true land ［本国土妙］ ( honkokudo-myō): Also, the mystic principle of the true land. One of the ten mystic principles of the essential teaching (latter half) of the Lotus Sutra formulated by T’ien-t’ai (538–597) in The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra. It refers to the land where Shakyamuni has always been teaching the Law since the time of his original attainment of enlightenment in the inconceivably distant past. It is indicated in the passage of the “Life Span” (sixteenth) chapter of the Lotus Sutra that reads, “Ever since then I have been constantly in this sahā world, preaching the Law, teaching and converting.” In many of the pre-Lotus Sutra teachings, the Buddha land is viewed as a realm far apart from this sahā world, and Shakyamuni Buddha is said to have appeared in this world only temporarily to expound the Law and lead people to enlightenment. In contrast, the “Life Span” chapter makes it clear that this sahā world is itself the true land where the Buddha has always dwelt since his original enlightenment.