Gongyo—which includes reciting portions of the “Expedient Means” and “Life Span of the Thus Come One” chapters of the Lotus Sutra—is part of daily practice for Nichiren Buddhists. This series carries Ikeda Sensei’s explanations of gongyo. This section, part of the prose section of the “Life Span” chapter, is no longer recited during our morning and evening prayers. However, we have included it here for its invaluable content. The full text can be found in The Heart of the Lotus Sutra, pp. 203–06.
Sho zen-nanshi. Nyorai sho en kyoden. Kai i dodasshujo. Waku sekkoshin. Waku settashin. Waku ji koshin. Waku ji tashin. Waku ji koji. Waku ji taji. Sho sho gon-setsu. Kai jitsu fu ko.
Literal translation: “Good men, the scriptures expounded by the Thus Come One are all for the purpose of saving and emancipating living beings. Sometimes I speak of myself, sometimes of others; sometimes I present myself, sometimes others; sometimes I show my own actions, sometimes those of others. All that I preach is true and not false.” (The Lotus Sutra and Its Opening and Closing Sutras, p. 267)
Ikeda Sensei:
The earlier sutras Shakyamuni had expounded were all to lead people to enlightenment. Here, Shakyamuni emphasizes that these teachings, while expounded from a variety of different viewpoints, all represent the truth, none are false.
In the passage that begins, “Sometimes I speak of myself, sometimes of others,” “sometimes” appears six times. This is called the “six modes of preaching.”
Nichiren Daishonin points to this passage as documentary proof of the principle that “the world of Buddhahood contains the Ten Worlds” (“The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 357). To explain, the words “myself” and “others” indicate the various states of life and activities of the beings of the Ten Worlds taught by the Buddha who attained enlightenment in the remote past. …
These forms Shakyamuni assumed in order to bring real benefit to the people are expressions of the compassion of the Buddha who attained enlightenment in the remote past. Such descriptions are certainly not lies. Rather, they indicate just how grand is the state of life of Buddhahood.
In terms of the Latter Day of the Law, “the scriptures expounded by the Thus Come One” indicates Nichiren’s writings. It seems to me that we can identify the same six modes of preaching in these writings, the scriptures of the Latter Day. …
The six modes of preaching of the original Buddha all refer to Nichiren’s own conduct and his disciples’ actions, based on faith, as related in his writings. The purpose of these various accounts is to save and emancipate the people. Not one of them is false.
The writings of Nichiren Daishonin express the great state of life of the original Buddha who yearns to save all people throughout the ten thousand years of the Latter Day of the Law. Every line of his writings explains one thing, the Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. As second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda said:
All that the Daishonin saw and taught is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. If someone were to come to the Daishonin and say, “Daishonin, please tell me what is your most essential teaching,” he would tell the person: “OK, have a seat. It’s Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. That’s it in its entirety.”
The Daishonin’s teaching over a period of 30 years all comes down to a single phrase. Therefore, if we believe in the Gohonzon, chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and propagate the teaching, then we are certain to attain enlightenment.
All of you are practicing this “most essential teaching” for the liberation of humankind. …
It may be that many of you who take compassionate action each day while striving to emulate Nichiren’s spirit experience sufferings or hardships one after another. I make every effort to be aware of your noble and difficult struggles.
But through this faith, we can make all our actions shine as the conduct of Buddhas and bodhisattvas expressed by the passage “sometimes I present myself, sometimes others.” To the extent that we worry, to the extent that we fight, all our efforts return to us as benefit.
“All that I preach is true and not false” (LSOC, 267), the sutra says. In Buddhism, no effort is ever wasted.
You may at times be fraught with worry, and at other times raise shouts of triumph, but I hope that you will join me in enacting a glorious drama on the stage of kosen-rufu.
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