Point One, concerning “encouraging devotion”
The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings says: The word “encouraging” refers to the converting of others. The word “devotion” refers to one’s own practice. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo embraces both the converting of others and one’s own religious practice.
110Now Nichiren and his followers are encouraging others to adopt Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and to make it their own practice.
Point Two, on the words “never begrudging our bodies or lives” in the passage “But although it will be difficult to teach and convert them, we will summon up the power of great patience and will read and recite this sutra, embrace, preach, and copy it, offering it many kinds of alms and never begrudging our bodies or lives.”
The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings says: The word “bodies” refers to the element of form or the body; the word “lives” refers to the element of the mind. One should never be begrudging of one’s body or life either in principle or in fact.
When a votary of the Lotus Sutra is deprived of his lands and fields, this is a case of not begrudging body or life in principle. When he is actually deprived of his life, this is a case of not begrudging body or life in fact.
Now when Nichiren and his followers chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, they are being unbegrudging of their bodies and lives both in principle and in fact.
Point Three, on the passage “Because in this sahā world the people are given to corruption and evil, beset by overbearing arrogance, shallow in blessings, irascible, muddled, fawning, and devious, and their hearts are not sincere.”
The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings says: Regarding the phrase “their hearts are not sincere,” to take the Lotus Sutra, which says, “Among those sutras / the Lotus is the foremost” (chapter ten, The Teacher of the Law), and put it in third place; to regard the sutra as the lowest when it says, “Among all the sutras, it holds the highest place” (chapter twenty-three, Medicine King); to say that the principle of three thousand realms in a single moment of life embodied in the Lotus Sutra is found in the Flower Garland and Mahāvairochana sutras; to take the doctrine of attaining Buddhahood in one’s present form and read it into the 111Mahāvairochana Sutra—these are all examples of the heart not being sincere.
Now Nichiren and his followers, who chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, do so with hearts that are sincere.
Point Four, on the passage “At that time the bodhisattvas, respectfully complying with the Buddha’s will and at the same time wishing to fulfill their own original vows, proceeded in the presence of the Buddha to roar the lion’s roar and to make a vow.”
The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings says: To comply with the Lotus Sutra is what is meant by “respectfully complying with the Buddha’s will.” By the Buddha’s will is meant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
Now when Nichiren and his followers chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, it means that they are “respectfully complying with the Buddha’s will.”
Point Five, on the words “to roar the lion’s roar” (sa shishi ku)
The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings says: The lion’s roar (shishi ku) is the preaching of the Buddha. The preaching of the Law means the preaching of the Lotus Sutra, or the preaching of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo in particular.
The first shi of the word shishi, or “lion” [which means “teacher”], is the Wonderful Law that is passed on by the teacher. The second shi [which means “child”] is the Wonderful Law as it is received by the disciples. The “roar” is the sound of the teacher and the disciples chanting in unison.
The verb sa, “to make” or “to roar,” should here be understood to mean to initiate or to put forth. It refers to the initiating of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo in the Latter Day of the Law.
Point Six, on the passage “World-Honored One, after the Thus Come One has entered extinction we will travel here 112and there, back and forth through the worlds in the ten directions so as to enable living beings to copy this sutra, to receive, embrace, read, and recite it, understand and preach its principles, practice it in accordance with the Law, and properly keep it in their thoughts.”
The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings says: Those who “practice it in accordance with the Law” are the Great Teachers T’ien-t’ai, Miao-lo, Dengyō, and their like. Now when Nichiren and his followers chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, they “practice it in accordance with the Law.”
Point Seven, on the words “There will be many ignorant people / who will curse and speak ill of us.”
The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings says: This refers to those great oafs who do not understand even one word of the teachings. It is perfectly clear that they “curse and speak ill of us.”
The word “many” here refers to such oafs in the country of Japan.
Point Eight, on the passage “In that evil age there will be monks / with perverse wisdom and hearts that are fawning and crooked / who will suppose they have attained what they have not attained, / being proud and boastful in heart.”
The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings says: The “evil age” referred to in this passage on monks of an evil age is the Latter Day of the Law. The monks are persons like Kōbō and others who slander the Law. They cast aside the correct wisdom embodied in the Lotus Sutra and instead base themselves on the “perverse wisdom” of the provisional teachings.
Now Nichiren and his followers, who chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, represent correct wisdom in its highest form.
Point Nine, on the passage “Or there will be forest-dwelling monks / wearing clothing of patched rags and living in retirement, / who will claim they are practicing the true 113way, / despising and looking down on all humankind. / Greedy for profit and support, / they will preach the Law to white-robed laymen / and will be respected and revered by the world / as though they were arhats who possess the six transcendental powers. / These men with evil in their hearts, / constantly thinking of worldly affairs, / will borrow the name of forest-dwelling monks / and take delight in proclaiming our faults, / saying things like this: / ‘These monks are greedy / for profit and support / and therefore they preach non-Buddhist doctrines / and fabricate their own scriptures / to delude the people of the world.’”
The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings says: This refers to the third of the three powerful enemies who persecute the votaries of the Lotus Sutra, men like Ryōkan. Such persons are regarded “as though they were arhats who possess the six transcendental powers.”
Point Ten, on the words “[These monks] fabricate their own scriptures / to delude the people of the world.”
The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings says: This passage of the sutra shows how such arrogant monks slander the votaries of the Lotus Sutra, accusing them of fabricating the sutra and reading it to others.
Point Eleven, on the passage “Though they treat us with contempt, saying, / ‘You are all no doubt Buddhas!’ / all such words of arrogance and contempt / we will endure and accept.”
The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings says: This passage of the sutra illustrates how such monks will treat the votaries of the Lotus Sutra with contempt, calling them “living Buddhas.” Through their contemptuous attitude they commit slander. Now Nichiren and his followers, who chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, are spoken of in this manner.
114Point Twelve, on the passage “Evil demons will take possession of others / and through them curse, revile and heap shame on us.”
The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings says: The “evil demons” are persons such as Hōnen and Kōbō. “Take possession of others” means that they will exercise their influence over the ruler, the high ministers, and the people of the country. It is referring to the hatred that such persons bear toward Nichiren and his followers, who chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo now.
A demon is one who snatches away the life of others or who snatches away blessings. The Lotus Sutra is the life source of the Buddhas of the three existences of past, present, and future. This sutra is a sacred writing that contains within it the blessings of all the bodhisattvas.
Point Thirteen, on the passage “We care nothing for our bodies or lives / but are anxious only for the unsurpassed way.”
The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings says: The “unsurpassed way” is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Now Nichiren and his followers are even more anxious with regard to Nam-myoho-renge-kyo than they are with regard to their own lives. That is why at the conclusion of this chapter we find the words “The Buddha must know what is in our hearts.” That is, Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, must know and understand what is in the hearts of the votaries of the Lotus Sutra.
The “Buddha” referred to in the conclusion of the chapter is Shakyamuni, and “our hearts” refers to the hearts of Nichiren and his followers, who now chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.