Bruce Maltz, the 11th World

Bruce:

Best blog you've written so far. If you want to realize Buddhahood or enlightenment as such, the misnomer known as "religion" is the King Devil obstacle that will thwart your awakening.

Charles

You lose me when you say,"if you are chanting nam you are an idiot" You have said chanting is not necessary. You have said remembering that you were at the ceremony in the air is what it is all about. You and I have gone back and forth about whether any practice at all is necessary. You have said you don't have to follow Nichiren. You have said that you don't have to be buddhist. All these things seem strange to one who is attached to the form of their religion but as I have thought about them they seem an enlightened attitude. Now you say that if I chant "nam" I am an idiot. Could you explain how that works? Nothing else is important but the pronunciation of this word?

My point is that in Japan when Nichiren introduced his method of connecting people to the Lotus Sutra, his vice was the formula "Nam Mu Myoho Renge Kyo" he told people to chant that instead of Namu Amida or other things.

It was his way of spreading the Lotus Sutra in Japan, connecting the Bodhisattvas. He didn't hand out Gohonzons freely or at all or appoint leaders, or have Conventions, there was no Gongyo, or Nichiren Temples, there was no Gosho, or Nichiren Sects. There was no Nichiren Religion.

It was built into a Christian-Nichiren Religion where you have worship, prayer, magic, trinkets, funny hats, drums, but all in all, the real medicine was:

The Original Buddha at the Ceremony in the Air, taught the Bohdisattvas of the Earth, and transfered his merits to them.

That is what convinced Nichiren of this mission. Now, that practice he set up for Japan, for his day and time has spread here in America, but some people chant Nam Myoho... and I call them idiots.

Nichiren wrote and chanted Nam Mu Myoho Renge Kyo. chanting is not a practice outlined in the Lotus Sutra for developing any kind of earthly trait. BUT, if someone wants to do it, like singing a song, or meditation on the Lotus Sutra, I don't have a problem. Nichiren knew of the other practices others were doing, and other ways people were chanting at that time.

No, this is not a practice. I just said, it doesn't bother me. But to accept the ridiculous reasons that the SGI, Shu and Shoshu give for altering what Nichiren did is idiotic. Have some integrity folks, and strength of character.

There is no such thing as a Buddhist, or Religion, you are right, but to remember the Ceremony in the Air, to have the knowledge of Buddha and a Buddha.
It was the mission to bring everyone to that. That is where TienTai and Nichiren read Ichinen Sanzen, the lifespan of the Buddha chapter.

Maltz

That brings up another point for me. I see Nichiren as taking the teachings of Ten-Dai and streamlining them and making them more accessable for people who were not monks. I don't really see him as having changed anything or doing anything revolutionary. It seems to me that there is only an apparent difference due to the politics of what was going on at the time. In an ultimate sense do you see a difference between Ten-Dai and Nichiren?

I wanted to get back to Nam Mu for a minute and make sure you understand that it is purely linguistic that I refer to, and keeping things pure, and not succumbing to the change and the wild crazy reasons of the fake priests and unqualified so-called lay leaders that didn't know Toda asked the priests at Taisekiji to change Nam Mu to Nam so they could chant faster. Ultimately it doesn't matter, but if you fall for the damage control, you are an idiot.

OK, the big difference is the interpretations of Ichinen Sanzen. TenTai was teaching to people who were not the Bodhisattva from the Earth, we arrive at a later time. Bodhisattvas from the Earth were taught from the Original Buddha, and we don't have to learn from TienTai or Nichiren for that matter. TienTai offered great insight to the Lotus Sutra for the middle day of the law, but could not tell his friends that they had to remember they were Bodhisattva from the Earth.

Maltz

Clown - Nichiren vs. Tendai is a hugemangous topic. There's many theories relating Nichiren to Tendai, your theory is just a little part of what Stone calls "Tendai as Matrix" theory.

Nichiren refuted corrupt Tendai of his time, but he was also a Tendai monk. He did not stream line Tendai, he refuted it. He had to in the course of establishing his own teaching vis a vis Cannon formation.

Much of this can be found in Jacqueline Stone's book "Original Enlightenment and the Transformation of Medieval Japanese Buddhism". Some say Nichiren refuted anything related to Mikkyo, others say his Buddhism was grounded in esoteric Buddhism per his training, while then others believe that he criticized Mikkyo more and more as his career progressed.

It's a huge area of study.

Rev. Greg

Gregg is 100% correct, huge topic if you view it as everyone has always done. Jackie did an incredible job.

However now we have to look at a more simple reason and strip away the external elements, the religious overtones, the personalities of the two Human Men, what their roles were, their status in China or Japan. Jackie Stone believed Nichiren was the Buddha, and we had fights over this, until she came to her wits, but said she could not admit it, or the SGI would cut her off, she also admitted Nam Mu was correct, and all reasons for tampering with the formula were customs and she was told to change it by the SGI/NST. I knew her.

I want everyone to think in a new dimensional way. Shakyamuni when on earth had to teach people according to their ability to understand, TenTai had to teach people according to his and their ability to understand. Nichiren and Bodhisattvas of the Earth were at the Ceremony in the Air, were the Original Disciples of Shakyamuni, were at the Ceremony in the Air, received the merits from the Original Buddha, and now are here on Earth, according to the Lotus Sutra.

Its not important to figure out what Nichiren did or didn't do, because there is no excuse for you or anyone to use that as an excuse to fall for crap that any Human Now on earth is a better teacher than the Original Buddha.

Remembering who we are, where we were, and what we learned, I am telling you, and I promise you, if you thought Chanting made you feel good, learning who YOU are is going to give you the power of a Bodhisattva of the Earth, or the Lotus Sutra is false. Ikeda and all the fake Guru's are trying to steal that from you.

Maltz

Great blog and great commentary. I think it's time I re-read Stones book. Thanks everyone.

"Nichiren and Bodhisattvas of the Earth were at the Ceremony in the Air, were the Original Disciples of Shakyamuni, were at the Ceremony in the Air, received the merits from the Original Buddha, and now are here on Earth, according to the Lotus Sutra."

If I am to take this literally, how do I know if I'm a Bodhisattva of the Earth? And how does this square with us noty having to follow Nichiren or Shakyamuni. (Sorry to ask so many questions but I do think I'm helping clarify what you are saying.)

I think the whole situation is complicated by the lack of syntax in Kumaarajiiva's Chinese version. What comes first, what comes after, how does the past affect the future, and the future affect the past?

What goes forward, what goes backward, how does one become or contain or reverse the other? These are some of the questions that come up when we begin to look at the depiction of the worldly process in the Lotus Sutra and the question you asked.

I noticed immediately that this depiction of time is entirely reliant on the idea of cultivation of the Buddhist path and the attainment of Buddhahood, and we all considered this a function that needed a practice or a religion, and did not come to grips with the content of the Sutra and learned our idea was all wrong.

That’s why our problem here is really the question of how Buddhahood is depicted in the Lotus, or how we became disciples of the Original Buddha.
I don't know if we can now say a little more about this. Like the Buddha of the “Lifespan” chapter, repeatedly declaring his own birth and death, and like the many repetition of Buddhas in a series, all of whom share the same name, the same thing happens over and over, this is where we can perhaps put our finger on what worldly process really means, or how it is to be experienced, if we are interested in such a question. Given this vibration, what is time? How do we get this information?

Maltz

I of course don't really know but my thought is that all of this is a metaphor for a wholistic view in which we realize that we are not seperate selves but are in a way our senses can't percieve one with everything inside and outside of ourselves and the original buddha is that part of us wich realizes this. So this activity of waking up is going on all the time without beginning or end. I hope someone has a better explanation.

A passage from the “Teacher of the Law” chapter reads:

"Medicine King, you should understand that these persons voluntarily relinquish the reward due for their pure deeds and, in the time after I have passed into extinction, because they pity living beings, they are born in this evil world so they may broadly expound this sutra. If one of these good men or good women in the time after I have passed into extinction is able to secretly expound the Lotus Sutra to one person, even one phrase of it, then you should know that he or she is the envoy of the Tathagata. He has been dispatched by the Tathagata and carries out the Tathagata's work. And how much more so those who in the midst of the great assembly broadly expound the Sutra for others!" (watson)

If you tell people about the life-span of the Buddha, Ichinen-Sanzen, Bodhisattvas of the Earth, then you were at the Ceremony in the Air.

I admire that what you say is exactly what the sutra says, "If you tell people about the life-span of the Buddha, Ichinen-Sanzen, Bodhisattvas of the Earth, then you were at the Ceremony in the Air." is a very concise way of putting it. In one sense I would like you to say more in commentary, but I think you avoid disputes by not saying anything more.

hold up. sorry please claify .I'm confused.
Does this mean that everyone on earth right now and those maybe too unborn that all those people everyone is a bodhisattva of the earth an original diciple of the Buddha and we are just trying to wake everyone up to that including ourselves?
how do you remember the cermeony in the air?
how can we improve our understanding of the
Lotus Sutra, life span of the Buddha, Inchenen sanzen or bodhisattvas of the earth? If you cannot than you are not a bodhisattva of the earth? what if you never encountered it or understood it if you did in this life time? If you tell someone about those subjects and they are able to uphold them- then they wake up to their bodhisattva nature? Are we thinking of time as a linear construct?
I'm still struggling to digest the depth of all this - bear with me. Its so cool to ponder how deep this goes. Thanks Bruce. I appreciate your views. Just wanted you to know that.

St. Clair

How Many Bohdisattvas of the Earth?

“..the Saha-world burst open on every side, and from within the clefts arose many hundred thousand myriads of kotis of Bodhisattvas with gold-coloured bodies and the thirty-two characteristic signs of a great man, who had been staying in the element of ether underneath this great earth, close to this Saha-world. These then on hearing the word of the Lord came up from below the earth. Each of these Bodhisattvas had a train of thousands of Bodhisattvas similar to the sands of sixty Ganges rivers; (each had) a troop, a great troop, as teacher of a troop. Of such Bodhisattvas Mahâsattvas having a troop, a great troop, as teachers of a troop, there were hundred thousands of myriads of kotis equal to the sands of sixty Ganges rivers, who emerged from the gaps of the earth in this Saha-world. Much more there were to be found of Bodhisattvas Mahâsattvas having a train of Bodhisattvas similar to the sands of fifty Ganges rivers; much more there were to be found of Bodhisattvas Mahâsattvas having a train of Bodhisattvas similar to the sands of forty Ganges rivers; Of 30, 20, 10, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Ganges river; of 1/2, 1/4, 1/6, 1/10, 1/20, 1/50, 1/100, 1/1000, 1/100,000, 1/10,000,000, 1/100 X 10,000,000, 1/1000 X 10,000,000, 1/100 X 1000 X 10,000,000, 1/100 X 1000 X 10,000 X 10,000,000 part of the river Ganges. Much more there were to be found of Bodhisattvas Mahâsattvas having a train of many hundred thousand myriads of kotis of Bodhisattvas; of one koli; of one hundred thousand; of one thousand; Of 500; Of 400; Of 300; Of 200; Of 100; Of 50; Of 40; Of 30; Of 20; Of 10; Of 5, 4, 3, 2. Much more there were to be found of Bodhisattvas Mahâsattvas having one follower. Much more there were to be found of Bodhisattvas Mahâsattvas standing isolated. They cannot be numbered, counted, calculated, compared, known by occult science, the Bodhisattvas Mahâsattvas who emerged from the gaps of the earth to appear in this Saha-world. And after they had successively emerged they went up to the Stûpa of precious substances which stood in the sky, where the Lord Prabhûtaratna, the extinct Tathâgata, was seated along with the Lord Sâkyamuni on the throne.”
Ric, I can’t find in the Sutra, or in any Sutra where is says everyone on earth, or in the Saha world was at the Ceremony in the Air, but Shakyamuni does say in the Lotus Sutra that he is Father of the Saha World, and Only he can save the people here. I have struggles with this long before I decided to start writing about it here. Through the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni talks about Bodhisattvas, but I only have paid attention to the words from the Eternal Buddha to make sure I could count on those to apply as true.
“With regard to the living beings in the six realms of existence of a thousand-million-fold world, they will understand how the minds of those living beings work, how they move, what idle theories they entertain.” (Chapter 19)

So, one thing at a time, how many Bodhisattvas are there? How many on earth? Are we recycled till we remember? I am not going to be a fake priest that says I know, I am only going to tell you the comfort of finally getting a handle on what the Sutra says.

We have to break from conventional thinking to grasp how misled we were,
Looking forward to your thoughts,
Bruce

Clown,

In the Nirvana Sutra, there is the warning that we should rely on the teaching, and not on people. So, I think, when people start to give their interpretations, switch to another channel. That is how we got Nichiren as Buddha, and all the other crap that has gone against what is actually in the Lotus Sutra.

Bruce

ahhh...
I did not want to post my real name so I decided to use a pen name I used to write under in my diary long ago- named after a family ancestor who died in the first WOrld War. his name was St. Clair. for the record I am not Ric. I'm a young woman with a curious mind. I beleive Mark made the same assumption. Just wanted to tell you and everyone else. Perhaps I will create a new posting name one a little more werid and glamourous. sorry to ramble like this.
more questions/commentary to come later.

yours,
St. Clair now= Magnolia Blakewood

I think, all sentient beings have Buddha Nature. By extension, according to Buddhist metaphysics, every subatomic particle has Buddha Nature.

As I understand it, according to the Lotus Sutra all inhabitants of the earth, as bodhisattvas of the earth themselves, have the Buddha Nature. Moreover, all sentient beings, including Muslims, Catholics, atheists, have Buddha Nature.

We must take into account our karmic relations with The Dharma to remember that nature in general, and also to remember our role as Jiju Bosatsu in particular. How do we to remember? I think the first thing is to make conscious of the fact we already have Buddha Nature, meditate on it, assuming that role in life, and, most importantly in practical terms, to minimize or stop the internal dialogue (Samatha), and focusing attention aware (Vipassana). The Lotus Sutra presents an appropriate scenario to focus attention, and that is the Ceremony In Space. Master Nichiren provides us some tools in the form of a mantra (the Daimoku) and a mandala, (the Gohonzon) as a means to train in deep concentration (Samadhi). For many not too spiritually strong people was necessary some Upaya (Skillful Way), like sutra readings, ceremonies, etc. That was not anything new. The same Sakyamuni, as Manushibuddha gives us the mantra of wisdom in the Diamond Sutra (Ta Thya Gathe Gathe Paragathe Parasamgathe Bodhi Svaha) according to time and capacity of his disciples.

In fact, from a metaphysical perspective, it is not possible any reality, no dharma, separated from Buddha Nature. It is not possible the coexistence of two parallel realities, Buddha Nature and Non-Buddha Nature. There is only Buddha Nature, asleep or awake, so the enlighting is called also awaken, and The Buddha, The Awake. There is nothing to achieve, nothing to gain, nothing to attain, the process is the reverse, is not to obtain, but to remove, to remove the fundamental ignorance. Why is this so? Because we live under the illusion of Samsara, whose true nature is phenomenic, that is, insubstancial, empty, but dependent of causes and conditions. And the Ultime Reality, Nirvana, also is insubstantial, empty, But is NOT dependent of causes and conditions. At least that's what I understand, but could be wrong. They appear now many questions, but I think it's not time now to discuss it.

But I ask again, why do we not remember? I think because we still believe in a Self who has to remember, because who really do remember is not this self, that is not eternal, which is composed, perishable, which changes from instant to instant (Kala, Nen). This self must stop, to cease, leaving his place to the conscience of all Buddhas, the Buddha in the Heart, our True Nature, Buddha Nature.

Thank you very much for your time.

Thanks for your thoughts.
First thing I wanted to extract from your words, was:"..all sentient beings, including Muslims, Catholics, atheists, have Buddha Nature."

Every person here on earth is a human (I hope). How we separate people is because they have accepted other teachers and become Muslims, Catholics, Jews, Hairy Krishna's, and within the Mahayana world, there are Purland, Shingon, SokaGakki, Kempon, Shu's, so many leaders that have competed to obscure the place of the Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni.

I remember hearing, "I thank SGI and Pres. Ikeda for introducing me to Buddhism." Wrong dummy, your teacher was the Original Buddha Shakyamuni, and yu were at the Ceremony in the Air, and you came here with a ton of others, no lets get off our ass and wake every one up.

Sorry to diverse a little, my point is that Religion is not real, and any stance a person takes on a belief, is an illusion, and cannot destroy their Buddha Nature.

Thanks again for your post,
Maltz