A House on Fire

by Stephen L. Klick | 20,465 words

From Stephen L. Klick: "There is no safety in the threefold world; it is like a burning house, replete with a multitude of sufferings, truly to be feared…"...

Chapter 4 - Understanding The Lotus Sutra

(A BIONA Commentary on "The Three Fold Lotus Sutra is freely available on the Internet or from the BIONA library: it is entitled "Inside The Lotus Sutra.")

What is different about the teachings found in "The Three Fold Lotus Sutra"? The Buddha preached for forty years before he ever taught a single line of "The Sutra of Innumerable Meanings." When Shakyamuni began to preach this "Three fold Lotus Sutra" he made the statement: "In forty years and more, the truth has not been revealed yet."

At that point everything changed. The Buddha"s students thought they understood his teachings but the teacher was now making it clear that what they had been learning was merely preparatory. In that paragraph the Buddha also explains "I knew that the natures and desires of all beings were not equal and accordingly I preached the Law to them using various methods." (Chapter 2 "The Sutra of Innumerable Meanings")

The Buddha continued this teaching that brought to maturity his ideas and realizations by preaching the central text entitled "The Lotus Sutra." In chapter two of this "Lotus Sutra" the Buddha tells his students that his teaching techniques were very practical and that he used many different methods to reach all the different kinds of people in the world. However, he revealed that there were not three vehicles that lead to Nirvana; there was really only one.

The use of "vehicle" in this sense indicates a method of practice that will "carry you" to various levels of spiritual development. Some students were unusually attached to early teachings; they made huge strides in their spiritual growth and so they were not interested in the Buddhas later teachings. These students felt that later teachings often did not apply to them because they believed that it was impossible for them to ever become fully enlightened beings.

Numerous examples can be found in the sutras where Shakyamuni rebukes the disciples who continued to be improperly attached to the early teachings. The Buddha wanted his followers to continue to grow and develop; it was essential that all students determined in their minds that they would persevere in their practice until they realized enlightenment.

Some students had great difficulty understanding that Shakyamuni wanted them to aspire to Buddhahood. To arouse these long time followers, called "voice hearers," from their complacency the Buddha first told them that they could never attain enlightenment.

The effect this had on these disciples can be seen in "The Vimalakirti Sutra:" "If wise persons hear it, there will be none who do not set their minds on attaining anuttara samyak sambodhi. But what of us, who are forever cut off at the root, who with regard to these Great Vehicle teachings have already become like rotten seed? When voice hearers hear this doctrine of the emancipation beyond comprehension, they will surely all cry out in anguish in voices loud enough to shake the whole thousand million fold world." (Chapter 6)

From this it is clear that the voice hearer disciples were jolted from the complacent attitude that they had assumed but the message had still not been absorbed so Shakyamuni began to announce in public discourses that those who gave alms to the voice hearer disciples were making bad causes that would lead to serious misfortune.

Since monastic disciples needed to beg for their daily food these students were reduced to living off the leftover alms given to the Buddha. Although Shakyamuni"s actions must have seemed a cruel betrayal, this kind of "tough love" was the medicine these followers needed to arouse the aspiration for enlightenment.

Monastic disciples were divided into three different broad categories; the first of these classifications was called "voice hearers" or "Sravakas." This was a term applied to followers of the early teachings of Shakyamuni. (For more information see the listing for "voice hearer" in the section of the book entitled "Common Buddhist Terms.")

The next classification was called "Pratyekabuddhas," a group of students who had attained high states of realization through their own efforts, that is, without receiving teachings from others.

The final group was considered to be "Bodhisattvas," or students who practiced compassion and who worked to bring benefit to all sentient beings. Bodhisattvas were the only students that were considered to be capable of attaining enlightenment.

Chapter 2 of "The Lotus Sutra" makes it clear that the Buddha teaches only Bodhisattvas, it states that everyone is capable of attaining enlightenment, and points out to students that classifications are not ultimately real.

Shakyamuni describes reality in Chapter 2 of "The Sutra of Innumerable Meanings:" any student who wishes to attain enlightenment "should observe that all laws were originally, will be, and are in themselves void in nature and form." All things are "non dualistic," and "just emptiness."

"The ignorant people of this world discriminate falsely," they create artificial categories that are not real and this causes them to "entertain evil thoughts," "make various evil karmas," and accordingly, "they suffer all manner of miseries."

Chapter 2 teaches us that all people have the capability to become Buddhas. All students of the Dharma are bodhisattvas and all people have a Buddha nature with the potential to attain the state of enlightenment because Ichinen Sanzen (see the ten worlds) accurately describes the true nature of all living beings.

Nichiren wrote: "The "Expedient Means" chapter (chapter 2 of "The Lotus Sutra")…expounds the doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life, making it clear that persons of the two vehicles can achieve Buddhahood." (The opening Of The Eyes" Part 1)

As soon as a new student commits himself to following the path taught by an enlightened teacher he is, in fact, a Bodhisattva or "Buddha in training". The Buddha makes clear to all who will hear: "I employ only the single vehicle way to teach and convert the Bodhisattva, I have no voice hearer disciples."

Chapter 3 assures the student that this sutra is the highest teaching of the Buddha: "This vehicle is subtle, wonderful, foremost in purity; throughout all worlds it stands unsurpassed." Also "…Though one should seek diligently in the ten directions he will find no other vehicles except when the Buddha preaches them as an expedient means."

The Buddha tells Shariputra " my purpose is not to teach people to attain the "nothingness" of Nirvana, I am here to "bring peace and safety" to all sentient beings and this is why I appear in the world."

Chapter 3 contains the first prediction of Buddhahood for a voice hearer disciple. Shariputra realizes: "Today at last I understand that truly I am the Buddha"s son, born from the Buddha"s mouth, born through conversion to the Law, gaining my share of the Buddha"s Law!" Shakyamuni responds by informing Shariputra that he will become the Buddha "Flower Glow" in the far distant future. Before the central text of "The Three fold Lotus Sutra" was complete all of Shakyamuni"s followers received a similar prediction of future enlightenment.

This chapter also rather neatly incorporates the Four Noble Truths into the text by telling us that "the cause of all suffering" "has its root in greed and desire." "If greed and desire are wiped out, it will have no place to dwell."

Chapter 7 continues this theme by giving the student a refresher course on the Four Noble Truths: "Here is suffering, here is the origin of suffering, here is the annihilation of suffering, here is the path to the annihilation of suffering." The text continues with the classic listing of the twelve link chain of causation (for more information see the listing for "Twelve link chain of causation.")

Chapter 7 also teaches that Nirvana is the state of mind where a being lives in this world system but does not suffer because they see things "just the way they are." The early teaching on Nirvana is described as a "phantom city," where students can rest along the path that leads to Anuttara Samyak Sambodhi.

Students that are still on the early part of the path want to attain the state of Nirvana and permanently stay there to be free from suffering but this does nothing to aid others and is not the intention of the Buddha who stated: "At all times I think to myself: How can I cause living beings to gain entry to the unsurpassed way and quickly acquire the body of a Buddha?" (Chapter 16)

Chapter 12 demonstrates that even people who commit the five cardinal sins can attain enlightenment. Chapter 13 predicts enlightenment for specific female followers; until this sutra was preached every student was certain that women could never become Buddhas without being re born male.

These two chapters are expressing the truth as the Buddha himself realized it. He saw that all of the categories we foolishly depend on are not in any way real. All beings have value because all beings possess Buddha nature, and this includes non human life.

The two most important teachings found in "The Lotus Sutra" are both contained in chapter 16. Nichiren wrote: "The doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life is found in only one place, hidden in the depths of the "Life Span" chapter of the essential teaching of the Lotus Sutra." (The Opening Of The Eyes" Part 1)

While chapter 2 illustrates that all people can attain enlightenment because everybody possesses the ten worlds, the principle of Ichinen Sanzen can only be found in chapter 16. Until the Buddha preached this chapter the ten worlds were thought of as separate places. The doctrine of Ichinen Sanzen is the first major truth revealed in chapter 16. The second important revelation is that Shakyamuni did not attain enlightenment for the first time as a prince in India.

Chapter 16 opens with the Buddha telling his followers that all beings believe that Shakyamuni attained enlightenment for the first time as he sat under the tree of practice after "leaving the palace of the Shakyas." However, it has really been billions of years since he first attained Buddhahood.

All of the provisional sutras taught before "The Lotus Sutra" make the claim that Prince Siddhartha became Shakyamuni Buddha after a period of meditational practice under the pipal or "Bodhi" tree. As an example "The Vimalakirti Sutra" has the distinction of being one of the most studied and practiced of all the Buddhas teachings. It is second only to "The Lotus Sutra" in popularity. In Chapter 1 it states: "Beneath the Bodhi tree, you used your might to overpower the devil; gaining the sweet dew of nirvana, you won your way to enlightenment."

Until Chapter 16 was preached it was a commonly held belief that Shakyamuni had been become a Buddha for the first time in ancient India, however when millions of beautiful Bodhisattvas that nobody has ever seen before appear in Chapter 15, Shakyamuni"s followers are stunned to hear him explain that they are his followers from the distant past.

These "Bodhisattvas of the earth" are, in fact, Shakyamuni"s original disciples and it is to these people that the Buddha entrusts the mission of propagating the teachings of "The Lotus Sutra" in the evil latter day of the law.

Why do such dramatic changes occur in the Buddhas teachings? New students are told that the Buddha taught provisionally, according to the capacity of the disciple being instructed and this is certainly true. To answer this question in a more complete fashion, however, a closer examination of "The Opening of the Eyes" (Part One) is required.

In this text Nichiren quotes a Mahayana sutra that tells the reader that these early, pre Lotus sutras did not contain Shakyamuni"s own teachings. Our Teacher clearly states: "although these were doctrines preached by the Buddha himself, they were not his own." Chapter 2 of "The Lotus Sutra" states: "When I had thought in this manner, the Buddhas of the ten directions all appeared and with Brahma sounds comforted me and instructed me."

Nichiren continues by reminding us that the Buddha "repeatedly declared" in numerous earlier sutras "I never preached a single word." From these facts it becomes clear that Shakyamuni"s teachings and realizations were only revealed in the last four sutras he expounded. ("The Threefold Lotus Sutra" and "The Nirvana Sutra") The Sutras Shakyamuni preached prior to this were traditional teachings that been offered by previous Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.

If the Buddha had not taught these various preparatory sutras, he would have been just like every other spiritual teacher. There have been many people in the recorded history of our planet that taught diverse levels of spiritual truth but all of them except Shakyamuni provided one single method of entry to this wisdom. If the student failed to grasp the teaching from this singular approach he gained nothing.

The Buddhas compassion was far too great to consider leaving any person outside the circle of his compassion. This included even those beings that actively worked to hinder his mission, which was to open the door of Buddha wisdom for all people and lead them to enlightenment.

However, as Nichiren points out in "The Opening Of The Eyes:" (Part Two) "The Buddha may be very anxious to convert all people, but if the connection between them is not strong enough, then he cannot go through the eight phases of a Buddha"s existence."

The problem various Buddhist students face today is that they have no karmic connection to the universal Buddha; their connection is only to the teachings of others. This is why their schools teach devotion to Amida or even Vairocana. "The Lotus Sutra" teaches that these Buddhas are simply emanations of the universal Buddha, Shakyamuni. This means that these Buddhas received instruction from Shakyamuni at some time in the distant past.

To focus on Amida or Vairocana is like viewing the moon by observing its reflection on the surface of a pond; let the observant student learn to lift his eyes into the nighttime sky and actually see the face of the eternal Buddha!

Nichiren writes: "… the Buddha of the Juryo chapter (Chapter 16) is revealed as the eternal Buddha…" ("The Opening of The Eyes" Part 2). In the Gosho entitled "The Essentials for Attaining Buddhahood" Nichiren states: "In the beginning one followed this Buddha or Bodhisattva and formed a bond with him, and so it will be through this Buddha or Bodhisattva that one will attain one"s goal. Above all, be sure to follow your original teacher so that you are able to attain Buddhahood. Shakyamuni Buddha is the original teacher for all people, and moreover, he is endowed with the virtues of sovereign and parent."

It is impossible for any person to attain Anuttara Samyak Sambodhi without demonstrating filial respect and expressing gratitude to the Teacher who caused the door of Buddha wisdom to open.

It is an unfortunate fact that many people in the latter day of the law will only make this necessary connection in a negative way, forming the kind of poison drum relationship with the teachings that were mentioned in chapter 2. However, the suffering that they endure will end but the karmic connection to the Law revealed in "The Lotus Sutra" will still remain and become the cause for them to begin the process that leads to enlightenment.

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