Errors of the Eight Schools

Main Text

The seven schools listed above, the True Word school and the others, along with the Pure Land school, all fail to recognize Shakyamuni Thus Come One as their father.

Errors of the Eight Schools

Background

VOLUME nine of The Annotations on “The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra” states: “If the provisional has not yet been opened up and the true revealed, then the Dharma body and the reward body are not present in the provisional Buddha.1 But if the true has already been revealed, then all three bodies are present in both the true Buddha and the provisional Buddha.”

And volume nine of The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra says: “The Buddha consistently possesses the three bodies throughout the three existences. But in the various teachings [other than the Lotus Sutra], he kept this secret and did not transmit it.”

Diagram
Buddha living beings
Thus Come One of the Dharma body innate Buddha nature
Thus Come One of the reward body the wisdom to perceive it
Thus Come One of the manifested body good deeds to develop this wisdom
Diagram
Buddha nature of living beings
Presence or absence of the Buddha nature is not discussed in the Hinayana sutras.
The Flower Garland, Correct and Equal, Wisdom, and Mahāvairochana sutras teach that living beings from the beginning possess an innate Buddha nature, but not the wisdom to perceive it or good deeds to develop this wisdom.
The Lotus Sutra teaches that living beings from the beginning possess all three inherent potentials of the Buddha nature.

Volume ten of Words and Phrases states: “The innate Buddhahood (the proper nature of the Dharma body) pervades both the original state of living beings and their temporary manifestation. The seeds of the wisdom to perceive it and of the good deeds to develop this wisdom are also present in the original state. They are not acquired for the first time at a later stage.”

Diagram
The second volume of the Lotus Sutra states:
“But now this threefold world is all my domain.”2 the World-Honored
One as sovereign and ruler of the nation
“And the living beings in it are all my children.” as father
“Now this place is beset by many pains and trials. I am the only person who can rescue and protect others.” as teacher

 

Diagram
The “Life Span” chapter states: “I am the father of this world.”
sovereign and ruler of the nation Thus Come One of the reward body
teacher Thus Come One of the manifested body
parent Thus Come One of the Dharma body

The Treatise of Five Hundred Questions states: “If a son does not even know how old his father is, he will also be in doubt as to what lands his father presides over. Though he may be idly praised for his talent and ability, he cannot be counted as a son at all!” And it also says: “He may perhaps have talent enough to govern one land, yet he does not even know how old his father and mother are.”

The Critical Essays on Buddhism and Taoism Ancient and Modern (written by Tao-hsüan) states: “In the age before the Three Sovereigns there was no writing. People knew only who their mother was and did not know who was their father. They were the same as birds and beasts.” (From the words of reproval addressed by the Dharma Teacher Hui-yüan to Emperor Wu of the [Northern] Chou dynasty3)

Diagram
Dharma Analysis Treasury school
Establishment of Truth school take Shakyamuni to be their exclusive object of devotion. But they know him only in his manifested body.
Precepts school
Diagram
Flower Garland school
Three Treatises school take Shakyamuni as their object of devotion. But they regard his Dharma body as without beginning and without end, his reward body as with beginning but without end, and his manifested body as with beginning and with end.
Dharma Characteristics school
Diagram
True Word school
takes Mahāvairochana Thus Come One as its exclusive object of devotion.
Regarding him, there are two opinions:
(1) That Mahāvairochana Thus Come One is the Dharma body of Shakyamuni.
(2) That Mahāvairochana Thus Come One is not the Dharma body of Shakyamuni.

However, the Mahāvairochana Sutra makes clear that Mahāvairochana Thus Come One is Shakyamuni Buddha. The assertion to the contrary is an erroneous view originating with later scholars of the True Word school.

Diagram
Pure Land school takes Amida Thus Come One as its exclusive object of devotion.

The seven schools listed above, the True Word school and the others, along with the Pure Land school, all fail to recognize Shakyamuni Thus Come One as their father. They resemble the persons in China living before the time of the Three Sovereigns who, like birds and beasts, did not know who their own father was. Among birds, neither the tit or wren nor the phoenix know their own father, and among beasts, neither the rabbit nor the lion know their own father. And in the time before that of the Three Sovereigns, neither great kings nor lowly commoners knew who their own father was.

The Mahayana schools other than the Tendai school, the True Word school and the others are comparable to the lion or the phoenix, and the Hinayana schools are comparable to tits and wrens or to rabbits. None of them know who their own father is.

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Volume five of Great Concentration and Insight states: “The Flower Garland Sutra says, ‘The mind is like a skilled painter, who creates various forms made up of the five components. Thus of all the phenomena throughout the entire world, there is not a single one that is not created by the mind.’ The ‘various forms made up of the five components’ referred to here are the five components of the Ten Worlds mentioned earlier.”

And it also says, “The five components of the Ten Worlds means that each of the five components is endowed with the ten factors, namely, appearance, nature, entity, power, influence, internal cause, relation, latent effect, manifest effect, and their consistency from beginning to end.”

And it also says, “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,21 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.”

Volume five of On “Great Concentration and Insight” states: “Therefore the Great Teacher [T’ien-t’ai], in his writings on mind contemplation such as The Mind-Perceiving Meditation, Contemplation of the Mind and Method of Eating, The Method of Sutra Recitation, and The Essentials of Concentration and Insight, only made clear the method for contemplation of the self-produced and externally-produced minds as a way of understanding the doctrine of the three aspects of temporary existence.22 But he did not as yet explain that a single moment of life possesses the three thousand realms.

“Again, in his Treatise on the Observation of the Mind, he uses the thirty-six questions to define the nature of the four kinds of mind,23 but he does not touch on the doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life. Only in his Four Meditations, he refers briefly to the Ten Worlds as they relate to observation of the mind.

“Thus, when at last he revealed the method of meditation in Great Concentration and Insight, he at the same time employed the ‘three thousand realms’ as a way to understand. This principle is the ultimate revelation of his final and supreme teaching. That is why Chang-an states in his introduction [to Great Concentration and Insight], ‘Great Concentration and Insight reveals the teaching that T’ien-t’ai Chih-che himself practiced in the depths of his being.’ He had good reason for saying this. I hope that those who read this work and seek to understand it will not allow their minds to be distracted by anything else.”

Volume five of Great Concentration and Insight states: “These ten meditations are all-encompassing in scope, subtly and keenly effective. First one concentrates on determining the truth or falsity of the objects of meditation; then one carries out the correct practice, and the supplementary practices if these are needed; and in the end one attains the level of security and non-attachment. Perfect in intent, skillful in method, this procedure is complete and all-embracing, a guideline for the beginner in practice. The practitioner proceeds through the various steps until he has reached the level of sarvajnatā24 (the first stage of security).

“This is not something that can be understood by meditation masters with their ignorance of correct doctrine or by Dharma teachers who merely recite texts. In effect, what the Thus Come Ones strove over countless kalpas to achieve; the wonderful enlightenment gained by them in the place of practice; that which Shāriputra three times begged the Buddha to reveal; that which was set forth in the three cycles of preaching—this is precisely what is contained within this [method of meditation].”

Volume five of On “Great Concentration and Insight” states: “The sixteen views regarding existence and nonexistence set forth in the four teachings,25 the eight teachings expounded by the Buddha throughout the course of his lifetime, are encompassed herein. All are now opened up and made clear, gathered together into the one vehicle, which embraces all the various sutras, brought to completion in a single truth. Under the present circumstances, even the Buddhas of the partial teachings cannot understand [these ten meditations], much less persons26 in the world today who are ignorant of correct doctrine. . . .

“The passage that begins, ‘In effect, what the Thus Come Ones strove over countless kalpas to achieve’ sings their praises. These ten meditations are set forth on the basis of the Lotus Sutra. Therefore T’ien-t’ai turns back to the text of the sutra and employs it to praise them.

“If one goes by the theoretical teaching, then one turns to [the seventh chapter of the sutra, which describes] the time of the Buddha Great Universal Wisdom Excellence and how Shakyamuni carried out religious practice for ‘countless kalpas’ and finally in the place of practice [under the bodhi tree] achieved ‘wonderful enlightenment.’ And if one goes by the essential teaching, then one returns to [the passage where the Buddha says] ‘originally I practiced the bodhisattva way,’27 and explains how he continued to practice for ‘countless kalpas’ until he in fact attained original Buddhahood,28 achieving ‘wonderful enlightenment.’ Thus the theoretical teaching and the essential teaching are both saying that one should simply seek to practice these ten meditations and attain enlightenment.

“In the passage regarding Shāriputra and the others, the Buddha, having attained enlightenment in the place of practice, wished to expound what he had awakened to. But he realized that the capacities of his listeners were not yet of a suitable level, and he feared that [unable to believe his words] they would fall into the realm of suffering. Therefore he resorted to expedient means, over a period of forty and more years seeking in various ways to mature the understanding of his listeners.

“Then, at the assembly where he expounded the Lotus Sutra, he for the first time began in a summary way to cast off the view set forth in the provisional teachings. At that time, Shāriputra started to question his previous assumptions and to entertain doubts, and he three times earnestly begged the Buddha to reveal the truth. Then five thousand overbearing arrogant persons rose from their seats and withdrew, and after that the assembly was free of branches and leaves.29

“Then the Buddha revealed that the four elements of teaching, practice, person, and principle are all incorporated in the one Buddha vehicle, describing the teaching method of the five categories of Buddhas and preaching the Law for those who could be called persons of superior capacity.

“But because the persons of intermediate capacity could not understand what he was saying, he employed similes and parables to convey this meaning. And because persons of inferior capacity were still hindered by faulty understanding, he explained to them in terms of their past relationship with him.

“The Buddha’s intentions were far-reaching, embodied in these ten meditations. Therefore, at the end of his discussion of the ten meditations, T’ien-t’ai likens them all to the great carriage.30

“From this it is apparent that his remarks are meant to refer to the Lotus Sutra. But deluded persons fail to realize this and insist that they pertain to the Flower Garland Sutra. They merely see that the Flower Garland Sutra speaks of the teaching of perfect and immediate enlightenment, and are blind to the fact that this sutra belongs to the category of those that expound the perfect teaching in conjunction with the specific teaching.

“They completely fail to perceive the absolute viewpoint of the Lotus Sutra [from which all other sutras are opened up and merged with the Lotus], overlooking its significance as the sole revelation of the wonderful teaching and relegating it instead to a lesser position. But if one truly understands the passages on the theoretical teaching and the essential teaching and grasps the doctrine pertaining to the five periods of the Buddha’s preaching life, one cannot fail to see that the Lotus Sutra represents the most perfect of all teachings. How could there be any doubt? Therefore at the end of his remarks, T’ien-t’ai says, ‘This is precisely what is contained within this [method of meditation].’”

The same work [the fifth volume of On “Great Concentration and Insight”] also states: “T’ien-t’ai first quotes the passage from the Flower Garland Sutra because he is discussing the nature of the various objects of meditation. He wishes to show that the concept of ‘creation by the mind’ described in the above passage is the same as that of ‘mind endowment’ in his own discussion [of the doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life]. Therefore he quotes the Flower Garland Sutra as proof of the validity of his concept of mind endowment.

“In volume eighteen of the Flower Garland Sutra, in the verse passage spoken by Bodhisattva Forest of Merits, we read: ‘The mind is like a skilled painter, who creates various forms made up of the five components. Thus of all the phenomena throughout the entire world, there is not a single one that is not created by the mind. The Buddha is the same in nature as the mind, and living beings are the same in nature as the Buddha. The mind, the Buddha, and all living beings—these three are without distinction. . . . If one wishes to understand all the Buddhas of the three existences of past, present, and future, one should contemplate this truth: it is the mind that creates all the Thus Come Ones.’

“But if one does not understand T’ien-t’ai’s passage on the three thousand realms in a single moment of life, then how can one make any sense of the Flower Garland Sutra when it says, ‘Thus of all the phenomena throughout the entire world, there is not a single one that is not created by the mind. . . . The mind, the Buddha, and all living beings—these three are without distinction’?”

In judging the correctness or incorrectness of the teachings of the eight schools, one should examine them with this criterion in mind [namely, whether or not they reveal the doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life].

With my deep respect,

Nichiren

The eighteenth day of the second month

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Background

Nichiren Daishonin wrote this work, dated the eighteenth day of the second month in 1272, during his exile on the island of Sado to Toki Jōnin in Shimōsa Province. In it he compares the doctrines of the Tendai, or Lotus, school, with those of the eight Buddhist schools prevalent in Japan at the time. Based on his comparison, he establishes that the Tendai school alone among them is capable of enabling all people to attain Buddhahood. Toki Jōnin was a samurai and one of the first lay followers of the Daishonin, taking faith in his teachings around 1254.

The “eight schools” of the title is a term that generally referred to the six schools of Buddhism predominant during the Nara period (710–794)—the Dharma Analysis Treasury, Establishment of Truth, Precepts, Dharma Characteristics, Three Treatises, and Flower Garland schools—and the two schools that rose to prominence during the Heian period (794–1185), the Tendai and True Word schools. In this writing, however, the Daishonin is contrasting eight major Buddhist schools with the Tendai school. Therefore, the Tendai school is not included in the eight referred to here. In its place, the Daishonin counts the Pure Land, or Nembutsu, school, which had only recently gained prominence.

In this work the Daishonin compares the doctrines of these eight schools with those of the Tendai school—or, more specifically, with those of the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai. The Tendai (Chin T’ien-t’ai) school in Japan, founded by Dengyō, later veered from the teachings of T’ien-t’ai and Dengyō, as the Daishonin points out in his writings. Thus when the Daishonin refers in this work to the Tendai school, he means the teachings of T’ien-t’ai, Miao-lo, and Dengyō based on the Lotus Sutra, not the teachings accepted by the Tendai school of his day.

The focus of his comparison rests with each school’s view of the three bodies of the Buddha found in the sutras upon which those schools respectively rely. Sutras that do not teach the eternal nature of all three bodies—the Dharma body, the reward body, and the manifested body—are sutras that are not complete and final, he says. And he faults the eight schools for taking as their objects of devotion Buddhas that are incomplete, that are not eternally endowed with the three bodies. He then points out that the Flower Garland and True Word schools, which claim that their teachings include the principle of three thousand realms in a single moment of life, actually stole that doctrine from T’ien-t’ai’s teachings. In fact, their principal sutras, the Flower Garland and Mahāvairochana, do not include it, nor do they recognize the eternal nature of the Buddha’s three bodies. Hence they constitute no more than expedient means or provisional teachings that cannot enable one to attain Buddhahood, he concludes. He explains that the principle of three thousand realms in a single moment of life is a unique teaching found only in the Lotus Sutra, and that it was first clarified by T’ien-t’ai in his work Great Concentration and Insight.

Quoting that work, and Miao-lo’s commentary on it, the Daishonin sheds light on the significance of the ten meditations and the ten objects of meditation, which constitute the main part of Great Concentration and Insight. Next he explains why T’ien-t’ai quotes the Flower Garland Sutra passage that reads, “The mind is like a skilled painter . . . there is not a single one [phenomenon] that is not created by the mind.” That passage, says the Daishonin, is cited only to support T’ien-t’ai’s argument that the mind is endowed with all phenomena, not to assert as the Flower Garland school contends that the mind creates all phenomena. The Daishonin closes by emphasizing that, if one wishes to understand the differences between the Tendai, or Lotus, school and the other Buddhist schools, one should carefully examine whether or not their basic sutras do in fact contain the principle of three thousand realms in a single moment of life and whether they recognize the eternal nature of the three bodies of the Buddha.

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Notes

1. The words “the provisional” here refer to the transient aspect or identity of the Buddha. The Buddha of this identity is called “provisional Buddha” and is viewed as the Buddha of the manifested body.

2. Lotus Sutra, chap. 3. This and the following two passages constitute a verse in the same chapter.

3. Emperor Wu (r. 560–578) of the Northern Chou dynasty who persecuted Buddhism. This persecution is known as one of the four imperial persecutions of Buddhism in China.

21. “Thirty realms” refers to the ten factors multiplied by the three realms of existence (see Glossary).

22. A doctrine described in The Treatise on the Establishment of Truth, which regards all things as temporary and non-substantial, or, as without an independent and distinctive nature of their own. The first of the three aspects is that all things are temporary because they arise through their relationship with other beings or phenomena, that is, dependent origination. The second is that all things are temporary because they appear to exist in uninterrupted continuity but change moment by moment. The third is that all things are temporary because they can be grasped from the viewpoint of relativity and dualism.

23. The nature of the four kinds of mind is that the mind is self-produced, that is, born of itself; that it is produced by another; that it is produced by both these; and that it is produced by neither.

24. The Sanskrit word sarvajnatā here refers to the wisdom through which one begins to free oneself from illusions about the true nature of existence and awaken to the truth of the Middle Way.

25. The four views regarding existence and nonexistence are set forth in each of the four teachings, or four teachings of doctrine. The four views regarding existence and nonexistence, or four perceptions of reality, are four gates to enter the Buddhist truth. They are (1) the gate of being, (2) the gate of emptiness, (3) the gate of both being and emptiness, and (4) the gate of neither being nor emptiness. Thus there are the sixteen views in all of the four teachings.

26. “Persons” here refers to “meditation masters with their ignorance of correct doctrine” mentioned earlier.

27. Lotus Sutra, chap. 16.

28. This refers to Shakyamuni’s original attainment of enlightenment numberless major world system dust particle kalpas in the past, as described in chapter sixteen of the Lotus Sutra.

29. Chapter two of the Lotus Sutra describes the withdrawal of the five thousand arrogant persons, saying, “This assembly is now free of branches and leaves, made up only of those steadfast and truthful.”

30. “The great carriage” refers to the great white ox carriage described in the parable of the three carts and the burning house in chapter three of the Lotus Sutra, where it represents the one Buddha vehicle, or the supreme vehicle of Buddhahood.

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