Principles of Buddhism related to "General" and "specific".
Nichiren writes 1:
With regard to the transfer of teachings, it is divided into two categories: general and specific. If you confuse the general with the specific even in the slightest,youwill never be able to attain Buddhahood and will wander in suffering through endless transmigrations of births and deaths"This quote has been a source for endless mischief as it has been misused by scholars, monks, and teachers of Nichiren Buddhism over the years. So what does it mean?
Stripped of its mysticism so and betsu simply refer to the "abstract" understandings of general principle and the more concrete, but often ephemeral manifestations of those general principles or ways to refer to them. Many realities of human existence are highly abstract, or difficult to apprehend, and so our minds grasp for general principles, analogies, metaphors or images with which to convey them. These things are usually thus very "figurative" understandings, and the more true they are "generally" the more abstract they generally are. People who confuse such generalities make a major error.
The priests of Nichiren Shoshu create a doctrine from a "midrash" or interpretation of this doctrine, using it to indicating a general "inheritance" or law and a specific one that their high priests can somehow inherit but that others can't. This dogma has then been used as the basis of priestly authority by the school. In one of his speeches Nikken writes:
The ultimate important significance regarding transmittance exists in the Honmon teaching of the Lotus Sutra. They are the specific transmission (betsu fuzoku) of the Jinriki (21st) chapter and the general transmission (so fuzoku) ofthe Zokurui (22nd) chapter. The specific transmission is [the entrustment of the Law] solely to the Bodhisattvas of the Earth who make their appearance in the Yujutsu (15th) chapter, while the general transmission refers to the impartial transmission of the Law to all the bodhisattvas who gathered [at the Eagle Peak], including those of the provisional teachings (shakke) and those of the other worlds (taho) as well as all the Bodhisattvas of the Earth.
Consequently, only the Bodhisattvas of the Earth are entrusted with the complete transmittance of both the specific and the general; and in particular, Bodhisattva Jogyo alone is the sole recipient of the essence of the Lotus Sutra.
The entity of the Law of the specific transmission is called the Transmission of the Essence (ketchou fuzoku) which are stated as the four phrases of essential items to be transferred, beginning with the transferral of "the essence of all the laws of the Buddha..." (Kaiketsu p. 581)
Generally speaking, the general transmission is also called 'ikkyo fuzoku,' the transferral of nal True Buddha of Inner Enlightenment of the remotest past of kuon, all the while, commanding an excellent and exhaustive knowledge of all the teachings of T'ien‑t'ai, Miao‑lo and Dengyo, He reveals the ultimate One Law hidden in the depths of the Juryo chapter of the Lotus Sutra of the Buddhism of Sowing of the True Cause from the time without beginning (kuon ganjo).
First, the Daishonin has indicated the significance of the Heritage of the Law (fuzoku) in several places, however, I will mention one paragraph in particular.
Essentially, the bodhisattvas of the theoretical teaching and the bodhisattvas of the other worlds were not qualified to inherit Nam‑Myoho‑Renge‑Kyo, the heart of the Juryo chapter, which only Nichiren has realized. At the dawn of the Latter Day evil people who slander the Law would fill the land, and so the Buddha rejected their pledge and instead summoned the Bodhisattvas of the Earth. He entrusted Nam‑Myoho‑Renge‑Kyo [the five characters] to them for the salvation of all mankind. (MW 1, p. 73/ Shinpen p. 657)2
Of course this speech doesn't lend support to the idea that this law is only for the high priest. Indeed it lends support to the notion that the specific transmission is generally available to all who seek it and specifically to those who actually embrace it.3 so here is what they taught on the subject
There are two kinds: the Kechimyaku of the Law and the Kechimyaku of faith. Among the Gosho we find the Shoji Ichidaiji Kechimyaku Sho4. The first line of this Gosho reads,
'The ultimate law of life and death as transmitted to all living beings is Myoho Renge Kyo.'This statement is made in the specific sense (betsu) and means that Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, and the enlightened life of Nichiren Daishonin himself, is the heritage of the ultimate law of life and death.
'The Minobu Transfer Document'5 reads: 'Order of (heritage)Kechimyaku: from Nichiren to Nikko.' As this document indicates, the Kechimyaku of the Law is a specific transfer, made from Nichiren Daishonin to Nikko Shonin, and to each successive high priest of Nichiren Shoshu in accordance with the principle of transmission to a single individual.
Kechimyaku in the general sense (so) is explained further on in the Shoji Ichidaiji Kechimyaku Sho where it states, 'All disciples and believers of Nichiren Shoshu should chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo with one mind, transcending all difference among themselves to become as inseperable as fish and the water in which they swim. This spiritual bond is the basis for the universal transmission of the ultimate law of life and death.' This indicates the general Kechimyaku of faith, which takes as it's basis the specific Kechimyaku of the law.
Therefore to embrace the Gohonzon inscribed and transmitted by the successive high priests is the correct way of faith and becomes the basis for Kechimyaku in the more general sense. We wish to confirm here the difference between the specific transmission of the Law and the general lifeblood of faith."6
Now this "transfer" is not such a mystical thing once you realize that a "specific" transfer is not the same thing as a general one. Specific things don't always live up to their billing. For instance a "champion race horse" with the same genes as Seattle Slew might still turn out to be a duffer. As I said a long time ago. General things are referring to "Ri" or principles. Specific things are "ji" or realities. If only all specific transfers of authority were upheld as valiently as most institutions claim they were.
- For more discussions visit these pages:
- http://groups.yahoo.com/group/buddhist_dialogue_group/message/11483 and 11482
- and http://groups.yahoo.com/group/irgdaimoku/message/18955 and 12762