The High Sanctuary of the Essential Teachings
In a decree issued on February 16 of this year, High Priest Nikken Shonin states that, "Kosen-rufu, our great objective as followers of Nichiren Shoshu, lies in the actualization of the High Sanctuary." In this article,we will give a basic explanation of doctrines related to the High Sanctuary so that believers may deepen their understanding of this important goal.
The Three Types of Learning
The three types of learning --precepts, meditation, and wisdom --are basic fundamentals general to all Buddhism. The purpose of precepts may be described as "to stem evil and promote good."The purpose of meditation may be said to be "to dispel disorder in the mind so that it becomes as clear as a mirror." The purpose of wisdom may be viewed as "to judge between right and wrong regarding the various problems encountered in life." Why are the three types of learning so fundamental to Buddhism? High Priest Nikken Shonin gave a succinct, penetrating explanation of this in his sermon at the 1993 Omushibarai Ceremony:
"Broadly speaking, the reason Buddhism is complete as a religion for the spiritual salvation of people is because precepts, meditation, and wisdom are taught deeply and broadly in Buddhism to the furthest possible extent. The source of all kinds of human unhappiness may be summed up as lying in the instability, darkness, and immorality of the mind.... In other words, instability (when the mind is swayed by various things and influenced by various types of corruption) arises from a lack of mediation. The opaque darkness of the mind (the disordering of the ability to judge between right and wrong or between various values) arises from a lack of wisdom. And lastly, immorality (ignoring the value of right and wrong and doing bad things without compunction in order to fulfill one's desires) arises from a lack of the spirit to ward off evil, i.e., a lack of precepts. Within the vast teachings of the sutras, vinayas,1 and commentaries taught in Buddhism, the laws (dharmas) of precepts, meditation, and wisdom are separated from one another in order to correctly guide the human heart, and are taught in great detail This, what is known as the eighty thousand teachings, forms the vast, difficult system of Buddhism as a whole." (Dai-Nichiren, May, 1993, No. 567, pp. 31-32)
However, the three types of learning from provisional teachings of Buddhism cannot save people in the Latter Day of the Law (Mappo). For this reason, the Daishonin brought forth the Three Great Secret Laws as the three types of learning endowed with the Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo of kuon ganjo. In the "Orally Transmitted Teachings" He states:
Three Great Secret Laws of the Juryo chapter. (Zenshu, p. 760)
The Three Great Secret Laws
The Three Great Secret Laws expounded by Nichiren Daishonin are the only True Law (teachings) of Buddhism valid today, in the age of Mappo.
The Three Great Secret Laws are: (1) the Object of Worship of the Essential Teachings, (2) the High Sanctuary of the Essential Teachings, and (3) the Daimoku of the Essential Teachings.2 The Daishonin explains this dearly in the following passage from the Gosho:
Question: what are the secret laws never revealed by Nagarjuna, Vasubandhu, T'ien-t'ai or Dengyo during the 2,000 years after the passing of the Tathagata? 3 Reply: They are the five characters 4 of the Object of Worship, High Sanctuary, and Daimoku of the Essential Teachings. (Zenshu, p. 336)
These Three Great Secret Laws are the frame-work, core and fundamental essence of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism; for this reason they are also referred to as the three secret tenets. First, let's take a look at the meaning of the various parts of the term the "Three Great Secret Laws of the Essential Teachings." "Great" means that which is supreme and of the ultimate importance in Buddhism. A "secret law" means a teaching known only to the Buddha that has never before been revealed: the essential, pivotal teachings of Buddhism.
Next, "essential teachings" refers to the doctrines that reveal the true nature of the Buddha's enlightenment. When used in conjunction with the Three Great Secret Laws, "essential teachings" does not refer to the essential teaching of the Buddhism of Shakyamuni (the latter fourteen of the twenty-eight chapters of the Lotus Sutra); it indicates the most profound teachings of all --the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin.
1. Object of Worship of the Essential Teachings
"Object of worship" means the object that should be revered as the basis of faith. The Object of Worship of the Essential Teachings is the heart of all Three Great Secret Laws. The object of worship may be viewed from two perspectives: in terms of the Person and in terms of the Law. The Object of Worship as the Person is Nichiren Daishonin, the True Buddha originally enlightened to the fundamental Law in the infinite, beginningless past. The Object of Worship as the Law is the Gohonzon (great mandala) manifested by the Daishonin.
However, the Object of Worship as the Person and the Object of Worship as the Law are not two separate things. They are naturally interrelated as a single, indivisible entity. Because the Person (Buddha) is enlightened to the Law, the Object of Worship as the Person is actually one and the same entity as the Law. Because the Law (mandala) can only be manifested in reality through the Person (Buddha), the Object of Worship as the Law is actually one and the same entity as the Person.
The Daishonin states:
The Object of Worship is the actual entity of the body of the votary of the Lotus Sutra. (Zenshu, p. 760)
I, Nichiren, have inscribed the Gohonzon by infusing my life into it with sumi. You must believe [in this]! (Zenshu, p. 1124; see also MW, vol 1, p. 120)
As these passages from the Gosho show, the Gohonzon (the Object of Worship as the Law) actually is the life of Nichiren Daishonin (the Object of Worship as the Person). This reality is expressed by the term "oneness of Person and Law." Although the Daishonin inscribed many Gohonzons after the Tatsunokuchi persecution, the ultimate purpose of His appearance in the world was to establish the Dai-Gohonzon, which He inscribed on October 12, 1279. All the other Gohonzons He inscribed may be viewed as reflections of the Dai-Gohonzon. Therefore, the Dai-Gohonzon is the ultimate realization of the Object of Worship of the Essential Teachings.
2. High Sanctuary of the Essential Teachings
The place where the Object of Worship of the Essential Teachings is enshrined and where we exert ourselves in faith and practice is called the High Sanctuary of the Essential Teachings. "High Sanctuary" is a translation of the term kaidan. Historically, in general Buddhism, a kaidan was an ordination platform (dan) at which priests made a vow to uphold the Buddhist precepts (kai). However in the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin, the only Buddhism that has the power to lead all people to attain Buddhahood in the present age, there is only one precept to discard provisional teachings and devote oneself single-mindedly and whole-heartedly to faith and practice centering on the Gohonzon. For this reason, in Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism, the kaidan is the place where the Gohonzon is enshrined. Thus the term kaidan has been translated as "High Sanctuary."
There are two perspectives from which the High Sanctuary can be viewed. First, the True High Sanctuary is the place where the Dai-Gohonzon is enshrined. This is called the True High Sanctuary because the Dai-Gohonzon of Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo manifested by Nichiren Daishonin is the only object of worship that actually has the power to enable one to attain Buddhahood in one's present form.
None of the teachings of Shakyamuni have any power today, in the Latter Day of the Law. Therefore, for example, the kaidan established by the T'ien-t'ai sect based on the Lotus Sutra of Shakyamuni has no validity whatsoever. In comparison with the True High Sanctuary (kaidan) of the Essential Teachings of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism, the kaidan of T'ien-tai's Buddhism is an inferior theoretical kaidan of the theoretical teachings.
Second, the High Sanctuary may be viewed in terms of its overall significance. All other Gohonzons other than the Dai-Gohonzon are like leaves and branches in relation to their source, the Dai-Gohonzon. Their power also all flows from the Dai-Gohonzon. Therefore, the meaning of our exertions in faith and practice to the Gohonzon at our temple, community center, or home derives directly from the True High Sanctuary. Thus, the places where other Gohonzons are enshrined are said to possess the significance of the True High Sanctuary. One should never forget that if one's faith becomes cut off from the Dai-Gohonzon, then one has cut oneself off from the source of power for the attainment of Buddhahood. If this happens, faith and practice to the Gohonzon in one's own home has no relation to the True High Sanctuary.
3. The Daimoku of the Essential Teachings
The Daimoku of the Essential Teachings means chanting Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo with faith in the Object of Worship of the Essential Teachings. Of course, as we all know, Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo is the "name" inscribed down the center of the Gohonzon. When we chant this Daimoku, we fuse with the life of the Buddha of the Gohonzon and bring forth the profound, unfathomable merit of realizing our own potential for Buddhahood.
This Daimoku of the Essential Teachings may be viewed from two perspectives: faith and practice. Believing that the Gohonzon is the enlightened life of Nichiren Daishonin and that the Gohonzon is absolute and incomparable is the foundation for practice. This is called the Daimoku of faith To actually face the Gohonzon and chant the Daimoku based on that belief is called the Daimoku of practice. Faith and practice are actually indivisible, since practice arises from faith and because if there is practice, there must be faith.
As shown in the simple outline of the Three Great Secret Laws given above, if the Three Great Secret Laws are expanded outward, they become Six Great Secret Laws. And if they are expanded further outward, in actuality the Three Great Secret Laws encompass all the teachings of Buddhism --the so-called 80,000 teachings. Furthermore, the Three Great Secret Laws all center on the Object of Worship. The High Sanctuary is where the Object of Worship is enshrined, and the Daimoku is chanted based on faith in the Object of Worship. Thus, the Object of Worship of the Essential Teachings contains all three, and is known as the One Great Secret Law. As stated above, in Mappo, the Three Great Secret Laws correspond to the three types of learning. The Object of Worship corresponds,to meditation, the High Sanctuary to precepts, and the Daimoku to wisdom.
The Order of Propagation of the Three Great Secret Laws
The Daishonin first chanted the Daimoku (Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo) on April 28, 1253. From that day on up until the Tatsunokuchi persecution on September 12, 1271, He propagated the Daimoku of the Essential Teachings (the chanting of Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo). During this period He propagated the Daimoku as the votary of the Lotus Sutra, and by enduring countless persecutions, fulfilled the predictions in the Lotus Sutra about the votary who would appear and propagate the Law in the age of Mappo.
At the Tatsunokuchi persecution, He discarded His transient status as Bodhisattva Jogyo and revealed His true identity as the True Buddha of kuon ganjo. Thereafter He began to propagate the Object of Worship of the Essential Teachings, and as the True Buddha, began to inscribe the Gohonzon. During His exile to Sado island the Daishonin wrote "The Opening of the Eyes," 5 a treatise which expounds the Object of Worship as the Person, the True Buddha of kuon ganjo (Nichiren Daishonin). During that period He also wrote "The True Object of Worship," 6 which expounds the Object of Worship as the Law. He thereby revealed that the Object of Worship embodies the oneness of Person and Law. The Daishonin achieved the ultimate purpose of His advent by inscribing the Dai-Gohonzon of the High Sanctuary of the Essential Teachings on the 12th day of the 10th month of the 2nd year of Ko'an (October 12, 1279). However, He expounded the concrete significance of the High Sanctuary of the Essential Teachings in only two Goshos. He described it elsewhere in name only. These two Gosho are "On the Three Great Secret Laws" and "The Law that Nichiren Propagated Throughout His Life." In these Goshos, the Daishonin instructs His disciples to establish the True High Sanctuary after His passing, when Kosen-rufu is achieved. Thus the establishment of the High Sanctuary is our supreme goal as followers of the Daishonin. "The Law that Nichiren Propagated Throughout His Life," which is also known as the Minobu Transfer Document, was written by the Daishonin shortly before His passing in 1282. This is one of the two transfer documents in which the Daishonin bestowed all of His Buddhism on Nikko Shonin. The entire text of this document reads:
I, Nichiren, transfer the entirety of the Law that I have
propagated throughout my life to Byakuren Ajari Nikko, and designate him
the Great Master of Propagation of the Essential Teachings. When the sovereign
accepts this Law, establish the High Sanctuary of the Temple of the Essential
Teachings at the foot of Mt. Fuji. You must simply wait for the time. This
is the True Law of Precepts. Above all else, my disciples should obey this
document. The ninth month of the fifth year of Ko'an (1282)
Nichiren
The order of the Heritage: Nichiren to Nikko (Zenshu, p. 1600)
"On the Three Great Secret Laws" (Sandai Hiho Sho) was also written in the year of the Daishonin's passing, in the fourth month of the fifth year of Ko'an (1282), when the Daishonin was 61 years of age. This Gosho contains a passage with a more detailed explanation of the conditions that must be fulled for the True High Sanctuary to be established:
As for the High Sanctuary. at the time when the sovereign's law merges with Buddhism and Buddhism combines with the sovereign's law, when every person, sovereign and subjects alike, upholds the Three Secret Laws of the Essential Teachings, and when the ancient past of King Utoku and the monk Kakutoku 7 becomes a reality in the defiled future age of Mappo, then hand down an imperial decree and an order from the shogun, seek out the finest site resembling the pure land of Eagle Peak, and establish the High Sanctuary. You must simply wait for the time. This is the True Law of Precepts.8 This is not only the Law of Precepts for repentance and eradication of offenses by the people of the three countries9 and the entire world; it is the High Sanctuary where Dai-Bontenno, Taishaku 10 and the like will descend from the heavens to visit. (Zenshu, p. 1022)
As was explained above in the section on the Three Great Secret Laws, the place where the Dai-Gohonzon is enshrined is the True High Sanctuary at the present time. At this time, the Dai-Gohonzon is enshrined in the Sho-Hondo. Therefore, the Sho-Hondo is the True High Sanctuary at the present time.
In the two Gosho passages quoted above, however, Nichiren Daishonin describes the conditions for the achievement of Kosen-rufu in the future, and instructs His disciples to establish the High Sanctuary of the Essential Teachings at that time. In "On the Three Great Secret Laws" the Daishonin sets forth in specific terms the great target of establishing the High Sanctuary. Then, in "The Law that Nichiren Propagated Throughout His Life" the Daishonin leaves the establishment of the High Sanctuary as His final will We should never forget that striving for the widespread, merciful propagation of the Daishonin's teachings towards the realization of the Daishonin's will, the establishment of the High Sanctuary, is closely tied to our own attainment of Buddhahood.
The Establishment of the High Sanctuary
In a sermon given to all Nichiren Shoshu priests in August, 1992, Nikken Shonin discussed the meaning of the establishment of the High Sanctuary as it is explained in these two passages from the Gosho:
"The High Sanctuary is the Daishonin's final, ultimate legacy. He taught the doctrine of the Daimoku continuously ever since the founding of true Buddhism, and He taught the Object of Worship from the Sado exile onwards. But in the Sado period the High Sanctuary is mentioned only in the postscript to "The Votary of the Lotus Sutra Will Meet Persecution." In the Minobu period, the formal name of the High Sanctuary appears for the first time in the Hokke Shuyo Sho, and the High Sanctuary is mentioned by name in "Repaying Debts of Gratitude." In the end, however, it was only in "On the Three Great Secret Laws" and in "The Law that Nichiren Propagated Throughout His Life," one of the transfer documents, that the Daishonin clearly taught the true meaning of the High Sanctuary.
"I'm sure no one thinks that a doctrine is unimportant just because it is mentioned only a few times. Doctrine is not a matter of abundance. If one compares the Lotus Sutra and the Agon sutras from the viewpoint of number, the Agon sutras are far more numerous. And there are many more volumes of Hannya sutras than the eight volumes of the Lotus Sutra. Not to mention the fact that the most vital teachings of the Lotus Sutra are contained within only one chapter and the parts that precede and follow it. 11 Therefore, the value of a teaching is not determined by the number of places it appears.
"The Daishonin's instructions about the doctrine of the High Sanctuary and the content of those instructions are in of themselves the Daishonin's heart, spirit, and will to save the people of the ten thousand years of Mappo. In other words, these instructions are not merely about the form of the High Sanctuary; they are the Daishonin's ultimate legacy based on His spirit and will, which from beginning to end is that of the eternal True Buddha of the three existences." (Dai-Nichiren, No. 561, p. 42-43)
The High Sanctuary of the Essential Teachings is where people from the entire world will gather, vow to abandon evil and uphold the good, transform all the evil karma they have accumulated since the remote past, and from there, give rise to the Buddha's land, a peaceful world. The Daishonin's Buddhism is not just for the people in a single country. It is for all the people in the entire world. The purpose of establishing the High Sanctuary of the Essential Teachings is the realization of happiness and peace by the people of the whole world. The True High Sanctuary is for all humanity.
Conclusion
The True Buddha, Nichiren Daishonin, appeared in the world and established the Three Great Secret Laws, the true teachings of Buddhism for the present age that will enable all people of the world to achieve genuine happiness and build a peaceful land.
Nichiren Daishonin left us the mission of propagating the True Law throughout the world and establishing the True High Sanctuary. We, the believers of Nichiren Shoshu who practice the Daishonin's teachings correctly today, are all believers associated with the Bodhisattvas of the Earth. This August, led by High Priest Nikken Shonin, we will gather from all over the world at the First Overseas Believers' General Tozan to make a vow to the Dai-Gohonzon to begin a new era in the widespread propagation of the Daishonin's teachings.
As Nikken Shonin says in his decree, 'Now is the time for us to begin our great stride forward toward the realization of this High Sanctuary, our great objective for the future. Through the merit and benefit thus accumulated we will accomplish the propagation of the Daishonin's teachings throughout the world, ensure the salvation of all people, and contribute to world peace, ultimately effecting the purification of the whole universe." Let's deepen our understanding of this great goal, and meet together with one spirit to propagate the wonderful, true Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin to many people throughout the world.
1 Vinayas: the rules of discipline (precepts) For monks and nuns.
2 The corresponding Japanese terms are: Honmon no Honzon (Object of Worship of the Essential Teachings), Honmon no Kaidan (High Sanctuary of the Essential Teachings), and Honmon no Daimoku (Daimoku of the Essential Teachings).
3 Tathagata: Japanese nyorai. Tathagata, which literally means 'Thus Come One' is one of the honorable titles of the Buddha. Here, 'the Tuthagata' refers to Shakyamuni Buddha.
4 'Five characters' refers to the five Chinese characters used to write Myoho-Renge-Kyo.
5 "The Opening of the Eyes": Kaimoku Sho.
6 "The True Object of Worship": Kanjin no Honzon Sho.
7 The story of the relationship between King Utoku and the monk Kakutoku is from the Nirvana Sutra. According to this stop, after the passing of the Tathagata Kangi Zoyaku infinite kalpas ago in the ancient past, monks who did not uphold the precepts tried to harm the monk Kakutoku, who upheld the True Law. Kakutoku was able to escape from this persecution because of the protection of King Utoku. In fighting with the enemy, the king sustained injuries all over his body and lost his life. Owing to the merit he thus accumulated, however, he was reborn in the country of Ashaku Buddha and became that Buddha's foremost disciple. Kind Utoku was actually Shakyamuni Buddha who, as a reward For protecting the True Law, attained the indestructible Dharma body of a Buddha. This story illustrates the difficulty of establishing and propagating the True Law in Mappo, and the importance of having the spirit to protect the Law even at risk co one's life. Furthermore, this story illustrates the importance of priesthood and laity working For Kosen-rufu with the harmonious unity of dai doshin. This relationship is expressed in another passage From the Nirvana Sutra which reads, "Within, there are wise disciples who understand the immeasurably deep doctrine. Without, there are pure laity. Thus is Buddhism perpetuated into eternity."
8 Here we will give an explanation of the term "Law of Precepts," as many readers may have never encountered this term before. In Buddhism, precepts have four divisions: the Law of Precepts, the Entity of Precepts, the Practice of Precepts and the Appearance of Precepts. The law of Precepts is the Law (Dharma) related to "abandoning evil and upholding the good" as prescribed by the Buddha based on the truth to which he is enlightened. The Entity of Precepts is the non-visible entity that becomes active within one's life when the merit of the Law of Precepts arises in one's body when one vows to uphold the Law of Precepts and receives it into one's heart. The Practice of Precepts is to practice the precepts in reality after having received them. Finally, the Appearance of Precepts is the actual surface appearance of precepts as we usually think of chem, that is, the five precepts, ten precepts, eight precepts of abstinence, 250 precepts, or 500 precepts, etc., that have been taught according to differences in teaching (such as Hinayana vs. Mahayana) or differences in capacity (such as priests vs. lay believers). As is explained in this article,in Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism we have only one precept to abandon provisional teachings and embrace the Object of Worship of the Essential Teachings (Gohonzon).
The "True Law of Precepts" may be interpreted as encompassing three meanings. First, the True Law of Precepts may be viewed in terms of its relative position as the True Law of Precepts in relation to the theoretical Law of Precept of T'ien-t'ai Buddhism. Secondly,the True Law of Precepts is the Dai-Gohonzon of the High Sanctuary of the Essential Teachings, the ultimate purpose of Nichiren Daishonin's propagation of Buddhism throughout His life, the Dai-Gohonzon which encompasses all Three Great Secret Laws. Since the Dai-Gohonzon is the True Entity of the Law that encompasses all Three Great Secret Laws, the actual entity of the Dai-Gohonzon is in itself the True Law of Precepts and the True High Sanctuary. It is in relation to this that the places where we embrace Gohonzons based on the Dai-Gohonzon possess the significance of the True High Sanctuary. Third, as the Daishonin teaches in "On the Three Great Secret Laws," the True Law of Precepts means the manifestation of the Buddha's land through the widespread propagation of the Daishonin's Buddhism. This means For the merit of upholding the Mystic Law to penetrate deeply and broadly throughout society From the inside, so that the True Law becomes manifested in reality in a peaceful society.
9 Three countries: India, China, and Japan.
10 Dai-Bontenno and Taishaku; heavenly gods who protect Buddhism and practitioners of Buddhism.
11 This refers to the Juryo (16th) chapter, the section of the Yojutsu (15th) chapter that precedes the Juryo chapter, and the section of the Funbetsu Kudoku (17th) chapter that Follows the Juryo chapter.