THE SO-CALLED ‘SHÔJU’ INITIATIVE AND ITS SPONSORS
continued...
View of Kiyosumi where Nichiren Shonin chanted the Odaimoku [ Namu myoho renge kyo ]
On April 28, 1253, to establish the true teachings of the Buddha (Lord Shakya). (Photo by S. Polito)
part - 3 of 8
Let us return to what is ultimately important:
The state of the Buddha Dharma. How can one say that this is not still the period
of which Nichiren Shônin states:“This time is fixed as the time when ‘they are firm in struggle and the Pure Dharma
is hidden and sinks’, an occasion of the mixing and confusion of the Provisional with the Real” (STN, v. 1, 735, citing the Daijikkyô 55 (“Embudai hon”) (T.13.363)). Is there not strife among Buddhists? Has strife ceased in the world? Are not weapons more terrible than ever? And is not the most terrible aspect of all this the falsification of the Dharma?SHAKUBUKU AND SHÔJU
Let us now turn to the ‘shôju’ partisans argument from the “Kaimoku shô” that in mappô there is both shôju and shakubuku. Nichiren Shônin always recognized that there are these two methods but the real question is which is the one to use now; which one to put to the fore. By “now”, of course, is meant the era in which we live: mappô; once again we note that neither the Lord Buddha nor His Messenger Nichiren Shônin limited this to his lifetime in medieval Japan.
Nichiren Shônin, analyzing of our age of mappô, writes:
“In the Latter Dharma the Greater and the Lesser, the Provisional and the Real,
the Exoteric and the Esoteric [ Teachings ] are all only Teachings and have no Attainment. The whole of Jambudvîpa has all become blasphemous against the Dharma. For the sake of the rebellious condition it is limited to just the Five Characters ‘Myôhô renge kyô’ (Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Sublime Dharma) only. For example, it is like the ‘Chapter of Fukyô’, My disciples are the obedient condition (jun en); the country of Japan is the rebellious condition “gyaku en””
(STN, v. 1, 816).And he states:
“....because this era is “firm in struggle and the Pure Dharma is hidden and
sinks’ [Daijikkyô 55 (“Embudai hon”) (T.13.363)], and, on top of this, there are only
evil countries, evil kings, evil ministers, evil commoners and they turn against the True Dharma and revere perverted dharmas and perverted teachers, so evil demons enter into the land and the Three Calamities and the Seven Disasters have arisen in abundance” (STN, v. 1, 735).As we can see from these passages Nichiren Shônin regarded his age and the
whole of the human world (Jambudvîpa), not merely Japan, as blasphemous and evil
in terms of their disbelief in the Hokekyô, the True Dharma, and their support for wrong teachings. Such beings, their countries and so on are the proper objects of shakubuku, rightly understood.Nichiren Shônin explains the important difference between the method of conversion used by the Lord Buddha Shakyamuni in His historical Manifestation and that used
by the Bodhisattva entrusted with the teaching for this evil age.“In the ‘Chapter of Expedience’ and so on it appears one is to preach this Sutra
in light of the capacities [of the audience]; in the ‘Chapter of Fukyô’ it appears that, even though they blaspheme, one should just forcibly preach it. The former and latter [parts] of the one Sutra are like water and fire. However, Tendai Daishi reconciles them, saying, “As to those who already originally had good [karmic roots], Shakya guards them with the Lesser [Vehicle]; as to those who originally never yet had good
[karmic roots ], Fukyô forcibly poisons them with the Great [Vehicle]”” [Hokke mongu 10B (T.34.141a27-b1)]. The heart (meaning) of the text is: For those who originally had good [karmic] roots and who should obtain understanding within the present lifetime one should directly preach the Hokekyô. However, if among them there are still capacities who hear yet are likely to blaspheme, one should temporarily prepare them with the Provisional Sutras and afterwards preach the Hokekyô. Those who originally have not had the good [karmic] roots of the Great [Vehicle], even now they are not going to believe the Hokekyô and for whatever reason are going to fall to the Evil
Ways [of Rebirth] so just forcibly preach the Hokekyô and cause them to blaspheme and also make them form a rebellious condition. According to this commentary,
in the Latter Age those without good [karmic roots] are many; those having good
[karmic roots] are few. Therefore there is no doubt they will fall to the Evil Ways
[of Rebirth]. We should all the same forcibly preach and cause them to hear the Hokekyô and they should form the condition of the poison drum, should they not?
So there are none who contest that this is the season for preaching the Hokekyô
that they may form the condition of blasphemy, are there?” (STN, v. 1, 204-205)Comment: clearly Nichiren Shônin is basing himself on the Tendai interpretation
of the Sutra and he notes that the people of this era in general are without the good seeds planted by the Buddha; they are people without good karmic roots; so even
if one concedes that there might be people who have such good karmic roots, who formed a connecting condition (kechien) during the Lord Buddha Shakya’s earthly lifetime, now they are few and far between; thus the overwhelmingly predominant method of propagation in this age of the Latter Dharma is shakubuku: the unalloyed assertion of the Unique Vehicle of the Hokekyô.This passage explains the difference between the age of the Manifest Buddha Shakyamuni (i.e., the historical Buddha, not [to] be confused with the Eternal Shakyamuni of the sixteenth chapter) and the age of the Messenger of the Buddha,
the Bodhisattva, who propagates the Dharma in the age long after the Extinction.
The ages, the people (capacities) of those ages, and the means of propagating the orthodox Dharma to those respective people are as different as can be.These two ages, types of people, and methods are clearly distinguished by
the treatment of recalcitrant audiences by the manifest (historical) Buddha in the
first instance and by the Bodhisattva Jôfukyô in an age after the Extinction of a
former manifest Buddha in the second. The Buddha treats his audiences with great care and preparation as may be seen in the Five Periods of the Buddha’s teaching career worked out by Tendai and restated by Nichiren Shônin (ichidai goji): after
His “Enlightenment the Buddha immediately tested those who might listen with the Sudden Teaching of the Kegongyô, but finding that a large part of the audience remained deaf and dumb before its message He began to prepare the capacities of
his hearers with progressively more difficult teachings until they are ready to hear
His declaration just before He preaches the Hokekyô proper that all of the previous teachings are not yet the real Truth. Yet even when he begins to abandon Expedience and preach the Truth of the Hokekyô there are some who are not ready; five thousand “surpassingly arrogant” listeners, thinking they have realized the Truth already,
when in fact they have not, rise and depart from the assembly and the Buddha is
silent and does not hinder them; He then declares the branches and leaves are no longer present but only the true core, the true, sincere ones.” We see that the Buddha does NOT pursue them for they are of a capacity (ki) that would not believe and only blaspheme; to save them from a terrible karmic fate He lets them depart and says it
is a good thing (Hôbenbon 2 (T.9.7a5-13)). This method is based on their having already planted some good karmic roots: after suitable maturation (juku) he saves
them later in the Great Parinirvana Sutra (Daihatsunehangyô) and is able to do so because he allowed them not to blaspheme the Supreme Truth (STN, v. 1, 944-945). Even later in the Sutra when He prepares to reveal the Hommon, he removes gods
and humans to other lands (T.9.33a13-14,23-24,b4-5). Even in the Buddha’s Lifetime (zaise) with a predominance of good karmic influences in the principal capacities
there are those with some good but without faith in the Ultimate Truth: the Buddha either allows the Five Thousand to depart or even deliberately removes the gods
and humans (STN, v. 1, 705).Nichiren Shônin concludes very clearly that in general “in the Latter Age those without good [karmic roots] are many; those having good [karmic roots] are few.”
This is a general characteristic of the Latter Age (matsudai), meaning the Latter Dharma (mappô). People of our age are blasphemers but there were almost none
in the time of the Buddha and so for this age the method must be different: “The Buddha did not cure any blasphemers against the Dharma, because there were
none when the Buddha was in the world. In the Latter Dharma (mappô) it is full of
the Strong Enemies of the One Vehicle. The benefit of the Bodhisattva Fukyô refers
to this” (STN, v. 2, 1850). In this our age of the Latter Dharma the vast majority of people are blasphemers (unbelievers opposed to the truth) and must receive the
seed of the good, the seed of Buddhahood and form the rebellious condition
(or, connection, gyakuen) by which they eventually attain Buddhahood much later.The Buddha Shakyamuni was able to present a full panoply of teachings, both
Real (jitsu) and Provisional (gon) or Expedient (hôben), to audiences that were superior in terms of their karmic background; able with His Buddha-Eye (butsugen)
to read the inner capacities and faculties (kikon) of all beings and endowed with
Divine Pervasive Powers (jinzuriki) to cause beings to behave and move in ways conducive to their own salvation, the Buddha was in an incomparably superior
position and thus could use the accommodating method of shôju. The Buddha
(as He manifested Himself in ancient India) was an omniscient, superior
being, a wise one who was able to teach in a more gradual and diverse way;
moreover, it should be noted that even in the Buddha’s time, the wisest of his
disciples miscalculated the capacities of his students and led them astray.
Thus the Great Parinirvana Sutra 26 (T.12.519c-520a) tells how Shariputra misled
a blacksmith (konshi or “metal master”) with an inappropriate teaching and states,
“Even though it is Shariputra, Maudgalyâyana and so on, one does not name
them the true good spiritual friends (zenchishiki) of beings. What is the reason?
Because of their cause and conditions that gave rise the icchantika mind.” Even
with the best of intentions, the Buddha’s own wisest disciples can still cause
spiritual disaster. On this Nichiren Shônin writes:“The person who spreads the Buddhist Teachings of necessity should know
the capacities and faculties. The Venerable Shariputra taught a blacksmith the Contemplation of Impurity and taught a laundryman the Contemplation of Counting Breaths: when ninety-days had passed the disciples he was converting had not realized one bit of the Buddha Dharma but on the contrary had given rise to perverted views and become icchantikas. The Buddha taught the blacksmith the Contemplation of Counting Breaths, and taught the laundryman the Contemplation of Impurity and
so in the pace of a moment they obtained Enlightenment. Even Shariputra, who
was foremost in Wisdom, still could not understand the capacities. How much more difficult is it for the worldling teacher (bonshi) of the Latter Age to understand the capacities. But the worldling teacher who does not understand the capacities should wholly teach the Hokekyô to the disciples whom he converts” (STN, v. 1, 242).Now in light of these words we ask: are those who so easily propose the abolition
of the teaching methods of Nichiren Shônin, claiming to be as wise as Shariputra?
Or perhaps they are claiming to be as wise as the Buddha Shakyamuni Himself? If Nichiren Shônin felt compelled to use the methods of the worldling (unenlightened) teacher, how is it these people (who cannot even completely agree on a consistent doctrine) claim that they are wiser and can use the methods suited to the Buddha’s Lifetime?Incidentally the terms, ‘forcibly preach’ or ‘forcibly poison’ in the above passages should not be confused with ‘forced conversions’ in the conventional sense of
the expression. Here It means simply to preach the Supreme Truth of the Hokekyô whether the hearers desire and are ready for it or not. It is a public proclamation
of the Hokekyô as the only way to Buddhahood but it does necessarily mean violence or compulsion to ensure conversions. The benefit of the ‘poisoned drum’ is from
the Great Nirvana Sutra (fasc. 9 ‘Chapter of the Tathagata Nature’ (T.12.420a) and
is also mentioned by Myôraku Daishi (Hokke mongu ki 10chû (T .34.349a) “...the surpassingly arrogant still form the distant cause [of Buddhahood]; how should hearing and believing be without manifest benefit?: Therefore, those who disparage and blaspheme form the cause of the poison drum.”Before we continue let us add one more note here: in commenting on a sentence
from the “Chapter of the Bodhisattva Jôfukyô” 20 Tendai Daishi, just before he gives the explanation quoted by Nichiren Shônin above, says; “[Jôfukyô] would run away and abide at a distance yet would still in a loud voice chant’ (T.9.50c29): and also
they not accept the Four Unities of the Original State Which Opens the Recent and
Reveals the Original” (Hokke mongu 10B (T.34.141a24-25). This Original state (honji)
is the Eternal Buddha, the being Whose existence is denigrated by the Fuji-ha and likened to “Santa Claus” etc. by certain caucasian representatives of other sects.
It is worth noting then that, judging by the Tendai Daishi’s commentary employed
by Nichiren Shônin, the people who are proposing the abolition of shakabuku are
(in many instances, at least) more like the unbelieving opponents of Jôfukyô than Jôfukyô himself. Perhaps then little wonder that they effectively wish to destroy
his type of teaching.
Next....
UDANA NICHIKI - A PROPER ROLE MODEL?
(Compilation and translations by H. Graham Lamont; formatted here by
Steven Polito. Copyright ©2000-2001 H.G.Lamont all rights reserved)