On the Lifetime chapter of the Lotus Sutra

The Lifetime chapter of the Lotus Sutra is the second part of Gongyo, as defined by Nichiren Daishonin.

It describes the lifetime of the Buddha an should be studied closely by anyone practicing Buddhism.

In essence it says that the Buddha attained enlightenment in the immeasurable past and has since taught his or her teachings across the face of the world according to the circumstances (expedient means).  Sometimes the Buddha “pretends” he has died but the truth is that he is always alive and only dies in order to make people yearn for his appearance.

In the context of Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism and, in particular, the practice propagated by SGI, this has a profound effect.

In particular, there is the belief that only when one is chanting daimoku to Gohonzon is one is a state of Buddhahood (enlightenment) and that chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo activates our Buddhahood.

The truth is that the Buddha is immortal and that all our actions are manifestations of it.  This is what is at the core of the Lifetime chapter of the Lotus Sutra.

No action you can make can make you any more or less of a Buddha.  It’s a reality.  To believe otherwise is to be seriously misguided .. hence my strong opposition to SGI’s insistence that Buddhahood only manifests when chanting daimoku to gohonzon.

You enlightenment never dies.  All you need to do is to have faith in yourself.  It’s that simple

On the Expedient Means chapter of the Lotus Sutra

… or rather the very first part which Nichiren Diashonin encouraged his followers to study.

Two thoughts:

Firstly, the real key here is “Expedient Means”.  This indicates teachings which are used to facilitate understanding of the Mystic Law but which are not the Mystic Law per se.  Gohonzon, Daimoku and Gongyo are all expedient means: infact all teaching of any buddha are.  This is because the true Mystic Law can only (again, according to this chapter) be shared and understood between Buddhas, so everything else is a provisional teaching taught (again from this chapter) as appropriate.

The practise of Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism is not a Full-Stop in the journey of countless common mortals to buddhahood.  It is simply the expedient means Nichiren used as appropriate in Medieval Japan.

Secondly, it’s interesting to note an difference between the translation in the back of SGI-UK’s Liturgy and Burton Watson’s translation: the former translates several phases to “thus come one” and “buddha” while the latter translates them to “thus come ones” and “buddhas”.

It is my profound contention that Gohonzon does not picture a perfect life, rather it pictures every life.  Buddhahood is not some magical realm where all suffering will cease, it is the realm we all live in only common mortals are too deluded to realise it.

So when Shakyamuni describes how only buddhas can share the true phenomena of things and what these phenomena are and the peaceful atmosphere in which such conversations take place, are he is describing the everyday life of a countless number of people around the world: from football fans to high professors of Buddhism.

The idea that only SGI’s members (including, for emphasis, myself) are the leaders in the exposition of Nichiren’s teachings is a very dangerous one.  Bodhisattvas of the Earth are emerging all over the place, and many of them have never even heard of Buddhism, let alone Nichiren.  Buddhism is all about what happens in peoples’ lives and living with it, not holding out the promise of heaven if you chant a magic phrase.