Ikeda Wisdom Academy The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra Review April 2014 Study Review The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, vol. 3, Part II - Section 3 Devadatta, the twelfth chapter of the Lotus Sutra, is named after a former disciple and cousin of Shakyamuni who betrays him to deviously oppose the Buddhist order and its leader. Devadatta had joined the Buddhist order and looked to Shakyamuni as a teacher and carried out diligent practice, winning the admiration of others. Eventually, Devadatta gave into ambition and jealousy, aimed at taking over the Buddhist order himself, and even tried to kill Shakyamuni. Determined to protect his disciples, Shakyamuni stood up against Devadatta and took steps to identify the wrongdoing. Shakyamuni called out Devadatta for his failure to understand the heart of the teachings, overcoming attempts at his life and leading his disciples back from Devadatta s deception. Still Shakyamuni declares that Devadatta, as traitorous as he was, was destined to attain enlightenment. Furthermore, he says that Devadatta was actually his teacher, named Asita, in a past lifetime. This revelation astounds the assembly.
President Ikeda and the study leader discuss the function of good and evil in Buddhism. They share the profound implications of Shakyamuni declaring and acknowledging the attainment of Buddhahood by Devadatta. The attainment of enlightenment by Devadatta, and also by the dragon king s daughter, marks the possibility of attainment by all people. Key Passages Key Passage #1 Buddhism is a teaching of endless struggle. The true aspect of life and society can be found in the eternal struggle. The true aspect of life and society can be found in the eternal struggle between good and evil, between the nature of enlightenment and the nature of darkness, happiness and misery, peace and war, creation and destruction, harmony and turmoil. This is the true aspect of the universe. Therefore, the only path is that of struggle. The only alternative is to win. Consequently, another name of the Buddha is Victorious One. (WLS-3, 68) Buddhism focuses on achieving victory in the face of defeat. The struggle between good and evil is the battleground of the Buddha and the true aspect of the universe. Key Passage #2
Intelligence makes a good person that much better and an evil person that much worse. Probably Devadatta s inner mind was not that of a person of faith but of a person of ambition. A person of faith seeks selfmastery; a person of ambition or power seeks to control others. A person of faith takes action, works hard and struggles to overcome his or her inner weakness; a person driven by a desire for power forces others to work for his own selfish purpose, never reflecting upon himself. Devadatta, perhaps on an account of arrogance, was such a person, and so in the end he departed from the path of a person of faith. (WLS-3, 72) Devadatta abandoned the path of faith and lost to his ambition. Instead of working hard for the sake of others, he lost the spirit to reflect upon himself and gave in to arrogance. The path of faith is taking action to overcome inner weakness and selfishness. Key Passage #3 Devadatta saw only that Shakyamuni was widely respected; he did not attempt to understand Shakyamuni s heart. Shakyamuni, unbeknownst to others, must have agonized day and night over the question of how to lead people to happiness and make them aware of the treasure of their own lives. How he must have struggled to gain self-mastery! What continuous and painstaking efforts he must have made! But Devadatta did not try to understand Shakyamuni s difficult ordeal.
Why couldn t he see this? Most likely it s because he had given up his own internal struggle. If we perceive our inner evil but neglect efforts to conquer it, then our lives are instantaneously stained with evil. In that sense, a good person is someone who struggles against evil. It is by fighting evil around us that we eradicate evil within our lives and so purify them. That is the path of human revolution [T]he Lotus Sutra s doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life is the ultimate philosophy of self-reflection. It is a philosophy of equality that does not permit anyone the arrogance to claim special nobility or status. It is a philosophy of the sanctity of all life. According to the three thousand realms in a single moment of life, even a supremely benevolent being such as the Buddha possesses the nature of evil, and even a great villain like Devadatta possesses the Buddha nature. On this premise, the paths of good and evil diverge greatly, going in completely opposite directions; the path we take depends on whether we continue struggling against evil. This is in fact the key to understanding the Devadatta chapter. In conclusion, a spirit of resolute struggle against evil runs throughout the chapter. (WLS-3, 76 77) Devadatta failed to see the internal battle Shakyamuni had waged in order to lead people to happiness. Because Devadatta couldn t recognize Shakyamuni s heart, his life was stained with the evil he failed to eradicate from his own heart. Human revolution is possible through doctrine of the three thousand realms in a single moment of life. This means that the Buddha possesses both good and evil aspects but thoroughly fights against evil.
Key Passage #4 Good and evil are not absolutes, they are relative. Therefore, we cannot say conclusively that a particular person is intrinsically good or intrinsically evil. Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, the first Soka Gakkai president, said: Even a good person, if he opposes great good, immediately becomes a person of great evil. Even an evil person, if he opposes great evil, immediately becomes a person of great good. The Buddha, therefore, is a person of supreme good. But this is not to say that there is no evil in the life of the Buddha. It exists, of course, as a potential. Because the Buddha aims for the ultimate good and relentlessly struggles against evil, good is what manifests from his life. Nichiren Daishonin says: The opposite of good we call bad, the opposite of bad we call good. Hence we know that outside of the mind there is no good and there is no bad (WND-2, 843). Good and bad in themselves have no substance. In other words, they are not in themselves absolute but reflect relative distinctions. It is important, therefore, to ceaselessly direct our hearts, and take action, toward good. (WLS-3, 79 81) No one is completely good, nor completely evil. Only in continually fighting against evil in our hearts can the life of the Buddha manifest. Key Passage #5
If evil functions to reveal good, then evil in its entirety becomes good. This is truly the oneness of good and evil. But if evil is simply allowed to run its course, then it does not become good. Only when evil is thoroughly challenged and conquered does it become an entity of the oneness of good and evil. In that sense, the enlightenment of evil people presented in the Devadatta chapter is great proof of the victory won by Shakyamuni. It is his victory declaration. Only when he stands in this lofty state of life as a winner can he say that Devadatta had in a past life been a good friend and mentor and had in this life aided his efforts to instruct people. (WLS-3, 83) Because Devadatta s life and actions revealed Shakyamuni s good in the end, Devadatta s evil in its entirety became good. The victory of good has the power to transform the function of evil. Key Passage #6 The power of the Mystic Law enables us to change even bad friends into good friends. The strength of our mind of faith changes suffering into joy, into a tailwind to propel our further advance. This is what the Devadatta chapter teaches. Nichiren Daishonin says: Devadatta was the foremost good friend to the Thus Come One Shakyamuni. In this age as well, it is not one s allies but one s powerful enemies who assist one s progress (WND-1, 770). To attain Buddhahood, we have to thoroughly conquer our own inner evil. The concrete means for doing so is struggling against and defeating
external evil. Struggling to defeat evil enables us to polish and purify our lives and attain Buddha hood. Because we strive against the ultimate evil, we attain the ultimate good. Even ultimate evil, when viewed in terms of its essential function of enabling us to polish our lives and attain Buddhahood, can be thought of as a teacher. The point, therefore, is Shakyamuni s victorious state of life in explaining that even the supremely evil Devadatta had been his teacher in the past. Because Shakyamuni won, he could say this; because he won, he became a Buddha. Nichiren Daishonin, likewise, having realized great victory, could say, For me, Nichiren, my best allies in attaining Buddhahood are Kagenobu, the priests Ryokan, Doryu, and Doamidabutsu, and Hei no Saemon and the lord of Sagami. I am grateful when I think that without them I could not have proved myself to be the votary of the Lotus Sutra (WND-1, 770). In other words, these evil people who had persecuted the original Buddha were changed into good people by his victory. Because of the model of such struggle set by Shakyamuni and the Daishonin, we of later generations know where the correct path lies. In that sense, Devadatta, Hei no Saemon and the others functioned in part as teachers who revealed the path of good for later generations. The Soka Gakkai has struggled against and triumphed over all manner of persecution, repression and scheming. As a result of these struggles, we could all deepen and strengthen our faith. If it were possible to accomplish kosen-rufu easily and without obstacles, then we would not have the opportunity to polish ourselves or to carry out our practice for attaining Buddhahood.
Difficulties equal progress. Earthly desires are enlightenment. The key is to use all sufferings as fuel to become happy; to use all evil as firewood to cause the light of good to burn brighter still. (WLS-3, 84 85) To attain Buddhahood, we must struggle to overcome evil. The struggle to conquer evil polishes our lives. When evil is overcome and allows for good to manifest, it functions as a teacher to good. In this sense, Shakyamuni s victory over Devadatta allowed for the Devadatta to function as a teacher in revealing Shakyamuni s good. Key Passage #7 Ordinarily, most people probably suppose that doing evil is worse than simply not doing good. Not doing evil, but not doing any good either this is how most people in the modern age live. President Makiguchi, however, argued that not to do good is the same as doing evil. Not to fight against evil is itself evil. It was with this conviction that Mr. Makiguchi taught the importance of leading a life of actively creating good, a conviction he put into practice Not to fight against evil is itself evil. It was with this conviction that Mr. Makiguchi taught the importance of leading a life of actively creating good, a conviction he put into practice. He also argued that the accumulation of minor good is ultimately to no avail. It has been said that the accumulation of particles of dust will form a mountain, but at most all you can create from specks of dust is a mound
of dust. President Makiguchi had an interesting way of putting things, and his words were really on the mark. He concluded: Mountains are formed by upheavals in earth s crust. Unless we change human beings and society from the very foundation, it will be too late for humankind. Creating such change is great good; it is spreading the Lotus Sutra. (WLS- 3, 88 89) Denying the opportunity to and to not fight against evil in its presence is evil itself. A collection of minor good causes does not add up to great good. Only by changing human beings at its core, or spreading the Lotus Sutra, can great good form and society transform. Key Passage #8 Many philosophical arguments have been made about good and evil in both past and present, East and West. Without going into these various perspectives, the point that life is the objective and the end and must not be turned into a means is key; this is the major premise. To enrich this supremely noble life and make it shine is good; to turn life into a means and cause it to contract is evil. Also, unity is good while fragmentation is evil. The highest good, therefore, is to help people open up the world of Buddhahood in their lives and to forge a global solidarity of good will. The movement for peace, culture and education based on Buddhism, that is to say, our movement of kosen-rufu, accords entirely with this objective. Carrying out these
activities means putting the principle of the oneness of good and evil, in which evil is embraced and transformed by good, into dynamic practice. The point is to advance while intently reflecting on and grappling to master the self; to defeat one s inner weaknesses and advance. When we do so, we are truly reading the Devadatta chapter. Ultimately, the bitter struggle between Shakyamuni and Devadatta exists within each of our lives. When we understand the sutra in this light we are reading it from the standpoint of Nichiren Buddhism. (WLS-3, 90) Good functions to unite and enrich life itself, whereas evil functions to divide and turn life into a means. The greatest good lies in opening up the realm of Buddhahood within others, allowing them to become absolutely happy. This is the mission of the SGI through its activities for peace, culture and education. Questions for Discussion The questions below can be used during discussion sessions. They are intended to serve as example questions to generate faith-based discussion on the material covered. 1. Why must the struggle between good and evil be eternal? If there is no end, what then do the victories of good mean? (Refer to p. 68) 2. Why does Nichiren write that the Devadatta chapter represents the heart and core of the entire sutra? (Refer to pp. 69 70) 3. Devadatta was destroyed by jealousy. How do we combat jealousy in our lives? (Refer to pp. 71 72)
4. What kind of effect did Devadatta have on the people, promoting his own austere practices which were more severe than Shakyamuni s? (Refer to p. 74) 5. What does the lesson of the king carrying out practices for a thousand years in service to that seer, Asita, teach us about the transmission of the Lotus Sutra? (Refer to p. 78) 6. The oneness of good and evil does not mean they are the same thing. What does it mean in light of the Mystic Law s power to change even bad friends into good friends? (Refer to p. 84) 7. The Chinese Tendai priest Chih-li categorized three interpretations of oneness. When applied to good and evil, what is the prevailing interpretation in society and how do we shift that interpretation to one of good and evil as an integrated whole? (Refer to p. 88) 8. President Ikeda says that the accumulation of minor good is ultimately to no avail regarding President Makiguchi s comments on living a life of great good. Why is this? (Refer to p. 89)