[A Guide to HBS -part2-]
The Teachings and Practices of HBS
Rev. Nisso Fukuoka
A Discussion between Rev. Nisso Fukuoka and a member of HBS
The following is a discussion session between I, Reverend Nisso Fukuoka, and Mr. S.I. a member of HBS, and a graduate of George Washington University, Washington D.C, USA.
S: There are many fantastic descriptions in the Lotus Sutra. How should we interpret these descriptions?
N: The mind and the five senses humans possess have limitations. But, there is a reality beyond seeing, hearing or thinking. The Lotus Sutra's teachings go beyond the reality of the human mind or senses. For example, a gold fish living in a pond only knows about its own confine and is unaware that a wide world exists beyond it. We, human beings also perceive our own confined territory which can be observed with our mind and five senses. But around us there is a vast world beyond it. So, Shakamuni Buddha used many symbolic messages with fantastic descriptions to awaken us about it.
S: In America, during the 60's the hippies used various drugs including LSD to experience psychedelic images of seven colored lights and long lasting fictional images.
Those images overlap the mandalas of Buddhism. People that experienced such conditions believe a world of fantasy exists. I am confused as to whether that is a real world or metaphorical world. During the drug culture, those people experienced seeing wild fantasies and sounds, and their mind wandered to a far away world. Such people maintained that the descriptions expounded in the Lotus Sutra truly exist.
N: That is not necessarily an illusion or fantasy. According to the theory of "Ichinen Sanzen" based on the teachings of the Lotus Sutra. (Ichinen means the single mind, Sanzen means all phenomena in the world), each individual mind possesses all existence and phenomena. All existence means, spatial (Space—wise), information contained in mind of others is also endowed in the mind of each individual. And, time—wise, everything that mankind experienced during its incalculable number of years are possessed in each individual mind. It means that the whole universe is contained in one's own mind. That is the basic idea of the Lotus Sutra since the entire universe is included in the mind, by observing one's own mind with special drugs or practices invisible or unseen truths may become visible.
By engaging in meditation and practices one hopes to increase his ability to observe information contained in the inner mind. Through observation by the conscious mind of the inner soul, one may discover that there is a more truthful reality in the inner soul. The Hippies borrowed such types of practices by using the power of drugs. Usage of drugs for such purposes is undesirable though.
On the other hand, Yoga practitioners or some Zen practitioner saw the "illusionary" world which had never been seen before. Those practitioners claimed that they could not describe in words their experiences and the world they had seen. It was even difficult for Hippies to describe it in words. They described it in colors, sounds and fantastic images. The Buddhist description of seeing such a world is depicted in the mandalas of various forms and designs or drawings of fantastic descriptions in Buddhist writings.
Zen's method of observing one's inner mind through meditation is effective for arousing one's sensitivity and self—ability. However, it sometimes causes the practitioner get into a dangerous situation. The danger is he will not be able to abscond it and face reality. He may fall into a condition of madness and face the "World of Hell" or what is known as "Zen meditation illness".
So, Nichiren Shonin stated that we, common people should not try to search our unconscious mind through such a way.
Instead, Nichiren Shonin recommended to the common people who are born in the Mappo Period to chant the Odaimoku repeatedly which contains the merits of enlightenment of the Buddha.
S: People who practiced meditation to search their mind saw illusions which coincided with those of the Hippies isn't that so?
N: The Esoteric Buddhism (Mikkyo) and Tibetan Buddhism methods of searching the inner mind are similar in nature to Carl Jung's psychology. Carl Jung tried to search and see the inner mind through psychotherapy. The methods employed by Buddhism and Carl Jung are different but the purpose is to search for something in the inner mind. Anyway, Buddhism is a religion that looks into the mind. Naturally, HBS does the same. However, HBS's way of doing this is quite different from Zen Buddhism or Tibetan Buddhism.
Nichiren Shonin, after studying various Buddhist teachings, reached the conclusion that meditation or spiritual contemplation, is a practice for a well trained practitioners and is not suitable for the common people in the Mappo Period. It is better to become connected directly with the power of the Fine Dharma and the soul of the Buddha through chanting the Odaimoku faithfully. There is no need to seek the mind by using our brain. We just enter the world of enlightenment by pure faith by chanting the Odaimoku.
Nichiren Shonin, in his younger days, studied Buddhist doctrines and practices at various temples, such as Kofukuji Temple of the Hosso Shu sect and other temples in Nara and the Shitennoji Temple in Osaka. While on Mt. Hiei in Kyoto, he studied various aspects of Buddhism. He also conducted research on various teachings at temples in Kyoto. He had great knowledge of Esoteric Buddhim (Mikkyo) of the Shingon Shu sect. As result of his studies, Nichiren Shonin judged that those teachings and practices provided by such temples and sects are not suitable for the people who are born in Mappo Period, for the common people who lack the ability to carry them out. Thus, he arrived at the conclusion that we should just chant the Odaimoku, NamuMyohoRengeKyo with pure faith based on the primordial eight chapters of the Lotus Sutra (Honmon Happon).
Nichiren Shonin introduced the way of chanting by grasping the core of the Buddhism and by understanding the human state. Chanting the Odaimoku is a simple form of practice but it has deep doctrinal reasons.
S: Within the same school of Buddhism, what should I say when I am asked, "What are the differences between Nichiren Shonin's teachings and those of others?"
N: Nichiren Shonin divided the comparison the merits and demerits of religions into five levels.
First, he constructed the logic to compare the differences between Buddhism and other religions.
Then he discussed the differences between the Mahayana Vehicle and the Hinayana Vehicle of Buddhism.
Third, Nichiren Shonin referred to the defenses between the Lotus Sutra and the other Mahayana Sutras.
He, then, compared the differences between the primordial section of the Lotus Sutra (Honmon) with the provisional section (Shakumon). And finally, he divided the primordial section of the Lotus Sutra into two. One is the teaching for the practitioners in the Shakamuni Buddha's era and other is the teaching for the common people in the Mappo Period.
However, the majority of HBS members in Japan have little desire to learn about such special doctrine. So, such sermons are rarely delivered at Oko meetings or at temples of HBS. But, non—members and beginners may want to hear to more about such things.
S: While I was staying in the USA, some of my American friends asked me various tough questions. For example, when I say that the Lotus Sutra is the most superior sutra among the Buddhist sutras, some people say that the Sutras of Hinayana Buddhism are easier to understand than those of Mahayana Buddhism because those teachings are more ethical and philosophical. On the other hand, the Mahayana sutras are out of touch with reality, so they are not approachable.
Furthermore, since Mahayana sutras were composed about 400 years after the death of Shakamuni Buddha, they may not been considered to be the true teachings of the Buddha. Therefore, how can you say that the Lotus Sutra is a true teaching which was taught by Shakamuni Buddha? To that, I could not respond to my friend.
N: I mentioned before about the Lotus Sutra and the other Mahayana sutras.
Regarding the age of the editing the Mahayana sutras, they were composed at the earliest about 400 years after the death of the Buddha or, they may have been 500 or 600 years later. The sutras of Esoteric Buddhism that Shingon Shu sect relies upon were composed approximatly700 or 800 years after his death. From this point of view, sutras of Mahayana Buddhism may not be the direct teachings of the Buddha. However, it is important to understand Buddhism from various points of view. It should be noted that the approach to Buddhist philology and approach to faith are entirely based on different dimensions.
It is because Shakamuni Buddha's teachings were not recorded in writing; Shakamuni Buddha himself did not write any sermons. Neither, did the disciples that heard his sermons write any records of them. In those days, there was no paper to write on, besides people in India had the idea that sacred religions teachings should not be written down.
So, people who heard his sermons tried to learn them by heart and passed them on verbally from person to person. For example, in Hokkaido, Japan, there is a large number of traditional songs of Ainu titled, "Yukar". These songs for several hundred years were not documented and were traditionally transmitted from mouth to mouth. It may appear that these voluminous songs were created, but not so. They were passed on without mistake. Actually, people who do not rely on the written word have rhythmic memories and can rhythmically pass them on to others. The Buddha's teachings were also passed on in a similar manner. A year after the death of Shakamuni Buddha, the first united assembly of disciples was held to mutually collate the teachings they had heard. Such assemblies were held periodically thereafter and the teachings were eventually put into writing. This was about 100 years after the Buddha's death.
Thus, it can be said that the sutras of the Hinayana Buddhism and the sutras of Mahayana Buddhism have gone through many revisions with very little differences in how they have been edited and passed on to us today. Buddhism was transmitted through written sutras, and also handed down through practical practices. However, the form and appearance of the practices have been changed depending on the time and the circumstances. They formulated various precepts. They avoided amusement, such as listening to music or the theater. They only concentrated on building a pure world in their minds. However, some Buddhist followers gradually began to wonder what Shakamuni Buddha's motive and intention for enlightenment were and began to reconsider and return to basic spiritual devotion. They realized that Shakamuni Buddha became a practitioner not only to seek salvation for himself but for others.
There is a documented episode on the "Four Views and Four Gates". It is about the four East, West, North, and South gates located in the compound of the castle where Shakamuni Buddha lived when he was a young prince. When he exited from one of the gates, he saw an elderly person getting weaker, the sick dying from a lack of medication, and the people suffering from various conditions. He began to wonder what was causing the sufferings. In search of this he decided to be a practitioner. If it was for self benefit only, he would not have been a practitioner and would not have engage in practice. There was no need to preach the teachings and guide the people for their salvation. However, after attaining enlightenment until his death at age 80, he continuously devoted himself in serving mankind for its welfare. Shakamuni Buddha was supposed to be the model for Buddhists, but they lost track of the true goal. As stated earlier, the practitioners wanted to reconsider what Shakamuni Buddha's basic spiritual devotion was. This was the starting point of the movement of Large Vehicle Buddhism.
S: Ah, so, we have a tendency to be particular about form only.
N: Through the movement of the Large Vehicle Buddhism various freely expressed sutras were born, but they consistently returned to the spirit of Shakamuni Buddha's true motive.
The Large Vehicle Sutras were composed many years later after Shakamuni Buddha's death. Thus, it is hard to say that they were recorded through the Buddha's direct teachings. But the purpose of the movement was to restore Shakamuni Buddha's basic motive. The practitioners who edited the Large Vehicle sutras took pride in themselves in assisting in returning Buddhism to its true state. With regard to Christianity, the Christian churches were very powerful and the priests possessed boundless authority and used its name to continuously control the people. Amid this tight control, a movement by Protestants was initiated to return Christianity to its original, independent form. This new movement was launched several hundred years or more after the death of Christ, but it was severely criticized for going in a wrong direction. A third party objective assessment created various opinions as to whether it was right, wrong, good or bad. During the historic flow of religion, it is difficult to know which movement is connected to the founder's spirit and which suits the needs of the time and countries spiritual climate in order to be accepted by common people. For instance, offering light is very important practice since Shakamuni Buddha's era. So in Japan Buddhist practitioners have been offering light at the altar as an important practice.
About 150 years ago, candles were displayed at the altar to brighten it. The object was to brighten the altar. Prior to the usage of candles, a wick inserted in oil was burnt to provide light. As years progressed, electric light was discovered and the use of electric bulbs became permissible. However, a feud among followers ensued concerning the types of light to be utilized. The conservative faction wanted to keep using candles as Nissen Shonin did. The progressive faction considered the use of electric bulbs as being no problem. The same thing happened after Shakamuni Buddha's death among his followers. The differences in stance between them created conflict among priests on which customs should be continued or not.
S: That was the reason for founding Large Vehicle Buddhism, wasn't it?
N:After the demise of Shakamuni Buddha, while the disputes were taking place, the priests confined themselves in mountains and monasteries to follow in the footsteps of Shakamuni Buddha in search of enlightenments. Thus, the priests severed communication with all outsiders to avoid various temptations. They did not speak to anyone.
S: Then, why is the Lotus Sutra so special among the Large Vehicle sutras. Why are the other sutras of the Large Vehicle wrong?
N: To say that the Lotus Sutra is correct and other Large Vehicle sutras are wrong is not an apt remark.
From the details of (Buddhist) history, Buddhism leans toward the prerogatives of the priests. It became the Buddhism for the priests only, and common people were unable to affiliate themselves with it.
Small Vehicle Buddhism was the mainstream Buddhism during the period of several hundred years after Shakamuni Buddha's death. During those years, the most the priests began to engage in their own practices and did not care about the common people.
Then leaders of lay Buddhists who were not satisfied with this trend began to criticize the priest for engaging in the practices for their own benefits. Although 400 to 500 years had passed after the Buddha's death, the sutras edited at that time were composed as if they were written in the period of Shakamuni Buddha. Thus, the disciples such as Sharihotsu (Sariputra) Mokuren (Maugalyayana) and Kasyo (Kasyapa) figured in the stories in the sutras. In the Large Vehicle sutras they were criticized as selfish practitioners because they engaged in practices only for their own salvation. However, the Lotus Sutra contains merits for arbitration and unification. That is why the Lotus Sutra, which goes beyond the Large Vehicle and therefore has been called "The One Great Buddha Vehicle" which can invite practitioners like Sharihotsu, Mokuren, Kasho, etc who belonged to the two small vehicles (Shravakas and Pratyeka Buddhas) to the path of the Bodhisattvas. The Lotus Sutra can be considered as the most superior sutra based on such high appraisals. Thus, the Lotus Sutra has been called "The King of Sutras" from ancient times.
Although Shakamuni Buddha was a great man for the people in his period, they thought of him only a human being who was born as a son of a king of a small country in India and later was awakened to the truth. No matter how brilliant and great a man he may have been, the people thought he was just a human being.
However, after Shakamuni Buddha's death, people gradually regarded him as superhuman whose original state was somewhere in a far away universe and was later born in this world with a mission to teach and save mankind.
Shakamuni Buddha, himself stated "I attained enlightenment but I am not the only one who became a Buddha. The fundamental truth in this universe does not change whether it may be in the past, present or future worlds. It is the same in other celestial bodies as well. The Fine Dharma as his fundamental truth exists throughout others. Thus, the Large Vehicle sutras contained the names of the Buddha's disciples who were selfish practitioners and should be considered as models of the Small Vehicle Buddhism. The practitioners who were propagating the Large Vehicle Buddhism criticized the Small Vehicle Buddhists that they would never be able to attain enlightenment for being selfish and not practicing activities for other people.
However, if Large Vehicle Buddhism rejects Small Vehicle, Large Vehicle Buddhism would disgrace itself, because the Large Vehicle is the teaching which carries all living beings from the shore of the Saha world to the shore of enlightenment like a big boat. This is the reason why the Large Vehicle is called the Large Vehicle. Thus, Large Vehicle Buddhism should maintain that anyone could be lead by engaging in the path of Bodhisattva's practices.
Among the Large Vehicle sutras, the Lotus Sutra took a more positive and broadminded position. It maintains that even a person who committed a terrible crime should be given a chance to enter the Buddha—world by repenting and engaging in Bodhisattva's practices. The Lotus Sutra also possesses the content which can arbitrate between Large Vehicle Buddhism and Small Vehicle Buddhism. In other words, The Lotus Sutra wraps both the Large and Small Vehicle Buddhist concepts into its own ideology although they were antagonistic at one time. Therefore, people who have attained the fundamental truth like me also exist. Their enlightenment is identical to mine—and they may teach the truth and guide the people. They may also appear in the future world or in other far away worlds. As such, the various Buddhas like Amida Buddha of the Western Pure Land, Yakushi Nyorai of the Land in the East were later created. This is one of the characteristics of Mahayana (Large Vehicle) Buddhism.
Hinayana (Small Vehicle) Buddhism does not have such ideas. The practitioners who belong to Hinayana Buddhism, historically, have respected only Shakamuni Buddha as a historical Buddha.
S: There are many sutras which are based on Shakamuni Buddha's teachings. Why is the Lotus Sutra only the truest teaching among the teachings of the Buddha?
N: During the period of Great Master Tendai (Tien—Tai, 538—597) in China, Buddhist scholars set out on the work of the classification of Buddhist teachings and probed into the Buddha's true intentions. Doctrinal classification to systemize and consolidate the teachings into various categories and judgment of the merits of the sutras was carried out.
This kind of work flourished in China around 1500—1600 years age. The reason was that sutras were brought from India irregularly and each sutra encompassed inconsistency. Therefore, confusion resulted. These sutras were considered to be Shakamuni Buddha's teachings. Each separate sutra told what one should believe in, how it should be practiced, how matters should be looked at, and how it should be thought out. Shakamuni Buddha was a flexible person, so he taught various kinds of teachings for individual situations, circumstances, sufferings or capabilities. As a result, there was no uniformity in the contents of the Buddha's sutras. Thus, the teachings of the Buddha became incoherent over 50 years when they entered China. Consequently, the work of classification of the sutras began to flourish to search for the core of the Buddha's teachings.
Among the scholars who engaged in this work, Great Master Tendai was the most outstanding. He researched many sutras and systematized them in a very precise way. Then Great Master Tendai judged the Lotus Sutra to be the most superior.
Today, there are some Buddhist scholars, however, who do not approve of the Great Master Tendai's classification. They claim that it had no basis from the standpoint of philology. However, the evaluation of the sutras by Great Master Tendai was not based on philology. He attempted to determine the deep meaning contained in the words of the Buddha from his deep religious experiences and strong faith.
Nissen Shonin, the founder of HBS stated: "If the true teachings of the Lotus Sutra is doubted, how can we put faith in any other sutras. Receiving visible merits and remarkable benefits through faithful practice based on the teachings of the Lotus Sutra makes you awaken to the fact that the Lotus Sutra is the true teaching of the Buddha. This is the strongest evidence for it."
02. What Is Buddhism? What Is The Lotus Sutra?
