May 07, 2007
How Infinite is Eternity?
Let me see if I can paraphrase one of Nichikan's arguments that show Nichiren to be the True Buddha:
In the lifespan chapter of the Lotus Sutra, we find that Shakyamuni did not actually attain Enlightenment for the first time in India. The time period of his Enlightenment is the Remote Past of Gohyaku Jintengo. This was a long time ago, but it is still a finite time period. Therefore, Shakyamuni's Enlightenment is not Eternal. His Buddhism is obviously only a provisional teaching. There can be no doubt about this. 
In the "Mystic Principle of the True Cause," Nichiren Daishonin elucidates that Shakyamuni's teacher in the Remote Past was actually an older Buddha, the Original Buddha of Kuon Ganjo. This is the Buddha of Musa Sanjin; or the Buddha who is naturally or intrinsically endowed with the Three Bodies. In the Kaimoku Sho, Nichiren Daishonin clearly reveals that this Buddha from the really infinite past is none other than the Daishonin Himself. He appears in the Latter Day to reveal True Buddhism exactly as predicted by Shakyamuni.
As some of you know, Soka Gakkai has finally pretty much admitted that the "Mystic Principle of the True Cause" or Hon'in Myo Sho is a rather lame forgery -- more on that later. As far as I know, that Gosho was the only source for the term koun ganjo. So it seems like we could move past this old discussion of remote versus remoter, even more remote, and remotest past.
Nichiren Shonin apparently referred to the Shakyamuni who awoke in the Remote Past as the Buddha of Musa Sanjin. It seems to me this is obviously no particular person, since all three bodies are uncreated and eternally existent. However, in recorded history, Shakyamuni was still the temporal identity of the Buddha of Musa Sanjin. At any rate, gohyaku-jintengo, understood this way already covers eternity, or time without beginning or end.
IIRC, the other Nichiren Schools also take gohyaku-jintengo or 'Remote Past' to already be a symbol for deathlessness, eternity, or time without beginning. There is no need for Kuon Ganjo, a term which does not appear at all in the Lotus Sutra or Nichiren's authentic writing.
It will be difficult, but I hope Soka Gakkai scholars can put this line of reasoning -- "The inconceivably long period of Shakyamuni's original enlightenment as described in the Lotus Sutra is known as gohyaku-jintengo -- but this is still a finite time." to bed. We need to forget about it, and move on.
Alas, I was informed that Kuon Ganjo has a corresponding term in Tiantai; Kuon Jitsujo. I am told this indicates the most remote past possible. Argh! While attempting to research this I came across four more terms for the remote past, for seven in all.
These incude gohyaku jintengo, kuon jitsujo, kuon ganjo, sanzen jintengo, hai karate jingle bells, hai on ganja, and kawasaki nintendo. I still take all these as symbols for eternity. However, I am a bit spacey on this, my eye lids are puffy, and now have the munchies. This multiple terms for remote past thing is something I would like to see explained by sources other than SGI & Taisekiji. Can anyone help with some sources? 
Nah.. perfecto.
In a ditty I wrote on Greg's blog, I wrote about the practice thing.. Nichiren never instructed anyone how many times to chant, or to say it in the morning in the evening, there is not instructions for everyone, some are told to say it once, some a million times, some are told just to stop saying Nembutsu, once he was delirious that a wood-maker just stopped making statues of Amida, so the whole thing of what the practice is and isn't is all Karl Rove'd and skewed, but you knew that. The whole do this and that, making this holy, palms together and hairy, taking pictures of the moon, having meetings and parades, culture meetings it's all non-sequitors. The various sects make problems, to solve the problems, so the members can rally around the problems to build a tighter group. But you knew that. Really, there are no problems. Take away the sects, and we have less stress, but that would be too easy..
OH.. keep the satire..
Maltz
Robin,
How can couscous life be eternal? Lets examine the nature of existence: Is existence axiomatic? Existence seems to simply exist, eternally without prior cause, no other alternative seems possible. Existence cannot NOT exist. Therefore, we seem to now make sense of what Nichiren says that we need pay attention to Cause and Effect theories or the chain of causation or the other pre-Lotus Texts (I am putting this in Nichiren reference and non-religious words for you).
Didn't Nichiren sit down as a priest and try to figure out what was wrong with Buddhism, and them begin to sense everyone was doing something wrong, and at that time there were no other Nichiren Sects, there were no DaiGohonzon no Graham Lamonts or Ikeda's just simply Nichiren and all the other people who thought they were doing things the right way, and here came this one man, with a chip on his shoulder, a know it all, who not only said all your Mandala's were wrong, all your invocations were wrong, all your Buddha's were not really Buddha, but were the cause of calamity. Who was this guy? Everyone hated him? Everyone was in their cozy sect, they all thought they knew more than he did, they all had been studying, and did their research, they all had their members and meetings, yet he had a special insight.
As part of existence, the evolution of life is also eternal with countless conscious societies, existing thought the universe with endless higher level of knowledge, with millions and billions of years more advanced than ours, we cannot even imagine the specific knowledge or activities of say a thousand years, much less a billion years of more advanced societies, so how can Robin or Bruce ever come to grips with Kuon Ganjo or Eternal Buddha?
Remember, Nichiren sat down to figure out Buddhism, and now everyone sits down to figure out Nichiren.. its upside down. I think Nichiren should have thrown away his robe, and religious practice because everyone thought it was an essential part of his message, and yet it was the part that could be tossed away.
Without cleaning the weeds from our thoughts, I just don't see rational benefits. Robin, every Nichiren school still enclosed in a religious bubble will bounce away, never examining what is happening, never discovering what outside the bubble, there is no religion.
Best, and I know you will think, Oh, that Maltz is so far behind us, we know so much more than he does, he just doesn't get it, but Robin, I broke my bubble and I try to help others break theirs. When you understand that, you understand there is no point of up or down, or place of understanding, or knowledge.
Senchu Murano told me to my face, and Michael McCormick had told people behind my back that I have done more for Nichiren Buddhism than anyone else in America, so Thank You Michael.. I like You Too.. I have broke lots of Bubbles and I don't care if people like my style, because I don't practice Christianity.
Best to you always,
Maltz