In "On the Four Stages of Faith and the Five Stages of Practice" Nichiren asks if one needs to cultivate or practice the three types of learning or threefold training: precepts, meditation, and wisdom.
This is a simplification of the eightfold path:
right view and right intention = wisdom
right speech, right action, right livelihood = precepts
right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentratin = meditation.
So to ask if one needs to cultivate the three types of learning or threefold training is really to ask if one needs to follow the eightfold path in order to attain enlightenment.
First Nichiren directs attention to chapter 17 of the Lotus Sutra where, according to T'ien-t'ai interpretations of the Lotus Sutra, are to be found the following categories: the four stages of faith and the five stages of practice.
The four stages of faith describe the development of faith of those who lived in the lifetime of the Buddha and who heard the Lotus Sutra from him directly:
1. to believe in and understand the sutra even for a moment
2. to generally understand the import of the words of the sutra
3. to expound the teaching of the sutra widely for others
4. to realize with deep faith the truth expounded by the Buddha
The five stages of practice are for those who will hear the Lotus Sutra after the Buddha's passing:
1. to rejoice on hearing the Lotus Sutra
2. to read and recite the sutra
3. to expound the sutra to others
4. to embrace the sutra and practice the six perfections
5. to perfect one's practice of the six perfections
The six perfections are the qualities that bodhisattvas are said to cultivate over many lifetimes in order to become buddhas and they are:
1. Generosity
2. Precepts
3. Patience
4. Effort
5. Meditation
6. Wisdom
Wisdom is the most important because wisdom is the goal and the director of the others. Perfecting wisdom is itself enlightenment or buddhahood. It is the whole point of Buddhism, but also in Buddhism wisdom is never unaccompanied by the others. The first five perfections are the compassionate and active side of the wisdom that realizes selflessness.
So the 4th of the five stages of faith, and the 5th of the five stages of practice both have to do with perfecting wisdom and attaining buddhahood. "Realizing with deep faith the truth expounded by the Buddha" means to know what the Buddha knows, to be as wise as the Buddha; and "to perfect one's practice of the six perfections" likewise includes perfecting wisdom.
So these are the first categories that Nichiren is dealing with in "On the Four Stages of Faith and the Five Stages of Practice." But then he moves into a discussion of another T'ien-t'ai set of numbers, the six stages of practice also known as the six identities. These describe the practitioners growing identification with and realization of buddhahood. They are as follows:
1. stage of being a buddha in theory
2. stage of hearing the name and words of the truth
3. stage of perception and action
4. stage of resemblance to enlightenment
5. state of progressive awakening
6. stage of ultimate enlightenment
Nichiren wonders how the four stages of faith and five stages of practice in chapter 17 of the Lotus Sutra that describe the merit of those who take faith in the Lotus Sutra corresponds to the six stages of practice. He states that the T'ien-t'ai patriarchs had different opinions, but Nichiren opts for the version that equates the first stage of faith (in the four stages of faith) and first stage of practice (in the five stages of practice) with the second stage of the six identities - "hearing the name and words of the truth."
Now, obviously, we are living after the lifetime of the Buddha. So it is the five stages of practice from chapter 17 that really apply to us. And since the practice of the six perfections (which includes precepts and meditation) isn't mentioned until the 4th and 5th stages, he concludes that a beginner who is first rejoicing at hearing the sutra should not be concerned about them. And that faith should substitute for wisdom at this stage of practice, which also equates with the 2nd stage of identificaton of the Buddha - which is only "hearing the names and words of the truth" and not yet a stage of disciplined practice which begins at stage 3 with "perception and action" (which is about meditative introspection).
Nichiren then discusses how the practice of the six perfections is restricted to those at the lower 3 of the five stages of practice. I really don't think the word "restricted" is warranted here as the sutra does not say that one should not practice them. It does say that the merit accrued from a single moment of faith and rejoicing far surpasses the practice of the first 5 of the 6 perfections, with wisdom (buddhahood itself) being excepted. But chapter 17 does say that it would be even more wonderful if the practitioner also engaged in the six perfections. It is very clear about this. The T'ien-t'ai commentaries that Nichiren next cites, however, divide the passages of chapter 17 up into these categories whereby the practice of the six perfections only develops later. Therefore, beginners should not be concerned with them and should focus only on the single moment of rejoicing. Nichiren then discusses the great amount of merit involved in just that - focusing on the single moment of faith and rejoicing which is expressed through Odaimoku.
Nichiren does not say, however, that one should never progress beyond this initial stage. Nor does he seem to be saying that one should avoid the meritorious qualities of the six perfections and eightfold path, that would not make sense at all. Rather, he seems to be warning beginners not to get involved in perfectionism and the formalization of the eightfold path and six perfections. Instead, he seems to be advocating a first things first approach - and the first thing is to cultivate genuine faith - not blind belief, but trust and confidence in the Wonderful Dharma and our own ability to live in accord with it. All else will follow from that. When we are firmly rooted in faith, then we may progress to the next stages of the five stages of practice and consequently advance in the from stage 2 to stage 6 of the six stages of pracctice (aka six stages of identity). If Odaimoku is as efficacious as Nichiren claims in the rest of "On the Four Stages of Faith and Five Stages of Practice" then wouldn't it be strange if we did not mature and develop in our practice?
And yet, I would add this - I think that the Odaimoku as our primary practice can itself carry us all the way through. One may or may not adopt a program of self-conscious cultivation of particular meritorious qualities, but I think that if our practice of Odaimoku matures than those qualities will become manifest in our lives. We will find ourselves becoming generous, self-disciplined, patient, full of energy, centered and at peace, and wise. If not, then our practice is not bearing any fruit.
But what Nichiren is presenting us with is a form of Buddhism that has just one essential point - expressing our faith in the process through Odaimoku. Other than that - there are no formalities that must be observed other than this. On the other hand, each person may find the need to grow in different ways as their Odaimoku practice leads them. Some may feel a need to be more self-disciplined. Some may need to make an effort to be generous and more concerned with others. Some will want to take up various regimes of mental and bodily training and cultivation like jogging, martial arts, yoga, meditation, and so on. This is not to show a lack of faith in Odaimoku, but rather is an expression of the way each of us grows, develops, and challenges ourselves. It can all take place in the context of the primary point of faith in Namu Myoho Renge Kyo.
So what I see in "On the Four Stages of Faith and the Five Stages of Practice" is not a limited and reductionist approach to Buddhism, but rather an open-ended one. It points out the importance of establishing faith as the initial and primary point - but from there each person will grow into the full meaning of that as appropriate to them. Each person will express the spirit of Odaimoku in accord with their own talents, proclivities, and challenges and that is as it should be, instead of a one size fits all restrictive formal practice.
Now I want to address the issue of Sudden Enlightenment and Gradual Practice. Throughout "On the Four Stages of Faith and the Five Stages of Practice" Nichiren speaks of his disciples as like a baby drinking milk and benefiting even without understanding or they are like an infant emperor or a newly born dragon. The idea is that all the faculties are there - they just need to mature and develop. So it seems like Nichiren is saying that hearing the Lotus Sutra and accepting it is to realize and accept that we are essentially buddhas. But Nichiren does not seem to be saying that we are mature or fully grown buddhas. This is in accord with what is written in the 3rd chapter of the Sutra of Innumerable Meanings which is the opening part of the Threefold Lotus Sutra. For the sake of comparison and consideration I would like to share a passage about Sudden Enlightenment and Gradual Practice from Chinul (1158-1210) a near contemporary of Nichiren who was a Buddhist teacher in Korea. This is from his "Secrets of Cultivation the Mind" as translated by Thomas Cleary in the the anthology "Minding Mind: A Course in Basic Meditation":
Question: You say that the two categories of sudden enlightenment and gradual practice are guidelines followed by all sages. If enlightenment is sudden enlightenment, what is the need for gradual practice? If practce is gradual practice, why speak of sudden enlightenment? Please explain the meanings of sudden and gradual further, to eliminate remaining doubts.
Answer: As for sudden enlightenment, as long as ordinary people are deluded, they think their bodies are material conglomerates and their minds are random thoughts. They do not know that inherent essence is the true body of reality. They do not know that their own open awareness is the real Buddha. Seeking Buddha outside of mind, they run randomly from one impulse to another.
If a real teacher points out a way of entry for you, and for a single instant you turn your attention around, you see your own original essence. This essence originally has no afflictions; uncontaminated wisdom is inherently complete in it. Then you are no different from the Buddhas; thus it is called sudden enlightenment.
As for gradual practice, having suddenly realized fundamental essence, no different from Buddha, beginningless mental habits are hard to get rid of all at once. Therefore one cultivates practice based on enlightenment, gradually cultivating the attainment to perfection, nurturing the embryo of sagehood to maturity. Eventually, after a long time, one becomes a sage; therefore it is called gradual practice. It is like an infant, which has all the normal faculties at birth, but as yet undeveloped; only with the passage of years does it become an adult.
(pp. 32-33, Minding Mind: A Course in Basic Meditation translated by Thomas Cleary)
I would venture to say that for us Nichiren Buddhists, Nichiren is the sage who points out the way of entry, and the Odaimoku/Gohonzon is the way whereby we turn our attention around (from seeking happiness outside ourselves to discovering who and what we truly are) and see the essence - which is kanjin (observing the mind). Then we realize the "real Buddha" (as Chinul says) which is our own open awareness, at one with the true suchness or Myoho nature of reality. Based on this we gradually elevate our life condition and grow into the full use of our faculties - all the merits and qualities embodied in Namu Myoho Renge Kyo.
Namu Myoho Renge Kyo,
Ryuei
Ryuei,
I enjoyed reading this. I’m sure I will be reflecting on the themes of this article as I continue my own Buddhist studies. I have a question for you. Is there any Buddhist practice in any school, sect, or lineage that you feel would be inappropriate for a Nichiren Buddhist?
VW
Hi Valerie,
That is a good question. Personally, I think we must get beyond the sectarianism of Japanese Buddhism. On the other hand, Nichiren Buddhism is a focused practice and I think that is its strength. So I think Nichiren Buddhists should maintain a one-pointed practice centred on the Odaimoku, the direct practice of the heart of the Lotus Sutra.
Nichiren himself definately did not chant Nembutsu or other mantras that came from other sutras, nor did he recite passages from other sutras. The practice that we have inherited (and this seems borne out by what he has written) is all derived from the Lotus Sutra, except for some of the prayers and dedications that are common to all forms of East Asian Buddhism (like the Four Great Bodhisattva Vows or the Verses for Opening the Sutra and suchlike).
Now "on your own time" if you are visiting with other Buddhists, you are going to have to decide for yourself whether reading aloud or reciting passages from other sutras, or using other mantras is slander. Perhaps the best thing to do would be to maintain a noble silence. Others may feel that the present circumstances warrant a more inclusive shoju approach.
When it comes to Nichiren Buddhist practice - I think that the Gohonzon must remain front and center (and by this I mean one of any of the five different ways of depicting it) and shugojin should be in some way connectable to the Ceremony in the Air and they should be off to the side or in side shrines, and not in front of the Gohonzon.
I think that the Odaimoku is the mantra that we should stay focused on, and if other things are chanted it should be passages from the Lotus Sutra (including the dharanis) and they should be supportive and not pushing the Odaimoku off as an afterthought. In other words, some people mistakenly get the impression that reciting the sutra is the main thing, but that is not the case. It is the Odaimoku that is the jewel, the other passages are just the setting. Also, while there are other sutras or mantras or dharanis that I can appreciate in other settings, they should not be made part of our daily practice of Nichiren Buddhism.
Now the Kaidan of the Essential Teaching was originally meant by Nichiren to be an officially established precept platform where all people in Japan could take up the Diamond Chalice Precept of upholding Namu Myoho Renge Kyo. Now it is considered to be "the place of enlightenment" which is anywhere we do in fact uphold the Odaimoku and its spirit. By implication this Diamond Chalice Precept (see the gosho "Teaching, Practice, and Proof") contains all the other precepts. In practice, it has come to mean "do whatever you want as long as you keep chanting Odaimoku." This has clearly led to antinomianism (meaning unscrupulousness in the name of transcending morality for some higher salvation beyond good and evil). I think at the very least we need to acknowledge that we are not above the law (of cause and effect) and that we need to reaffirm not so much a rigid and culturally bound code of conduct but rather the Buddha's teachings regarding wholesome and unwholesome activity - in particular the five major precepts and the ten courses of wholesome conduct. We need to affirm these as expressions or facets of the Diamond Chalice Precept of upholding Namu Myoho Renge Kyo.
Now let me address the Four Admonitions:
1. While I do not see a conflict with silent sitting in its various forms (esp. in connection with Shodaigyo) I do agree that Zen patriarchal lineages, irrationality, antinomian tendencies, elitism, otherworldliness, and anti-intellectualism are things that we can do without. The Zen Buddhists can do without some of these things too, and the better teachers like Dogen and others have said as much.
2. I do think Nembutsu is a practice that conflicts with Odaimoku. They are both devotional practices that really require one-pointed focus in my view. In any case they rest on very contrasting mythic visions of Buddha Dharma. Also, many strains of Pure Land Buddhism tends to antinomianism, anti-intellectuaism, irrationality, otherworldliness, and uncritical piety. We can do without this. So can Pure Land Buddhism, and some of their own adherents have also said as much. On the other hand, many of their insights about human nature and the way devotional practices can lead to insight are relelvant to us and worth considering.
3. Esotric Buddhism also has focuses of devotion that would distract us from the Lotus Sutra, but Nichiren incorporated a lot of esotericism into his approach to and practice of the Lotus Sutra. So like Nichiren we need to be discerning as to what aspects would submerge the Lotus Sutra and what aspects might be relevant. What we don't need is guru worship, antinomianism, anti-intellectualism, irrationality, and otherworldliness which are the tendencies of these types of Buddhism.
4. And then we have rigid adherence to outdated codes of conduct which are either impractical and/or lead to self-righteousness. On the other hand, we can't totally reject morals and ethics either as Sila or self-restraint is at the heart of Buddhist spiritual cultivation. In addition it is about being responsible and acknowledging the law of cause and effect, and showing compassion for ourselves and others. In many ways, the faults of the first three forms are tied in with their attempts to bypass ethics, discernment, and self-restraint which the precepts are all about.
Namu Myoho Renge Kyo,
Ryuei
Very interesting response. Thank you.
VW
What you have written accords with my experience and research. You nailed the 4 dictums. The critique of Zen, Jodo, and Ritsu is clear once we know WHO they were.
Shingon is more nuanced and think he means the misappropriation of Mikkyo rather than just the Koyasan School. In fact, I suspect he mainly meant the Ryobu Shinto practiced at the Hachiman Shrine Temple in Kamakura.
At any rate, I think it was as much or more political as doctrinal. So I also think reading Nichiren out of that context will lead to erronoeus conclusions. Rather than extrapolating Kamakura Era issues, one is apt to interpolate one's own preconceptions.
r
Posted by: robin at March 22, 2006 05:45 AMMaybe Sudden Enlightenment is realized through Insight. In terms of the Vijnana theory that I am discussing next door, it is "seeing" amala-vijnana.
As I see it, Gradual Enlightenment is cultivated through Samatha. I will refrain from defining Samatha. It seems to cover a wide variety of disciplines to understand and cultivate the mind. Put another way, to overcome the 5 hindrances.
As I understand it, the Buddha did not generally introduce Insight until disciples had mastered the Form-Absorptions, which is the most advanced stage of Samatha. And even before the Samatha training, they had to accept the Precepts.
It appears to me that Nichiren is by-passing the precepts and all the gradual samatha practices; and instead, starting off with a very refined and access-able or user friendly Insight Practice.
Maybe we need that flash of Insight right off so we can see that there is even a need to even bother with cultivating or polishing our minds & hearts.
I have yet to see that anyone has come up with a successful strategy on where we go from there.
I think that will have to evolve with people seeking knowledge and taking risks by putting it into practice.
There seems to be a lot of resistance to that. IMO, much of what Nichiren taught applied to his time and place. He did not reinvent the wheel, but found new applications.
I see no reason why we can not use Nichiren for inspiration and then move beyond the confines of issues that applied in Japan during the Kamakura Era.
robin
Posted by: robin at March 27, 2006 08:56 AM