| Q. |
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HBS begins
its prayer service by chanting the Odaimoku, revealed in the
Eight Chapters, 15 to 22, of the Essential Section of the Lotus
Sutra that was entrusted to Jyogyo Bodhisattva to plant in the
minds of all living beings the seed of the genuine cause of
Buddhahood. |
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| A. |
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That short phrase represents the
essence of HBS. |
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| Q. |
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If we,
the parishioners, understood the meaning of the phrase, does
that mean we have grasped the core of HBS's teachings? We feel
we're reciting the phrase without a full understanding of its
meaning. |
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| A. |
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Undoubtedly, we recite by habitual
practice. Shakyamuni Buddha's aim was to provide the true teachings
for attainment of enlightenment to his disciples. But he also
intended to provide the teachings to the world of the Mappo
Period (The Period of the Last Dharma). |
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| Q. |
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Were the
teachings of the eight chapters of the Essential Section for
the people of the Mappo Period? |
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| A. |
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The Theoretical Section of the Lotus
Sutra consisted of the following 14 Chapters: |
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Chapter 1: |
Introduction |
| Chapter 2: |
Expedient Means |
| Chapter 3: |
Simile and Parable |
| Chapter 4: |
Belief and Understanding |
| Chapter 5: |
Medicinal Herbs |
| Chapter 6: |
Bestowal of Prophecy |
| Chapter 7: |
Parable of the Conjured City |
| Chapter 8: |
Receipt of Prophecy by Five Hundred
Disciples |
| Chapter 9: |
Prophecies Conferred on Learners
and Adepts |
| Chapter 10: |
Preachers of Dharma |
| Chapter 11: |
Apparition of the Jeweled Stupa |
| Chapter 12: |
Devadatta |
| Chapter 13: |
Fortitude |
| Chapter 14: |
Comfortable Conduct |
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The following 14 Chapters are the
Essential Section of the Lotus Sutra: |
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Chapter 15: |
Welling Up out of the Earth |
| Chapter 16: |
The Life-span of the Tathagata |
| Chapter 17: |
Discrimination of Merits |
| Chapter 18: |
The Merits of Appropriate Joy |
| Chapter 19: |
The Merits of the Dharma-Preacher |
| Chapter 20: |
The Bodhisattva Never Disparaging |
| Chapter 21: |
The Supernatural Powers of the Tathagata |
| Chapter 22: |
Entrustment |
| Chapter 23: |
The Former Affairs of the Bodhisattva
Medicine King |
| Chapter 24: |
The Bodhisattva Fine Sound |
| Chapter 25: |
The Universal Gateway of the Bodhisattva
of the World Sounds |
| Chapter 26: |
Dharma |
| Chapter 27: |
Former Affairs of King Wonderful
Adornment |
| Chapter 28: |
Encouragements of the Bodhisattva
Universal Worthy |
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Among the 28 Chapters, Chapters
15 to 22 are considered the most important teachings for us.
The reason HBS places emphasis and esteem on the eight chapters
is because they expound how the religion should be practiced
and upheld by the people born in the Mappo Period.
A brief summary of what was elucidated in those eight Essential
Section chapters is as follows:
Chapter 15 illustrated dramatically the burden placed on Jyogyo
Bodhisattva and other Bodhisattvas to circulate and spread its
teachings to the people of the Mappo Period.
Chapter 16 revealed Shakyamuni Buddha to be the Eternal Buddha,
and the Odaimoku he preached to contain the merits of enlightenment
of the Eternal Buddha.
Chapters, 17, 18 and 19 elucidated that practitioners should
place faith in the religion and abide by the methods of practices
to gain virtuous deeds and good fortunes.
Chapter 20 elucidated that Never Disparaging Bodhisattva (Fukyo
Bosatsu) should be a model for Lotus Sutra practitioners in
the Mappo Period.
Chapter 21 and 22 elucidated that the Eternal Buddha entrusted
Jyogyo Bodhisattva and other Boddhisattvas to circulate the
Odaimoku and spread its teachings to the minds of the people
of the Mappo Period.
The aforementioned are a synopsis of the circumstances and developments
of the eight essential chapters. |
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| Q. |
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By the
way, some Nichiren related sects consider the teachings of the
Theoretical Section and the Essential Sections of the Lotus
Sutra on an equal basis, and, some consider Chapter 16 the only
important chapter. Is that correct? |
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| A. |
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Yes. After the death of Great Master
Nichiren, some priests began to equally emphasize the importance
of the Theoretical and Essential Sections of the Lotus Sutra. |
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| Q. |
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Why? |
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| A. |
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Great Master Nichren's doctrine
is basically based on Great Master Tendai's ideas. And because
the priests of Nichiren related sects were required to have
some knowledge of Great Master Tendai's doctrines, they visited
Tendai Shu's Temple and studied his teachings. Through this
influence, some priests considered the Theoretical and Essential
Sections equally important. |
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| Q. |
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I see.
After gaining some background knowledge of Great Master Tendai's
teachings, there were priests who began to advocate the Theoretical
(Provisonal) and Primordial (Essential) Sections are equal to
each other. Is that correct? |
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| A. |
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Yes. Since the Tendai Shu Sect was
extremely influential, the priests may have just wanted to flatter
themselves. In any case, Great Master Nichiren stated:
"The difference of the Essential Section compared to
the Theoretical Section is like water from fire and heaven from
earth"
There is a great difference between the Theoretical Section
and the Essential Section. To advocate that those two sections
are equal is a hindrance to the Essential Section.
Nissen Shonin stated:
"Tendai Shu spreads its teachings based on the Theoretical
Section. On the other hand, Great Master Nichiren emphasized
the Essential Section".
The Tendai Shu Sects teachings are based on the Theoretical
Section of the Lotus Sutra. Why, because the teachings of the
Theoretical Section were spread to the people in the Zobo Period.
During that period, only that section was necessary. There are
some related sects of Nichiren Shu that only expound the teachings
of the latter half of Chapter 15, the entire Chapter 16, and
on the first half of Chapter 17. |
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| Q. |
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What do
Soka Gakkai and Nichiren Shoshu Sect emphasize? |
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| A. |
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They stress Chapter 16 especialy.
It is true that Chapter 16 contains the Eternal Buddha's practices
to gain religious merits and to attain the state of enlightenment
in the remote past. There is no doubt that Chapter 16 is important
within the 28 chapters of the Lotus Sutra, but to advocate Chapter
16 only is a teaching for the people of the remote past. |
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| Q. |
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Is Chapter
16 not always a beneficial teaching for the people of the Mappo
Period? |
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| A. |
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That is correct. Chapter 16 elucidated
the Eternal Buddha's law of the ÅgThree Thousand Realms
Contained in One Thought (Ichinen Sanzen)". (Ichinen means
a life for one instant or a life of exceedingly short period
of time, and Sanzen means all phenomena in this world are included
in both our thought for one instant and even in a minute grain
of sand). Thus, if it were not included among the eight essential
chapters, it would not be a beneficial teaching for the Mappo
Period. |
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| Q. |
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It is getting
very complicated |
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| A. |
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Mm. Let me give you and example.
Chapter 16 is similar to an excellent ingredient for hourishing
food. However, common people of the Mappo Period are unable
to grasp even a small portion of enlightenment on their own.
In other words, we are infants from the standpoint of religion
unable to take nourishment by ourselves. Therefore, the Buddha,
like an excellent cook, prepared the food that even a child
could digest, and entrusted it to Jyogyo Bodhisattva to deliver
it to the children of the Mappo Period. |
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| Q. |
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That is
the process of the eight chapters' teachings? |
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| A. |
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Yes. To draw a line between the
relationship of Chapter 16 and the eight chapters, Nichiryu
Shonin logically and accurately deployed the true intention
of the Buddha. Let's examine Nissen Shonin's Instructive Poem.
"Chapter 16 is the teaching for the people of The Buddha
Shakyamuni's Period
To harvest the seeds of enlightenment.
The Mappo Period is the period to sow seed
Of the Odaimoku for the genuine cause of Buddhahood". |
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| Q. |
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The theory
of Chapter 16 was a teaching that enlightened the people of
the Shakymuni Buddha's period to harvest the seed of enlightenment.
On the other hand, the Odaimoku is the seed of enlightenment
to be sowed in the Mappo Period for the people to receive its
merits. Did the teachings of Chapters 15 through 22 explicitly
emphasized the planting of the seed of the Odaimoku in the Mappo
Period? |
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| A. |
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A Gokyoka that elucidated the three
stages of planting Buddhahood seeds are as follows:
"The Essential Section's eight chapters are teachings
for the people of the Mappo Period to sow the seeds of Buddhahood.
The latter half of Chapter 16 and th first half of Chapter 17
were teachings of harvesting the seed of enlightenment during
Shakymuni Buddha's lifetime. And, for the benefit of the common
people in the Mappo Period, the Eternal Buddha wrapped the Law
of ÅgIchinen Sanzen" and the merits of enlightenment
into the Odaimoku and entrusted it to Jyogyo Bodhisattva to
spread it among the people of the Mappo Period".
Due to Buddha's entrustment of the Odaimoku and the true teachings
of the Dharma to Jyogyo Bodhisattva, we, the juvenile people
in the Mappo Period, are able to attain the merits of the Odaimoku
by just chanting it. |
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| Q. |
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I now understand
the meaning of the Odaimoku. Was Great Master Nichiren who appeared
in this world to spread the teachings of the Lotus Sutra among
us, the reincarnation of Jyogyo Bodhisattva? |
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| A. |
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The Buddha did not even entrust
the sacred (seven syllables, NamumyoÅ]horengekyo), the
quintessence of the primordial teachings part of the Lotus Sutra
to such great Bodhisattvas as Majjussri or Bhaisajyaraja, not
to mention the lesser Bodhisattvas until after he had summoned
Bodhisattvas of a thousand worlds welling up out the earth and
revealed to them the primordial eight chapters of the Lotus
Sutra.
So, Nichiren Shonin stated
"Such a sublime Sacred Object, Namumyohorengekyo, was
never revealed by Buddha Shakymuni during the forty plus years
of his life as a preacher, and even during the eight years that,
his techings only the primordial eight chapters." (Kanjin
Honzon Sho) |
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