May 29, 2006
Kaimoku -- Opening One's Eyes Part Two
The SGI Translation of the Kaimoku Sho from "The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin" begins with:
"There are three categories of people that all men and women should respect. They are the sovereign, the teacher, and the parent ..." This principle is evidently from Confucianism, which formed the basis of Nichiren's ethical mores. The same paragraph continues, ... "There are three types of doctrines that are to be studied. They are Confucianism, Brahmanism, and Buddhism."
Confucianism has sort of a "shame based" morality, in that it is rooted in a series of social obligations or debts of gratitude owed to others. Failure to meet these obligations are "sins of omission" that result in public humiliation, shame, or "loss of face." The most paramount of these obligations are owed to one's sovereign, teacher, and parents. By contrast, western ethics are more rooted in a "guilt based" morality. Rather than social conduct being compelled by duty, anti-social conduct is restrained by prohibitions. Those guilty of commiting prohibited acts, or "Sins of Commission," incur debts that must be repaid.
Buddhsm, of course, comes from Brahminism, which is an Indo-Euoropean or western religion, albeit influenced by eastern thought. Classical Hinduism does have a vaguely similar concept of Social Duties. There are three general debts owed by men. These are; learning a skill, owed to one's teachers; fathering a male heir, owed to the family clan, and performance of sacrifices, owed to the Benevolent Deities. There was a built in loophole though. A man could be relieved of these mundane chores by renouncing secular life and becoming a religious mendicant. Of course, that meant giving up the rewards inherent in meeting the three social obligations, those being wealth {artha}, lusty pleasures {kama}, and karmic merit {dharma}. BTW, the people were happy to offer alms to mendicants; by doing so, they earned karmic merit and hope of happy hereafter. Meanwhile, the reward of the mendicant was spiritual liberation {moksha}.
At any rate, Buddhist Ethics maybe created a moral dilemma of sorts for Confucian Buddhists like Nichiren. It appears that Nichiren may have resolved this by making sovereignty, teacher-hood, and parent-hood the attributes of Shakyamuni Buddha. Therefore, one could fulfill one's obligations to one's Ruler, teachers, and parents, by serving the Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha. This Celestial Shakyamuni Buddha can be thought of as the personal aspect, or personification of, the Impersonal Eternal Dharma.
In 1270, Nichiren had written, "Shakyamuni, the World-Honored One, who is our father and mother and is endowed with the three virtues of sovereign, teacher, and parent ... ." In 1272, "Thus Shakyamuni Buddha alone fulfills the three functions of sovereign, teacher, and parent."
Again, Nichiren was evidently saying that one could fulfill one's obligations to one's Ruler, teachers, and parents, by serving, revering, or worshiping Shakyamuni Buddha. And the Shakyamuni Buddha one serves, reveres or worships as sovereign, teacher, parent is the Buddha of the Juryo Chapter, who can be thought of as the personal aspect, or personification of, the Eternal Dharma.
There were two main ways that the Buddha of the Juryo Chapter was imaged:
1. The Shaka Raigo or Celestial Shakyamuni Buddha, the historical Shakyamuni Buddha ascended, or suspended in the sky. [After Nichiren, flanked by the 4 attendants.]
2. The Two Buddhas, Shaka & Taho Nyorai, seated in the Celestial Stupa or Treasure Tower. [After Nichiren, flanked by the 4 attendants; sometimes with the Daimoku Stupa in the center.]
Note that veneration of the Celestial Shakyamuni of the Lotus Sutra was not Nichiren's invention. It predates him by at least 800 years. It is appears that devotion to Shakyamuni suffered in competition with Amida and other Celestial Buddhas. However, there was a back to Shakyamuni movement in Kamakura Era Japan that had started before Nichiren was born. I plan to cover that a bit more that in "Kaimoku -- Opening One's Eyes Part Six."
There is nothing in the Kaimoku Sho that "shows Nichiren Daishonin to be the original Buddha. " I plan to cover that in "Kaimoku -- Opening One's Eyes Part Three." I think some will be surprised.
to be continued ...
Posted by rbeck at May 29, 2006 09:59 PM