Discussion of the “Bestowal of Prophecy” Chapter (Chapter 6).
Saito: I would like to do my best to make our current dialogue on the Lotus Sutra something that members throughout the world can use at discussion meetings and in conducting Buddhist dialogue.
Ikeda: I completely agree. Let’s redouble our efforts.
The discussion meeting is like a great river, and all activities are like tributaries that flow into this river. Activities to broaden the circle of friends in society and meetings of various kinds for faith and study all contribute to the great river of the discussion meet-ing. This broad and deep river, created by the confluence of these myriad streams, flows into the ocean of the century of the peo-ple. On its banks, vast fertile plains of human culture will produce rich fruit of many kinds.
The heart of the SGI is found in the discussion meeting. President Toda said: “The first president [Tsunesaburo Makiguchi] would be the first to arrive at the meeting place. When someone else arrived, he would engage the person in discussion. When a second person came, he would speak with the two of them, and when a third came, he would talk with those three, instructing them in all matters with the greatest kindness and courtesy.”! He also once said: “It’s fine even if there’s just one person [at a meet-ing. The important thing is that we earnestly and energetically explain the teaching, relate our experience to that one person, and wholeheartedly discuss kosen-rufu and life. Even if there are just two people, if they each go home from the meeting with a sense of joy and fulfillment from having discussed the Gohonzon and inspired one another, then it’s a success. If three people come to a meeting, you should consider it well attended.” Suda: While good attendance is important, the crucial point is to create discussion meetings where each person feels truly satistied and leaves with the desire to come to another meeting, perhaps bringing a friend next time.
Ikeda: We shouldn’t badger people to attend the meeting simply to get a good turnout; the thing is to connect with one another on the level of the heart. Discussion means one-to-one dialogue. It is essential, therefore, that each person be treasured.
This is the key to generating a rhythm of lively, successful discussion meetings.
We don’t speak of the “tradition” of the discussion meeting simply because the pattern of holding such meetings has continued for many years. Rather, with the discussion meeting as the central focus of our activities, we have striven to treasure each per-son; this spirit to value and respect the individual is the tradition of the SGI. The SGI has unceasingly encouraged people in their ordinary yet valiant struggles. This is the tradition of the discussion meeting.
From a societal viewpoint, the number of people participating in these meetings is not large; nor is any particular attention paid to these meetings. Indeed, no gathering of people is more simple or down-to-earth. But discussion meetings are grounded in a philosophy that thoroughly explains the Law pervading the universe.
They produce a nourishing moisture that nurtures the lives of people from all walks of life, enabling them to blossom. They are pervaded with hope that inspires people — no matter how overwhelmed they may be — with the spirit to stand up and try again.
Endo: They leave one feeling wonderfully refreshed and exhilarated
Tkeda: That is the ideal.
A young man may rush to get to a meeting after working hard all day. The moment he arrives, he may relax, thinking, “I made it in time,” and suddenly become drowsy. But his drowsiness won’t last long because a perennially kind but firm women’s division district leader is sure to tell him: “Show a little life! You’re still
young, after all.”
There are pioneer members who explain the great joy of faith with poignant words infused with rich experience. And there are children in the Boys and Girls Group who are delightful, even if sometimes they may make a commotion.
There may be a father who comes to a meeting for the first time in ages, attributing his presence to the constant needling of his spouse. And when, beaming, he announces his determination to “finally get serious about my practice,” his wife, amid the applause, smiles tearfully.
There is laughter, there are tears, there is emotion. The SGI discussion meeting is a people’s oasis that reverberates with a spirit of determination and appreciation, where suffering turns into courage, and fatigue gives way to warm fulfillment.
This small gathering is the very image of human harmony. It is a true model of democracy. It has the pulse of kosen-rufu and links faith, family and the community. It is pervaded with the spirit to enable the noble children of the Buddha and their precious friends to become happy. This is the spirit of the Lotus Sutra.
Endo: As you have described in The New Human Revolution, your efforts for world kosen-rutu, resident Ikeda, began with your attending a discussion meeting in the United States.
Suda: As you write in The New Human Revolution, too, it seems to me that Shakyamuni’s first expounding of the Law for a small group of former fellow ascetics was also a kind of discussion meet ing. There were five participants in addition to Shakyamuni. This very small gathering marked the brilliant dawn of Buddhism. Also, it is said that to get to the place where his former companions were pursuing their ascetic practice, Shakyamuni walked more
than a hundred miles.
Tkeda: The Buddha’s preaching took the format of dialogue. In this we find an important point in common with SGI discussion meetings.
And the Lotus Sutra itself, the summation of Shakyamun’s preaching, could be thought of as a grand discussion meeting. To people searching for and earnestly inquiring into the meaning of life, Shakyamuni replies with sincerity, relating his own experience and skillfully employing metaphors and parables to clarify his meaning. Those who see and hear this give-and-take are engulfed in the joy of expanding their own states of life. There is a radiant determination, a spiritual chain reaction, a wondrous heart-to-heart exchange.
How does Shakyamuni cause the eternal sun of the Mystic Law to rise in people’s hearts at this “discussion meeting”? An important focus in answering this is the concept of “bestowal of prophecy?” Today, therefore, let us discuss “Bestowal of Prophecy,” the sixth chapter.
THE BESTOWAL OF PROPHECY
UPON THE FOUR GREAT VOICE-HEARERS
If, because you understand our innermost minds, you bestow a prophecy of buddhahood upon us, it would be like sweet dew bathing us, washing away fever and imparting coolness.
Suppose that someone coming from a land of famine should suddenly encounter a great king’s feast. His heart still filled with doubt and fear, he would not dare to eat the food at once, but if he were instructed by the king to do so, then he would venture to eat. (LSOC, 146-47)
Endo: “Bestowal of prophecy” refers to Shakyamunis conferting upon his disciples words of assurance that in the future they arc certain to attain Buddhahood.
In “Bestowal of Prophecy,” Shakyamuni confers prophecies of enlightenment upon the four great voice-hearer disciples–Mahakashyapa,’ Subhuti, Katyayana* and Maudgalyayana. This is the second bestowal of prophecy in the sutra, the first having been the prophecy of enlightenment for Shariputra in “Simile and Para-ble,” the third chapter. Also, this in a sense brings to a conclusion Shakyamuni’s preaching to the four great voice-hearers, which begins in “Simile and Parable” when he expounds the parable of the three carts and the burning house.’
ACCEPTING AND UPHOLDING THE LAW
Is ITSELF ENLIGHTENMENT
Saito: Members often ask what, specifically, attaining Buddhahood means. In Shakyamuni’s predictions of enlightenment for the voice-hearers in the Lotus Sutra, the attainment of Buddhahood is presented as something that will happen in the distant future.
By contrast, Nichiren Daishonin teaches that we can attain Bud-dhahood in this lifetime. In that case, what kind of state are we talking about?
Ikeda: That is a difficult question to answer, but to put it simply, attaining Buddhahood is not so much a matter of arriving at a destination or reaching a goal as internalizing the process of continually strengthening the world of Buddhahood in our lives. This is termed “entering the unsurpassed way?”
In the theoretical teaching, or first half, of the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni had not yet departed from the view that attaining Buddhahood necessitates practicing for countless aeons. so, nat-urally, the prophecies he makes for his disciples are of attaining enlightenment in the distant future. But Shakyamuni’s true intention is to enable all people to advance along the same path as he.
The bestowal of prophecy assures the Buddha’s disciples that they have definitely entered the path of life, the road leading to absolute happiness, along which the Buddha himself has traveled.
This is not the enlightenment expounded in the earlier sutras or the theoretical teaching (first half) of the Lotus Sutra; it is not a matter of becoming a Buddha “endowed with august attributes.” Advancing along the same path as the Buddha is itself attaining Buddhahood.
Specifically, following the same path as the Buddha means accepting and upholding the Lotus Sutra; that is, to engrave in one’s life the Buddha’s spirit as revealed in the Lotus Sutra and to live in accord with that spirit. It means living in such a way as to never depart from the Buddha’s spirit, under any and all circum-stances. Such unwavering commitment ensures that we will never deviate from the Buddha way.
In “Supernatural Powers of the Thus Come One,” Shakyamuni says:
Therefore a person of wisdom,… after I have passed into extinction should accept and uphold this sutra.
Such a person assuredly and without doubt will attain the buddha way. (ISOC, 318)
This means that those who accept and uphold the Lotus Sutra can advance without fail along the path of the Buddha and are certain to attain Buddhahood.
Saito: In a sense, the very question “What is the state of Bud-chahood like?” reflects an understanding of enlightenment that is basically informed by the earlier sutras and the theoretical teaching of the Lotus Sutra. Often people suppose that Buddha-hood is a state of attainment, and that in attaining Buddhahood one becomes a radically different person. We may tend to think in these terms because we speak of someone becoming a Buddha.
Ikeda: That’s right. Nichiren Daishonin teaches that Buddhahood is not a matter of becoming a Buddha but of revealing the Buddha in one’s own life, of cultivating the life of Buddhahood within.
President Toda said: Attaining Buddhahood does not mean becoming or trying to become a Buddha. It means honestly believing in the Daishonin’s words that the common mortal is the supreme being and that all phenomena manifest the true entity and awakening to one’s identity as a Buddha existing from the remote past and throughout the infinite future.” In “Bestowal of Prophecy,” when Shakyamuni predicts enlightenment for Maudgalyayana, he speaks of a time “when he has cast off his present body” (ISOC, IS2). He says in effect that in future existences when Maudgalyayana has “shed his present body,” he will practice under a great multitude of Buddhas and finally become a Buddha himself.
The Daishonin says regarding this passage: “To assert that one must cast off one’s present body before one can attain Buddha-hood is a doctrine of the provisional teachings. But the true meaning of casting off one’s body’ consists in casting aside one’s feelings of attachment to such doctrines” (OTT, 70).
Also, the Daishonin says that “cast off” should be interpreted as meaning “offer up,” and that “cast off his present body” means
“that one offers up the five elements” that make up one’s body to the Dharma-realm” (oTT, 70). The Dharma-realm is the universe, the world, all living beings. The five elements indicate life. To “offer up the five elements to the Dharma-realm” means to carry out the actions of bodhisattvas who offer their lives to bring benefit to others. In other words, following the path of the bodhisattva is itself attaining Buddhahood.
The essential teaching, or second half, of the Lotus Sutra presents a new view of attaining enlightenment. This is found in the revelation in the “Life Span” chapter that the Buddha enlightened from the remote past has, since attaining Buddhahood, been continuously carrying out bodhisattva practice. In becoming a Bud-dha, Shakyamuni did not cease to be a bodhisattva. In concrete terms, the Buddha’s actions and stance in society consist of bodhisattva practice. Even after attaining enlightenment, the Buddha continues to adhere to the path of bodhisattva practice. This, in other words, is the Buddha way.
Saito: At the very end of “Life Span,” the Buddha’s wish to “cause living beings to gain entry into the unsurpassed way and quickly acquire the body of a buddha” (ISOC, 273) is expressed. We can take the expression “cause living beings to gain entry into the unsurpassed way” as meaning to enable them to attain enlightenment or acquire the Buddha’s enlightened properties.
Ikeda: From the standpoint of the essential teaching, attaining Buddhahood is not so much a goal or a special state but a path.
We could probably even go so far as to say that the only difference in someone’s condition before and after attaining Buddha-hood has to do with whether this path is firmly established in the person’s life.
“Firmly establishing this path” means solidifying in our lives a spirit of yearning for the happiness of oneself and others and continuously taking constructive action with that spirit.
Suda: It will be wonderful when this spirit of seeking the happi-lives.
ness of both oneself and others becomes an integral part of all
Saito: Your point about “firmly establishing the path” perfectly agrees with the original meaning of the words bestowal of prophecy.
Endo: The Chinese character for prophecy is a verb originally meaning “to clearly distinguish and give coherent expression to.” The term bestowal of prophecy appearing in the Chinese translation of the Lotus Sutra was coined by Kumarajiva when he rendered the sutra from the Indian language. In earlier translations, Chinese-character combinations meaning ” expression of distinction” or
“bestowal of decision” were used. Here, distinction means ” clearly distinguishing; and decision means “decisively judging.”
Suda: “Bestowal of prophecy” is thought to originally derive from the Sanskrit word vyakarana, whose meanings include “distinc-tion,” “analysis” and “development.” In Buddhist texts, it is used in the sense of giving a clear reply to a question.
Sait: In short, prophecy, in “bestowal of prophecy,” means “clear statement.” By stating things clearly, the Buddha enables people to advance unfailingly along the path to Buddhahood. In the chapter before last, we confirmed that belief and understanding indicate a spirit to advance and improve ourselves. By comparison, the “bestowal of prophecy” empowers us to engrave this spirit in the depths of our lives.
Ikeda: Originally, “bestowal of prophecy” meant giving a clear reply and so resolving the doubts in people’s hearts. Leaders should always speak with forthrightness and clarity. Vagueness is bad, because it causes people to feel uneasy. Giving people confidence Is the key point in the “bestowal of prophecy.”
Sai: Most of the prophecies bestowed in Buddhist texts relate to conditions after death. Human beings cannot know with any certainty how things will be after death or in the future. This may have been precisely why it was necessary for Shakyamun to speak dearly on these matters.
The Great Teacher Tien-t’ai of China says that “bestowal of prophecy” refers to the Buddha’s ability to “employ words and five people a true understanding.”
Ikeda: The Buddha bestows prophecies upon people to cause them to clearly understand, to give them the awareness and confidence that they themselves can attain Buddhahood.
Suda: In the “Bestowal of Prophecy” chapter, Mahakashyapa is the first of the four great voice-hearers to receive a prediction of enlightenment. Observing the scene, Maudgalyayana and the others beseech Shakyamuni to bestow prophecies upon them as well.
Shakyamuni then confers prophecies upon Subhuti, Katyayana and Maudgalyayana, in that order.
Endo: The parable of the great king’s feast is related in the scene where Maudgalyayana and the other two voice-hearers request predictions of enlightenment.
With this parable, the three disciples explain that in asking the Buddha to bestow a prophecy of enlightenment upon them, they feel as though they were people from a land of famine who had suddenly encountered the feast of a great king, that is to say, the most exquisite and sumptuous cuisine. People in such a situation would be almost beside themselves with the desire to eat. But at the same time, so filled with doubt and fear would they be that they would dare not touch the food until the king has given them permission. In the same way, while these disciples have heard and accepted the teaching of the one Buddha vehicle that enables even voice-hearers to attain Buddhahood, they cannot feel true assurance unless the Buddha makes a clear prediction of enlightenment for them, too.
Suda: Incidentally, in this request spoken in unison by the three, Shak yamuni’s giving a bestowal of prophecy is likened to “sweet
“immortality,”
dew.” This is a translation of the Sanskrit term amrita, meaning
a mystic elixir of eternal youth and immortality said to exist in the realm of heaven. The use of this term implies that the bestowal of prophecy influences not only this life but future existences as well.
Ikeda: The bestowal of prophecy removes the unease the disciples had felt in the depths of their lives and gives them profound peace of mind. Through the bestowal of prophecy, which is the Buddha’s assurance that they will ultimately attain Buddhahood, they gain profound confidence in the future.
Iis probably to bolster this sense of confidence that the Buddha gives the title and the specific kalpa and land in which the four great voice-hearers will attain Buddhahood.
Saito: Shakyamuni indicates the name of the kalpa in which they will attain Buddhahood, the name of the land where they will attain Buddhahood, and the title they will assume as Buddhas.
The prophecies bestowed upon the four great voice-hearers are as follows:
In a kalpa called Great Adornment and in a land called Light Virtue, Mahakashyapa will become a Buddha named Light Bright.
In a kalpa called Possessed of Jewels and in a land called Jewel Born, Subhuti will become a Buddha named Rare Form.
Katyayana will become a Buddha named Jambunada Gold’ Light [no kalpa and land are given]. And in a kalpa called Joy Replete and in a land called Mind Delight, Maudgalyayana will become a Buddha named Tamala Leaf Sandalwood Fragrance.
While Shakyamuni says that he is bestowing prophecies on his disciples because of their dignity and virtue, it seems that the designations of the kalpa, land and name bear some relation to the particular strengths and personality of each of the disciples.
Ikeda: That’s right. I think these designations encapsulate the drama of each one’s life.
Suda: For example, in the case of Mahakashyapa, the first to receive a prophecy of the four, the word light (as in brilliance) is included in both his name, Light Bright, and in the name of the land,
Light Virtue.
In Sanskrit, Light Bright has the sense of “shining glory.” The name of the land, Light Virtue, means “world of honor” or “world replete with glory.” And Great Adornment, the name of the kalpa, means “a figure of great brilliance.”
Endo: Mahakashyapa was from a prestigious family, but he had in fact entered upon the life of a religious mendicant even earlier than Shakyamuni and had long led an itinerant life in search of truth. Eventually, he met Shakyamuni and is said to have decided to become his disciple the first time he saw him.
Tradition has it that because Shakyamuni wore clothes even coarser than his own, Mahakashyapa exchanged his own garments for Shakyamuni’s, and that he then wore these exclusively.
Mahakashyapa is said to have devoted himself to ascetic practices.
And while it appears that some insensitive people among the Buddha’s disciples looked down on Mahakashyapa because of his disheveled appearance, Shakyamuni behaved exactly the opposite.
Respecting Mahakashyapa as someone who had practiced longer than he, Shakyamuni let him sit on an elevated seat identical to his own and praised him as the foremost in ascetic practice.
Ikeda: Shakyamuni, in other words, saw in Mahakashyapa, who had rigorously devoted himself to the most plain and arduous of practices, a person who shone most brightly.
Saito: Speaking of asceticism, in a parable found in the latter half of “The Parable of the Medicinal Herbs,” in a section not contained in Kumarajiva’s translation of the Lotus Sutra, a man whose blindness has been cured by medicinal herbs from the Snow Mountains (Himalayas) is said to gain “the transcendental power to see for a thousand miles” by carrying out further ascetic prac-tices.’ In this parable, I think we can see a connection between ascetic practices and the name Light Bright.
Ikeda: The benefit of the blind man’s ascetic practices is symbolic of the benefit that comes from believing in and understanding the Lotus Sutra. That benefit is to acquire a “light bright heart” that will remain ours eternally. This is the greatest treasure we can hope
to possess.
The aim of the practice of asceticism is to dispel all desire concerning matters of clothing, food and shelter. The light of the Buddha’s wisdom has the power to dispel the darkness of suffering in human life. It may be that Shakyamuni bestowed the name Light Bright Thus Come One on Mahakashyapa because this aspect of the Buddha’s enlightenment coincides with the lat-
ter’s strengths.
Nichiren Daishonin says: “Now, in the midst of the murk and darkness of slanders of the Law, when Nichiren and his followers shine forth the light brightness of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, this is in fact Mahakashyapa, Light Bright Thus Come One” (orI, 69).
Propagating the Mystic Law that dispels the darkness of slander is itself the foremost ascetic practice.
Suda: In the prophecy bestowed on Subhuti, jewel becomes the key word. Jewel Born, the name of the land, literally means something that gives birth to or produces jewels. And the kalpa name, Possessed of Jewels, means “brilliance of jewels.” Rare Form, Subhuti’s title in that existence, means “one having the appearance worthy of renown.”
Endo: Subhuti was the nephew of Sudatta, the wealthy merchant who built the famous Jetavana Monastery as an offering to Shakyamuni.’ Subhuti is said to have become Shakyamuni’s disciple upon meeting the Buddha when the monastery was first offered. Even after leaving secular life, Subhuti constantly offered whatever he could, and he was held to be the foremost in inner tranquillity and most worthy of receiving offerings.
Ikeda: Having excelled in the practice of almsgiving may connect Subhuti with the image of “jewels.” But, more fundamentally, the recurrence of this word probably signifies the fact that, in the Lotus Sutra, he gains the true “jewel of wisdom” and “jewel of life: In “Belief and Understanding,” the fourth chapter, the four great voice-hearers delight at their discovery that the world of Buddhahood exists in their own lives, saying, “This cluster of unsurpassed jewels has come to us unsought” (ISOC, 124).
Saito: It may be relevant that at the very start of “Belief and Understanding” Subhuti is called a man “of lifelong wisdom”
(LOC, II). Those of “lifelong wisdom” are those who base their lives on wisdom; it is another name for the Buddha. It also means
“person of strong life force” and “person of longevity.”
Subhuti excelled in wisdom. Among Shakyamuni’s disciples, he was regarded as the foremost in understanding the doctrine of non-substantiality. Shakyamuni’s preaching in many of the Wisdom sutras, which explain the doctrine of non-substantiality, is addressed to him. In particular, in the Great Wisdom Sutra and elsewhere, Shakyamuni goes so far as to direct Subhuti to instruct the bodhisattvas in the Buddha’s perfect wisdom.
Ikeda: But Subhuti was himself still confined to the wisdom of the two vehicles. While he could explain the Buddha’s wisdom to others, he did not seek to acquire the Buddha’s perfect wisdom himself. In “Belief and Understanding,” he reflects on his former attitude.
When he hears the Lotus Sutra, he can finally enter the path for gaining the Buddha’s wisdom, that is, the path of Buddhahood This is no doubt the reason why he receives the prophecy that he will become a renowned Buddha whose life shines with the inner
“jewel” of the world of Buddhahood.
Suda: In the prophecy bestowed upon Katyayana, no mention is made of either the kalpa or the land; only his title, Jambunada Gold Light, is revealed. This name means “shining of gold dust from the Jambunada River.” The Jambunada is a river through an idyllic realm said to lie on the northern side of the Snow Mountains, called the jambunada Forest. The gold dust taken from the river was supposed to shine with exceptional beauty.
Saito: It is related that Katyayana’s skin shone with a beautiful golden hue. It seems to me he may have been given the name on
this basis.
Ikeda: The name probably indicates the Buddha’s character, which shines like gold with compassion and wisdom.
When we look at things in this way, we see that the disciples are given names that match their individual personalities. Their personal proclivities, moreover, are transformed into the virtuous qualities of the Buddhas they are destined to become.
Suda: Lastly, Maudgalyayana’s name in the prophecy, Tamala Leaf Sandalwood Fragrance, means “fragrance of the leaves of the tamala and sandalwood trees.” The wood of these trees was pulverized and turned into perfume that was sprinkled on or applied to the body. The wood was also burned in festival fires.
The name of the kalpa, Joy Replete, means “abundant ease and joy.” And Mind Delight, the name of the land, means “place that puts the mind at ease.”
Endo: This kalpa, land and title would seem to relate to the fact that Maudgalyayana was known as the foremost in transcendental powers. There are many stories about his transcendental powers, but one episode in particular is often depicted in murals and other Buddhist art. That is when he causes King Brahma to revere and become a devotee of Shakyamuni.
As the story goes, Maudgalyayana once climbed up to the place in heaven where King Brahma and the other gods dwell and demonstrated to them meditation within a flame. The blinding light was so bright that not even King Brahma, who was held to personify the fundamental universal principle (Brahman), had ever seen anything like it. When Maudgalyayana declared himself to be a disciple of Shakyamuni, King Brahma asked through an intermediary whether there were many among Shakyamuni’s disciples who possessed such great transcendental powers. Hearing that there were, King Brahma was overjoyed and vowed to become a follower of Shakyamuni. King Brahma, the ruler of the sana world, was greatly elated, and joy spread throughout and pervaded the
entire world
Ikeda: By showing his own power, the disciple of the Buddha taught King Brahma the greatness of his mentor, bringing honor to both mentor and disciple.
Suda: It may be because of the image of the flame in this episode that the title bestowed on Maudgalyayana incorporates the name of the wood burned in festival fires. Also, we can conjecture that the kalpa and age are named Joy Replete and Mind Delight, respectively, because the brilliance of this flame of Maudgalyayana’s meditation filled the entire world with joy.
Ikeda: The important point here is that, upon attaining Buddha-hood, the personality and total life experience of each of these disciples come to shine as virtuous enlightened attributes. As long as we have faith, no effort is wasted. This is the great benefit of the Lotus Sutra.
No doubt hearing the wonderful names of the kalpa, land and title — perfectly matching the character of each — enabled the four voice-hearers to sense profoundly that they would indeed attain Buddhahood. And all those around them could understand, by extension, that they, too, would become praiseworthy Buddhas.
bestowal of prophecies.
In consequence, ripples of joy spread among those who heard the
Suda: I am reminded of the SGI presentation of commendations to individuals for meritorious achievement. I am always moved by the heartfelt rejoicing of all participants at meetings where such awards are made and by how people, seeing their comrades and
in their own lives.
peers recognized in this way, determine to realize similar growth Ikeda: Those selected to receive such recognition represent the entire membership. Therefore, a commendation awarded to one person is a commendation awarded to all who are advancing along
the same path.
Even so, in these self-centered times, it is truly noble the way our members rejoice when their fellow members are honored, an event that becomes a source of inspiration for them to strive further in their own personal growth and development. Where else can you find such comradeship?
This is the world of the SGI, which is forged by strong faith. A spirit to applaud others arises from confidence in one’s own life.
By contrast, a spirit of envy reflects a lack of self-confidence.
Saito: Envy produces a kind of negative equality. Envious people try to hold others to their own low level, based on the model of
“hammering down the nail that sticks out.”
A spirit to applaud others produces true, positive equality. It manifests in the tendency to recognize all people, along with one-self, as noble and worthy of respect, and in the desire for all equally to grow. This, I believe, is the attitude of a genuine Buddhist.
Endo: This is what we find in the world of the Lotus Sutra. Shakya-muni teaches that all people can attain Buddhahood and urges them to advance together with him along the “unsurpassed way?” Such a world emerges, it seems to me, because the Buddha revealed the one Buddha vehicle.
Ikeda: Precisely. The one Buddha vehicle is likened to an actual vehicle that takes us along the sure path toward the destination of Buddhahood. It can stay on the correct path because it is propelled by the Buddha’s compassion and guided by the Buddha’s
wisdom.
Entering the correct path leading to Buddhahood is the benefit of believing in and understanding the one Buddha vehicle of the Lotus Sutra. The bestowal of prophecy is the Buddha’s assurance of this. These predictions of enlightenment, furthermore, elicit joy and confidence in others. In this way, the network of people advancing along the unsurpassed way of attaining Bud-dhahood expands further still. This is the world of the Lotus Sutra,
Endo: In fact, the number of those who receive prophecies of enlightenment steadily increases as the sutra progresses.
First, in “Simile and Parable,” Shariputra alone receives such a prophecy. The four great voice-hearers see this and rejoice, and then they receive their own prophecies in the “Bestowal of Prophecy” chapter.
Next, in “Prophecy of Enlightenment for Five Hundred Dis-ciples,” the eighth chapter, similar predictions are bestowed on Purna and five hundred monks. In the following chapter, “Prophe-cies Conferred on Learners and Adepts,” assurances of future enlightenment are conferred on Ananda, Rahula and two thousand disciples.
Thus, in the preaching from “Expedient Means,” the second chapter, through “Prophecies Conferred on Learners and Adepts,” the ninth chapter, predictions of enlightenment are bestowed on voice-hearers a total of four times.
Suda: The number of recipients gradually grows— starting with only Shariputra in the beginning and expanding to the four great
sand monks.
voice-hearers, the five hundred disciples and, finally, the two thou-
Tkeda: In “The Teacher of the Law,” the scope of recipients expands further still.
Endo: Yes, up to that point, only voice-hearers had received prophecies of enlightenment. But in the “Teacher of the Law,” Shakyamuni predicts enlightenment for all who delight for even a moment upon hearing a passage or verse of the Lotus Sutra.
This, Shakyamuni says, is the only requirement for receiving the prophecy of enlightenment:
Do you see in this great assembly the immeasurable number of heavenly beings, dragon kings, yakshas, gan-dharvas, asuras, garudas, kimnaras, mahoragas, the human and nonhuman beings, and the monks, nuns, laymen and laywomen, those who seek to become voice-hearers, who seek to become pratyekabuddhas, or who seek the buddha way? If these various kinds of beings in the presence of the Buddha listen to one verse or one phrase of the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law and for a moment think of it with joy I will bestow on all of them a prophecy that they will attain supreme perfect enlightenment. (ISOC, 199)
Moreover, this is not limited to only those living in Shakya-muni’s time. It also extends to people in the world after his passing.
Ikeda: It is a grand bestowal of prophecy, isn’t it? It is a drama of the vital flowering of life.
Endo: There are still more predictions of Buddhahood in the Lotus Sutra, For example, in the “Devadatta” chapter, a prophecy of enlightenment is made for Devadatta, whom people thought could never attain Buddhahood because of the great evil he had com-mitted. Also, in the “Encouraging Devotion” chapter, Shakyamuni makes a specific bestowal of prophecy of enlightenment for women. The teachings expounded before the Lotus Sutra held that women could not become Buddhas.
Ikeda: Ultimately, the Lotus Sutra predicts Buddhahood for all people. The bestowal of prophecy is one of a number of ways in which the central principle of the Lotus Sutra — that all living beings can attain the Buddha Way — is concretely expressed Saito: Among the many predictions of enlightenment, there are prophecies for those on a good path and prophecies for those on an evil path. While sutras other than the Lotus Sutra contain predictions of evil people such as Devadatta falling into hell, none predicts such people attaining Buddhahood. And while some sutras prophesy that evil persons will enter a good path, cause-awakened ones are the highest level they can hope to achieve.
Again, for the people of the two vehicles (voice-hearers and cause-awakened ones, other sutras say that they have entered a path that will never lead to Buddhahood — that the goal of supreme enlightenment is denied to them eternally.
For this reason, the prophecies in the other sutras are termed “discriminatory？”
Ikeda: The Lotus Sutra embodies the “bestowal of prophecy for all people” and the “equal bestowal of prophecy.” It predicts Bud-dhahood for all, including those whom other sutras deny the possibility of attaining Buddhahood, people such as the voice-hearers and cause-awakened ones, evil persons and women.
The requisites for receiving a prophecy of enlightenment are belief and understanding. In the words of the “Teacher of the Law” chapter, it means thinking for even a moment of one verse or phrase of the Lotus Sutra with joy. Joy is the engine that enables us to enter and advance along the path leading to Buddhahood.
Endo: Regarding the difference between the Lotus Sutra’s predictions of enlightenment and those found in other sutras, Tien-t’ai says: “In other sutras, prophecies of enlightenment are given only to bodhisattvas, and not to voice-hearers and cause-awakened ones. They are given only to good persons and not to evil persons.
They are given only to men and not to women. They are given only to human and heavenly beings and not to beings in the realm
given to all.”11
of Animality. In the Lotus Sutra, prophecies of enlightenment are The bestowal of prophecy of enlightenment upon all people is the heart of the Lotus Sutra.
Suda: In the Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra, Tien-t’ai cites the reason for the centrality of the predictions of enlightenment for the voice-hearers in the Lotus Sutra as follows: “Doctrine expresses things clearly and in concrete form. Specific matters can be understood clearly through words. In the Lotus Sutra, specific prophecies are bestowed on the voice-hearers. This expresses the idea that all people can attain Buddhahood.”12
These words specifically addressed to the voice-hearers clearly indicate that all people can attain Buddhahood. Since prophecies of enlightenment have been bestowed on even the voice-hearers
—who, as persons of the two vehicles, were thought to be furthest from attaining Buddhahood— Shakyamuni’s subsequent prediction of enlightenment for all people comes as no surprise.
keda: The spirit of the Lotus Sutra’s bestowal of prophecy is to enable all people to become Buddhas. It is probably Bodhisattva Never Disparaging who puts this spirit most directly into prac-tice. This bodhisattva reveres all equally, telling them that he deeply respects them because in the future they will become Buddhas.
Saito: The words that Bodhisattva Never Disparaging speaks on approaching people are certainly a bestowal of prophecy. They constitute the so-called twenty-four-character Lotus Sutra: 134 have profound reverence for you, I would never dare treat you practice the bodhisattva way and will then be able to attain with disparagement or arrogance. Why? Because you will all Buddhahood” (ISOC, 308).
Those whom Bodhisattva Never Disparaging salutes in this manner scorn him. They vilty, mock and attack him, retorting, in effect, “I don’t need any false prophecy of enlightenment from a nobody like you!”
Endo: T’ien-t’ai interprets the prophecies of enlightenment in the Lotus Sutra in terms of the “three inherent potentials” of the Buddha nature. He says that the predictions of enlightenment made by Bodhisattva Never Disparaging represent the “bestowal of prophecy of innate Buddhahood.”
The three inherent potentials of the Buddha nature are: (1) innate Buddhahood, the world of Buddhahood existing in all peo-ple; (2) the wisdom to perceive or express the world of Buddha-hood; and (3) good actions, or practice, to develop this wisdom.
These three potentials are the causes for attaining Buddhahood According to T’ien-t’ai, Shakyamuni’s predictions of enlightenment in the Lotus Sutra for the voice-hearers represent the bestowal of prophecy of the wisdom to perceive the world of Buddhahood. The explanation that one can attain Buddhahood through the practice of praising the Buddha, as in the ten kinds of offerings’* discussed in the “Teacher of the Law” chapter, T’ien-t’ai says, represents the “bestowal of prophecy of good actions or practice to develop this wisdom.”
And, as I just mentioned, Bodhisattva Never Disparaging’s perceiving the Buddha nature in all people and bowing to them in reverence correspond to the bestowal of prophecy of innate Buddhahood.
Saito: The bestowal of prophecy of innate Buddhahood means to cause people to awaken to the existence of the world of Buddhahood in their own lives.
Ikeda: Yes. The inherent potential of Buddhahood indicates one’s heart and the inner realm of life itself. Therefore, causing people to awaken to the great potential of their lives corresponds to the bestowal of prophecy of innate Buddhahood.
Expressed more simply, it is to convey to each person: “You, too, will realize the greatest happiness without fail'” It is to give hope and revive a spirit of challenge in the hearts of those who, mired in the darkness of suffering, have grown resigned and weary.
In a stagnating and deadlocked society, it is to assert that human beings have the limitless potential to resolve all difficulties.
Each person is an entity of the Mystic Law. Each person is worthy of respect by virtue of his or her humanity. This is what Bodhisattva Never Disparaging reveals with his life through his practice of revering others. Nichiren Daishonin declared that his own practice is the same as that of Bodhisattva Never Disparaging. To chant and propagate Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is to bestow the prophecy of enlightenment in the Latter Day of the Law. The Dai-shonin says, “The word ‘prophecy’ [of enlightenment] refers to Nam-myoho-renge-kyo” (oT, 68).
Regarding this bestowal of prophecy through Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, he says, “It is a bestowal of prophecy concerning myoho, the Wonderful Law, and therefore it is a bestowal of prophecy indicating the Dharma-realm” (OTT, 68). “Bestowal of prophecy indicating the Dharma-realm” means bestowal of prophecy upon all beings in the Ten Worlds. The bestowal of prophecy of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo indicates that all beings of the Ten Worlds are entities of the Mystic Law. To illustrate, even those in the world of hell, because they are entities of the Mystic Law, definitely can attain Buddhahood. This is the Lotus Sutra’s ultimate “bestowal of prophecy for all people” and “equal bestowal of prophecy.” Nichiren Buddhism is the Buddhism of sowing. Carrying out its bestowal of prophecy —Nam-myoho-renge-kyo — means planting the seed of the Mystic Law in people’s lives and so enabling them to form a connection with the Mystic Law. It is to plant the realization in the depths of each person’s life that he or She is an entity of the Mystic Law and to clarify the boundless potential of life.
Also, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the seed of happiness and peace. The bestowal of prophecy of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo puts humankind on the sure path to happiness and peace. When the profound view of life and of human nature that all beings are entities of the Mystic Law takes root, humankind can advance along this sure path.
Buddhahood seems like a goal; but it is not. It is a clear path. It is hope itself— hope to advance eternally toward self-improvement, greater fulfillment and increased peace of mind and enjoyment in life. The future attainment of Buddhahood that the Lotus Sutra predicts teaches the attitude of focusing on the present and the future, the progressive spirit always to strive toward further growth and help more people become happy.
Endo: If Buddhahood meant achieving a state of perfection beyond which there was nothing else, wouldn’t it be rather boring?
Ikeda: When we enter the path of Buddhahood, we can thoroughly enjoy from the depths of our being all of life’s storms, blizzards and withering gales as well as, of course, its spring breezes, blue skies and sunshine; we attain the supreme state in which life is a joy and death is joyful, too. Following this path guarantees that we will experience such eternal fulfillment and hope.
In a sense, becoming a Buddha means continually actualizing the principles of attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime’ and
‘attaining Buddhahood in one’s present form?
Endo: The ultimate summation of these endeavors is the state of life of Nichiren Daishonin, who says, “Difficulties will arise and these are to be looked on as ‘peaceful practices'” (OTT, IIS).
Ikeda: I think that’s correct. Encountering the ‘three powerful enemies’ of Buddhism and the ‘three obstacles and four devils’ is the greatest proof that we are advancing along the correct path. These obstacles assure us that if we can overcome these problems, then we can definitely attain Buddhahood.
Because we encounter obstacles, we know that the path of kosen-rufu on which we are advancing is correct. We can be confident that, in lifetime after lifetime, we will enter the path of Bud-dhahood. Obstacles are the source of the greatest encouragement.
Therefore, viewed from the perspective of faith, obstacles are also a “bestowal of prophecy.” We could call them the final exam of our Buddhist practice. When the three powerful enemies vie with one another to attack us, we truly have the opportunity to enter the path of attaining Buddhahood. And once we enter that path, we will be Buddhas eternally.
For humankind, a correct path is indispensable. When I spoke with Dr. Aurelio Peccei, cofounder of The Club of Rome, we agreed modern civilization seemed to be hurtling out of control:
“We are driving at a reckless speed on a winding road.”!5 “We are like a fearless child infatuated with the excitement of speed, stepping harder and harder on the accelerator of an automobile.”16
“We are … risking catastrophe at any moment.”!7
Endo: Knowing neither where we are headed nor in what direction we ought to go, we continue to careen recklessly into impenetrable darkness without a sure path. That is the state of humankind today.
Ikeda: Since my dialogue with Dr. Peccei in the 198os, this situation has not improved in the least. And I am deeply perplexed by the sense that recently even the energy to try to improve things seems in increasingly short supply.
Saito: It seems to me that the cause may lie in the fact that people have, in some sense, been “left behind.” Machines have advanced in both power and speed. And although the “automobile” of a civilized society that brings together the fruits of this progress has been created, the people who must sit in the driver’s seat have not themselves matured to the point where they can properly fulfill that role. As a result, it is as though children are causing the automobile of society to careen out of control and are thrilling
at the speed.
Ikeda: That’s right. How can we reduce the speed of this out-of-control vehicle and point humanity in the right direction?
This is only possible through human revolution — a revolution in the life of each individual. This was the conclusion that Dr. Pec-cei and I reached. People themselves have to change. We have to foster people who can “put themselves on the right track.”® It stands to reason that as the number of such people in society increases, the direction of society will also change. Peccei remarked, “The human revolution is the key to positive action leading to the adoption of a new course and the revival of human fortunes.” 9
Buddhism cultivates in people the ability to put themselves on the right track. The right track could be taken as meaning the path leading to happiness for both oneself and others. We are entering the sure path toward that goal ourselves and helping others to do the same; this endeavor to provide inspiration and hope is the movement of human revolution. It is the movement for peace, culture and education based on Buddhism, which we in the SGI are promoting. In a broad sense, this accords with the spirit of the bestowal of prophecy in the Lotus Sutra.
DISCUSSION MEETINGS ARE JOYFUL FORUMS FOR THE “BESTOWAL OF PROPHECY”
Suda: In that light, SGI discussion meetings take on increased sig-nificance. Discussion meetings are forums for human revolution; they are the very forefront of our efforts to provide people with the hope and inspiration to live life to the fullest.
Ikeda: Precisely. That’s exactly what I would like to stress.
President Makiguchi designated these gatherings “discussion meetings to prove experimentally the life of major good.” This means, in other words, showing through actual proof-in a manner that anyone can accept and understand — the wonder of” faith manifesting itself in daily life,” which we experience when we base ourselves on the Mystic Law and the wonder of human revolution —a way of life dedicated to the good of society and the well-being of others. Moreover, from the outset, the Soka Gakkai and SGI discussion meetings have been open to people from all
walks of life.
SGI discussion meetings are grass-roots forums that provide society with wisdom and vitality.
On hearing others’ experiences of benefit, people renew their determinations:”They fought hard and won. I, too, can change my destiny. I will give it my best effort!”
And people encourage fellow members who are struggling amid various obstacles: “Let’s try to grow, just like this person! Let’s make this person our model!”
The give-and-take at discussion meetings encourages and reassures people that they can attain Buddhahood in this lifetime and arouses in them a sense of mission for kosen-rufu. In that sense, it has the same effect as the predictions of enlightenment in the Lotus Sutra. We could say, therefore, that discussion meetings are
“forums for the bestowal of prophecy” where children of the Buddha encourage and are encouraged by one another.
Suda: This is similar to the significance of the commendations awarded to members who have made important contributions to kosen-rufu that we talked about earlier.
Ikeda: Yes. Having the spirit to praise others makes us worthy of praise ourselves.
I want to add one more thing. It was in Shimoda, in Izu, where he had gone to attend a discussion meeting, that President Makiguchi was arrested. At the time, during World War II, discussion meetings were held under the supervision of Special Higher Police. And though he had been harassed many times because of his refusal to accept the Shinto talisman, Mr. Makiguchi did not retreat a single step. The discussion meeting for him was thus also the harsh battlefield for a spiritual struggle against the country’s
militarist authorities.
We can also view Nichiren Daishonin’s struggle for religious reformation as having begun with gatherings for dialogue comparable to the discussion meetings we hold today.
Saito: While the Daishonin was in exile, his followers gathered to read his letters, and this gave them the strength to overcome great adversity. I think that these gatherings for mutual encouragement could also be termed discussion meetings.
Ikeda: Since the time of Nichiren Daishonin, therefore, and the time of presidents Makiguchi and Toda, a spirit of great struggle has been part and parcel of the tradition of the discussion meet-ing. Great significance attaches to our efforts to cause this spirit to flow in abundance and make each discussion meeting joyful and bright.
In a directionless age, we are blazing a solid path toward human happiness. I hope this strength and optimism, to survive and triumph over any difficulty, will pulse in the great discussion meeting movement, spreading from the heart of one person to another.