Ōama See Nagoe, the lay nun of.
observers of the precepts Those who uphold the Buddhist precepts. The term also refers to those who emphasize only adherence to the precepts. In the Gosho the Daishonin often applies this term to those who make an outward show of upholding the precepts but have lost their true spirit. He uses it most often with regard to the priests of the Precepts and the Zen schools.
ocean-imprint meditation A kind of meditation expounded in the Flower Garland Sutra. In this meditation all phenomena of the three existences appear clearly in the mind, just as all things are reflected on the surface of the ocean when the water is calm.
Ōishi no Omaru (n.d.) Also called Ōishi no Yamamaru but most commonly known as Ayaishi no Omaro. A fifth-century Japanese criminal. He attacked people traveling on the highways and plundered merchant ships but was eventually killed by soldiers dispatched by the emperor.
Ōishi no Yamamaru See Ōishi no Omaru.
Omuro Another name for Ninna-ji, temple of the True Word school in Kyoto in Japan.
one-eyed turtle Also, blind turtle. A reference in the “King Wonderful Adornment” chapter of the Lotus Sutra, which says that encountering the Buddha and his teachings is as rare as a one-eyed turtle finding a floating sandalwood log with a hollow in it to hold him. The story behind this reference is found in the parable of the blind turtle, which appears in the Miscellaneous Āgama Sutra. A blind turtle, whose life span is immeasurable kalpas, lives at the bottom of the sea. Once every one hundred years, it rises to the surface. There is only one log floating in the sea with a suitable hollow in it. Since the turtle is blind and the log is tossed about by the wind and waves, the likelihood of the turtle reaching the log is extremely remote. It is even rarer, says Shakyamuni, to be born a human being; having succeeded in doing so, one should use the opportunity to master the four noble truths and attain deliverance.
one great reason Also, “one great matter.” The ultimate reason for a Buddha’s appearance in the world. In the “Expedient Means” chapter of the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni reveals that the Buddhas make their advent for “one great reason,” to enable all people to attain the same enlightenment as themselves. Specifically they appear in order to open the door of Buddha wisdom to all living beings, to show it, to cause them to awaken to it, and to induce them to enter into it.
On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land A treatise written in 1260 by Nichiren Daishonin and submitted to Hōjō Tokiyori, the retired regent but still the most powerful figure in the ruling clan. In this treatise he attributes the disasters ravaging the country to slander of the correct teaching and belief in false doctrines. He calls upon the government to stop patronizing false schools of Buddhism in order to put an end to the disasters facing Japan. He then predicts that more terrifying calamities—internal strife and foreign invasion—would occur without fail if the government continued its patronage of erroneous doctrines. And he urges that the correct teaching, which is the basis for establishing a peaceful land, be embraced without delay. The submission of this document incurred the wrath of government leaders and other influential believers of the Pure Land doctrine, opening the way for a lifetime of persecution. Its Japanese title is Risshō ankoku ron.
one vehicle The teaching that enables all people to attain Buddhahood. The Lotus Sutra teaches that the three vehicles, or the teachings for voice-hearers, cause-awakened ones, and bodhisattvas, are not ends in themselves as was previously taught, but means to lead people to the one vehicle, which encompasses and elevates the three vehicle teachings. The one vehicle is also referred to as the single vehicle, the Buddha vehicle, the one Buddha vehicle, the one vehicle of Buddhahood, the one supreme vehicle, or the supreme vehicle of Buddhahood.
Onjō-ji Also, Mii-dera. The head temple of the Temple school (Jpn Jimon), one of the two divisions of the Tendai school. In 993, as a result of friction between the followers of Jikaku and those of Chishō, the latter left Mount Hiei and moved to Onjō-ji, where they declared their independence from Enryaku-ji on Mount Hiei.
opening the near and revealing the distant Refuting the provisional teaching that Shakyamuni attained Buddhahood for the first time in India and revealing that he originally gained enlightenment numberless major world system dust particle kalpas ago. This is disclosed only in the essential teaching of the Lotus Sutra.
opening the provisional and revealing the true Abandoning the expedient or provisional teachings and revealing the true teaching of the Lotus Sutra.
Ōta Jirō Hyōe Details unknown. One theory identifies him as Ōta Chikamasa (d. 1279), a follower of the Daishonin, who lived in Kajima in Fuji District of Suruga Province. Chikamasa abandoned his faith and attacked the Daishonin’s other followers during the Atsuhara Persecution and, at that time, was thrown from his horse and killed.
Ōta Jōmyō (1222–1283) Also known as Ōta Kingo or the lay priest Ōta. A lay follower of Nichiren Daishonin. He was converted to the Daishonin’s teachings by Toki Jōnin. Together with Toki Jōnin and Soya Kyōshin, he was a pillar among the believers of Shimōsa Province.
Otokoyama, Mount A mountain to the south of Kyoto, where Iwashimizu Hachiman Shrine is located.
Outstanding Principles of the Lotus Sutra, The A work by Dengyō, which explains why the Tendai school that is based on the Lotus Sutra is superior to the other schools. It was written to refute the arguments of Tokuitsu, a priest of the Dharma Characteristics school, who asserted that some people are by nature eternally incapable of attaining Buddhahood, and that the three vehicle teachings are true while the one vehicle teaching is provisional. In the work, Dengyō sets forth ten superior characteristics of the Lotus Sutra to show its supremacy over all the other teachings.
oxhead sandalwood A particular kind of sandalwood found in the Malaya mountain range of southern India. Reddish in color and possessing medicinal properties, it is said to have the finest fragrance of all sandalwood. Its name is derived from the oxhead-like shape of the mountaintop on which it grows.
Ōyama (n.d.) A prince in Japan in the fourth century. He was the eldest son of Emperor Ōjin. Displeased with the fact that his younger brother was made crown prince, when the emperor died, he plotted to murder his brother and seize the throne. The plot was discovered, however, and Ōyama himself was killed.