.jpg "Drawing on a Bodhi Tree Leaf (18th century)") |
| Drawing on a Bodhi Tree Leaf (18th century) |
Bodhisattva literally means “enlightened being”. It is the ninth realm within the context of the ten realms of reality.* It is a state characterised by compassion but I have found that the goal of living compassionately can be a little frustrating. Compassion for compassion’s sake lacks focus, and for an introvert such as myself it does not come easy. I need a loftier goal, or a purpose around which compassion can orient itself. That goal is Buddhahood – the tenth and ultimate state.
Buddhahood is a state in which the true aspect of all phenomena, or the true nature of life, is realised. Reality is perceived, ultimate truth is understood.
“The Mahayana … emphasises the realisation of dharma, and de-emphasises nirvana [the cessation of suffering] … The Mahayana came to regard the essential Buddha not as a human being, but as the omnipresent truth (dharma) manifest in all things. To emphasise this distinction, Mahayana Buddhism refers to the dharmakaya or “truth-body” of the Buddha [Reat at 53] …”
Truth is Enlightenment and the Buddha is Truth
There is an ancient sutra which records the historical Buddha saying “whoever sees dharma sees me”. Mahayana Buddhism drew out this teaching, so that as dharma is equated with truth, so too is the Buddha. The Buddha is thus not merely a historical man but an eternal and omnipresent truth.
“… In early discussions of the true nature of the Buddha, especially regarding the person of the Buddha to whom one goes for refuge … the term dharmakaya seems to have been coined to refer to the corpus … of the auspicious qualities (dharma) of the Buddha, including his wisdom, his compassion, his various powers, etc; it also referred to the entire corpus (kaya) of the Buddha’s teachings (dharma). In the Mahayana, the term evolved into a kind of cosmic principle that was regarded as the true nature of the Buddha and the source from which his various other forms derived [Buswell & Lopez at 246] …”
“… the Theravada concept of the radical duality of ‘this world’ (samsara) and the ‘other world’ (nirvana). In Mahayana Buddhism, nirvana and samsara become two aspects of the same reality … If one looks at the universe and sees the truth, that is nirvana. If one fails to see the truth, it is samsara. The universe does not change merely because it is perceived differently in deluded and enlightened states. The universe remains eternally a manifestation of the dharmakaya, whether it is seen as samsara or nirvana … If one sees the dharmakaya everywhere and at all times, one knows that the Buddha remains present in samsara [Reat at 54] …”
To a certain extent, the Mahayana Buddha can be equated with the Christian concept of God, if God can be understood to be cosmic truth, and like God the Buddha possesses three parts (Trikaya) which are the three aspects of a single Buddha. They are the:
- Dharmakaya – the essence of fundamental truth to which the Buddha is enlightened, which is formless.
- Sambhogakaya – the body of joy, or heavenly body, which is manifested (though imperceptible to ordinary people).
- Nirmanakaya – the emanated body of a Buddha assumed for the purpose of helping others to attain Buddhahood themselves.
And, somewhat like the Christian aspiration for theosis (becoming at one with God), it is possible to become a Buddha. Nichiren wrote:
“… because of the difference between ordinary people and Buddhas that stems from the disparity between delusion and enlightenment, ordinary people are unaware that they are endowed with both the entity and the function of the three bodies [WND 1 at 384].”
Attaining Enlightenment … and Holding on to It
Nichiren Buddhism, relying on the Lotus Sutra, teaches that all beings can attain Buddhahood:
“… in every moment of life there exists the potential for ten conditions: hell, hunger, animality, anger [prideful demons], humanity, heaven, learning, realisation, Bodhisattva and Buddhahood … the Ten Worlds are … life-states inherent in each of us [Ikeda at 113].”
This is an insight born out of Tiantai Zhiyi’s doctrine of “three thousand reams in a single moment of life”.
“Nichiren understood the radical implications of ‘three thousand realms …’ for Buddhist practice. Those things that are commonly seen as mutually exclusive – cause and effect, subject [the person] and object [of contemplation], an enlightened buddha and a benighted sentient being, a pure buddha field and an impure human world – are in fact mutually inclusive, simultaneous, and present in each moment … [Lopez at 92]”
But if the potential for Buddhahood exists even in hell, then the potential for hell exists even in Buddhahood. How can we be sure of not sliding back down into the samsara realms which the Sakyamuni Buddha strove so hard to overcome? If anyone can experience Buddhahood only to lose it in another moment then Buddhahood becomes not so much as a goal but a descriptor for a transitory state. Why strive for Buddhahood if it will be lost again?
The thing thus sought is avaivartika, which means non-regression – a stage of Bodhisattva practice wherein further progress is assured, backsliding is no longer a possibility, and the mind will remain fixed on truth. This stage of the Bodhisattva path was referred to by Zhiyi in the 6th century CE (and the concept certainly predates him) and affirmed by Nichiren in the 13th century. When Nichiren was asked if it is possible “to avoid being drawn into trivial or serious acts of evil, to escape falling into the four evil paths [hell, ghosts, animals and demons], and instead eventually reach the stage of non-regression” – the answer was simply “yes, it is” (WND I at 141). Moreover, Nichiren asserted that he had attained it (WND I at 317).
How to Become Enlightened in an Age of Depravity
Nichiren quoted with favour the following statement made by Jikaku in the 9th century (Jiakaku was of the Tendai school – the Japanese form of Tiantai – from which Nichiren Buddhism evolved):
“… when we turn to the Lotus Sutra … it becomes clear that all beings in the Ten Worlds can attain the Buddha way … all living beings possess Buddha nature, and … if they heed the Law and observe the religious practices they will be able to attain Buddhahood [WND II at 177].”
What then are the practices?
“One of Nichiren’s innovations was to argue that sentient beings living in the final age of dharma [saddharmavipralopa, an age of degeneracy thought to have begun in the 11th century CE, with another 9000 years to go] were incapable of understanding ‘three thousand reams …’ and incapable of practising the ‘contemplation of mind’ [mindfulness meditation] … For Nichiren, a different method of contemplation was required. It was chanting the daimoku ... ‘homage to the Lotus Sutra’ …
... Sakyamuni ... had taught the dharma in our world, and he made his Buddha field in our world, in this saha [suffering] world … where he taught the Lotus Sutra and where he still abides. Nichiren taught that through upholding the Lotus Sutra and specifically by reciting its title, one can understand … that this saha world is a Buddha field …
... Nichiren [also] described the importance of the honzon (object of devotion), the calligraphic representation of the scene [when the Buddha preaches the Lotus Sutra] … because ‘three thousand realms …’ collapses the duality of mind and matter, a physical object, in this case Nichiren’s representation of the scene, is the manifestation of Sakyamuni’s eternal Buddhahood and thus is the object of the meditator’s contemplation. The daimoku is the meditator’s mind; the honzon is the object of contemplation [Lopez at 92-95].”
Thus the central practice, in our forlorn age, is to chant the daimoku in front of the honzon (also known as the gohonzon). Questions arise then – is there a particular attitude to adopt while chanting? And are there virtues that one should cultivate aside from chanting? On this Josei Toda (20th century Buddhist teacher) wrote:
“When you sit before the gohonzon and believe that there is no distinction among the gohonzon, Nichiren and you yourself, when you allow this great blessing to permeate your heart and offer thanksgiving, when you chant the daimoku fervently, you enter into harmony with the rhythm of the universe: the great life-force of the universe becomes your own life-force and gushes forth [cited in Lopez at 196].”
Nichiren wrote of the union with truth experienced when chanting the daimoku:
“If you wish … to attain without fail unsurpassed enlightenment in this lifetime, you must perceive the mystic truth that is originally inherent in all living beings … Chanting … will … enable you to grasp the mystic truth innate in all life.
The Lotus Sutra is the king of sutras, true and correct in both word and principle. Its words are the ultimate reality … unless one perceives the nature of one’s life, one’s practice will become an endless, painful austerity …
Whether you chant … recite the sutra, or merely offer flowers and incense, all your virtuous acts will implant benefits and roots of goodness in your life … the sufferings of birth and death are nirvana … if the minds of living beings are impure, their land is also impure, but if their minds are pure, so is their land. There are not two lands, pure or impure in themselves. The difference lies solely in the good or evil of our minds.
… The mind cannot be considered either to exist or not to exist. Life is indeed an elusive reality that transcends both the words and concepts of existence and nonexistence. It is neither existence nor nonexistence, yet exhibits the qualities of both. It is the mystic entity of the Middle Way that is the ultimate reality [WND I at 3-4] …”
On the object of contemplation, Nichiren wrote:
“… this Gohonzon shall be called the great mandala … A woman who makes offerings to such a Gohonzon invites happiness in this life, and in the next, the Gohonzon will be with her and protect her always. Like a lantern in the dark, like a strong guide and porter on a treacherous mountain path, the Gohonzon will guard and protect you …
Never seek this Gohonzon outside yourself. The Gohonzon exists only within the mortal flesh of us ordinary people who embrace the Lotus Sutra and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo [the daimoku]. The body is the palace of the ninth consciousness [Buddha consciousness] … Make every possible effort for the sake of your next life. What is most important is that, by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo alone, you can attain Buddhahood [WND I at 832] …”
Acting in Accordance with the Lotus Sutra
In terms of virtues to cultivate – these can be understood by looking to the vices which we should avoid. The most serious vices are known as the “Three Poisons” (trivisa), and they are greed (including unrestrained sensual desire), aversion (including malice and hatred) and delusion (including ignorance and falsehood). Arrogance is another serious impediment to enlightenment (WND I at 58 and 62), as is cowardice (WND I at 637 and 1001), and failure to exert effort (WND I at 319 and 1027). Other vices that are mentioned by Nichiren include “scowling”, “slandering”, “despising”, “envying” and “bearing grudges” (WND I at 756).
If we invert these vices the following virtues are implied:
- Self-restraint and a willingness to forgo luxury
- Benevolence towards others
- Truth-seeking and truthfulness
- Humility
- Courage
- Perseverance
However, Nichiren also wrote:
“It makes no difference if the practitioner himself is lacking in worth, defective in wisdom, impure in his person, and lacking in virtue … So long as he chants Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, they [the deities who have sworn to protect the Lotus Sutra] will invariably protect him … one does not refuse to gather lotuses because the pond in the valley where they grow is not clean [WND I at 345] …”
These words were prefaced by the caveat that “prayer that is based upon the Lotus Sutra is a prayer that is certain to be fulfilled” (WND I at 336). Thus, if prayers are made while chanting they should be consistent with the Lotus Sutra, for “there is a difference if one chants daimoku while acting against the intent of this [Lotus] Sutra” (WND I at 756).
The Light of Truth Beckons
To walk towards the light of truth is to walk the path of a Bodhisattva, to walk in the light of truth is to be a Buddha. Many things occlude the light, and not least among them are arrogance, negligence, shallow understanding, wrong views, and allowing oneself to become utterly bogged down in everyday mundanities and pleasures. I will leave off with a story that summarises the life-condition of the lesser realms of being with which I am so familiar:
“Deep in the Snow Mountains lives a bird called the cold-suffering bird that, tortured by the numbing cold, cries that it will build a nest in the morning. Yet when day breaks, it sleeps away the hours in the warm light of the morning sun without building its nest. So it continues to cry vainly throughout its life. The same is true of human beings. When they fall into hell and gasp in its flames, they long to be reborn as humans and vow to put everything else aside and serve the three treasures [trisarana, the Buddha, the dharma and the Buddhist community] in order to gain enlightenment in their next life. But even on the rare occasions when they happen to be reborn in human form, the winds of fame and profit blow violently, and the lamp of Buddhist practice is easily extinguished. Without a qualm they squander their wealth on meaningless trifles, but begrudge even the smallest contribution to the Buddha [WND I at 1027] …”
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* Dharmadhatu, the ten conditions of life, being:
- Hell / naraka – a state of misery and intense suffering,
- Ghosts / preta – a state dominated by insatiable hunger and desire,
- Animality / tiryak – a state driven by instinct and lack of self-control,
- Demonic / asura – a state of arrogance, excessive pride and animosity,
- Humanity / manusya – a state where self-restraint is possible,
- Heavenly / deva – a state of contentment and joy which is ultimately transitory,
- Voice-hearers / sravaka – a state of learning,
- Solitary buddhas / pratyekabuddha – a state of realisation of certain key truths,
- Bodhisattvas – a state of compassion, and
- Buddhahood.
Buswell & Lopez, The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, Princeton University Press, 2014
Encyclopedia Britannica (www.britannica.com)
Ikeda, Unlocking the Mysteries of Birth and Death, Middleway Press, 2003
Lopez, The Lotus Sutra: A Biography, Princeton University Press, 2016
Nichiren, The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Soka Gakkai, 1999 (WND I)
Nichiren, The Quotable Nichiren: Words for Daily Living, World Tribune Press, 2003
Reat, Buddhism: A History, Jain Publishing Company, 1994
Soka Gakkai, Nichiren Buddhism Library (www.nichirenlibrary.org) (WND II & Dictionary)
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