A Historical View of Buddhism

by Daisaku Ikeda

Following is President Ikeda's speech given at the 9th general meeting of the Study Department which was held at Josei Toda Memorial Auditorium in Osaka, on January 15, 1977. The meeting was attended by about 4,500 senior members of the department.

MAY I begin by offering my congratulations on the occasion of this General Meeting of the Study Department and thanking you all for com-ing out in this cold weather. I would like, if I may, to use this opportunity to review in a very general way the history of Buddhism and to discuss some of the thoughts that have come to me recently concerning that history.

I would like to begin by speaking about the basic spirit of Buddhism from the viewpoint of religious revolution. Buddhism in its origin was and essen-tially is a religion of revolution. Sakyamuni rejected Brahmanism, whose priests had become narrowly authoritarian and no longer attempted to bring succor to the suffering masses, and founded Buddhism specifically 'for the purpose of re-turning religion to the hands of ordinary men and women. The birth of Buddhism in fact, represents a major revolution or turning point in history, one which replaced the concept of "human beings for the sake of religion" with that of "religion for the sake of. human beings." We might even say that Buddhism is the product of a revolutionary struggle to restore life to the common people.

And yet, with the passing of time, Buddhism came to be the monopoly of a single elite group centering mainly about the monks of the monastic order. It became something simply to be debated in a scholastic manner by the groups of monks in their monasteries, monks who were supported by alms from the lay believers. Thus a current of retrogression set in, one that threatened to restore the type of "human beings for the sake of religion" attitude that Buddhism had been designed to replace.

This was the kind of Buddhism now known as Theravada or Hinayana Buddhism. In contrast to this was the revolutionary religious movement that in time came to be called Mahayana Buddhism. Some one hundred years after the death of Sakyamuni the Buddhist order was split into two major groups. One group was known as the Jozabu or Theravada, the other as the Daishubu or Mahasamghika.

These two groups within the monastic order were directly opposed in their views. The Theravada group, as their name Jozabu or "those who sit above" indicates, while allowing themselves to be supported by alms from the lay believers, seem to have regarded this as a matter of course and to have looked down upon the ordinary people. They had a strong consciousness of their elitist position and lorded it over others.

The members of the Mahasamghika group, on the other hand, insisted that it was the duty of the monks to maintain close and constant contact with the lay believers and to work to spread Buddhism among the population as a whole. In con-trast to the Theravada, they represented the progressive and flexible element in early Buddhism. This opposition between conservative and pro-gressive elements, however, did not lead to any drastic reform of the dry formalism into which early Buddhism had fallen.

It remained for the Mahayana movement to carry out this revolutionary step.
Mahayana Buddhism was a movement which, frowning upon the excessive formalism and bureaucratic-mindedness of Hinayana monastic Buddhism and its isolation from the common people and their cares, set out to recover the spirit of Sakyamuni, to return to the starting point of the Buddhist religion. In time the new movement of revival and reawakening to the true nature of Bud-dhism spread all over India, and, transcending the borders, continued until it had reached China, Korea, and Japan. In this brief outline, I have tried to suggest some-thing of the nature of the Mahayana movement, the greatest and most significant revolution in the history of the Buddhist religion. My purpose in this is to try to see what lessons history has to give us about the proper way in which Buddhism should be propagated now and in the future.

One lesson is to be found in the fact that Buddhism, born among the common people and once so fresh and lively in spirit, in time fell into stagna-tion and empty formalism, and that the principal cause for this decline was its tendency to become a largely monastic religion that was no longer capable of inspiring or leading the masses. Bud-dhism was originally the possession of the people as a whole, and its hosshi or teachers, who were monks, were intended to be leaders of the people as a whole. Priests and Lay Believers

Nichikan Shonin in his annotations on The Selection of the Time writes as follows:

"Chapter eighteen of the Nirvana Sutra says, 'Because they understand the times, they are called Dai Hosshi or "great teachers of the Law."' The text means that because they are capable of understanding what manner of teaching is appropriate to the times, they are called great teachers of the Law. A great teacher of the Law is one who can expound the Law and bring benefit to all living beings."

As this quotation makes clear, a truly great teacher of the Buddhist Law is one who is capable of scrutinizing the times, judging what type of approach will be most effective, and taking the lead in the kosen-rufu movement. He is thus able to expound the Buddhist teachings in a highly effective manner and spread its practices abroad among the people. He has an acute sense of the direction in which the times are moving and, should the occasion demand it, he will of course not hesitate to risk his life for the people, fighting side by side with them in the cause of Buddhism and doing all he can to shield them from harm.

The one who perhaps best exemplified this attitude throughout the course of his life was the True Buddha, Nichiren Daishonin. His entire career  was in a sense an illustration of just what the truly great teacher of the Law should be, a priceless example to be handed down for the instruction and inspiration of generations to come. He him-self, in the Gosho, remarked on the subject as follows: "If one is fortunate enough to be born a human being, and in addition to become a monk, and yet does not study the Buddhist Law or repri-mand those who slander it, but merely spends each passing day in idleness land chatter, then he is no more than a beast clothed in the skin of a teacher of the Law." (Gosho Zenshu, p. 1386.) In many of his letters, Nichiren Daishonin delivered stern warnings to the Buddhist leaders of his time. He did this because, with his keen insight, he could perceive that Buddhism was in danger of being destroyed from within. Thus, citing the example of monks and priests of other sects who failed to observe the commandments, he cautioned against such behavior and described the manner in which a proper member of the clergy should conduct himself.

Elsewhere, he remarks that "According to the Lotus Sutra, in the Latter Day of the Law, the votaries of the Lotus Sutra will be hated by others, and those who can endure such hatred are the true priests of Mahayana Buddhism, teachers of the Law who spread the sutra abroad to bring benefit to others." (GoshoZenshu,p.556.) And he makes it clear that a "true priest of the Maharani" must not hesitate to do battle with the Three Powerful Enemies of the doctrine. On the contrary, Nichimen Diatonic commands him to face up bravely to the Three Obstacles and Four Devils that arise to confront him. Needless to say, we have here a description of the ideal for which the follower of Nichimen Diatonic should strive, his mission and his pride. He must be prepared to carry out the practices he believes in, regardless of what criticisms others may make.

In the Gosho, Reply to Lord Matsuno, Nichiren Daishonin goes on to make clear how the lay believer should conduct himself.

"The most important thing," he writes, "is for you, the lay believer, to devote yourself wholeheartedly to the recitation of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and support the clergy. And according to the scriptures, you may also propagate the Law to the extent of your capability." (Gosho Zenshu, p. 1386.)

We have seen earlier that it is the primary duty of the monks to devote themselves to the propagation of the Law, to defend it against its enemies, and to carry on the movement for kosen-rufu. The lay believers, according to this statement, should on the other hand concentrate mainly upon the recitation of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, lend their support to the monks, and propagate the Law if they are capable. On the basis of this definition, we would have to say that the Soka Gakkai is an organization that carries out the functions of both the priests and the lay believers. Devoted to carrying out the true purpose of Buddhism, there is no Buddhist community or organization in the world to match it. Therefore I firmly believe that its members can never fail to attain Buddhahood and gain great benefits.

The Vimilikirti Sutra^l, an important Mahayana scripture which I mentioned some time ago in my address to the thirty-ninth general meeting of the Soka Gakkai,' discusses the matter of entry into the monastic order and emphasizes that it is not the shaved head and clerical robe that distinguish a true monk, but rather the degree to which he exemplifies the spirit of Buddhism. In other words, it is his inner heart and attitude, not his outward form, that determine whether or not he is to be regarded as a true monk.

The term used to designate the renouncing of the secular world is shukke, which means literally "to leave the home." One leaves the "home" of profit-seeking and the desire for fame, and removes oneself from the defilement of delusion. The shaving of the head is symbolic of the fact that one has determined never again to return to one's home and family. For this reason, what is most important is the will and determination of the monk and the depth of his religious practice. If we return to this original meaning of the word shukke, then we may say that any and all persons, regardless of whether they are members of the clergy or lay believers, if they have awakened to the true faith of Buddhism and determined to help the common people to overcome their sufferings, then from that instant on, irrespective of outward form they have renounced the secular world in spirit.

The scripture known as the Daishogon Honyon Sutra puts it this way:

"The renunciation of the home by the bodhisattva is not so called because he shaves his head. Why is this? Because if he is able to carry out great religious practices and thereby free all sentient beings from delusion, then that is what is called the renunciation of the world by the bodhisattva. It is not called a renunciation of the world because he puts on a clerical robe. But if he works to free the minds of sentient beings from the three impurities [of covetousness, anger, and delusion] that stain them, then that is what is called the renunciation of the world by the bo-dhisattva."

Mahayana Buddhism, which returned to the original spirit of Buddhism, strongly emphasized this ideal of the shukke or religious dedication o the bodhisattva. This is primarily because the bodhisattva placed himself squarely in the midst o the suffering masses, made their sufferings his own and fought to free them from such sufferings, thus exemplifying the spirit that first led to the founding of the Buddhist religion. The bodhisattva "monks" of Mahayana Buddhism, as the preceding quotation from the scripture indicates, do n't shave their heads, but carry out their activities s while remaining members of the laity and wearing their ordinary clothes. In like manner, I hope that those of us who a e members of the Soka Gakkai, though continuing to dress in ordinary clothes, will in spirit become increasingly conscious of the mission we vow'd to carry out and will devote ourselves with greater energy than ever to the achievement of our pro d and lofty goal of kosenfu.

Almsgiving In my remarks earlier, I have touched upon custom of kuyo, the giving of alms or gifts of food by the lay believers for the support of the monks In a broader sense, the term kuyo means to s port and pay honor to. Here I would like to consider for a moment what the basic significance of this concept is in Buddhist teaching In the writings of Nichiren Daishonin, we frequently find word, praising those who uphold and honor Buddhist teachings and emphasizing that they will acquire very great merit by doing so. And if we consider the matter in terms of these words of Nichiren Daishonin, then it will become apparent  that we of the Soka Gakkai have up to now formed a kuyo or act of reverence and support for  Buddhism that is unparalleled in the past.
 
In The True Entity., of Life, Nichiren Daishonin writes as follows: "Not even the Wisdom o Buddha can fathom the blessings YOU Will 0 by giving alms to Nichiren and by becoming disciple. The Yakuo chapter reads, 'Not even the Buddha's wisdom can the benefits ever be estimated.' " (Gosho Zenshu, p. 1359.)

I am absolutely convinced that the Soka Gakkai which is moving forward toward its goal of kosen rufu through the fulfillment of faith , practice and  study, will be blessed with great good fortune and  benefits. If Buddhism itself is true, then I ask you  to rest assured that this good fortune will pass down in shining glory even to your grandchildren and descendants.

"The Soka Gakkai is the true sangha of today."

If we examine the history of the practice of almsgiving in the Buddhist community, we discover an interesting fact. I have earlier referred to the Vimalakirti Sutra, which describes the famous lay believer Vimalakirti. There we find it recorded that Vimalakirti, though not a member of the Buddhist monastic order, nevertheless received alms and gifts from the other lay members of the Buddhist community. At first, we are told, he firmly refused such gifts, but when he was requested a second time, he consented to receive them. We can understand why he did so when we read that he used half of the offerings to provide food for the impoverished common people, who were customarily looked down upon with con-tempt, and presented the remainder to Sakya-muni Buddha so that he could carry on his work of spreading the Buddhist Law.

We may ask what is the significance of this event concerning Virnalakirti. First, of course, it suggests that anyone who sincerely devotes himself to the dissemination of Buddhist teaching and works for the salvation of the common people is qualified to receive almsgiving or support from the Bud-dhist community. It also indicates that the receiving of such support is justified and in accord with basic Buddhist doctrine when and in so far as such gifts and support are ultimately used for the sake of the common people and the Buddhist faith. In other words, it was believed that, if such offerings could be used effectively in some way to further the spread of Buddhist teachings, then it was permissible even for a lay believer to receive them.

True Teacher of the Law

In the Lotus Sutra, which represents the crowning glory of Mahayana Buddhism, this direction of thinking is carried to its logical conclusion in the concept of the hosshi, the true "teacher of the Law." Thus in chapter ten, which deals entirely with the hosshi, we are told that one who carries out the five types of excellent practices of embracing, reading, reciting, preaching, and copying the Lotus Sutra is called a "teacher of the Law," and that all who embrace the Lotus Sutra, whether they are lay believers or members of the clergy, are best qualified to receive the offerings. Furthermore, in chapter nineteen, which de-scribes the merits acquired by teachers of the Law, we are told that the teacher of the Law, as a result of his endeavors, will reach the stage where the six sensory organs of his body are purified and freed from any attachment. This purification of the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind is what we today would call the purification of life itself or the human revolution.

At this point I would venture to ask where, out-side of Nichiren Shoshu and the Soka Gakkai, could one find an organization today that is carrying on the ideals of Mahayana Buddhism, abiding by the spirit of Nichiren Daishonin, and has truly "left the home" of personal fame and fortune? In Reply to Lady Nichinyo, Nichiren Daishonin writes, "If one embraces the Lotus Sutra and recites Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, then one is in effect fulfilling the five types of practices." (Gosho Zenshu, p. 1245.) In other words, if one embraces the Gohonzon and chants Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, then the act of embracing is an act of enlighten-ment and the five types of excellent practices are immediately carried out to the full. Thus the person becomes a splendid lay believer, "teacher of the Law."

In the Ongi Kuden, which preserves Nichiren Daishonin's commentary on the Lotus Sutra, we find the statement:

"Now Nichiren and his dis-ciples who chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo are the greatest of all teachers of the Law." (Gosho Zenshu, p. 736.) '

This is to say that Nichiren Daishonin in particular, and in general we of the Soka Gakkai who embrace the Gohonzon and chant the daimoku, are "great teachers of the Law." In other words, we are the true shukke or clergy of today. Lay believers and clergy members are in fact absolutely equal in rank, as indicated by High Priest Nittatsu Hosoi of the Head Temple of Nichiren Shoshu by the following remark: 

"Regardless of  whether their heads are shaven or not, all those who chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo before the Dai-Gohonzon in the High Sanctuary constitute a single religious community in which lay members are absolutely equal in rank with those of us who are members of the clergy."

Centers for Religious Activities

Next I would like to consider the role played by the temple in the early centuries of Buddhism and the mission that is now entrusted to the head-quarters and community centers of the Soka Gakkai.

The earliest Buddhist temples were known by the Sanskrit term vihara. Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, did not spread his teach-ings by taking up residence in any fixed temples and preaching and conducting ceremonies there. Rather, he traveled about on journeys all over India, mingling with the masses of people and ex-pounding to them the spirit of the Buddhist. But as you know, India has a pronounced monsoon or rainy season, when for about three months the torrential rains make travel all but impossible. It became customary for Sakyamuni and his fol-lowers to gather together at a single place at that time and spend the months in religious practice. The place where they resided during the rainy sea-son was called a vihara. I am sure you are all familiar with the names of some of the more famous of these such as the Jetavana Monastery³ (Gion Shoja) at Savatthi, or the Bamboo Grove Monastery⁴ (Chikurin Shoja) built for the order by King Bimbisara. The vihara of this early period, as you can see, were quite different from the Buddhist temples of today, which have their resident clergy and carry out religious ceremonies. We might rather call them bases or centers for religious activities. Dur-ing the rainy season each year, the monks gathered there from various parts of the region to carry out religious practices. Once the rains were over, they dispersed and made their way back to their respective areas.

One of these monasteries, Nalanda in Magadha, which in time came to function as a center of Bud-dhist activity in India, devoted itself to teaching and scholarship to such an extent that in fact served as a kind of university. Students flocked there from all over the country, living together in dormitories and devoting themselves to he study of Buddhist doctrine and methods of preaching At the end of -a certain period of tine, the) returned to their respective areas. One is re minded at once of the study and training seminar which the Soka Gakkai conducts at present. The word garan, which is often used to refer to  Buddhist temples, derives from the Sanskrit,  sangharama,  meaning a building where the sangia, or community of monks gathers or resides. Thus we see that temples in Buddhism were original regarded as places for the gathering of persons engaged in religious practices.

Temples are also referred to by another tern dojo, which also means a place where the Buddhi Way is studied and practiced. But when we observe the conventional type of Japanese Buddhist temple, where only religious ceremonies are carried out and the priests in residence make n attempt either to improve themselves or to go o among the common people and spread the teachings, then we can say that they do not under any circumstances qualify to be called places where persons engaged in religious practice gather, much less where religious practices are vigorous studied and pursued. Only when there are since believers in the Buddhist Law gathering together, joyfully, earnestly endeavoring to train and in prove themselves, and working from a common base or headquarters to spread the spirit of Buddhist teachings throughout society, can we say that  a real dojo exists. Like the "dojo at which one will soon arrive" that is mentioned in the Lotus Sutra it will be a place where one can manifest his inherent Buddhahood.

The Lotus Sutra describes a "stupa of many treasures," a reflection of the important role which stupas-sacred mounds or pagodas-played in Mahayana Buddhism. The building of such stupas soon became popular all over India, and it became customary to build garan or temple buildings around the pagoda. Such temples appear have served to house not only monks but I believers who were engaged in religious practice as well, the bodhisattvas who were responsible for the spread of Mahayana Buddhism. In other words, such centers served as a base for the laity as well as for the clergy.
 
Such centers became a necessity because Theravada or Hinayana Buddhism had grown isolated from the populace as a whole, evolving into an organization quite set apart from society and even at times refusing to allow lay believers to enter its temples. The bodhisattvas or lay leaders of the Mahayana movement therefore had to devise some new base for their activities, since their lack of clerical status excluded them from the older temples. Hence arose the new centers I have been describing.

From the point of view of the regular clergy, these bodhisattva leaders, though as dedicated as the monks in spirit, were lay believers in status, and they had their respective families like other lay believers. They did not shave their heads, but wore their hair in ordinary fashion; they wore not clerical robes but the clothing of ordinary men and women. It was in the religious centers dominated by these lay believers that Mahayana Buddhism grew and flourished, and they were its chief leaders.
In such centers, teaching was done mainly through the so-called Jataka6 or Birth Stories, tales of the Buddha in his previous existences. Rather than attempting to expound difficult and abstruse religious doctrines, it was felt that the teaching of such stories, which described the various good deeds and religious practices that Sakyamuni had carried out in his earlier incarnations and which had enabled him eventually to become a Buddha, would illustrate much more effectively the proper way to practice Buddhism and convey to the listeners the basic spirit of the faith.

This fact too, I believe, shows how concerned Mahayana Buddhism is for the needs of the people as a whole and how great is its spirit of respect for them. I therefore hope that the Study Depart-ment of the Soka Gakkai will in like manner con-ceive of study not in terms of theoretical concepts, but at all times as something intimately related to the daily lives and needs of ordinary men and women, something everyone can put into actual practice. Temples for the Modern Day.

It is important to note in this connection that Nichiren Daishonin, the True Buddha in the Latter Day of the Law, did not at any time in his life head the kind of temple that characterized the older sects of Buddhism. Until the day of his death, he continued to live in a simple hut. Since he was engaged in directing the movement to propagate the faith and himself at times walked about among the populace to spread the teachings, this was the only base he needed for his activities. This action of his served as a trenchant warning to the religious world of his time, in which Buddhism had hardened into a strictly temple-oriented institution, and marked him as a leader of Bud-dhist reform. And this is a fact we should never lose sight of-that both Nichiren Diashonin and Sakyamuni before him were above all leaders of religious revolution and reform.

But to return to my previous point, we have seen that the temples were originally places where those engaged in the practice of Buddhism could gather together, study the Buddhist teachings, and pre-pare themselves for the task of disseminating those teachings abroad. And in like manner, the pres-ent-day headquarters, community centers, and training centers of the Soka Gakkai are places where Buddhist practitioners who are pursuing the kosen-rufu movement may gather together in an atmosphere of purity and dedication and devote themselves to the study of the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin. And from such places these men and women, filled with new energy, can go forth into all areas of life to work for the rejuvena-tion of society and the people. In this sense, the community and training centers of the Soka Gakkai are worthy to be called the "temples of the present."

We must not forget, of course, that the actual temples of Nichiren Shoshu play a very important role as centers where the solemn religious rites appropriate to ordinations, funerals, and memorial services are carried out. But it is only when these centers of formal worship are combined with the Soka Gakkai centers, where the emphasis is upon kosenrufu, that a truly progressive and vital reli-gion, one that is open to all, can be made to flourish.

Not long ago, I was talking with the ambassador from a certain foreign country. He ventured the opinion that religion should not be shut up in its houses of worship but should penetrate more widely throughout society as a whole and work for the promotion of peace and cultural improvement. His conclusion was that the Soka Gakkai is following the correct line of approach. Up to now, the conventional religions have been content simply to have the populace attached to them as a passive body of believers. But this is too static and conservative an approach, as proved by the grave crisis which such religions now face. That is the reason the Soka Gakkai has adopted a dual approach, setting up its centers as bases for the kosen-rufu movement and creating a new type of organization, one that is capable of weathering all storms and overcoming all obstacles.

Finally, I would like to call to your attention the following verse passage in chapter twenty-one of the Lotus Sutra:

As the bright rays Of the sun and moon Can dispel all gloom and shadow, So this person who acts in the world Can banish the darkness from human beings."

We should note first of all the phrase "this person." It does not say "this Buddha," it does not say "this bodhisattva," it does not say "this monk." "This person," as pointed out by Nichiren Dai-shonin, means, of course, none other than he himself. This fact gives clear evidence of the degree to which both the Lotus Sutra and the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin are firmly centered about the ordinary individual.

It is individual human beings who can wipe out the darkness and ignorance inherent in humanity, and it is also ordinary human beings who experi-ence the emotions of joy and anger, sorrow and delight. Because they are human beings they are capable of dispelling the cares and sufferings of human beings. Because they possess life, they are capable of bettering and enriching life.

Next I would call your attention to the phrase "who acts in the world." By "the world" here is meant human society. Unless one is prepared to plunge into and fight amid the grime and turmoil of the everyday world, then one can never hope to dispel the ignorance that causes the sufferings of humankind. The fact that Nichiren Daishonin once he had embarked upon his reform movement made the city of Kamakura, the political center of Japan at that time, the site of his preaching activities is proof that he was determined, as sutra says, to "act in the world" and to plunge into the midst of the society of his time. Therefore, unless we too turn our eyes toward the world of our time and endeavor to spread teachings of true Buddhism within the context of society, then I fear that we will prove ourselves untrue to the example set by Nichiren Daishonin and the ideals that he embraced. I recall what my teacher Josei Toda said on I Year's Day in 1953:

"I firmly believe that Soka Gakkai will be bathed in the rain of ben clasp in its hand the sword of shakubuku, and duct itself with the bravery of a lion."

I would to add here my own wish that, with the light of primal benefit playing upon us and the sword of compassion gripped firmly in our hands, we with the courage of a lion face the year ahead employing all the abundant life within us to create for the Soka Gakkai a glorious road into the future.

May I conclude by offering my prayers for continued health and activity. Thank you.

Footnotes