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The Passing of Ishikawa’s Daughter II
In the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni disclaimed all the
sutras he had previously preached, currently preached, and would preach,
declaring only the Lotus Sutra to be the full and complete truth. But his
disciples could not accept this. It was then that Taho Buddha arrived to
lend his support [to Shakyamuni] and verify the truth of the Lotus Sutra,
and all the Buddhas from throughout the ten directions concurred,
extending their tongues to the Brahma Heaven. After that, Taho Buddha
closed the door to the Treasure Tower and the assembled Buddhas returned
to their original lands. Ever since that time, no sutra that Shakyamuni
might preach could, even if he wished it to, ever supersede the Lotus
Sutra, which had been unanimously affirmed supreme by all Buddhas. Good morning everyone. Today, on this occasion of the July Oko sermon in our expression of gratitude to our master Nichiren Daishonin, I have sincerely recited the sutras and chanted Daimoku together with you. Moreover, I have sincerely prayed for you to eliminate your sins and negative karma from this and infinite past lifetimes; for you to redouble your faith; for you to enjoy a safe and long life; for peace and harmony to reign in your home; for all matters to proceed forth smoothly; and for the successful achievement of all your great objectives in this and future existences. I am certain that the Daishonin would be truly pleased to see so many of you in attendance today. Last month, I focused my sermon on the introductory section of the Daishonin’s letter. Let me briefly summarize the issues we covered. The Daishonin first expressed his gratitude for the gokuyo offerings that he received. He then offered his condolences for the death of the daughter of Ishikawa Hyoe-nyudo, who was the niece of Nanjo Tokimitsu. Next, the Daishonin denounced the erroneous teachings of the Nembutsu, based on his observation of the terrible conditions manifested by the believers of that heretical sect, who chanted Namu-amida-butsu at their death. However, the people at the time were all Nembutsu believers, and they criticized the Daishonin and called him a liar. Furthermore, even though Shakyamuni had expounded Mahayana Buddhism, there were people who adhered to the lowly provisional doctrines of Hinayana Buddhism. Given these conditions, the Daishonin presented an increasingly profound explanation of the difference between the pre-Lotus Sutra teachings and the Lotus Sutra. First, he wrote: There are even more incomprehensible differences [between sutras]. In the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni disclaimed all the sutras he had previously preached, currently preached, and would preach, declaring only the Lotus Sutra to be the full and complete truth. But his disciples could not accept this. In this passage, the Daishonin used the expression, “previously preached, currently preached, and would preach,” to compare the Lotus Sutra to all other sutras. The “previously preached” sutras refer to the doctrines taught by Shakyamuni for more than forty years, prior to his revelation of the Lotus Sutra. The “currently preached” sutra represents the Sutra of Infinite Meaning (Muryogi-kyo), which Shakyamuni had just taught. This sutra was the introductory teaching to the Lotus Sutra, and it contained Shakyamuni’s declaration that, “For the past more than forty years, I have not yet revealed the truth.” In this declaration, Shakyamuni revealed that during his fifty years of instruction, the doctrines of the first forty years, prior to the presentation of the Lotus Sutra, characterized expedient provisional teachings. They did not represent the truth. The sutra that Shakyamuni “would preach” signifies the Nirvana Sutra (Nehan-gyo), which he was about to expound. Shakyamuni used these sutras that he “previously preached, currently preached, and would preach” to lead all mankind to True Buddhism. In the end, however, he denounced all his previous teachings and announced that the Lotus Sutra was, indeed, the supreme teaching. Unfortunately, many of his disciples did not understand the profound significance of Shakyamuni’s declaration, and they refused to accept it. Thus, the following took place: It was then that Taho Buddha arrived to lend his support [to Shakyamuni] and verify the truth of the Lotus Sutra, and all the Buddhas from throughout the ten directions concurred, extending their tongues up to the Brahma Heaven. After that, Taho Buddha closed the door to the Treasure Tower and the assembled Buddhas returned to their original lands. Ever since that time, no sutra that Shakyamuni might preach could, even if he wished it to, ever supersede the Lotus Sutra, which had been unanimously affirmed supreme by all Buddhas. That is why the Universal Worthy Sutra (Fugen-gyo) and Nirvana Sutra (Nehan-gyo), although preached later, praise the Lotus Sutra and do not detract from it in the least. Therefore, Taho Buddha and the Buddhas from the ten directions congregated together to offer their support and to confirm the fact that the Lotus Sutra is, indeed, the true teaching. Taho Buddha was known to appear where the Lotus Sutra was expounded, to confirm that the Buddha was none other than the True Buddha. This passage contains the phrase, “[A]ll the Buddhas from throughout the ten directions concurred, extending their tongues up to the Brahma Heaven.” It was the custom in ancient India for people to stick out their tongues to verify the truth of a teaching. The longer the tongue, the stronger the certainty of the truth. Since the truth of the Lotus Sutra was thus established at this point, the sutras that were expounded after the Lotus Sutra – such as the Universal Worthy Sutra (Fugen-gyo) and Nirvana Sutra (Nehan-gyo) – all praised it and never criticized or belittled it in any way. An excerpt from last month’s segment read as follows: “Honestly discarding expedient means [I preach only the unsurpassed way].” Thus, Shakyamuni, himself, instructed people to discard the pre-Lotus Sutra provisional teachings and to embrace the Lotus Sutra. Based on this, the truth of the Lotus Sutra was revealed. Next the Daishonin wrote: Even so, priest like Shan-wu-wei of the Shingon sect and the founders of the Zen school slander the Lotus Sutra, and the entire nation believes their assertions. In so doing, the Japanese have become like those who were misled into joining forces with the rebel warriors, Masakado and Sadato. Since, for some years now, Japan has been the archenemy of Shakyamuni, Taho, and all the Buddhas in the ten directions, the nation is now on the brink of annihilation. What is more, the one person who speaks the truth in denouncing these errors is persecuted and for this reason, disasters, one after another, are occurring. This land is incurring the retribution of Heaven. There is mention of the Shingon and Zen sects in this passage. I am certain that you have heard of them, but I will provide a brief description of these religions. The Shingon sect upholds Mahavairochana (Dainichi) Buddha as its object of worship. It is a known fact that all Buddhist scriptures were initially expounded by Shakyamuni. However, the Shingon sect promotes the false notion that Mahavairochana (Dainichi) Buddha created the Mahavairochana (Dainichi) Sutra. Shingon doctrines discard Shakyamuni, who expounded Buddhism, by saying that Shakyamuni, when compared to Mahavairochana (Dainichi) Buddha, is lower than a servant in charge of footwear. Thus, Shingon established the fictitious Mahavairochana (Dainichi) Buddha as its object of worship. How would we fare if we embraced such a teaching? If we uphold a faith such as this, which completely discarded Shakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, we would become individuals characterized by lies and conceit. The head of the household or the eldest son, who is responsible for the family, would encounter problems. Conditions in the home would not run smoothly and harmoniously. As a result, there are many cases in which the women in the families become overly aggressive, resulting in women responsible for entire households. Ultimately, there is no integration and harmony in the home. As you may know, the Zen sect preaches Zen meditation. In a nutshell, the Zen doctrine teaches that, since the individual performing the Zen meditation is, himself, a Buddha, he is an absolute being; accordingly, no Buddhist scriptures are necessary. What would our lives be like, if we embraced such a teaching? If we uphold this doctrine and engage in this meditation, we may seem to gain an apparent strength that would enable us to live according to our own inner power. Meanwhile, however, the Zen doctrine is an arrogant teaching that promotes the notion that our individual entities, immersed in delusions and suffering, are in themselves Buddhas. Such a doctrine invariably leads to extreme arrogance. It nurtures a superciliousness that would encourage us to believe that we are all-knowing, and it would cause us to lose sight of appropriate behavior within our respective positions. Ultimately, under these conditions, our arrogance would prevent us from engaging in sincere dealings with people. As a result, we would lead an isolated, lonely existence. I have briefly described the Shingon and Zen faiths. It is alarming that when people immerse themselves in these teachings, they lose sight of the truth. For the most part, individuals attracted to these doctrines are those who are deceived by sweet and superficial words of enticement and those who are fooled by momentary marvels based on occult and other powers. Such people are initially intoxicated by the joy of finding a world that they have never encountered previously or by the excitement of experiencing a small, momentary benefit. As they assiduously apply themselves to these faiths, they will gradually experience the effects of upholding an erroneous object of worship, as their personality deteriorates and as they encounter illnesses, family disharmony, and financial hardships, which cause them to descend into a hellish life condition in their daily lives. As a result of upholding an erroneous object of worship, their normal mental functions and sensitivities are suppressed, and they are no longer able to acknowledge a misfortune as a true misfortune. Let me slightly expand this issue into the realm outside of Buddhism. Non-Buddhist teachings do not focus on the principle of cause and effect, or they ignore or deny it. Nothing in this world is characterized by an effect without an initial cause or by a cause that does not result in an eventual effect. Even in our daily lives, people who do not understand reason and logic are not considered to be normal. Accordingly, even though a religion appears to be attractive and mystical, it certainly cannot be considered a supreme doctrine of truth, if it teaches its believers to ignore cause and effect – such as creating existence from nothingness. A teaching that promotes the doctrine – that god created the heavens and the earth and all other things – not only opposes the laws of natural science, it also completely ignores the principle of cause and effect. If god created all things, then how did god come into existence? If god represents an essential existence who is not created, then the initial cause is eliminated, and the principle of cause and effect is destroyed. Furthermore, the question remains: Where did god exist before the creation of the universe and all things? Without the existence of the universe and all matters contained within it, there is no location where god could exist. When people uphold a religion that ignores the principle of cause and effect, society in general gradually loses sight of the law of cause and effect. As a result, the world would consist of people spewing incoherent and illogical words. Furthermore, this would lead to janus-faced individuals who put on superficial airs. Let us now return to the gosho passage. The founders of the Shingon and Zen sects at the time established heretical doctrines that opposed the teachings of Shakyamuni. Unfortunately, they caused the entire population of the nation to believe in their heresy. To make matters worse, they resented the Daishonin, who held them accountable for their heretical doctrines. They assaulted and persecuted him and, as a result, the calamities intensified. Masakado and Sadato were samurai warriors at the time. They attempted to expand their provincial holdings and increase their power, but both failed. Their retainer subjects were all deceived by these leaders, and they met the same demise. In the same way that the retainers who followed the mistaken leaders were destroyed, the individuals who followed the masters of the erroneous religions would ruin their lives and their nation, without fail. Conditions during the Daishonin’s lifetime and those in modern times are the same, since both characterize the Latter Day of the Law. If an erroneous religion manipulates political power to spread its heretical doctrines, the country will be destroyed without fail. Moreover, if one believes in such a religion and offers erroneous prayers to an erroneous object of worship, he will inevitably bring destruction to himself and to his country. As you are aware, Nichiren Shoshu has been advancing forth in its performance of shakubuku, in solid unity between the priesthood and lay believers, towards the great objective of the Grand Assembly on the occasion of 750th Anniversary of the Submission of the Rissho ankoku-ron. I sincerely pray that you will all reconfirm in your hearts our High Priest’s directions – for each person to perform at least one shakubuku every year – as you refresh your determination and advance forth in your faith and practice. I plan to continue to focus my sermon next month on this letter. Those who have their own copies of the Gosho, please remember to bring it with you. This has been a lengthy sermon, and I extend my appreciation to you all for your kind attention. |