Gongyo—which includes reciting portions of the “Expedient Means” and “Life Span of the Thus Come One” chapters of the Lotus Sutra morning and evening—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. 197–201.
Sho zen-nanshi. Nyorai ken sho shujo. Gyo o shobo. Toku hakku ju sha. I ze nin setsu. Ga sho shukke. Toku a-noku-ta-ra san myaku sanbodai. Nen ga jitsu jo-butsu irai. Ku-on nyaku shi. Tan ni hoben. Kyoke shujo. Ryo nyu butsu-do. Sa nyo ze setsu.
Literal translation: “Good men, the Thus Come One observes how among living beings there are those who delight in lesser teachings, meager in virtue and heavy with defilement. For such persons I describe how in my youth I left my household and attained supreme perfect enlightenment. But in truth the time since I attained Buddhahood is extremely long, as I have told you. It is simply that I use this expedient means to teach and convert living beings and cause them to enter the Buddha way. That is why I speak in this manner.” (The Lotus Sutra and Its Opening and Closing Sutras, p. 267)
Ikeda Sensei:
To teach the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha first set forth various expedient teachings as a means to guide people.
Although Shakyamuni, in the earlier sutras and in the theoretical teaching, taught that he had renounced secular life at a young age and attained supreme enlightenment for the first time in his present existence, this was an expedient teaching. It was an expedient he expounded according to the understanding of “those who delight in lesser teachings, meager in virtue and heavy with defilement.”
“Those who delight in lesser teachings” indicates persons who embrace the Hinayana or provisional Mahayana teachings or, more broadly, an inferior system of values or sense of purpose in life. As a result, they do not aspire to attain the great state of life of the Buddha. …
“Meager in virtue and heavy with defilement” means that such people have accumulated few causes for attaining Buddhahood; their lives are defiled with earthly desires. “Defilement” indicates vices including greed, anger, foolishness, arrogance, doubt, mistaken views and jealousy.
Rather than trying to teach such persons about the eternal life of the Buddha who has been enlightened since numberless major world system dust particle kalpas ago, Shakyamuni told them that he attained enlightenment for the first time in this lifetime as a result of having carried out various practices in previous existences. By so doing, ultimately he was laying the groundwork for the revelation of the Buddha’s eternal life span (that is, of his attainment of enlightenment in the remote past) here in the “Life Span” chapter. …
It might be said that Shakyamuni’s preaching of his initial attainment of enlightenment in this lifetime was part of a grand curriculum that the Buddha had conceived out of his profound determination not to allow even one person to regress in faith or fall away from the path to enlightenment. Such was the profound thought and tenacious effort required to enable people to believe in the eternal life of the Buddha. …
This is truly an age that abounds with people meager in virtue and heavy with defilement who “delight in lesser teachings.” It is regarded as natural to lead an inferior way of life dedicated only to the pursuit of pleasure or wealth. We may be living in an age devoid of values, when people simply find it extremely difficult to uphold great ideals.
In the very midst of this modern society, we are studying, believing in and practicing the great life philosophy of the supreme Law. With our gaze on eternity, we are taking action to lead all humanity to enlightenment. No other way of life is as noble or replete with good fortune. For precisely this reason, it is only natural that we should be envied. It would actually be quite strange if we did not encounter misunderstanding, prejudice or a certain amount of persecution.
Let us advance with dignity! Let us continue working with confidence and still greater joy to cultivate the hearts of others.
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