
=2E along with their bodies. Emperor Kammu, impressed
=2E by his argument, transferred his allegiance to
=2E the Tendai Lotus school.'
=2E
=2E 'In the third and ninth volumes of the Nirvana
=2E Sutra, we find the Buddha predicting that when
=2E his teachings are transmitted from India to other
=2E countries many errors will be introduced into
=2E them, and the chances for people to gain
=2E enlightenment through them will be reduced.
=2E Therefore, the Great Teacher Miao-lo remarks:
=2E "Whether or not the teachings are grasped
=2E correctly depends upon the persons who transmit
=2E them. It is not determined by the sage's original
=2E pronouncements."(82)'
=2E
=2E 'He is saying that no matter how the people of
=2E today may follow the teachings of the sutras in
=2E hopes of a better life in the hereafter, if the
=2E sutras they follow are in error, then they can
=2E never attain enlightenment. But that is not to be
=2E attributed to any fault of the Buddha.'
=2E
=2E 'In studying the teachings of Buddhism, apart
=2E from the distinctions between Hinayana and
=2E Mahayana, provisional and true, and exoteric and
=2E esoteric teachings, this question of the
=2E reliability of the sutra translation is the most
=2E im****tant of all.'
Footnotes:
80. The translations made before Hs=FCantsang (602--664) are called "old
translations." His and subsequent translations are known as "new
translations."
81. The Liang Dynasty Biographies of Eminent Priests.
82. On "The Words and Phrases." "The sage" referred to here is
Vasubandhu. Miaolo attributed an error in Vasubandhu's commentary on
the Lotus Sutra, The Treatise on the Lotus Sutra, to the translator.
In this context, the Daishonin employs Miao-lo's statement to indicate
the Buddha. Thus, he says in the following paragraph, "that is not to
be attributed to any fault of the Buddha."
Thusly, do***entary validity is either ALL or NOTHING. And
Kumarajiva's translation of the Lotus Sutra is the sole source of
Buddhism of the Lotus Sutra.
Pursuant to the Admonitions of the Author
-----------------------------------------
If one accepts the do***entary validity of the Buddhist sutras AT ALL,
then one must accept the critical and final admonition of Shakyamuni
Buddha in the Nirvana Sutra: that (1) the Lotus Sutra is the highest
teaching of the Buddha in the past, present and future and (2) that
provisional sutras must be honestly discarded.
Any other view of the Lotus Sutra is not according to the Buddha, and
hence, IS NOT Buddhism.
It is, instead, someone else's -ism.
This is simple and ironclad logic, and has strong implications for
sects of Buddhism which do not uphold the Lotus Sutra over all other
Buddhist Sutras, and which do not then honestly discard those
provisional teachings. I will describe these implications for the
major branches of Buddhism (Nembutsu, Zen, ****ngon (Tantric), Ritsu
(Precepts), and Hinayana (Theravada).
In "Letter to Akimoto", Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, p. 1016 ...
=2E But I, Nichiren, one man alone, declare that the recitation
=2E of the name of Amida Buddha is an action that leads to
=2E rebirth in the hell of incessant suffering, that the Zen
=2E school is the invention of the heavenly devil, that the True
=2E Word school is an evil doctrine that will destroy the
=2E country, and that the Precepts school and the observers of
=2E the precepts are traitors to the nation.
Nembutsu
--------
The Nembutsu (Amida, Pure Land, Jodo), according to Honen or Shan-tao
casts aside the Lotus Sutra in favor of the Buddha Infinite Life
Sutra, the Meditation on the Buddha of Infinite Life Sutra and the
Amida Sutra.
Nembutsu believers hold that after death, if they are virtuous and
devote themselves to Amida Buddha who dwells in the pure heaven in the
West, that they will depart the impure world and be happy ... over
there ... with someone else who will take care of them.
Hence, the Nembutsu is not Buddhism, and instead is either Honenism or
Shan-taoism. Or, you could instead qualify it as Afterlife Wor****p or
Heavenism. But don't call it Buddhism, that's identity theft, and an
offense to Shakyamuni.
Furthermore, identifying living beings as lesser than, or subordinate
to, the Buddha is a clear violation of the principle of Non-Duality
and misses the intent of Buddhism entirely.
"Nembutsu[Jodo/Amida] leads to the hell of incessant suffering." -
Nichiren Daishonin.
Zen
---
Zen (Ch'an, Dhyana), according to Bodhidharma, Huineng, Dainichi,
Dogen, Ingen or Suzuki(s) casts aside the Lotus Sutra in favor of the
wordless transmission from Shakyamuni Buddha to Mahakashyapa, who they
identify as the First Patriarch of Zen.
Zen believers object that Buddhists who follow the sutras, or dharma,
are hampering themselves with doctrinal writings and tying ourselves
down with verbal explanations, and they recommend a type of religious
practice that is apart from the teachings of the sutras. Nichiren
Daishonin writes (in "Conversation between a Sage and an Unenlightened
Man", WND, pp. 117-119) ...
=2E ... then by what means are we to carry on the Buddha's work
=2E and make good causes in this saha world of ours? Even the
=2E followers of Zen, who advocate these views, themselves make
=2E use of words when instructing others. In addition, when one
=2E is trying to convey an understanding of the Buddha way, one
=2E cannot communicate the meaning if one sets aside words and
=2E phrases. Bodhidharma came to China from the west, pointed
=2E directly to people's minds, and declared that those minds
=2E were Buddha. But this principle is enunciated in various
=2E places even in the provisional Mahayana sutras that preceded
=2E the Lotus Sutra, such as the Flower Garland, Great
=2E Collection, and Great Wisdom sutras.
So, whether you think that you follow sutras or not, the way of Zen is
truly that of the earlier and provisional sutras listed above, and
therefore is only IN ADDITION to the teachings, and not really APART
from them. Undeniably, those sutras which espouse the way of Zen are
provisional sutras which the Buddha himself admonished most strictly,
must be discarded to understand the Lotus Sutra, his highest teaching.
Staying attached to provisional teachings prevents faith in the Lotus
Sutra, the Buddha's stated purpose of his advent, and thusly prevents
acquiring the jewel of the Buddha's wisdom. Nichiren Daishonin writes:
When it comes to making use of sutras, the Zen school relies on such
works as the Lankavatara Sutra, the Shuramgama Sutra, and the Diamond
Wisdom Sutra. These are all provisional teachings that were preached
before the Lotus Sutra, [and are] doctrines that conceal the truth.',
from "Conversation between a Sage and an Unenlightened Man" - Writings
of Nichiren Daishonin, pp. 117-119.
The modern Zen school also quotes the Heart Sutra, the Platform Sutra,
the precepts of the Brahma Net Sutra and the Avatamsaka Sutra, and
they even quote and distort the Lotus Sutra as a means to the end of
propagating their Zen, instead of upholding the Lotus Sutra as the
highest teaching of Shakyamuni while honestly discarding all these
other provisional teachings, as was his admonition in the Nirvana
Sutra.
Hence, Zen is not Buddhism, but instead is either Bodhidharmaism,
Huinengism, Dainichism, Dogenism, Ingenism or Suzuki(s)-ism. Or, you
could collectively call it Acausal Nothingism. But don't call it
Buddhism, that's identity theft, and an offense to Shakyamuni.
And don't incorrectly identify as "the Dharma", those distorted ideas
that are apart from, or are transmissions outside of the sutras, which
truly are the Dharma.
Also from the same Gosho letter (above) ...
=2E These various sutras expound partial truths such as 'the
=2E mind itself is the Buddha, and the Buddha is none other than
=2E the mind.' The Zen followers have allowed themselves to be
=2E led astray by one or two such sentences and phrases, failing
=2E to inquire whether they represent the Mahayana or the
=2E Hinayana, the provisional teachings or the true teaching,
=2E the doctrines that reveal the truth or the doctrines that
=2E conceal it. They merely advance the principle of nonduality
=2E without understanding the principle of duality, and commit
=2E an act of great arrogance, claiming that they themselves are
=2E equal to the Buddha. They are following in the tracks of the
=2E Great Arrogant Brahman of India and imitating the old ways
=2E of the Meditation Master Sanchieh of China. But we should
=2E recall that the Great Arrogant Brahman, while still alive,
=2E fell into the hell of incessant suffering, and that
=2E Sanchieh, after he died, turned into a huge s****. How
=2E frightful, how frightful indeed!
Simply stated, Zen believers embrace Non-Duality, but forget Duality -
that others are not just an extension of one's own being and must not
be treated as a means to self-discovery, through, for example, ritual
beheading with perfect Samurai-Bu****do style, or aiming to punch
through the head or body in board-breaking Karate style.
"Zen[Ch'an/Dhyana] is the teaching of devils." - Nichiren Daishonin.
****ngon
-------
****ngon (True Word, Tantric, Tibetan, Esoteric Buddhism), according to
Shan-wu-wei, I-hsing, Hui-kuo and Kobo casts aside the Lotus Sutra in
favor of the Mahavairochana Sutra and the Diamond Crown Sutra.
****ngon believers hold that by seeking out the hidden teaching or
technique, in the form of tantras, mudras, or the appropriate mandala,
that they can attain enlightenment or at least have their desires
satisfied. Different tantras, mudras and mandalas would have different
effects.
Hence, ****ngon (Tantric) is not Buddhism, and instead is either Shan-
wu-weism, I-hsingism, Hui-kuoism or Koboism. Or, you could instead
qualify it as Occultism or Wor****p of Influence. But don't call it
Buddhism, that's identity theft, and an offense to Shakyamuni.
The hidden and evil subtext is: The Buddha's highest teaching is
hidden and mystical or magical. If I can just perform the correct
ritual, do things in the appropriate way, say things a certain way to
influence the outcome, I can be the victor in life. I just need to
hook up with that person who knows the keys to success, the person
with the power, because I have no power without them. Then I, too,
will be successful, because of him and his secret, which I now
possess.
The essential thing is that the wor****p of influence leads to the
downfall of society (lobbyists in government, for instance). In
religion it leads to the power of priesthoods. It leads to the power
of masters over disciples.
Oddly, ****ngon or Tantric Buddhism has appeared in the Martial Arts in
styles which seek to confuse or subtly influence and throw off the
victim, with stylish movements which can imitate natural phenomena or
animal forms (Taoist or Zen).
"****ngon[True Word/Tantric/Esoteric Buddhism] will ruin the nation." -
Nichiren Daishonin. (Is not the influential function of Lobbyists
ruination?)
Ritsu
-----
Ritsu (Precepts), according to Tao-hsuan, Chien-chen, Shunjo, Kakujo
and Eizon casts aside the Lotus Sutra in favor of the vinaya text:
The Fourfold Rules of Discipline.
Historically, Devadatta attempted to subvert the Buddhist Order
(Sangha) and murder Shakyamuni himself, because he thought the Buddha
was not adhering to Precepts. Which of course, the Buddha doesn't.
There are no set of rules which can be followed without slandering the
Law? Why?
Because of the power of evil to create cir***stances which will
undermine those rules. In the end, having faith in the Lotus Sutra,
which is known as the Strategy of the Lotus Sutra, is the only rule
that cannot be undermined by evil, which along with good has the Law
as its source.
Hence, Ritsu (Precepts) is not Buddhism, and instead is either Tao-
hsuanism, Chien-chenism, Shunjoism, Kakujoism or Eizonism. Or, you
could instead qualify it as Spartanism, Wor****p of Discipline,
Asceticism, or just plain Treason. But don't call it Buddhism, that's
identity theft, and an offense to Shakyamuni.
"Ritsu[Precepts] is traitorous." - Nichiren Daishonin.
Hinayana
--------
Hinayana (Theravada, or Southern Buddhism) originated after the time
of King Ashoka, and mostly follows the Pali canon. Ashoka, who was a
follower of the Lotus Sutra two centuries after the Buddha's death,
created many stupas, which were monuments to the great life condition
of the Buddha.
The greatest of these was at Amaravati, in Southern India. It was a
large domed structure (49.30 meters in diameter), surrounded by a
railing with carvings and statues depicting the Buddha's life and
enlightenment.
Unfortunately, over time, people began to wor****p the statues and
forget the teachings, as Shakyamuni was deified. Deification meant
that the great life condition of Shakyamuni was unattainable by
ordinary mortals. Since the attainment of the Buddha's life condition
was the intent of the Buddha's advent and the core of his highest
teaching of the Lotus Sutra, this became the source of a great
distortion of the Buddha's teachings, instead of an example of how to
live.
(In the Latter Day of the Law, stupas have become places of great
evil, because of the distortion of the Buddha's teachings and intent
that they represent. Of these, the Amaravati stupa with its carvings
is the most evil. These reside at the British Museum.)
(These places of profound evil are to be avoided like the plague that
they represent.)
Following the Pali Canon leads, inevitably, to wor****pping statues.
The Southern Buddhist tradition includes the wor****p of statues of the
Shakyamuni-deity, and following Precepts which are attributed to the
Buddha, but not allowing that his deified enlightenment can be
attained by mere mortals, in their one lifetime. That requires many
lifetimes, and constitutes a retreat back to simplistic Hinduism, with
enlightenment deferred to another avatar.
Hence, Southern Buddhism is not Buddhism, but is instead either
Mahendraism, Buddhaghosaism (5th century CE), Anawrathaism, or you
could instead qualify it as Shakyamuni Wor****p, or as Islam
characterizes it correctly: Idolatry. But don't call it Buddhism,
that's identity theft, and an offense to Shakyamuni.
The Pali Canon spread to Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and the Philippines,
where Islam appears to be currently engaged in eradicating Southern
Buddhism. The Pali Canon has also spread to Cambodia, Laos, Thailand
and Myanmar, contributing much to the misery of those countries.
________ Devotion to the Lotus Sutra _____________
Having provided do***entary and literal proofs and deductions, I will
leave it to the greatest master of the meanings and practice of the
sutras in the Three Existences, Nichiren Daishonin, to explain this
matter in such a way as to put it to rest, eternally.
As stated in "The Essence Of The 'Life Span' Chapter", Writings of
Nichiren Daishonin, p. 182-184 ...
=2E When Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, expounded
=2E the "Life Span" chapter, he referred to what all living
=2E beings had heard in the pre-Lotus Sutra teachings and in
=2E the theoretical teaching of the Lotus Sutra. He said:
=2E "In all the worlds the heavenly and human beings and
=2E asuras all believe that the present Shakyamuni Buddha,
=2E after leaving the palace of the Shakyas, seated himself
=2E in the place of meditation not far from the city of Gaya
=2E and there attained supreme perfect enlightenment." [Note
=2E 1: Lotus Sutra, chap. 16.] This statement expresses the
=2E idea held by all the Buddha's disciples and the great
=2E bodhisattvas from the time they heard Shakyamuni preach
=2E his first sermon in the Flower Garland Sutra up through
=2E the time he expounded the "Peaceful Practices" chapter
=2E of the Lotus Sutra.
=2E
=2E We find two flaws in the pre-Lotus Sutra teachings:
=2E First, "Because the Ten Worlds are separate from one
=2E another in these teachings, they fail to move beyond the
=2E provisional." [Note 2: The Annotations on "The Profound
=2E Meaning of the Lotus Sutra."] That is, they do not
=2E reveal the doctrine of three thousand realms in a single
=2E moment of life, that of discarding the provisional and
=2E revealing the true, [Note 3: A principle set forth in
=2E the theoretical teaching of the Lotus Sutra. "The
=2E provisional" here refers to all the sutras expounded
=2E during the first forty-two years of Shakyamuni's
=2E teaching, and "the true," to the Lotus Sutra.] or that
=2E of persons of the two vehicles being capable of
=2E attaining Buddhahood--the doctrines related to the ten
=2E factors of life stated in the "Expedient Means" chapter
=2E of the theoretical teaching.
=2E
=2E Second, "Because they teach that Shakyamuni first
=2E attained enlightenment in this world, they fail to
=2E discard the Buddha's provisional status." [Note 4: On
=2E "The Profound Meaning."] Thus they do not reveal the
=2E Buddha's original enlightenment in the remote past
=2E expounded in the "Life Span" chapter. These two great
=2E doctrines [the attainment of Buddhahood by persons of
=2E the two vehicles and the Buddha's original
=2E enlightenment] are the core of the Buddha's lifetime
=2E teachings, the heart and marrow of all the sutras.
=2E
=2E The theoretical teaching states that persons of the two
=2E vehicles can attain Buddhahood, thus avoiding one of the
=2E shortcomings found in the sutras expounded during the
=2E first forty years and more of the Buddha's preaching.
=2E However, since the "Life Span" chapter had not yet been
=2E expounded, the true doctrine of three thousand realms in
=2E a single moment of life remained obscure, and the
=2E enlightenment of persons of the two vehicles was not
=2E assured. In these respects the theoretical teaching does
=2E not differ from the moon's reflection on the water, or
=2E rootless plants drifting on the waves.
=2E
=2E The Buddha also stated, "But good men, it has been
=2E immeasurable, boundless hundreds, thousands, ten
=2E thousands, millions of nayutas of kalpas since I in fact
=2E attained Buddhahood." [Note 5: Lotus Sutra, chap. 16.]
=2E With this single proclamation, he refuted as great
=2E falsehoods his other statements [concerning his own
=2E enlightenment]. For instance, the Flower Garland Sutra
=2E states that Shakyamuni attained Buddhahood for the first
=2E time in this world. The Agama sutras speak of his first
=2E attainment of the way, and the Vimalakirti Sutra says,
=2E "For the first time the Buddha sat beneath the bodhi
=2E tree." The Great Collection Sutra states, "It is sixteen
=2E years [since the Thus Come One first attained the way]."
=2E The Mahavairochana Sutra describes the Buddha's
=2E enlightenment as having taken place "long ago when I sat
=2E in the place of meditation." The Benevolent Kings Sutra
=2E refers to the Buddha's enlightenment as an event of
=2E "twenty-nine years" ago. The Immeasurable Meanings Sutra
=2E states, "In the past I sat upright in the place of
=2E meditation," and the "Expedient Means" chapter of the
=2E Lotus Sutra says, "When I first sat in the place of
=2E meditation ..."
=2E
=2E When we come to the "Life Span" chapter of the essential
=2E teaching, the belief that Shakyamuni attained Buddhahood
=2E for the first time [in India] is demolished, and the
=2E effects [enlightenment] of the four teachings are
=2E likewise demolished. When the effects of the four
=2E teachings are demolished, their causes are likewise
=2E demolished. "Causes" here refers to Buddhist practice
=2E [to attain enlightenment] or to the stage of disciples
=2E engaged in practice. Thus the causes and effects
=2E expounded in both the pre-Lotus Sutra teachings and the
=2E theoretical teaching of the Lotus Sutra are wiped out,
=2E and the cause and effect of the Ten Worlds [Note 6: Here
=2E "cause" or the stage of practice is equated with the
=2E nine worlds of delusion in which the Buddha nature still
=2E remains dormant, and "effect," with Buddhahood or
=2E enlightenment, the tenth world. By indicating that the
=2E Buddha still retains all the nine worlds even after
=2E attaining enlightenment, the "Life Span" chapter
=2E demonstrates that cause (nine worlds) and effect
=2E (Buddhahood) exist simultaneously, thus substantiating
=2E the mutual possession of the Ten Worlds.] in the
=2E essential teaching are revealed. This is the doctrine of
=2E original cause and original effect. It teaches that the
=2E nine worlds are all present in beginningless Buddhahood
=2E and that Buddhahood exists in the beginningless nine
=2E worlds. This is the true mutual possession of the Ten
=2E Worlds, the true hundred worlds and thousand factors,
=2E the true three thousand realms in a single moment of
=2E life.
=2E
=2E Considered in this light, it is evident that Vairochana
=2E Buddha depicted in the Flower Garland Sutra as sitting
=2E on a lotus pedestal, the sixteen-foot Shakyamuni
=2E described in the Agama sutras, and the provisional
=2E Buddhas of the Correct and Equal, Wisdom, Golden Light,
=2E Amida, and Mahavairochana sutras are no more than
=2E reflections of the Buddha of the "Life Span" chapter.
=2E They are like fleeting images of the moon in the sky
=2E mirrored on the surface of the water held in vessels of
=2E varying sizes. The wise men and scholars of the various
=2E schools are first of all confused as to [the nature of
=2E the Buddhas of ] their own school, and more
=2E fundamentally, they are ignorant of [the Buddha of ] the
=2E "Life Span" chapter of the Lotus Sutra. As a result,
=2E they mistake the reflection of the moon on the water for
=2E the real moon ****ning in the sky. Some of them enter the
=2E water and try to grasp it with their hands, while others
=2E try to snare it with a rope. As the Great Teacher T'ien-
=2E t'ai says, "They know nothing of the moon in the sky,
=2E but gaze only at the moon in the pond." [Note 7: The
=2E Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra.] He means that
=2E those attached to the pre-Lotus Sutra teachings or the
=2E theoretical teaching of the Lotus Sutra are not aware of
=2E the moon ****ning in the sky, but see only its reflection
=2E in the pond.
=2E
=2E The Great Canon of Monastic Rules also tells of five
=2E hundred monkeys who, emerging from the mountains, saw
=2E the moon reflected in the water and tried to seize it.
=2E However, as it was only a reflection, they fell into the
=2E water and drowned. This writing equates the monkeys with
=2E Devadatta and the group of six monks. [Note 8: The group
=2E of six monks refers to the monks who lived during the
=2E Buddha's lifetime, whose misconduct is said to have
=2E caused the necessity to formulate the precepts. They are
=2E Nanda, Upananda, Kalodayin, Chanda, Ashvaka, and
=2E Punarvasu.]
=2E
=2E Were it not for the presence of the "Life Span" chapter
=2E among all the teachings of Shakyamuni, they would be
=2E like the heavens without the sun and moon, a kingdom
=2E without a king, the mountains and seas without
=2E treasures, or a person without a soul. This being so,
=2E without the "Life Span" chapter, all the sutras would be
=2E meaningless. Grass without roots will die in no time,
=2E and a river without a source will not flow far. A child
=2E without parents is looked down upon. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo,
=2E the heart of the "Life Span" chapter, is the mother
=2E of all Buddhas throughout the ten directions and the
=2E three existences.
=2E
=2E With my deep respect,
=2E
=2E Nichiren
=2E
=2E The seventeenth day of the fourth month
=2E [Either eighth year of Bun'ei (1271), or in 1272.]
I shouldn't have to repeat Sensei, but once again,
"Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the heart of the "Life Span" chapter,
is the mother of all Buddhas throughout the ten directions
and the three existences.
________ Nichiren Shoshu Hates Both ______________
________ Shakyamuni and Lotus Sutra
Nichiren Shoshu considers Shakyamuni to be a provisional and
discardable Buddha, even though he is enscribed on the Gohonzon in the
heart of the Ceremony of the Air of the Lotus Sutra, passing the Law
to the bodhisattvas of the Earth to transmit widely throughout
Jambudvipa as Many Treasures (Taho) Buddha agrees. And also, even
though Nichiren Daishonin ... who is bodhisattva Jogyo (Superior
Practices) receiving the Law from Shakyamuni on the Gohonzon ...
continually refers to Shakyamuni throughout the Gosho as the "Lord of
Teachings".
Nichiren Shoshu also considers the Lotus Sutra to be a provisional and
discardable teaching in comparison to the Daimoku of the Lotus Sutra,
when Nichiren Daishonin himself states that they are identical as
teaching, sutra or kyo, although the recitation practice of that
identical teaching is different. So reciting the Daimoku is reciting
all 28 chapters of the Lotus Sutra, and is the only practice which can
overcome the slander of the Law which is widespread in the Latter Day
of the Law. Reciting the 28 chapters of the Lotus Sutra is a practice
far too weak, and impossible to propagate widely in the Latter Day of
the Law. But that does not rescind Nichiren's words about the 28
chapters of the Lotus Sutra teaching being in identity with the
Daimoku. Nichiren Shoshu would recite the Daimoku while discarding the
Lotus Sutra, which violates Nichiren Daishonin's direct admonition to
the contrary in the passage below.
So, of course, Nichiren Shoshu is making the appearance of being the
Kosen Rufu Priesthood, all the while having utterly abandoned the
mission of propagating the Law throughout Jambudvipa ... for their
mission of propagating their temple hierarchy, their elitist
priesthood, and their new theory of the infallibility of the High
Priest who is their Supreme Object of Wor****p. (And of course, keeping
the good times rolling at the nice hotels.)
I have capitalized the passages of the Gosho where Nchiren Daishonin
himself utterly refutes their erroneous views on the Lotus Sutra.
In "On Establi****ng the Four Bodhisattvas as the Object of Devotion",
WND, p. 978 ...
=2E You also mentioned in your letter that the people
=2E connected with Ota Jomyo are apparently saying that the
=2E theoretical teaching of the Lotus Sutra can in no way
=2E lead to enlightenment. They are making a serious
=2E mistake. Remember this about the theoretical and
=2E essential teachings of the Lotus Sutra: Which is shallow
=2E and which profound, which superior and which inferior,
=2E which lenient and which severe, and which subordinate
=2E and which primary must be judged in accordance with the
=2E time and the people's capacity. There are three periods7
=2E in which the sacred teachings of the Buddha's lifetime
=2E should be propagated; the people's capacity should be
=2E thought of in the same way.
=2E
=2E In the first five hundred years of the Former Day of the
=2E Law following the Buddha's passing, only Hinayana
=2E teachings spread, while in the next five hundred years,
=2E provisional Mahayana teachings spread. The thousand
=2E years of the Middle Day of the Law saw the rise of the
=2E theoretical teaching. IN THE BEGINNING OF THE LATTER DAY
=2E OF THE LAW, ONLY THE ESSENTIAL TEACHING SPREADS, BUT
=2E EVEN SO, THE THEORETICAL TEACHING SHOULD NOT BE
=2E DISCARDED. NOWHERE IN THE ENTIRE LOTUS SUTRA DO WE FIND
=2E A PASSAGE SUGGESTING THAT WE SHOULD DISCARD THE FIRST
=2E FOURTEEN CHAPTERS, WHICH COMPRISE THE THEORETICAL
=2E TEACHING. When we distinguish between the theoretical
=2E and the essential teachings on the basis of the
=2E threefold classification of the entire body of the
=2E Buddha's teachings, the pre-Lotus Sutra teachings were
=2E to be spread in the Former Day, and the theoretical
=2E teaching, in the Middle Day, but the Latter Day is the
=2E time to propagate the essential teaching. IN THE PRESENT
=2E PERIOD THE ESSENTIAL TEACHING IS PRIMARY, WHILE THE
=2E THEORETICAL TEACHING IS SUBORDINATE. BUT THOSE WHO
=2E THEREFORE DISCARD THE LATTER, SAYING IT IS NOT THE WAY
=2E TO ENLIGHTENMENT, AND BELIEVE ONLY IN THE FORMER, HAVE
=2E NOT YET UNDERSTOOD THE DOCTRINE OF NICHIREN'S TRUE
=2E INTENTION. THEIRS IS A COMPLETELY DISTORTED VIEW.
=2E
=2E This doctrine concerning the theoretical and essential
=2E teachings is not my own [but was expounded by the
=2E Buddha]. Those who would distort it can only be
=2E possessed by the heavenly devil, or Papiyas, and will
=2E topple others along with themselves into the great
=2E citadel of the hell of incessant suffering. How foolish
=2E they are! Teach this doctrine to others clearly as I
=2E have taught you these many years. Those who call
=2E themselves my disciples and practice the Lotus Sutra
=2E should all practice as I do. If they do, Shakyamuni,
=2E Many Treasures, Shakyamuni's emanations throughout the
=2E ten directions, and the ten demon daughters will protect
=2E them. Yet, for all that, [some people associated with
=2E Ota Jomyo distort the teaching]. I cannot fathom what
=2E could be in their minds.
And this Gosho was written late in Nichiren Daishonin's life, and so
IT ALSO cannot be discarded.
________ Definition of Anger (Shura or Asuras) ___
=46rom (http://www.sgi-usa.org/buddhism/library/SokaGakkai/Study/
Elementary/Text3.htm):
=2E Fourth of the worlds is Anger (shura). The first three
=2E states - Hell, Hunger and Animality - are collectively known
=2E as the "three evil paths"; life in these states is dominated
=2E by instinctive desires and passions. In this next state,
=2E Anger, there is an awareness of ego - but it is a ravening,
=2E distorted ego, determined to succeed over others, whatever
=2E the cost, and seeing everything as a potential threat to its
=2E survival. This state was said to be characterized by asuras,
=2E contentious demons found in ancient Indian mythology. As we
=2E saw, High Priest Nichikan wrote that "Anger dwells at the
=2E ocean side"; the cra****ng waves of the ocean and its
=2E fearsome potential to overwhelm anything 'in split seconds
=2E can be thought of as representing the belligerent and
=2E overbearing ego that is the hallmark of Anger. In this state
=2E we value only ourselves, holding everyone else 'in contempt.
=2E We believe we are superior to everybody else and cannot bear
=2E to be found inferior to anyone in any respect. The three
=2E evil paths, taken together with Anger, are called the "four
=2E evil paths" or the four lower worlds.
________ Getting Some Help _______________________
If you are a Nichiren Shoshu Priest, or a Hokkeko member from anywhere
in the world, and are thinking about switching to the Soka Gakkai
(SGI) call or contact the Headquarters at SGI Plaza (http://www.sgi-
usa.org/cgi-bin/locator.cgi?ZIP=3D90401)
Tell them that you are a Nichiren Shoshu Priest or Hokkeko member, and
wish to speak to someone about the SGI, and what to do.
________ The Survivor Gita _______________________
Who will replace the "Sen'ou Nezumi" ?
Nikken, the Usurper King of the Rats at Taisekiji, has been replaced
by Nichinyo, who is an angry member of the elite, due to too many
blows to the head. A little punchy, and brief in his rule, since
Nikken has plans for his son to take over.
One thing that is known for certain: There will be a new Rat King. And
quickly there will be another.
Another thing that is known for certain: All the alliances will
change, and more than once. Anyone that has watched Survivor knows
this.
Rule Number Zero:
The War of the Rodents can only be won by ... King Rat.
More to come ... These questions will be answered !!!
-Chas.
_____________________________________________
Reading from "Reply to the Mother of Ueno", Writings of Nichiren
Daishonin, p. 1073-1074 ...
'However, those who declare that the Lotus Sutra is superior to all
the other sutras are justified in doing so. In fact, they will enjoy
great benefits. This is because their declaration accords with what
the sutra itself says.'
'Prefacing the Lotus Sutra is a work called the Immeasurable
Meanings Sutra. It is like the vanguard of generals who go before the
procession of a great king to quell disturbances. This Immeasurable
Meanings Sutra states, "In these more than forty years, I have not yet
revealed the truth." These words are like the great bows that the
generals carry to drive away the king's enemies with arrows, or the
swords with which they cut those enemies down. They are like a royal
proclamation, sharp as a sword, directed to the members of the Flower
Garland school who read only the Flower Garland Sutra, the priests of
the Precepts school with their Agama sutras, the Nembutsu believers
with their Meditation Sutra, and the True Word teachers with their
Mahavairochana Sutra, chastising them for failing to follow the Lotus
Sutra and bringing them to submission. They are like Yo****ie attacking
Sadato, or Yoritomo destroying the forces of Kiyomori. These words of
the Immeasurable Meanings Sutra, "In these more than forty
years . . . ," are the sword and rope of the wisdom king Immovable, or
the bow and arrows of the wisdom king Craving-Filled.'
'When the late Nanjo Goro made his way across the mountains of
death and the river of three crossings, the soldiers who escorted him
and repulsed the mountain bandits of earthly desires and the pirates
of past offenses and allowed him to proceed safely to the pure land of
Eagle Peak were these words of the Immeasurable Meanings Sutra, "In
these more than forty years, I have not yet revealed the truth." '
'The "Expedient Means" chapter in the first volume of the Lotus
Sutra states, "The World-Honored One has long expounded his doctrines
and now must reveal the truth." It also says, "Honestly discarding
expedient means, I will preach only the unsurpassed way." In the fifth
volume we read, "Only the bright jewel that is in his
topknot . . . ," [Lotus Sutra Chapter 14] "This one jewel exists only
on the top of the king's head," and "the way that powerful ruler did
when he took the bright jewel he had guarded for so long and finally
gave it away." '
'The im****t of these passages is this: The great collection of
scriptures has been brought to this country of Japan, numbering 7,399
volumes, and each one of these various scriptures is a follower and
retainer of the Lotus Sutra. To illustrate, the men and women in this
country number 4,994,828, but all are subjects of one man, the ruler
of the country.'
'As for the significance of these various scriptures, let me give
an analogy that even an uncomprehending woman can understand
immediately. Suppose that one is building a great pagoda. In addition
to the lumber to be used in the pagoda itself, one gathers together a
large quantity of small timbers and uses them to build a scaffolding
ten or twenty feet in height. After one has done this, one uses the
original lumber to construct the pagoda. And when the pagoda is
completed, one then removes the scaffolding and discards it, leaving
the pagoda in place.'
'Now the scaffolding represents the various other sutras, and the
great pagoda, the Lotus Sutra. When the Buddha preached the other
sutras, he was in effect erecting a scaffolding in preparation for the
preaching of the Lotus Sutra.'
'In the same manner as the sutra describes when it says, "honestly
discarding expedient means," persons who put their faith in the Lotus
Sutra should first cast aside and fling away the Namu Amida Butsu
invocation based on the Amida and other sutras, the teachings of the
True Word school based on the Mahavairochana and other sutras, and the
two hundred and fifty precepts of the Precepts school based on the
Agama sutras, and other teachings, and then they should embrace the
Lotus Sutra alone. When one is preparing to build a great pagoda, the
scaffolding is of great im****tance. But once the pagoda is completed,
then the scaffolding is removed and thrown away. This is the meaning
of the passage about "honestly discarding expedient means." '
'Though the scaffolding is necessary to complete the pagoda, no one
would ever dream of discarding the pagoda and wor****ping the
scaffolding. And yet the people who seek the way in the world today
spend their whole lives reciting Namu Amida Butsu only, and never once
chant Nam-myoho-rengekyo. They are like persons who discard the pagoda
and wor****p the scaffolding. They are examples of the secular saying,
"seemingly wise, but actually foolish." '
'The late ****chiro Goro did not take after other people in Japan
today. Though still a youth, he followed in the footsteps of his
sagacious father. And at an early age, having not yet turned twenty,
he began chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, and thus he became a Buddha.
This is what the sutra means when it says, "Then not a one will fail
to attain Buddhahood." [Lotus Sutra Chapter 2] I hope that, if you,
his loving mother, are thinking with longing about your son, you will
chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and pray to be reborn in the same place as
the late ****chiro Goro and your husband, the late Nanjo.'
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