SGI-USA. Essentials Exam Part 2. Study Guide. History of Buddhism:

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1 SGI-USA Essentials Exam Part 2 Study Guide History of Buddhism: The Life of Shakyamuni The Lotus Sutra Mahayana Buddhism and the Lotus Sutra Nichiren Daishonin and the Lotus Sutra Practicing the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Day of the Law Soka Spirit From A Revolution Dawns: A Brief History of Soka Spirit Introduction A Revolution Dawns essay by SGI President Ikeda Spiritual Independence Freed From an Authoritarian Priesthood A Struggle That Continues Forever Learning From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin: The Teachings for Victory Selected Sections From SGI President Ikeda s Study Lecture Series Buddhist Concepts: Three Thousand Realms in a Single Moment of Life The Oneness of Body and Mind The Oneness of Life and Its Environment Sample Questions

2 For more information and a free electronic copy of the Essentials Exam, Part 2, Study Guide, go to the SGI-USA website: sgi-usa.org/essentialstudy ISBN: Cover and interior design by Lightbourne, Inc. Published by the SGI-USA 606 Wilshire Blvd. Santa Monica, CA SGI-USA. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America

3 Essentials Exam, Part 2, Study Guide Contents 5 Explanation of the Essentials Exam, Part 2 History of Buddhism 6 The Life of Shakyamuni 9 The Lotus Sutra: Opening the Way for the Enlightenment of All People 14 Mahayana Buddhism and the Lotus Sutra 16 Nichiren Daishonin and the Lotus Sutra 20 Practicing the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Day of the Law Soka Spirit From A Revolution Dawns: A Brief History of Soka Spirit 25 Introduction 28 A Revolution Dawns, an essay by SGI President Ikeda 31 Spiritual Independence Freed From an Authoritarian Priesthood 34 A Struggle That Continues Forever Learning From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin: The Teachings for Victory Selected Sections From SGI President Ikeda s Study Lecture Series 39 The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life, Special Lecture Commemorating May 3, Soka Gakkai Day 42 The Opening of the Eyes, Special Lecture Commemorating November 18, Soka Gakkai Foundation Day Buddhist Concepts 46 Three Thousand Realms in a Single Moment of Life 51 The Oneness of Body and Mind 53 The Oneness of Life and Its Environment Sample Questions 55 Sample Questions ESSENTIALS EXAM, PART 2 3

4 Daigo Otobe

5 What Is the Essentials Exam? Explanation of Essentials Exam, Part 2 Study is a vital element for maintaining throughout our lives a consistent Buddhist practice and an ever-deepening faith. The SGI-USA study program aims to encourage members to strengthen their understanding of Nichiren Daishonin s teachings through the study of his writings, various Buddhist concepts, the history of Nichiren Buddhism and the SGI, and SGI President Ikeda s commentaries. President Ikeda says: Study exams provide opportunities for accumulating immense benefit not only for the examinees working hard to deepen their understanding of Nichiren Buddhism but also for everyone else involved, including those who support them in their studies, those responsible for administering and marking the exams, as well as the event staff. As Nichiren states, Where there is unseen virtue, there will be visible reward ( Unseen Virtue and Visible Reward, The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 907). All who participate in and support the study exams are sowing the seeds for becoming outstanding philosophers, educators and leaders of abiding happiness and victory. (September October 2010 Living Buddhism, p. 10) The first level of the SGI-USA study program is the Introductory Exam. Those who have passed this exam are eligible to take any of the three Essentials exams Part 1, Part 2 or Part 3. This three-part Essentials Exam series can be taken in any order. Once members pass all three exams, they will receive a completion certificate. This study guide includes all the study material for Essentials Exam, Part 2. Audio files for this material are available for free download at: sgi-usa.org/essentialstudy For further information, please contact your local organization. ESSENTIALS EXAM, PART 2 5

6 The History of Buddhism The Life of Shakyamuni Buddhism arose from the teachings of a man called Shakyamuni, who is also known as Siddhartha Gautama and referred to throughout the world by his honorific title, the Buddha. Shakya is the name of the clan to which his family belonged; Shakyamuni means sage of the Shakyas. According to Buddhist scriptures, Shakyamuni was born near the ancient city of Kapilavastu in Lumbini Gardens in southern Nepal. His father was Shuddhodana, the king of the Shakyas. His mother, Maya, died soon after Shakyamuni s birth and his maternal aunt Mahaprajapati raised him. Several theories regarding his birth suggest that he was born in 463, 566 or 624 BCE. During Nichiren Daishonin s lifetime in thirteenth-century Japan, it was generally accepted that Shakyamuni lived much earlier, from 1029 BCE to 949 BCE, based on accounts in the Chinese text Record of Wonders in the Book of Chou. 1 The Renunciation of a Privileged Life As a prince of the Shakya clan, Shakyamuni grew up amid relative material wealth. He is said to have been exceptionally gifted in his studies and in the martial arts, and to have been handsome as well as wise for his years. But in his heart there was always a vague feeling of discontent. The Buddhist scriptures recount that one day Shakyamuni exited the palace through the eastern gate and saw an old person; then, at the south gate, he saw a sick person. At the west gate, he observed a funeral procession. These encounters affected him greatly, causing him to ponder deeply the impermanence of life. When he arrived at the north gate, he came upon a religious seeker and was immediately inspired to find the answers to humanity s fundamental sufferings: birth, aging, sickness and death. This series of encounters is called the four meetings. At age nineteen, or by some accounts age twenty-nine, Shakyamuni renounced his privileged existence and embarked on a search for life s truth, devoting himself to spiritual seeking. The Awakening During Shakyamuni s time, many religious schools flourished in India. In addition to traditional Brahmanism (or classical Hinduism), new schools of thought and belief gained prominence. The founders of the six most important among these schools later came to be known in the Buddhist tradition as the six non-buddhist teachers. These new schools were further divided into some ninetyfive factions, each one vying for dominance. Shakyamuni sought out some of the practitioners of these new schools in order 6 ESSENTIALS EXAM, PART 2

7 to learn about their teachings. He also practiced various religious austerities. Nevertheless, even after spending considerable time mastering such practices, he still was not satisfied with what he had achieved. He then endeavored to practice on his own in an effort to find the answers to the four sufferings of birth, aging, sickness and death. At the age of thirty (other sources suggest thirty-five), Shakyamuni entered into a deep meditation under a pipal tree (later known as a bodhi tree). He struggled with and ultimately conquered his doubts, illusions and worldly cravings, and became awakened to the Dharma, the fundamental Law or truth that enables all people to overcome their sufferings. The place of Shakyamuni s awakening is known as Buddhagaya (also Bodh Gaya). Having realized the true nature of life and all phenomena, Shakyamuni became known as the Buddha, or Awakened One. After his awakening, however, Shakyamuni considered how best to share the wisdom of his enlightenment with others. He was concerned whether people could understand the underlying truth of life to which he had awakened. But once Shakyamuni resolved to teach others, he did so wholeheartedly for the rest of his life. In India during the Buddha s lifetime, the rigid caste system placed limitations on learning and spirituality. But Shakyamuni broke through the bonds of societal restrictions and began sharing his teachings with everyone he could. This openness to all people is a distinctive characteristic of Buddhist philosophy. Turning the Wheel of the Law Resolved to share his enlightenment with others, Shakyamuni went to Varanasi, then the cultural and religious center of India. He preached for the first time at Deer Park near Varanasi, an event known as his first turning of the wheel of the Law. Five ascetics who were formerly the Buddha s companions were converted soon after, and became his first disciples. Thereafter, for the rest of his life, Shakyamuni traveled far and wide to preach the truth and wisdom of his enlightenment; he never settled permanently in one place. He encouraged his disciples to follow his example and spread the Law for the sake of people s happiness. Shakyamuni had many outstanding disciples who excelled in the understanding and practice of Buddhism. Representative of these were the ten major disciples. Each was known as foremost in a particular ability or capacity among all the Buddha s disciples. Shariputra, for example, was recognized as the foremost in wisdom. The Great Ordeals A s Shakyamuni and his disciples worked to spread the Buddhist teachings, many people, including influential aristocrats and merchants, took faith. But some were jealous of the Buddha s influence, including other spiritual leaders whose followers had converted to Buddhism. They tried to obstruct Shakyamuni s efforts and even made attempts on his life. The Buddha s major hardships are called the nine great ordeals. The details of these ordeals differ according to various Buddhist traditions, but all include Devadatta s attempt to murder Shakyamuni. Devadatta, Shakyamuni s cousin, had become the Buddha s disciple but later betrayed him. Jealous of Shakyamuni, he schemed to usurp his position by luring monks to his side. He even goaded the prince of Magadha, Ajatashatru, into overthrowing his own father, King Bimbisara, a devout follower and patron of Shakyamuni. With Ajatashatru at the throne and supporting him, Devadatta made several attempts on the Buddha s life. His gravest offense, however, was his attempt to create division in the Buddhist Order. THE HISTORY OF BUDDHISM 7

8 Overcoming these and many other obstacles, Shakyamuni and the Buddhist Order continued to spread Buddhism among the people. Bringing closure to his life of eighty years near the city of Kushinagara, Shakyamuni s last words were, Work out your salvation with diligence. 4 The End and the Beginning After preaching for more than four decades, Shakyamuni, sensing his life was drawing to an end, declared to his chief disciple: I have preached the truth without making any distinction between exoteric and esoteric doctrines [between what was taught publicly and privately]; for in respect of the truths, Ananda, the Tathagata 2 has no such thing as the closed fist of a teacher, who keeps some things back. 3 Shakyamuni conveyed the full depth of his enlightenment to many, encouraging his disciples to rely upon the Dharma, or Law, and upon themselves. This article is based on the book Kyogaku no kiso (Essentials of Study) published by the Soka Gakkai Study Department. 1. The Record of Wonders in the Book of Chou: A Chinese work often cited for the information it contains pertaining to Buddhist events, such as the dates of Shakyamuni s birth and death. These place Shakyamuni Buddha s birth in 1029 BCE, the twenty-fourth year of the reign of King Chao of China s Chou dynasty, and his death in 949 BCE, the fifty-second year of the reign of King Mu of the same dynasty. This account was traditionally adopted in China and Japan. It is generally agreed that this work was written before the early sixth century CE. 2. Tathagata: The Thus Come One, an honorable title of a Buddha. 3. Dialogues of the Buddha [Digha-nikaya], vol. 2, fourth edition, trans. T.W. Rhys Davids, Ibid., 173. Marc Giannavola 8 ESSENTIALS EXAM, PART 2

9 The Lotus Sutra: Opening the Way for the Enlightenment of All People The Great Teacher T ien-t ai of China analyzed the content and meaning of all the Buddhist sutras, concluding that the Lotus Sutra constitutes the highest essence of Buddhist teachings. He classified the Lotus Sutra as conveying the teachings that Shakyamuni Buddha expounded toward the end of his life, which the Buddha intended to be passed on to the future for the enlightenment of all people. T ien-t ai also pointed out that teachings the Buddha expounded prior to the Lotus Sutra should be regarded as expedient means and set aside. In the Immeasurable Meanings Sutra, considered an introduction to the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni says: Preaching the Law in various different ways, I made use of the power of expedient means. But in these more than forty years, I have not yet revealed the truth (The Lotus Sutra and Its Opening and Closing Sutras, p. 15). Later, in the Lotus Sutra, he indicates that he is discarding expedient means and will preach only the unsurpassed way (LSOC, 79). In terms of the depth of its teaching, the Lotus Sutra unequivocally recognizes the possibility of all people, regardless of capacity and without distinction or exception, to attain enlightenment. Sutras preached prior to the Lotus Sutra place limitations on who is capable of attaining enlightenment and are therefore considered only partial expressions of the truth. For instance, they exclude persons of the two vehicles (classes of the Buddha s disciples known as voice-hearers and causeawakened ones), women and evil persons from the possibility of ever becoming Buddhas. And even for those considered capable of attaining Buddhahood, the pre-lotus Sutra teachings presume that the process of doing so requires countless lifetimes of austere practice. There is no recognition that an ordinary person can attain Buddhahood in this single lifetime. The Lotus Sutra, on the other hand, makes clear that all people without exception possess a Buddha nature and indicates that they can attain enlightenment in this life, as they are, in their present form. Outline and Structure of the Lotus Sutra In analyzing the contents of the Lotus Sutra, T ien-t ai divided its twenty-eight chapters into two parts: he called the first fourteen chapters (from Introduction to Peaceful Practices ) the theoretical teaching and the last fourteen chapters (from Emerging from the Earth to Encouragements of the Bodhisattva Universal Worthy ), the essential teaching. Beginning from the first chapter, Introduction, the story conveyed in the Lotus Sutra unfolds at Eagle Peak, where countless listeners gather to hear the Buddha preach important principles and teachings. The principle of the true aspect of all phenomena, THE HISTORY OF BUDDHISM 9

10 expounded in Expedient Means, the second chapter of the sutra, is central to the theoretical teaching. Another important principle, the attainment of Buddhahood by persons of the two vehicles, is emphasized beginning with Simile and Parable, the third chapter, and continues through Prophecies Conferred on Learners and Adepts, the ninth chapter. Through these teachings, T ien-t ai derived the principles known as the mutual possession of the Ten Worlds and three thousand realms in a single moment of life. In Teacher of the Law, the 10th chapter, the discussion develops around the theme of who will propagate the Lotus Sutra in the evil age after the Buddha s passing. The 11th chapter, The Emergence of the Treasure Tower, describes an immense tower adorned with seven kinds of treasures rising up out of the earth and standing suspended in mid-air. Many Treasures, a Buddha of past ages who is seated in the tower, attests that Shakyamuni s teachings set down in the Lotus Sutra are true and correct. Following this, all Buddhas of the ten directions throughout the universe gather before the Treasure Tower. Shakyamuni then enters the Treasure Tower and takes a seat next to Many Treasures. Those gathered at Eagle Peak where Shakyamuni Buddha has been expounding the teachings of the Lotus Sutra thus far are lifted into the air through the Buddha s transcendental powers, and the preaching known as the Ceremony in the Air begins. From the first through tenth chapters, Shakyamuni preaches at Eagle Peak. The following twelve chapters, from The Emergence of the Treasure Tower to Entrustment, describe the Buddha s preaching and events that take place during the Ceremony in the Air. Then, from Former Affairs of the Bodhisattva Medicine King, the 23rd chapter, to the end of the sutra, Shakyamuni returns the assembly to Eagle Peak where he concludes his preaching. Because of these changes in venue, the preaching of Shakyamuni Buddha depicted in the Lotus Sutra is said to take place in two places and three assemblies. The two places are Eagle Peak and in the air. Shakyamuni begins preaching to the assembly gathered on Eagle Peak (the first assembly), raises the assembly into the air to continue his preaching (the second assembly) and returns the assembly to Eagle Peak to conclude (the third assembly). The air in this scenario symbolizes the pure realm of eternal truth, and Eagle Peak symbolizes the saha world, the real world filled with suffering and delusion. During the Ceremony in the Air, Shakyamuni urges that the Lotus Sutra s teachings be propagated in the evil age after the Buddha s passing. In The Emergence of the Treasure Tower, he expounds the concept of the six difficult and nine easy acts 1 to illustrate how difficult it is to propagate the Wonderful Law of the Lotus Sutra in the world after the Buddha s passing. In Encouraging Devotion, the 13th chapter, Shakyamuni describes the three powerful enemies, 2 three types of arrogant people who will persecute those who propagate the Lotus Sutra in the future evil age. Determined to face any difficulties, many bodhisattvas ask permission to propagate the sutra after the Buddha s passing. However, in Emerging from the Earth, the 15th chapter, Shakyamuni restrains them. Instead he summons forth a multitude of bodhisattvas, whom he identifies as his original disciples, who emerge in astounding numbers from beneath the earth. Known as the Bodhisattvas of the Earth, they are true leaders who will propagate the Law after the Buddha s death. These events reveal that the purpose of the Ceremony in the Air is to entrust the task of propagating the Lotus Sutra in the age after the Buddha s passing to those who share an eternal bond with the sutra s teaching. The emergence of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth marks the beginning of the essential teaching of the Lotus Sutra. In Life Span of the Thus Come One, the 16th chapter, Shakyamuni reveals that he 10 ESSENTIALS EXAM, PART 2

11 attained Buddhahood in the remote past, thereby making clear the true nature of his enlightenment and the ever-present potential for Buddhahood innate in all people. Furthermore, he entrusts Bodhisattva Superior Practices and the other leaders of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth with the essence of the Lotus Sutra for the sake of future generations. With the conclusion of the Ceremony in the Air, Shakyamuni returns the assembly to Eagle Peak and preaches the means to lead all people from suffering to happiness through citing the examples of several bodhisattvas. These are the bodhisattvas Medicine King, Wonderful Sound, Perceiver of the World s Sounds and Universal Worthy. In Former Affairs of the Bodhisattva Medicine King, the 23rd chapter, Shakyamuni says, After I have passed into extinction, in the last five-hundred-year period, you must spread it abroad widely throughout Jambudvipa and never allow it to be cut off (LSOC, 330), predicting the worldwide propagation of the Lotus Sutra beginning in the fifth five-hundred-year period after his death. He also predicts that the benevolent deities will protect those who propagate the Law. With this, he concludes his preaching. Core Principles of the Theoretical and Essential Teachings The Buddhist principles central to the Lotus Sutra s theoretical teaching, the first fourteen chapters, are the true aspect of all phenomena and attainment of Buddhahood by persons of the two vehicles. The concept of the true aspect of all phenomena is expounded in the sutra s second chapter, Expedient Means. All phenomena includes all things and activities throughout the universe. True aspect is the ultimate reality or true nature underlying and permeating all phenomena. All phenomena and the true aspect are inseparable, and all things and phenomena are expressions of the true aspect. The Expedient Means chapter teaches that all phenomena take form and function in accord with the principle of the ten factors of life (see pp ). Nichiren Daishonin clarifies that all phenomena are, in fact, Myoho-renge-kyo the essential Law of the universe itself. In his writing The True Aspect of All Phenomena, he says that this principle means that all beings and environments in the Ten Worlds, from hell, the lowest, to Buddhahood, the highest, are without exception manifestations of Myoho-renge-kyo (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 383). In light of the teaching of the true aspect of all phenomena, all people are equal in that they share the essential nature of Myoho-renge-kyo. Based on the principle that all people can attain enlightenment, the theoretical teaching begins to emphasize the fact that Buddhist teachings expounded prior to the Lotus Sutra do not describe the attainment of Buddhahood by persons of the two vehicles. The Lotus Sutra reveals this possibility and that, based on the same principle, the attainment of Buddhahood even by evil persons, as well as the attainment of Buddhahood by women, is possible. Though Buddhism in general may appear to be a fair and egalitarian religion, only the Lotus Sutra clearly sets forth a teaching of fundamental equality. The Buddhist principle central to the Lotus Sutra s essential teaching, its latter fourteen chapters, is the attainment of Buddhahood in the remote past described in The Life Span of the Thus Come One chapter. In the pre-lotus Sutra teachings and theoretical teaching of the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni is depicted as having been born in India as a prince, becoming a monk and for the first time attaining enlightenment while meditating beneath the bodhi tree. But the concept of attainment of Buddhahood in the remote past fundamentally overturns this existing view of Shakyamuni Buddha s enlightenment. In THE HISTORY OF BUDDHISM 11

12 the Life Span chapter, Shakyamuni says, It has been immeasurable, boundless hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions of nayutas of kalpas since I in fact attained Buddhahood (LSOC, ), toppling the prevailing view that he had attained enlightenment for the first time in his present lifetime. He also reveals his true nature and identity as a Buddha who has been enlightened since the remote past and states that he has been constantly in this saha world teaching the Law to the people. In the Life Span chapter, he teaches that the period since he originally attained enlightenment is long beyond comprehension. To help his listeners understand, he relates an example of astronomical scale describing a length of time known as numberless major world system dust particle kalpas. Though this seems to refer to a fixed, though incalculably remote, point in time in the past, Shakyamuni is in substance describing eternity (see The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, vol. 4, p. 14). This also shows that the world of Buddhahood is eternally present within life. The sutra quotes him as stating, I practiced the bodhisattva way, and the life span that I acquired then has yet to come to an end (LSOC, 268). Shakyamuni who achieved the attainment of Buddhahood in the remote past is still practicing the bodhisattva way; in other words, he is a Buddha who continues to carry on a compassionate practice to save all people while innately possessing all the Ten Worlds and fully utilizing them. This teaching reveals not only that the life of Buddhahood is eternal, but that the nine worlds are also eternal. It teaches that Buddhahood can never be separated from the other nine worlds, that they are eternally present together in life, which itself is eternal. This is the basis for the principle of the mutual possession of the Ten Worlds that each of the Ten Worlds possesses the potential for all other nine worlds within it at each moment. The Bodhisattvas of the Earth T he Bodhisattvas of the Earth are the innumerable host of bodhisattvas who emerge from beneath the earth and to whom Shakyamuni entrusts the propagation of the essence of the Lotus Sutra in the age after his death. The realm beneath the earth represents the world of truth, or the ultimate reality of life. The sutra describes the number of Bodhisattvas of the Earth as being equal to the sands of sixty thousand Ganges Rivers, each with a retinue of followers. The sutra explains that Bodhisattvas of the Earth have been taught and trained by Shakyamuni after his attainment of enlightenment in the remote past, and that they already possess the ultimate principle or Law for attaining the enlightened life state of Buddhahood. But having the mission to propagate the Mystic Law in the degenerate age called the Latter Day of the Law, they take the form of bodhisattvas rather than Buddhas. They are led by four leaders Superior Practices, Boundless Practices, Pure Practices and Firmly Established Practices. All vow to propagate the Great Law after the Buddha s passing, and Shakyamuni entrusts them with this mission. Referring to the content of Shakyamuni s preaching in the Ceremony of the Air, Nichiren Daishonin taught that the Bodhisattvas of the Earth will indeed make their appearance in the world in the Latter Day of the Law after the Buddha s death and that the great Law referred to in the Lotus Sutra is the Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Nichiren Daishonin, who propagated the essence of the Lotus Sutra, Nam-myohorenge-kyo, at the beginning of the Latter Day of the Law as predicted, fulfilled the function and mission of Bodhisattva Superior Practices. As Nichiren says in The True Aspect of All Phenomena : Now, no matter what, 12 ESSENTIALS EXAM, PART 2

13 strive in faith and be known as a votary of the Lotus Sutra, and remain my disciple for the rest of your life. If you are of the same mind as Nichiren, you must be a Bodhisattva of the Earth. And if you are a Bodhisattva of the Earth, there is not the slightest doubt that you have been a disciple of Shakyamuni Buddha from the remote past (WND-1, 385). This means that we who believe in Nichiren s teaching and strive to practice in accord with his intent are Bodhisattvas of the Earth directly connected to Nichiren Daishonin, the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law. Bodhisattva Never Disparaging The practice of Bodhisattva Never Disparaging, described in the sutra s 20th chapter, demonstrates the way to practice and propagate the correct Buddhist teaching in the evil age after the Buddha s passing. Shakyamuni identifies Bodhisattva Never Disparaging as himself in a past existence. The sutra describes Never Disparaging as praising all the people he encountered, bowing to them in reverence and saying: I have profound reverence for you, I would never dare treat you with disparagement or arrogance. Why? Because you will all practice the bodhisattva way and will then be able to attain Buddhahood (LSOC, 308). This statement by Never Disparaging consists of twenty-four characters in the Lotus Sutra s Chinese text. Because it expresses the essential spirit of the Lotus Sutra, it is known as the twenty-four-character Lotus Sutra. It reveals directly and concisely the spirit and action to respect the life of every person based upon the Lotus Sutra s philosophy that all people equally possess the Buddha nature. Despite being cursed and attacked with staves and stones by those to whom he expressed profound respect, Never Disparaging continued to bow to people in reverence while uttering these words of praise, ultimately attaining Buddhahood and leading countless others to enlightenment. The Latter Day of the Law is known as the age of quarrels and disputes. The only way to change such times for the better is for each of us to believe in the Buddha nature within ourselves and within all others and to act consistently in a way that expresses respect toward all people. Buddhism teaches the loftiest way for human beings to behave. In this regard, Nichiren Daishonin says: The heart of the Buddha s lifetime of teachings is the Lotus Sutra, and the heart of the practice of the Lotus Sutra is found in the Never Disparaging chapter. What does Bodhisattva Never Disparaging s profound respect for people signify? The purpose of the appearance in this world of Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, lies in his behavior as a human being. The wise may be called human, but the thoughtless are no more than animals ( The Three Kinds of Treasure, WND-1, ). The purpose of Buddhism is to guide people toward the kind of human behavior represented by the practice of Never Disparaging: believing in the noble Buddha nature within ourselves and others, and expressing that belief in our actions. This article is adapted from the October 2009 Daibyakurenge, pp Six difficult and nine easy acts: See explanation on pp Three powerful enemies: Also, three types of enemies. Three types of arrogant people who persecute those who propagate the Lotus Sutra in the evil age after Shakyamuni Buddha s death. Miao-lo summarizes these three as arrogant lay people, arrogant priests and arrogant false sages. THE HISTORY OF BUDDHISM 13

14 Mahayana Buddhism and the Lotus Sutra Shakyamuni Buddha, for nearly half a century, expounded various teachings, collectively referred to in Buddhist texts as the eighty thousand or eighty-four thousand teachings. Such figures, though not literal, indicate the great variety and number of Buddhist teachings. After Shakyamuni s death, his disciples gathered to confirm and compile his teachings for posterity in what came to be called the Buddhist Councils. The First Buddhist Council took place shortly after the Buddha s death, near Rajagriha, the capital of the ancient kingdom of Magadha. It was led by Mahakashyapa, Ananda and Upali, three of the Buddha s ten major disciples, and attended by many others. They recounted and corroborated their memories of the Buddha s teachings, creating an oral tradition to be passed to future generations. Two more Buddhist Councils were held the second about one hundred years after the Buddha s death and the third some one hundred years after that. Mahayana Scriptures The teachings compiled as oral Buddhist tradition during the first three Buddhist councils are thought to have been first put into writing around the second century BCE. The resulting scriptures are known as sutras. Among the sutras, those known as the Agama (meaning teachings handed down by tradition ) sutras are said to have been compiled earliest. These sutras belong to the category of teachings later classified as Hinayana (Lesser Vehicle), also called Shravakayana (the Vehicle of the Voice-Hearers). A number of Buddhist schools arose out of divisions that took place following the Second Buddhist Council, but only one has survived until today. That is the Theravada, meaning Teaching of the Elders, the dominant tradition in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia. During the second or first century BCE, the compilation of Mahayana Buddhist scriptures began. One of the most important movements in Buddhist history, Mahayana emphasized the practice of bodhisattvas, those dedicated to the enlightenment of others, as well as their own. This was in contrast to the practice of those aspiring to become arhats, or sages, who led a monastic lifestyle. Mahayanists criticized such practitioners as self-centered, because they focused primarily on personal attainment and kept their teachings closed off to society. It is thought that the Lotus Sutra was compiled in its present Sanskrit form somewhere between the first century BCE and the first century CE. Because they were written down later, the Mahayana scriptures have been criticized as not being the words of the Buddha. But modern scholars point out that they share much in common with the scriptures compiled earlier. Rather, Mahayana Buddhism is today 14 ESSENTIALS EXAM, PART 2

15 seen by many as the product of a movement to revive Shakyamuni Buddha s original spirit and approach. In other words, the essential philosophy of Mahayana Buddhism can be traced to the earliest Buddhist scriptures and to the practice and behavior of Shakyamuni Buddha. The Mahayana Buddhists, it is now thought, sought to give new expression to Shakyamuni s original awakening and teachings as a response to new circumstances facing the Buddhist community. A Universal Lotus Sutra We can view the Lotus Sutra, regarded as a most important Mahayana sutra, as a scripture that profoundly conveys Shakyamuni s original awakening, intent and his behavior as a Buddha reviving Buddhism in accord with the demands of the times. According to early Buddhist scriptures, after his awakening, Shakyamuni pledged to regard the truth to which he had awakened as his teacher and live accordingly. In his final years, it is said, he stated that he had fulfilled this vow. Before his death, he encouraged his disciples: Therefore, you must be your own islands. Take the self as your refuge. Take refuge in nothing outside yourselves. Hold firm to the Law as an island, and do not seek refuge in anything besides yourselves (The Living Buddha, p. 132). Shakyamuni encouraged his disciples to rely upon themselves and the Law as an island, unperturbed by the surrounding currents. He took the universal truth to which he had awakened as his teacher and made it the foundation of his life and encouraged people to follow in his footsteps after his death. In its textual narrative, the Lotus Sutra refers to itself, as well as other Lotus Sutras expounded by Buddhas in the past. The size and format of these other Lotus Sutras vary, but their purpose is to explain the universal Law and encourage and empower people to live as Buddhas who manifest that Law. In this sense, what those sutras point to may be described as a universal Lotus Sutra. Nichiren Daishonin viewed the twentyeight chapters of Shakyamuni s Lotus Sutra, T ien-t ai s Great Concentration and Insight and his own teaching of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo as different expressions of the same universal Law described as three thousand realms in a single moment of life. Second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda called these three respectively the Lotus Sutra of the Former Day, the Lotus Sutra of the Middle Day and the Lotus Sutra of the Latter Day of the Law. All Buddhas of past, present and future become enlightened to this eternal universal Law or truth, the Wonderful, or Mystic, Law of the Lotus Sutra. The Lotus Sutra is a teaching based on this truth describing how to manifest this truth in the reality of our lives. This article is based on the book Kyogaku no kiso (Essentials of Study) published by the Soka Gakkai Study Department. THE HISTORY OF BUDDHISM 15

16 Nichiren Daishonin and the Lotus Sutra Encountering great obstacles is inevitable when spreading the teachings of the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Day of the Law. 1 This is what the sutra itself clearly teaches. Nichiren Daishonin dedicated his life to spreading the sutra s core teaching, the Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, which guarantees a way for all people to attain Buddhahood. In so doing, he faced and overcame intense persecutions. Because of this, he is said to have practiced the Lotus Sutra with his very life and is identified as the votary, or genuine practitioner, of the Lotus Sutra. Nichiren Proves the Lotus Sutra s Validity The following three points sum up the sutra s descriptions of the major challenges those who believe in, practice and propagate the sutra after the Buddha s passing will face. 1) Hatred and Jealousy In Teacher of the Law, the 10th chapter of the Lotus Sutra, it is said that since hatred and jealousy toward this sutra abound even when the Thus Come One is in the world, how much more will this be so after his passing? (The Lotus Sutra and Its Opening and Closing Sutras, p. 203). Prior to citing this and other passages from the Lotus Sutra describing the persecutions that will assail a votary of the sutra, Nichiren Daishonin states in The Opening of the Eyes : It is already over twenty years since I began proclaiming my doctrines. Day after day, month after month, year after year I have been subjected to repeated persecutions. Minor persecutions and annoyances are too numerous even to be counted, but the major persecutions number four. Among the four, twice I have been subjected to persecutions by the rulers of the country. The most recent one has come near to costing me my life. (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 240) In the Latter Day, Nichiren was the person who, in the course of his efforts for the sake of the Mystic Law, encountered the most intense persecutions, which arose from hatred and jealousy. The difficulties he faced possibly surpassed what those who spread the Law during Shakyamuni s time had experienced. 2) The Six Difficult and Nine Easy Acts In Treasure Tower, the 11th chapter of the sutra, the concept of the six difficult and nine easy acts describes the difficulty of embracing 16 ESSENTIALS EXAM, PART 2

17 Sasha Hussey and propagating the sutra in the evil age after the Buddha s death. The six difficult acts are 1) to propagate the Lotus Sutra widely, 2) to copy it or cause someone else to copy it, 3) to recite it even for a short while, 4) to teach it even to one person, 5) to hear of and accept it and inquire about its meaning and 6) to maintain faith in it. The nine easy acts are 1) to teach innumerable sutras other than the Lotus Sutra, 2) to take up Mount Sumeru and hurl it across countless Buddha lands, 3) to kick a major world system into a different quarter with one s toe, 4) to stand in the Summit of Being Heaven and preach innumerable sutras other than the Lotus Sutra, 5) to grasp the sky with one s hand and travel around with it, 6) to place the earth on one s toenail and ascend to the Brahma Heaven, 7) to carry dry grass on one s back into the great fires occurring at the end of the kalpa without being burned, 8) to preach eighty-four thousand teachings and enable one s listeners to obtain the six transcendental powers and 9) to enable innumerable people to reach the stage of arhat and acquire the six transcendental powers. These nine tasks are clearly impossible; but compared to the six difficult acts, they are described as easy. Through the example of the six difficult and nine easy acts, Shakyamuni emphasizes how hard it will be to embrace the Lotus Sutra and teach it to others in the evil age after his death. And he therefore urges that bodhisattvas, who are determined to take on this task, make a great vow. 3) The Three Powerful Enemies Encouraging Devotion, the 13th chapter of the Lotus Sutra, says that those who propagate the sutra in the Latter Day of the Law will face persecutions from three types of enemies: arrogant lay people, arrogant priests and arrogant false sages who collude with those in positions of power and authority. THE HISTORY OF BUDDHISM 17

18 Arrogant lay people are those ignorant of Buddhism who curse and speak ill of the practitioners of the Lotus Sutra and attack them with swords and staves (see LSOC, 232). Arrogant priests refer to members of the clergy whom the sutra describes as having perverse wisdom and hearts that are fawning and crooked (LSOC, 232). Though failing to understand Buddhism and attached to their own distorted views, they boast of their mastery of the Buddhist teachings while slandering the Lotus Sutra s true practitioners. Arrogant false sages are those who pretend to be sages and are revered as such, usually living in remote places. Though highly regarded as saintly and wise, in their heart of hearts they are concerned only with their own gains. When they encounter practitioners of the Lotus Sutra, fearful of losing their fame and profits, they slander and label those practitioners as evil and conspire with secular authorities to persecute them. Nichiren Daishonin was persecuted by these three powerful enemies, exactly as the sutra describes. In The Selection of the Time, based on his conviction that what he has experienced matches the sutra s text, he declares: There can be no room to doubt that I, Nichiren, am the foremost votary of the Lotus Sutra in all of Japan (WND-1, 575). From this perspective, it could be said that the Lotus Sutra predicted the appearance and actions of Nichiren Daishonin in the Latter Day. On the other hand, because he lived in exact accord with its teachings, he was able to prove that the Lotus Sutra and the words of Shakyamuni were in fact valid and true. Bodhisattva Superior Practices Nichiren Daishonin read the Lotus Sutra with his entire being, and in accord with what is written in the sutra he faced numerous persecutions while propagating and protecting its teaching. 2 Through his actions, he not only proved himself the votary of the Lotus Sutra, but he also fulfilled the role of Bodhisattva Superior Practices, whom the sutra entrusts with its propagation in the latter age after Shakyamuni s passing. In Letter to Jakunichi-bo, Nichiren writes: My giving myself the name Nichiren (Sun Lotus) derives from my own enlightenment regarding the Buddha vehicle. This may sound as though I think I am wise, but there are specific reasons for what I say. The sutra reads, As the light of the sun and moon can banish all obscurity and gloom, so this person as he advances through the world can wipe out the darkness of living beings. Consider carefully what this passage signifies. This person as he advances through the world means that the first five hundred years of the Latter Day of the Law will witness the advent of Bodhisattva Superior Practices, who will illuminate the darkness of ignorance and earthly desires with the light of the five characters of Nam-myoho-rengekyo. (WND-1, 993) The sutra describes Superior Practices as the sun that will illuminate the darkness of the age. 3 It also likens the Bodhisattvas of the Earth to lotus flowers unsoiled by worldly matters. 4 In choosing the name Nichiren, which consists of two Chinese characters meaning sun and lotus, the Daishonin clarifies the meaning of his appearance in the world in terms of Buddhism. He signifies that he is fulfilling the role of Superior Practices, that he has initiated the propagation of the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Day, just as Superior Practices has been charged with doing. In terms of his outward behavior, Nichiren acted as Superior Practices, while in terms of his inner enlightenment, he achieved the life state of the Buddha of beginningless time. 18 ESSENTIALS EXAM, PART 2

19 Beginningless time means time without beginning or end and is a term used to describe when the Buddha originally attained enlightenment. In The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teaching, Nichiren explains: Because we are speaking here of the Buddha eternally endowed with the three bodies, 5 it is not a question of something attained for the first time at a certain time, or of something that was worked for (p. 141). In other words, beginningless time points to the fact that Buddhahood has always existed in life. The Buddha of beginningless time thus represents a person who has fully awakened to the Buddhahood that is eternally present as an inherent condition of life. The Buddha of beginningless time is also known as the Buddha of limitless joy, indicating the Buddha who freely derives boundless joy from the Law and who, from a state of absolute freedom, directly expounds the Law that he has actualized within his own life. As the votary of the Lotus Sutra, Nichiren overcame four major persecutions and two exiles, as well as many other obstacles. On September 12, 1271, at Tatsunokuchi, he was nearly beheaded because of his efforts to spread his teaching. It was there that he is said to have discarded his transient identity as an ordinary person and revealed his true identity as a Buddha. In other words, while remaining an ordinary person, he manifested the life condition of the Buddha of limitless joy, or the Buddha of beginningless time. Following this pivotal event, Nichiren inscribed the Gohonzon expressing his enlightened state of life in graphic form with Nam-myoho-renge-kyo written down the center as a means for all people to awaken and reveal the Buddhahood innate within them. In this light, Nichiren s persecution at Tatsunokuchi is an extremely important event. Nichiren says: Now, in the Latter Day of the Law, neither the Lotus Sutra nor the other sutras lead to enlightenment. Only Nam-myoho-renge-kyo can do so ( The Teaching for the Latter Day, WND-1, 903). Essentially, it was because Nichiren faced numerous persecutions and challenges in propagating his teaching that he could prove the truth of the Lotus Sutra and fulfill the predictions of Shakyamuni Buddha. And in establishing his teaching of Nam-myohorenge-kyo, he created the means for all people to reveal their full potential and richest humanity by accessing and bringing forth their inherent Buddha nature. This is based on an article that appeared in the October 2009 Daibyakurenge, the Soka Gakkai s monthly study magazine. 1. Latter Day of the Law: The last of the three periods following the Buddha s death, when his teachings fall into confusion and lose the power to lead people to enlightenment. The Latter Day of the Law of Shakyamuni is said to last for ten thousand years or more. In Japan, it was believed that the Latter Day had begun in Nichiren writes: In Japan there are many who read and study the Lotus Sutra... Not one person has ever suffered injury on account of the Lotus Sutra. Therefore, the upholders of the sutra in Japan are not yet worthy of these sutra passages. I alone have read the sutra with my entire being. This is the meaning of the passage that says, We care nothing for our bodies or lives but are anxious only for the unsurpassed way. I am therefore the foremost votary of the Lotus Sutra in Japan ( Encouragement to a Sick Person, WND-1, 81 82). 3. In Supernatural Powers of the Thus Come One, the 21st chapter of the sutra, it is stated, As the light of the sun and moon can banish all obscurity and gloom, so this person as he advances through the world can wipe out the darkness of living beings, causing immeasurable numbers of bodhisattvas in the end to dwell in the single vehicle (LSOC, 318). 4. The Lotus Sutra, in Emerging from the Earth, the 15th chapter, describes Bodhisattvas of the Earth as follows: Already for a long time they have practiced the Buddha way, dwelling in transcendental powers and the power of wisdom, skillfully learning the bodhisattva way, unsoiled by worldly things like the lotus flower in the water (LSOC, 263). 5. Three bodies: The three kinds of body that a Buddha possesses, namely: (1) the Dharma body or body of the Law, which indicates the fundamental truth to which the Buddha is enlightened; (2) the reward body, which enables the Buddha to perceive the truth; and (3) the manifested body, or the compassionate actions of the Buddha to save people and the physical form that the Buddha assumes in this world for that purpose. THE HISTORY OF BUDDHISM 19

20 Practicing the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Day of the Law The purpose of the Lotus Sutra is to free people from suffering and to enable them to attain enlightenment. The sutra explains that this is no easy task. In Teacher of the Law, its 10th chapter, the sutra states, Since hatred and jealousy toward this sutra abound even when the Thus Come One is in the world, how much more will this be so after his passing? (The Lotus Sutra and Its Opening and Closing Sutras, p. 203). This age, the Latter Day of the Law, is predicted to be a chaotic time in which the Buddha s correct teaching becomes obscured and those who endeavor to spread it are attacked. History has shown that those who live for a noble purpose experience opposition. But such individuals tend to greet opposition as an elevating force much as an airplane uses the pressure of the wind to lift it skyward. Buddhists view obstacles as opportunities to strengthen themselves and as sources of energy to propel them toward their goals. Nichiren Daishonin understood the Lotus Sutra s predictions and accepted every difficulty, working tirelessly to awaken people to their inherent Buddhahood. He persevered and triumphed over every persecution, thereby proving the sutra s validity and showing himself to be its true votary. He established the practice of chanting Nam-myoho-rengekyo and inscribed the Gohonzon so that future generations could fully reveal their inherent Buddhahood. Late on the night of September 12, 1271, he was taken to a place along the beach near Kamakura called Tatsunokuchi, an execution ground. Understanding that his life might soon end, Nichiren expressed joy at being able to give his life for the Lotus Sutra. Just then, a brilliant object shot across the sky, frightening the soldiers who were about to behead him (see The Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra, The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 767). Nichiren writes: On the twelfth day of the ninth month of last year, between the hours of the rat and the ox (11:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m.), this person named Nichiren was beheaded. It is his soul that has come to this island of Sado ( The Opening of the Eyes, WND-1, 269). Though he had survived, he writes of being beheaded. This is to indicate that the self he had been until then ended, and his soul, or true self awakened to his own Buddhahood, arrived in Sado. Maintaining his vow to spread the Mystic Law while standing up against persecution, he cast off the transient and revealed the true, revealing his genuine identity as a Buddha. Revealing Buddhahood in This Lifetime, Just as We Are By casting off his transient identity, Nichiren Daishonin did not become a different person or special being. Rather, he 20 ESSENTIALS EXAM, PART 2

21 Daigo Otobe revealed his Buddhahood just as he was, as an ordinary person, and continued to work for the happiness of others while overcoming persecution. SGI President Ikeda explains: Casting off the transient and revealing the true means establishing such a firm self that we can overcome any painful hardship, banish darkness and manifest the essential nature of all phenomena. The more great difficulties we face, the more the life of the world of Buddhahood shines forth. Establishing such a self is the way to attain Buddhahood in this lifetime. It is by manifesting the faith to overcome hardships that we can polish our humanity in a true sense (February 2003 Living Buddhism, p. 41). Nichiren s victorious life stands as a model of an ordinary person who attained Buddhahood by persevering against all obstacles to spread the humanistic teaching of the Lotus Sutra. He proved the truth of the Lotus Sutra: Any person in the Latter Day who practices Buddhism as the sutra teaches will attain enlightenment. We Can All Be Buddhas of Limitless Joy Nichiren Daishonin embodied a profound state of enlightenment referred to as the Buddha of limitless joy. This same magnanimous life condition resides in us all. President Ikeda describes the life condition as absolute freedom, bright and unfettered. He continues: It abounds with compassion toward all living beings and with sympathy for those who are suffering. It surges with inexhaustible wisdom and spiritual energy, and overflows with infinite life force, good fortune and benefit. And it burns with the courage to battle the negative tendencies in oneself and others, afraid of nothing (May 2002 Living Buddhism, p. 44). THE HISTORY OF BUDDHISM 21

22 Nichiren revealed this wonderful state amid the dismal times of the Latter Day, just as a lotus flower blossoms in muddy water. He inscribed the Gohonzon so that we can enjoy the same eternal life state of Buddhahood. He writes: I, Nichiren, have inscribed my life in sumi ink, so believe in the Gohonzon with your whole heart. The Buddha s will is the Lotus Sutra, but the soul of Nichiren is nothing other than Nam-myoho-renge-kyo ( Reply to Kyo o, WND-1, 412). He describes the Gohonzon as a clear mirror through which all can perceive and actualize their true potential as Buddhas. It crystallizes the Buddha s foremost wish to lead all people to enlightenment. The Soka Gakkai s founding presidents Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, Josei Toda and Daisaku Ikeda have created a rich legacy of practicing Buddhism just as Nichiren taught, overcoming intense obstacles and persecution to fulfill the great vow for kosen-rufu. SGI members realize this vow through their daily activities to share the humane principles of the Lotus Sutra with others, and by standing as excellent examples of those principles at home, at work and in their communities. Prepared by the SGI-USA Study Department Roxy Azuaje 22 ESSENTIALS EXAM, PART 2

23 Notes THE HISTORY OF BUDDHISM 23

24 24 ESSENTIALS EXAM, PART 2 Mary D Elia

25 Soka Spirit EDITORS NOTE: The text in this section has been edited for the Essentials Exam, Part 2, and may slightly differ from the text in the Revolution Dawns booklet. From A Revolution Dawns: A Brief History of Soka Spirit Introduction Defeating the Enemy Within, Vanquishing the Enemy Without There will be many ignorant people who will curse and speak ill of us.... In that evil age there will be monks with perverse wisdom and hearts that are fawning and crooked. (The Lotus Sutra and Its Opening and Closing Sutras, p. 232) Buddhism is the ultimate practice and philosophy for transforming our lives for the better. It therefore deals with the core impulses that can either assist or hinder the attainment of absolute happiness. Buddhism recognizes arrogance as a prominent characteristic that impedes our progress, and compassion for the welfare of others as a positive force for our own well-being. One originates in fundamental darkness, the other in fundamental enlightenment. Buddhism recognizes the tension between the two as a reality of life. It is a conflict chronicled in the teachings and history of Buddhism. Shakyamuni Buddha taught that in the fifth five-hundred-year period after his death, in the evil age of the Latter Day of the Law, three types of arrogant people would persecute those who propagate the Lotus Sutra (in other words, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo). Called the three powerful enemies, they are: (1) arrogant lay people; (2) arrogant priests; and (3) arrogant false sages. This third category is described as priests who pretend to be sages and who are revered as such but, when encountering the practitioners of the Lotus Sutra, become fearful of losing fame or profit and induce secular authorities to persecute them. It is the very purpose of Buddhist practice to subdue arrogant, egocentric tendencies and awaken people to a higher purpose and enlightened state of life. These tendencies of the lesser self can function as obstacles or hindrances to the practice and propagation of the Law. In his dialogue with SGI President Daisaku Ikeda, historian Arnold Toynbee observes: All the great religions and philosophies declare that the proper goal for every living creature is to subdue and extinguish its natural selfcenteredness to die unto itself. They also declare unanimously that this effort is difficult, because it is contrary to nature, but that it is, at the same time, the only true way of selffulfillment and, therefore, the only true way of attaining self-satisfaction and happiness. 1 Buddhism provides the means to achieve this ideal. Consequently, opposing forces predictably arise within the human heart and SOKA SPIRIT 25

26 society itself to block this effort. When the power of great good arises to banish evil, great evil will resist being displaced. Buddhism describes these dark forces in many ways, including the three powerful enemies, the devil king of the sixth heaven, the three obstacles and four devils or the devil Mara. Rather than actual entities, they are analogies for compulsions and behaviors. In The Hope-Filled Teachings of Nichiren Daishonin, President Ikeda explains: Nichiren states that the saha world in which we dwell is a domain ruled by the devil king. This human world shaped by the functions of our desires, physical actions and spiritual and intellectual pursuits is subject to an endless cycle of suffering stemming from fundamental darkness, and can therefore be considered as the domain of the devil king. What does the devil king abhor most of all? It is the possibility that the Buddha s forces could multiply and take over his realm. When a votary of the Mystic Law, the correct teaching of Buddhism, attains enlightenment, it doesn t just stop there; that person invariably leads many others to free themselves from the fetters of the devil king as well. So the devil king summons all his underlings and commands them to do everything in their power to harass that votary. (See p. 173) The Battle Between the Buddha and the Devil The conflict between the Buddha s forces of good and the devil s forces of evil is found at the very origin of Buddhism nearly 2,500 years ago in India. When Shakyamuni entered into meditation under the bodhi tree, Mara attempted to prevent him from attaining enlightenment but failed. After Shakyamuni s enlightenment, Mara also tried to induce the Buddha to abandon his intent to preach. In other words, this devilish function appears to prevent our individual happiness and the propagation of a teaching that will lead others to happiness. Mara is identified with the devil king of the sixth heaven. The sixth heaven is the highest heaven in the world of desire, or the Heaven of Freely Enjoying Things Conjured by Others, and its ruler delights in manipulating others to submit to his will. In Buddhism, devils indicate those functions that block or hinder people s efforts to complete their Buddhist practice, including propagating the teachings. In the case of Shakyamuni, it was a struggle that occurred within the depths of his life. Later, he would face a devilish function in the person of his cousin and disciple Devadatta, who attempted to disrupt the Buddhist Order and kill the Buddha. A recurring theme in Buddhist history is that, no matter how virtuous people may appear to be, if their motivation is selfish, they will only cause disunity, hindering the propagation of the teachings. Shakyamuni recognized the dangerous egotism in his cousin s actions and publicly reprimanded Devadatta for his arrogance. The historical Devadatta became a symbolic figure in later Buddhist writings, representing the destructive and arrogant potential in all people. Five Senior Priests Betray Nichiren Daishonin W hen Nichiren Daishonin appeared in Japan during the thirteenth century and established the correct Buddhist teaching for the Latter Day of the Law, he faced devilish forces in the form of persecution by governmental and religious authorities. Immediately after Nichiren s passing, five of the six senior 26 ESSENTIALS EXAM, PART 2

27 priests he chose to protect his teachings succumbed to their own self-centered tendencies and betrayed him and his teachings. Only Nikko Shonin remained true to the Daishonin s teachings. After the Soka Gakkai was founded in 1930 by Tsunesaburo Makiguchi and Josei Toda, and began propagation activities, the founders were persecuted by the militarist government, betrayed by the priesthood and put in prison. First Soka Gakkai President Makiguchi died in prison. Mr. Toda, who became the second president, was released from prison in ill health, and engaged these same negative functions as he strove to rebuild the Soka Gakkai and initiate a new era of kosen-rufu. As the Soka Gakkai continued to grow under its third president, Daisaku Ikeda, devilish forces continued to appear. In recent times, the predictable appearance of these forces occurred within the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood, culminating in the so-called excommunication in 1991 of ten million SGI members around the world. [Here], we briefly recount the common thread of the arrogance and jealousy of those who function to block the propagation of the Buddha s teachings and distort those teachings for their own gain. It is the story of how the SGI has fulfilled the Buddha s prophecy to widely propagate the Law despite forces that oppose that effort.... President Ikeda explains: The spiritual battle between good and evil in each person s heart will become an increasingly important issue for humanity. To change human destiny, we of the SGI have initiated a struggle to defeat ignorance and cultivate the inherent goodness in all people (June 2004 Living Buddhism, p. 44). See A Revolution Dawns, pp Arnold Toynbee and Daisaku Ikeda, Choose Life: A Dialogue (New York: I.B. Tauris, 2007), 11. Daigo Otobe SOKA SPIRIT 27

28 Chapter Seven A Revolution Dawns An Essay by SGI President Ikeda The SGI president remembers 1990, the year that the priesthood tried to take control of the Soka Gakkai and started to negate Nichiren Daishonin s humanistic teachings. For the sake of kosen-rufu, we of the Soka Gakkai simply could not allow the Daishonin s teachings to be trampled in this manner, President Ikeda writes. The Daishonin s Buddhism exists for all the world s people. We rallied to defend the Daishonin s spirit, and we rose as one. It marked the dawn of a new religious revolution. (This article appeared in the February 5, 1999, World Tribune, p. 4) Beethoven s Ninth Symphony is the roar of the spirit of that great musical genius, who proclaimed: At the end of suffering, there is joy! It is a sublime, eternal hymn that links all humanity as brothers and sisters, a rousing paean of the people. On December 12, 1998, I was fortunate to enjoy once again the Soka University students performance of the Ninth Symphony, which has now become an annual tradition. It was this same symphony that was performed on October 3, 1990, as a song of victory celebrating Germany s reunification, which was finally attained after such a long, hard struggle. It was a few months later, in mid-december 1990, that a document from the Nichiren Shoshu Administrative Office titled Questions Regarding the Speech of Honorary President Ikeda at the 35th Headquarters Leaders Meeting was delivered to the Soka Gakkai Headquarters. Among other things, the document claimed that singing Ode to Joy, the Ninth Symphony s choral section, was slander of the Law; it was tantamount to praising non-buddhist teachings, to venerating Christianity. The priesthood took exception to the fact that I had suggested at the meeting in question that we put on a large scale choral performance of Ode to Joy in the future. The Nichiren Shoshu document criticized me for saying things I never said and was an attempt to brand me with the labels of slanderer of the Law and slanderer of the high priest. We sought to discuss these claims with the priesthood, but the cowardly priests hid and refused to come forth to talk. Then, at the end of 1990, under the pretext of revising Nichiren Shoshu s regulations, they eliminated the position of head of all Nichiren Shoshu lay organizations, the post I held, and effectively dismissed me. They wanted to get me out of the way Their aim was clear. They wanted to get me out of the way, to destroy the Soka Gakkai and, under the cloak of priestly authority, to control all the Soka Gakkai members as if they were their personal slaves. 28 ESSENTIALS EXAM, PART 2

29 The Nikken sect began propounding doctrines found nowhere in Nichiren Daishonin s teachings. They declared, for instance, that the high priest and the Dai-Gohonzon are two indivisible entities of the object of fundamental respect. Their plan was to create a hierarchy of power and control, with the high priest at the apex, followed by the rest of the priesthood, who stood above the lay believers and dominated them. This was in complete violation of the Daishonin s teachings, which uphold the principles of the dignity and equality of all human beings and state that we are all treasure towers, we are all children of the Buddha. If we had allowed the priesthood to do this, Nichiren Daishonin s Buddhism would have become a false religion that served only as an instrument of oppression and harm. It also soon became clear that the Nikken sect was guilty of an astonishing number of violations of the Daishonin s teachings for example, Nikken, the sixty-seventh high priest of Nichiren Shoshu, had erected a new ancestral tombstone in a Zen temple cemetery. Stories of the greed of the clergy in selling their services at funerals and in memorial tablets for the deceased, along with an astonishing number of incidents of corruption and degeneracy including profligate spending and licentious behavior surfaced one after another. For the sake of kosen-rufu, we of the Soka Gakkai simply could not allow the Daishonin s teachings to be trampled in this manner. Nichiren Buddhism exists for all the world s people. We rallied to defend the Daishonin s spirit, and we rose as one. It marked the dawn of a new religious revolution. On November 28 the following year, 1991, the Nikken sect excommunicated the Soka Gakkai. What madness! It was the Soka Gakkai that had always upheld the Daishonin s teachings to the letter. The mask of the priests was ripped away by this action. But the Soka Gakkai members did not quail. We knew, from our reading of the Daishonin s writings, that this madness of Nikken was an example of the devil king of the sixth heaven having entered the body of a high-ranking priest in an effort to destroy Buddhism. The Soka Gakkai is an organization of people completely dedicated to advancing the widespread propagation of the Mystic Law, thereby carrying out the Buddha s will and decree. The Nikken sect, on the other hand, in excommunicating the Soka Gakkai with its own hand cut off the true lineage of faith and returned to the vile behavior it had exhibited during World War II, when it denigrated the Daishonin s spirit and utterly betrayed his teachings. Soka Gakkai Embraces Spiritual Independence F or the Soka Gakkai, the excommunication released us from the chains by which the envious, scheming Nikken sect had sought to control Nichiren Daishonin s followers and allowed us to claim our true spiritual independence. The outcome of the struggle of good and evil and the workings of the law of cause and effect have been strict and uncompromising. The decline of the Nikken sect is clear. The victims, unfortunately, are the lay believers who practice with the temple, who are not aware of the evil heresy of the Nikken sect and have been deceived by the priests. We declare confidently to all: Look at the exciting, joyful activities of our comrades spreading the Daishonin s teachings throughout the world! Listen to their bright song of hope and life, filled and overflowing with benefit! The new humanism of the Soka Gakkai, derived from Nichiren Buddhism, is linking people around the globe, transcending national and ethnic boundaries, and earning praise from all as the light of hope for the new century. SOKA SPIRIT 29

30 Leaders of diverse fields who seek a philosophy of humanism and peace come to the Soka Gakkai in a constant stream from all over the world. Isn t this brilliant proof of our truth and rightness? Most despicable of all are those former Soka Gakkai members who have betrayed their comrades in the organization and the Soka Gakkai itself, although they owe us so much, in order to curry favor with the priests. Simón Bolivar, the great liberator of Latin America, once said, Forgetting one s debt is the greatest crime a person can commit. First Soka Gakkai President Tsunesaburo Makiguchi used to say, The final fate of all traitors is a degrading story of suffering and ignominy. Second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda also took a harsh view of ingratitude and treachery. Though in one respect he seemed easygoing and an accepting man, he was very strict about the conduct and behavior of youth. He believed that the time of one s youth is vital in building the foundation for the rest of one s life. When it came to the essentials, he could be quite ferocious. Once, one of his disciples told a lie. When Mr. Toda learned of this, he took the youth to task, thundering: Are lying and deceit any way for a young person to behave?! Have you become a fox? He was the epitome of paternal strictness. He once told a young man who was always maneuvering and striving to look good in the organization without making any effort: If you keep this up, you re going to come to a pitiful end in life. I can discern no desire on your part to live with decency and honor. You are deceitful, and in the end, you re the one who will suffer for it. He said this out of great compassion, out of a deep wish to prevent the young man from going further astray and losing his faith. How wonderful it is, in every age, for a person to have a true teacher! Mr. Toda often used to say about traitors: Leave those lowly losers be. Betraying the Soka Gakkai is betraying the Daishonin. In the end, they ll receive the punishment of the Buddha [negative retribution in accord with the strict workings of the law of cause and effect], you ll see. Right human conduct means fighting against evil and cutting it off at its root. The tricolor Soka Gakkai banner of victory waves in the skies of the new century, and a song of joy resounds throughout the heavens. The grand march of a new year, of a new century of Soka, has begun. See A Revolution Dawns, pp ESSENTIALS EXAM, PART 2

31 Chapter Eight Spiritual Independence Freed From an Authoritarian Priesthood This is a summary chronology of some of the incidents that took place as the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood, under Nikken, the sixty-seventh high priest, attempted to remove SGI President Ikeda from his position as head of the Soka Gakkai. Unlike their efforts of 1979, this action resulted in the priesthood removing themselves from the Buddhist community dedicated to kosen-rufu. It was later revealed that all their actions were part of a plan to gain total control of the laity. The plan was called Operation C C referred to cutting President Ikeda off from the members. Timeline for the Second Priesthood Issue and Operation C In March 1990, the priesthood, without any discussion with the Soka Gakkai, arbitrarily announced that it was increasing the amounts of the monetary offerings it would be charging for performing various religious services for lay believers. For example, it raised the offering required for receiving the Gohonzon by 50 percent, and doubled the offering required for inscribing memorial tablets (Jpn toba) and conducting perpetual memorial services for the deceased. On December 13, 1990, at a meeting between priests and Soka Gakkai leaders, the Nichiren Shoshu general administrator confronts Soka Gakkai President Einosuke Akiya with a questionnaire based on a recording of President Ikeda s November 16 speech and stated that he wanted a written response within a week. President Akiya replied that he could not respond to an unauthorized recording and suggested that, if there were any issues, they should resolve them through dialogue. The priesthood rejected this suggestion, and the questionnaire was mailed and received by President Akiya. The questionnaire was titled Questions Regarding President Ikeda s Speech at the 35th Headquarters Leaders Meeting and referred to the following points: 1) He criticized and insulted the high priest. 2) He made light of priests. 3) He denied the four dictums of Nichiren. 4) He encouraged the singing of Ode to Joy in German from Beethoven s Ninth Symphony. The priesthood condemned this as praising non- Buddhist teachings. On December 25, 1990, just prior to President Ikeda s dismissal, Nikken met at the head temple with active anti-soka Gakkai SOKA SPIRIT 31

32 priest Kojun Takahashi and his brother Isao Dan, an anti-soka Gakkai tabloid media reporter. The high priest thanked Dan for his long-standing critical coverage of the Soka Gakkai and asked him to further intensify his written attacks. Nikken also expressed his desire to maintain 200,000 Soka Gakkai members as a result of expelling President Ikeda from Nichiren Shoshu. He figured this was sufficient to ensure a foundation of financial contributions. The Soka Gakkai repeatedly tried to engage the priesthood in dialogue over their concerns, but the priesthood refused. Ultimately the priesthood held an emergency special assembly on December 27 and decided to: 1) Dismiss Honorary President Ikeda from his position as the head of all Nichiren Shoshu lay societies. 2) Dismiss President Akiya from his leadership position of all lay societies. 3) Revise the Rules of Nichiren Shoshu, adding a provision that lay believers would be dismissed if they were to criticize, slander or speak ill of the chief administrator (high priest) through words or writings. On January 1, 1991, the Soka Gakkai replied to the priesthood s questionnaire, pointing out in writing that it was based on an inaccurate transcription of the tape recording. Later (on January 12), the priesthood not only admitted that there were mistakes in their version of the speech but also withdrew the questionnaire itself. With the original and fundamental reason for removing President Ikeda from his position as the head of all lay believers negated, it became apparent that the questionnaire was an excuse to unjustly criticize the Soka Gakkai and take measures against it. In January 1991, seeking another pretext for the priesthood s attacks on President Ikeda, Nikken criticized him for statements made on October 12, President Ikeda had described the Grand Main Temple as the high sanctuary of the true teaching of the Lotus Sutra. Nikken alleged that President Ikeda had attempted to define the significance of the Grand Main Temple even before Nittatsu, the sixty-sixth high priest. Nikken asserted that Ikeda s statement demonstrated arrogance in overstepping the bounds of a lay believer. The priesthood later found out that Nittatsu had indeed made statements about the significance of the Grand Main Temple as the high sanctuary prior to October The priesthood continued to implement unjust measures against the Soka Gakkai in 1991: 1) March 5: They began encouraging overseas members to connect directly to Nichiren Shoshu temples. 2) March 16: They announced that pilgrimages requested through the Soka Gakkai would be rejected from July. 3) July 21: They announced that they would also officially create temple members in Japan. 4) November 7: The priesthood sent a Remonstration and Order to Disband to the Soka Gakkai. 5) November 27 (November 28 in the United States): The priesthood sent a Notification of Expulsion (excommunication) to the Soka Gakkai. 6) August 11, 1992: They notified Honorary President Ikeda of his dismissal (excommunication) as lay believer. January 1994: The origin of Operation C became known. With this, it was apparent that the series of unjust measures by the priesthood toward the Soka Gakkai were 32 ESSENTIALS EXAM, PART 2

33 part of a detailed conspiracy planned beforehand by Nikken to destroy the harmonious community of believers. Operation C The 1991 excommunication of ten million members was unprecedented in scale in the entire history of Buddhism and was certainly rare in any world religion. On November 7, prior to the excommunication, the priesthood sent the Soka Gakkai a notice calling for its dissolution. On July 4, 1992, the priesthood revoked Daisaku Ikeda s status as a lay believer of Nichiren Shoshu, that is, excommunicating once again the leader of the already excommunicated lay organization. On September 29, 1997, Nichiren Shoshu held an emergency council session and revised its rules so that believers who belonged to other religious groups would lose their status as believers unless they terminated their religious affiliations before the end of November. (The priesthood maintained that it had excommunicated the Soka Gakkai organization but not its members.) Thus, Soka Gakkai members were once again expelled from Nichiren Shoshu on November 30, These repeated efforts to excommunicate SGI members demonstrated the failure of the priesthood s measures as well as its frustration. Behind the priesthood s self-destructive decision to excommunicate the SGI was the high priest s lack of control over the ever-growing international lay Buddhist movement as well as his animosity toward its leader. Although there was an underlying feeling of discontent and mistrust among priests toward the lay organization, something that had existed since the 1970s, what directly motivated the priesthood s irrational behavior toward the SGI was Nikken s animosity. On July 16, 1990, Nikken and his close associates met in secrecy at Taiseki-ji s branch office in Nishikata, Tokyo. They agreed on a plan to enfeeble the Soka Gakkai and gain control over its membership. The plan was code-named Operation C, whose meaning Nikken himself disclosed to one priest as Operation Cut to cut off Ikeda from Nichiren Shoshu and thereby from the Soka Gakkai membership. In other words, they wanted to sever the relationship between mentor and disciple. The existence of Operation C, denied by the priesthood, was proven when conference notes taken by Jitoku Kawabe, a senior priest and participant in the Nishikata meeting, were made public. The plan described in detail steps necessary to achieve its goal: control of the Soka Gakkai membership. The basic steps in the plan included: 1) dismiss President Ikeda as chief lay representative; 2) demand that priests comprise half of the Soka Gakkai s Board of Directors; 3) bar President Ikeda from public appearances and prohibit reports on his activities in Soka Gakkai publications; 4) excommunicate President Ikeda and the lay organization if the Soka Gakkai does not accept these demands; 5) run an advertisement in major newspapers for one week announcing that the Soka Gakkai is no longer associated with Nichiren Shoshu; and 6) urge members to secede from the Soka Gakkai and directly join their temple parish. From the standpoint of Buddhism, the priesthood s attempt to destroy the SGI can be seen as an unavoidable obstacle to the spread of Buddhism as foretold in the Lotus Sutra and predicted and experienced by Nichiren Daishonin himself. See A Revolution Dawns, pp SOKA SPIRIT 33

34 Chapter Nine A Struggle That Continues Forever The incident known as the priesthood issue, which took place twenty-five years ago, repeats a drama that occurred during Shakyamuni s time and is continuing today, and will continue into the future in one form or another. Even though Shakyamuni, Nichiren, Tsunesaburo Makiguchi and Josei Toda won victories in their time, today, under the leadership of SGI President Ikeda, we are still battling to achieve another victory. This is an inevitable struggle for justice and victory over the three powerful enemies, which predictably appear as explained in Nichiren s writings. This struggle is our mission as votaries of the Lotus Sutra to establish a state of absolute happiness for society and ourselves. What Value Is There in Reviewing Errors of the Past? First, through understanding the history of Nichiren Buddhism, we can view the present condition of the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood in context. The current problems within the priesthood that have resulted in its attacks on the SGI did not begin suddenly in 1990 when Nikken hatched his plot to do away with the lay organization. Second, the benefit of learning about the Fuji School s past is our realization that at the core of the priesthood s corruption lie human weaknesses we are all familiar with: arrogance, jealousy and greed. Cloistered behind the veil of clerical authority for centuries, these delusions became deeply rooted in the collective psyche of the priesthood. This is not a unique situation in the history of religion. Any religious movement can become corrupt and degenerate when its leaders cease to be diligent in combating those human frailties within themselves. Third, by tracking the tortuous path of the Fuji School over the past seven centuries, we can better grasp the significance of the SGI and its mission in a broad historical and global context. When Mr. Makiguchi and Mr. Toda founded the Soka Gakkai in 1930, Nichiren Buddhism had been existing in form but not in substance; that is, its practitioners had not been dedicated to its spread for the happiness of all people. Until Soka Gakkai members brought Nichiren Buddhism to the rest of the world, Nichiren s promise for the global spread of his teaching had rung hollow. It was the Soka Gakkai that revived Nichiren Buddhism after almost seven centuries of dormancy. 34 ESSENTIALS EXAM, PART 2

35 Reflecting on the Past, Looking to the Future It is clear that from the beginning the founders of the Soka Gakkai understood the shortcomings and devious nature of the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood. And yet, there was an opportunity to support reform within the school. Over the years, there were efforts on both sides to achieve unity of purpose for the sake of kosen-rufu. The Soka Gakkai had only one goal in mind from the beginning to propagate Nichiren Buddhism to relieve the suffering of all people and establish peace throughout the world. As long as the high priests supported the Soka Gakkai s efforts for kosen-rufu, the Soka Gakkai would support their views in regard to the office of high priest. As long as this common purpose was the basis of the relationship, the Soka Gakkai was willing to accept the priests views of their history and authority within their school, fully aware of their weaknesses and arrogance. When the priesthood betrayed this shared commitment, the relationship changed. Once they called on the Soka Gakkai to disband, the Soka Gakkai could legitimately challenge beliefs within Nichiren Shoshu that were in fact antithetical to Nichiren s teaching. The primary concern of the Soka Gakkai was kosen-rufu; any support for that effort was welcome, and anything that hindered that effort was challenged. Once the priesthood s deceptions and schemes to take over the laity became apparent, the Soka Gakkai was forced to reexamine its position. The post-nichiren idea of mysticism surrounding the office and person of the high priest was contrary to the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin, and the Soka Gakkai made that point clear. Although the relationship had often been contentious behind the scenes, it served no purpose to expose the members or general public to these arguments as long as the overall goal was embraced. But once the priesthood succumbed to self-interest over kosen-rufu, the Soka Gakkai had to reexamine its position. During this time, both sides make public statements in support of the other. Generally speaking, past statements by the three Soka Gakkai presidents fall into these categories: 1) They reflect a sincere desire to rebuild and support a priesthood devastated by World War II. 2) They reflect a sincere desire for the priesthood to reform itself. 3) They were made in spite of the shortcomings of the priesthood for the greater good of kosen-rufu. Like any other religious movement, there are light and dark sides in the Fuji School s seven-century history. The school has seen some exemplary priests who earnestly strove to extol, protect and spread Nichiren Buddhism. Nikko Shonin, the school s founder, upheld his mentor s intent against the corruption and distortions perpetrated by the five senior priests whom Nichiren designated to help Nikko lead the Buddhist Order after his death. By taking an uncompromising stance toward the five errant senior priests, Nikko proved the validity of the transmission of Buddhism that he had received from Nichiren. Nikko s legitimacy, in other words, rested entirely upon his faith and understanding, which he demonstrated in his practice and efforts of propagation not only when Nichiren was alive, but also after his death. The transmission of Buddhism from Nichiren to Nikko, in this sense, serves as a prototype showing present practitioners how they may inherit and practice Nichiren Buddhism. Another exemplary priest in the history of the Fuji School is Nichikan, the twenty-sixth high priest. Like Nikko, Nichikan proved himself as Nichiren s true disciple by challenging the erroneous teachings that his predecessors had brought into the school. Just as Nikko strictly pointed out the errors of the SOKA SPIRIT 35

36 five senior priests in worshipping Shakyamuni s statue as an object of devotion, Nichikan refuted the same errors committed by his predecessors and reestablished the Gohonzon as the correct and only object of devotion in Nichiren Buddhism. Without Nikko and Nichikan, it would be hard to imagine that anyone today could have a correct understanding or practice of Nichiren Buddhism. Their legacies serve as a guide to our practice. Disrupting the harmonious body of believers As we have recounted here, the forces of fundamental darkness that would hinder or prevent our Buddhist practice appear from both within and without the Buddhist Order. Those that have appeared from within to disrupt the unity of believers are, for example, Devadatta, the five senior priests who betrayed Nichiren, Masatomo Yamazaki who used his influence within the Soka Gakkai for personal gain and Nikken, the sixty-seventh high priest. Unity is a primary concern in Buddhism. Among the five cardinal sins mentioned in various Buddhist texts, which include murdering one s parents and injuring a Buddha, is causing disunity in the community of believers. Nichiren Daishonin wrote frankly about those believers who betrayed him and attempted to disrupt his followers. In The Workings of Brahma and Shakra, he writes: Sho-bo, Noto-bo, and the lay nun of Nagoe were once Nichiren s disciples. Greedy, cowardly, and foolish, they nonetheless pass themselves off as wise persons. When persecutions befell me, they took advantage of these to convince many of my followers to drop out (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 800). SGI President Ikeda warns us about those who attempt to disrupt and even to destroy our organization: We must rigorously condemn the grave offense of disrupting the harmonious body of believers. Our denouncing wrongdoing and teaching the correct path is also in the best interest of those who commit such offenses. It is vital that we thoroughly rebuke and deal stringently with wrongdoing in the organization, so that our juniors will not repeat the same errors. That s true compassion. In the past, we have seen leaders and influential figures in our ranks who, led astray by ambition and self-interest, abandoned their faith, betrayed their fellow members, and tried to destroy the Soka Gakkai (September 23, 2005, World Tribune, p. 11). Buddhism tells us that people will attempt to thwart our efforts for kosen-rufu including some from among our own ranks. Nichiren writes, The Buddha tells us that only the worms born from the body of the lion itself feed on the lion ( The Selection of the Time, WND-1, 570). To some degree or another, all of us must deal with the tendency to succumb to egocentricity and the innate darkness of greed, anger and foolishness. In The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life, Nichiren does not say While you are accomplishing kosen-rufu, it would be nice if you create unity. He states clearly that the spiritual bond of unity based on faith is the basis for the universal transmission of the ultimate Law of life and death and the true goal of Nichiren s propagation. This is a goal that requires strenuous exertion on our part. The Daishonin s instruction to transcend all differences among themselves (WND-1, 217) is not a passive activity. It does not mean that we must all think alike or cannot hold different opinions. What it means is that we transcend these differences by manifesting our desire for kosen-rufu and finding common ground in that mission and the shared vow of our mentor. We are of one mind in our dedication to kosen-rufu. The Daishonin also warns us that if any of Nichiren s disciples disrupt the unity of many in body but one in mind, they would be like warriors who destroy their own castle from within (WND-1, 217). 36 ESSENTIALS EXAM, PART 2

37 When we take on the responsibilities of an organizational position, we pledge to care for others within this amazing and precious community of believers in the SGI-USA. Leadership is a position of responsibility, not of authority. But we have to acknowledge the challenge in accomplishing Buddhist unity. In Letter to Misawa, Nichiren explains: Although people study Buddhism, it is difficult for them to practice it correctly either because of the ignorance of their minds, or because, even though wise, they fail to realize that they are being misled by their teachers (WND-1, 894). Leaders serve to strengthen rather than weaken our bonds to Nichiren s teachings and the Buddhist Order. My young friends, this is your time We stand at the threshold of an entirely new stage of development. We can make sense of history when we understand how it affects us today when we understand that the past is part of our present lives. More than ever, we must return to a thorough study of the basics of Nichiren Buddhism and deepen our understanding of what it means to practice Nichiren s teaching today. Knowing our past helps us realize the importance of taking such action. For the eightieth anniversary of the founding of the Soka Gakkai, SGI President Ikeda wrote an essay titled My Vow for the Eightieth Anniversary, which reads in part: The lives of all of you who chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and exert yourselves for kosen-rufu are infinitely noble and respectworthy. You have as yet tapped only a fraction of the boundless power of Buddhahood you possess, and revealed only a tiny fraction of your limitless Buddha wisdom.... At the end of this milestone year marking fifty years since I became president, I am determined to proudly announce to Mr. Toda: Our youthful successors have magnificently adorned the Soka Gakkai s eightieth anniversary with total victory! The future of kosen-rufu is secure!... Each of you must become strong and empowered. This will enable you to win in life. It is not up to others. It is up to you. With this in mind, I wholeheartedly pray and call on all of you to accomplish your own great human revolution in the coming year.... My young friends, this is your time. (March 26, 2010, World Tribune, pp. 4 5) See A Revolution Dawns, pp SOKA SPIRIT 37

38 38 ESSENTIALS EXAM, PART 2 Daigo Otobe

39 Learning From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin: THE TEACHINGS FOR VICTORY Selected Sections From SGI President Ikeda s Study Lecture Series Special Lecture Commemorating May 3, Soka Gakkai Day The HERITAGE of the ULTIMATE LAW of LIFE Uniting With Eternal Friends Toward a New Age of the People s Triumph THE PASSAGE FOR STUDY All disciples and lay supporters of Nichiren should chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with the spirit of many in body but one in mind, transcending all differences among themselves 1 to become as inseparable as fish and the water in which they swim. This spiritual bond is the basis for the universal transmission of the ultimate Law of life and death [Nam-myohorenge-kyo]. Herein lies the true goal of Nichiren s propagation. When you are so united, even the great desire for widespread propagation [kosen-rufu] can be fulfilled. But if any of Nichiren s disciples disrupt the unity of many in body but one in mind, they would be like warriors who destroy their own castle from within. (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 217) Create an Epic Drama of the Brilliant Victory of the People We have studied this passage of Nichiren Daishonin s writings many times. It contains a crucial teaching the heart of which the mentors and disciples of Soka have correctly grasped and translated into practice. Compelling proof of this is found in the fact that we of the SGI have been actualizing the great vow for kosen-rufu, spreading the Mystic Law to 192 countries and territories around the world. In this passage, we find the phrase, All disciples and lay supporters of Nichiren (WND-1, 217). The path of mentor and disciple directly linked to the Daishonin is the central axis of our Buddhist practice and, as such, the foundation for everything. THE TEACHINGS FOR VICTORY 39

40 The heritage of the ultimate Law of life and death is the heritage to be passed on to all living beings, with the aim of enabling everyone to attain enlightenment. Nichiren made available to all people the heritage of the Mystic Law that Shakyamuni entrusted to Bodhisattva Superior Practices [the leader of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth]. Our Buddhist practice dedicated to the realization of kosenrufu based on the oneness of mentor and disciple is the key to inheriting the heritage for attaining Buddhahood (see WND-1, 217). 2 The heritage of the Law is passed on only through the actions of mentor and disciple; there is no separate, mysterious or secretive transmission of the Law. At the same time, an organization united in faith based on the spirit of many in body, one in mind is absolutely necessary in order for each person to firmly establish their Buddhist practice and enable countless others throughout the world and into the future to transform their karma and carry out their human revolution. When we unite together with the same spirit as our mentor as disciples who share our mentor s heart and strive with our fellow members in unity of purpose, the heritage of the ultimate Law of life and death can be transmitted to all people. That s why the great vow of kosen-rufu can only be achieved through the combination of practical efforts based on the spirit of the oneness of mentor and disciple and a united organization whose members strive together in the spirit of many in body, one in mind. With this unshakeable and indestructible spiritual pillar at its core, the beautiful unity of comrades in faith expands outward in concentric circles. Indeed, with the spirit of the oneness of mentor and disciple and the unity of many in body, one in mind as the vertical and horizontal threads, we of the SGI are weaving an epic drama of the brilliant victory of the people. A Gathering of Good Friends Practicing Buddhism Together J osei Toda declared that the Soka Gakkai organization was more important to him than his own life. Its significance in terms of Buddhism is that of the sangha 3 of the present day the harmonious community of believers who practice the correct teaching of the Buddha. In order to preserve and transmit the correct teaching eternally into the future, there must be people who uphold it and pass it on to others. In other words, there must be an organization. During Shakyamuni s lifetime, a community of believers formed around him. Ananda, who was known as foremost in hearing the Buddha s teachings, once asked Shakyamuni: It seems to me that by having good friends and advancing together with them, one has already halfway attained the Buddha way. Is this way of thinking correct? Shakyamuni replied: Ananda, this way of thinking is not correct. Having good friends and advancing together with them is not half the Buddha way but all the Buddha way. Shakyamuni continued: Consider this, Ananda. Is it not so that by taking me as their good friend, people are able to liberate themselves from the sufferings of birth, aging, sickness and death? As one can conclude from this, having good friends and advancing together with them constitutes not half the Buddha way, but all of the Buddha way. 4 This teaches us that making the path of mentor and disciple our foundation and living out our lives together with good friends our fellow members in faith is the way to overcome the sufferings inherent in the human condition. In the SGI, we refer to this as the oneness of mentor and disciple and the unity of many in body, one in mind shared by fellow practitioners. The same Buddhist scripture describes Shakyamuni s disciple Shariputra, who was 40 ESSENTIALS EXAM, PART 2

41 known as the foremost in wisdom, saying with deep feeling on another occasion, as if to reaffirm the conclusion reached by Shakyamuni and Ananda, My teacher, being together with good friends, good comrades, is all of the Buddha way. 5 Shakyamuni rejoiced at Shariputra s words, stressing once more that advancing with good friends is all of the Buddha way. Shakyamuni placed the highest value on the bonds linking fellow practitioners. The gathering of teacher and disciples and of good friends in faith is the harmonious community of believers also known as the invincible Sangha. 6 Shakyamuni s community of believers was open to all people, to the world. He warmly welcomed those who joined this community, showing them the greatest respect, never discriminating against anyone on account of class or social status. The ideal realm of Buddhism is one where everyone respects and encourages one another based on warm, heart-to-heart ties of caring and understanding. Disrupting the harmonious community of believers is nothing other than closing off and destroying one s own path to Buddhahood. It is the action of worms born from the body of the lion itself feed on the lion ( The Selection of the Time, WND-1, 570) or warriors who destroy their own castle from within ( The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life, WND-1, 217). Unity Is the Power for Victory Being united in the spirit of many in body, one in mind is the foundation of the invincible Sangha. Such unity is the driving force for victory. It goes without saying that this is true in many fields of endeavor. Thomas Paine ( ), the pamphleteer who played a key role in the American Revolution, wrote, It is not in numbers, but in unity, that our great strength lies. 7 The unity of many in body, one in mind based on faith dedicated to realizing kosenrufu is the strategy that ensures absolute victory. Let us thoroughly safeguard the SGI our invincible bastion of the people and forever continue winning victory after victory. In the indelible words of Nichiren Daishonin: If the spirit of many in body but one in mind prevails among the people, they will achieve all their goals, whereas if one in body but different in mind, they can achieve nothing remarkable.... Although Nichiren and his followers are few, because they are different in body, but united in mind [many in body, one in mind], they will definitely accomplish their great mission of widely propagating the Lotus Sutra [Nam-myoho-renge-kyo] ( Many in Body, One in Mind, WND-1, 618). This formula for victory remains unchanged today. From the August 2014 Living Buddhism, pp and p The phrase transcending all differences among themselves could be rendered literally as without any thought of self or other, this or that. This is not a denial of individuality, but rather urges the bridging of the gaps between people that arise from selfcenteredness. 2. The Daishonin writes, Nichiren has been trying to awaken all the people of Japan to faith in the Lotus Sutra so that they too can share the heritage and attain Buddhahood ( The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life, WND-1, 217). 3. Sangha (Skt): Also, samgha. The Buddhist Order, or the community of Buddhist believers. The Sanskrit term originally meant a collective body or assembly and later came to refer to the body of Buddhist practitioners. 4. This episode has been creatively paraphrased here. See Bhikkhu Bodhi, The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Samyutta Nikaya (Boston: Wisdom Publishing, 2000), Maggasamyutta [2 (2) Half the Holy Life], See Ibid., Massasamyutta [3 (3) Sariputta], See Ibid., Devatasamyutta [37 (7) Concourse <55>], Thomas Paine, Common Sense, in Thomas Paine: Collected Writings (New York: The Library of America, 1995), 36. THE TEACHINGS FOR VICTORY 41

42 Special Lecture Commemorating November 18, Soka Gakkai Foundation Day The OPENING of the EYES Usher in a Triumphant Revival of Humanity THE PASSAGES FOR STUDY This I will state. Let the gods forsake me. Let all persecutions assail me. Still I will give my life for the sake of the Law.... Here I will make a great vow. Though I might be offered the rulership of Japan if I would only abandon the Lotus Sutra, accept the teachings of the Meditation Sutra, 1 and look forward to rebirth in the Pure Land, though I might be told that my father and mother will have their heads cut off if I do not recite the Nembutsu 2 whatever obstacles I might encounter, so long as persons of wisdom do not prove my teachings to be false, I will never yield! All other troubles are no more to me than dust before the wind. I will be the pillar of Japan. I will be the eyes of Japan. I will be the great ship of Japan. This is my vow, and I will never forsake it! (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, pp ) = = = Although I and my disciples may encounter various difficulties, if we do not harbor doubts in our hearts, we will as a matter of course attain Buddhahood. Do not have doubts simply because heaven does not lend you protection. Do not be discouraged because you do not enjoy an easy and secure existence in this life. This is what I have taught my disciples morning and evening, and yet they begin to harbor doubts and abandon their faith. Foolish men are likely to forget the promises they have made when the crucial moment comes. (WND-1, 283) 42 ESSENTIALS EXAM, PART 2

43 I Will Stand Up Alone, Here and Now! In one of his articles on The Opening of the Eyes, second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda spoke of his powerful emotional reaction when reading this and other writings, and coming into contact with Nichiren Daishonin s unflinching and impassioned spirit for kosen-rufu: His blazing spirit strikes my heart with the intensity of the noonday summer sun. My chest feels as if it is filled with a giant ball of molten iron. Sometimes I feel like a scalding spring is gushing forth inside me or as if a great, earthshaking waterfall is crashing over me. 3 I have also dedicated myself to the great struggle for kosen-rufu with the determination to internalize and put into action the Daishonin s spirit with my entire being, just as my mentor taught. Whenever I read this passage from the Daishonin, I sense his towering life state his spirit soaring to a lofty height and gazing down calmly on the world racked with strife and petty jealousies. Nichiren is saying he doesn t care if the gods have abandoned him; he is ready to face any persecution. He is prepared to give his life, without fear, without doubt, in order to propagate the Lotus Sutra. With the words Still I will give my life, he serenely affirms that he is prepared to uphold the correct teaching as long as he lives. I will stand up alone, here and now! I can hear this lionhearted cry of the Daishonin standing invincible and unassailable as a massive rock amid a storm of persecution. In The Opening of the Eyes, Nichiren is urging people to open their eyes to the truth that the votary of the Lotus Sutra who is propagating the correct teaching of Buddhism in the defiled age of the Latter Day of the Law, never hesitating in the face of persecution by the three powerful enemies 4 is the lord of teachings seeking to guide all living beings to enlightenment, and that person is none other than he himself. The Opening of the Eyes is one of Nichiren s major writings, in which he reveals the object of devotion in terms of the Person. 5 As I consider its profound significance, I am again struck with awe at the tremendous power, wisdom and potential that reside in a single individual, and filled with a deep appreciation of the dignity and nobility of the human being. The Noble Call for a Shared Struggle of Mentor and Disciple S ternly yet warmly, Nichiren Daishonin also called on his disciples to demonstrate the same unwavering commitment that he had. In the second passage that we are studying, we can detect both his deep trust and strict compassion toward his disciples. His words resonate with the message that he had risked his life and overcome great persecutions in his effort to propagate the Law, and that if his disciples continued to strive alongside him in his struggle, they could do likewise. Mentor and disciple are one, not separate. When we look at the Daishonin s writings, we see that he referred to his disciples who persevered in their Buddhist practice with unwavering faith both men and women, young and old as votaries of the Lotus Sutra. For instance, praising Oto Gozen s mother, Sage Nichimyo, Nichiren writes, You are the foremost votary of the Lotus Sutra among the women of Japan ( Letter to the Sage Nichimyo, WND-1, 325). Referring to the son of Abutsu-bo and the lay nun Sennichi, he declares: Tokuro Moritsuna... has followed in his [father s] footsteps and become a wholehearted votary of the Lotus Sutra ( The Treasure of a Filial Child, WND-1, 1045). THE TEACHINGS FOR VICTORY 43

44 Writing to the lay nun Toki, the wife of Toki Jonin, the Daishonin describes Shijo Kingo as not only an excellent physician but a votary of the Lotus Sutra ( On Prolonging One s Life Span, WND-1, 955). Commending the staunch faith of Ikegami Munenaka in the face of being disinherited by his father, and urging Munenaka s younger brother, Munenaga, not to abandon his faith, the Daishonin writes, [Munenaka] will now become one of [the Lotus Sutra s] votaries 6 (see The Three Obstacles and Four Devils, WND-1, 637). Praising the lay nun Konichi, who lost her beloved son but remained steadfast in her Buddhist practice, Nichiren says, How much more will [Buddhahood be assured for] the present-day Honorable Konichi, who out of her great affection for her son became a practitioner [or votary] of the Lotus Sutra? ( Reply to the Honorable Konichi, WND-2, 964). The situation of each of these people was different, as was the length of their practice and the reasons they took faith in the Daishonin s teaching. But to Nichiren, they were all disciples who shared profound karmic ties with him, votaries of the Lotus Sutra, each propagating the Mystic Law to the best of their abilities. Returning to the passage in The Opening of the Eyes, which contains the phrase I and my disciples, the Daishonin here infers that both he and his disciples who share his struggle are equally votaries of the Lotus Sutra. By the same principle, I am absolutely certain that Nichiren would highly praise as votaries of the Lotus Sutra all who dedicate themselves to the great vow of propagating the Mystic Law, whoever they may be and in whatever age they may live. From the February 2015 Living Buddhism, pp and pp Meditation Sutra: The abbreviated name for the Meditation on the Buddha Infinite Life Sutra. The Buddha Infinite Life is also known as the Buddha Amida. This sutra is one of the three basic scriptures of the Pure Land (Nembutsu) school of Buddhism, which reveres Amida Buddha and aspires for rebirth in Amida s Pure Land of Perfect Bliss. 2. To recite the Nembutsu means to recite the name of Amida Buddha, the practice of the Pure Land school. 3. Translated from Japanese. Josei Toda, Toda Josei zenshu (Collected Writings of Josei Toda) (Tokyo: Seikyo Shimbunsha, 1983), 3: Three powerful enemies: Three types of arrogant people who persecute those who propagate the Lotus Sutra in the evil age after Shakyamuni Buddha s death, described in the concluding verse section of Encouraging Devotion, the 13th chapter of the Lotus Sutra. The Great Teacher Miao-lo of China summarizes them as arrogant lay people, arrogant priests and arrogant false sages. 5. The object of devotion in terms of the Person is revealed in The Opening of the Eyes, composed by the Daishonin on Sado in February He clarifies that he is the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law who possesses the three virtues of sovereign, teacher and parent, and who will lead the people of the Latter Day to enlightenment. The object of devotion in terms of the Law, meanwhile, is revealed in The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind, composed on Sado in April The Daishonin clarifies that Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the fundamental Law for attaining Buddhahood that all people of the Latter Day should revere. 6. This statement implies that, because the elder brother, Munenaka, will accept disinheritance and the accompanying social sanctions rather than renounce his faith, he is in effect giving his life for the Lotus Sutra. 44 ESSENTIALS EXAM, PART 2

45 Kent Miller THE TEACHINGS FOR VICTORY 45

46 Buddhist Concepts Three Thousand Realms in a Single Moment of Life The Buddhist principle of three thousand realms in a single moment of life forms a philosophical framework for Nichiren Buddhism, expressing why and how it is possible for ordinary human beings to attain Buddhahood amid the realities of daily life. Nichiren Daishonin inscribed the Gohonzon, or object of devotion, embodying in written form the supreme state of enlightenment he had manifested in his own life, so that all people can themselves attain Buddhahood. The philosophical pillar upon which he explains the significance of the Gohonzon is the principle of three thousand realms in a single moment of life. In his work Great Concentration and Insight, the Great Teacher T ien-t ai of China systematized the Lotus Sutra s teaching that Buddhahood is possible for all people and expressed it through the principle of three thousand realms in a single moment of life. A single moment of life refers to the state or condition of one s life at any given moment. It might be compared to a multidimensional snapshot of life s reality. T ien-t ai described the vast potential of life at each moment in terms of three thousand realms, or aspects. Three thousand realms represents the entirety of life as synthesized and viewed from three different perspectives: the mutual possession of the Ten Worlds, the ten factors of life and the three realms of existence. 1) The Mutual Possession of the Ten Worlds The Ten Worlds are ten potential conditions or life states a person can experience. From lowest to highest, they are the worlds of hell, hungry spirits (hunger), animals (animality), asuras (anger), human beings (humanity or tranquillity), heavenly beings (heaven or rapture), voice-hearers (learning), causeawakened ones (realization), bodhisattvas and Buddhas (Buddhahood). 1 All people possess within their lives all ten of these worlds or conditions as distinct potentials, though only one can be fully active at any given moment. Most important from the standpoint of Nichiren Buddhism is that all people, without exception, possess the world of Buddhahood, or the potential to be a Buddha. Each of the Ten Worlds possesses all Ten Worlds within it. This is called the mutual possession of the Ten Worlds. Buddhist teachings other than the Lotus Sutra perceived the Ten Worlds as static, and each world as a realm completely distinct from the others. In general, it was presumed that a person must inhabit one particular world 46 ESSENTIALS EXAM, PART 2

47 throughout the duration of a lifetime. It was thought that people could only attain Buddhahood by gradually ascending through the Ten Worlds one at a time over many lifetimes. The mutual possession of the Ten Worlds breaks through the limitations of this view and expands the possibility for human transformation. Once we view each world as an everpresent potential in life, it becomes clear that whatever our current state of life, we have the potential to manifest Buddhahood and make it our dominant condition. And this can be accomplished within this single lifetime. This is the significance of the mutual possession of the Ten Worlds. As a component of the three thousand realms, the mutual possession of the Ten Worlds is referred to as the one hundred worlds, since each world encompasses within it all Ten Worlds. 2) The Ten Factors of Life The ten factors of life are ten attributes of life and its function. They are common to all life, regardless of which of the Ten Worlds is active. A person in the state of hell and a person in the state of Buddhahood, different as they may seem, have in common the ten factors. The ten factors are set forth in Expedient Means, the second chapter of the Lotus Sutra, where it says: The true aspect of all phenomena can only be understood and shared between Buddhas. This reality consists of the appearance, nature, entity, power, influence, internal cause, relation, latent effect, manifest effect, and their consistency from beginning to end (The Lotus Sutra and Its Opening and Closing Sutras, p. 57). This passage constitutes the part of our daily sutra recitation that reads: Yui butsu yo butsu. Nai no kujin. Shoho jisso. Sho-i shoho. Nyo ze so. Nyo ze sho. Nyo ze tai. Nyo ze riki. Nyo ze sa. Nyo ze in. Nyo ze en. Nyo ze ka. Nyo ze ho. Nyo ze honmak kukyo to. To briefly explain each of the ten factors, appearance (1) refers to the attributes of a being that are discernible from the outside. Nature (2) is the inherent disposition or quality of a being that cannot be discerned externally. Entity (3) literally, body, is the reality of a being that integrates appearance and nature. These first three factors describe the reality of existence, of life itself. The next six factors explain the functions and workings of life, specifically with regard to the principle of causality. Power (4) is life s inherent or potential energy. This gives rise to influence (5), which is comparable to kinetic energy: the actions produced when life s potential energy is activated. Internal cause (6) is the causal root or seed created by that action, or influence, that remains dormant in life. Relation (7), or indirect cause, refers to the various conditions, both internal and external, that interact with the internal cause to help it produce an effect. The effect produced immediately through the interaction of cause and relation is called a latent effect (8). This latent effect is of the same quality, good or bad, as the cause that created it (good actions and causes yield good effects, and bad causes yield bad effects). It resides as a latent potential in life. Manifest effect (9) is the tangible or perceivable result that occurs when a latent effect becomes manifest with the passage of time and in response to certain conditions. Consistency from beginning to end (10) is the unifying principle among the ten factors. It indicates that all the other nine factors from appearance (beginning) to manifest effect (end) are consistently present and harmoniously interrelated. All nine factors consistently and harmoniously express the same condition of existence that is the same world of the Ten Worlds at any given moment. Consistency from beginning to end also means that the particular world among the Ten Worlds embodied at any moment by the first three factors which describe life s reality or entity is expressed consistently at that moment in each of the remaining seven factors, which describe life s functions. BUDDHIST CONCEPTS 47

48 On a more fundamental level, Nichiren Daishonin indicates that consistency from beginning to end signifies that all of the ten factors are manifestations of the Mystic Law, no matter which of the Ten Worlds they are expressing at any given moment. Nichiren clearly says, These ten factors represent Myoho-renge-kyo ( The Doctrine of Three Thousand Realms, The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 2, p. 87). SGI President Ikeda writes, Nam-myohorenge-kyo is the fundamental Law of the universe (the true aspect) that ceaselessly manifests as life in the Ten Worlds (all phenomena). 2 He goes on to point out that on the Gohonzon, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo written down the center indicates the true aspect, and the beings of the Ten Worlds written on both sides indicate all phenomena. In terms of three thousand realms in a single moment of life, a single moment of life corresponds to the true aspect, and three thousand realms, to all phenomena. President Ikeda concludes: When we pray to the Gohonzon as beings of the nine worlds, our daily activities, illuminated by Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, reveal the true aspect of all phenomena. Nichiren says, The living beings of the Ten Worlds are all Buddhas of the true aspect of all phenomena (Gosho zenshu, p. 830). Our lives just as they are whether in the world of hell or the world of humanity can shine as the embodiment of the true aspect, that is, of Myoho-renge-kyo. 3 3) The Three Realms of Existence The three realms of existence describe life from three perspectives: the internal realm of the individual, the realm of the individual as a discrete being living among other individuals, and the realm of the entire environment where living beings dwell. The three realms are the realm of the five components, the realm of living beings and the realm of the environment. Realm signifies difference or distinction, and the three realms describe how differences in the Ten Worlds become manifest in the sphere of life in three ways. The realm of the five components consists of form, perception, conception, volition and consciousness; all living entities are said to be composed of these five elements. Component here signifies a joining or union, and a living being is considered to be a temporary union of the five components. Form includes everything that constitutes the physical body and its sense organs, through which one perceives the outer world. Perception means the function of receiving, or taking in, external information through the six sense organs: eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind. Conception indicates the function by which one grasps, or forms some idea or concept about, what has been perceived. Volition means the will or desire to initiate action in response to one s conception of what has been perceived. Consciousness is the cognitive function of discernment that integrates the components of form, perception, conception and volition. In summary, a person s body and mind is itself the realm of the five components and the functions of each component change depending on which of the Ten Worlds that person experiences. The living being as an integrated whole, such as an individual human being, and beings as a collective entity, or society, constitute the realm of living beings. So the realm of living beings refers to individuals and their interrelations that manifest the Ten Worlds. The land or environment where individuals and groups of individuals dwell is the realm of the environment. The realm of the environment manifests each of the Ten Worlds depending on the collective life state of the living beings that inhabit it. Nichiren Daishonin says: There are not two lands, pure or impure in themselves. The difference lies solely in the good or evil of our minds ( On Attaining Buddhahood in This 48 ESSENTIALS EXAM, PART 2

49 Lifetime, WND-1, 4). Therefore, when people improve their state of life, the quality of their environment improves accordingly. The Connection Between A Single Moment of Life and Three Thousand Realms In Great Concentration and Insight, T ien-t ai states: Life at each moment is endowed with the Ten Worlds. At the same time, each of the Ten Worlds is endowed with all Ten Worlds, so that an entity of life actually possesses one hundred worlds. Each of these worlds in turn possesses thirty realms, which means that in the one hundred worlds there are three thousand realms. The three thousand realms of existence are all possessed by life in a single moment. If there is no life, that is the end of the matter. But if there is the slightest bit of life, it contains all the three thousand realms. (See The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind, WND-1, 354) T ien-t ai indicates here that each of our lives encompasses three thousand realms described by the mutual possession of the Ten Worlds, the ten factors of life SGI President Ikeda on the Ten Factors of Life Let me try to explain the ten factors of life through an example. Your own existence is a phenomenon. Your features, posture and so on compose the appearance of the phenomenon of your life. Invisible to the eye, such traits as shortness of temper, magnanimity, kindness or reticence or the various aspects of your personality or temperament make up your nature. Your physical and spiritual totality that is, your appearance and nature together make up your entity, the person you are. Also, your life has various energies (power), and these produce various external functions (influence). Your life thus becomes a cause (internal cause) and, activated by conditions internal and external (relation), changes arise in your life (latent effect), and these eventually appear externally (manifest effect). Moreover, these nine factors interweave your life and your environment without any inconsistency or omission (consistency from beginning to end). This is the true aspect of the ten factors of your life. Each of us lives within the framework of the ten factors. No one could say that he or she has no appearance. Such a person would be invisible. Similarly, no one could truly claim not to have a personality, not to have any energy or not to carry out any activity. Nor could there be a situation where the appearance was one person, the nature someone else and the entity another person still. There is consistency among all factors, and together they make up the irreplaceable totality of your being. People in each of the Ten Worlds are endowed with the ten factors according to their state of life. For example, people in the world of hell have the dark and depressed appearance of those overwhelmed by suffering. Since their nature is filled with suffering and anger, their power and influence tend to mire those around them in darkness too. Those in the world of heaven are typically bright and smiling in their appearance. In their nature, since they feel uplifted as though ascending into the sky, as it were anything they see makes them happy. Their power and influence tend to make those around them too feel buoyant and cheerful. BUDDHIST CONCEPTS 49

50 and the three realms of existence. This means that the life of a single individual at each moment includes all three thousand realms and at the same time thoroughly permeates and pervades the three thousand realms. Put another way, three thousand realms in a single moment of life can be viewed from two perspectives: First, our lives at each moment encompass and include all phenomena in the entire universe; second, our lives at each moment permeate and fill the entire universe. In short, a single life possesses vast and limitless potential. This important teaching, which gives us a comprehensive view of how life operates, underlies many essential Buddhist concepts such as the oneness of body and mind, the oneness of life and its environment, the attainment of Buddhahood in a single lifetime and the attainment of Buddhahood in our present form. Therefore, the principle of three thousand realms in a single moment of life forms the basis for Nichiren Buddhism s philosophy of boundless hope. Prepared by the SGI-USA Study Department 1. For a more detailed description of the Ten Worlds, see An Introduction to Buddhism, pp Daisaku Ikeda, The Heart of the Lotus Sutra (Santa Monica, CA: World Tribune Press, 2013), Ibid., Similarly, each of the Ten Worlds has its own factors of appearance, nature, entity, power, influence, internal cause, relation, latent effect and manifest effect, and there is consistency from beginning to end. This is the true nature of all phenomena. Second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda explained this as follows: Suppose there is a thief in front of us. He is a thief from appearance to manifest effect. That s consistency from beginning to end in a thief s life. There is no discontinuity. Rather than simply looking at surface appearances, understanding the true aspect of all phenomena means to grasp the vastness and profundity of life in its entirety. The ten factors of life are not limited only to human beings. Flowers blooming on the roadside, for example, have the appearance, nature and entity of beauty. They also possess power, influence, internal cause, relation, latent effect and manifest effect, without any omission. And in their totality, all of these factors are coherently integrated with the life of the flower. The same is also true of inorganic things. A pebble, the sky, the moon, stars, the sun, the sea with its salty scent, rugged mountains, skyscrapers overlooking noisy streets, houses and cars and every utensil and piece of furniture the ten factors of life describe the existence of all things. This is the wisdom of the true aspect of all phenomena that the Buddha has attained. In other words, when observing any phenomenon, the Buddha understands its true aspect. When looking at people, the Buddha understands their state of life and sees their Buddha nature within. When looking at something in nature, the Buddha can sense its noble brilliance. And, when considering social phenomena, the Buddha can deftly discern their underlying significance. It might be said that the wisdom of the true aspect of all phenomena is the ability to discern the true nature of all things. Daisaku Ikeda, The Heart of the Lotus Sutra (Santa Monica, CA: World Tribune Press, 2013), ESSENTIALS EXAM, PART 2

51 The Oneness of Body and Mind Western attitudes toward body and mind have long been characterized by dualism, which could be described as the presumption of an absolute distinction between body and spirit. The eighteenth-century French mathematician and philosopher Descartes described the mind as a nonphysical thing, distinct from yet interacting with the physical entity of the body. In contrast with this is the view of materialism, which regards both body and mind as physical phenomena. Modern science and medicine seem to lend support to this latter view: Emotional states have been shown to be accompanied by measurable physical changes in the brain and nervous system. Physical damage to the brain can have profound effects on mental and emotional functions. That one s mental or psychological state can affect the immune system, and hence recovery from disease, is largely accepted by science today. Taken to its extreme conclusion, however, materialism is dehumanizing, regarding all living things as little more than sophisticated machines or chemical processes. From the standpoint of Buddhism, however, both of these views may be described as limited. The philosophy of the Lotus Sutra stresses the principle of the oneness of body and mind. Body is that which has visible form, or can be measured or seen. Mind is the realm of thought, intent or spirit that which is invisible. Oneness is a translation of a term that literally means not two, which in turn is an abbreviation of two but not two. This implies that body and mind, or form and spirit, appear to be distinct entities, and in some ways may be described as such; but on the deepest level both are expressions of the same core reality that is life itself. In The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Nichiren Daishonin points out that the word nam of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo derives from Sanskrit and is translated into Chinese as two characters, one meaning dedication and the other meaning life. He then states: Dedication refers to the element of physical form as it pertains to us, while life refers to the element of mind as it pertains to us. But the ultimate teaching tells us that form and mind are not two things (p. 3). From the viewpoint of Buddhism, then, body and mind are neither separate entities, as described in dualism, nor are both simply expressions of purely physical phenomena. In fact, Buddhism views all phenomena, even insentient things, as having both a physical and a spiritual aspect, and sees all as expressions of the Mystic Law. Both body and mind, rooted in the eternal common source of life itself, the Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, are part and parcel of life s ultimate reality. Nichiren also writes: One s thoughts are expressed in one s voice. The mind represents the spiritual aspect, and the voice, the physical aspect.... A person can know another s mind by listening to the voice. This is because the physical aspect reveals the spiritual aspect BUDDHIST CONCEPTS 51

52 ( Opening the Eyes of Wooden and Painted Images, The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 86). When we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with concern for other people (mind), our words and actions (body) toward them can uplift their spirits (mind), which can in turn lead to a positive change in their physical health and also in their own words and actions (body). Referring to this process, SGI President Ikeda has said: This is a prime example of the oneness of body and mind. Just a few words of sincere encouragement can have a very powerful effect on a sick person (translated from December 17, 2005, Seikyo Shimbun, p. 3). Nichiren also says, When one livens other people s complexions, one livens one s own too, when one gives them strength, one gives oneself strength too, when one prolongs their lives, one prolongs one s own life as well ( On Clothing and Food, WND-2, 1066). A truly happy person may be described as one who feels inner peace and satisfaction (mind), enjoys a vibrant life force and behaves in a way that brings satisfaction and joy to others (body). When we exert ourselves in body and mind, praying, talking and acting for the sake of others well-being, we contribute simultaneously to our own physical health and spiritual well-being. Prepared by the SGI-USA Study Department Jonathan Wilson 52 ESSENTIALS EXAM, PART 2

53 The Oneness of Life and Its Environment Most Western religious traditions hold that life is the product of a supreme creator, placed into its environment as part of a grand plan. Science suggests that life sprang forth from inanimate surroundings. The Buddhist view of the relationship between life and its environment, between people and their surroundings, holds that life is neither created nor merely a physical phenomena, but an ever-present potential in the universe. It explains that life naturally emerges wherever causes and conditions are suitable for it to do so. The place where life emerges and exists is called an environment. Environment means surroundings, and life is what it surrounds. For human beings, environment includes our families, communities and workplaces, as well as the landscape upon which we live and all life that fills it. Life cannot exist apart from its environment, and life in turn profoundly affects its environment. Human beings are immersed in an environment rich with myriad forms of plant and animal life, apart from which we cannot survive. Because we depend on the water, air and the plant and animal life that surrounds us, our environment truly deserves the name mother nature giving birth to and nourishing human beings. Furthermore, our very bodies are composed of the same elements found in our environment the liquid component of our bodies, for instance, is similar in composition to seawater. That we depend on and closely resemble our environment makes the Buddhist concept of the oneness of life and its environment a matter of common sense. But the Buddhist view goes beyond a merely mechanical connection; it recognizes a common thread that binds living entities and their environment. This thread is the true aspect of all phenomena, the Mystic Law, which can be understood as the very life of the universe itself. While science recognizes that life arises from the environment and is an extension of that environment, Buddhism sheds light on why this is so. It is because the environment itself is alive because the universe itself is brimming with the potential for life. The oneness we have been referring to derives from a Chinese term that literally means two but not two. On one level, people and their surroundings are distinct and separate entities. Naturally, it is important to recognize and appreciate this distinction. Yet when viewed from the standpoint of the essential reality, or what the Lotus Sutra refers to as the true aspect of all phenomena, they are one and the same. Nichiren Daishonin states: Environment is like the shadow, and life, the body. Without the body, no shadow can exist, and without life, no environment. In the same way, life is shaped by its environment ( On Omens, The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 644). When people s inner lives are misguided or unbalanced, the environment human BUDDHIST CONCEPTS 53

54 society, the ecosystem, oceans, atmosphere and geography is negatively influenced. It is important to realize that this is not a static relationship. The connection between our surroundings and us is dynamic, alive. We are constantly exerting an influence on our surroundings while our surroundings are constantly influencing us. Nichiren explains: If the minds of living beings are impure, their land is also impure, but if their minds are pure, so is their land. There are not two lands, pure or impure in themselves. The difference lies solely in the good or evil of our minds ( On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime, WND-1, 4). If we examine the state of the global environment today, we find a long list of humancaused problems, some with potentially dangerous consequences. These include the depletion of natural resources, deforestation, water and air pollution, the rise in carbon dioxide levels that results in global climate change, large-scale species extinctions, degradation of the earth s ozone layer, increases in environmental toxins, lowering of ocean oxygen levels, radioactive pollution and more. According to the principle of the oneness of life and its environment, a fouled environment is the product of polluted hearts and minds. In turn, this fouled environment functions to pollute the bodies, hearts and minds of those living within it. The ongoing destruction of nature, in this light, is connected with people s ignorance of or lack of appreciation for the true nature and value of life. Ultimately, addressing and changing these problems requires a change in the collective will of humanity. But a change in the will of humankind must begin with a change in the awareness and inner resolve of individuals with even one person developing the will for change and acting courageously upon it. In our study of Buddhism we often use the term life condition to describe our inner mental or emotional state. Life condition, however, actually refers to the whole picture of our internal and external circumstances. Not only does it mean one s outlook, frame of mind, heart and spirit; it also includes one s surroundings the harmony of one s family setting, work environment, role in the community, prosperity, etc. All of these things characterize our life and its environment. When we view ourselves and our environment as essentially one, we see the value of cultivating and enriching our inner humanity while working to improve our external circumstances. To attend exclusively to either the internal or the external will leave us going in circles. The purpose of the SGI movement is to enable a positive transformation in the lives of individuals, who in turn act with wisdom to exert a positive influence on their environment. As the preface to the novel The Human Revolution reads, A great human revolution in just a single individual will help achieve a change in the destiny of a nation and further, will enable a change in the destiny of all humankind (p. viii). When we each gain genuine confidence that a transformation of our inner resolve will absolutely yield a transformation in our environment, we can become a cause for effecting genuine change. Understanding of this principle is best expressed in our determination always to improve ourselves while working positively for the happiness and wellbeing of others. As Buddhists, our strong and consistent prayers to produce positive change in ourselves and in our environment, and to enable others to do the same, will ensure that our efforts bear rich fruit. Prepared by the SGI-USA Study Department 54 ESSENTIALS EXAM, PART 2

55 Sample Questions INSTRUCTIONS: Using the page numbers after each question, please write the answers in the space provided. Hint: The wording in the questions often reflects wording in the text. Once completed, this workbook will serve as an effective tool for preparing for the exam. Enjoy! SECTION I: The History of Buddhism The Life of Shakyamuni 1. Shakyamuni renounced his privileged existence to find the answers to humanity s fundamental sufferings. What were these four fundamental sufferings? (See p. 6) 2. After Shakyamuni s awakening, he considered how best to share the wisdom of his enlightenment with others. What was his concern? What did he resolve to do? With whom did Shakyamuni aim to share his teachings? (See p. 7) The Lotus Sutra: Opening the Way for the Enlightenment of All People 3. What two teachings distinguish the Lotus Sutra from sutras taught prior to it? (See p. 9) SAMPLE QUESTIONS 55

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