Kempon Hokke

It takes a wise man to learn from his mistakes, but an even wiser man to learn from others.

The non-dual is a much more profound teaching and strictly only refers to those with strong faith in the Lotus Sutra. However, the dual teachings are quite useful when comparing and contrasting beliefs.

Those who throw out Shakyamuni Buddha or who proclaim that the Lotus Sutra has lost it's power in Mappo, are hardly equal to Nichiren Daishonin, let alone Shakyamuni Buddha.

"Reality is both dual and non-dual and it is a mistake to emphasize either."

Sometimes, CH, when we come to an agreement, its best to just acknowledge it, smile, and go on. I understand you have a siege mentality when you come to post on Mark's blog, but not every criticism of your statements is an attack in support of Mark. If anything, to put into the terms you are now using, I was pointing out that you were pushing a dualistic view to the exclusion of a non-dualistic view.

Take care.

Reality is both dual and non-dual and it is a mistake to emphasize either.

"You've never had an experience where you walk by something everyday and never notice it until someone points it out to you?"

Normally, we do not so much look at things as overlook them....

"I guess it depends on whether you consider all activities to be activities of the buddha.
Personally I would't..."

No. I don't think that would figure into the consideration from the view I was talking about. I don't think its possible to talk about activity being that of the Buddha or not the activity of the Buddha. There is no activity in the Buddha; no birth, no death, no coming, no going, etc. I suppose we can talk about the activity of a Buddha because deluded beings see activity, and as far as I can tell, you and I are deluded. Deluded beings attribute activity to the Buddha but the nature of the Buddha is quiescent. I realize that sounds like Zen absurdism.

"and further I would say that delusion is just as much part of one's nature as enlightenment."

I agree with that statement, though I'm not sure we are placing the same emphasis or context on it.

"To me the emergence of the treasure tower is the awakening of the potential for wisdom and compassion if this were already always the case then there would be no need for awakening at all."

From the perspective of the person seeing the treasure tower for the first time, it is an awakening, but that doesn't mean it was not manifest before the person saw it. You've never had an experience where you walk by something everyday and never notice it until someone points it out to you? Does it mean that thing you never noticed was not manifest before? That it materialized upon your discovery of it?

To an extent, there are issues of subject-object, but part of the Lotus Sutra teachings as I understand it is the teachings of True Self, Bliss, Eternity and Purity. I won't belabor the argument except to argue that this ultimate reality that one is shown is why this is considered the enlightenment of the Buddha, as opposed to a teaching on the nature of the subjective experience of reality as described in other sutras.

I could be wrong, though.

Mark,

You're right, I will be crying, for a time then I will be laughing, for a time. Mostly, I will remain calm and certain that what you "write" on this blackboard of sorts, is purposely inflicting damage to the body of a buddha. By running your sharp fingernails down the blackboard, that slow-motion screetching sound drowns out the voice of the buddha, the spittle flying from your mouth as you spew hate speech burns the buddha's skin, the frantic glare from your eyes hurts the buddha's heart, and the lies you believe damage the mind of the buddha. Whether you stand in error, a hall monitor of Avici Hell, or even though the Buddha walks slowly away from you, you cannot catch up to him, running with stone in hand.

Despite all of this, the treasure tower still emerges with you in mind.

Mark:

When you point a finger three fingers point back at you and your curses return to the originator. Thanks to the grievous errors of Ikeda and his lieutenants, literally hundreds of thousands of American men, women, and youth discarded and continue to discard their faith in Namu Myoho renge kyo. These are the men you should be criticizing were you really Bodhisattva.

Foolish Clown Writes:

Nothing turns you on but pretending to have superior understanding while you actually have none. Having no understanding of buddhahood of course you can't recognize it.

Mark:

That is the greatness of the Kempon Hokke, there is no doubt about the attainments of Nichiren Daishonin and Shakyamuni Buddha. You wouldn't be focused on what I say, what Cl says, what Ikeda says, you would be focused on your Buddhahood and your relationship to the greatest teachers in the history of mankind.

Do not mistake understanding for realization, and do not mistake realization for liberation.

I guess it depends on whether you consider all activities to be activities of the buddha. Personally I would't, and further I would say that delusion is just as much part of one's nature as enlightenment. To me the emergence of the treasure tower is the awakening of the potential for wisdom and compassion if this were already always the case then there would be no need for awakening at all.

"To explain that our lives can manifest the latent Buddha nature as a concrete reality is the ceremony depicted in 'The Emergence of the Treasure Tower' chapter."

I think there is a mistake in this teaching you are citing to.

Its not that Buddhanature "can manifest" - it is manifested, and has been since forever. I believe that is the point of the parable of the prodigal son and the jewel in the sleeve. Its the point of the treasure tower emergence as well. The treasure tower was there the whole time, just people could not see it. The Buddha enabled it to be seen. The Buddha simply points out what was true the whole time, and then its a matter of the practitioner living according to that wisdom.

Toda taught this teaching where you chant to the Gohonzon and you get a benefit, cars houses etc., and most profoundly, uncovering of this Buddha nature. How can you uncover something that has always been functioning.

It was never covered to begin with. Only the eyes were covered and so one was unable to see.

Its a subtle difference, but has broad implications about what practice is or ought to be.

"Despite all of this, the treasure tower still emerges with you in mind."

Regarding the Treasure Tower, the second Soka Gakkai president, Josei Toda, says: "Within our lives exists the magnificent state of life beyond our comprehension called Buddhahood. This state of life or its power defies our imagination; nor can our words express it. However, we can concretely manifest this state in our lives. To explain that our lives can manifest the latent Buddha nature as a concrete reality is the ceremony depicted in 'The Emergence of the Treasure Tower' chapter."

In other words, the appearance of the Treasure Tower is a metaphor for the magnificent Buddha nature in our lives. In the Lotus Sutra, the opening of the closed doors of the Treasure Tower represents the transition from a theoretical explanation of Buddhahood as a potential state to the actual manifestation of the Buddha nature in each person.

Mark,

You're right, I will be crying, for a time then I will be laughing, for a time. Mostly, I will remain calm and certain that what you "write" on this blackboard of sorts, is purposely inflicting damage to the body of a buddha. By running your sharp fingernails down the blackboard, that slow-motion screetching sound drowns out the voice of the buddha, the spittle flying from your mouth as you spew hate speech burns the buddha's skin, the frantic glare from your eyes hurts the buddha's heart, and the lies you believe damage the mind of the buddha. Whether you stand in error, a hall monitor of Avici Hell, or even though the Buddha walks slowly away from you, you cannot catch up to him, running with stone in hand.

Despite all of this, the treasure tower still emerges with you in mind.

Nothing turns you on but pretending to have superior understanding while you actually have none. Having no understanding of buddhahood of course you can't recognize it.

Dear Bodhisattva Will Be Crying, sniffing Ikeda's bum is not my idea of Enlightenment but to each his own and yes, bonobos' ugly rumps don't turn me on.

Mark has more hang-ups than a telemarketer calling at dinner time.

The examples cited, alpha male pack behavior and free love among bonobos, is hardly the all encompassing compassionate behavior of the Buddha.

Your idea of the Buddhas behavior looks more like the darkest side of animality to me. What they wrote struck me more along the lines of animals experience the mutual possession of the ten worlds too, even if they "can't" conceptualize ichinen sanzen. By seeing the buddhahood in others they are manifesting buddhahood where as your idea of buddhist behavior is what is commonly called fault finding and properly part of the world of animality at best. As a fundamentalist it is hard for you to understand this because you think that learning to quote words authoritatively is superior to being able to think and reason.