illarraza wrote: ↑Tue May 25, 2021 6:59 pm
There are two processes and two general types of people, according to Nichiren Daishonin: Those who received the seeds of Buddhahood in the past, those in the Higher Six Worlds; and those who never received the seeds, those in the Lower Four Worlds. For those who have already received the seeds, the Daimoku functions to water the seeds. For those who never received the seeds, hearing the Daimoku [Law] is the seed and practicing the Daimoku is the water. He states,
“But many who neither received the seeds of Buddhahood nor formed ties with the Buddha in past existences…” and further along,
“The sutra explains that all bodhisattvas, persons of the two vehicles, and human and heavenly beings received the seeds of Buddhahood numberless major world system dust particle kalpas ago.” Therefore, when he asserts,
“If people do not possess innate Buddha wisdom, how could the Buddha say he wanted to open it? One must understand that Buddha wisdom is inherent in all human beings.” [Even in those in the Four Lower Worlds who do not possess the Buddha seeds]. How do we reconcile these seemingly diverse teachings?
Buddha-nature is the FIELD of good fortune synonymous with Buddha wisdom in all beings but without the Buddha seeds and water of Myoho renge kyo, the field will lie fallow and Buddhahood will never open [manifest].
The higher six worlds - Human, Deva, Sravaka, Pratyekabuddha, Bodhisattva, Buddha. Four lower worlds - Hell, Preta, Animal, Asura.
All human beings inhabit the Human realm, and above. So, according to your explanation, practice for others would basically be reciting the daimoku to our pets, the birds and squirrels.
That doesn't hold up.
Nichiren clearly maintained that there are human beings who have never made a connection with a buddha. In the scheme of things, this does not hold up. If the Lotus is the definitive teaching, then Shakyamuni's clear assertion that he is constantly in the world appearing to living beings in various forms, as the dynamic awakening function, must be accepted. One cannot arbitrarily decide which words are authoritative and which are not.
Something is confused. I think Nichiren himself didn't have it all worked out from the start and fumbled around to work it out, and never got it right.
His most compelling works, what makes the most sense, were the 5 major writings. In those you get a more coherent picture of his mature teaching, if you gloss over the stuff that just doesn't make sense.
The whole - planting seeds for the first time part, Buddhism of sowing and Buddhism of harvest, though, just doesn't hold up. Internally it doesn't hold up, externally it doesn't hold up unless he is really saying, throw all of it out and just honor the title. In which case, why is he bothering with these copious explanations with citations to works that should just be disregarded? There is a point to those teachings of Nichiren, I suspect, but holding them too literally doesn't work. No teaching grasped as essential works. Its all upaya and has to be understood that way. Something for the context of the moment.
And here comes my main criticism of Nichiren and his movement - by framing Nichiren as a prophet, the vitality of the teaching was smothered. If he is an infallible authority, then there can no longer be any development or evolution - just endless attempts to make sense of the prophet's words. That's just rationalization and apologetics. If the Nichiren movement is going to regain vitality, its going to need to tap into the spirit of the
ideas, not just the founder's words. Nichiren is going to need to be understood as a work in progress. But that's not really a great approach to building a religious movement. Not lucrative. Not conducive to a flow of alms. I see why they deified him. Bruce Maltz pointed this out to me a long time ago, but I couldn't take it at the time.
Here is what I take from it - observe the mind. Everything else will fall into place. Most of it will just fall away. The greatest thing Nichiren did, IMHO, was plant a giant marker, this stupa of massive proportions, in the landscape of the popular imagination, directing people who are lost in the tumult of samsara, to the Ekayana. The genius of the teaching really is appropriate for Mappo - make this massive stupa that inspires awe and reverence in even people who have no capacity to understand it, to feel compelled to honor it, and preserve it, and pass it on to others. Implicit in the stupa builder's intention is the trust that there will be those who have the capacity to understand it, who will follow that marker through the storm of samsara, to the refuge of the teachings. Nichiren described the Daimoku as an amulet tied around people's necks. Its like a dog tag that you put on your pet so they don't get lost. The difference with a dog tag, though, is the trust that the being wearing the amulet will accumulate the merit to read the dog tag eventually. Until then, hold tight to that amulet.
The words of Brahma that encouraged the Buddha to teach, to plant the Dharma in the imaginations of human beings:
Lord, let the Blessed One teach the Dhamma! Let the One-Well-Gone teach the Dhamma! There are beings with little dust in their eyes who are falling away because they do not hear the Dhamma. There will be those who will understand the Dhamma.
Nichiren planted a giant stupa on the Dharma. And what is the Dharma? The teachings on observing the mind.
Good going NY.