On Repaying Debts of Gratitude
NichirenChapter17(Sutras and Commentaries on the Supremacy of the Lotus Sutra)
Main Text
In the fifth volume of the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha states, “Manjushrī, this Lotus Sutra is the secret storehouse of the Buddhas, the Thus Come Ones. Among the sutras, it holds the highest place.”
If this passage of the scripture is to be believed, then the Lotus Sutra must represent the correct teaching that dwells supreme above the Mahāvairochana and all the numerous other sutras. How then, one wonders, would Shan-wu-wei, Chin-kang-chih, Pu-k’ung, Kōbō, Jikaku, and Chishō interpret this passage in the sutra and reconcile it with their beliefs?
Again, the seventh volume of the Lotus Sutra states, “A person who can accept and uphold this sutra is likewise foremost among all living beings.”57 If this passage of the sutra is to be believed, then the votary of the Lotus Sutra must be like the great sea as compared to the various rivers and streams, like Mount Sumeru among the host of mountains, like the god of the moon amid the multitude of stars, like the great god of the sun amid the other shining lights, like the wheel-turning kings, like the lord Shakra, and like the great king Brahmā among all various heavenly kings.
The Great Teacher Dengyō in his work entitled The Outstanding Principles of the Lotus Sutra writes, “This sutra likewise is foremost among all the sutra teachings . . . A person who can accept and uphold this sutra is likewise foremost among all living beings.”
After quoting this passage from the Lotus Sutra, Dengyō notes a passage from the work entitled The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra by T’ien-t’ai that interprets the same passage of scripture, and explains its meaning as follows: “One should understand that the sutras on which the other schools base their teachings are not foremost among the sutras, and those people who can uphold such sutras are not foremost among the multitude. But the Lotus Sutra, which is upheld by the Tendai Lotus school, is the foremost of all the sutras, and therefore those who can uphold the Lotus are foremost among living beings. This is borne out by the words of the Buddha himself. How could it be mere self-praise?”
Later in the work just mentioned, Dengyō says, “Detailed explanations concerning how the various schools base their teachings upon the T’ien-t’ai doctrine are given in a separate work.” Clarification of the Schools, referred to as the separate work, states: “Now the founder of our school, the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai, preached the Lotus Sutra and interpreted the Lotus Sutra in a way that placed him far above the crowd; in all of China, he stood alone. One should clearly understand that he was a messenger of the Thus Come One. Those who praise him will receive blessings that will pile up as high as Mount Calm and Bright, while those who slander him will be committing a fault that will condemn them to the hell of incessant suffering.”
Notes
57. Lotus Sutra, chap. 23.Lecture
The Scriptural Proof of Superiority
From this chapter onwards, the text clarifies the correct propagation of Nichiren Daishonin. It begins by citing scriptural passages stating that the Lotus Sutra is the supreme among all sutras, followed by the commentaries of T’ien-t’ai and Dengyo.
The passage from the fifth scroll of the Lotus Sutra, “This Lotus Sutra is the secret storehouse of the Buddhas, the Thus Come Ones. Among the sutras, it holds the highest place.” is found in the Peaceful Practices chapter (Chapter 14).
The next citation, from the seventh scroll of the Lotus Sutra, comes from the Former Affairs of the Bodhisattva Medicine King chapter (Chapter 23). It is the eighth of the “Ten Metaphors”—specifically the metaphor of the Pratyekabuddha (the Four Fruits).
In the Hokke Shuku (The Outstanding Principles of the Lotus Sutra), the Great Teacher Dengyo cites the entire passage of the eighth metaphor, which describes both the superiority of the “Law being upheld” and the “person who upholds it.” Why, then, does this treatise cite the Peaceful Practices chapter instead of the passage on the superiority of the Law from the Medicine King chapter?
High Priest Nikkan Shonin answers this in his Mondan (Commentaries):
“However, inferring the original intent, it is likely cited specifically to refute the Shingon (True Word) sect. There are two meanings here:
That sect designates the Mahavairocana Sutra (Dainichi-kyo) as ‘secret.’ Shakyamuni designated the Lotus Sutra specifically as ‘secret,’ hence the sutra says, ‘secret storehouse.’ (Question: If so, is their sutra not secret? Answer: Theirs is ‘hidden/obscure’ but not the ‘fine/subtle secret’ of the truth.)
That sect regards the Diamond Crown Sutra (Kongochō-kyo) as the summit of all sutras. Shakyamuni correctly designates the Lotus Sutra as the summit of all sutras. Hence it says, ‘among all sutras, it sits at the very top.'”
The Great Teacher Dengyō in his work entitled The Outstanding Principles of the Lotus Sutra(Hokke Shuku) writes,
The text of the eighth metaphor in The Outstanding Principles of the Lotus Sutra(Hokke Shuku) is as follows:
“It also says: Just as among all ordinary mortals, the Stream-winner, the Once-returner, the Non-returner, the Arhat, and the Pratyekabuddha are the foremost, so it is with this sutra. Among all the sutras preached by the Thus Come Ones, preached by bodhisattvas, or preached by voice-hearers, it is the foremost. So is the person who can accept and uphold this classic; among all living beings, that person is the foremost.”
T’ien-t’ai’s Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra (Hokke Gengi) states:
“Like the five kinds of Buddha’s disciples, [the Pratyekabuddha] is foremost among mortals. Or, like one who extracts living beings and leads them to Nirvana. It is like the Bodhisattva who dwells above those of the stage of ‘Learning and No Learning.’ The current Sutra [Lotus Sutra] extracts living beings and places them above the Bodhisattvas of the expedient teachings. It equates to becoming the Dharma King; it is the absolute foremost.”
One must realize that the sutras relied upon by other schools are not yet the “absolute foremost.” Therefore, the persons who uphold those sutras are also not yet “foremost.” The Lotus Sutra held by the Tiantai Lotus School is the absolute foremost. Therefore, the person who upholds the Lotus Sutra is also foremost among all living beings. This is based on the Buddha’s own words; how could it be self-praise?
The phrase “This sutra likewise is foremost among all the sutra teachings.“ refers to the superiority of the Law being upheld (sho-ji). The phrase “A person who can accept and uphold this sutra is likewise foremost among all living beings.“ refers to the superiority of the practitioner who upholds it (no-ji).
As stated in Person and the Law: “Since the Law is wonderful, the person is worthy of respect.”(WND1, p.1097) Therefore, those who slander this Law and this Person create the karma to fall into the Hell of Incessant Suffering (Avici Hell).
What was Dengyo Daishi’s purpose in writing the Hokke Shuku?
The Hokke Shuku consists of three scrolls (Upper, Middle, Lower) and was written in the 12th year of Konin (821 AD). It is also known as the “Ten Superiorities” (Jussho). Nichiren Daishonin wrote the Shuku Jussho Sho, making it clear he studied the Hokke Shuku. (Note: While the Shuku Jussho Sho is a genuine writing, it is considered a summary of Tiantai doctrines and is not included in the Gosho Zenshu).The purpose of writing the Hokke Shuku is stated in its preface:
“The Hokke Shuku is a whetstone for polishing the jewel in the topknot… The scheming guest disputes right and wrong; the host seeking the jewel knows not where to turn… Therefore, I clear away the forest of rough food and establish the perfect city of Tiantai. There is a schemer [Tokuitsu] who says, ‘The doctrine of the Four Vehicles established by Tiantai steals the meaning of the Kegon sect… If Tiantai has no doctrine of its own, it cannot be a separate sect.’ He wishes to blind the people of the time… Therefore, I write these three scrolls of the Hokke Shuku. My only desire is that the victorious banner of the Mystic Law does not fall for a thousand generations…”
From this preface, we know the purpose was to assert the absolute superiority of the Lotus Sutra, crush the schemers of other sects, and increase the brilliance of the Tiantai Lotus teachings.
The “Ten Superiorities” (Jussho) in the section on Revealing Superiority include:
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Superiority of Truth Revealed (vs. Expedient)
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Superiority of the Sutra Title’s Meaning
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Superiority of Preaching without Request … [listing continues through 10]
Through these writings, the Great Teacher Dengyo single-handedly crushed the erroneous sects and doctrines of his time.
Shakyamuni, T’ien-t’ai, and Dengyo all designated the Lotus Sutra as foremost among all sutras. In contrast, Jikaku designated the Shingon (Esoteric) teachings as foremost. This makes him an enemy of the Buddha and a great sinner. Kobo designated the Lotus Sutra as third, which is a grave error. However, Jikaku and Chisho, who designated the Lotus Sutra as second (claiming equality in principle), committed an even heavier sin because they confused people more deeply.
The Basics of Buddhist Study
In any field of study or research, and in any era, it is a matter of course to investigate based on textual proofs, scriptures, and original sources. In religion, philosophy, and thought, this requirement is even stricter. In Buddhism, which explains the law of cause and effect and boasts the highest philosophical system, accuracy and detail are mandatory.
However, when Subhakarasimha, Vajrabodhi, Amoghavajra, Kobo, Jikaku, and Chisho studied the Lotus Sutra and the Dainichi Sutra, they all based their interpretations on their own biased views (ga-ken), ignoring the actual text of the scriptures. This attitude is truly careless and insincere. One must say they erred and fell at the very first step of philosophical investigation.
This tendency is seen in all evil sects like Shingon and Nembutsu. For example, looking at the treatises of Honen (founder of the Pure Land school), he first quotes human teachers like Tao-ch’o and Shan-tao, then quotes treatises, and finally uses the Lotus Sutra or the three Pure Land sutras only as a token adjustment. As a thesis, this is upside-down (tosaku) and a failure. Unlike a student’s graduation thesis, errors in Buddhism function to push hundreds of thousands of people into misfortune.
In contrast, Nichiren Daishonin, T’ien-t’ai, and Dengyo first cite the sutras, then use treatises to support them, unfolding magnificent arguments to propagate the Correct Law. The difference is astonishing.
In the Clarification of the Schools, Dengyo Daishi defines T’ien-t’ai as the “Envoy of the Tathagata,” stating: “Those who praise him will receive blessings that will pile up as high as Mount Calm and Bright, while those who slander him will be committing a fault that will condemn them to the hell of incessant suffering.“ This shows he stood on the absolute conviction that T’ien-t’ai’s position was derived directly from Shakyamuni’s scriptures.
In the modern era, the established “Nichiren Shu” (which is an evil sect) carries a heavier sin of slander than obvious new religions. Furthermore, groups like Rissho Kosei-kai—which deliberately mimics the organization and events of the Soka Gakkai to mislead the masses—represent the most extreme form of evil sects and doctrines.
However, in the present age, neither T’ien-t’ai nor Dengyo functions as the “Envoy of the Tathagata.” Since the power of Shakyamuni’s Buddhism itself has “vanished” (Byakuho Onmotsu), it is natural that his envoys no longer have function.
The Great Pure Law of the present Latter Day of the Law is Nichiren Daishonin’s Three Great Secret Laws. The members of the Soka Gakkai, who believe in and practice these Three Great Secret Laws exactly as the Buddha taught, are the true Envoys of the Tathagata.
Therefore, regarding Soka Gakkai members who strive in faith and propagation (shakubuku): “Those who praise him will receive blessings that will pile up as high as Mount Calm and Bright, while those who slander him will be committing a fault that will condemn them to the hell of incessant suffering.“
As the Gosho says, “Since the Law is wonderful, the person is worthy of respect.”(WND1, Person and the Law, p.1097) No matter how lowly a person may appear socially, because the Gohonzon they uphold is noble, that person also becomes noble. Thus, Nichiren Daishonin graciously states after explaining the reason for our nobility: “Therefore, I entreat the people of this country: Do not look down upon my disciples!” (WND1, On the Four Stages of Faith and the Five Stages of Practice, p.788)
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