The Unanimous Declaration by the Buddhas of the Three Existencesregarding the Classification of the Teachings and Which Are to Be Abandoned and Which Upheld Chapter6

The Unanimous Declaration by the Buddhas of the Three Existencesregarding the Classification of the Teachings and Which Are to Be Abandoned and Which Upheld Chapter6

Written by Nichiren

The Buddha in his preaching left proof that Buddhahood cannot be gained through the first three of the four teachings, thus opening the way to full understanding for living beings of this latter age.

Living beings in the nine worlds sleep in an ignorance that accompanies them each moment of their lives, drowned in dreams of the realm of birth and death, forgetful of the waking state of original enlightenment, clinging to dreamlike rights and wrongs, moving from darkness into darkness.

For this reason the Thus Come One enters this dream realm of birth and death in which we dwell, speaks in the same dream language as living beings with their topsy-turvy thinking, beckons to these living beings in their dreams, speaks to them of distinctions between good and evil as they exist in the realm of dreams, and in this way bit by bit leads and guides them. But because the affairs of good and evil in this dream realm are so manifold in nature, so endlessly and boundlessly varied, he first of all addresses himself to the good, establishing three categories of superior, middling, and inferior good. This is the doctrine of the three vehicles [of voice-hearer, cause-awakened one, and bodhisattva]. And, after explaining this, he points out that within each of these three categories there are three subcategories [those of superior, middling, and inferior capacities], so that, beginning with the highest category, that of superior capacity within the category of superior good, there are three times three categories, or nine categories in all.

But all these categories belong in the end to the rights and wrongs or good and evil as these exist in the dream realm of birth and death in the nine worlds. And all these distinctions represent erroneous views, the way of the non-Buddhists. (This is the view set forth in Delving into the Essentials.⁴)

But then he explains that the goodness of mind of the highest category, that of superior capacity within the category of superior good, represents the principle of the waking state of original enlightenment and hence may be called the root or basis of goodness. At this point, because the listeners are utilizing the power of distinguishing between good and evil as they exist in the realm of dreams, they can begin to understand the principle of the true aspect of the original mind in the realm of wakefulness.

At this time the Buddha points out that, although one speaks of two different phenomena, dreams and the waking state, false affairs and true affairs, the mind underlying these is a single entity in either case. When it encounters conditions leading to sleep, it becomes the mind of dreams, but when sleep has passed away, it is the mind of the waking state. In either case the mind is a single entity, he explains. But in order to lay the groundwork for opening and merging of the dream realm and waking state, he has earlier preached an expedient means. (This addresses the doctrine of the Middle Way as it is explained in the specific teaching.)

Thus, because the principle of the mutual possession of the Ten Worlds, or of all phenomena perfectly fused and integrated, had not yet been made clear, no one could in fact attain Buddhahood. Therefore we may say that, from the Tripitaka teaching up through the specific teaching, all the eight teachings set forth in the first forty-two years of the Buddha’s preaching life are in all cases expedient means and deal with the good and evil in a realm of dreams. The Buddha simply employed them for the time being in order to lead and guide living beings. They are expedient means used as a type of preparation.

However, within these various provisional teachings there are some that fall into the category of expedient means and some that fall into the category of truth. The two categories of provisional and true are not completely lacking in these teachings. Thus within each of the four teachings are to be found the four perceptions of reality,⁵ and they may seem to be the same in all four teachings. The words in which they are couched are the same and there may seem to be no difference in the meaning of the words. But if one is misled by this similarity of language into supposing that there is no real difference between provisional and true teachings, then the Buddha’s teachings will be destroyed.