On Repaying Debts of Gratitude

Nichiren

Chapter32(Revealing the Daimoku as the Vital Essence)

Main Text

Question: Within the eight volumes and twenty-eight chapters that constitute the entirety of the Lotus Sutra, what part represents the true heart of the work?

Answer: The heart of the Flower Garland Sutra is the title Great and Vast Buddha Flower Garland Sutra. The heart of the Āgama Sutra is the title Medium-Length Āgama Sutra, as Spoken by the Buddha. The heart of the Great Collection Sutra is the title Great Correct and Equal Great Collection Sutra. The heart of the Wisdom Sutra is the title Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra. The heart of the Two-Volumed Sutra is the title Buddha Infinite Life Sutra, as Spoken by the Buddha. The heart of the Meditation Sutra is the title Meditation on the Buddha Infinite Life Sutra, as Spoken by the Buddha. The heart of the Amida Sutra is the title Amida Sutra, as Spoken by the Buddha. The heart of the Nirvana Sutra is the title Mahāparinirvāna Sutra. It is the same with all the sutras. The daimoku, or title, of the sutra, which appears before the opening words “This is what I heard,” is in all cases the true heart of the sutra. This is true whether it is a Mahayana sutra or a Hinayana sutra. As for the Mahāvairochana Sutra, the Diamond Crown Sutra, the Susiddhikara Sutra, and so forth—in all cases the title constitutes the heart.

The same is true of the Buddhas. The Thus Come One Mahāvairochana, Sun Moon Bright Buddha, Burning Torch Buddha, Great Universal Wisdom Excellence Buddha, Cloud Thunder Sound King Buddha—in the case of all these Buddhas, the name itself contains within it all the various virtues that pertain to that particular Buddha.

The same, then, applies to the Lotus Sutra. The five characters Myoho-renge-kyo that appear before the opening words “This is what I heard” comprise the true heart of the eight volumes of the work. Moreover, they are the heart of all the sutras, as well as the correct teaching that stands above all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas, the people of the two vehicles, and all the heavenly and human beings, asuras, and dragon deities.

Question: If one person should chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo without understanding its meaning, and another person should chant the words Namu-daihōkō-butsu-kegonkyō (Devotion to the Great and Vast Buddha Flower Garland Sutra) without understanding their meaning, would the merit acquired by the two persons be equal, or would one acquire greater merit than the other?

Answer: One would acquire greater merit than the other.

Question: Why do you say so?

Answer: A small river can accommodate the water flowing into it from dew, brooks, wells, ditches, and little streams, but it cannot accommodate the water from a big river. A big river can accommodate the water from a small river with its dew, brooks, and so forth, but it cannot accommodate the water from the great ocean. Now the Āgama sutras are like the small river with its wells, streams, brooks, and dew, while the sutras of the Correct and Equal period, the Amida Sutra, the Mahāvairochana Sutra, and the Flower Garland Sutra are like the big river that accommodates the small river. But the Lotus Sutra is like the great ocean that can hold all the water from dew, brooks, wells, streams, small rivers, big rivers, and the rains from heaven, without losing a single drop.

Suppose that a person is burning with fever. If he sits down beside a large body of cold water and stays there for a while, his fever will abate, but if he lies down beside a little body of water, he will continue to suffer as before. In the same way, if an icchantika, or person of incorrigible disbelief, who has committed the five cardinal sins and has slandered the Law, should try to cool himself beside the little bodies of water that are the Āgama, Flower Garland, Meditation, and Mahāvairochana sutras, the raging fever caused by his great offenses would never be dispelled. But if he should lie down on the great snowy mountain that is the Lotus Sutra, then the raging fever caused by the five cardinal sins, his slander of the Law, and his incorrigible disbelief would be dispelled instantly.

Therefore, ignorant people should by all means have faith in the Lotus Sutra. For although one may think that all the titles of the sutras are the same in effect and that it is as easy to chant one as another, in fact the merit acquired even by an ignorant person who chants the title of the Lotus Sutra is as far superior to that acquired by a wise person who chants some other title as heaven is to earth!

To illustrate, even a person with great strength cannot break a strong rope with his bare hands. But if one has a little knife, then even a person of meager strength can sever the rope with ease. Even a person with great strength cannot cut through a piece of hard stone with a dull sword. But if one has a sharp sword, then even a person of meager strength can cut the stone in two.

Or, to give another example, even though one may not know what is in the medicine, if one takes a dose of it, one’s illness can be cured. But if one takes only ordinary food, one’s illness will never be cured. Or, to give yet another example, an elixir can actually increase one’s life span, whereas ordinary medicine, though it can cure illness, can never prolong one’s life.

Lecture

In this chapter, it is revealed that the essence of the Lotus Sutra lies in its title (Daimoku). While the previous chapter concluded the discussion on repaying the debt of gratitude to the teacher Dozen-bo, one might ask why the essence of the eight volumes of the Lotus Sutra is discussed here. This is because the previous chapter’s conclusion stated that Dozen-bo, being a person of weak faith in the Lotus Sutra—whose belief was as fleeting as a lamp in the daylight and who failed to visit the Daishonin during his exile to Sado—could not escape the strict law of causality (jigo-jitokku or “reaping what one sows”).

However, from this chapter onward, Nichiren Daishonin begins to propagate the Three Great Secret Laws—the very heart and marrow of the Buddha’s lifetime teachings. This leads to the ultimate conclusion: “This merit must surely gather in the spirit of the late Dozen-bo.” In other words, the subsequent dialogue and reasoning are established to reveal the Three Great Secret Laws, making the entire flow of the text a single, unified message.

The Five Characters of Myoho as the Heart of the Eight Volumes

The “Myoho” (Mysterious Law) that precedes the phrase “Thus I have heard” (Nyoze Gamon) possesses two meanings: first, Ju-ho (focusing on the Law itself), and second, Ku-ki (merit returning to its source). Within the first meaning, Ju-ho, there are two additional aspects: Myo-tsu (general name) and Gi-betsu (specific meaning).

The Great Teacher Miao-lo stated, “By briefly citing the title, the profound meaning (Genshi) encompasses the entire sutra.” Here, “briefly citing the title” corresponds to the general name, while “encompassing the entire sutra” refers to the specific meaning. Similarly, The Annotations on ‘The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra’ (Gukki) states: “The two characters of Myoho generally clarify both the theoretical and essential teachings.” In this context, the two characters Myoho are the general name, and clarifying both teachings is the specific meaning.

The second meaning, Ku-ki (merit returning to its source), also includes two aspects: the True Effect (Hon-ka) and the True Cause (Hon-in). The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra (Hokke Genda) states: “This Myoho-renge-kyo is the profound, secret treasury of the original state (Honchi), attained by all Buddhas of the three existences.” The Annotations further clarify: “Though it is taught in the theoretical teaching (Shakumon), when we trace its merit, its source lies in the essential teaching; therefore, it is called the original state.”

Regarding the True Effect, it refers to the Myoho attained as the result of enlightenment, which is the “profound original state” in its external, literal sense found in the text of the “Life Span” (Juryo) chapter. Conversely, the True Cause refers to the Myoho attained through the “Original Name” (Hon-in Myojo), which is the internal, innermost meaning found in the depths of the “Life Span” chapter.

This True Cause, or the Law of the “Original Name,” is the Myoho-renge-kyo that embodies the Three Great Secret Laws. In the text, “Original State” (Honchi) refers to the Sanctuary of the Essential Teaching (Honmon no Kaidan); it is the “original state” because it is the place where the Object of Devotion (Honzon) resides. “Profound” (Jinshin) refers to the Object of Devotion of the Essential Teaching (Honmon no Honzon). The “ultimate profound reality” is the Honzon of Ichinen Sanzen (three thousand realms in a single moment of life). “Secret Treasury” (Okuzo) is the object of praise, which refers to the Invocation (Daimoku) of the Essential Teaching. Within the Daimoku, all myriad practices and virtues are encompassed.

Because it pertains to the Myoho that encompasses all Three Great Secret Laws, it is called the “profound, secret treasury of the original state.” If we trace the merit of today’s eight volumes and twenty-eight chapters of the Lotus Sutra, it ultimately returns to the True Effect in the near term and to the True Cause in the long term. Therefore, we regard the True Cause—the Law of the “Original Name”—as the “source of sources” and the “mysticism of mysticisms.”

The Difference in Merit Between the Wise and the Foolish

The merit of a foolish person who chants the Daimoku of the Lotus Sutra is immensely superior, while the merit of a wise person who chants the titles of provisional sutras is vastly inferior. Thus, the difference between the merit of the wise and the foolish is as vast as heaven and earth.

All other metaphors in the text carry this same meaning. Even if one is foolish or has committed evil, the merit gained from believing in the Gohonzon and chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo even once is absolute. This beautifully illustrates the enlightenment of evil persons and the salvation of all people across every strata of society.

Modern leaders often call for the salvation of the people out of mere vanity. They do not truly consider the happiness of the impoverished, the sick, or the suffering from the depths of their hearts. In this modern age, we should reflect deeply on the fact that the Soka Gakkai alone has risen as the true ally of the unfortunate.

The text asks: “If one person should chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo without understanding its meaning, and another person should chant the words Namu-daihōkō-butsu-kegonkyō (Devotion to the Great and Vast Buddha Flower Garland Sutra) without understanding their meaning, would the merit acquired by the two persons be equal, or would one acquire greater merit than the other?” The answer is: “One would acquire greater merit than the other.”

These are truly vital words. Religion is determined by the object of one’s faith—the Honzon. Faith is the belief in the benefit (kudoku) that arises from the fusion between the person and the Honzon. Therefore, “how” one believes is a separate issue. We must carefully ponder the statement: “Even if one’s resolve is not sincere, if one connects with the Correct Environment (Seikyo or the True Object of Devotion), the merit is still immense. If the Environment is not correct, then even if one is without falsehood, it will not become the seed of enlightenment.”

The current perspective of the intellectual class is completely inverted. They do not give a single thought to the correctness of a religion or its object of devotion, acting as if the only thing that matters is the practitioner’s mental state. Some even go so far as to suggest that morning and evening Gongyo is good for health simply because it stimulates the diaphragm. Such statements, which ignore the very essence of religion, are truly outrageous.