Discussion of the “Expedient Means” Chapter (Chapter 2).
Saito: A member who has been active in our movement since the early days of the Soka Gakkai told me about a little-known period when you, President Ikeda, were writing your lectures on Nichiren Daishonin’s thesis “The Selection of the Time” back in the early 1960s. While consulting closely with top leaders of the study department, you dedicated yourself to understanding and explaining each word and phrase of that work. This member said he had the opportunity to witness firsthand the ardent commitment with which you gave yourself to this task.
Endo: “The Selection of the Time” is a very important writing in that it prophesies the future accomplishment of worldwide kosen-rufu. Nichiren Daishonin proclaims that at that time — when the age of kosen-rufu arrives — people the world over will chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo together.
Saito: A passage in the same section where the Daishonin makes this assertion reads: “Great struggles and disputes such as have never been known in the past will break out in the Jambudvipa” (WND-I, 542). Those who have not awakened to the True Law, the Daishonin tells us, will persecute and slander the practitioners of the Lotus Sutra, and great conflicts of unprecedented scope and magnitude will occur throughout the world.
According to my friend, the study department leaders with whom you were discussing this work, President Ikeda, apparently suggested that this particular passage could be interpreted as predicting the occurrence of World War III. Seeing that it was right in the middle of the Cold War and an escalating nuclear arms race, many people feared that such a global war was in the wings.
But you adamantly rejected this conclusion. “If World War III were to occur,” you said with some vehemence, “the entire human race would be wiped out by nuclear weapons. Must humanity be subjected to even crueler and more horrible suffering than it already has? To allow this to happen would show an abominable lack of compassion as a Buddhist! Let us decide right now that it is World War II to which the Daishonin refers when he speaks of great struggles and disputes such as have never been known in the past. Whatever happens, we cannot permit another world war to occur. Let us pray to the Gohonzon with strong determination to prevent such a thing at all costs, pledging to dedicate our lives ungrudgingly to the cause of propagating the Law. Let us definitely achieve kosen-rufu — the dream of lasting peace and happiness for all humanity!”
My friend was very moved by what you said. He remarked to me: “Many religions preach Armageddon or some apocalyptic end of the world. They irresponsibly arouse feelings of anxiety in people, and some of the leaders and practitioners of these religions even come to yearn for the world to end. President Ikeda firmly declared that Nichiren Buddhism is the exact opposite of such religions.”
Ikeda: Nichiren Buddhism is first and last a Buddhism of peace. Nichiren Daishonin sought to bring peace to the entire world. Hence his adamant insistence on establishing the True Law and propagating the Lotus Sutra so that this goal of peace for all humanity could in fact be realized.
The Daishonin was utterly convinced we could change even the most dire and painful reality, including the danger of war, and, indeed, that it was imperative we do so. This conviction underlies is unwavering determination to create a peaceful society by widely disseminating the teachings of Buddhism.
The SGI has inherited this spirit and is taking positive action for the happiness of all humankind. Fifty years ago, the second Soka Gakkai president, Josei Toda, stood alone amid the devastation wrought by war and declared: “I don’t want to see the Japanese people plunged into greater depths of suffering than they have experienced so far…. Who will save, who will help, this suffering world? Now is precisely the time to widely spread Nichiren Daishonin’s teachings — the time to carry out kosen-rufu.”
“Expedient Means,” the second chapter of the Lotus Sutra, which we will continue to discuss in this chapter, teaches the principle of the “true aspect of all phenomena.” In fact, the true aspect of all phenomena provides the theoretical basis for the principle of transforming reality. Shall we discuss this at length today?
Saito: Let’s start by examining how the true aspect of all phenomena is explained in “Expedient Means.”
“But stop, Shariputra, I will say no more. Why? Because what the Buddhas have achieved is the rarest and most difficult-to-understand Law. The true aspect of all phenomena can only be understood and shared between Buddhas. This reality consists of the appearance, nature, entity, power, influence, inherent cause, relation, latent effect, manifest effect, and their consistency from beginning to end.” (LSOC, 57)
(Shi shari-hotsu. Fu shu bu setsu. Sho-i sha ga. Bussho joju. Dai ichi ke-u. Nange shi ho. Yui butsu yo butsu. Nai no kujin. Shoho jisso. Sho-i shoho. Nyo ze so. Nyo ze sho. Nyo ze tai. Nyo ze riki. Nyo ze sa. Nyo ze in. Nyo ze en. Nyo ze ka. Nyo ze ho. Nyo ze honmakkukyo to.)
Suda: The passage in question is one we recite every morning and evening.
Saito: Before and after this passage, the sutra repeatedly emphasizes how wonderful and difficult it is to understand the wisdom of the Buddhas. Here it states explicitly that the Buddha wisdom constitutes a complete insight and understanding of the true aspect of all phenomena. And it explains what that true aspect is in terms of the ten factors of life: appearance, nature, entity, power, influence, internal cause, relation, latent effect, manifest effect and their consistency from beginning to end.
Suda: In the previous chapter, we discussed the replacement of the three vehicles — the vehicles of the voice-hearers, pratyekabuddhas and bodhisattvas —with the one Buddha vehicle. According to the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai of China, this part of the sutra where the true aspect of all phenomena and the ten factors are expounded is a presentation of the “concise” replacement of the three vehicles with the one vehicle, because the idea is presented here in an abbreviated form.
Ikeda: The Buddha appeared in the world to lead people of all backgrounds and circumstances to enlightenment. The Buddha taught that attaining Buddhahood is the most fundamental goal of life; all other aspirations are of a far lesser dimension, functioning merely as expedient means. It is obvious then just how unsuitable fame and fortune are as goals of human life.
The replacement of the three vehicles with the one Buddha vehicle, meanwhile, is a revelation of both the Buddha’s true intent and the true purpose of human life. But since this section presents it only in an abbreviated form, the replacement of the three vehicles with the one vehicle is at this point only “dimly” revealed. The Daishonin likened this to a person just awakening from sleep who, still drowsy, hears the first cry of the cuckoo. The cuckoo did cry, but the person isn’t really sure of having heard it or not (see WND-I, 249). That’s just how difficult this revelation is to grasp.
Nevertheless, there is no mistaking that the Buddha did in fact reveal his true intent here. The Daishonin writes: “In the ‘Expedient Means’ chapter of the Lotus Sutra, in the section that concisely reveals the replacement of the three vehicles with the one vehicle, the Buddha briefly explained the concept of three thousand realms in a single moment of life, the doctrine that he had kept in mind for his final revelation” (WND-I, 249).
And, from another writing: “The Lotus Sutra… embodies the basic teaching by which all living beings are able to attain the Buddha way. And that teaching is found nowhere but in these four characters that express the idea of the true aspect of all phenomena” (WND-2, 591).
Suda: How is it possible that this short expression “the true aspect of all phenomena” can constitute the basis for the enlightenment of all living beings? This is the difficult part, isn’t it?
Endo: I’ll start by examining the most basic meaning of the expression. “All phenomena” means all forms and events here in our actual world. And “true aspect” means, just as the words imply, the truth. In his Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra, T’ien-t’ai interprets “aspect” to indicate something indestructible in essence that, while not visible, Buddhas can clearly apprehend.
Ikeda: It is not visible but nevertheless definitely exists.
Saito: Yes. So the ten factors of life are another way of expressing this truth which, though not visible to the eye, indisputably exists.
The Chinese characters representing the term factor (nyoze) in this doctrine carry the meaning of “as it is?” So the Buddha proclaims in the sutra that he has grasped and understood the true aspect of all events and individual lives (all phenomena), describing them as: appearance as it is (nyoze so), nature as it is (nyoze sho), entity as it is (nyoze tai), and so forth.
Ikeda: Yes. The Buddha’s revelation of the true aspect of all phenomena is very important. The truth (true aspect) of things is not found in some far distant realm removed from realty. In this unwavering focus on the true form (true aspect) of everyday reality, never moving away from real things and events (all phenomena), we can discern the true brilliance of the Buddha’s wisdom.
The “Life Span” chapter says: “The Thus Come One perceives the true aspect of the threefold world exactly as it is…'” (LSOC, 267). The “threefold world” is the world of reality. The Buddha is determined never to become alienated or divorced from the actual world (all phenomena). At the same time, the Buddha is not influenced by the superficial appearance of the actual world (all phenomena) but instead grasps the supreme truth (true aspect) concealed therein and teaches it to others so that they may understand and apply it in their own lives. This is the wisdom of Buddhism.
The expression “the true aspect of all phenomena” brims with thoroughgoing realism and wisdom for surmounting our immediate circumstances that are both so characteristic of Buddhism.
Suda: Yes, that is very clear. Let us look a little more closely at the ten factors of life. “Appearance” is the external appearance or form of things. “Nature” is the inherent nature, disposition or potential of a thing, not visible from the outside. According to Tien-‘tai, the ultimate form of nature is the Buddha nature. “Entity” is that which manifests itself as appearance and nature. Together, appearance, nature and entity are known as the three factors of life. They explain the reality of all phenomena, each individual life, from three perspectives.
Saito: These three factors allow each individual life to be viewed as an integrated whole. As a result, they have been linked to and also used as the basis for many other Buddhist doctrines such as the three truths (nonsubstantialty, temporary existence and the Middle Way) and the three bodies of the Buddha (the Dharma body, the bliss body and the manifested body).
Suda: To continue, “power” refers to the latent potential of life. “Influence” is that power manifesting in life. “Inherent cause” refers to the internal causes of change that each individual phenomenon possesses, while “relation” refers to conditions both internal and external and to indirect causes that prompt change to occur. “Latent effect” is the direct effect of any change, and “manifest effect” is the perceptible manifestation of the latent effect. The four factors of inherent cause, relation, latent effect and manifest effect fall under the general category of “cause and effect.”
Saito: The Great Teacher Miao-lo of China writes: “Without a discussion of the ten factors of life, the principle of cause and effect could not exist.” He sees the function of cause and effect as the distinctive characteristic of the ten factors of life.
Ikeda: Yes. Cause and effect are important, especially as they relate to our attainment of enlightenment, that is, whether we can actually become Buddhas.
Nichiren Daishonin describes the ten factors of life as being “endowed with both material and spiritual aspects” (WND-I, 356). Each aspect of life (all phenomena) possesses the two aspects of cause and effect in both the spiritual and material aspects of being and continually undergoes an endless variety of changes. The Buddha perceived this true aspect of life just as it is.
Endo: The last of the ten factors, “consistency from beginning to end,” means that all of the preceding nine factors — beginning with “appearance” and ending with “manifest effect” — are consistent and coherent throughout. In other words, the state of hell is whole and internally consistent, just as the world of Buddha-hood is whole and internally consistent.
Ikeda: And the eye of the Buddha perceives that true reality. The true reality (true aspect) of all phenomena is that each possesses latent potential (nature and power) and an openness to change (internal cause, relation, latent effect and manifest effect). Moreover, each phenomenon is a self-consistent whole. Phenomena depend upon each other, are open to each other, yet remain consistent and unified. Though I won’t go into the details now, this outlook can also be seen in the doctrines of dependent origination and the three truths.
Suda: In “The True Aspect of All Phenomena,” Nichiren Daishonin writes: “Hell’s displaying the form of hell is its true aspect. When hell changes into the realm of hungry spirits, that is no longer the true form of hell” (WND-I, 384).
Ikeda: The factor of “consistency from beginning to end” can be viewed from a higher plane as well. Namely, that in terms of the true aspect to which the Buddha became enlightened, the life of the Buddha (beginning) and the lives of beings in the nine worlds (end) are ultimately equal (consistent) as entities of the Mystic Law. Hence, all living beings can become Buddhas once they awaken to the true reality of their own lives — that is, that they themselves are entities of the Mystic Law. Ignorance or awareness of this truth is the only difference between a Buddha and persons of the nine worlds. Nichiren Daishonin states: “What is termed the “beginning’ is the manifested Buddha nature, and what is termed the ‘end’ is the Buddhahood that has not yet been manifested, that is, the state of the nine worlds. The term ‘consistency’ indicates that the Thus Come One of the ultimate stage of perfect enlightenment and we ordinary mortals in the stage of being a Buddha in theory are without any distinction. This is called consistency, or the great wisdom of the Lotus Sutra that sees the equality of all beings” (WND-2, 84).
Endo: I am gradually coming to understand the meaning of the Daishonin: statement that the principle of the true aspect of all phenomena is the basis of enlightenment for all living beings. The true aspect of all phenomena means that though there are various differences and distinctions among phenomena, as far as their true aspect is concerned they are all equally entities of the Mystic Law.
Ikeda: Yes. “True aspect” refers to the true reality of life as viewed from the enlightened state of the Buddha, who has broken free of all delusion. Here, all things are equal, transcending distinctions and differences between subject and object, self and others, mind and body, the spiritual and the material. In its true aspect of life it is infinitely expansive and eternal, without beginning or end and transcending distinctions of the Ten Worlds.
Life is dynamic; it is wisdom and compassion; it embodies the principle of the indivisibility of life and death; it is a universal law. The cosmos is not so big that life cannot embrace it, nor a particle of matter so small that life cannot be contained within it. It transcends words and thought and is truly unfathomable; it can only be described as the Mystic Law. That is how inscrutable it is.
Shakyamuni became enlightened to the fact that this aspect of life was the true aspect of the lives of all living beings of the Ten Worlds (all phenomena), thus awaking to the true aspect of all phenomena (the Ten Worlds).
Hence, the Daishonin writes: “It [this sutra passage] means that all beings and environments in the Ten Worlds, from hell, the lowest, to Buddhahood, the highest, are without exception manifestations of Myoho-renge-kyo” (WND-I, 383).
Though infinite in number, all phenomena are a part of “all beings and environments in the Ten Worlds.” To view all of them, without exception, as equal manifestations of Myoho-renge-kyo (consistency from beginning to end) is to see their true aspect.
The principle of the ten factors of life tries to illuminate the same truth. The Daishonin writes: “These ten factors represent Myoho-renge-kyo” (WND-2, 81). Elsewhere he states: “Thus, the entire realm of phenomena is no different than the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo” (WND-I, 383). My mentor, Josei Toda, also asserted: “The life of the universe is itself Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.”
When we clearly perceive the true aspect of all phenomena, everything manifests Myoho-renge-kyo: people and plants, the sun and the moon, everything is Myoho-renge-kyo. All phenomena in the universe pulse with the rhythm of Myoho-renge-kyo.
Perhaps we can explain this best in contemporary terms by saying that “all phenomena” refers to all individual lives, while “true aspect” constitutes one great cosmic life force. Each of these infinite lives, governed by the cause and effect of the material and spiritual aspects of life, plays an infinitely diverse melody. It may seem superficially as if each plays its own random and independent melody, but that is only a partial view. In fact, the truth is that each melody combines to perform in a single great symphony called the Mystic Law. While each individual melody has its own internal consistency and is whole and complete on its own terms, each also is an indispensable part of the great symphony of cosmic life known as the Mystic Law.
I am speaking metaphorically, of course.
The important thing is that even living beings in hell, for instance, can become one with the brilliant, shimmering life of the universe itself, once they awaken to the true nature of their beings (their true aspect), once they truly come to know themselves. Moreover, this vast cosmic life force can be tapped only in the reality of the individual’s own life — even if that reality happens to be the world of hell.
Where and when is the eternal true aspect of life to be found? It is now; it is here. Enlightened to this truth, one is a Buddha; ignorant of it, one dwells in the nine worlds. Consequently, the world of bodhisattva is not necessarily close to the world of Buddhahood nor the world of hell far from it. All living beings in any of the nine worlds can equally manifest the state of Buddhahood within their lives just as they are. Each individual life (all phenomena) is one with the cosmic life (true aspect). Nor does this cosmic life (true aspect) exist separately from each individual life (all phenomena).
In “The Gift of Rice,” Nichiren Daishonin expressed this “true aspect of all phenomena” as follows: “[The Lotus Sutra] teaches that the mind itself is the great earth, and that the great earth is the grasses and trees” (WND-1, 1126) “Mind” here is equivalent to the cosmic life.
The pre-Lotus Sutra teachings, representing a still-shallow and provisional body of philosophy, expounded that all phenomena (individual life) derived from the mind (cosmic life). In this case, the mind is like the earth, while all phenomena are like the plants growing in it. According to this paradigm, the mind and phenomena are separate entities.
But the Lotus Sutra teaches something different. The mind is the earth and the earth is the plants that grow in it. The true aspect and all phenomena are one and the same thing. They cannot be divided. The moon and the flowers, each and every thing, are one with the totality of the life of the universe itself.
In the same writing, the Daishonin states: “The meaning of the earlier sutras is that clarity of mind is like the moon, and that purity of mind is like a flower. But it is not so with the Lotus Sutra. It is the teaching that the moon itself is mind, and the flower itself is mind” (WND-I, 1126).
Saito: Many philosophies attempt to find the truth somewhere beyond phenomena or postulate some fundamental existence that rests beneath all phenomena, but the Lotus Sutra is different, isn’t it? “The Gift of Rice,” which you just quoted, also contains the very famous statement: “The true path lies in the affairs of this world” (WND-I, 1126).
Only in the actuality of the “affairs of this world” (all phenomena) can we demonstrate the “true path” — that is, the wisdom of the true aspect.
Endo: The “Benefits of the Teacher of the Law” chapter states that those who uphold the sutra will enjoy the benefit of purifying their six sense organs (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind).
With regard to the “mind benefits” of upholding the sutra, says:
The doctrines that good men and good women who accept the Lotus Sutra preach… will conform to the gist of the principles and will never be contrary to the true aspect.
If they should expound some text of the secular world or speak on matters of government or occupations that sustain life, they will in all cases conform to the correct Law. (LSOC, 304)
T’ien-t’ai commented on this passage: “No worldly affairs of life or work are ever contrary to the true reality [true aspect]” (WND-I, 1126).
Ikeda: This is an example of the immense benefit of the Lotus Sutra. It is a model of behavior for those who embrace its teachings.
Those who have faith in the Lotus Sutra must articulate the truth with a clear recognition of right and wrong, good and evil. Only then will one’s actions never in any way be “contrary to the true reality.”
Endo: There is an old Chinese saying “A single fallen leaf signals the arrival of autumn.” Seeing a single leaf fall, we may know that autumn is here. We might call the falling leaf “all phenomena” and autumn its “true aspect.”
Ikeda: The autumn that we cannot see (true aspect) reveals itself in the single falling leaf (all phenomena) that we do see. All phenomena are manifestations of the true aspect. At the same time,
the true aspect is manifested in all phenomena.
Suda: I think we can also say that many people possess at least some aspect of the wisdom —albeit it perhaps in an incomplete and fragmentary form —that perceives the true aspect within all phenomena. I am referring to people such as scholars and artists, or those who excel in business, or wise mothers who run their households with great efficiency and skill, and so on.
Ikeda: Of course. Even one who does not possess the eye of the Law or the eye of the Buddha may possess the eye of wisdom or the divine eye.
I was constantly amazed at how keen President Toda’s mind was. He was a genius at discerning the essence of phenomena. One would be hard pressed to find a leader to rival him.
Looking at Japan’s defeat and accompanying devastation in World War II (all phenomena), Mr. Toda declared that it presented a marvelous opportunity for the unprecedented rise of Nichiren Buddhism. This, I believe, is a perfect example of the wisdom of the true aspect of all phenomena. Also, Mr. Toda wrote in his 1958 New Year’s message, a few short months before he died: “The realms of government, labor, culture, the economy, education and many other areas of human endeavor are all showing signs of internal strife, wallowing in the mud of an evil age stained with the five impurities. But it occurs not to one person that this situation represents general punishment for being a nation of people who slandered the Law.”
Endo: To what, specifically, was Mr. Toda referring when he used the term internal strife?
Ikeda: In the political sphere, the government was split internally over the formation of a new cabinet and ministry appointments. In the workplace, labor union leaders had become alienated from their members. In the cultural domain, various academic factions were warring among themselves, obstructing the creation of a healthy social culture. Mr. Toda was referring to these and similar events.
Suda: We still see these same tendencies today. The problem, as I see it, is why this happens.
Ikeda: Yes. Mr. Toda observed: “Government systems and social institutions were not created to compete and struggle among themselves. They were conceived and adopted to improve the welfare of humanity.”
Saito: How true that is!
Ikeda: And he concluded: “The reason that today they have exactly the opposite effect than was intended is that our entire nation opposes the True Law, persecutes those who preach it and commits the offense of slandering the Law. In other words, it is because the people of this country have rejected Nichiren Daishonin’s teaching of creating a peaceful society based on the True Law.
Endo: In his treatise “On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land,” the Daishonin offers us a warning, referring to passages from the sutras. He tells us that when the philosophy and religion upon which people base their lives become distorted and confused, and if this situation continues without people awakening to the True Law, that distortion will without fail be reflected in the nation and society.
Ikeda: When philosophy and religion fall into error and disarray, it means that people’s wisdom has become confused and distorted. It then becomes impossible for them to see the true aspect of all phenomena, with the result that life itself falls into disarray as well.
Because of the true aspect of the “oneness of life and its environment,” chaos and disharmony in life create corresponding disorder and discord in the environment— that is, in society and the nation.
Suda: As in the three calamities and seven disasters?
Ikeda: In the Daishonin’s day, we see a succession of ever more severe disasters taking place. First, there were many different natural disasters. Then there were uprisings caused by political power struggles (the disaster of internal strife). Finally, Japan faced the greatest disaster of all, foreign invasion, when the Mongol forces attacked
Centuries later, Mr. Toda stated: “Now that we have entered the age of kosen-rufu, disasters are occurring in an order opposite of their appearance during the Daishonin’s lifetime.” In other words, Japan first experienced the ultimate disaster of invasion from abroad with its defeat in World War II. This was followed by internal conflict as seen in the subsequent schisms and rivalries in every area of society.
The only way to cure the malaise caused by rejecting the Mystic Law is to return to it. That is why Mr. Toda so adamantly proclaimed that widely disseminating the Mystic Law was the only means to bring happiness to all.
Saito: With his profound knowledge of the sutras and the Daishonin’s writings, Mr. Toda was deeply concerned about the future of the Japanese people. He keenly apprehended the true aspect of all phenomena with regard to postwar Japanese society.
Ikeda: As an example of his prescience, he would often cite the development of improved transportation as one clear sign (all phenomena) that the great development of the kosen-rufu movement was assured. He said it was truly a wonderful thing that large numbers of people could gather together. And it has turned out just as he predicted.
In any case, the true aspect of all phenomena is fundamentally a principle of transforming the present. We do not seek to remove ourselves from reality, full as it is of sufferings. We do not try to escape it. The true aspect of all phenomena is the wisdom that enables people to bring forth the state of Buddhahood within their lives, to realize a world where peace and tranquility prevail within the reality of everyday existence.
Endo: We could perhaps say that realizing the true aspect of all phenomena is, on the individual level, the attainment of Buddhahood in this lifetime, and on the level of society as a whole, the achievement of a peaceful society through the teachings of Buddhism.
Ikeda: That’s precisely right. The attainment of Buddhahood in this lifetime means to achieve enlightenment within this actual world and this life.
We speak of attaining Buddhahood, but it is not something that implies a fixed or static goal, like the finishing line in a race. It means struggling in the midst of reality and bringing forth the state of Buddhahood in our own lives just as we are.
The world of Buddhahood is found nowhere but in the strong mind of faith that seeks always to advance from the state of suffering to the state of Buddhahood and to then proceed from that state of Buddhahood to transform reality. It is the strength and determination of faith to keep on fighting.
In “The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind, the Daishonin writes: “That ordinary people born in the latter age can believe in the Lotus Sutra is due to the fact that the world of Buddhahood is present in the human world” (WND-I, 358).
Suda: The twenty-sixth high priest, Nichikan, also writes: “Strong faith in the Lotus Sutra is called the world of Buddhahood.” This means that the true aspect of all phenomena can be realized through faith. This is a major difference from Tien-t’ai’s teaching.
Ikeda: Yes. Tien-t’ai’s method of realizing the true aspect of all phenomena is called “the threefold contemplation in a single mind.” It is a practice of contemplating the profound principle of the true aspect of all phenomena and striving to attain a clear experience of it.
The practice consists mainly of meditation. But it is a difficult method, and not everyone can perform the practice effectively. Most people, for instance, set free in a dense forest without an accurate compass or map, will lose their direction; very few will find their way out and reach their destination.
What, in contrast, is the practice of Nichiren Buddhism? In the Gosho, he writes: “The fact is that the meditation on three thousand realms in a single moment of life and the method of meditation known as threefold contemplation in a single mind are contained within the five characters Myoho-renge-kyo. And these characters, Myoho-renge-kyo, are also contained within the single life of each of us” (WND-2, 85).
In another Gosho, he also writes: “The doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life I have revealed in all its purity in the great mandala” (WND-2, 430).
A “single moment of life” refers to the true aspect and the “three thousand realms” represents all phenomena. The Gohonzon is the Gohonzon of the true aspect of all phenomena, a mirror in which the true aspect of all phenomena of all living beings is reflected.
The inscription down the center of the Gohonzon, “Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nichiren,” is an expression of the true aspect, and the characters for the Ten Worlds written to its right and left represent all phenomena. The voice of the Mystic Law we produce as we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to this Gohonzon of the true aspect of all phenomena calls up the Buddha nature within us.
Once summoned, the Buddha nature seeks to manifest itself externally. Consequently, whether we are aware of it or not, the brilliant sun of the ten factors of life of the world of Buddhahood rises in our hearts. The clear blue sky of inherent and eternal being fills the inner expanse of our lives.
When we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with faith in the Gohonzon, we ourselves (all phenomena) shine as aspects of the Mystic Law (true aspect). This is truly a method for attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime that is accessible to all individuals.
The Gohonzon outside us is Myoho-renge-kyo; our lives within are Myoho-renge-kyo. Our faith in the Gohonzon at the same time is the wisdom to grasp the true aspect of all phenomena of our own lives. This is the principle of “substituting faith for wisdom.”
Suda: In “On Attaining Buddhahood,” the Daishonin writes:
“Therefore, when you chant myoho and recite renge, you must summon up deep faith that Myoho-renge-kyo is your life itself” (WND-I, 3). He is saying, in short, that our own lives (all phenomena) are identical to Myoho-renge-kyo (true aspect).
Saito: The Daishonin also states: “Since this is so, then the essential nature of our lives is Myoho-renge-kyo. And once we have come to understand that Myoho-renge-kyo is not the name of a sutra but is the entity of our own lives, then we will see that our own lives are in fact the Lotus Sutra, and the Lotus Sutra is none other than the sacred word preached by the Buddha in order to make manifest the entities that are our lives. And seeing that, we will know that we ourselves are Thus Come Ones of original enlightenment, who possess the three bodies within a single body” (WND-2, 80).
Here, the Daishonin stresses that it is a fallacy to believe that Myoho-renge-kyo, or the Lotus Sutra, is simply a sutra title; indeed, it is our very selves. He indicates that it constitutes the words uttered by the Buddha to call forth our original nature (our true aspect).
Suda: How are we changed when we grasp this tact from the depths of our lives: The following passage further elucidates this:
“Once we have become enlightened to this, then all the delusions and mistaken habits of thought that we have entertained from the beginningless past until the present will be swept away like yesterday’s dreams and will vanish without a trace” (WND-2, 80).
In other words, the misguided belief or delusion that we are nothing but a small and insignificant existence disappears without a trace like last night’s dream.
Endo: It is as if, the Daishonin says, clouds of ignorance part and the moon of the essential nature of phenomena shines forth (see WND-2, 85). Once we understand the true aspect of all phenomena, we see that the Buddha and living beings are in fact a single, not separate, existence.
But what does this actually mean in terms of our daily lives? Unless we understand that, the true aspect of all phenomena remains an empty concept.
Ikeda: Mr. Toda instructed us on this point in an easily intelligible manner:
As a result of embracing the Gohonzon, the life of one who is ill, for example, will be transformed into one of complete peace of mind. Because of this deep, underlying sense of serenity, one will find pleasure in the simple act of living.
Nevertheless, for all that we may enjoy life, we still possess the nine worlds. Therefore, it is inevitable that we will sometimes experience sufferings or problems. But we may find that the nature of our sufferings and problems has changed, too. Whereas before we may have been caught up in our own problems and worries, we now also come to feel concern for others. Don’t you think that finding life itself an absolute joy is what it means to be a Buddha?
Life has its pleasures and its pains. But if one has deep faith, all these different phenomena will function to strengthen the ten factors of life of the world of Buddhahood. We can attain a state of life where we can thoroughly enjoy good times and bad. This drives home again just how momentous and unprecedented it was for the Daishonin to reveal the Gohonzon of the true aspect of all phenomena. My heart is filled with gratitude when I think of it.
Suda: Yes, in the key writings in which Nichiren Daishonin discusses the true aspect of all phenomena, he is always urging his followers to place their faith in the Gohonzon and exert themselves diligently in their practice.
Ikeda: You have made a very important point.
Suda: For example, in “The True Aspect of All Phenomena,” the Daishonin writes: “Believe in the Gohonzon, the supreme object of devotion in all of Jambudvipa”; and “Exert yourself in the two ways of practice and study” (WND-I, 386). Further, in “The Real Aspect of the Gohonzon,” he writes: “What is most important is that, by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo alone, you can attain Buddhahood. It will no doubt depend on the strength of your faith. To have faith is the basis of Buddhism” (WND-I, 832).
Ikeda: The basis of Nichiren Buddhism is faith; it is to practice according to the Buddha’s teachings based on faith.
Saito: The Japanese Tendai school of Buddhism during Nichiren Daishonin’s day also based itself on the Lotus Sutra, but it had lost sight of practicing based on faith. The Tendai priests declared: “All beings are originally Buddhas. Given their innate Buddhahood, therefore, any kind of desire is permissible, any reality acceptable.”
Ikeda: This represents a distorted interpretation of the true aspect of all phenomena. It is the abandonment of practice and a servile capitulation to circumstance.
The true aspect of all phenomena does not simply indicate that all phenomena are equivalent to the true aspect. It means that all phenomena are the true aspect, and the true aspect is all phenomena. They are not equal, they are identical, one and the same with no distinction between them. The Daishonin states, “The single word ‘identical’ is symbolic of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo” (OTT, 72). The term identical here expresses life’s dynamism — never still, at times manifest, at times dormant, always creative and expanding.
The true aspect of all phenomena, it must be remembered, is, after all, the ultimate truth viewed by the Buddha. It is different from the reality that deluded, unenlightened, ordinary beings see. That is why each person must continually strive to approach the realization of the ultimate truth. This is what our Buddhist practice is all about. We must unceasingly strive to overcome our immediate circumstances, forging our way toward the ideal of the true aspect of all phenomena. This is how reform is engendered.
If we turn our backs on this challenge and simply hide behind this wonderful principle of the true aspect of all phenomena, we will be swamped by reality and grow powerless and apathetic. And that is a very rightening development, because peoples apathy becomes a fertile field for those who wish to wield unchecked power. None are easier to control than people who are passive and without motivation. That is because, however cruel reality may be, such people will meekly accept and affirm it without question.
The wisdom of the true aspect of all phenomena teaches us otherwise, the way things should be: that it is our duty to reprimand leaders who violate the true path of life. This is clearly evident in the Daishonin’s committed actions to uphold the True Law.
Endo: The Tendai school of Buddhism distorted the Lotus Sutra’s teaching of “the unification of the three vehicles within the one Buddha vehicle” and asserted that any teaching, if it was thought to have the least benefit, was truth. “The Pure Land, Shingon and Zen schools of Buddhism are all the Lotus Sutra,” they declared. “To believe that is the true practice.”
In this connection, the Daishonin writes: “But these days when the members of the Tendai school conduct their interpretations of doctrine, in which they open up and merge [the provisional teachings with the true teaching], they understand this passage of the sutra wrongly, and this leads them into opinions that are erroneous” (WND-2, 591).
Suda: The Daishonin fought fiercely against such erroneous teachings. He describes the beliefs of the Tendai priests and much of the Japanese populace of the time as follows: “They believe that, since all vehicles are opened up and incorporated in the one vehicle of Buddhahood, no teaching is superior or inferior, shallow or profound, but all are equal to the Lotus Sutra. Hence the belief that chanting the Nembutsu, embracing the True Word teaching, practicing Zen meditation, or professing and reciting any sutra or the name of any Buddha or bodhisattvas equals following the Lotus Sutra” (WND-I, 392-93).
And then he adds: “But I insist that this is wrong” (WND-1, 393). We can see that the Daishonin strictly refutes such distorted beliefs.
Ikeda: The arrogance and irresponsibility of such religious teachers, who assert that all religious beliefs are alike and that whichever one an individual follows is just a matter of personal preference, have created the spiritual climate we observe in Japan today.
Saito: That is absolutely true. Such religious leaders shun strictly distinguishing between true and false, the correct and erroneous, and seek only self-preservation by settling for a superficial harmony between viewpoints. They mistake this wishy-washy compromise as tolerance. They meekly go along with circumstances, surrendering themselves to reality.
As a result, they act as pawns of those in power, seeking to suppress the people who would fight against the injustices wrought by the authorities. Or they just stand on the sidelines, silently allowing justice to be violated, aiding and abetting those who would commit wrongdoing. They think they are living their lives very cleverly, but they don’t even notice they have been robbed of their autonomy by the diabolical hands of power.
Suda: Nothing demeans people more than such a self-serving practicality that is completely bereft of ideals.
Endo: The teachings of the Pure Land school are at the other extreme from the Tendai teaching of original Buddhahood. They assert that we cannot become Buddhas in this life but must wait until after we die to be reborn in another place where at last we will be happy.
If we can’t become happy in this life, what guarantee is there that we will in the next? This teaching leads the individual to conclude there is no point in making any effort in this life, that it is better to die and go to the next world as quickly as possible. This constitutes an escape from reality, a denial of the present.
Saito: And there is a strong tendency among followers of schools such as Zen Buddhism to cut themselves off from the reality of secular life and withdraw into their own closed-off little world.
Ikeda: Let’s take a look at how the Daishonin describes the Buddha who has awakened to the true aspect of all phenomena in contrast to these teachings. He writes: “In the phrase’ consistency from beginning to end, ‘beginning’ indicates the root of evil and the root of good, while ‘end’ indicates the outcome of evil and the outcome of good. One who is thoroughly awakened to the nature of good and evil from their roots to their branches and leaves is called a Buddha” (WND-I, 1121).
To distinguish between good and evil in this world and guide others to happiness is to put into practice the wisdom of the true aspect of all phenomena.
Further on in the same writing, he continues:” A person of wisdom is not one who practices Buddhism apart from worldly affairs” (WND-I, 1121). And he indicates that even people living before the introduction of Buddhism, who worked to relieve human suffering, acted as “emissaries of Shakyamuni Buddha,” and that their wisdom “contained at heart the wisdom of Buddhism” (WND-I, 1122).
Here we can see a very broad and expansive, nondogmatic, nonsectarian way of thinking. While some are losing themselves in the world, allowing themselves to be controlled by reality, or, at the other extreme, closing their eyes to the real world, rejecting it and trying to seek refuge in the next life, the Lotus Sutra teaches an entirely different approach.
The Daishonin harshly criticized the teachings of the Tendai, Zen and Pure Land schools of Buddhism, because they had rejected the teaching of the true aspect of all phenomena. The true aspect of all phenomena expounded in the Lotus Sutra embodies a philosophy that enables the individual to transform reality. It does not teach fatalism or passive resignation. It seeks to develop in us a resilience that will allow us to fend off all such passivity and feelings of powerlessness. It rouses a fighting spirit within us, the determination to try to effect change at all costs. It summons forth in us a spirit of responsibility, so that we continually ask ourselves what we should be doing right now.
Endo: That reminds me of the theme of your work The Human Revolution, which you identify as follows: “A great human revolution in just a single individual will help achieve a change in the destiny of a nation, and further, will enable a change in the destiny of all humankind.” This is the wisdom of the Lotus Sutra pure and simple and the fundamental spirit of Nichiren Buddhism.
Ikeda: I am Mr. Toda’s disciple. That is my most fundamental source of pride. When Mr. Toda was in prison, he read the Lotus Sutra with his entire life. Many other religious leaders have claimed to understand the Lotus Sutra. Some even founded their own schools of religion. But Mr. Toda was different. When newspaper reporters asked him whether he thought he was the Buddha, he replied “No, I am a fine example of an ordinary human being.” He stood up fearlessly in the midst of the storms that raged about him, always warmly supporting the cause of people who were bravely acting out the inspirational drama of transforming lives of despair into lives of shining new hope and new beginnings.
Mr. Toda’s life was the epitome of human revolution. With these two words, human revolution, Mr. Toda demolished that danger of self-righteousness that can so easily afflict a religion and marvelously combined the supreme wisdom of Buddhism with an unsurpassed way of life for the human being and a superlative path for social prosperity.
Suda: Yes, I think the concept of human revolution perfectly synthesizes the ideas of attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime and of creating a peaceful society by spreading widely the philosophy and ideals of Nichiren Buddhism.
Ikeda: Human revolution simultaneously leads to a revolution of society and of our environment. In “The True Aspect of All Phenomena,” the Daishonin cites Miao-lo’s observation: “Living beings and their environments always manifest Myoho-renge-kyo” (WND-I, 383).
T’ien-t’ai, too, says that the land also possesses the ten factors of life. Life and its environment are not separate things. They are inseparable. This is the origin of the principle that human revolution means a simultaneous revolution of the land and society.
Viewed through the eyes of the Buddha — that is, from the perspective of the true aspect of all phenomena — all phenomena in the universe are one living entity. Happiness for living beings independent of their environment is impossible. Similarly, peace only in terms of the environment independent of living beings is also impossible.
We cannot be truly happy while others remain miserable. Nor is the misery of another that person’s alone. The more happiness we bring to others, the happier we ourselves become. As long as one unhappy person remains, our own happiness cannot be complete.
This is the perspective of life from the true aspect of all phenomena. That is why the endless challenge to transform reality is the very heart of the true aspect of all phenomena.
In his rationale for having written the thesis “On Establishing the Correct Teaching For the Peace of the Land,” Nichiren Daishonin states: “I say all this solely for the sake of the nation, for the sake of the Law, for the sake of others, not for my own sake” (WND-I, 164). However fiercely the Daishonin was persecuted, the flame in his heart for the salvation of others could not be extinguished.
Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, the first president of the Soka Gakkai, inheriting this spirit and deeply committed to the realization of a peaceful society through the wide dissemination of the True Law, died a martyr’s death in prison. With this same spirit, Mr. Toda rose up alone from the barren wasteland of defeat after World War II.
In The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, the Daishonin says: “But when they come to realize this fact, then they will understand the doctrine that earthly desires are enlightenment and the sufferings of birth and death are nirvana” (OTT, 161); and “This doctrine that a three thousand realms in a single moment of life that is capable of freeing one from suffering and bringing one joy” (OTT, 173).
The sole purpose of Buddhism, the sole purpose of the SGI, is to save people from suffering. The SGI is doing its utmost to bring happiness to humanity. It has no other reason for existing.
How praiseworthy are the lives of those who strive toward that goal with the SGI! How noble!
From the perspective of the true aspect of all phenomena, the here and now is our true and eternal sphere of activity. It is the actual stage on which we perform our missions. The Daishonin writes, “It is not that he leaves his present place and goes to some other place” (OTT, 192). Even difficult situations, the kind we can only ascribe to our negative karma, are precious, never-to-be-repeated opportunities to fulfill our original mission.
In that respect, those who understand the wisdom of the true aspect of all phenomena can transform any kind of karma into a radiantly brilliant mission. When you are absolutely confident of this, you will be tilled with hope. Every person and every experience you encounter will become a precious and unique treasure.
The Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore wrote that life is a deeply satisfying experience and that everything in the world is beautiful down to the smallest particle of dust. In his renowned epic poem Gitanjali, he adopts the voice of a mother thinking of her child:
When I bring to you coloured toys,
my child, I understand why there is
such a play of colours on clouds, on
water, and why flowers are painted in
tints— when I give coloured toys to
you, my child.
When I sing to make you dance I
truly know why there is music in leaves,
and why waves send their chorus of
voices to the heart of the listening
earth — when I sing to make you dance.
A world of brilliant colors glows in the heart of a mother who loves her child. The vibrant rhythm of life echoes within her. This is because love transcends the individuality of life and opens our hearts to the true aspect of life, which is one and indivisible.
That being so, how exquisite must be the hues and melodies brimming within our lives, dedicated as they are to enfolding all of humanity in the warm embrace of compassion!
When we firmly believe in the principle of the true aspect of all phenomena, the place we are right now becomes the Land of Eternally Tranquil Light, and the very act of living itself becomes an absolute delight.
We will keep on building and spreading this deep, abiding joy of which Mr. Toda spoke. The Lotus Sutra shows us how to live such a bright, optimistic life of infinite challenge.