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Nichiren as True Buddha

contents

  1. Overview
  2. Nichiren's own view
  3. The development of the Doctrine
    4.
  4. Footnotes and links
    5.

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Overview

I believe that the cause of the issues within the heritage of the Nichiren Shoshu and the Fuji School is in some very specific interpretations of Nichiren Buddhism. I believe that all of them flow from the confusion of general truths with specific manifestations that are alluded to in the above discussion of "ri" and "ji". Nichiren taught that the "true Buddha" was the Buddha of the Juryo Chapter of the Lotus Sutra. That Buddha is the Buddha who preaches the Lotus Sutra and the Lotus Sutra is preached in a time and place that are unbounded and "timeless".

Nichiren's own view

A correct understanding of Nichiren's own words shows that he identified that Buddha with the eternal truth or Dharma itself or the Buddha in his property of the "Law" aspect. Nichiren drew his inspiration from both the Nirvana and the Lotus Sutra . Indeed Nichiren identified this Buddha with the Daimoku itself and drew his source for the Daimoku from the title of the Lotus Sutra (Myoho Renge Kyo) and a passage therein that self-referred to the benefits of reciting even a passage or the title of the Lotus Sutra . (Nam Myoho Renge Kyo or the title of the Lotus Sutra ). The property of the Buddha is to be one with this eternal Dharma (Oneness of person and law). Nichiren Shoshu teaches that Nichiren, by achieving oneness with this eternal Dharma was the true Buddha, and all the Buddhas before and after, even Shakyamuni himself, are thus really his disciples. Besides the fact that this is a "kanjin" style reversal of normal understandings of progression this teaching is not something that Nichiren himself taught. Teaching that Nichiren taught this himself teachers read into words things he didnt' say. Yet because Nichiren identified this Buddha with the eternal truth, this teaching is closer to what he taught than some other schools which tend to deny that Nichiren could have reached enlightenment or try to say that it is incorrect to think that common mortals can become enlightened through faith in the Lotus Sutra or invoking the Daimoku without "understanding." The teaching that the "true Buddha" is the common mortal is the teaching that the goal of practicing Buddhism isn't Nirvana or perfection but the "moment of faith" and the moment of transformation, not the end product.

The development of the Doctrine

The notion of "True Buddha" is based on the "Original Enlightenment notion" that explains that Buddhahood is an inate property of Sentient beings. The Parinirvana sutra 1:

Kasyapa said to the Buddha: "O World-honoured One! Is there any self in the twenty-five existences or not?"

The Buddha said:

"O good man! 'Self' means 'tathagatagarbha.' Every being has the Buddha Nature. This is self. Such a self is, since the very beginning, under cover of innumerable illusions. That is why man cannot see it. O good man! There is here a poor woman. Sha has in her house the true gold hidden. But none of the people of the house, big or small, know it. But there is a stranger, who, by expediency, speaks to the poor woman: 'I shall employ you. You now weed the land!' The woman answers: 'I cannot do it now. If you let my son see where the gold is hidden, I will soon work for you.' The man says, 'I know the way. I will show it to your son.' The woman says again: 'No people of my house, big or small, know. How can you?' The man says: 'I will now make it clear.' The woman says again: 'I desire to see. Pray let me.'

The man digs out the gold that lay hidden. The woman sees it, is glad, and begins to respect the person.

O good man! The same is the case with the Buddha Nature that man has. Nobody can see it. This is as in the case of the gold the poor woman possessed and yet could not see. O good man! I now let persons see the Buddha Nature that they possess, which is overspread by illusions. This is as in the case of the poor woman who cannot see the gold, even possessing it. The Tathagata now shows all beings the storehouse of enlightenment, which is the so-called Buddha Nature. If all beings see this, they are glad and will take refuge in the Tathagata. The good expediency is the Tathagata and the poor woman is all the innumerable beings, and the cask of true gold is the Buddha Nature

Nichiren Shoshu teaches that Nichiren is the true Buddha and Shakyamuni is a provisional Buddha. This doctrine is an outgrowth the refinement of the fuji school understanding of the teachings of Nichiren regarding "honmon and shakumon". It was most refined by Nichikan Shonin the 26th High Priest, but originates much earlier in the heritage time-line, from the writings of Nichiu and Nichiyu (a contemporary of Nichiu's)2.

From the writings of Nichiyu in the Ushi Kegi Sho:

"In our school, we do not enshrine as our object of worship the Shakyamuni who, during his lifetime, taught people to extirpate delusion and thus reach the ultimate principle...Because this Shakyamuni, who taught for those at advanced stages of practice, is beyond the deluded perception of [beings like ourselves], who are at the state of verbal identity and have but newly produced the aspiration for enlightenment. We take as our object of worship the object of worship that which Shakyamuni practiced as the cause of enlightenment. This is why we rely on our eminent founder, Nichiren Shonin.3

From the writings of Nichiyu:

"[Nichiren] Daishonin is the essence of the Lotus Sutra . Shakyamuni is the Lotus Sutra in words alone... when [Nichiren] practiced the Lotus Sutra in actuality (ji), then it became the true Lotus Sutra.4"

Likewise, Sakyo Ajari Nikkyo (born in 1428), who was one of Nichiu's disciples argued that Nichiren was the true Buddha in his Musaka Sho:

"Simply believing in Nichiren Shonin encompasses the virtues of faith in Shakyamuni, Many jewels, Superior Conduct, and all Buddhas."

These are doctrines that arrose around the same time and shifted emphasis from Nichiren as a disciple of Shakyamuni, to Nichiren's teachings as something substantially new. According to Doctor Stone, they also follow the "characteristic thought processes of non-linearity and reversals of time that are characteristic of the medieval period." "The seed surpasses the harvest; the stage of practice surpases that of attainment; Superior Conduct, A Bodhisattva, is superior to Shakyamuni, a Buddha. And Nichiren, who lived after shakyamuni in historical time, becomes his teacher in beginningless time. She points out one by one, the points of similarity in the teachings of Nichiren Shoshu and the Fuji Lineage and those of the Tendai Sect. Indeed she shows how the Minobu school was shaped by it's conflict with the Tendai Sect, while Nichiren Shoshu was shaped by it's conflict with minobu.

Doctor Stone points out how this doctrine flows from the notion of the fourfold comparison. The notion that:

  1. Naige Sotai: Buddhist teachings are superior to non-buddhist teachings
  2. Daisho Sotai: The Mahayana is superior to the Theravada (Hinayana)
  3. Gonjitsu Sotai: Within the Mahayana the Lotus is superior to the other teachings
  4. Honjaku Sotai: Within the Lotus Sutra the "origin" (honmon) teachings surpace those of the "trace" (Shakumon) teachings.
  5. Kanjin: Within the origin teaching, Kanjin surpasses Kyoso.5

Unlike other teachers Nichiren didn't regard Kanjin as a separate transmission, independent of the Lotus Sutra but as something "hidden within the text" and never separate from it. He also didn't see it as strictly insight, so much as exclusive faith and commitment to the Lotus Sutra , manifested in chanting it's title and declaring it's unique validity to others. In short he saw it as a matter of "ji no ichinen sanzen" or applying Buddhism to purify the real world. He saw this in terms of the twin principles of "Kukai Soku Bukkai" and "Bukkai Soku Kukai" both of which express the imminence of Budhdahood within the 3000 thought realms in the behavior of a "common mortal" in the real world. It is this teaching that later developed into a deification of Nichiren as the True Buddha and shakyamuni as a provisional one (mentioned above). In this later day of the Law "ri" (or principle) wasn't enough, as Jacqueline Stone quotes from the Kanjin Honzon Sho:

"...they only discussed it as inherent in principle (rigu)" and did not reveal the "five characters of Namu-Myoho Renge Kyo, which represents the concrete practice (jigyo) or the object of worship of the teaching of origin"4

Understanding these teachings requires us to challenge our thinking, and refine our usage of vocabulary. Rachelle Hardy, in an ARBN post explains the notions behind the "Honmon Shakumon" debate by defining the terms "Nohkai - Shokai"6 She defines,

Nohkai
"to reveal completely/teachings that reveal" and
Shokai
"to be completely revealed/teachings that are revealed"

According to this explaination, "Shakumon" is closer to the notion of "Superceded" then that of superior. I would look on it more as "Shakumon" is something that is an "overriding" or "implementation" of a teaching. To her the teachings of Nichiren are "Nohkai." They are like "turning on a lamp" in a room that was previously dark. The room was there all along. Practicing this Buddhism allows one to see the room for what it is. We live in a dark time, and the light of the Buddha is the only "door" open to us.

"We cannot observe the precepts. We cannot practice meditation. We cannot obtain the wisdom of the Buddha. The only way to enlightenment is to believe in the Buddha. Our belief in the Buddha is expressed by the chanting of the Sacred Title, Namu Myoho Renge Kyo."7 (Shishin-gohon-sho) Nichiren

Nichiren Shoshu still teaches these notions of the "True Buddha" and that the teachings of Shakuman "reduce to lies" the previous teachings, and Honmon "reduces to lies" the Shakumon. If you follow this link here, you can see an essay informed by just these teachings:

http://www.nst.org/articles/sstj.txt

footnotes

  1. This quote is from the Parinirvana Sutra and was quoted by Carmen in a post to GohonzonForum: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GohonzonWars/message/1203. When I find a link to a section of that Sutra that contains the quote I'll ad that here.
  2. Jacqueline Stone quotes from various sources extensively. For a copy of her book, you can order it from Amazon at this page: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0824820266/qid=996758224/sr=1-1/ref=sc_b_1/104-9946593-8114308
  3. Ibid, from the Kegi sho from her book "Original enlightenment and the Transformation of Medieval Japanese Buddhism.
  4. Ibid, her quote is from the "Totaigi Sho Kenmon."
  5. Kanjin No Honzon Sho, and Jacqueline Stones discussion of it on page 266/267.
  6. Rachel Hardy's quote is from:Active and Passive Revelation (Nohkai - Shokai) pp10, 24-25 in the November 2000 Nichiren Shoshu Monthly. It is #34a in the Explanation of Buddhist Terminology Series. She wrote me to tell me where she got her info. I hope eventually to read her source.
  7. Shishin-gohon-sho) by Nichiren From Bruce Maltz posted by his wife Stephanie.

Further Reading:

There are more readings to be found on these pages:
I'm trying to collect all my sources here
Notes on "Literal Issues."
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