Discussion of the “Supernatural Powers of the Thus Come One” Chapter (Chapter 21).
As the light of the sun and moon can banish all obscurity and gloom, so this person as he passes through the world can wipe out the darkness of living beings, causing immeasurable numbers of bodhisattvas in the end to dwell in the single vehicle.
Therefore a person of wisdom,
hearing how keen are the benefits to be gained, after I have passed into extinction should accept and uphold this sutra.
Such a person assuredly and without doubt will attain the Buddha way. (LS2I, 276)
Myoho-renge-kyo is not the Mystic Law of Shakyamuni, because when the events in this chapter take place, the essence of the sutra has already been transmitted to Bodhisattva Supe-nor Practices. Generally speaking, this entrustment of Myoho-renge-kyo to Bodhisattva Superior Practices begins in the
“Emergence of the Treasure Tower” chapter, becomes apparent with the “Life Span” chapter, and comes to an end with the
“Supernatural Powers of the Thus Come One” and “Entrust-ment” chapters. “Thus Come One” refers to the Thus Come One explained in the “Life Span” chapter, and “supernatural powers” to the ten supernatural powers. (GZ, 770)
Saito: At last we begin discussing “Supernatural Powers of the Thus Come One” chapter of the Lotus Sutra. This is the climax of the entire sutra.
Ikeda: Nichiren Daishonin deemed “Supernatural Powers” one of the sutra’s most important chapters, along with the “Emerging from the Earth” and the “Life Span of the Thus Come One” chapters. That’s because it describes the ceremony in which Shakyamuni entrusts the Bodhisattvas of the Earth with achieving kosen-rufu in the Latter Day of the Law.
To begin, let’s clarify just what the Lotus Sutra is. It is Shakya-muni’s will and testament. It embodies the teaching he most wanted to leave to posterity.
So what was Shakyamuni’s most ardent prayer? It was for all people to become happy. He says, “Just as a mother would protect her only child at the risk of her own life, even so, let him cultivate a boundless heart towards all beings.”
He is basically imploring us: “Strive to help all people, all living beings, become happy, just as a mother will put her life on the line to protect her only child!” This is what it means to stand up for kosen-rufu.
Shakyamuni continues: “May all beings be happy! Whether he stands, walks, sits or lies down, as long as he is awake, he should develop this mindfulness. This they say is the noblest living here.” In our practice of gongyo each morning and evening, we continually pray for the happiness of all people. We pray for the happiness of all living beings. This is a truly lofty state of life.
Not only do we offer prayer; we also take action to see these prayers come to fruition. That is, we exert ourselves for kosen-rufu. What a noble way to live!
Endo: I believe that through my practice to the Gohonzon and Participation in SGI activitles, I have gradually come to such a state of life, even if only in some small measure. The fact that there are literally millions of people engaged in this process is won-drous; it is truly awe-inspiring.
Ikeda: Only Bodhisattvas of the Earth can carry out this practice of widely spreading the Law. In the “Supernatural Powers” chap-ter, Shakyamuni entrusts the Bodhisattvas of the Earth with achieving kosen-rufu in the Latter Day.
Saito: This is the ceremony of transmission.
Suda: Transmission refers to the Buddha entrusting his disciples with the teaching and instructing them to spread it widely.
Ikeda: Without transmission, Buddhism would die out with the mentor’s generation. No matter how great the teaching, it would have no lasting impact. It could not lead people to happiness.
Even if a teaching encourages compassion toward all living beings, if it cannot actually help those who are suffering, then it is nothing more than theory. Buddhism expounds the Law, and it leads the people to happiness.
After his release from prison, Josei Toda composed the following poem while gazing up at the starry sky, reminiscing about his
mentor:
I clutch in my hand the wish-granting jewel.
My heart cries out, “With this, I will save everyone!”
My mentor smiles in peace.
Carrying on the spirit of his mentor-President Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, who had died in prison —Mr. Toda stood up alone for kosen-rufu. The passing of the baton from Makiguchi to Toda occurred while they were in prison. The last time they saw each other was in September 1943 at the Metropolitan Police Depart-ment, when Makiguchi was being taken off to the Tokyo Prison in Sugamo. Given the circumstances, most likely they could not speak freely to each other.
President Toda recalled: “All I could say was Sensei, please take care of yourself! You nodded without uttering a word. But from the way you carried yourself and from the look in your eyes, I sensed your boundless mercy and courage.”
Saito: This is a solemn and noble exchange between mentor and disciple. The ceremony on March 16, 1958, where Mr. Toda entrusted you with his vision, President Ikeda, also occurred in the midst of a heroic struggle against the devilish nature of power.
That was during the turmoil surrounding the Yubari Coal Miners Union Incident and the Osaka Incident.S
Suda: This certainly shows the solemn unity of mentor and disciple as they faced a life-or-death struggle.
Ikeda: That is, of course, on a different level from the ceremony of transmission in the “Supernatural Powers” chapter. Still, it can be said that without the mentor-disciple relationship, as exemplified in Soka Gakkai history, Buddhism simply would not exist.
Saito: Yes. Shakyamuni awakened to the Mystic Law and, perceiving the life force of the universe in the depths of his being, he experienced the greatest of all joys. The problem he faced was how to communicate the Law to humankind. He understood it himself and could share his insight with others while he was alive, but what would happen after his passing? This seems to be the great theme of Buddhism.
Buddhism is through and through a religion for human beings.
It does not postulate the existence of a transcendent deity existing apart from people or of a creative deity that single-handedly generated the universe. Without departing from the human being, Buddhism continuously urges people:” Awaken to your own true nature!”
Things like “God’s will” never become an issue; everything depends on the will of the individual. Consequently, without the transmission from mentor to disciple, Buddhism would lose its vitality. That’s why transmission is so important.
Endo: Without mentor and disciple, the teaching would perish.
Ikeda: What we mean by the Law or teaching “perishing” is when there is no one who correctly inherits the teaching.
Saito: That certainly describes the state of affairs in the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood today.
Suda: The mentor-disciple relationship has ceased to exist in the priesthood. As a result, it has lost touch with Buddhism. Even so, it continues to arrogantly pose as a religious authority and is therefore acting as a devilish function, a force that aims to destroy the Law.
Ikeda: I imagine that when Shakyamuni thought about future generations, he worried about what he could do to help them.
That is why in the end he taught his disciples to uphold and take as their mentor the eternal Mystic Law that had enabled him to become a Buddha. We discussed this in connection with the principle of “casting off the transient and revealing the true” (in volume 4, chapter 2).
Shakyamuni probably made this statement from time to time during his later years, and it was most likely incorporated into the
Lotus Sutra.
Endo: Shakyamuni’s mentor is the eternal Mystic Law that is itself the eternal true Buddha. In modern terms, we sometimes refer to this as the “universal life.”
By practicing with this eternal Law as one’s mentor, anyone can become a Buddha just as Shakyamuni did. It is the “great beneficial medicine” that enables all living beings to become happy. “Since I am teaching you this, you should take this great beneficial medicine and share it with others” —this is the teaching of the Lotus Sutra and the spirit of the “Life Span” chapter.
Ikeda: The focus is solely on the period after Shakyamuni’s death.
It is on the future; the future of kosen-rufu. To lose sight of this one point is to fail to grasp the heart of the Lotus Sutra.
Saito: Transmission is the central theme of not only the “Super-natural Powers” chapter but of the Lotus Sutra in its entirety. This is particularly evident in the description of the Ceremony in the Air. The appearance of an enormous tower in the “Emergence of the Treasure Tower” chapter, the portrayal of countless Bodhisattvas of the Earth dancing from the earth in the “Emerging from the Earth” chapter, and the discussion of the eternal Buddha in the
“Life Span” chapter are all for the sake of transmission.
Suda: In the “Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings,” the Daishonin says, “This transmission of Myoho-renge-kyo to Bodhisattva Superior Practices begins in the “Treasure Tower’ chapter, becomes apparent with the Life Span’ chapter, and comes to an end with the ‘Supernatural Powers of the Thus Come One’ and ‘Entrustment’ chapters” (cZ, 770). Unless we understand the meaning of transmission, the Ceremony in the Air, with all of its extraordinary circumstances, becomes little more than a fairy tale.
BUDDHAS WHO CARRY OUT THE PRACTICE OF BODHISATTVAS
Endo: Let’s consider the outline of the “Supernatural Powers” chapter. As the title “Supernatural Powers of the Thus Come One” suggests, this chapter reveals the Buddha’s ten great supernatural or mystic powers, which are so awesome as to move the universe.
It begins with the Bodhisattvas of the Earth making a vow.
They pledge to preach the Lotus Sutra far and wide in this saha world after Shakyamuni has passed into extinction, as well as in lands where other Buddhas have ceased to exist.
Ikeda: They promise to widely propagate the teachings of all Buddhas after the Buddhas have died. In this we find the great and mystic significance of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth.
To start from the conclusion: In any land, the Bodhisattvas of the Earth shoulder the task of widely propagating the Law from the Buddha to all people. Why is that? It’s because while the Bodhisattvas of the Earth have the same state of life as the Bud-dha, their conduct is thoroughly that of bodhisattvas. They could therefore be described as “bodhisattva-Buddhas.”
If the life-state of the bodhisattva is not one with that of the Buddha, he or she cannot correctly propagate the Law. At the same time, in a defiled age, unless bodhisattvas go out into the world and assimilate themselves to society, kosen-rufu cannot be achieved. The Bodhisattvas of the Earth are endowed with these qualities. That’s probably why at the close of the “Supernatural Powers” chapter they are described as passing “through the world.” It is in the world and among the people that they carry out their practice.
Suda: The passage reads:
As the light of the sun and moon can banish all obscurity and gloom, so this person as he passes through the world can wipe out the darkness of living beings, causing immeasurable numbers of bodhisattvas in the end to dwell in the single vehicle.
Therefore a person of wisdom,
hearing how keen are the benefits to be gained, after I have passed into extinction should accept and uphold this sutra.
Such a person assuredly and without doubt will attain the Buddha way. (IS2 I, 276)
It describes the Bodhisattvas of the Earth as taking action in the world, illuminating all beings and removing the gloom of suffering from their lives, just as the light of the sun and moon banishes darkness. It also says that they inspire countless bodhisattvas and ultimately enable them to become Buddhas. In other words, they make kosen-rufu a reality.
Ikeda: The Bodhisattvas of the Earth are like so many suns. And, as indicated by the description “like the lotus flower in the water” (LSIS, 222), they dwell in society but are not sullied by its evils.
Saito: They are suns and lotus flowers — from this we see the profound meaning that attaches to the Daishonin’s name Nichiren, which literally means “Sun Lotus””
Ikeda: The sun and the white lotus are consistently used as symbols of the Buddha in the Lotus Sutra. This has been the subject of some research.
Endo: In a study of the Sanskrit text of the sutra, the Indologist scholar Shuntaro Matsuyama contends that from the “Treasure Tower” chapter on, Shakyamuni is identified with the white Lotus as the embodiment of the true Law and also with the light of the sun.
Saito: The Daishonin says:
The Lotus Sutra is the sun and moon and the lotus flower. Therefore it is called the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law. Nichiren, too, is like the sun and moon and the lotus flower. (WND, 186)
Ikeda: This is very profound.
Suda: Continuing with the summary of the chapter, in response to the vows of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth, Shakyamuni uses his supernatural powers to reveal various mystic phenomena to Bodhisattva Manjushri and countless other bodhisattvas. These are termed the “ten supernatural powers.”
THE TEN SUPERNATURAL POWERS:
SYMBOLS OF KOSEN-RUFU
Ikeda: There might seem to be something fantastic about this display of supernatural powers. But we should bear in mind that they represent functions of life.
Suda: Yes. For the first of these, it says that the Buddha “extended his long broad tongue upward till it reached the Brahma heaven” (IS21, 273). In ancient India, people would stick out their tongues in a gesture to testify to the truth of their words. By extending his tongue, Shakyamuni is indicating that the Lotus Sutra is entirely tree of falsehood.
Ikeda: The Daishonin says that the tongue being broad indicates that the Mystic Law can save all beings in the Ten Worlds, and the tongue being long indicates that the Law has existed from time without beginning (cf. CZ, 770).
Saito: In regard to the second supernatural power, the sutra says:
From all his pores he [Shakyamuni] emitted immeasur-able, countless beams of light that illuminated all the worlds in the ten directions.
The other Buddhas … did likewise, extending their long broad tongues and emitting immeasurable beams of light. (IS21, 273)
Ikeda: The universe is completely illuminated. It is a magnificent image.
This is the world of kosen-rufu. We shine, too. When we truly burn with a spirit of faith, our entire lives radiate with character, wisdom and hope, and we can illuminate the lives of others.
Endo: Next, it says that Shakyamuni and the other Buddhas drew their tongues together and, exhibiting the third and fourth supernatural powers, “coughed in unison, and all together snapped their fingers” (LS21, 273). According to Indian custom, people would also snap their fingers to give evidence of the truth of their words.
Suda: These sounds reverberate throughout the universe. As for the fifth power, it says, “The sounds made by these two actions filled all the Buddha worlds in the ten directions, and the earth in all of them quaked and trembled in six different ways” (LS21, 273).
Ikeda: The universe trembles with joy. In other words, even the land attains Buddhahood. This is the principle of three thousand realms in a single moment of life; it symbolizes the great drama of kosen-rufu.
Saito: After the land trembled with joy, the sixth supernatural power manifests itself:
The living beings in their midst…all saw in this saha world the immeasurable, boundless hundreds, thou-sands, ten thousands, millions of Buddhas seated on lion seats … and also saw Shakyamuni Buddha and Many Treasures Thus Come One seated together on a lion seat in the treasure tower. Moreover, they saw immeas-urable, boundless hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions of bodhisattvas and mahasattvas and the four kinds of believers who reverently surrounded Shakyamuni Buddha.
When they had seen these things, they were all filled with great joy, having gained what they had never had before. (LS2I, 273)
Ikeda: The multitude of Buddhas, sitting upon lion thrones, stretch out as far as the eye can see. The term lion is written with two Chinese characters; the first stands for mentor and the second for disciple. This indicates that when mentor and disciple are one, any realm can be transformed into a Land of Eternally Tranquil Light.
Suda: The original meaning of the term used for the place the high priest sits is lion’s chair, suggesting that it is the seat of a practitioner who upholds the path of the oneness of mentor and dis-ciple. One who betrays one’s predecessors has no right to occupy this chair.
Saito: The worlds in the ten directions could be said to refer to the realms where all beings of the Ten Worlds dwell. The seventh supernatural power is displayed when, upon seeing this, these
“heavenly beings in the midst of the sky cried out with loud voices” (IS21, 273).
The heavenly beings declare:
There is a land named saha, and in it a Buddha named Shakyamuni. Now for the sake of the bodhisattvas and mahasattvas he is preaching a sutra of the Great Vehicle called the Lotus of the Wonderful Law, a Law to instruct the bodhisattvas, one that is guarded and kept in mind by the Buddhas. You must respond with joy from the depths of your heart, and also offer obeisance and alms to Shakyamuni Buddha! (LS2I, 273-74)
Endo: The eighth supernatural power then takes place in response to these voices. The sutra says: “The various living beings..• pressed their palms together, faced the saha world, and spoke these words: “Hail, Shakyamuni Buddha! Hail, Shakyamuni Buddha!
(LS21, 274).
Teeda: The Daishonin notes that “Shakyamuni Buddha” here represents the spirit of endurance. This expresses a wonderful doctrine of lite.
To live in the saha world requires tremendous forbearance; it is a place where one must steadfastly persevere. It is a land inhabited with people of poor capacity, people who cannot accept something true at face value. Instead, they are inclined to persecute those who stand up for justice.
Suda: Japan is a case in point.
Ikeda: Those who cast aside self-interest and devote themselves to helping others become happy are slandered and abused. We live in a truly befuddled world.
To withstand such persecution and contempt and still persist in spreading the Mystic Law calls for endurance. Even if we should be persecuted time and again, we need to continue struggling with dauntless resolve, repeatedly pushing back devilish forces.
Nichiren Daishonin teaches that doing so is itself the world of Buddhahood and the life state of Shakyamuni Buddha.
The living beings in the worlds in the ten directions revere this world of Buddhahood. That is, they hold in high esteem a thorough dedication to kosen-rufu. Without a doubt, the Buddhas and bodhisattvas throughout the universe applaud us who are now fighting for kosen-rufu.
Suda: Up until the preaching of the Lotus Sutra, the saha world was viewed as an undesirable place filled with people of extreme evil who can be led to Buddhism only with great difficulty. But the Lotus Sutra changed things entirely.
As for the ninth supernatural power, it says:
Then they [the living beings in the worlds in the ten directions] took different kinds of flowers, incense, necklaces, banners and canopies, as well as the orna-ments, rare jewels and other wonderful articles that adorned their persons, and all together scattered them far off in the direction of the saha world. The objects thus scattered poured in from the ten directions like clouds gathering together. Then they changed into a jeweled curtain that completely covered the area where the Buddhas were. (LS2I, 274)
And in regard to the tenth power, it says: “At that time the worlds in the ten directions were opened up so that there was unobstructed passage from one to the other and they were like a single Buddha land” (IS2I, 274).
Endo: It was already explained in the “Life Span” chapter that the saha world itself has been the True Land of Shakyamuni since the remote past. In this scene, the saha world actually becomes the Land of Tranquil Light.
THOSE WHO PRACTICE WITH ENDURANCE ARE BUDDHAS
Ikeda: The Buddha goes to the place where people are suffering the most—to the saha world. À real Buddha shares everyone’s sufferings. Anything short of this 1s not the genuine article.
Is a priest automatically respectable? No, definitely not. Does being a politician or a celebrity make someone great? Certainly not. Nor does having a high position in our organization. Commendable are those who exert themselves alongside the people facing the most hardship.
Women’s division members on the forefront who pray for the happiness of all and work tirelessly to spread the Daishonin’s teaching, sometimes even over the chiding and opposition of their husbands and the bad-mouthing of others, are truly great. That spirit to endure is what we mean when we say “Buddha.” Referring to the principle that the saha world itself is the Land of Eternally Tranquil Light, President Toda once said, “Buddhism at this point has refuted everything it had expounded?” This is because, contrary to what had previously been taught, this concept reveals that the ideal is not to eventually reach some distant pure land. Rather, it is to eternally strive for peace and human happiness while living in this world, which is filled with suffering. The Buddha exists nowhere apart from such endurance.
That the saha world is the Land of Eternally Tranquil Light is stating this revelation from the standpoint of the environment.
From the standpoint of the person, it implies that the Buddha is in reality a “bodhisattva-Buddha.” Shakyamuni was a bodhisattva and at the same time a Buddha.
The idea of the bodhisattva is said to refer originally to the way of life Shakyamuni followed while he was striving for enlighten-ment. But it is not the case that Shakyamuni was a bodhisattva only during his years of practice. Even after he had attained the Way, Shakyamuni continued to carry out the actions of a bodhisattva to spread the great Law to which he had awakened. While boundlessly rejoicing in the awareness of the eternity of life that filled his being, he spread that Law to others. This is what is meant by a “bodhisattva-Buddha.”
That’s why Mr. Toda said that this revelation turned Buddhism on its head. The essential point is that even after attaining enlight-enment, Shakyamuni continued to exist as a human being. The Lotus Sutra thus appeals: “Restore your humanity!”
THE TRUE BUDDHA Is A COMMON MORTAL
Saito: It occurs to me that the notion that Shakyamuni attained enlightenment for the first time during his lifetime in India, which is retuted in the “Life Span” chapter, must contain extremely misleading implications. It suggests that Shakyamuni was an ordinary person “before” and a Buddha “afterwards,” making it difficult to recognize him as a human being.
In fact, it is because he earnestly sought the correct path as a human being that he awakened to the world of Buddhahood within his own life. And because he became enlightened in this fashion, he followed the supreme way of life as a human being.
From start to finish, Shakyamuni was human. This consistency is severed by the misguided notion that Shakyamuni attained enlightenment for the first time during his preaching in India.
Endo: Such a view could easily cause people to think that attaining enlightenment made Shakyamuni some kind of special or superhuman being. While this might not have been a problem for those alive during Shakyamuni’s lifetime who could see his humanity for themselves, I imagine that, for people after his passing, the temptation to see him as otherworldly would have been very strong.
Suda: Giving in to that temptation leads to Shakyamuni’s deification and the tendency for people to think of themselves as unwor-thy. Though it may sound like humility, self-deprecation is actually an expression of arrogance, for it suggests that one pretends to know the full potential of human life, while in fact being ignorant of it. It equates to a lack of faith in one’s humanity.
Ikeda: To think of oneself as just an ordinary person is indeed a great mistake. The fresh breeze of the Lotus Sutra dispels such dark clouds of illusion. It does not discriminate against the ordinary person but says that all people are themselves Buddhas, that the human being 1s supremely worthy of respect. Nichiren Dai-shonin gives ultimate expression to this spirit when he says:
A common mortal is an entity of the three bodies, and a true Buddha. A Buddha is a function of the three bodies, and a provisional Buddha. In that case, though it is thought that Shakyamuni Buddha possesses the three virtues of sovereign, teacher, and parent for the sake of all of us living beings, that is not so. On the contrary, it is common mortals who endow him with the three virtues… The “true Buddha” here means common mortals, whereas “provisional Buddhas” means Buddhas.
(WND, 384)
These words certainly overturn all the assumptions of Buddhism up to that point. The common mortal is the true Buddha, the Daishonin says, and the Buddha is a provisional Buddha, a projected image of the common mortal. He is asserting that the existence of the common mortal is not subordinate to that of the Buddha, but the existence of the Buddha is predicated on that of the common mortal.
This is a declaration of extreme significance not only in the history of Buddhism but in the history of all religion. Religions, in general, place absolute beings such as gods and Buddhas
“above” and human beings “below.” The Daishonin states un-equivocally, however, that gods and Buddhas exist because of peo-ple, and that they are merely means to enable people to become happy. This is the mammoth declaration of a religion that exists for human beings.
History has witnessed countless instances of religions becoming slaves to authority, though their original intent was to bring happiness to the people. The philosophical roots of such transformation lie in the assumption that gods and Buddhas are superior human beings.
the same origin. People are taken in by the illusion that since gods and Buddhas are superior to people, then clergy, who are supPosed to be intermediaries between people and those higher beings, must also be better than ordinary believers.
Saito: In that sense, the idea that priests have an intrinsically higher standing than lay people is fundamentally alien to the Daishonin’s Buddhism.
Ikeda: That is true, but it’s important to remember that thought and philosophy depend on people. If the mentor-disciple spirit should be forgotten, then even Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism could be used to suppress people, instead of existing for their ben-fit. This is an issue with which we have become very familiar.
In any event, I think we can say without a doubt that in proclaiming that the once exalted Buddha is merely provisional, the Daishonin has made a landmark declaration in religious history.
What enables him to say this? This is actually the key point of the
“Supernatural Powers” chapter.
This may be jumping ahead, but the transmission from Shakya-muni to the Bodhisattvas of the Earth is a ceremony signifying that the common mortal is a true Buddha.
Nichiren Daishonin explains all teachings, even those like the ten supernatural powers that seem to have little to do with regular people, in terms of human life. From the standpoint of the Buddhist philosophy of life, “Thus Come One” in the chapter’s tile refers to the life of the universe and therefore indicates the Lives of all beings. The Daishonin says, ‘Thus Come One’ refers to all living beings, as has already been explained in the earlier Life Span’ chapter” (cZ, 770). And “supernatural powers” means the power of the spirit or of life. In particular, it refers to the great life force of Buddhahood. The life force of the universe that is inherent in the lives of all living beings is called the “supernatu-ral powers of the Thus Come One.” The Bodhisattvas of the Earth carry out the task of kosen-rut manifesting this great life force.
Kosen-rutu means awakening all people to the supreme life force of the “supernatural powers of the Thus Come One.” In other words, it means expanding the ranks of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth and perpetuating the chain reaction of human revolution, the momentous movement of human happiness. The teaching of the ten supernatural powers is a prophetic revelation of this aspect of
kosen-rufu.
Sait: Certainly, the description at the end of the “Supernatural Powers” chapter of the worlds in the ten directions all becoming one and of all beings devoting themselves to the Buddha is a
vision of kosen-rufu.
Suda: “Great events never have minor omens” (WND, I1I9), the Daishonin says. Nowhere else do we find mention of such
“omens” occurring in all worlds in the ten directions.
Endo: The Daishonin clearly indicates this when he says, “The great omens of the ‘Supernatural Powers’ chapter foretold that the essence of the Lotus Sutra would spread widely after the Buddha’s demise, when the two thousand years of the Former and Middle Days of the Law had passed and the Latter Day of the Law had begun” (WND, 646).
Ikeda: We are now making this a reality. It’s remarkable —truly mystic. We are leading exciting lives.
In general, people associate supernatural powers with psychic or superhuman abilities. But that is not what it means in this con-text. The Daishonin admonishes, “One should judge the validity of a teaching by its doctrine, not by the superlative perception or occult powers [of its practitioners]” (cz, 16). To make psychic powers or the like the standard is to set people with extraordinary abilities apart from regular human beings. This is dangerous.
We must also keep in mind that possessing superhuman powers is no guarantee of happiness. As a matter of fact, those who rely on special ability may neglect their own growth as human beings and actually become miserable as a result.
Endo: 1 seem to recall that some years ago there was a lot of interest in people who could bend spoons using psychokinetic powers.
My friend, after seeing a number of demonstrations on television, remarked: “Just what on earth is it good for? I could see that it might have some value if they could return the spoon to its orig-
inal shape!”
Suda: Our human tendency is to forget the purpose behind our actions.
Ikeda: In any undertaking, we should ask, “Why am I doing this?” The most important reason, of course, is happiness. Such things as superhuman abilities that do nothing to promote human happiness ultimately have no significance.
The Daishonin says, “Apart from the attainment of Buddha-hood, there are no ‘secrets’ and no ‘supernatural powers'” (Gz,
753). Attaining Buddhahood, achieving a state of life of absolute and eternal happiness, is the Buddha’s supernatural power. For this is itself the supreme power according with the law of life.
CARL JUNG: Do NOT BECOME A “SLAVE” OF THE STATE
Ikeda: Let’s take up the profound meaning of this transmission next time. If we were to try to cover the entire chapter all at once, it might be too much for our readers to digest.
The main point of the various supernatural powers that we have discussed this time is to alert all people to the dignity of their lives. The “Supernatural Powers” chapter cries out to people in a dynamic voice that reverberates throughout the universe. It is an appeal for kosen-rufu. It calls for the realization of the compassionate prayer of Shakyamuni for all beings to become happy.
Ikeda: On a global scale, there is a gaping void in people’s hearts, and it seems that spiritual desolation is only becoming more wide-spread. A hundred years ago, the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche” declared that “God is dead.” This century has seen other icons occupy the vacant seat of a god in which people have lost faith.
Endo: One of these would be worship of the state, which we discussed in connection with the “Bodhisattva Never Disparaging” chapter.
Suda: Faith in science would be another candidate. Worship of wealth is also a kind of faith. We can also plainly see the result of the Japanese belief that money brings happiness, or that the path to happiness lies in economic abundance.
Saito: An expert notes that during the chaotic postwar era, money in Japan was seen as a means to ensure a peaceful and secure exis-tence. In other words, people believed that only money could bring peace and security. As a result, he argues, people have developed an inordinately strong attachment to money, which has thus taken on the role of a religion.
Ikeda: With the “death of God” has come the “death of the human being.” This is perhaps the reality of the twentieth century. Not only have we seen the death of spirituality, but worship of the state has brought with it unprecedented cases of “megadeath.” The twentieth century has been the most murderous century ever.
We must overturn this situation and make the next century an age in which the human being is highly revered. That is the purpose of the kosen-rufu movement. We need to call out to all people to open up the great life force of the “supernatural powers of the Thus Come One” within them. We mustn’t allow the iniquity of nationalism to fill the spiritual void in people’s hearts today.
Endo: It is said that the sudden rise of Nazi Germany was preceded by a widespread nihilistic sentiment.
Ikeda: The famous Swiss psychologist Carl Jung, in an essay titled
“The Undiscovered Self,” writes: “If the individual… should feel that his life has lost its meaning… then he is already on the road to State slavery.”
That’s because someone who feels this way lacks the strength to resist the enormous power of nationalism. Once we fail to oppose evil, we are on our way to becoming its slave.
Jung says that for authoritarians who want to fill people with a sense of reverence for the state, the greatest source of trouble is religion that does not compromise with the state?
Therefore, he says, the state will “try to cut the ground from under [such] religion. “o
Because religions that do not kowtow to authority teach
“another authority opposed to that of the ‘world, “! they are a thorn in the sides of those who would turn people into slaves of the state. Jung declares without reservation: “The dictator State … along with the individual… swallows up his religious forces. The State takes the place of God.”2
Suda: To say that a state “takes the place of God” certainly sounds like worship of the state.
Endo: The frightening thing is that many people fail to realize that they have been taken in by nationalism. While remaining apathetic, they are herded down this slippery path unawares.
When they finally understand what has happened, it is already too late. This is the fundamental problem.
Ikeda: Jung’s conclusion is that the sole power to resist the devil-1sh nature of nationalism lies in individual awareness of the dignity of human life, in the sense that “man is a microcosm, a retlection of the great cosmos in miniature.”13
Saio: That is in complete agreement with the philosophy of the
Lotus Sutra.
Ikeda: By contrast, Jung lamented that in the modern age, “the insignificance of the individual is rubbed into him so thoroughly that he loses all hope of making himself heard?*4
Suda: Certainly there is a spreading sense of helplessness; people feel that nothing they do will amount to anything. People are also growing isolated from one another, having become uninterested in sharing their thoughts and feelings. There is a lack of solidarity.
Endo: Consequently, people withdraw and grow silent. But this is just what those in power want. This confirms to me how important our movement is.
TAGORE: A LIFE “GUSHING” WITH JOY
Ikeda: While the “Supernatural Power” chapter describes omens of kosen-rufu on a universal scale, human revolution is kosen-rufu in the microcosm of the individual. It means to bring forth great vitality, like the image of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth who emerge bursting through the ground.
While on a different level from the sutras, I would like to cite a few famous remarks by the Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore.!
When he was around twenty, Tagore one morning had a remarkable experience. Looking out from the veranda, he writes,
“All of a sudden a covering seemed to fall away from my eyes, and I found the world bathed in a wonderful radiance, with waves of beauty and joy swelling on every side.”6
fall Awakens”
He describes this experience in the famous poem “The Water-
Oh, why — I myself do not know – has my life now awakened from its slumber after the course of many years?
My life has now awakened from its slumber.
There is much water; the waves rise and swell.
The longing of life, the passion of life — I could not remain closed and hold it back.
The mountain, rumbling, causes the earth to shake and tremble.
Rocks, rumbling, crash down.
Foaming waves, roaring, swell and roar with fury.!?
Endo: He says that the world shakes and sways—this is reminiscent of the “Supernatural Powers” chapter.
Ikeda: He is describing the powerful quaking of life. While the
“Supernatural Powers” chapter certainly speaks of the earth trembling with boundless joy, Tagore here is probably describing a fitful struggle to awaken to and bring out his greater self.
But toward the end of the poem, welling with joy, he sings:
Speaking the thoughts of my heart, singing the melody of my heart,
the more generously I give of my life, the more it surges forth.
It is inexhaustible.
I have many words to speak, many songs to sing.
My life overflows: I have an abundance of joy, an abundance of dreams.
Life overflows and in ecstasy.
What can compare with such joy?
Such beauty?!
Saito: He literally depicts the joy of one who has awakened to the greater self. I sense in this the spirit of India that resonates through the Lotus Sutra.
Ikeda: Everyone has the ability to achieve an awakening even more profound than Tagore. The substance of such an awakening-of the supernatural powers of the Thus Come One-is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
When we chant daimoku to the Gohonzon each morning and evening, we cause a magnificent drama like that described in the
“Supernatural Powers” chapter to arise in the microcosm of our lives. When we then cause that drama of change to unfold in soci-ety, we are grasping the chapter’s true meaning.
To do that, we need courage. We have to take the initiative.
When we do so, we change and society changes, too.
Tagore, having awakened to the greater self, bids us to break through our own narrow limitations!