the wisdom of the lotus sutra-chapter nine

8/11/2019 The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra-Chapter Nine

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The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra

Chapter Nine

"The Teacher of the Law"

"Teachers of the Law" Are Spiritual Leaders Who LiveAmong the People

Suda: The exhiition of photographs ! a#iv $andhi %&'(()'&*+ the late former prime minister of ,ndia+ has een ver! wellreceived-

[The exhibition, which includes two

hundred photographs taken by RajivGandhi, an avid photographer sincechildhood, was on display at the TokyoFuji Art Museu in !achioji, Tokyo,through May "#, "##$% &t was also shownin 'hiba (re)ecture in *une, and in+aitaa (re)ecture in +epteber%

.ndo: The photos conve! a certain warmth that is e!ondwords to descrie- ,n particular+ the photos of elderl! peopleand children that he too/ during his travels left me with a

sense of the depth of his love for the ,ndian people-,/eda: a#iv $andhi valued the modest handmade items thatpeople gave him))a shell)wor/ or a as/et woven fromamoo))as though the! were treasures-, understand he would occasionall! ta/e these items out andhold them in his hands with a loo/ of fond reminiscence-a#iv $andhi was a leader of conviction- At the same time+ healwa!s pri0ed sincerit!-Saito: Spea/ing efore the 1apanese 2iet 3on Novemer 4'+&'567+ Prime 8inister $andhi asserted+ "The 9uddhasmessage of compassion is the ver! condition of human survival

in our age-"3&7;is meeting with !ou+ President ,/eda+ immediatel! followedthis address-,/eda: Thats right- Although he must have een exhausted+ hewas smiling and had a loo/ of peace and tran<uilit! aout him-The moment we shoo/ hands+ , intuitivel! sensed that ehindhis gentle countenance was a person of roc/)li/e strength who

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reall! threw himself one hundred percent into achieving hisgoals-Saito: That was onl! a !ear after the assassination of hismother+ Prime 8inister ,ndira $andhi %&'&=)5(*-,/eda: As/ed once what was the most important thing she had

inherited from her father 1awaharlal Nehru %&55')&'>(*+ ,ndira$andhi replied it was her great love for the ,ndian people- ;ada#iv $andhi een as/ed what the most important thing he hadreceived from his mother was+ his answer would doutlesshave een the same-Not even the terrorist oming that too/ his life 3in 8a! &''&7could have destro!ed the love for the people that continuall!urned in a#iv $andhis heart- , elieve people have a missionto ful?ll that transcends life and death- The lives of those whoemrace a mission to which the! can wholeheartedl! dedicatethemselves and even e willing to die for are the most

sulime-.ndo: , have vivid recollections of the time !ou laid a wreath ata#iv $andhis tom 3in @eruar! &''47- , accompanied !ou onthat visit to ,ndia- , recall that in the register of the memorial+!ou wrote+ "There are times when the lives of great leadersseem tragic+ ut the! are actuall! great+ magni?cent dramasthat serve to eternall! awa/en the people-"Suda: After a#iv $andhis death+ !ou and 8rs- ,/eda met withhis wife+ Sonia $andhi+ to console and encourage her- ", reall!hope that !ou can change !our sad destin! into a cause forreali0ing an important mission in ,ndia+" !ou told her-

"Although it ma! e dicult not to loo/ ac/+ , hope !ou will/eep advancing ever forward- That is the teaching ofSha/!amuni 9uddha+ who was orn in this great land of ,ndia-"Bver and over+ , read the account of !our meeting thatappeared in the Sei/!o Shimun-,/eda: We can change even painful destin! into mission- TheLotus Sutra teaches this strong and resilient wa! of life- This iswhat the "Teacher of the Law" chapter explains when it spea/sof the great odhisattvas who+ while capale of eing orninto pure lands if the! so desired+ choose instead to e orninto impure worlds so that the! can expound the Lotus Sutra to

help those suering- We who now spread the 8!stic Law inthis world are the odhisattvas to whom the sutra refers- Weare enacting a grand drama that we ourselves chose-This time+ let us discuss the "Teacher of the Law" chapter-

The Lotus Sutra Was .xpounded for the Latter 2a!

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"--- !ou should understand that thesepersons voluntaril! relin<uish the rewarddue them for their pure deeds and+ in thetime after , have passed into extinction+ecause the! pit! living eings+ the! are

orn in this evil world so the! ma!roadl! expound this sutra- ,f one ofthese good men or good women in thetime after , have passed into extinction isale to secretl! expound the Lotus Sutrato one person+ even one phrase of it+ then!ou should /now that he or she is theenvo! of the Thus Come Bne- ;e has eendispatched ! the Thus Come Bne andcarries out the Thus Come Bnes wor/-%The Lotus Sutra+ Ch- &D+ pp- &>&)>4*

,/eda: ,n a sense+ all the preceding chapters up to this pointhave een nothing more than preparation- The most importantpart of the Lotus Sutra))which represents Sha/!amunis trueintent))egins with the "Teacher of the Law" chapter-Suda: ,n the progression of events that ta/e place from thischapter on+ we see a radical departure from the Eow of thepreceding chapters- Speci?call!+ in this chapter+ Sha/!amuniegins discussing the time after his death-,/eda: The period after the 9uddhas death primaril! meansthe Latter 2a! of the Law- Sha/!amuni addresses the issue of

how people should live in a time when there is confusion aoutwhich teachings are correct and which erroneous-,n the ?rst installment in this series+ we descried the presentas an age lac/ing philosoph!- Who+ speci?call!+ will light thewa! in an "age of dar/ness" when people cannot see thecorrect path forwardF The "Teacher of the Law" chapterexplains in detail the identit! of that "person"))in other words+"the teacher of the Law-" ,n modern terms+ the "teacher of theLaw" could e termed a spiritual leader-Saito: ,n light of the overall thrust of this chapter+ "teacher ofthe Law" has a dual meaning- ,t indicates oth one who "ma/es

the Law his master" and one who "ecomes a teacher andspreads the Law-" These are the two sides of a odhisattva-"8a/ing the Law ones master" is the aspect of a odhisattvaas a "see/er of the Wa!-" "The teacher who spreads the Law"exempli?es the aspect of a odhisattva as someone whostrives to lead others to enlightenment-,/eda: Teachers of the Law unite oth of these <ualities inthemselves- To forget the "see/ing" side is to ecome

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arrogantG to forget the "saving" side is to ecome self)centered- While continuing to deepen their ownunderstanding+ teachers of the Law lead others to happinessGand through helping others ecome happ!+ the! furtherdeepen their understanding- See/ing the Law is itself leading

others to enlightenmentG and leading others to enlightenmentis itself see/ing the Law- ;erein lies the supreme path in life-Saito: That this is a path for all people is the /e! point+ isnt itF,n this chapter+ the distinction etween la! people+ on the onehand+ and mon/s and nuns+ on the other+ is revealed ascompletel! irrelevant- ,n one place+ it spea/s of "the la!persons or mon/s or nuns who read and recite the Lotus Sutra"%LS&D+ &>4*- As this suggests+ the identit! of the teacher of theLaw transcends distinctions of clerical and la!-Ni//en 347 and his followers assert+ among other things+ thatpriests are inherentl! superior to la! elievers- ,t is patentl!

ovious+ however+ that such a discriminator! attitude goescompletel! against the words of the Lotus Sutra-.ndo: The teachers of the Law expound the Lotus Sutra toothers while themselves upholding+ reading and reciting thesutra- Their practice comes down to continuall! tal/ing withpeople and enaling them to hear aout the Lotus Sutra-,/eda: ,n a sense+ it is a struggle of words+ a campaign ofdialogue- Bur movement to conduct dialogue trul! accordswith the spirit of the "Teacher of the Law" chapter-Sha/!amuni spent his entire life+ until the da! he passed awa!+tal/ing with people- Nichiren 2aishonin+ similarl!+ in addition

to his eorts at dialogue+ left ehind a vast od! of writingsheld to e larger than that of an! 1apanese person of his da!-;e trul! wrote and spo/e exhaustivel!- And ecause of hisnole eorts later generations can learn the teachings heexpounded-,t is a attle of words- Words illuminate not onl! the time whenthe! are uttered or set down+ ut future ages as well- ,n thehope of leaving ehind something of value for futuregenerations+ , give speeches on 9uddhism and conductdialogues with world leaders-.ndo: ,n the preceding eight chapters))from the second+

".xpedient 8eans+" through the ninth+ "Prophecies Conferredon Learners and Adepts))Sha/!amunis central concern is toenale his present disciples to attain 9uddhahood- As a resultof his preaching in these chapters+ all of the voice)hearersenter the path of attaining 9uddhahood- ,n other words+ in hispreaching up to and including the "Learners and Adepts"chapter+ Sha/!amuni con?rms that his immediate disciples will

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all attain supreme enlightenment- ,n that sense+ the preachingin these chapters is for Sha/!amuniHs contemporaries-,/eda: That is certainl! how these eight chapters loo/ on thesurface- 9ut viewed in the context of the entire Lotus Sutra+ itecomes apparent that these eight chapters are also in fact for

the age after the 9uddhas passing-Actuall!+ not #ust these eight chapters ut the entire LotusSutra is for the time after the 9uddhas death- Nichiren2aishonin sa!s that the Lotus Sutras theoretical teaching %or?rst half* appears to have een expounded for the voice)hearer disciples who were Sha/!amunis contemporaries-;owever+ on a deeper level+ he explains+ it+ li/e the LotusSutras essential teaching %or latter half*+ was taught forpeople after the 9uddhas passing+ for the people of the Latter2a! %The 8a#or Writings of Nichiren 2aishonin+ vol- &+ p- =&*-Sha/!amunis lifetime in ,ndia was short+ ut the period after

his passing is long- Sha/!amunis followers in his da! werefew+ ut the people in the world after his passing areinnumerale-,n his immense compassion+ the 9uddha naturall! wanted tolead all people to enlightenment- Necessaril!+ therefore+ thesituation of people after his passing was the primar! focus ofhis concern-The teachers of the Law emod! this immense compassion ofthe 9uddha and ta/e action accordingl!- The! are the "envo!sof the Thus Come Bne" %LS&D+ &>4*-.ndo: Thats wh! the portion of the sutra from the "Teacher of

the Law" chapter on is so important- According to Nichiren2aishonin+ the ?ve chapters from "Teacher of the Law" throughthe "Peaceful Practices" %fourteenth* chapter explain howordinar! people of the Latter 2a! should practice the teachingof the one 9uddha vehicle that the preceding eight chaptersreveal-Nichiren 2aishonin writes:

The eight chapters eginning with the;oen 3second7 chapter and continuingthrough the Nin/i 3ninth7 chapter are

concerned primaril! with clarif!ing howpersons of the two vehicles 3voice)hearers and Prat!e/auddhas7 can attain9uddhahood+ and secondaril! withclarif!ing how odhisattvas and ordinar!people can attain 9uddhahood-

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The following ?ve chapters+ consisting ofthe ;osshi+ ;oto+ 2evadatta+ Ian#i andAnra/u chapters+ explain how theteachings set forth in the preceding eightchapters are to e carried out ! ordinar!

persons in a latter age- %8W)=+ J*

,/eda: "Brdinar! persons in a latter age" indicates Nichiren2aishonin and all of his followers- ,n his writings+ the2aishonin <uotes extensivel! from the ?ve chapters eginningwith "Teacher of the Law-" And within the Lotus Sutra itself+from the "Teacher of the Law" chapter on+ there are a greatman! references to the time after the 9uddhas passing-What we should note here is that Nichiren 2aishonin+ morethan an!one else+ perfectl! matched in his conduct the sutras

description of the "votar! of the Lotus Sutra" who will appearin the Latter 2a! of the Law-@rom another standpoint+ in light of the fact that Nichiren2aishonin read the Lotus Sutra with his life+ it could e saidthat the Lotus Sutra was expounded to prepare the wa! for the2aishonin-The 2aishonin asserts that Name 8!oho enge I!o+ the "onefundamental Law" through which all 9uddhas attainenlightenment+ is itself the essence of the Lotus Sutra and thegreat teaching that can enale all people of the Latter 2a! toattain enlightenment-

Saito: ,n that light+ we can see wh! in "Teacher of the Law+"Sha/!amuni sa!s that oerings should e made to theteachers of the Law such as would e made to the 9uddha %cf-LS&D+ &>&+ &>J*- The Sans/rit text of the sutra is still moreexplicit+ explaining that these teachers of the Law "should eviewed as 9uddhas+" and are "e<ual to the Thus Come Bne-"Suda: The Lotus Sutra also explains that the teachers of theLaw are "envo!s of the Thus Come Bne" who have eendispatched ! the 9uddha+ and who carr! out the 9uddhaswor/ %cf- LS&D+ &>&)>4*- ".nvo!s of the Thus Come Bne" is animportant term that the 2aishonin uses time and again-

Also+ the oense of uttering even a single word of slanderagainst these teachers of the Law is even greater than that ofcontinuall! slandering the 9uddha to his face for the durationof an entire /alpa- 3J7Bn the other hand+ the sutra explains that the ene?t ofpraising the teachers of the Law surpasses that of praising the9uddha with countless verses for a period of one /alpa-

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,/eda: ,n part+ this is ecause the Law+ not the 9uddha+ is thefundamental cause for attaining 9uddhahood+ and should echerished accordingl!- The Lotus Sutra is the teaching thatexplains the fundamental Law through which all 9uddhas))including Sha/!amuni))attain enlightenment- And the teachers

of the Law in the Latter 2a! expound the teaching that is thetrue cause for attaining 9uddhahood-.ndo: The relationship etween the Law and the 9uddha is therelationship etween "that which gives irth" and "that towhich irth is given-,/eda: Nichiren 2aishonin characteri0es this Law as the"ultimate principle of compassion-",n his writing+ "Sho ;o//e 2aimo/u Sho" %Chanting the2aimo/u of the Lotus Sutra*+ the 2aishonin sa!s:

All 9uddhas and odhisattvas are our

compassionate parents- Kou shouldunderstand that the ultimate principle ofcompassion that these 9uddhas andodhisattvas use to instruct living eingsis contained nowhere ut in the LotusSutra---- This is the reason wh! the LotusSutra is superior to all other sutras-%$osho enshu+ p- '*

The Lotus Sutra surpasses all other sutras ecause it containsthe Law of Name 8!oho enge I!o))the "ultimate principle of

compassion- ,t is the" great teaching of compassion that canlead all people to enlightenment- As the "Teacher of the Law"chapter sa!s+ "The Lotus is the foremostM" %LS&D+ &>(*-.ndo: Thats what the well)/nown passage aout the LotusSutra surpassing all teachings in the past+ present and futureindicates-

"The sutras , have preached numerimmeasurale thousands+ ten thousands+millions- Among the sutras , havepreached+ now preach+ and will preach+

this Lotus Sutra is the most dicult toelieve and the most dicult tounderstand-" %LS&D+ &>(*

Saito: ,n that sense+ the "envo!s of the Thus Come Bne" are"envo!s of compassion-" The teachers of the Law put intopractice the 9uddhas immense spirit of compassion whileemracing+ reading+ reciting+ expounding and cop!ing the

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Lotus Sutra %i-e-+ carr!ing out the ?ve practices that the sutraitself prescries*-,n the Latter 2a!+ however+ emracing the Law is itselfenlightenmentG in other words+ all these practices are includedin the one practice of emracing faith in the $ohon0on-

,/eda: .mracing faith in the $ohon0on means living with thespirit of the 9uddha and dedicating ones life to the 9uddhasvow to lead all people to enlightenment- That is thefundamental meaning of "emracing the Lotus Sutra" and ofthe ?ve /inds of practices- ,ts not a matter of literall! holding+reading and reciting the scrolls of the Lotus Sutra+ andexpounding upon their meaning-ather+ the point is to inherit the 9uddhas spirit and tothoroughl! manifest the 9uddhas compassion in ones life-ltimatel!+ Sha/!amunis purpose in estowing prophecies ofenlightenment upon the voice)hearers in the preceding

chapters is to cause them to arouse the "same spirit as the9uddha-" Those who put that spirit into practice after the9uddhas death are teachers of the Law-

Shakubuku Means Speaking the Truth

Saito: Bn the matter of propagation+ ,ve recentl! received<uite a numer of <uestions from new So/a $a//ai memerson the dierence etween shoju and shakubuku methods-8an! people+ it seems+ have the impression that shakubukumeans using strong words whereas shoju means assuming agentle manner-,/eda: ,t is a great mista/e to suppose that shakubuku meanstr!ing to force someone to ta/e faith- 2oing shakubuku essentiall! means spea/ing the truth- Since the Lotus Sutraexplains the truth+ it is called the "sutra of shakubuku-"Now+ in the Latter 2a! of the Law+ all our eorts to tell peopleaout and spread Name 8!oho enge I!o))the essence of theLotus Sutra))constitute sha/uu/u- ,n housecleaning+ forexample+ it doesnt matter whether one cleans vigorousl! or ata leisurel! pace as long as the main o#ective of the houseecoming clean is reali0ed-Suda: People proal! suppose that sha/uu/u has to eharsh ecause of the somewhat alarming image one gets fromthe Chinese characters with which the term is written 3acomination of two ideograms meaning "rea/" and"restrain"7-

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,/eda: Sha/uu/u does not mean going out to pic/ a ?ght-+hakubuku+ sharing the teachings of the 2aishonins 9uddhismwith others+ has to e an act of thoroughgoing compassion-

1osei Toda+ the second So/a $a//ai president+ once said:

We should do aundant shakubuku out ofsincere conviction in the 2aishoninsteaching- And in so doing+ we should notharor feelings of antipath! towardothers- We should not get into angr!disputes- All we need to do is teachpeople earnestl! and gentl!- Theimportant thing is that we have this spiritto teach- ,f someone opposes or attac/sus+ then that person will suer theconse<uences of his or her actions- ,t is

important to share 9uddhism with a spiritof compassion- ,ts almost li/e eing inlove- 3(7

President Toda certainl! had a wa! of putting thingsM Whenpeople are in love+ the! go all out- The! waste man! sheets ofstationer! writing and rewriting letters- The! sta! up all nightthin/ing aout the words the! will use to invite the otherperson out on their next da! o- ,f ever!thing goes well+ the!might decide to get married- ;owever+ unli/e marriagesometimes+ shakubuku will never cause one to have regretsM

.ndo: , thin/ we can sa! that Sha/!amunis method ofpreaching was to teach people gentl!-Sha/!amuni ?rst expounded the doctrine of the "true entit! ofall phenomena" in an attempt to help people grasp the truththat ever!one can ecome a 9uddha- When Sha/!amunirevealed this teaching+ Shariputra alone understood+ whileothers did not- And so Sha/!amuni related various similes andparales- As a result+ the four leaders of the voice)hearers 367came to understand- ;owever+ ecause man! still had not !etgrasped his meaning+ Sha/!amuni next explained his profoundrelationship with them from the distant past- Through this

revelation+ all of the voice)hearers could ?nall! accept andunderstand his teaching-Thus+ Sha/!amuni rac/ed his mind to ?nd a wa! to clarif! histeaching so that all people could comprehend it- ;e did notaandon people ecause the! were slow to understand- ;e hadthe deep wish+ and the tenacit! of purpose+ to enale allpeople to ecome 9uddhas+ no matter how much eort itre<uired on his part-

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Suda: That is the ver! spirit that motivates our practice ofshakubuku toda!-,/eda: Kes- The /e! point is to pra! that ones sincerit! will eunderstood ! the other person- Wisdom arises from pra!er-Pra!er gives irth to con?dence and #o!- While shakubuku is

dicult+ when we ear in mind that+ through our actions+ oththe other person and we ourselves will de?nitel! reali0etremendous happiness and ene?t+ nothing could e more

#o!ful- 8r- Toda often said: "We should not agoni0e over doingshakubuku- We have to do shakubuku with a sense of #o!-" 3>7,n practice+ while some will immediatel! elieve andunderstand the 2aishonins 9uddhism+ there will of course ethose for whom this will not e the case- 9ut there is no needto e impatient- Whatever the immediate outcome of oureorts+ there is asolutel! no dout aout the ene?t wereceive from having oered earnest pra!er and made the eort

to conduct dialogue aout our 9uddhist faith- And precisel!ecause shakubuku is not eas!+ it aords us opportunities totap our innate wisdom and grow- ,f we plant a seed+ in time itwill de?nitel! Eower-The /e! point+ it seems to me+ is to tal/ to people with a senseof #o! and exhilaration to e serving as the 9uddhas envo!-.ndo: , thin/ its also important to warml! praise those doingsha/uu/u-,/eda: Thats right- Those carr!ing out this practice are"envo!s of the Thus Come Bne"G the! should e respected as9uddhas- This is the spirit of the "Teacher of the Law" chapter-

Those who have the spirit to praise others accumulate goodfortune and strength+ and as a result can lead man! tohappiness-S$, memers who dedicate their lives to Iosen ufu should etreasured as 9uddhas- When we understand this spirit+ weunderstand not onl! the "Teacher of the Law" chapter ut theentire Lotus Sutra-

The Three Rules of Preaching: Robe, Seat and

Room&* The "oom of Compassion"

.ndo: ,n the "Teacher of the Law" chapter+ Sha/!amuniexplains the manner of propagation after his death in terms ofthe three rules of preaching+ roe+ seat and room:

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"8edicine Iing+ if there are good men andgood women who+ after the Thus ComeBne has entered extinction+ wish toexpound this Lotus Sutra for the four/inds of elievers+ how should the!

expound itF These good men and goodwomen should enter the Thus Come Bnesroom+ put on the Thus Come Bnes roe+sit in the Thus Come Bnes seat+ and thenfor the sa/e of the four /inds of elieversroadl! expound this sutra-

"The Thus Come Bnes room is the stateof mind that shows great pit! andcompassion toward all living eings- TheThus Come Bnes roe is the mind that is

gentle and forearing- The Thus ComeBnes seat is the emptiness of allphenomena-" %LS&D+ &>>*

,/eda: This is highl! poetic- Sha/!amuni uses the images of"roe+" "seat" and "room" to clarif! the 9uddhas spirit inexpounding the Lotus Sutra- And he urges people to roadl!expound the teaching+ sa!ing in eect+ ",f !ou ase !ourselveson this spirit+ then+ even if !ou encounter diculties+ !ou canlead people to enlightenment unerringl! #ust as the 9uddha

does-"Wh!+ then+ is the 9uddhas great compassion compared to aroomFSaito: Compassion in the 9uddhist sense is pit! and profoundaection- @eeling compassion toward others means sensing acommon humanit! or /inship+ a ond as fellow living eings-This could also e called "love+" ut it is not egoistic love ofthe /ind that can readil! devolve into hate- ,t is love ofhumanit! rooted in profound insight into the nature of life andexistence- ,t could also e thought of as a true sense ofsolidarit! arising from a shared aspiration for mutual

happiness and growth-Suda: Compassion is also the spirit to share others suerings+to empathi0e with them in their sorrows- ,f we see someonesuering+ compassion impels us to extend the person a helpinghand+ to share his or her pain- ,t is a profound emotion of that/ind-,/eda: ,n terms of our stance vis)O)vis others+ an attitude ofcompassion does not mean loo/ing down on someone from a

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position of superiorit!- ,t is not a vertical ut a hori0ontalrelationship- ,t is a feeling of s!mpath! toward others as fellowhuman eings- And it is ased on respect-Thats wh! its called the "room of compassion-" We invite afriend into a compassionate life space and warml! emrace

themG we sit down in the same room and discuss life as e<uals-We discuss things and learn from one another as fellow humaneings+ and together we strive to improve our lives- Creatingsuch a warm and welcoming space for dialogue and exchangeis in itself sha/uu/u-.ndo: ,f we approach someone with the arrogant attitude thatwe are going to "save" the person+ it will onl! provo/e anegative response-,/eda: ,n the treatise+ "Bn Securing the Peace of the Landthrough the Propagation of True 9uddhism+" Nichiren2aishonin calls the "host" who engages the "guest" in dialogue

a "friend in the orchid room" %8W)4 34nd ed-7+ J>*- Whensomeone spends time in a room ?lled with orchids+ thefragrance of the Eowers naturall! permeates their clothing-Similarl!+ dialogue should e conducted in such a wa! that theother person is imued with the "fragrance of compassion-"Propagation does not mean tr!ing to force something onsomeone+ nor is it for the sa/e of the organi0ation-Propagation is an act of venerating the 9uddha nature in thelives of others- Therefore+ our eorts in sha/uu/u should emotivated ! a spirit of the greatest respect for the otherperson-

President Toda said+ "The asis for doing sha/uu/u is afeeling of s!mpath! for others suerings-" Compassion+ inother words+ is fundamental- Kou dont propagate 9uddhismwith a confrontational spirit of tr!ing to refute someonesideas and win the person over to !our own side-Suda: Since its a matter of conducting dialogue+ we have tolisten to what the other person has to sa!- Ket there are thosewho tal/ on and on+ monopoli0ing the conversation+ and thensuppose that the! have had a dialogue-,/eda: ,t cant e called a dialogue where one personconstantl! interrupts while the other is tr!ing to express an

opinion+ and then la!s down sweeping conclusions- .ven if !outhin/ that what someone is sa!ing is a it odd+ rather thanconstantl! raising o#ections+ !ou should have the road)mindedness to tr! to understand his or her point of view- Thenthe person will feel secure and can listen to what !ou have tosa!-,n that sense+ the 9uddha is trul! a master at dialogue-Sha/!amuni and the 2aishonin had such heartwarming

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personalities that #ust meeting them must have given people asense of immense delight- And thats proal! wh! so man!too/ such pleasure in listening to their words-Suda: The term room of compassion conve!s an image of suchwarmth and readth of character-

,/eda: ,n this connection+ , would li/e to relate a certainrecorded incident involving Sha/!amuni- 3=7A man named pali+ who elieved in 1ainism+ 357 once tried todefeat Sha/!amuni in deate- 9ut he was so moved !Sha/!amunis character and wisdom that he wound up as/ingto e allowed to ecome the 9uddhas disciple- Sha/!amuni+rather than exulting at his having won palis admiration+admonished the latter+ sa!ing+ "Kou should not so lightl! castaside the eliefs that !ou have held up to now- Please thin/the matter over carefull!-"pali+ impressed all the more ! this response+ answered+ ",n

societ!+ it is rumored that the mon/ $autama 3Sha/!amuni7sa!s that people should ma/e oerings to him and not ma/eoerings to othersG and asserts that whereas ma/ing oeringsto him and his disciples confers ene?t+ there is no ene?t toe gained from ma/ing oerings to others-9ut in realit!+ the attitude of the World);onored Bne iscompletel! the opposite- , will devote m!self to the 9uddhasteachings with increased ardor-";earing aout palis conversion+ a 1ainist leader accompanied! a numer of his followers went to palis house- palireceived them cordiall!- 9ut the leader reu/ed him sa!ing+

"Koure li/e a fool who goes for wool and comes home shorn-"With great politeness+ pali patientl! explained+ ",f it shoulde someone li/e Sha/!amuni ! whom , should e led astra!+ ,could desire nothing more- ,f the ro!al families and 9rahmans+peasants and slaves throughout the world could e so ledastra! ! Sha/!amuni+ there would e eternal peace andhappiness throughout the world-".ndo: Thats a wonderful stor!-

4* The "oe of $entleness and @orearance"

Suda: Continuing+ it is eas! to see wh! the 9uddhas "roe" is ametaphor for a "mind that is gentle and forearing-" 1ust as aroe protects ones od! from cold and heat+ when we don the"roe of gentleness and forearance+" we are not sha/en !hardships or diculties-,/eda: Thats right- ,n our propagation eorts+ remainingundaunted in the face of ostacles is ver! important- With

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these words+ Sha/!amuni is urging his followers to maintain aradiant and composed state of mind+ no matter what pressuresmight e rought to ear against them-,n see/ing to propagate 9uddhism after the 9uddhas passing+diculties are inevitale- Therefore+ it is necessar! that we

have a spirit of forearance and patience- We need a spirit toendure- .nduring is neither retreating nor conceding defeat-We have to persevere and win- No matter what happens+ wemust not ecome disheartened- Iosen)ufu is a struggle of thespirit- Those who allow themselves to e inwardl! defeatedcannot e said to possess forearance-Saito: ,n "The Selection of the Time+" Nichiren 2aishonin sa!s+"Since , have een orn in the rulers domain+ , must followhim in m! actions- 9ut , need not follow him in the eliefs ofm! heart" %8W)J+ &=&*- 9! sa!ing that he must "follow theruler in his actions+" the 2aishonin means that he has to

endure persecution- 9! ", need not follow him in the eliefs ofm! heart+" he indicates that in his heart he is not defeated-,/eda: That is the spirit of forearance- When the 2aishoninwas condemned to e exiled to desolate Sado ,sland+ph!sicall! he aided ! the governments decree- 9ut in hisheart he possessed the vast state of life to e ale to sa!+ ",feel immeasurale delight even though , am now an exile"%8W)&+ '(*-A spirit of patience generates the greatest strength- ,f one hastrue courage one can endure an! hardship- ,n the ".ncouraging2evotion" %thirteenth* chapter+ the metaphor "armor of

perseverance" %LS&J+ &'(* is used to descrie that strength-"Bne Who Can @orear" is another name for 9uddha- 9othSha/!amuni and Nichiren 2aishonin had tremendous powers of patience and forearance-.ndo: The "Teacher of the Law" chapter emphasi0es that theteachers of the Law will encounter persecution- The passagethat the 2aishonin read with his life+ "since hatred and

#ealous! toward this sutra aound even when the Thus ComeBne is in the world+ how much more will this e so after hispassingF" %LS&D+ &>(*+ is also found in this chapter-Suda: This explains that the teachers of the Law meet with

persecution ecause the Lotus Sutra is dicult to elieve anddicult to understand- 9ecause it is dicult to elieve andunderstand+ there was much hatred and #ealous! aroused ! iteven in Sha/!amunis da!- This passage indicates thatpersecution will e even worse in the future-,/eda: ,t sa!s+ "how much more will this e so after hispassingF" Wh! should there e more persecution after the9uddhas passing than while he is aliveF

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"After his passing" refers to a time when the 9uddhas spirithas een forgotten and there is great turmoil and confusion inareas of religion and philosoph!- ,n such an age+ while peoplemight appear to revere the 9uddha+ the! forget the 9uddhasessential spiritG and while there are 9uddhist schools+ the

spirit of the 9uddha does not aide in them- ,n such a time+while there ma! e religions+ the! exist for the sa/e of religionand not for human eings- The Lotus Sutra was taughtespeciall! for the people of such an age-The teachers of the Law propagate the Lotus Sutra+ whichconve!s the 9uddhas spirit+ in an age that has completel!forgotten the spirit of the 9uddha- Conse<uentl!+ there ismuch hatred and #ealous! toward them- ,n an age that has lostsight of humanit!+ it is no eas! underta/ing to campaign for arestoration of humanit!-Suda: ,n that sense+ those who do not experience an!

diculties are not trul! propagating the Law- The NichirenShoshu priesthood+ for example+ has never))either now orduring the war))een persecuted-9! contrast+ from the time of its ?rst president Tsunesauro8a/iguchi to the present+ the So/a $a//ai has een repeatedl!attac/ed and persecuted- Trul!+ we are reading the Lotus Sutrawith our lives- This is proof that our organi0ation is indeedputting the spirit of the 9uddha into practice-Saito: Persecutions are alwa!s occasioned ! scheming- ,nSha/!amunis da!+ there was an unending succession ofscandals stemming from farications and misrepresentations

! those of malicious intent- To oliterate the 9uddhist order+some heinous individuals went so far as to commit acts ofmurder and then tr! to pin the lame on Sha/!amunisfollowers-Suda: ,n Nichiren 2aishonins case+ Nemutsu followers andothers committed murders and acts of arson in Iama/ura+ thecapital+ and then spread rumors that these crimes were thewor/ of the 2aishonins followers- This resulted in the2aishonin eing exiled to Sado ,sland- The 2aishoninsfollowers were suppressed ecause those hostile to theiractivities had made them appear a "dangerous order-" ,n an!

age+ there is a similar pattern of persecution against thosewho uphold the correct 9uddhist teaching-.ndo: Therefore+ we cannot discard the "roe of forearance-",/eda: Allow me to share another anecdote- 3'7 Bnce there wasa 9rahman who was upset that his wife had ecome a followerof Sha/!amuni- Since his wife praised the 9uddha so highl!+ hewent to tr! and defeat him in deate- 9ut instead of refutingSha/!amuni+ the 9rahman was so impressed ! his preaching

15



fame and social standingG and once the! ac<uire these+ the!are loath to surrender them- And in some respects+ that peopleehave in this wa! ma! e onl! natural- ;owever+ to sit in theseat of the emptiness of all phenomena means daring toovercome these egoistic attachments and selEessl! exert

oneself in faith+ to devote ones life to Iosen ufu- Theultimate meaning of "emptiness" or "non)sustantialit!" isfound in such faith-This+ of course+ doesnt mean treating !our life carelessl! orthoughtlessl!- ather+ it means using !our precious lifeungrudgingl! for the sa/e of 9uddhism-Saito: @rom such a dedicated+ selEess spirit arises the wisdomto help people ecome happ!-,/eda: .xactl!- A person of selEess dedication is one who canhelp others- , once as/ed President Toda+ "When we doshakubuku+ are we in a sense doing shakubuku to ourselvesF"

;e replied:

The point is that Name 8!oho enge I!ois the ver! wellspring of our lives- nlesswe have that reali0ation+ we cannot dotrue sha/uu/u- There isnt an! specialtechni<ue or method for doingsha/uu/u- ,n the Latter 2a!+ sha/uu/uis a matter of determining: "Name 8!ohoenge I!o is the sum and essence of m!eingM" 3&&7

;e also once said+ "The ultimate sha/uu/u is to determinethat ones life itself is Name 8!oho enge I!o-" President Todaspo/e these words with a resolute toneG it was the voice ofsomeone who deepl! wanted to help !oung people understandthe truth-"2etermining that ones life is Name 8!oho enge I!o"eautifull! expresses the principle of the emptiness of allphenomena and the spirit of not egrudging ones life-, hope that all of !ou+ with these words as !our guide+ willearnestl! pursue the essence of faith- @or it is this pursuit that

constitutes true 9uddhist stud!-

The Practice of Compassion, orbearance and !isdom

Suda: We have discussed the three rules of preaching of roe+seat and room- The fact that the teacher of the Law dwells in

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the room of the Thus Come Bne+ wears the roe of the ThusCome Bne and sits in the seat of the Thus Come Bne suggeststhat the teacher of the Law is e<ual to the Thus Come Bne-Also it seems that+ #ust as an amassador of a countr! enactsthat countr!s will+ we could consider the actions of the "envo!

of the Thus Come Bne" as e<uivalent to those of the 9uddha-,/eda: Thats a good analog!-Saito: 2ont these three rules also express virtues of the9uddha that teachers of the Law ac<uire ! dedicatingthemselves to the great wish for the Lotus SutraspropagationF,/eda: We can indeed understand the three rules in thoseterms- Nichiren 2aishonin sa!s:

The roe+ seat and room represent the9uddhas three odies of the 2harma

od!+ the liss od! and the manifestedod!G the three truths of non)sustantialit!+ temporar! existence andthe 8iddle Wa!G and the three categoriesof action of deed+ word and thought- %$+=J=*

The 2harma od!+ liss od! and manifested od! are the9uddhas virtues- Simpl! put+ the! correspond to truth+wisdom and compassion- Teachers of the Law are endowedwith these virtues-

The 2aishonin also sa!s+ "Now Nichiren and his followers whochant Name 8!oho enge I!o are ful?lling the three rules 3ofpreaching represented ! roe+ seat and room7 each momentof their lives" %$+ =J=*-,n other words+ through the practice of chanting andpropagating the daimo/u of Name 8!oho enge I!o+ we attainthe 9uddhas virtues- We ac<uire these virtues through ourdetermination in faith-.ven if we have no special ailit!+ the important point is thatour hearts rim with the #o! of chanting the 8!stic Law andthe #o! of sharing the 8!stic Law with others- Such #o!ful faith

incorporates the rules of roe+ seat and room+ as well as thevirtues of compassion+ gentleness and wisdom-Saito: The "Teacher of the Law" chapter stresses theimportance of "for a moment thin/ing of the Lotus Sutra with

#o!" %cf- LS&D+ &>D*- ,t goes so far as to sa! that all people canattain 9uddhahood if the! simpl! hear aout the 8!stic Lawand feel delight-

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,t also states+ "these persons 3teachers of the Law7 delight inexpounding the Law- And if one listens to them for even amoment+ he will immediatel! attain the ultimate anuttara-sayak-sabodhi. %LS&D+ &>4*- Anuttara-sayak-sabodhi isa Sans/rit term meaning the 9uddhas enlightenment-

,/eda: A teacher of the Law is originall! a person who hasheard the Lotus Sutra and felt delight- Bthers hear thatteacher of the Law expound the Lotus Sutra and the!+ too+delight- The eternal path of attaining 9uddhahood is thus a/ind of chain reaction of #o!-Nichiren 2aishonin sa!s:

When ,+ Nichiren+ ?rst too/ faith in theLotus Sutra+ , was li/e a single drop ofwater or a single particle of dust in all thecountr! of 1apan- 9ut later+ when two

people+ three people+ ten people+ andeventuall! ten thousand illion people+come to recite the Lotus Sutra andtransmit it to others+ then the! will form a8ount Sumeru of wonderfulenlightenment+ 3&47 a great ocean ofnirvanaM See/ no other path ! which toattain 9uddhahoodM %8W)J+ &=4)=J*

The S$, is ta/ing action in exact accord with these words-Saito: At the start of this discussion+ !ou descried the teacher

of the Law as a spiritual leader who illuminates societ! in anage lac/ing philosoph!- , thin/ its wonderful that in the S$, weelieve that the people themselves are teachers of the Law-.ndo: ,n man! estalished religions+ the memers of the clerg!carr! out propagation- eligious propagation often ta/es placeat large gatheringsG , hear that in the nited States there is agreat deal of prosel!ti0ing on television-9! contrast+ the wa! of the S$, is "propagation ! the peopleand for the people-" Small gatherings such as discussionmeetings are the main avenue for spreading the 2aishonins9uddhism+ and the method is that of one)on)one dialogue- ,

thin/ that this will ecome the pattern of propagation forreligions in the twent!)?rst centur!-Suda: 2r- 9r!an Wilson+ former president of the ,nternationalSociet! of eligion+ remar/ed in his dialogue with !ou+President ,/eda:

Personal contact certainl! appears to ethe most eective techni<ue of mission

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3i-e-+ propagation of faith7+--- ,n a world inwhich ever!one learns to grow c!nical+ forexample+ aout advertising+ the fact ofpersonal genuineness ma! in itself e sorefreshing that the message is more

ade<uatel! communicated even ! arelativel! ignorant missionar! than ! atechnicall! adroit media advertisementwith asolutel! authoritative information-3&J7

,/eda: Thats right- ,t comes down to authenticit!- .lo<uence isnot what matters- The important thing in propagation isgenuine sincerit!- President Toda often said+ "When !ou dosha/uu/u !ou create lasting trust-"

Those !ho Spread the Mstic Law #re $oble

.ndo: When we consider the teachers of the Law in this light+we see that the! delieratel! see/ to e orn in an evil age outof their compassion-,/eda: The "Teacher of the Law" chapter sa!s that these envo!sof the 9uddha "freel! choose where the! will e orn" %LS&D+&>J*-Nichiren 2aishonin explains that someone who attains9uddhahood immediatel! returns to the realm of the nineworlds and again freel! engages in eorts to lead people toenlightenment-,n "The ltimate Teaching Armed ! All 9uddhas of Past+Present and @uture+" the 2aishonin sa!s:

"eaching the supreme Land of Tran<uilLight unimpeded+ in the space of amoment one will return to the midst ofthe dream of irth and death in the nineworlds- Bnes od! pervades the 2harma

worlds in the ten directions and onesmind enters the lives of all sentienteings- ,mpelled from within and drawnfrom without+ in the harmon! of 3internal7cause and 3external7 relation+ one freel!exercises the transcendental power ofcompassion and widel! rings ene?t to

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living eings without an! impediment-"%$+ 6=(*

We ourselves willed to e orn in this world of suering- The2aishonin sa!s+ "Now Nichiren and his followers who chant

Name 8!oho enge I!o are great teachers among teachers"%$+ =J>*- S$, memers who ma/e the 2aishonins spirit theirown and dedicate themselves to achieving Iosen ufu are"great teachers of the Law among teachers-"When our present lives come to an end+ we are reorn in thisworld "in the space of a moment-"We might picture it something li/e this: We struggle hard inthis life+ and then go to .agle Pea/- There+ somewhat windedafter the #ourne!+ we report to the 2aishonin: ",ve comehaving ful?lled m! missionM" The 2aishonin commends us:"$ood wor/M Kou reall! did a ?ne #oM" ;e then as/s+ "Well+

where do !ou want to go nextF" Theres no time to even thin/aout ta/ing it eas! for a while- Bf course+ those who reall!want to relax can do soM Were completel! free-As the 2aishonin indicates where he spea/s of our freel!exercising the "transcendental power of compassion+" out ofcompassion+ in an instant we return again in vigorous spirits toa new sphere of mission- 2eath and reirth are li/e going tosleep one da! and wa/ing up the next morning-Suda: But of pit! and s!mpath! for those suering+ theteachers of the Law !earn to e orn in an impure world- The$reat Teacher 8iao)lo of China calls this "delieratel! creating

the appropriate /arma-" The teachers of the Law are peoplewho+ ecause of the ene?t the! have accumulated from their9uddhist practice+ could ! rights e orn in a "good land-" 9utthe! delieratel! create the negative /arma to e orn in aworld rife with evil so that the! can spread 9uddhism-,/eda: President Toda often said: "Someone who is tooexemplar! from the outset cannot go among the people- ,norder to spread 9uddhism+ we intentionall! chose to e ornas people who are poor or sic/-" "Life is li/e appearing in apla!+" he would sa!-;e also said+ ", lost m! wife+ and m! daughter died- 8!

usiness failed- 9ecause , have /nown such suering+ , couldecome president of the So/a $a//ai-"People who have not experienced painful struggles or sueringcannot understand the hearts of others- Bnl! if one has tastedlifes itterness can one lead people to happiness-To simpl! view !our suerings as "/arma" is ac/ward)loo/ing-We should have the attitude: "These are suerings , too/ on

21



for the sa/e of m! mission- , vowed to overcome theseprolems through faith-"When we understand this principle of "delieratel! creatingthe appropriate /arma+" our frame of mind is transformedGwhat we had previousl! viewed as destin!+ we come to see as

mission- There is asolutel! no wa! we cannot overcomesuerings that are the result of a vow that we ourselves made-Saito: Nichiren 2aishonin comments on the passage+ "suchpersons --- have ful?lled their great vow+ and ecause the!ta/e pit! on living eings the! have een orn in this humanworld--- where the! ma! roadl! expound--- the Lotus Sutra ofthe Wonderful Law" %LS&D+ &>&*- ;e sa!s:

The "great vow" refers to the propagationof the Lotus Sutra- "Living eings" refersto all eings in the countr! of 1apan- The

persons who "are orn in this humanworld" are Nichiren and his followers-"9roadl!" means to expound the sutrathroughout the southern continent of

1amudvipa 3i-e-+ the entire world7- "Thissutra" refers to the daimo/u- Now it isNichiren and his followers who chant thedaimo/u+ Name 8!oho enge I!o- %$+=J>*

The S$, memers who are spreading the 8!stic Law

throughout the world trul! accumulate immeasurale goodfortune- The! are genuine followers of the original 9uddhaorn in this world to accomplish their mission for Iosen ufu-,/eda: Therefore+ we should all respect one another as noleeings each with a profound mission to ful?ll-At the outset we tal/ed aout ,ndia- 8ahatma $andhi %&5>')&'(5*+ the father of modern ,ndia+ once said:

, do not want to e reorn+ ut if , have toe reorn , should e reorn anuntouchale so that , ma! share their

sorrows+ suerings+ and the arontsleveled against them in order that , ma!endeavor to free m!self and them fromtheir miserale condition- 3&(7

,n these sentiments+ , sense something a/in to the spirit of"delieratel! creating the appropriate /arma-" ,ts a matter ofcompassion+ of living for and together with others- ,t is the

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desire to e orn among those who are suering the most- The9uddha is to e found among those who are suering themost- 9uddhism exists to enale those suering the most toecome the happiest- The "Teacher of the Law" chapterexplains the sulime temperament of spiritual leaders who

devote themselves to+ and live out their lives among+ thepeople-

ootnotes:

&- Address to the 1oint Session of the 1apanese 2iet%Parliament*+ To/!o+ Novemer 4'+ &'56-4- Ni//en: Current high priest of Nichiren Shoshu-

J- Ialpa: An extremel! long period of time deriving from theancient ,ndian tradition- The length of a /alpa is de?ned invarious wa!s- According to one method of rec/oning+ a medium/alpa would e<ual nearl! sixteen million !ears-(- Toda 1osei enshu %Collected Writings of 1osei Toda* %To/!o:Sei/!o Shimunsha+ &'54*+ vol- 4+ p- (>>-6- @our great voice)hearer disciples: 8audgal!a!ana+8aha/ash!apa+ Iat!a!ana and Suhuti->- Toda 1osei enshu+ p- &4D-=- This episode and related dialogue are translated from

1apanese- Nanden 2ai0o/!o+ ed- 1un#iro Ta/a/usu %To/!o:

Taisho Shinshu 2ai0o/!o Ian/o)/ai+ &'=&*+ vol- &D+ pp- &(D&6>-cf)- The Collection of the 8iddle Length Sa!ings %8a##hima)Ni/!a*+ vol- ,,+ trans- ,- 9- ;orner %Bxford: The Pali TextSociet!+ &''(*+ pp- J5)('-5- 1ainism: An ,ndian religion that stresses nonviolence and not/illing an! forms of life+ and teaches the lieration of the soul! right /nowledge+ right faith and right conduct-'- This episode and related dialogue are translated from

1apanese- Nanden 2ai0o/!o+ ed- 1u#iro Ta/a/usu %To/!o: TaishoShinshu 2ai0o/!o Iana/o)/ai+ &'=&*+ vol- &4+ pp- 4=>==- cf)-The 9oo/ of Iindred Sa!ings %San!utta)Ni/a!a*+ Part ,+ trans

8rs- h!s 2avids %Bxford: The Pali Text Societ!+ &''J*+ pp-4D&)D4-&D- 1etavana 8onaster!: A monaster! in Shravasti whereSha/!amuni is said to have lived and taught during the rain!season for the last twent!)?ve !ears of his life- ,t was uilt asan oering ! Sudatta on land provided ! Prince 1etri- Alongwith the 9amoo $rove 8onaster! in a#agriha+ it was once

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one of the two main centers of the 9uddhas propagationactivities-&&- Toda 1osei enshu+ p- (>>)>=-&4- Wonderful enlightenment: 8!oga/u+ the last of the ?ft!)two stages of odhisattva practice+ indicating the state of

9uddhahood-&J- 2aisa/u ,/eda and 9r!an Wilson+ ;uman Qalues in aChanging World %Secaucus+ N1: L!le Stuart ,nc-+ &'5=*+ p- &J4-&(- Louis @ischer+ The Life of 8ahatma $andhi %New Kor/:;arper and 9rothers+ pulishers+ &'6D*+ p- &((-

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the wisdom of the lotus sutra-chapter nine

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