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, but we have included it here for its invaluable content. The full text can be found in The Heart of the Lotus Sutra, pp. 177–79.
Niji butsu go. Dai bosasshu. Sho zen-nanshi. Konto funmyo. Sengo nyoto. Ze sho sekai. Nyaku jaku mijin. Gyu fu jaku sha. Jin ni i jin. Ichi-jin ikko. Ga jo-butsu irai. Bu ka o shi. Hyaku sen man noku. Nayuta. Asogi ko.
Literal translation: At that time the Buddha said to the multitude of great bodhisattvas: “Good men, now I will state this to you clearly. Suppose all these worlds, whether they received a particle of dust or not, are once more reduced to dust. Let one particle represent one kalpa. The time that has passed since I attained Buddhahood surpasses this by a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, a million nayuta asamkhya kalpas.” (The Lotus Sutra and Its Opening and Closing Sutras, p. 266)
Ikeda Sensei:
Shakyamuni, saying he is going to make a clear proclamation, reveals the remote past described as numberless major world system dust particle kalpas ago.
First, he says to take all the worlds passed so far, whether or not they have received a particle of dust, and grind them into dust.
Then he associates this unfathomable number of particles of dust with time, saying, “Let one particle represent one kalpa.” A kalpa is an extremely long period of time.
Finally Shakyamuni reveals that he attained Buddhahood at a time in the past “a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, a million nayuta asamkhya kalpas” more distant than even this immeasurable number of kalpas. This period is described as numberless major world system dust particle kalpas.
Numberless major world system dust particle kalpas ago indicates a point in the inconceivably remote past. Even so, the duration it represents is still finite. Because numberless major world system dust particle kalpas ago refers to the point in time at which Shakyamuni became a Buddha, it indicates a period with a definite beginning.
In essence, however, Shakyamuni’s enlightenment is “without beginning.” For Shakyamuni’s purpose in explaining numberless major world system dust particle kalpas was to refute the view that he first became a Buddha in his present lifetime.
The central issue is the view of enlightenment. When inner darkness is dispelled, we find that life, fundamentally, is without beginning or end; to become a Buddha is to uncover and bring out that original life just as it is. In “The Object of
Devotion for Observing the Mind,” Nichiren Daishonin says that the Shakyamuni present within the lives of us who embrace the Mystic Law is “the eternal Buddha since time without beginning” (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 365).
The principle of beginningless time (kuon-ganjo) clarifies the implicit meaning of this passage. Beginningless time means the wellspring of life and the wellspring of the universe. This primal life is the life of the Buddha of limitless joy of beginningless time; it is itself Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. …
Our lives are not creations of some author or artisan, such as a creating deity. We exist together with the universe, and together with the universe our existence continues infinitely. It could be said that life itself is both the creator and the creation.
From the deepest standpoint, all who heard Shakyamuni expound the “Life Span” chapter instantaneously changed their stance. They no longer gradually approached enlightenment by extinguishing earthly desires. Rather, they directly believed in and accepted the great life of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. The span of time called numberless major world system dust particle kalpas is a skillful use of imagery for bringing people to base themselves on the great life of beginningless time originally inherent in themselves and the universe.
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