How Those Initially Aspiring to the Way Can Attain Buddhahood through the Lotus Sutra

Chapter10(Revealing that the five characters of Myoho are the essential Law for attaining Buddhahood)

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Question: If ignorant persons should come and ask what path leads to emancipation from the sufferings of birth and death, what teachings of which sutras should one explain for them? What has the Buddha taught concerning this point?

Answer: You should teach them the Lotus Sutra. For example, the “Teacher of the Law” chapter says: “If someone should ask what living beings will be able to attain Buddhahood in a latter-day existence, then you should show him that all these people in a latter-day existence are certain to attain Buddhahood.” And the “Peaceful Practices” chapter says, “If he is asked difficult questions, he should not reply in terms of the teachings of the lesser vehicle. He should explain things solely in terms of the great vehicle.” The meaning of these passages is that, if someone should ask what kind of persons are capable of attaining Buddhahood, you should reply that persons who embrace the Lotus Sutra are certain to attain Buddhahood. This represents the Buddha’s true intention.

Here a question may arise: “People differ widely in their capacity and inclination. Some will want to hear the Nembutsu teachings, while others will want to hear the Lotus Sutra. If one expounds the Lotus Sutra to those who want to hear about the Nembutsu, what benefit will they derive from it? If someone has come and specifically asked to hear about the Nembutsu, should one insist on teaching that person the Lotus Sutra? The true intention of the Buddha was to preach the Law in accordance with people’s capacities so that they could gain benefit thereby, was it not?”

If someone should raise objections of this kind, you should explain as follows. As a matter of principle, in the world of the Latter Day of the Law, without considering whether or not it conforms to the capacity of ignorant people, one should go ahead and teach them the five characters that compose the title of the Lotus Sutra and enable them to embrace it.

As for the reason, when Shakyamuni Buddha spread the Lotus Sutra long ago as a bodhisattva named Never Disparaging, the laymen and laywomen, the nuns and monks, all refused to heed his words. On the contrary, he was cursed and reviled, beaten and driven away, being subjected to numerous types of persecution. But though he was hated and envied, he did not allow it to daunt him in the slightest, but kept on assertively preaching the Lotus Sutra, and for that reason he appeared in our present world as Shakyamuni Buddha. The people who had cursed Bodhisattva Never Disparaging did not find their mouths twisting out of shape, and those who had beaten him likewise suffered no stiffening of their arms.

The Venerable Āryasimha, who inherited Shakyamuni’s teachings, was murdered by a non-Buddhist, and the Tripitaka Master Fa-tao was branded on the face and exiled to the region south of the Yangtze River. How much more so, in the Latter Day of the Law, will an insignificant monk who attempts to propagate the Lotus Sutra encounter such difficulties! Indeed, the sutra makes this very clear. Therefore, although the people may not heed it or may say that it does not suit their capacity, one should nevertheless persist in expounding to them the five-character title of the Lotus Sutra, because there is no other way than this to attain Buddhahood.

Notes

43. Earlier the “Teacher of the Law” chapter speaks of “persons who embrace, read, recite, expound, and copy the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law, even only one verse, and look upon this sutra with the same reverence as they would the Buddha.”

44. These persons suffered no immediate punishment in this life, but after death they fell into hell. Eventually, however, they were able to take faith in the Lotus Sutra.

Lecture

Here, a question is raised regarding what teaching should be expounded when someone ignorant of Buddhism seeks to attain Buddhahood. It states that regardless of the person’s capacity—and even if they react with opposition and resentment—one should teach them the Lotus Sutra.

An “ignorant person” refers to someone who lacks an understanding of Buddhism. The question asks: if such a person seeks “the way to free oneself from birth and death”—that is, the path to break free from the sufferings of transmigration through the six paths and attain Buddhahood—the meaning of which sutra should one teach them, and how does the Buddha instruct us on this matter?

In response, the Daishonin declares, “One should expound the Lotus Sutra,” and demonstrates the reason by citing documentary proof from the Lotus Sutra itself.

The passage in the tenth chapter, “Teacher of the Law,” states: “If someone should ask what kind of living beings will be able to attain Buddhahood in a future existence, you should show them that these very people will certainly attain Buddhahood in a future existence.” This means that if someone asks what sort of living beings can become Buddhas in the future, one should reply that “these people” will be able to attain Buddhahood in a future life. The phrase “these people” who will attain Buddhahood in the future refers back to the preceding passage in the “Teacher of the Law” chapter: “Moreover, if there is anyone who embraces, reads, recites, expounds, and copies even a single verse of the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law, who looks upon this sutra scroll with the same reverence as if it were the Buddha himself, and who offers it various kinds of flowers, incense, necklaces, powdered incense, paste incense, burning incense, silken canopies, streamers, banners, garments, and music, or even reverently joins their palms in homage before it.” Thus, it points to those who hear and embrace “even a single verse of the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law.” Furthermore, the next passage cited, from the fourteenth chapter, “Peaceful Practices,” reads: “If someone asks difficult questions, do not answer by means of the Hinayana Law. Explain the matter solely through the Mahayana, enabling them to acquire the wisdom of all modes.” This means that if someone poses challenging questions, one must not answer with expedient teachings such as the provisional pre-Lotus Sutra doctrines, which are not the Law for attaining Buddhahood; rather, one should explain things solely through the Lotus Sutra, the true Law for attaining Buddhahood, and thereby enable them to gain the wisdom of the Buddha.

In this context, “Hinayana” and “Mahayana” do not carry their ordinary meanings of the Lesser and Greater Vehicles, but are distinguished based on whether or not a teaching provides the path to Buddhahood. “The wisdom of all modes” (all-embracing wisdom) refers to the Buddha’s wisdom that fully comprehends the true aspect of all phenomena, in contrast to the “all-knowledge” of the two vehicles and the “wisdom of the ways” of bodhisattvas. The Mahayana Law that “enables them to acquire the wisdom of all modes” and attain Buddhahood is none other than the Lotus Sutra.

Therefore, these passages from the “Teacher of the Law” and “Peaceful Practices” chapters clarify that anyone who embraces the Lotus Sutra will without fail become a Buddha. It is the Buddha’s true intention that even ignorant people and beginners in faith should be led to believe in and accept the Lotus Sutra as the Law for attaining Buddhahood.

“Here a question may arise: “People differ widely in their capacity and inclination. Some will want to hear the Nembutsu teachings, while others will want to hear the Lotus Sutra. If one expounds the Lotus Sutra to those who want to hear about the Nembutsu, what benefit will they derive from it? If someone has come and specifically asked to hear about the Nembutsu, should one insist on teaching that person the Lotus Sutra? The true intention of the Buddha was to preach the Law in accordance with people’s capacities so that they could gain benefit thereby, was it not?”

If someone should raise objections of this kind, you should explain as follows. As a matter of principle, in the world of the Latter Day of the Law, without considering whether or not it conforms to the capacity of ignorant people, one should go ahead and teach them the five characters that compose the title of the Lotus Sutra and enable them to embrace it.

As for the reason, when Shakyamuni Buddha spread the Lotus Sutra long ago as a bodhisattva named Never Disparaging, the laymen and laywomen, the nuns and monks, all refused to heed his words. On the contrary, he was cursed and reviled, beaten and driven away, being subjected to numerous types of persecution. But though he was hated and envied, he did not allow it to daunt him in the slightest, but kept on assertively preaching the Lotus Sutra, and for that reason he appeared in our present world as Shakyamuni Buddha. The people who had cursed Bodhisattva Never Disparaging did not find their mouths twisting out of shape, and those who had beaten him likewise suffered no stiffening of their arms.

The Venerable Āryasimha, who inherited Shakyamuni’s teachings, was murdered by a non-Buddhist, and the Tripitaka Master Fa-tao was branded on the face and exiled to the region south of the Yangtze River. How much more so, in the Latter Day of the Law, will an insignificant monk who attempts to propagate the Lotus Sutra encounter such difficulties! Indeed, the sutra makes this very clear. Therefore, although the people may not heed it or may say that it does not suit their capacity, one should nevertheless persist in expounding to them the five-character title of the Lotus Sutra, because there is no other way than this to attain Buddhahood.”

In response to the assertion that the Lotus Sutra should be taught for the sake of attaining Buddhahood, the Daishonin takes up a doubt commonly held by people of his time: since the capacities and inclinations of living beings vary so widely, if one preaches the Lotus Sutra to someone who wishes to hear the Nembutsu, won’t they simply fail to believe it and gain no benefit at all? Should one still insist on preaching the Lotus Sutra even under such circumstances?

Underlying this doubt is the notion that “surely the Buddha’s true intention in preaching the Law is to accord with the people’s capacities so that they may derive benefit.”

An earlier question in the treatise similarly argued: “Shakyamuni’s lifetime teachings were all for the sake of living beings. Because the capacities of living beings are infinitely varied, his teachings were also diverse, yet his true intention in all of them was for people to attain the Way.” In answer to this, the Daishonin explains that the provisional pre-Lotus Sutra teachings, which Shakyamuni preached in accordance with the people’s capacities, were expedient means intended to prepare and mature their capacities; finally, as the original purpose of his advent in the world, he expounded the Lotus Sutra, the true Law for attaining Buddhahood.

Here, the Daishonin declares: “In the age of the Latter Day of the Law, regardless of whether or not it suits the capacities of ignorant people, one should simply insist on preaching the five-character title of the Lotus Sutra and have them embrace it.” This is because the people of the Latter Day of the Law have the capacity of those who have not yet planted roots of goodness (honmi-uzen); therefore, they cannot attain Buddhahood except through receiving the seed of Buddhahood via “the five-character title of the Lotus Sutra”—namely, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo of the sowing hidden in the depths of the “Life Span” chapter.

As the reason why one must persistently expound the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Day of the Law, the Daishonin cites examples of figures who met with persecution for propagating the correct Law—such as Bodhisattva Never Disparaging, Venerable Aryasimha, and the Tripitaka Master Fa-tao. He points out that the sutra passages themselves foretell that hardships will arise when propagating the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Day, and he states that even if it does not suit people’s capacities, one must insist on making them hear the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra, because there is no other way to become a Buddha.

Regarding Bodhisattva Never Disparaging, as described in the twentieth chapter of the Lotus Sutra, “Bodhisattva Never Disparaging,” he appeared toward the end of the Middle Day of the Law of the Buddha Awesome Sound King. Recognizing that all living beings possess the Buddha nature, he expounded the twenty-four-character Lotus Sutra: “I have profound reverence for you, I would never dare treat you with disparagement or arrogance. Why is that? Because you are all practicing the bodhisattva way and are certain to attain Buddhahood.” Because he bowed in reverence to all people and never slighted them, he was called “Never Disparaging.”

In response, the four categories of arrogant believers became enraged, dismissing Bodhisattva Never Disparaging as ignorant. They reviled and cursed him, beat him with staffs and sticks, and pelted him with stones and tiles, yet he never ceased his practice of bowing to them in reverence.

The “Never Disparaging” chapter states: “Because he preached this sutra, he gained immeasurable fortune, gradually accumulated benefit, and quickly attained the Buddha way. The Never Disparaging of that time was none other than I myself.” Thus, Never Disparaging is identified as Shakyamuni Buddha in a past existence.

The Daishonin’s statement—”Though he was cursed and slandered, beaten and driven away in countless ways, and resented and envied, he was not in the least deterred and continued to persistently preach the Lotus Sutra, and for that reason he became the present Shakyamuni Buddha”—demonstrates that when it is the time to expound the Lotus Sutra, one must insist on preaching it regardless of whether people listen or not, and even if one suffers persecution as a result.

Those who cursed Bodhisattva Never Disparaging did not have their mouths twisted, nor did the hands of those who struck him become paralyzed; in other words, they did not suffer immediate conspicuous punishment. However, when Bodhisattva Never Disparaging was approaching the end of his life, he attained the purification of the six sense organs, extended his life span by two million million nayutas of years, and acquired great transcendental powers. Seeing this, the four categories of believers who had persecuted him all bowed in faith and followed him. Nevertheless, because of their initial offense of despising Bodhisattva Never Disparaging, for two hundred million kalpas they never encountered a Buddha, and for a thousand kalpas they underwent great agony in the hell of incessant suffering. Only after expiating this offense were they able to meet Bodhisattva Never Disparaging again and be instructed by him in the Law.

Through this practice of Bodhisattva Never Disparaging, the Daishonin illustrates that the standard method of propagation in the Latter Day of the Law is shakubuku, and that people are saved even by forming a “reverse relationship” (gyakuen) with the Law.

“Venerable Aryasimha of the lineage of the transmission of the Law” refers to the last of the twenty-four successors who correctly received the transmission of the Law and propagated Buddhism after Shakyamuni’s passing—beginning with Mahakashyapa from Shakyamuni, and Ananda from Mahakashyapa—having received the transmission from Haklenayashas.

While Venerable Aryasimha was propagating the teachings in the kingdom of Kashmir, King Dammira, a ruler steeped in distorted views, fiercely persecuted Buddhism by destroying numerous temples and stupas and slaughtering monks, before finally beheading Venerable Aryasimha. According to tradition, as a result of this act, the king’s arm rotted and fell off at the elbow, and he died in agony seven days later.

Moreover, it is said that not a single drop of blood flowed from Venerable Aryasimha’s severed neck; instead, white milk gushed forth. This is interpreted as a sign that the venerable one upheld the pure Law (“white Law”) and had attained Buddhahood.

The Tripitaka Master Fa-tao refers to Yung-tao, a monk of the Sung dynasty in China. When Emperor Hui-tsung, the eighth ruler of the Northern Sung dynasty, revered the teachings of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu, patronized Taoism, and ordered Buddhist monks and nuns to return to secular life, Fa-tao opposed the decree and submitted a memorial remonstrating with the emperor. Incurring the emperor’s wrath, he was branded on the face with a hot iron and exiled to Tao-chou, south of the Yangtze River.

Thus, even during the Former and Middle Days of the Law, there were examples of practitioners who suffered persecution for propagating the correct Law. All the more so in the Latter Day of the Law, when an “insignificant monk” endeavors to propagate the Lotus Sutra, it is clearly expounded in the sutra passages that hardships will inevitably arise.

Therefore, even if people do not heed the teaching, or claim that it does not suit their capacities, one must persistently preach and cause them to hear “the five-character daimoku of the Lotus Sutra,” namely, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

This is because, just as the Daishonin states, “there is no other way to become a Buddha”—meaning that since the people of the Latter Day of the Law have formed no prior connection with Shakyamuni’s Buddhism in past existences, they cannot attain Buddhahood unless the seed of Buddhahood, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, is planted within their lives.

As the Daishonin writes in The Teaching for the Latter Day : “Now, in the Latter Day of the Law, neither the Lotus Sutra nor the other sutras lead to enlightenment. Only Nam-myoho-renge-kyo can do so.” (WND-1, ｐ. 903). The people of the Latter Day can attain Buddhahood only by directly believing in and accepting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the essential Law for attaining Buddhahood; therefore, persistently causing them to hear the correct Law is of utmost importance.