The Third Doctrine

The Third Doctrine: The Essence of the Lotus Sutra

Original Theme Track

Background

This letter was written at Minobu in the tenth month of the third year of Kenji (1277) to Toki Jōnin, a leading figure among the believers in Shimōsa Province, in response to Toki’s report of his encounter in debate with Ryōshō-bō, a prominent local priest of the Tendai school. In his reply, the Daishonin comments on the points raised in the debate and provides additional clarification for future reference.

Evidently, Toki had gained an unexpected advantage in the debate when his opponent proved himself ignorant of a passage in Miao-lo’s Annotations on “The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra” to the effect that one cannot attain true liberation through the pre-Lotus Sutra teachings. This passage represents Miao-lo’s annotation on another passage from T’ien-t’ai’s Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra, which in turn is commenting on a passage from the “Life Span” chapter of the Lotus Sutra. In the first part of his reply, the Daishonin cites all three passages and explains their essential meaning. The pre-Lotus Sutra teachings, he says, are all expedient means preached solely in order to lead people to the Lotus Sutra, and the benefits of those teachings depend on the teaching of the sutra’s “Life Span” chapter.

The Daishonin also draws on a traditional standard of doctrinal comparison, that of the teachings still in a certain dimension and the teachings extending beyond, to further illustrate his point. This comparison, he says, may be carried out on three levels. From the viewpoint of the third and final level of comparison, even the essential teaching of the Lotus Sutra is considered to be a teaching still belonging to a certain dimension, while only the supreme Law implied in the depths of the “Life Span” chapter is viewed as extending beyond. This third level corresponds to the “third doctrine,” from which this writing takes its name. The third doctrine also indicates the supreme Law, that is, the original seed of enlightenment, which the Daishonin revealed for the first time in the Latter Day as Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.