the wisdom of the lotus sutra-chapter twenty-two

7/17/2019 The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra-Chapter Twenty-Two

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The Wisdom Of The Lotus Sutra

Chapter Twenty-Two

The Completion of the Ceremony of Transmission

At that time Shakyamuni Buddha rosefrom his Dharma seat and, manifestinghis great supernatural powers, with hisright hand patted the heads of theimmeasurable bodhisattvas andMahasattvas and spoke these words: "Forimmeasurable hundreds, thousands, ten

thousands, millions of asamkhayas kalpas have pra!ti!ed this hardtoattain #aw of anuttarasamyaksambodhi$ %ow entrustit to you$ &ou must singlemindedlypropagate this #aw abroad, !ausing itsbene'ts to spread far and wide$"$$$

(he multitude of bodhisattvas andMahasattvas repeated these words threetimes, raising their voi!es in unison andsaying: ")e will respe!tfully !arry out all

these things *ust as the )orld+onoredne has !ommanded$ (herefore we begthe )orld+onored ne to have no!on!ern on this a!!ount-" .#S//, /00012

(his !hapter des!ribes how the Buddhapatted the heads of the bodhisattvas andtransmitted the tea!hings to them,insuring that this wonderful #aw wouldremain in the world after he had passedinto e3tin!tion$

And sin!e this represents thetransmission of the wonderful #aw, all theliving beings of the (en )orlds and thethree thousand realms are bodhisattvasto whom this transmission is made$

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Again, the fa!t that he patted the headsof the bodhisattvas three times indi!atesthat he is using his hand, whi!h is animplement of !onversion symboli! of thethreefold !ontemplation in a single mind

and the three bodies of the Buddha, tobestow the bright *ewel upon the heads of those who are !onverted$

Speaking in broad terms, this bright *ewelbestowed on the heads of thebodhisattvas is enlightenment andunderstanding$ More spe!i'!ally, thebright *ewel bestowed on the heads of thebodhisattvas is none other than %amMyoho4enge5yo$ .6osho 7enshu, p$

1882

Suda: (oday we will dis!uss the "9ntrustment" .twentyse!ond2!hapter$keda: (he "9ntrustment" !hapter is a !hapter of transmission$"(ransmission" here indi!ates su!!ession and "su!!ession"de'nes the relationship of mentor and dis!iple$ (he"9ntrustment" !hapter !ould therefore also be termed the"Su!!ession" !hapter or the "Mentor and Dis!iple" !hapter$ t isthe "Mentor and Dis!iple of 5osen4ufu" !hapter fora!!omplishing 5osen 4ufu in the #atter Day of the #aw$ Se!ond

Soka 6akkai president ;osei (oda also felt this was a highlysigni'!ant !hapter$Saito: (he term "entrustment" means to !ommit or leavesomething to someone with !on'den!e$9ndo: n fa!t, the !hara!ters making up the ;apanese word forparttime or temporary workers together mean, "to beentrusted$"Saito: (he entrustment we are talking about today has anunderlying meaning that the entrusted task is somehowdi<!ult or !umbersome$ (he idea is that the Buddha leaves thework of spreading the #aw far and wide to his dis!iples,

laborious though it is$9ndo: t really is a !hapter of su!!ession and of mentor anddis!iple$keda: From the standpoint of those who are entrusted, this isthe !hapter where dis!iples pledge to shoulder the hard workof propagating the #aw$ (his de'nes the !onne!tion betweenmentor and dis!iple$ (he mentordis!iple relationship is verystri!t$ 9verything depends on how earnestly one !an a!!ept

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and a!t on even a single word of the mentor$ A true dis!iplestrives to a!tuali=e the mentor>s visionnot by mimi!king thementor, but by putting the mentor>s words into a!tion$(his is something of a digression, but on!e when we werestaying at the +ana=ono nn in saka, ?resident (oda abruptly

remarked: " was *ust thinking, >)hat if were to die today@>and >)hat if were to be!ome prime minister today@>" +e wasuite serious$ remember it was early in the morning$At that time of day, people are usually thinking, ")hat>s forbreakfast@" or ">d like to sleep *ust a little longer$" But Mr$(oda was engaged in earnest !ontemplation$ From that timeforward, took everything ?resident (oda said as food forserious thought$Saito: (o think, "(oday am going to die," is to live with thespirit, "%ow is the last moment of my life$"keda: (he point is to have su!h faith that we are able to

de!lare with utmost !onvi!tion, "9ven if were to die rightnow, would attain Buddhahood$"f !ourse, it is important that we live out our lifewholeheartedly, working for 5osen 4ufu and ful'lling ourmission$ )e should be !on'dent that whenever we may die,even should it be at this very moment, we will have no regretsin our faith, we will know that we have really given it our best,and that our enlightenment is guaranteed$ (hough we shouldnot be uppity, su!h pride and !onvi!tion in faith is vital$ (his ishow took ?resident (oda>s guidan!e$Apart from faith, there is no way to attain Buddhahood in our

present life, there is no way to e3perien!e the "greatest of all *oys" .6osho 7enshu, p$ 0112$ (his is something that we !anonly savor when we really e3ert ourselves for 5osen 4ufuregardless of who may or may not be wat!hing$ t is importantthat we !onstantly keep our own faith in !he!k$t is said that a person e3perien!es 18,888 states of mind in asingle day .!f$ 6osho 7enshu, p$ 0C2$ (he heart is in a!onstant state of u3 18,888 is a phenomenal rate of!hange- During that time, how mu!h are we thinking about5osen 4ufu@ About the 6ohon=on@ About the S6 or our fellowmembers@ +ow mu!h a!tion did we take or not take@

(he net balan!e of these determines our state of life$ Faith isnot a matter of formality$ (he heart is most important$9ndo: So our faith shouldn>t be lukewarm, always given to!eremony, but should be a!tive, fueled by the spirit that "nowis the last moment$"keda: As for Mr$ (oda>s other !omment about be!oming primeminister, as his dis!iple, believe he was talking about theimportan!e of a!uiring the ability to freely fun!tion as the

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"pillar" of one>s own world$ Buddhism is not a religion thate3ists for the sake of religion$ t e3ists for the sake of so!ietyand real life$ Faith is the sour!e of energy that enables us toguide so!iety and our lives in the dire!tion of hope$t is for that reason, Mr$ (oda was saying, that as leaders in all

areas of so!iety, we must take a!tion and show proof of ourpra!ti!e, !ausing people to say, "(hat person is a truepra!titioner of Buddhism$" As leaders in the organi=ationdedi!ated to 5osen 4ufu as well, we should be!ome peoplewho are appre!iated for always lifting the spirits of others$ nour broad struggle for 5osen 4ufu, it is important that we askourselves if we are be!oming someone who !an say, "n this'eld, you !an leave everything to me$ ?lease rest assured$"n eEe!t, ?resident (oda was saying: "?olish yourselfthoroughly in the realms of faith and your !hosen 'eld$" +ewas truly an insightful and unusual tea!her$

Saito: ?resident keda, you have really lived these words of?resident (oda$ &our many signi'!ant dialogues with worldleaders, whi!h you have parti!ipated in as a private !iti=en, area sour!e of inspiration to people of !ons!ien!e everywhere$Suda: (he fa!t that you have re!eived nearly si3ty honorarydo!torates and professorships from universities around theworld is also remarkable$keda: My spirit is to always a!!ept these honors on behalf ofSoka 6akkai presidents (sunesaburo Makigu!hi and Mr$ (oda$(hey were both edu!atorsedu!ators who died 'ghting for5osen 4ufu$ (heir good fortune ows to me and !ontinues on

it passed from the 'rst president to the se!ond president, andon to the third president$ (his is the oneness of mentor anddis!iple$ (his is the ultimate prin!iple of human life$ And mygood fortune ows to my dis!iples$ t is my fervent desire toshare that fortune with everyone$ ?resident (oda>s spirit wasthe same$

The General Transmission to Bodhisattvas of Both the Essential and Theoretical

Teachings

9ndo: (o summari=e the "9ntrustment" !hapter, after the"essential transmission" to Bodhisattva Superior ?ra!ti!es inthe pre!eding "Supernatural ?owers" !hapter, Shakyamunirises and e3hibits his great supernatural powers$ +e stands up

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and pats the heads of the !ountless bodhisattvas present,saying: "For immeasurable hundreds, thousands, tenthousands, millions of asamkhayas kalpas have pra!ti!ed thishardtoattain #aw of anuttarasamyaksambodhi$ %ow entrust it to you$ &ou must singlemindedly propagate this #aw

abroad, !ausing its bene'ts to spread far and wide" .#S//,/002$ (his is repeated three times$Saito: t>s interesting that he tou!hes their heads$Suda: As this is a !hapter about entrustment, it may be that indoing so, he is urging them to do their best despite thedi<!ulty of the task$keda: (hat may well be$?erhaps it !ould also be said that by patting them on the head,it>s as though he>s en!ouraging !hildren who are stillsomewhat ine3perien!ed, saying, "&ou>re good !hildren, so doyour best$"

Suda: ompletely diEerent from the transmission in the"Supernatural ?owers" !hapter, this is a gentle method ofentrusting the assembly, whi!h now in!ludes bodhisattvas ofthe theoreti!al tea!hings, with the tea!hings$9ndo: (his is, after all, a "general" transmission$Saito: Shakyamuni must address the parti!ipant of even thelowest !apa!ity$keda: Shakyamuni is most stri!t with the dis!iples whom hereally trusts$ +e devotes himself wholeheartedly to theirgrowth and leaves them everything$?resident (oda said: "All those dis!iples with whom ?resident

Makigu!hi was lenient gave up their faith and turned againsthim$ %ot on!e was praised by Mr$ Makigu!hi$ But alone haveremained and have !arried on his tea!hing and su!!eededhim$", likewise, re!eived training from ?resident (oda more stri!tlythan anyone else$ Day in and day out he made demands on methat !ould only be des!ribed as unreasonable$ (here werethose dis!iples who felt that they en*oyed ?resident (oda>sparti!ular favor, or re!eived spe!ial treatment from him$ (hatis all well and good, but the important thing is a!tuali=ing thementor>s intent$

?eople who merely try to imitate their mentor on the surfa!etend to somehow go awry$ (his was true in ?resident (oda>stime, and it is true today$ (here is a path for ea!h dis!iple, apath whi!h lies solely in striving to a!tuali=e the mentor>svision$6oing a little deeper, in patting his dis!iples on the head threetimes, Shakyamuni is e3horting them to put his thoughts,words and deedsthe three !ategories of a!tioninto pra!ti!e$

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Saito: (he "ngi 5uden" .4e!ord of the rally (ransmitted(ea!hings2 says, "(he entrustment of the three patssymboli=es that the Buddha is entrusting to them the three!ategories of a!tion, namely, a!tions of the body, mouth, andmind the three truths and the three views or meditations

made possible by the three truths" .6osho 7enshu, p$ 00/2$keda: From the dis!iples> standpoint, they per!eive the threekinds of wisdom in their hearts by pra!ti!ing the tea!hing ofthe mentor through their thoughts, words and deeds$ n otherwords, they awaken to the in'nite world of Buddhahoode3isting in their own lives$Suda: So it !omes down to a!tion$keda: t>s a matter of propagation, of working for 5osen 4ufu$)hen we e3ert ourselves for 5osen 4ufu in thought, word anddeed, then everything without fail turns into great bene't$+owever, if we simply a!t like we are working for 5osen 4ufu,

but harbor negativity in our hearts, our good fortune will befrittered away$9ndo: n the Sanskrit te3t of the sutra, instead of patting thebodhisattvas on the head with his right hand, Shakyamuniholds their right hands in his$ n other words, he shakes theirhands$ (his is said to symboli=e the idea that Shakyamuni, thementor, does not have a "!losed 'st" in other words, that hereveals all he knows without hiding anything$keda: (ea!hers of the Brahman !aste derived their authorityfrom "se!ret transmissions" or "se!ret tea!hings$" supposethat>s what is meant by having a "!losed 'st$" But Shakyamuni

was diEerent$ De!laring, "at the start took a vow, hoping tomake all persons eual to me, without any distin!tion betweenus" .#S/, GH2, he taught his followers the highest "se!rettea!hing," the Mysti! #aw$Saito: Buddhism is the 'rst missionary religion in humanhistory$ Before Buddhism, while religions might !ommuni!ate ase!ret tea!hing to a highly sele!t group of people, there wasnever a tea!her like Shakyamuni who sought to share his ownenlightenment with all people$keda: Su!h tea!hings are indeed "!losed 'sted$"Suda: (he %ikken se!t, too, is always talking about "se!ret

transmissions" and "lineage"they sound like the Brahmans-Fundamentally, there is no "se!ret tea!hing" more e3alted thanthe (hree 6reat Se!ret #aws$ (he transmission of the highpriest ought to !enter around nothing other than the !orre!tfaith, pra!ti!e and study of the (hree 6reat Se!ret #aws$9ndo: (o a!!omplish the widespread propagation of the (hree6reat Se!ret laws is, after all, %i!hiren Daishonin>s will andtestament$ By rights, the high priest should take the lead in

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eEorts for 5osen 4ufu, while bearing the brunt of atta!ks bythe three powerful enemies$ %ikko Shonin and %i!himokuShonin, the se!ond and third high priests, respe!tively, in fa!tdid *ust that$ ;ust what kind of a lineage is embodied by a high priest who

not only fails to do this, but who a!tively seeks to destroy themovement for 5osen 4ufu@ Su!h a high priest is transmittingnot a "se!ret #aw" but an "erroneous #aw$"Saito: f he were to open up his "'st," we would 'nd himemptyhanded-9ndo: (he only thing his 'st is good for is slugging people anddestroying things$Suda: ome to think of it, there>s a saying in ndia, "&ou !annotshake someone>s hand with a 'st$" )hat it means is that pea!e!an only be a!hieved through dialogue, not brute for!e$keda: Shakyamuni did not !on!eal anything from his trusted

dis!iples$ (he "9ntrustment" !hapter demonstrates this yetagain for it is here that he unbegrudgingly leaves themeverything$Saito: (hat>s true$ t says:

(he (hus ome ne has great pity and!ompassion$ +e is in no way stingy orbegrudging, nor has he any fear$ +e isable to bestow on living beings thewisdom of the Buddha, the wisdom of the

(hus ome ne, the wisdom that !omesof itself$ (he (hus ome ne is a greatgiver of gifts to all living beings$ .#S//,/012

keda: +e is a "great giver of gifts$" And he is generous$ Afterall there is no su!h thing as a "stingy" Buddha$(he Mysti! #aw is a "horn of plenty$" t is the "wishgranting *ewel" of the Buddha$ t is the treasure of all treasures$ Andsin!e the Buddha hands over this wonderful gift in its entirety,

there is no greater generosity$ 9ven so, he is hated, vili'edand perse!uted$Suda: (his is truly the evil age of the #atter Day$9ndo: am reminded of the e3perien!e of a member in wate?refe!ture, ;apan, by the name of 5iyomi 5umagai who lived inthe town of !hinoseki$ IFrom the time she *oined the Soka6akkai in CJKK, until the day she died, she enabled nearly C8families to take faith in the Daishonin>s Buddhism$ )hat

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motivated her to !arry out su!h earnest propagation a!tivitiesis uite interesting$She began pra!ti!ing when she was told by a physi!ian thatshe had only three years left to live be!ause of stoma!h ul!ersand heart disease$ n *ust si3 months, she regained splendid

health and left her si!kbed for good$ She then reportedly told afellow member, "(his faith is so wonderful, don>t want toshare it with anyone-"(he member then admonished her, saying, ")hat are youtalking about@ Do you mean to tell me that as long as you>reokay, it doesn>t matter what be!omes of other people@Someone so la!king in !ompassion is no member of the Soka6akkai-" ompletely taken aba!k by these words, Ms$ 5umagaiat that moment determined to tell as many people about%i!hiren Daishonin>s Buddhism as possible$Be!ause of her absolute !on'den!e in the 6ohon=on and the

!are with whi!h she looked after others, not one of the peopleshe introdu!ed to the pra!ti!e abandoned faith, and many infa!t be!ame leaders$ (here was *ust one person whom she losttra!k of, but to the end of her life, Ms$ 5umagai remained!on!erned about what had be!ome of the person$ )hat aremarkable a!hievement-+er !hildren all followed in her footsteps$ Among themselves,they have helped a total of nearly 'fty families beginpra!ti!ing Buddhism$ n one o!!asion, Ms$ 5umagai waspresented with a !ommendation in front of you, ?residentkedaan event whi!h she regarded as her greatest honor in

life$ And she died pea!efully surrounded by many friends andwellwishers$keda: Ms$ 5umagai is uite wellknown$ She worked in earnestfor 5osen 4ufu$ (here are many su!h "un!rowned !hampions"in the S6$ (here is no world more noble than this$(he Buddha Fully 4eveals +is "Se!ret"Suda: %i!hiren Daishonin says that if, on the other hand,Shakyamuni had not e3pounded the #otus Sutra, then hewould have been guilty of the oEense of begrudging peoplea!!ess to his true tea!hing .!f$ 6osho 7enshu, p$ CK2$ n the#otus Sutra, Shakyamuni reveals his "se!ret and his

trans!endental powers" .#SCH, //K2 in their entirety$keda: %i!hiren Daishonin des!ribes this passage of the "#ifeSpan" !hapter as the "ultimate prin!iple of the essentialtea!hing$" ts substan!e is the #aw of %amMyoho4enge5yo!ontained in the sutra>s depths$ +e says:

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(he ultimate prin!iple of the #otus Sutrais %amMyoho4enge5yo$ All bene'!ialdo!trines, both Shakyamuni>s pra!ti!esand the virtues he !onseuently attained,the pra!ti!es and eEe!ts of all Buddhas

throughout time and spa!e, the!umulative bene't of all the passagesand phrases of the #otus Sutra all of thisis !ontained in %amMyoho4enge5yo$ n!on!luding this sutra, the +okke Mongu,!hapter ten, says, "Speaking of the sutraas a whole, there are *ust four prin!iplesLname, fun!tion, entity and uality$ negrasps the !ru3 of the matter and handsit on to others$" (he ultimate prin!iple ofthe #otus Sutra is none other than the

daimoku that is entrusted to BodhisattvaSuperior ?ra!ti!es .6osho 7enshu, p$12$

)e are spreading the "fundamental !ause" that enables allbeings in the universe over past, present and future to revealtheir Buddha nature$ (his is e3a!tly what is meant by "these!ret of the (hus ome ne$"Suda: (he #otus Sutra is generosity at its 'nest it is theuintessen!e of free a!!ess to information-

keda: t is a tea!hing of the highest !ompassion$ ?resident(oda used to say that someone who *ust pra!ti!es on his ownwithout making any eEort to advan!e 5osen 4ufu is like aperson who stashes away some sweets so that he !an eat themlater when no one is around$ ?resident Makigu!hi alsoemphasi=ed the importan!e of doing shakubuku, saying,"Nnless you !arry out bodhisattva pra!ti!e, you !annot be!omea Buddha$" And he reprimanded the priesthood for havingforgotten this spirit$Saito: Distinguishing between "believers" and "pra!titioners,"Mr$ Makigu!hi wrote:

f you *ust believe and oEer prayer, you will re!eive bene'twithout fail$ But this alone does not amount to bodhisattvapra!ti!e$ (here>s no su!h thing as an egoisti! Buddha who onlyseeks bene't for himself and does not endeavor to helpothers$ Nnless we !arry out bodhisattva pra!ti!e, we !annotbe!ome Buddhas$ (rue faith, in other words, means spreadingthe tea!hing to others with the spirit of a parent toward his orher !hildren$ (hose who do so are genuine pra!titioners$

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keda: +e says that we should spread the tea!hing withparental love$ (his makes it very easy to understand$ (o tellothers about the #aw with !ompassion like that of a parenttoward a !hild that is shakubuku$ t>s not a matter of selfaggrandi=ement or selfadvertisement$ %or is shakubuku

simply engaging in theoreti!al debate$Doing shakubuku means guiding the other person with thesame !are of a parent giving milk to a fussy babyalwayswarmly, sometimes stri!tly, sometimes soothingly$ )hensharing Buddhism with others, if we be!ome emotional,getting swept up in the other person>s sentiments, then we areno longer behaving as an "emissary of the Buddha$" )e needto 'rmly gird ourselves in the "armor of perseveran!e" .#SCG,CJ2$ Begging someone, on the other hand, to "please *ust giveit a try" amounts to degrading the #aw$ )e need to have theattitude of a parent$

?resident (oda said, "shakubuku means refuting the otherperson>s >evil mind> and enabling them to obey their >goodmind$>" A parent !annot look on in silen!e and wat!h his or her!hild enter an erroneous path that will lead to misery$ (hereare times when a parent stri!tly s!olds a !hild$ Su!h stri!t!ompassion is shakubuku$n a word, shakubuku is an a!t of the greatest *usti!e and!ourage$ t is not easy for people to e3hibit !ompassion$ Manypeople who !laim to have !ompassion are a!tually hypo!rites$(hat is why !ourage is a more apt word than !ompassion$ (o!ourageously speak out and de!lare what is right is

tantamount to !ompassion$ ourage and !ompassion are liketwo sides of the same !oin$Saito: (his was e3pressed by the passage !ited earlier fromthe "9ntrustment" !hapter that goes, "nor has he any fear".#S//, /012$

Was Sustained !y "otes from #y #entor

keda: (he spirit to oppose the evils of the world is theshakubuku spirit$ #ikewise, we must not sit ba!k and allowin*usti!e to e3ist within the S6$ (he spirit of shakubukuapplies in ea!h of these realms$During the war, the authorities went so far as to send spe!ialLthought poli!e to monitor Soka 6akkai dis!ussion meetings$f the talk turned to the Shinto talisman, they wouldimmediately yell, "Stop-" ?resident Makigu!hi would then turn

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to other topi!s for a while, but as soon as he mentioned thetalisman again, the poli!e would ui!kly yell, "Stop-" t was sopredi!table that people at the meeting wondered why?resident Makigu!hi would repeatedly bring up this topi! fullyknowing that he would be !ensured$ %o one understood

?resident Makigu!hi>s profound intent$ +is spirit remaineddauntless it was as if he was trying to shakubuku even theauthorities$ By !omparison, now is a time of great freedom$ (otherefore fail to 'ght for 5osen 4ufu is to be a !oward$)hile e3hibiting the !ourage of a lion king, ?residentMakigu!hi showed great !on!ern for ea!h person$ (o !are forothers is the most important !ondition in a person who standsup to lead$ (his is !ru!ial$Mr$ Makigu!hi taught those who had begun pra!ti!ing andwere unfamiliar with the basi!s of faith with utmost sin!erityand kindness$ )hen talking with someone he would often take

out some paper and make notes as the person spoke$ +e didthis in order to remember the person>s situation and,!onstantly referring to those notes, he would !ontinue toen!ourage the person until they had over!ome their problem$+e would also write down 6osho passages or some words ofen!ouragement on a pie!e of paper and give them to peoplewhen appropriate$ As this was before the publi!ation of theDaishonin>s !olle!ted writings or any Soka 6akkai publi!ations,members would !arry these memos with them as they engagedin propagation a!tivities$9ndo: n the "9ntrustment" !hapter, Shakyamuni dire!ts and

entrusts all bodhisattvas, regardless of whether they arebodhisattvas of the theoreti!al or essential tea!hing, with thetask of propagating the #aw$ %i!hiren Daishonin des!ribes thisgrand and solemn s!ene, saying:

(he essen!e of the 7okurui .twentyse!ond2 !hapter of the #otus Sutra is asfollows$ (he Buddha, Lrising from his seatin the (reasure (ower, stood in openspa!e and, in order to make a transfer of

the #otus Sutra, stroked no fewer thanthree times the heads of Bodhisattva ;ogyo and his followers, Mon*u and hisfollowers, Daibonten, (aishaku, the godsof the sun and moon, the Four +eavenly5ings, the dragon kings, the ten demondaughters and others$ (hey had !lusteredbefore the Buddha as thi!k as dew,

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!rowding the four hundred billion %ayutaworlds like the grasses of Musashino orthe trees !overing Mount Fu*i$ (hey knelt!lose to one another, bending their bodiesso that their heads tou!hed the ground

and sweating with palms *oined together$LShakyamuni Buddha stroked their heads *ust as a mother strokes the hair of heronly !hild$ (hen, ;ogyo, the gods of thesun and moon, and the others re!eivedthe Buddha>s auspi!ious !ommand andpledged to propagate the #otus Sutra inthe #atter age$ .M)K, /HGH2

keda: (he Daishonin des!ribes this s!ene with allusions to the

"grasses of Musashino" and the "trees !overing Mount Fu*i$" +ewas truly a poet$Suda: (he bodhisattvas in this enormous gathering vow, ")ewill respe!tfully !arry out all these things *ust as the )orld+onored ne has !ommanded$ (herefore we beg the )orld+onored ne to have no !on!ern on this a!!ount-" .#S//, /012$(hey repeat this three times$keda: +ow bold- +ow refreshing- (heir mentor must havebeen delighted$ t>s important not to !ause the mentor toworry$ (he mentor already has !on!ern for the dis!iplesbeyond their imagination$

(he "9ntrustment" !hapter further says that those who spreadthe tea!hing "will have repaid the debt of gratitude that Ltheyowe to the Buddhas" .#S//, /012$ (he sole prayer of theBuddha and the mentor is for 5osen 4ufu$ (hat is why e3ertingoneself in spreading the tea!hing is what it means to trulyrepay one>s debt of gratitude to one>s mentor$(o forget one>s debt of gratitude is not Buddhism in fa!t, it isnot the true way of humanity$ Buddhism tea!hes how to live asa human being$ A Buddhist must therefore be someone who isaware of and endeavors to repay his or her debt of gratitude$Saito: think it is vital that we never forget our debt of

gratitude to the S6, whi!h has taught us about theDaishonin>s Buddhism$ (hose who look down on theorgani=ation while themselves bene'ting through theirasso!iation with it are only bringing on their own demise$Suda: )e need to "respe!tfully !arry out all these things" .#S//, /012 e3a!tly as instru!ted by the mentor$ (his meansputting the mentor>s tea!hing into pra!ti!e in its entirety,

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without in*e!ting any personal bias$ (his is the path of adis!iple$9ndo: ?eople nevertheless tend to make e3!uses, saying thingslike, "My mentor said su!h and su!h, but >m in su!h and su!h asituation, so !an>t do e3a!tly as he says," or "My mentor says

this, but the reality is this$"keda: (hat>s like !utting the power line between one>s mentorand oneself$ (o do so is to stop the ow of ele!tri!ity, therebypreventing the manifestation of true strength$(he bond of mentor and dis!iple !omes down to the awarenessof the dis!iple$ t>s not about formality$ Meeting the mentor onnumerous o!!asions, or spending time at the mentor>s side, orbeing entrusted with a leadership position these are alle3ternal, formal matters$ 9ven if someone is in a pla!e faraway from the mentor, or never has the opportunity to speakdire!tly with the mentor, if they are aware of their role as a

dis!iple and strive to put the mentor>s words into pra!ti!e,then the mentordis!iple relationship is alive and inta!t$+ow we de'ne our relationship with the mentor is thefoundation of everything$ rgani=ational stru!tures orpositions are nothing but e3pedient means$ )ithout thisunderstanding, there will be grave !onseuen!es$ t would beterrible if the world of mentor and dis!iple of Buddhism weredestroyed, repla!ed by bureau!ra!y and formalism$9ven if one>s eEorts go unnoti!ed or if one is only workingbehind the s!enes, if one is pra!ti!ing *ust as the mentorinstru!ts, a profound bond e3ists between oneself and the

mentor$ n the other hand, if one deviates from this path, thenno matter how mu!h one may be in the spotlight, one>s eEortswill amount to nothing$ Apart from the path of mentor anddis!iple, there is no Buddhism$A!!ording to the 6reat (ea!her (>ient>ai of hina, one reasonwhy the #otus Sutra is superior to other sutras is that itreveals that the original relationship of mentor and dis!iple is"far more profound in the essential tea!hings of the #otusSutra than that in the theoreti!al tea!hings of the #otus Sutraand all pre#otus Sutra tea!hings$" (his is an e3tremelyimportant do!trine$

L(his is the third of the "three standardsof !omparison e3plained in the +okke6engi .?rofound Meaning of the #otusSutra2$ )hile the pre#otus Sutratea!hings and the theoreti!al tea!hing .or'rst half2 of the #otus Sutra reveal only

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the mentordis!iple relationship withShakyamuni who attained enlightenmentduring his present lifetime in ndia, theessential tea!hing .or se!ond half2 of the#otus Sutra reveals the mentordis!iple

relationship with Shakyamuni whoattained enlightenment in the remotepast$

The Lotus Sutra s a Grand $Ceremony of #entor and %isciple$

9ndo: ne gets the strong impression that the "9ntrustment"!hapter, in !ontrast to the "Supernatural ?owers" !hapter

.where transmission is made to Superior ?ra!ti!es and theother Bodhisattvas of the 9arth2, is a "transmission to thebodhisattvas of the theoreti!al tea!hing$" But the transmissionin "9ntrustment" is in fa!t a general transmission to allbodhisattvas, of both the theoreti!al and essential tea!hings$keda: (hat>s right$ And Superior ?ra!ti!es is the leader of theassembly in this !hapter, too$ )hile in a general sense itappears to be a transmission to the bodhisattvas of thetheoreti!al tea!hing, on !loser e3amination we 'nd thatBodhisattva Superior ?ra!ti!es is the !entral 'gure$ (he truemeaning of Shakyamuni patting them on the head three times

is that of pla!ing the "gem" of %amMyoho4enge5yo on theirheads$Suda: (his brings to mind the parable of the pri!eless gem inthe topknot of the king des!ribed in the "?ea!eful ?ra!ti!es".fourteenth2 !hapter$

LAfter a battle, the wheelturning kingrewards those who have fought withvarious treasures$ But there is one ob*e!twith whi!h he will not part, a pri!eless

gem that he wears hidden in his topknot$Finally he takes the gem from his hair andgives it to the soldier who has foughtmost valiantly$ (he pri!eless gemrepresents the #otus Sutra, whi!h is thepri!eless treasure that the Buddhaimparts .!f$ #SC, /802$

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9ndo: n short, the "pri!eless gem" is the 6ohon=on$Saito: (he true intent of the "9ntrustment" !hapter is to e3hortpeople to spread the 6ohon=on$keda: &es$ t predi!ts the appearan!e of %i!hiren Daishonin$

Saito: (he transmission to Superior ?ra!ti!es is referred to asthe "transmission of the ob*e!t of worship" or the"transmission of the entity of the #aw$" (here are twotransmissions of the #otus Sutra$ ne is the transmission ofthe s!rolls of the sutrathe transmission of the twentyeight!hapter sutra for the sake of the bodhisattvas of theprovisional tea!hing$ (he other is the transmission of %amMyoho4enge5yo of time without beginning for thebodhisattvas of the essential tea!hing, the Bodhisattvas of the9arth$ %amMyoho4enge5yo is the entity of the #aw that isthe ob*e!t of devotion of all Buddhas, the entity of the #aw

found in the depths of the "#ife Span" !hapter$keda: (hrough the !eremony of transmission, the sutraidenti'es and praises most highly the "person" who will upholdthis 6ohon=on in the #atter Day of the #aw$ (he #otus Sutra isShakyamuni>s testament he e3pounded it to e3plain whowould lead humankind to enlightenment after his passing, andhow they would a!!omplish this$Spe!i'!ally, this pro!ess begins in the "(ea!her of the #aw".tenth2 !hapter with Shakyamuni>s appeals to the gatheredbodhisattvas, and with the appearan!e of the great (reasure(ower in the "(reasure (ower" .eleventh2 !hapter$ Shakyamuni

then raises the entire multitude into the air and !alls out tothem in a booming voi!e:

")ho is !apable of broadly prea!hing the#otus Sutra of the )onderful #aw in thisSaha world@ %ow is the time to do so, forbefore long the (hus ome ne will enternirvana$ (he Buddha wishes to entrustthis #otus Sutra of the )onderful #aw tosomeone so that it might be preserved$"

.#SCC, C0H2

Saito: (he eremony in the Air !ontinues from that point untilits !on!lusion here in the "9ntrustment" !hapter$Suda: Shakyamuni, having heard the reply of his dis!iples thathe need not worry about the future, instru!ts all Buddhas whohave gathered there from the worlds in the ten dire!tions to

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return to the lands from whi!h they !ame$ +e then brings theeremony in the Air to an end with the words, "(he tower ofMany (reasures Buddha may also return to its former position".#S//, /012$9ndo: Seen in this light, it is !lear that the reason for the

appearan!e of the (reasure (ower and the eremony in the Airis the transmission of the Mysti! #aw$keda: (he #otus Sutra in its entirety is a grand "!eremony ofmentor and dis!iple$" (o miss this point is to !ompletelymisunderstand the #otus Sutra$

The %ynamism of Three &ssem!lies in Two'laces

9ndo: n!identally, in e3tant Sanskrit te3ts of the #otus Sutra,the !hapter !orresponding to "9ntrustment" appears at thevery end of the sutra$keda: )e see the same in the Shohokkekyo of Dharmaraksha./GCG81@2, another hineselanguage translation of the sutra$9ndo: Some suggest that this is the original format of thesutra$Saito: !an see how the "9ntrustment" !hapter !ould logi!ally!on!lude the sutra$keda: (his topi! reuires some resear!h$

Saito: ?eople have debated the !hapter order sin!e an!ienttimes$keda: )hile this is !ertainly a matter for further investigation, think it is !lear that the !urrent position of the "9ntrustment"!hapter adds a dramati! tou!h to the sutra$ (his is be!ause itestablishes the dynamism of the "three assemblies in twopla!es$"Suda: (hat>s true$ ?rior to the eremony in the Air, theprea!hing takes pla!e at the summit of 9agle ?eak$ After theeremony in the Air, the s!ene of prea!hing returns to 9aglepeak$ +en!e, we have three assemblies in two pla!es$ f the

"9ntrustment" !hapter !on!luded the entire sutra, we wouldhave the monotonous stru!ture of "two assemblies in twopla!es"-keda: As we dis!ussed previously Lin !onne!tion with the"ntrodu!tion" .'rst2 !hapter, profound signi'!an!e atta!hesto the three assemblies in two pla!es$ (hrough the overallframework of the #otus Sutra, the move "from the a!tual worldto the realm of eternal life" .i$e$, from 9agle ?eak to the

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eremony in the Air2, and then "ba!k to the real world" .fromthe eremony in the Air to 9agle ?eak2 indi!ates the rhythm ofhuman revolution$Suda: )e have a rhythm that alternates between two motions:that of "seeking the )ay" and that of "guiding sentient

beings$"9ndo: (his is analogous to the rhythm of our daily lives inwhi!h we go from the reality of life to the pra!ti!e of 6ongyo,and then ba!k to the reality of life and so!iety with renewedvigor$Saito: (he !on!ept of dedi!ating one>s life .as e3pressed by theSanskrit term namas2 to Myohorengekyo in!ludes the senseof both "returning to" and taking a!tion "based on" the Mysti!#aw$keda: Both of these are indeed essential, for only when ourpra!ti!e in!orporates these two aspe!ts are we truly devoting

ourselves to %amMyoho4enge5yo$ (o "return to" means topra!ti!e for oneself, while basing one>s a!tion on the Mysti!#aw means to pra!ti!e for others$ t is when we fully integrateboth the pra!ti!e for oneself and the pra!ti!e for others thatwe get in syn!h with the rhythm of the universe$ (hese twoways of pra!ti!e are like the two planetary motions of rotationand revolution$ (he more we advan!e in the "pra!ti!e foroneself," the more our "pra!ti!e for others" develops$ And asour "pra!ti!e for others" advan!es, our "pra!ti!e for oneself"deepens$?resident (oda often said with regard to propagation: "(he key

is to earnestly pray to the 6ohon=on$ (here is no other way tospread this Buddhism-" )e need to pray that the other personwill be able to sense our sin!ere desire for them to be!omehappy$ )e have to pray: "?lease enable me to ful'll my missionin this life as an emissary of the Buddha-"Buddhism is vi!tory or defeat$ ?resident (oda was very stri!twhen it !ame to winning or losing, and he knew how to win$During athleti! events, Mr$ (oda would go to the losing teamand give them some words of advi!e$ (hat team would oftenend up winning$But regarding shakubuku, he on!e said:

"(here may be some people who have ahard time doing shakubuku, perhapsbe!ause they are awkward with words orsimply too goodnatured$ t>s okay if su!hpeople en*oy their pra!ti!e on their own$

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"(here are those who will neverthelesstell them, >&ou absolutely have to doshakubuku-> But if someone *ust !an>t doit, s!olding them will not help in the least$f the person is appre!iative to be able to

pra!ti!e to the 6ohon=on, that is enough$

"(he important thing is that the personbe en!ouraged so that they !an trulyunderstand faith$ )hen they really graspthe greatness of the 6ohon=on, they willnaturally tell others about the pra!ti!e$And this will lead to their doingshakubuku$"

Suda: (hat makes sense$keda: )e need to en*oy our eEorts to !arry out propagation,keeping a generous spirit and an open mind$ And we should doso smiling brightly with a sense of pride and appre!iation,aware that there is no higher honor than telling others even afew words about the Mysti! #aw during this lifetime$f people are instru!ted to introdu!e a spe!i'! number ofpeople, on the other hand, they will only feel obligated$ t will!ause them suEering and make everyone depressed, whi!h willonly hinder the 5osen 4ufu movement- A leader>s role is toenable everyone to en*oy their pra!ti!e$ But most leaders do

*ust the opposite$ )e need to give people !ourage and hope$)e need to applaud and en!ourage them with an open heart$)e must of !ourse set goals for ourselves$ )hen we then prayfor all members without e3!eption to re!eive great bene't, ourspirit will absolutely be !onveyed$n order to enable people to re!eive immense bene't, we must!almly dis!uss faith with them, saying, "#et>s do our besttogether-" and "#et>s en*oy vibrant health and live long lives-"and "#et>s usher in a grand new !entury together-" )henmembers en!ourage one another in this fashion, ea!h persongrows naturally, as does the entire organi=ation$

;ust praising the Mysti! #aw to others is itself splendidshakubuku$ )hether or not the person de!ides to take faith isa separate issue$ By simply talking to people about the Mysti!#aw we re!eive bene't without fail$ t is the same with sportsor playing the piano in that by making !ontinuous eEort, one>sability develops in time$ #ikewise, in doing shakubuku, if wetell people about this Buddhism whenever the opportunity

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arises, our good fortune in doing so will prote!t our family andour des!endants$(hose who tena!iously !arry out the pra!ti!e of shakubukudevelop a foundation of good fortune as solid and strong as!on!rete$ %o devil !an destroy it$ (hose who avoid the pra!ti!e

of propagation, however, no matter how high theirorgani=ational position, are as feeble as tin and at the !ru!ialmoment they will fall apart$Suda: So the rhythm of the #otus Sutra !onsists of both thepra!ti!e for oneself and the pra!ti!e for others$9ndo: !an really see now the signi'!an!e of having the"9ntrustment" !hapter follow the "Supernatural ?owers"!hapter$

By (elping Others) We (elp Ourselves

keda: By helping other people be!ome happy, we too be!omehappy$ (his is also a tenet of psy!hology$ +ow !an thosesuEering in the depths of hell who have lost the will to live getba!k on their feet@ Merely thinking about one>s own problemsmore often than not !auses one to fall even deeper intodespair$ +owever, by going to someone who is also suEeringand oEering them a hand, the person is able to regain theirwill to live$ (aking a!tion out of !on!ern for others enables usto heal our own life$Saito: By helping others, we help ourselves$ (his indi!ates theinseparability of oneself and others$ n that sense, when tryingto introdu!e another person to Buddhism, it is important thatwe humbly appre!iate them$9ndo: t is impossible to know *ust how mu!h a parent>s will tolive is inuen!ed by their anti!ipation of their !hild>s growthand development$keda: (hese days, people seem to think that working for thewellbeing of others is somehow a lost !ause$ )e are living in aworld where even the mention of !harity and !ompassionsometimes eli!its !ool derision$ t is hard to imagine *ust howmu!h suEering su!h arrogan!e is !ausing so!iety$An Ameri!an missionary is said to have on!e asked Mahatma6andhi: ")hat religion do you pra!ti!e and what form do youthink religion will take in ndia in the future@" +ow did 6andhirespond to this rather di<!ult religious dis!ussion that hadbeen thrust upon him@

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(here happened to be two si!k people in the room$ ?ointing intheir dire!tion, 6andhi replied simply: "My religion is servingand working for the people$ am not preo!!upied with thefuture$"For 6andhi, politi!s was also a matter of servi!e, of helping the

most destitute$ t>s all about a!tion$ )ithout bodhisattvapra!ti!e, there is no religion$ (here is no Buddhism$ %or isthere genuine politi!s or edu!ation$Saito: Several years ago, a s!holar oEered an e3planation forthe stagnation of ;apanese so!iety$ +e noted that until ;apan>sdefeat in CJK, the emperor system had served the fun!tion of"religion," in that it provided so!ial standards and a sense ofnational identity$ After the war, in pla!e of the emperorsystem, "Mar3ism and its intelle!tual progeny" ful'lled the roleof religion$ During the period of rapid e!onomi! growth of theCJH8s, he argued, ;apan>s sole desire to !at!h up with and

surpass the advan!ed !ountries of the )est be!ame the!ountry>s new religion$ (hat religion !ame to an end with ;apan>s su!!ess in be!oming an e!onomi! giant in the CJ18sand J8s$ +e !on!luded that unless ;apan 'nds another "new"religion, it will inevitably de!line into a so!iety devoid of allstandards$9ndo: ;apan is !ertainly la!king in standards$ t feels as if ourso!iety is falling apart at the seams and that anything !ouldhappen at any moment$keda: (his is the tragedy of ;apan, a !ountry where peopledon>t pay serious attention to religion and philosophy$ t is for

this reason that we have a tremendous mission$(he Daishonin says, "More valuable than treasures in astorehouse are the treasures of the body, and the treasures ofthe heart are the most valuable of all" .M)/, /G1 L/0J2$ (ofo!us only on the "treasures of the storehouse,"the e!onomywill not improve the e!onomi! situation$ (hings may improvefor a while, but this will ultimately not !ontribute to thewelfare of so!iety$t is people, it is the heart, that matters most$ (he heartdetermines everything$ Shakyamuni was the "great giver ofgifts," but propagation of the Mysti! #aw is to give people the

ultimate "treasures of the heart$" )hen we possess "treasuresof the heart," when our lives overow with good fortune andwisdom, we are naturally endowed with abundant "treasuresof the body" and "treasures of the storehouse$"Saito: think this is the most important point for the twenty'rst !entury$keda: )hat is left when our lives end@ t is the memories thatwe have engraved in our hearts$

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met the 4ussian novelist Mikhail Sholokhov .CJ8K12 when visited Mos!ow .in CJ02$ +e told me, "(he longer we live, themore di<!ult it be!omes to remember the painful e3perien!es$As time passes, the !olors of the events in our life fade andeverything from the happiest times to the saddest starts to

disappear from memory$"After taking in a breath, with a big smile he !ontinued: ")henyou turn seventy, Mr$ keda, you will know that what amsaying is the truth$" +is words !onveyed a wealth of emotion$9verything passes$ Both the soaring *oys and the !rushingsorrows fade away like a dream$ would like to state, however, that the memory of having livedone>s life to the fullest never disappears$ (he memories ofhaving worked wholeheartedly for 5osen 4ufu in parti!ular areeternal$"n my lifetime, how many people have helped be!ome

happy@ +ow many people !an say that it is be!ause of me thatthey know true happiness@" n the end, is this not all thatremains@(he Daishonin says, "Singlemindedly !hant %amMyoho4enge5yo and urge others to do the same that will remain asthe only memory of your present life in this human world".M)K, G12$ think this !ould be taken as the !on!lusion to?resident (oda>s remark, ")hat if were to die today@"

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the wisdom of the lotus sutra-chapter twenty-two

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