The Essentials for Attaining Buddhahood
- Background
- Chapter1(The Path to Buddhahood Lies within the Lotus Sutra)
- Notes
- Lecture
- On the Two Elemnts of Reality and Wisdom
- A commentary says that the riverbed of reality is described as “infinitely profound” because it is boundless, and that the water of wisdom is described as “immeasurable” because it is hard to fathom.
- Is not the meaning of the sutra and the commentary that the way to Buddhahood lies within the two elements of reality and wisdom?
- Reality means the true nature of all phenomena, and wisdom means the illuminating and manifesting of this true nature. Thus when the riverbed of reality is infinitely broad and deep, the water of wisdom will flow ceaselessly. When this reality and wisdom are fused, one attains Buddhahood in one’s present form.
- “The sutras expounded prior to the Lotus Sutra cannot lead to Buddhahood because they are provisional and expedient teachings that separate reality and wisdom. The Lotus Sutra, however, unites the two as a single entity. The sutra says that the Buddhas open the door of Buddha wisdom to all living beings, show it, cause them to awaken to it, and induce them to enter its path. By realizing this Buddha wisdom, one attains Buddhahood.“
Background
This letter is addressed to Soya, a lay follower who lived in Soya Village in Shimōsa Province. His full name and title were Soya Jirō Hyōe-no-jō Kyōshin, and he is thought to have been an officer of the high court of the Kamakura shogunate. He had converted to Nichiren Daishonin’s teachings around 1260 and became one of the leading believers in the area, together with Toki Jōnin and Ōta Jōmyō.
In 1271, Soya became a lay priest and was given the Buddhist name Hōren Nichirai by the Daishonin. Hōren built two temples and lived at one of them until he died in 1291 at the age of sixty-eight.
In this letter, the Daishonin first quotes the “Expedient Means” chapter of the Lotus Sutra and states, “The way to Buddhahood lies within the two elements of reality and wisdom.” Reality indicates the ultimate truth that the Law permeates all phenomena in the universe. Wisdom, on the other hand, means the ability to perceive and understand this truth. When this wisdom exists—when the “water of wisdom” fills the “riverbed of reality”—it is known as the fusion of reality and wisdom. This is enlightenment. In other words, one illuminates and manifests the Law in one’s own life.
The Daishonin stresses that Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the Law that unites both reality and wisdom; it is the seed of Buddhahood for all people in the Latter Day. This Law is to be propagated by Bodhisattva Superior Practices at the beginning of the Latter Day. The Daishonin states that he is the first one to embark on this great mission, by which he is really indicating that he is the original teacher who will lead all people to enlightenment.
Next, he points out that any teacher or disciple who ignores those who commit slander of the Law will fall into hell. This amounts to a compassionate warning about the responsibility believers have to protect the Buddha’s teaching.
Chapter1(The Path to Buddhahood Lies within the Lotus Sutra)
THE “Expedient Means” chapter in volume one of the Lotus Sutra states, “The wisdom of the Buddhas is infinitely profound and immeasurable.” A commentary says that the riverbed of reality is described as “infinitely profound” because it is boundless, and that the water of wisdom is described as “immeasurable” because it is hard to fathom.1
Is not the meaning of the sutra and the commentary that the way to Buddhahood lies within the two elements of reality and wisdom? Reality means the true nature of all phenomena, and wisdom means the illuminating and manifesting of this true nature. Thus when the riverbed of reality is infinitely broad and deep, the water of wisdom will flow ceaselessly. When this reality and wisdom are fused, one attains Buddhahood in one’s present form.
The sutras expounded prior to the Lotus Sutra cannot lead to Buddhahood because they are provisional and expedient teachings that separate reality and wisdom. The Lotus Sutra, however, unites the two as a single entity. The sutra says that the Buddhas open the door of Buddha wisdom to all living beings, show it, cause them to awaken to it, and induce them to enter its path. By realizing this Buddha wisdom, one attains Buddhahood.2
This inner enlightenment of the Buddha is far beyond the understanding of voice-hearers and pratyekabuddhas. This is why the “Expedient Means” chapter goes on to say, “Not one of the voice-hearers or pratyekabuddhas is able to comprehend it.”
Notes
1. This commentary is based on passages from The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra and The Annotations on “The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra.”
2. The wording of the Japanese text has been expanded for clarity. In the “Expedient Means” chapter of the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni reveals the “one great reason” why the Buddhas make their advent in the world. He says it is to enable all people to realize their inherent Buddha wisdom.
Lecture
This Gosho (letter) was sent from Mount Minobu on August 3, 1276, by Nichiren Daishonin at the age of 55 to Soya Kyoshin Nyudo Horen. Because of its recipient, it is titled “Reply to Lord Soya,” and due to its content, it is also known as “On the Precepts for Attaining Buddhahood” (Jobutsu Yojin-sho).
The Daishonin begins by explaining that the path to attaining Buddhahood lies within the Lotus Sutra, which teaches the oneness of Objective Reality (Kyo) and Subjective Wisdom (Chi). He demonstrates that in the provisional teachings prior to the Lotus Sutra, reality and wisdom are treated as separate entities, making the attainment of Buddhahood impossible. He further reveals that the entity of the “Oneness of Reality and Wisdom” taught in the Lotus Sutra is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, and that he, the Daishonin, is propagating this essential Law.
The letter then clarifies the two types of transfer (entrustment): the general transfer and the specific transfer. He warns that if one confuses these two, forgets the “Original Teacher,” and turns their heart toward other sutras, other Buddhas, or other teachers, they will fail to attain Buddhahood and instead continue the cycle of birth and death. Furthermore, he reveals that even if one follows a correct teacher, failing to rebuke slander against the Law (Hobo) will cause both the teacher and the disciple to fall into the Hell of Incessant Suffering.
The Daishonin also uses the metaphor of the Lotus Sutra as the seed, the Buddha as the sower, and the living beings as the field. He encourages the people of the Latter Day of the Law to rely on the Lotus Sutra (the correct Law), the Original Buddha (possessed of the three virtues of sovereign, teacher, and parent), and the correct teacher to mature the Buddha-seed planted deep within their lives. Finally, he concludes with a stern warning: “If you should deviate from these principles, Nichiren can do nothing to save you in the next life,” thus illustrating the necessary precautions for attaining Buddhahood.
On the Two Elemnts of Reality and Wisdom
Wisdom (Chi)
As stated in the text, at the beginning of the “Expedient Means” (2nd) chapter of the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni addresses Shariputra, saying: “The wisdom of the Buddhas is very profound and immeasurable. Its gateway is difficult to understand and difficult to enter. None of the voice-hearers or cause-awakened ones can comprehend it.” The purpose of these words is to reveal that the Buddha’s wisdom is far deeper and more vast than that of the people of the two vehicles (voice-hearers and cause-awakened ones), thereby startling them into reforming their hearts and leading them toward the Buddha’s wisdom. Regarding this famous passage, the Great Teacher Tiantai of China provided exhaustive interpretations in his three major works: The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra, The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra, and Great Concentration and Insight. The central focus of these interpretations is the two laws of Reality (Kyo) and Wisdom (Chi).
In The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra, Tiantai explains that the Buddha’s wisdom consists of “True Wisdom” (Jitsu-chi) and “Provisional Wisdom” (Gon-chi). Furthermore, these are divided into “Wisdom for one’s own sake” (Ziku) and “Wisdom for the sake of others” (Keta). In the context of the Law’s entity (Hotai), “one’s own sake” refers to the Lotus Sutra (the Buddha’s enlightenment as it is), while “the sake of others” refers to the provisional teachings preached according to the capacity of the people.
True Wisdom is the wisdom that reaches the “profound and subtle” truth that is difficult to perceive. Provisional Wisdom is the wisdom that understands all “expedient means” to lead others. Only a Buddha can fully master both. While True Wisdom alone might transcend living beings and fail to save them, Provisional Wisdom allows the Buddha to relate to them and guide them toward enlightenment. The fusion of these two is the Buddha’s wisdom.
Reality (Kyo)
What the Buddha’s True Wisdom has mastered is described in the “Expedient Means” chapter as the “True Aspect of All Phenomena” (Shoho Jisso) and the “Ten Factors” (Ju-nyoze). Tiantai explains that the Buddha enlightened to the “Ten Worlds, Ten Factors, and the Truth of the True and Provisional.”
In The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra, Tiantai clarifies three types of “Mystic Law”: the Law of Living Beings, the Law of the Buddha, and the Law of the Mind. For a beginner, observing one’s own mind (Kanjin) is the easiest path to enlightenment. From this, it is clear that the state of the Buddha’s enlightenment is one where the “Wisdom that observes” (Nokan-no-chi) and the “Reality that is observed” (Shokan-no-kyo) are one. This “place” where they are unified is the Buddha’s Mind. Therefore, there is no distinction between the Mind, the Buddha, and living beings.
A commentary says that the riverbed of reality is described as “infinitely profound” because it is boundless, and that the water of wisdom is described as “immeasurable” because it is hard to fathom.
This commentary is thought to combine the essence of Tiantai’s Profound Meaning and Miaole’s Annotations on the Profound Meaning. Here, Reality (Kyo) is likened to a “渊” (abyss or deep pool in the earth), and Wisdom (Chi) is likened to the “water” that fills it.
Tiantai explains that because the abyss of reality has no borders, it is “profound,” and because the water of wisdom cannot be measured, it is “immeasurable.” Miaole further divides the abyss into “depth” (True Reality) and “borderless breadth” (Provisional Reality), with the water of wisdom filling both the vertical and horizontal dimensions of this abyss.
Is not the meaning of the sutra and the commentary that the way to Buddhahood lies within the two elements of reality and wisdom?
By aligning the text of the Lotus Sutra with the interpretations of Tiantai and Miaole, Nichiren Daishonin teaches that the path for an ordinary person to become a Buddha returns entirely to the relationship between Reality and Wisdom. He states that whether a living being attains Buddhahood is determined by whether their Reality and Wisdom match (Kyochi-ninyo).
Reality means the true nature of all phenomena, and wisdom means the illuminating and manifesting of this true nature. Thus when the riverbed of reality is infinitely broad and deep, the water of wisdom will flow ceaselessly. When this reality and wisdom are fused, one attains Buddhahood in one’s present form.
“Reality” (Kyo) is the entity of all phenomena (Manpo-no-tai). This does not mean that each thing in the universe exists as a separate, independent physical object. Rather, it refers to the principle of Dependent Origination (Engi). Nothing exists in isolation; everything arises through its relationship with everything else. Like a single knot in a net, pulling one part moves the entire structure. The Daishonin calls this interconnected totality the “entity of all phenomena.”
“Wisdom” (Chi) is the “function of illuminating one’s own nature” (Zitai-kensho-no-sugata). Here, “own nature” (Zitai) refers to the true aspect of the universe as it is—interconnected and arising through dependent origination. Wisdom is the “eye” that perceives this reality without any distortion or prejudice.
While Tiantai described the “water of wisdom” as being contained within the abyss, the Daishonin describes it more dynamically: the water flows without stagnation. When this profound Reality and immeasurable Wisdom harmonize and become one, “attainment of Buddhahood in one’s present form” (Sokushin Jobutsu) becomes possible.
“The sutras expounded prior to the Lotus Sutra cannot lead to Buddhahood because they are provisional and expedient teachings that separate reality and wisdom. The Lotus Sutra, however, unites the two as a single entity. The sutra says that the Buddhas open the door of Buddha wisdom to all living beings, show it, cause them to awaken to it, and induce them to enter its path. By realizing this Buddha wisdom, one attains Buddhahood.“
In teachings prior to the Lotus Sutra, the Law was preached according to people’s capacities, creating a gap between the Buddha’s wisdom and the reality presented. Thus, reality and wisdom did not match, and Buddhahood could not be attained.
In contrast, the Lotus Sutra reveals the Buddha’s inner enlightenment directly, regardless of the listeners’ capacity. Here, the “oneness of reality and wisdom” is revealed. Moreover, it is made clear that this “Wisdom that observes” is inherently possessed by all living beings in the Nine Worlds as the “Buddha-knowledge and insight” (Butsu-chiken).
The “Expedient Means” chapter states that the sole purpose of the Buddhas appearing in the world is to Open, Show, Awaken, and Enter the Buddha-knowledge and insight within all living beings. As Tiantai noted, if living beings did not already possess this Buddha-knowledge within them, there would be no talk of “opening” it. Because this wisdom is latent within us, it can be developed and revealed. Through the revelation of this truth in the Lotus Sutra, the attainment of Buddhahood for all living beings became a reality.