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BIONA Books Is Proud To Present:

A House On Fire
By Stephen L. Klick

"There is no safety in the threefold world; it is

like a burning house, replete with a multitude
of sufferings, truly to be feared"

I dedicate this work to my great benefactor Dr. Anil Gosalia, whose

patience and compassion have blessed my life.

Other BIONA Books:

"Introduction To Buddhism"
"Day By Day"
"Stop Suffering: A Buddhist Guide To Happiness"
"The Loving Heart"
"Inside The Lotus Sutra"
"Walking On The Path"
"Buddha Smile"
"Dream World"
"American Jataka Tales"

Mr. Klick can be reached at:

Buddhist Information Of North America
http://www.buddhistinformation.com Or send e-mail to

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Svark@kc.rr.com

Acknowledgements:
I would like to thank Barbara Ford for suggesting that I write
this series of books. Barbara Ford was a very special woman
who worked tirelessly to spread the teachings. Somehow,
thank you does not seem to be adequate.
Special thanks to Ray Bosh for the wonderful guidance he gave
me years ago. Ive never forgotten. As always, thanks to the
gang at SWAG Research.

Hail to the universal Buddha

The three-bodied Tathgata
Who opens, shows, enlightens, causes us to
enter
All the Buddhas
Wisdom and
Understanding
So that we understand the empty nature

And display a departure from defilement

The correct Dharma
White lotus
Sutra
Enters
Everywhere
Causing us to dwell
In joy
With steadfast
Protection,
Void, without form, without desire
Absolutely achieved

"The Opening Of The Eyes" (Part One)

About The Author

Stephen L. Klick is the Director and co-founder of Buddhist Information
of North America (BIONA). BIONA is an information organization that
operates twenty-four hours, every day of the year. BIONA is dedicated
to making Buddhist study resources available to anyone who wants
them and to helping people find a Sangha in their local area.
The BIONA web site and library can be found at
http://www.buddhistinformation.com The BIONA offices can be reached
at (913) 722-0900 or (800) 576-9212.

Introduction
By Bartholomew Klick
BIONA Web-Master

Working at Buddhist Information is a true challenge. When we

advertise that we operate 24 hours all year long we sincerely mean it.
There are no answering machines, nor do we ever ignore the phone or
incoming e-mail. When the phone rings, or we discover new e-mail we
are right there answering it no matter what we were doing, its just
part of the job requirement.

6
We never know from one day to the next what new challenges our job
will present. Recently a Chinese man who had just moved here
committed suicide. His family was devastated, they spoke no English,
were not Buddhist, but they did want him to have a Buddhist Funeral.
His family had traveled here from all over the world, but because of the
way he died nobody would agree to bury him. In desperation the
hospital official in charge went through the phone book and called the
local BIONA number. We performed a burial service for him the next
day.
The funeral director had never participated in a Chinese funeral. As we
walked in, sat down, and began the ceremony the family started to
wail, it was a kind of ritualistic keening. The funeral director was
shocked by this behavior and apologized after the ceremony but we
had expected something of this nature to occur because we had
witnessed similar scenes in the past.
Buddhist Information never charges a fee for any service and we told
the funeral director this when he spoke to us on the phone. It was
really funny to watch him try to figure out how we were supposed to be
paid; he knew that there must be a mechanism that he just didnt
understand because we were a different religion. He offered us a fee,
he offered us an honorarium, he offered to donate directly to BIONA,
and then he offered to give us some of the finest Indian incense I have
ever seen. Under any other circumstances we would have been thrilled
to accept it because we make incense offerings all day long, but not
accepting donations means that we do not take anything from people
for providing necessary services.
I am honored that my father asked me to introduce his new book, "A
House on Fire." "A House on Fire" is a continuation of his series on "The
Lotus Sutra," which includes "Stop Suffering: A Buddhist Guide to
Happiness," "Day by Day," and "Inside the Lotus Sutra." His goal since
the beginning (back when BIONA still consisted of one desk and a
huge, dilapidated dresser) has been not only to make Buddhism
available to everyone, but to also make it easier to comprehend. His
series of books are meant to make "The Lotus Sutra" less confusing, I
have found them helpful, and I hope that you will too.
Bartholomew M. Klick

A House On Fire

Modern society is filled with things that serve to distract us from the
true nature of life. From the time children are old enough to slightly
comprehend they are placed in front of various "entertainment"
devices that keep them occupied or out of trouble and serve to give
overworked mothers or fathers a little reprieve from the complicated
chore of raising them.
This behavior continues as the child matures. Western society will
entertain you right up until the moment you die. If you allow this to
happen to you then the important questions and issues that affect all
human beings will never be addressed. If you dont ask why am I here
and what is life all about then you are like a sleepwalker going
through the motions, while avoiding the actual experience of living.
It is a good idea to ask yourself why you are here on this particular
world, after all its a huge universe which modern science tells us is
filled with other stars and planets. The Buddha declared that our
universe was filled with other worlds, teeming with life. The universe
itself is alive and life will always be manifested when conditions exist
to support it. Theoretically this implies that anyone could be born
anywhere but you were born in this time and place because of causes
you made in the past. When you make a cause you always get an
effect, this is a universal law taught by all who possess wisdom.
This human life you now enjoy is an opportunity to bring benefit to all
the other living beings around us. All life on this planet has a direct
connection to you or this multitude of beings would not be here with
you now. We owe these beings a great debt because they have all
been our parents or benefactors at some time in the endless past.

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Life has no beginning or end, one thought moment flows directly into
another and thats all there is. The last thought moment of this
existence leads directly to the first thought moment of the next: this is
the nature of reality. Since life is eternal the only meaningful way to
repay debts of gratitude is to give a gift that will continue to bring
benefit when this short lifetime is over.
Spiritual growth is the only gift that has genuine value because when a
person grows spiritually the kind of causes they make change.
Negative acts decrease and wholesome acts increase. Spiritual growth
is the only real wealth so this must be the coinage we use to repay
longstanding debts of gratitude. Nothing else is meaningful.
It is not enough to master the Buddhist spiritual path to end your own
suffering, you must reach out to help the people around you if you truly
wish to become happy. Teaching others demonstrates that you have
actually mastered your chosen tradition, at least to the point of
realizing that there is a debt that must be repaid.
All three historical Buddhas identified the teachings of "The Lotus
Sutra" as the path that leads to liberation. (See "Stop Suffering: A
Buddhist Guide To Happiness")
This "Lotus Sutra" teaches that the world we live in is a burning house
full of pain and suffering. If you are wrapped up in the quest for fame
and fortune then you are grasping at the shadows produced by the
light of these flames. All of the things our society values most are
transitory by nature. This being the case money or social status will
never bring you permanent satisfaction because you cant take these
things with you into your next life.
Shakyamunis goal as a teacher was to free us all from the major
conflagration that rages every day on this planet. He was free so he
understood the value of freedom, thats why he wanted the same thing
for all of us. This freedom, called enlightenment or Buddhahood is
available to all people and it means that we live in this universal
system and do not suffer from the things that trouble worldly people
because we have trained our minds and have at least started the
process of seeing things just the way they are.
The Buddha reveals in chapter Sixteen of "The Lotus Sutra" that he
attained enlightenment sometime in the far distant past, that is why he
was free from the dangers that fill the house on fire. Yet, Shakyamuni
was born on the same planet and lived in the same environment as the
people he wanted to rescue, thus demonstrating that this world is not

9
the problem, it is the garbage produced by our untrained minds that
make our environment a place of great misery.
To free ourselves from this ubiquitous suffering we must stop filling our
minds with unwholesome thoughts. This is an important first step for
any student who wishes to attain tranquility and happiness. It is not
enough to merely remove negative thoughts, however, we must also
learn to generate positive, life affirming thinking. As followers of the
great Mahayana Teacher Nichiren it is imperative that we study the
Gosho, "The Lotus Sutra," and all of the other sacred teachings of
Shakyamuni.
These writings teach the path that will inevitably guide sincere
students to develop Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, ultimately the goal of
all practicing Buddhists. Daily exposure to Buddhist teaching, when
combined with sincere practice inevitably elevates the quality of what
passes through your mind until you reach the point where you perceive
that everything that occurs in your environment is a dharma lesson. At
this point you must begin to share these teachings with others or you
are not a Mahayana practitioner.
Every student of the Buddha must become a teacher. Instructing
others is merely another step along the path for any student and does
not imply that teachers are "special" or different. You will learn more in
a single year devoted to teaching others then you could in a dozen
years of intensive study in any library. It is therefore appropriate to
consider teaching as merely another form of study necessary for
growth and development.
Dharma Teachers are simply human beings who are slightly more
advanced on the path that you now wish to follow. It is critical to your
development as a Buddhist student that you respect Teachers because
they give freely of their time to help you achieve liberation. This same
respect should be cheerfully rendered to every being you encounter in
your daily life.
Esteem is the only coinage that Teachers should ever accept from you.
Any Dharma Teacher who requests money from students is running a
business (see "Stop Suffering: A Buddhist Guide To happiness"). It is
true that you should think of your Teacher as a Buddha but this same
attitude should be applied to all people.
Teaching the Dharma is not an honor it is a responsibility that every
student who progresses to a certain point must undertake. The ethics
of those who charge money to instruct others is questionable. Can you

10
name any great spiritual Teacher who taught only people rich enough
to pay the entrance fee?
Turning the Buddhas wisdom into a business is pitiful, but Buddhist
Teachers who prey on their students are truly reprehensible. You should
never engage in sexual practices of any kind with a person who
teaches Dharma. The debt you owe a Teacher can only be re-paid by
excelling at your practice and exceeding his accomplishments. If your
Teacher has even suggested that you behave immorally then you need
a new Teacher.
You are responsible for the things that happen to you, if you had not
made the cause to meet a dishonest Teacher then it could not have
occurred. The Teacher is not the problem, you should not hate this
person merely because he hurt you, but neither should you seek his
company.
If a man shoots you with a gun you do not become angry at the bullet,
nor are you enraged at the gun. You blame the person who uses the
gun and rightly feel that the weapon in question is merely a tool.
However, this same reasoning applies to the being that attacks you.
You created the cause to be attacked; it is your negative energy
impelling this man to choose you as his target. Why blame the man
any more then you do the gun or bullet, all three are merely tools.
The way to eliminate negative effects is to stop making harmful causes
now. Begin the clean-up process by daily practice and study, please
remember that this is your own mess, you are responsible for it. You
have been your own worst enemy for millennia, but you now have the
opportunity to purify your life through the practice of the Dharma.
You should not falter! If you examine your situation in a rational
manner you will realize that the only logical way to move is forward
into the freedom of Nirvana. The pain and rejection you feel is ego
based, let go of that nonsense! It is not real. Your ego is as empty as
the promises and spurious love offered by your former instructor. You
are not here to be loved you are here to love.
You will never be appreciated by all of the inhabitants of this world.
Even the Buddhas had people who hated and reviled them. If we follow
the example given to us by these enlightened Teachers then we will
not accept the hatred offered to us and we will respond to all living
beings with compassion.

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When someone offers us hatred or abuse we can best respond by
remaining calm and centered. The Buddha taught that if we do not
accept this anger and hatred, if we remain untouched by the fiery
invective aimed at disturbing our minds then the person berating us
has no choice but to keep this misguided energy.
Of course, it is a good idea to listen to what others say and consider
their viewpoint. You can often gain insight into your own delusions and
problems by taking note of personal criticism. Superficially these harsh
comments seem to be intended to harm us but they are actually
helpful if we view them properly. If unkind personal criticism is hurtful
to you then more study of the Buddhas teachings on emptiness is
indicated.
Daily practice will elevate us into the four noble worlds, which has the
effect of allowing us to live untouched by the horrors found in the
burning house. Nichirens students sometimes contract terribly
debilitating diseases but they never experience painful deaths.
Students, who follow the path taught by our compassionate Teacher,
die surrounded by friends and family, calmly chanting, determined to
return and continue the struggle for Kosen Rufu.
The moment of death will clearly reveal the true state of your life
condition, any pretense will be stripped away, and the truth about your
life will be revealed. Many religions teach that there is a judgment
process people undergo after death but it is actually the final moments
of this corporeal existence that determine what will happen to you
next.
It is important to have mental clarity at the moment of death because
how you die has a tremendous impact on your next rebirth. A person
who dies in one of the six lower worlds will often be born in adverse
conditions. Ultimately, the life condition revealed at the end of this
current lifetime will be what you experience while waiting in Ku.
The amount of time that you spend awaiting re-birth also depends on
your life condition. If you live in the four noble worlds then you are
open to the energy produced by the living universe. Constant exposure
to this power keeps your life condition high and the amount of time
spent in Ku correspondently shorter. Students who practice as Nichiren
taught are bright and filled with this life energy right up until the
moment of death.
Contrast this with people who live animal existences. They become run
down and constantly tired, as they grow older. Perhaps their minds

12
stop working altogether because the brain is a muscle and you must
use it or it will atrophy, just like any other muscle in your body.
I remind you of these things because it is important to practice daily as
well as study. As of August 3, 2001 the web site at Buddhist
Information of North America (BIONA) receives hundreds of requests
for documents every day so the study part of our program is doing
very well.
However, the questions and comments I receive clearly demonstrate
that we are not practicing sufficiently. Buddhism is not just a
philosophy; we must practice daily if we expect to make the desired
progress. If reading Buddhist material is simply a hobby for you then I
apologize for wasting your time.
Those of us who are committed to the path of Buddhahood need to
start now. Your life condition will never improve if you do not take
action. The only time you have for certain is now so now is when you
should begin.
We are dedicated to the creation of an ideal society where people focus
on personal growth and spiritual development. This is a huge job but
the goal is not unrealistic and it is the only work really worth doing.
How can anyone look at the worlds society the way it is now and not
perceive the flames of the burning house?
This is the same problem that faced the Buddha Shakyamuni when he
was teaching. He saw a planet filled with people who were grasping
after transient things like money, fame, or power because they
consider these things to be worthwhile goals. Worldly people analyze
the system we live in and conclude that the more material things they
acquire the more successful they are. They equate material success
with happiness.
In spite of the overwhelming historical and contemporary evidence to
the contrary many people persist in this delusion. Material acquisitions
are not the key to happiness. It is like being popular in High School,
nice if you can get it but hardly necessary for worldly success. The
moment you graduate from High School the trivial nature of that
society becomes apparent. It does not matter if you were popular in
school when you enter the real world. The words "jock," or "nerd" do
not appear anywhere on your records and these things are not real
because they vanish forever when you walk out of the school door for
the last time.

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Everything worldly people work to achieve has this very same nature.
All of the power, wealth, or reputation you acquire is only good until
the day this lifetime ends. It is incredibly foolish to spend the rest of
this short existence piling up material objects and wealth when it
should be obvious to every human that they will inevitably die.
I am not trying to tell you that material things are evil or
unnecessary; we live in a material world and need many of the things
we strive for to be happy as well as to survive. Ultimately, it does not
matter what you have or dont have, its the mental baggage
connected to these temporary possessions that creates all the
problems.
Improper attachment to material objects is the direct cause of all the
suffering in this world. The fact that these objects are not in any way
different from soap bubbles floating on the air seems to escape the
notice of the average person. Live in the present moment and learn to
see things the way they really are and you will begin to realize the
trivial nature of temporary possessions.
To really change the world we must train our minds in the path of
goodness taught by all three historical Buddhas. After we make some
small amount of progress we must learn to place our focus on helping
others who also seek mental peace and freedom from suffering.
It is not enough to merely generate an abstract love for all of humanity.
To follow the path of our enlightened teachers we must help any
sincere student exceed our own modest accomplishments.

Meditation And The Good Heart

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Meditation is the practice Buddhists use to help themselves develop
mentally and spiritually. Every Buddhist in any school uses some form
of meditation for practice although surprisingly, some of them will
vehemently deny it!
Meditation is the commonly chosen word when translating Buddhist
texts into English but the word being translated is Bhvan, which
really means mental culture. So the goal of Buddhist practice is to
expose your mind to proper mental culture. If you do this long enough
your life will improve because you are living according to the Law that
runs the entire universe.
There was a time when silent meditation was appropriate for a certain
small percentage of monastic followers but historically most students
have used other techniques. Chanting mantras was the most common
form of meditation in the past and this is still true today.
When Buddhism came to the attention of modern Western culture in
the last century the school that scholars encountered was Theravada.
Unfortunately Theravada maintains that they are the only real
followers of Shakyamuni so they nonchalantly brushed aside the
majority of the Buddhist world, dismissing millions of sincere
practitioners as somehow non-Buddhist.
This false first impression was later overcome but the concept of
monastic silent meditation was implanted in the public consciousness
and remains until this day. To a great many people Buddhist practice
means sitting on a cushion and being silent for hours while you do
something mysterious inside your own head.
"The Vimalakirti Sutra" contains this helpful passage: "Not abandoning
the principles of the Way and yet showing yourself in the activities of a
common mortalthis is quiet sitting." "Entering nirvana without having
to put an end to earthly desiresthis is quiet sitting. If you can do this
kind of sitting, you will merit the Buddhas seal of approval." (Chapter
3)
The historical record clearly demonstrates that only a small minority of
monastic practitioners ever used silent meditation because it is a
technique ill suited to most peoples mind, temperament, and
environment.
Whatever practice you decide to try, test it meticulously. Set a time
period of three months before you start and then check the results. If

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your life has not changed dramatically then you are using the wrong
practice.
From my heart and from my own experience I tell you that three
months of the practice taught by my Teacher, Nichiren, will give you
proof that you are doing the right thing. As you continue to practice
everything in your environment will be changed in a positive way.
You can begin this process now by deciding to dedicate your life to
developing a good heart. Every morning check your motivation and
make certain to renew your dedication to being a force for good in our
society. It is so easy to go off track by being right when we dislike
other people. Every morning ask yourself, "are my actions helping to
spread peace and joy or am I hurting others?"
If you are hurting or disturbing the minds of others then it does not
matter if you are right or wrong, your actions are immoral. You
cannot be dedicated to developing the good heart if your mind is
filled with this kind of dualistic garbage!
The path to freedom leads directly to "The Lotus Sutra" and in this final
dharma age Nichiren is the only Teacher who is leading his students to
practice according to its teachings. I do not want to be dogmatic about
this. There may be other Teachers in different places who also follow
the instructions of the Buddha. Its possible that I have simply not
encountered these beings. Fortunately it is not necessary to meet
more then one Teacher to find the path that leads to nirvana.
I want to take some time here to talk about the actual practice and
how we go about bringing peace to our troubled minds. It is important
to pray every day in front of the Gohonzon but it is also imperative that
we meditate as well. When you are chanting mantra in front of the
Gohonzon it is perfectly natural for us to ask for things we need or
want. This is called prayer and a good prayer life is necessary for
happiness. It is wonderful that we spend so much effort praying for
others but please do not neglect your own needs when you devote
time to prayer.
Meditation is something every good Nichiren student does but very few
of them in the West seem to realize it. They will go to Daimoku Tosos
every week and chant for an hour or perhaps even an hour and a half
but they do not consider this to be meditation. It is. After the first few
minutes, usually dedicated to prayer, a Nichiren student will focus on
the Gohonzon, empty his mind and simply chant. This is the goal of
any good meditation technique. It is at this time when we are at our

16
greatest moments of clarity and this is where we can make our
greatest strides as Buddhists but nobody talks about this part of the
practice!
When you find someone advanced enough in the Nichiren School you
will learn about Shodai, which is the actual practice all students
should be doing. To practice Shodai means to empty your mind and
simply chant sincere daimoku to the Gohonzon. Then you must make
certain that your chanting remains focused on three important points.
The first is: The Gohonzon expresses the nature of the original Buddha,
this is often referred to as the truth body or Dharmakaya. The
second point to keep in mind is that the Gohonzon is the realization
and expression of enlightenment. The final point is that the Gohonzon
is the only path for us that will lead to enlightenment.
As you begin this practice you will discover that it is easy to pray in
front of the Gohonzon but somewhat more challenging to empty your
mind, let alone focus on the three points that make up our meditation.
You will discover that your mind is constantly producing stray thoughts
and does not want to be quiet. We call this state "garbage mind and it
will take time and patience for you to stop this mental churning so that
your entire focus is on the Mandala.
When your mind wanders and you become aware of it, do not become
upset, because this merely makes the process take longer. Instead,
gently guide your mind back to the object of focus and relax! This is a
skill like any other, the more you practice the better result you achieve.
You will not make the kind of progress you desire if you are tense. In
fact, if you are anxious or tense this clearly demonstrates that you are
doing something wrong. You must learn to open yourself to the
Gohonzon; if you manage to achieve this then your spiritual progress
will become accelerated. Please remember that it is improper to seek
this Gohonzon outside of yourself, you are the Buddha being
manifested!
When you sit in front of the Gohonzon it takes time to demonstrate
Buddha nature, the more experience you have the easier it becomes
but it is not just a matter of how long you have practiced, you have to
realize what it is you are doing before you can begin to really harness
the power of this practice.
As you chant in front of the Gohonzon your life condition changes from
your normal mixture of worlds to become the one world of
Buddhahood. This world of Buddhahood is a place of peace and

17
freedom from anxiety but it is also a place where you can utilize
wisdom you might not even know you possess.
It is not enough to read this or merely hear it; please realize that you
are the Buddha! You have eternally existed in one form or another and
because of this you have a vast accumulation of untapped wisdom that
can guide you on any occasion. The purpose of this chapter is to teach
you how to manifest Buddhahood on a daily basis so that when you
need wisdom it is easily available to you.
As you continue to practice properly your life condition will improve
and you will not experience dramatic negative states but in the first
year it often happens that your mental energy is negative when you sit
down in front of the Gohonzon. Never let your emotional condition
keep you from spending time in front of the Mandala because any
sincere practitioner will be lifted into the higher worlds after a few
minutes of chanting.
It is important that we develop mindfulness if we want to succeed.
Every school of Buddhism teaches mindfulness although, again, some
groups use different terms to say exactly the same thing. Some
Nichiren students have told me that we do not practice mindfulness as
part of our training but, again, we use the concept and simply call it by
a different name.
In the now classic text "Lecture On The Sutra" Jose Toda writes "Ones
body and mind should be always in perfect harmony, but in actuality it
is sometimes extremely difficult. The perfect oneness of body and mind
is what Buddhism calls Shikishin Funi."
Mindfulness is important when we practice in front of the Mandala but
it is equally important that we remain in this state of mental alertness
the entire day. Ive talked about this in other books, so Im not going to
dwell on it here. I trust that youve read "Stop Suffering: A Buddhist
Guide To Happiness," and "Day By Day" because they are freely
available on the Internet.
The question we want to address here is how we remain in this state of
mental alertness all day long. There are many different methods but
the one I use when teaching others is very simple. All of us breathe.
From this moment on be aware of the in and out of your breath and
keep this awareness in the forefront of your consciousness. Put your
focus on the area of the nose where air enters and remain aware of the
in and out of your breath.

18
No matter what occurs remain aware of the steady process of
breathing and always return to this awareness when your attention
wavers. In a few days you will discover that your are more alert and far
more efficient when you live in the now. You will also find that your
self-control is better because your mind is not running wild.
You must make an effort to control the kind of material you allow into
your mind, if you have a negative or unpleasant thought recognize it
for what it is but do not encourage it to remain. When your mind
produces some fantasy dont put your energy into it, and do not
support any kind of negative thinking. These unpleasant thoughts will
pop up in the first few years but as we continue to train our mind they
will begin to fade away until they are completely gone.
The goal of any Buddhist student is to develop a good heart because
you cannot attain enlightenment if you are narrow or selfish. A Buddha
is a fully developed human being and one critical component to your
development is a sense of humor. Please do not ignore this part of your
character; its very necessary if you want to experience happiness in
this lifetime. You will also discover that samsra (or the Saha world)
is a burning house that is greatly to be feared but it is also sometimes
wildly funny. There are occasions when laughter is the only logical
response.
To conclude this chapter I would like to remind you that the definition
of Shodai is in no way different from that of meditation so we must ask
ourselves why many people in the Nichiren School insist on a
distinction that is not supported by the facts. The Gosho identifies our
practice as meditation in so many different places that you have to
wonder exactly what these students are reading for study material. At
this time a part of our movement seems very keen on separating
ourselves from other Buddhists but how do we establish Kosen Rufu
from a posture of separation and indifference?
As we spread these teachings we should expect hatred and abuse from
evil teachers and laypeople who think they have attained what they
have not attained. When this occurs please remember the words of Mr.
Makiguchi, "It is of the greatest honor to be despised by the foolish"
and "Unless one is courageous enough to become an enemy of the
wicked, one cannot become a friend of the virtuous."
These attacks on us are a blessing and it is quite possible that they are
the only way beings this twisted can ever be saved from the folly of
their own actions. These people who attack us form a poison-drum
relationship with us. When they have exhausted the evil energy

19
created by their mistaken actions, the karmic connection they have
deepened will remain, they will be re-born around us again, and this
time they will become our students until they attain Anuttara
Samyak Sambodhi.
This does not mean that serious students of other Buddhist Teachers
are evil or misguided. Nichiren points out that they will attain the merit
of whatever sutra they practice as long as they do not engage in
slander of the True Law. In "The Opening Of the Eyes" (Part two)
Nichiren writes,
"In view of these facts, I believe that the devotees and followers of the
various [provisional] sutras such as the "Kegon," "Kammuryoju," and
"Dainichi" sutras will undoubtedly be protected by the Buddhas,
bodhisattvas, and heavenly beings of the respective sutras that they
uphold. But if the votaries of the "Dainichi," "Kammuryoju," and other
sutras should set themselves up as the enemies of the votary of "The
Lotus Sutra," then the Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and heavenly beings will
abandon them and will protect the votary of "The Lotus Sutra."
As we have seen many students in the Nichiren School of thought
choose to label "the Meditation of The Lotus Sutra" taught to us by our
Teacher to be something other then meditation but this is an
argument about semantics and not really very interesting at all. "The
Lotus Sutra" clearly states that any person who practices this teaching
correctly must meditate.
If we are not meditating when following the guidelines of Nichiren, then
we are not practicing "The Lotus Sutra," and our Teacher would be
leading us to ruin and misery. My direct, personal experience tells me
that this is not the case and I have also heard countless other SGI
members recount dramatic positive changes in their own lives that is
only possible because they have made a direct connection to the lifeforce of the universe.
In "The True Object of Worship" Nichiren wrote: "Kanjin means to
observe ones own mind and to find the ten worlds within it." The
concept of Ichinen Sanzen means that your life and all the things
around you that make up your environment are one single entity. There
is no separation between what worldly people believe to be self and
the surroundings that they live in.
If this were not so then we could never attain enlightenment, never
experience Nirvana, and never walk in the Pure Land: Shakyamuni
taught that "the various kinds of living beings are in themselves the

20
Buddha Lands" and "if the Bodhisattva wishes to acquire a Pure
Land, he must purify his mind. When the mind is pure, the Buddha land
will be pure." ("The Vimalakirti Sutra," chapter 1)
There is no easy path to Buddhahood. You will not realize truth merely
because you become a member of some religious community, nor is it
enough for you to simply pick a teacher or a school and blindly follow
whatever guidance you are given. The Buddha makes it quite clear in
"The Kalama Sutra" that we are responsible for the causes we make.
We must decide for ourselves if an action is right or wrong based on
our own experience and wisdom.
You should not make any long tem commitment to follow a Dharma
teachers instructions until youve been around him for a few years. Its
important to read or listen to his teachings but watch everything about
this person closely, be on your highest state of mental alertness when
youre around him so you can see the fruit of his personal activities. Its
great that he teaches love, for example, but does he practice it? How
does he treat people outside his circle of followers?
A good way to see into his heart is to watch how he treats Buddhists
from different sects. As someone who goes to a lot of inter-faith
activities I can tell you that many people just close their minds and
hearts down when they encounter students doing different practices. I
do not mean that you should study your prospective teacher in a
judgmental way. In other words, you might decide to study with a
different teacher but you should not conclude that the person in
question is evil or immoral. He is simply not the best possible teacher
for you.
It is an unfortunate fact that hatred between Buddhist sects is
becoming quite common now in the United States. None of these
schools are real; students created them long after the Buddha died.
Teachers who seem to be full of love and compassion reveal where
they really are in their human development when they mistreat other
Buddhist students simply because they follow another teacher.
It is easy to become wrapped up in our petty daily concerns but our
focus is narrow and limited when we behave in this manner. We need
to widen our perspective if we want to see things the way they really
are. We live in a fabulous world system but we take it for granted to
the extent that we may destroy it from sheer ignorance.
Modern science tells us that the universe is billions of years old. The
universe is expanding and we are still in the beginning stages of that

21
expansion because there is far more time ahead of us then has already
elapsed. However, we as individuals are composed of elements that
come from dead stars and the various life forms that came before us.
We should express gratitude to the beings that lived before us. We
should also work skillfully to benefit the beings that will come after us.
Think about your place in this scheme of things because you are here
for a reason and your behavior will make a difference in the way things
turn out.

A Guided Meditation

Caution: It is imperative that you learn to chant properly. If

you do not pronounce this mantra correctly your efforts are
wasted. (Click here to hear the mantra of "The Lotus Sutra") Or
you can call our 800-phone number and we will teach you (free
of charge). You can call 800-576-9212 anytime. This phone is
answered twenty-four hours every day of the year. If you
prefer, we will send you a free audiotape that allows you to
learn in the privacy of your own home.

22
Before you start your meditation please focus on the three essential
points that were mentioned earlier in the chapter. Due to their
importance they appear here again:
The first is: The Gohonzon expresses the nature of the original Buddha
(referred to as the truth body or Dharmakaya). The second point to
keep in mind is that the Gohonzon is the expression of enlightenment
and the final point is that this Gohonzon is the only path for us that will
lead to enlightenment.
Spend a few moments contemplating this before you open the
Butsudan. Dont take this moment for granted, something wonderful is
about to happen, you are about to come face to face with the Buddha!
When you open the doors of your Butsudan make certain that you do it
mindfully, be totally present when the Buddha is revealed.
Now is the time for practicing in front of the great Mandala that leads
all seeking people to enlightenment! Sit in a comfortable position so
that you will not be distracted. Relax your body; learn to be
comfortable within yourself. Keep your eyes open and focused on the
Gohonzon. Your eyes should rest at the top of the central part of the
Mandala, which reads "Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, Nichiren."
Begin to chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo; the speed and rhythm of your
chanting should be like that of a galloping horse. As your practice
develops the pace will greatly increase but no matter how fast you
chant it is essential that you clearly pronounce the daimoku properly.
Exist in the moment! This is the time for you to demonstrate your
mindfulness skills. Relax and focus intensely, in time you will become
the daimoku you are chanting. When you reach the moment where
everything but Nam Myoho Renge Kyo is forgotten then you have
arrived!
When your new awareness drifts away dont tense up and grasp at
what was before, you had a brief moment of success and it will take
time to train your mind. If you manage one second of complete
mindfulness in front of the Gohonzon then you have been successful in
your practice.
Please dont feel like the rest of the time spent in front of the Mandala
is wasted, this is never the case. Any sincere offering to the Law will
result in a positive outcome, even the simplest practice, like offering
water or incense will definitely produce benefit in the life of the
practitioner.

23
Continue to chant for as long as you feel necessary. Its great to chant
for long periods of time but remember to take care of yourself.
Chanting is not a punishment! If you are tired or restless get up, you
can always return when you are ready. Your practice should be a joy; if
it isnt then you are doing something wrong.
This meditation is the good medicine that cures all karmic ills. You
should take this medication every day for the rest of your life.

3
Mara And The Obstacles To Spiritual Practice
The first few months of correct practice will see you enjoy many
different kinds of obvious benefits. The details will vary depending on
the individual but these easily observable benefits, which act as a kind
of positive reinforcement, let the practitioner know that they are doing
the correct thing. Please be aware that there are even better, far more
important benefits that you will not realize for some time. These
include peace of mind, happiness and even nirvana or enlightenment.
These benefits are inherently present in you from the first moment you
chant Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, however, when you as an individual
realize them in your life depends on how hard you work to develop
your humanity.
As your practice begins to develop you will encounter the first of many
challenges; it may be a series of small calamities or it might be
something far more serious depending on the causes you have made
in the past. The details will naturally change from student to student
but if you practice correctly Mara will definitely appear in your life.
Mara is often personified in teachings but the term can best be defined
as the internal negative forces present in all sentient beings. The
concept of Ichinen Sanzen clearly demonstrates that living beings
always possess all ten-world states (from hell to Buddhahood). It is also
apparent that every being will manifest one of these states, or, what is

24
more likely, some combination of them in any life moment. Thus,
negative forces continue to exist even in the life of a Buddha.
Attacks of mental negativity will continue to occasionally visit your
mind right up until the moment of death so you must learn to deal with
this kind of energy as early in your practice as is possible. After your
initial grace period Mara will attack relentlessly and if you do not cope
with the challenges presented you will fail. If you do fail; that is, give
up and walk away from your practice the effects of taking that action
will be grim. It will be a failure of monumental proportions because the
effects will carry over into numerous future lives until that negative
energy is eradicated.
Even worse, the sutras make clear that you will not receive another
opportunity to attain enlightenment for millions or even billions of
years. Please realize the serious nature of these consequences. The
amount of suffering you will endure before you find another chance is
beyond human comprehension or imagination.
To be successful in these circumstances you must determine to move
forward in your human development no matter what occurs. There will
be occasions when it seems to be a matter of common sense to quit
but at those times you must push forward even harder.
As you advance the challenges become greater but if you are really
training your mind then you are developing the skills to handle these
tests. You will be tested because this process is necessary for growth.
How do you really know what you stand for if your values are never
challenged? Can you mature in an environment where nothing bad
ever happens to you?
What you now perceive to be adversity is actually good for you! It will
teach you how to endure, and then persevere in the face of evil, which
will make you strong and resilient. In a year or two you will have
enough perspective to see for yourself that beings who attack you are
actually your best friends! The people you now consider enemies are
the people who give you the opportunity to practice Mahayana thought
transformation, which is more than merely a benefit, it is a beautiful
gift that we will come to greatly treasure.
When someone behaves in an inappropriate manner, a skillful Buddhist
student has several options available: You can respond to hatred with
anger but if you do then another link is forged and this person will
show up in your future environment with that same negative energy all
over again. You can choose to practice Mett, which means that you

25
say nothing hurtful to the person in return or that you remain totally
silent.
A better alternative is to transform that negative energy in your mind
into love for the person attacking you by using Mahayana thought
transformation. The only cure for hatred is love. Mahayana thought
transformation requires a solid base of practice and study but it is the
best way to practice because it eliminates hatred and transmits love.
To transform negative energy like hate or anger into love first begin by
realizing the empty nature of all things. Understand that the focal point
of your anger is a person just like you, dependent on causes and
wanting only happiness, never suffering. He is responding to you in a
hostile fashion because of causes you made in the past so returning his
anger is foolish.
When you calmly analyze a hostile situation it becomes evident that
the only person responsible for what appears in your environment is
you, yourself. If you do not like your current surroundings then it is you
who must change. If your life is filled with angry, antagonistic people
then the problem is you and your bad behavior in this life and in the
infinite past. If you really understand this then it becomes absurd to
return the anger directed at us by people who are not living in a skillful
manner.
Advanced Nichiren students will tell you: "You may complain one
million times but this will change nothing and only make you and the
people around you unhappy. On the other hand, if you chant NamMyoho-Renge-Kyo one million times you will become happy and your
environment will most definitely change into the true Pure Land of the
Buddha."
It is not possible to practice Mahayana Buddhism in isolation; you need
to be around other beings and some of these beings must behave in
what you perceive to be a hostile manner or you will not be able to
practice patience or tolerance. If these beings are not present in your
environment then you will not be able to develop the mental skills
needed to advance spiritually. In time you will realize that the man who
expressed hostility to you was your true friend. This realization is the
foundation of wisdom.
If you learn to really see the man or woman who disparages you then it
will become clear to you that he or she has been your mother and
father at some point in the endless past. This person is in your

26
environment because they have a direct connection to you and you
owe them a debt that can only be repaid by attaining enlightenment.
As your mind continues to develop you will eventually realize that
good or bad is just another unreal mental construction or category.
You must begin to make the effort to free yourself from this kind of
unreal thinking. When an action occurs make the effort not to make
judgments.
Merely labeling something is not the same as understanding; you have
substituted cataloging for comprehension since the beginning-less past
and it has led you only to a state of suffering. If you now understand
the nature of your error then now is the time to begin the practice that
will lead you to the freedom of Nirvana.
The key to positive, continuous mental growth and the development of
wisdom is practice and study. Jose Toda was a man who accomplished
amazing things (see "Stop Suffering: A Buddhist Guide To Happiness").
He gave lectures on "The Lotus Sutra" almost every week for seven
years. When one of his students asked him how he had acquired the
wisdom and knowledge to do this he replied: "While in prison I chanted
sincere Daimoku and I studied. As a result, these things seem to have
come to me. The eighty thousand sutras in fact refer to my own life."

Teachers Of "The Lotus Sutra"

Every student who practices "The Lotus Sutra" must become a teacher
of others to properly follow the instructions given by the Buddha. When
you begin to teach, however, a whole new set of challenges present
themselves. Any person who teaches this truth to the world will be
harshly disparaged.
In "The Lotus Sutra" Shakyamuni warned future followers: "And since
hatred and jealousy towards this sutra abound even when the thus

27
come one is in the world, how much more will this be so after his
passing?" (Chapter 10, "The Teacher of The Law")
Tien Tai wrote: "It will be much worse in the future because "The
Lotus Sutra" is so hard to teach." Nichirens "The Opening Of The Eyes"
devotes numerous pages to the subject because his followers did not
understand why they were encountering such bitter denigration. In
part one of this major writing Nichiren states: "As mountains pile upon
mountains and waves follow waves, so do persecutions add to
persecutions and criticisms augment criticisms."
Every student of "The Lotus Sutra" must experience and persevere in
spite of these persecutions. In chapter thirteen (Encouraging Devotion)
the student is warned: "There will be many ignorant people who will
curse and speak ill of us and will attack us with swords and staves, but
we will endure all these things."
Later in the same chapter it speaks directly to the student of the latter
day of the Law: "In this muddy kalpa, this muddy age; there will be
many things to fear. Evil demons will take possession of others and
through them curse, revile and heap shame on us. But we, reverently
trusting in the Buddha, will put on the armor of perseverance. In order
to preach this sutra we will bear these difficult things."
You will discover this truth for yourself if you seriously begin to
propagate these Teachings. The Meditation of "The Lotus Sutra" will
help the earnest student greatly improve his current life but it also
aims at purifying the vast ocean of negative karma we have created in
the past. Please remember when you are attacked that this abuse is
part of your practice.
The latter section of Part 1 in Nichirens greatest written work "The
Opening Of The Eyes" explains why students who actually propagate
these teachings are persecuted.
Nichiren wrote: "It is said that good medicine tastes bitter. This sutra,
which is like good medicine, dispels attachments to the five vehicles
(common or worldly beings, heavenly beings, voice-hearers,
Pratyekabuddhas, and Bodhisattvas) and establishes the one supreme
teaching. It reproaches common mortals and censures sages, denies
provisional Mahayana, and refutes Hinayana. It speaks of the heavenly
devils as poisonous insects and calls the non-Buddhists evil demons. It
censures those who cling to Hinayana beliefs, calling them mean and
impoverished, and it dismisses Bodhisattvas as beginners in learning.
For this reason, heavenly devils hate to listen to it, non-Buddhists find

28
their ears offended, persons in the Shomon and Engaku realms are
dumbfounded, and Bodhisattvas flee in terror. That is why all these
types of persons try to make trouble for us."
Nichiren carried the burden of propagating "The Lotus Sutra" most of
his adult life. He gave of himself to teach others but this does not
adequately describe the burden he carried. When you teach Dharma to
others you must be available to them at any time, no matter what you
are doing. This entails serious sacrifices when it comes to personal
activities; sometimes it is difficult to finish a meal, for example.
Nichiren wrote ("The True Aspect Of All Phenomena") "you must not
only persevere yourself; you must also teach others." "Teach others to
the best of your ability, even if it is only a single sentence or phrase."
This means that there is no time for personal weaknesses, you must
put them aside and be strong for the person or persons who depend on
you.
Nichiren had no one to turn to for encouragement when he needed it
yet he persevered and provided essential support not only for the
people of his day but for all of the numerous students who have since
followed his teachings. His life is an example that all practitioners
should emulate if they wish to be successful.

4
Understanding The Lotus Sutra
(A BIONA Commentary on "The Three-Fold Lotus Sutra is freely
available on the Internet or from the BIONA library: it is
entitled "Inside The Lotus Sutra.")
What is different about the teachings found in "The Three-Fold Lotus
Sutra"? The Buddha preached for forty years before he ever taught a
single line of "The Sutra of Innumerable Meanings." When Shakyamuni
began to preach this "Three-fold Lotus Sutra" he made the statement:
"In forty years and more, the truth has not been revealed yet."
At that point everything changed. The Buddhas students thought they
understood his teachings but the teacher was now making it clear that
what they had been learning was merely preparatory. In that paragraph
the Buddha also explains I knew that the natures and desires of all
beings were not equal and accordingly I preached the Law to them

29
using various methods. (Chapter 2 "The Sutra of Innumerable
Meanings")
The Buddha continued this teaching that brought to maturity his ideas
and realizations by preaching the central text entitled "The Lotus
Sutra." In chapter two of this "Lotus Sutra" the Buddha tells his
students that his teaching techniques were very practical and that he
used many different methods to reach all the different kinds of people
in the world. However, he revealed that there were not three vehicles
that lead to Nirvana; there was really only one.
The use of vehicle in this sense indicates a method of practice that
will carry you to various levels of spiritual development. Some
students were unusually attached to early teachings; they made huge
strides in their spiritual growth and so they were not interested in the
Buddhas later teachings. These students felt that later teachings often
did not apply to them because they believed that it was impossible for
them to ever become fully enlightened beings.
Numerous examples can be found in the sutras where Shakyamuni
rebukes the disciples who continued to be improperly attached to the
early teachings. The Buddha wanted his followers to continue to grow
and develop; it was essential that all students determined in their
minds that they would persevere in their practice until they realized
enlightenment.
Some students had great difficulty understanding that Shakyamuni
wanted them to aspire to Buddhahood. To arouse these long time
followers, called voice-hearers, from their complacency the Buddha
first told them that they could never attain enlightenment.
The effect this had on these disciples can be seen in "The Vimalakirti
Sutra:" "If wise persons hear it, there will be none who do not set their
minds on attaining anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. But what of us, who
are forever cut off at the root, who with regard to these Great Vehicle
teachings have already become like rotten seed? When voice-hearers
hear this doctrine of the emancipation beyond comprehension, they
will surely all cry out in anguish in voices loud enough to shake the
whole thousand-million-fold world." (Chapter 6)
From this it is clear that the voice-hearer disciples were jolted from the
complacent attitude that they had assumed but the message had still
not been absorbed so Shakyamuni began to announce in public
discourses that those who gave alms to the voice-hearer disciples were
making bad causes that would lead to serious misfortune.

30
Since monastic disciples needed to beg for their daily food these
students were reduced to living off the leftover alms given to the
Buddha. Although Shakyamunis actions must have seemed a cruel
betrayal, this kind of tough love was the medicine these followers
needed to arouse the aspiration for enlightenment.
Monastic disciples were divided into three different broad categories;
the first of these classifications was called "voice hearers" or
"Sravakas." This was a term applied to followers of the early teachings
of Shakyamuni. (For more information see the listing for voice hearer
in the section of the book entitled "Common Buddhist Terms.")
The next classification was called "Pratyekabuddhas," a group of
students who had attained high states of realization through their own
efforts, that is, without receiving teachings from others.
The final group was considered to be "Bodhisattvas," or students who
practiced compassion and who worked to bring benefit to all sentient
beings. Bodhisattvas were the only students that were considered to
be capable of attaining enlightenment.
Chapter 2 of "The Lotus Sutra" makes it clear that the Buddha teaches
only Bodhisattvas, it states that everyone is capable of attaining
enlightenment, and points out to students that classifications are not
ultimately real.
Shakyamuni describes reality in Chapter 2 of "The Sutra of
Innumerable Meanings:" any student who wishes to attain
enlightenment "should observe that all laws were originally, will be,
and are in themselves void in nature and form." All things are "nondualistic," and "just emptiness."
"The ignorant people of this world discriminate falsely," they create
artificial categories that are not real and this causes them to "entertain
evil thoughts," "make various evil karmas," and accordingly, "they
suffer all manner of miseries."
Chapter 2 teaches us that all people have the capability to become
Buddhas. All students of the Dharma are bodhisattvas and all people
have a Buddha nature with the potential to attain the state of
enlightenment because Ichinen Sanzen (see the ten worlds)
accurately describes the true nature of all living beings.
Nichiren wrote: "The "Expedient Means" chapter (chapter 2 of "The
Lotus Sutra")expounds the doctrine of three thousand realms in a

31
single moment of life, making it clear that persons of the two vehicles
can achieve Buddhahood." (The opening Of The Eyes" Part 1)
As soon as a new student commits himself to following the path taught
by an enlightened teacher he is, in fact, a Bodhisattva or Buddha-intraining. The Buddha makes clear to all who will hear: "I employ only
the single vehicle way to teach and convert the Bodhisattva, I have no
voice-hearer disciples."
Chapter 3 assures the student that this sutra is the highest teaching of
the Buddha: "This vehicle is subtle, wonderful, foremost in purity;
throughout all worlds it stands unsurpassed." Also "Though one
should seek diligently in the ten directions he will find no other
vehicles except when the Buddha preaches them as an
expedient means."
The Buddha tells Shariputra my purpose is not to teach people to
attain the "nothingness" of Nirvana, I am here to "bring peace and
safety" to all sentient beings and this is why I appear in the world.
Chapter 3 contains the first prediction of Buddhahood for a voice
hearer disciple. Shariputra realizes: "Today at last I understand that
truly I am the Buddhas son, born from the Buddhas mouth, born
through conversion to the Law, gaining my share of the Buddhas
Law!" Shakyamuni responds by informing Shariputra that he will
become the Buddha "Flower Glow" in the far distant future. Before the
central text of "The Three-fold Lotus Sutra" was complete all of
Shakyamunis followers received a similar prediction of future
enlightenment.
This chapter also rather neatly incorporates the Four Noble Truths into
the text by telling us that "the cause of all suffering" "has its root in
greed and desire." "If greed and desire are wiped out, it will have no
place to dwell."
Chapter 7 continues this theme by giving the student a refresher
course on the Four Noble Truths: "Here is suffering, here is the origin of
suffering, here is the annihilation of suffering, here is the path to the
annihilation of suffering." The text continues with the classic listing of
the twelve-link chain of causation (for more information see the listing
for "Twelve-link chain of causation.")
Chapter 7 also teaches that Nirvana is the state of mind where a being
lives in this world system but does not suffer because they see things
just the way they are. The early teaching on Nirvana is described as a

32
phantom city, where students can rest along the path that leads to
Anuttara-Samyak-Sambodhi.
Students that are still on the early part of the path want to attain the
state of Nirvana and permanently stay there to be free from suffering
but this does nothing to aid others and is not the intention of the
Buddha who stated: "At all times I think to myself: How can I cause
living beings to gain entry to the unsurpassed way and quickly acquire
the body of a Buddha?" (Chapter 16)
Chapter 12 demonstrates that even people who commit the five
cardinal sins can attain enlightenment. Chapter 13 predicts
enlightenment for specific female followers; until this sutra was
preached every student was certain that women could never become
Buddhas without being re-born male.
These two chapters are expressing the truth as the Buddha himself
realized it. He saw that all of the categories we foolishly depend on are
not in any way real. All beings have value because all beings possess
Buddha nature, and this includes non-human life.
The two most important teachings found in "The Lotus Sutra" are both
contained in chapter 16. Nichiren wrote: "The doctrine of three
thousand realms in a single moment of life is found in only one place,
hidden in the depths of the Life Span chapter of the essential
teaching of the Lotus Sutra." (The Opening Of The Eyes" Part 1)
While chapter 2 illustrates that all people can attain enlightenment
because everybody possesses the ten worlds, the principle of Ichinen
Sanzen can only be found in chapter 16. Until the Buddha preached
this chapter the ten worlds were thought of as separate places. The
doctrine of Ichinen Sanzen is the first major truth revealed in chapter
16. The second important revelation is that Shakyamuni did not attain
enlightenment for the first time as a prince in India.
Chapter 16 opens with the Buddha telling his followers that all beings
believe that Shakyamuni attained enlightenment for the first time as
he sat under the tree of practice after "leaving the palace of the
Shakyas." However, it has really been billions of years since he first
attained Buddhahood.
All of the provisional sutras taught before "The Lotus Sutra" make the
claim that Prince Siddhartha became Shakyamuni Buddha after a
period of meditational practice under the pipal or Bodhi tree. As an
example "The Vimalakirti Sutra" has the distinction of being one of the

33
most studied and practiced of all the Buddhas teachings. It is second
only to "The Lotus Sutra" in popularity. In Chapter 1 it states: "Beneath
the Bodhi tree, you used your might to overpower the devil; gaining
the sweet dew of nirvana, you won your way to enlightenment."
Until Chapter 16 was preached it was a commonly held belief that
Shakyamuni had been become a Buddha for the first time in ancient
India, however when millions of beautiful Bodhisattvas that nobody has
ever seen before appear in Chapter 15, Shakyamunis followers are
stunned to hear him explain that they are his followers from the distant
past.
These "Bodhisattvas of the earth" are, in fact, Shakyamunis
original disciples and it is to these people that the Buddha entrusts the
mission of propagating the teachings of "The Lotus Sutra" in the evil
latter day of the law.
Why do such dramatic changes occur in the Buddhas teachings? New
students are told that the Buddha taught provisionally, according to
the capacity of the disciple being instructed and this is certainly true.
To answer this question in a more complete fashion, however, a closer
examination of "The Opening of the Eyes" (Part One) is required.
In this text Nichiren quotes a Mahayana sutra that tells the reader that
these early, pre-Lotus sutras did not contain Shakyamunis own
teachings. Our Teacher clearly states: "although these were doctrines
preached by the Buddha himself, they were not his own." Chapter 2 of
"The Lotus Sutra" states: "When I had thought in this manner, the
Buddhas of the ten directions all appeared and with Brahma sounds
comforted me and instructed me."
Nichiren continues by reminding us that the Buddha "repeatedly
declared" in numerous earlier sutras "I never preached a single word."
From these facts it becomes clear that Shakyamunis teachings and
realizations were only revealed in the last four sutras he expounded.
("The Threefold Lotus Sutra" and "The Nirvana Sutra") The Sutras
Shakyamuni preached prior to this were traditional teachings that been
offered by previous Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
If the Buddha had not taught these various preparatory sutras, he
would have been just like every other spiritual teacher. There have
been many people in the recorded history of our planet that taught
diverse levels of spiritual truth but all of them except Shakyamuni
provided one single method of entry to this wisdom. If the student

34
failed to grasp the teaching from this singular approach he gained
nothing.
The Buddhas compassion was far too great to consider leaving any
person outside the circle of his compassion. This included even those
beings that actively worked to hinder his mission, which was to open
the door of Buddha wisdom for all people and lead them to
enlightenment.
However, as Nichiren points out in "The Opening Of The Eyes:" (Part
Two) "The Buddha may be very anxious to convert all people, but if the
connection between them is not strong enough, then he cannot go
through the eight phases of a Buddhas existence."
The problem various Buddhist students face today is that they have no
karmic connection to the universal Buddha; their connection is only to
the teachings of others. This is why their schools teach devotion to
Amida or even Vairocana. "The Lotus Sutra" teaches that these
Buddhas are simply emanations of the universal Buddha, Shakyamuni.
This means that these Buddhas received instruction from Shakyamuni
at some time in the distant past.
To focus on Amida or Vairocana is like viewing the moon by observing
its reflection on the surface of a pond; let the observant student learn
to lift his eyes into the nighttime sky and actually see the face of the
eternal Buddha!
Nichiren writes: " the Buddha of the Juryo chapter (Chapter 16) is
revealed as the eternal Buddha" ("The Opening of The Eyes" Part 2).
In the Gosho entitled "The Essentials for Attaining Buddhahood"
Nichiren states: "In the beginning one followed this Buddha or
Bodhisattva and formed a bond with him, and so it will be through this
Buddha or Bodhisattva that one will attain ones goal. Above all, be
sure to follow your original teacher so that you are able to attain
Buddhahood. Shakyamuni Buddha is the original teacher for all people,
and moreover, he is endowed with the virtues of sovereign and
parent."
It is impossible for any person to attain Anuttara-Samyak-Sambodhi
without demonstrating filial respect and expressing gratitude to the
Teacher who caused the door of Buddha wisdom to open.
It is an unfortunate fact that many people in the latter day of the law
will only make this necessary connection in a negative way, forming
the kind of poison-drum relationship with the teachings that were

35
mentioned in chapter 2. However, the suffering that they endure will
end but the karmic connection to the Law revealed in "The Lotus Sutra"
will still remain and become the cause for them to begin the process
that leads to enlightenment.

One Family
I am writing this at a terrible time in the history of the United States.
Terrorists have massacred more then 6,000 civilians while attempting
to hide behind the cloak of a respectable religion. Whatever grievance
these persons might have felt, there is no justification for such
irrational acts. No sane person anywhere maintains that this action was
anything but cold-blooded murder.
Every religion has its extremists; these misguided people should be
pitied and helped if possible. If they are found to be plotting evil or
illegal acts they should be stopped or arrested, they should not be
hunted down and killed. It troubles me to hear the President of the
United States offer a five million dollar reward for Osama Bin Laden
dead or alive because we are a nation of laws.
Osama Bin Laden should be tried in the world court because his crimes
have injured people in numerous countries. If he were captured it
would be impossible for him to receive a fair trail in the United States
or Great Britain. If he were imprisoned in either country he would
quickly be killed by inmates who, Im told, hate him as much as anyone
on the outside. If he is kept in solitary confinement that would quickly
become cruel and unusual punishment, which is theoretically illegal in
the United States.
Laws are not just guidelines we should follow when they are
convenient. These laws were written to protect society from abuses of
power. It is these very laws that make us a society and if we do not live
by them then we are no different then any terrorist. Our response to

36
the monstrous actions of this criminal is a direct measurement of the
societal system we have created.
If we kill Bin Laden without due process of law then our free society
has failed an important test. Our country claims to value human rights
and personal freedom but far too often we do not live up to these
ideals.
A comprehensive study of the history of the United States makes it
easy to understand why the liberty bell cracked when it was rang in
this country. Under the circumstances it is almost miraculous that it did
not explode!
It is not good for us to hate each other. It is not profitable. If we
respond to the people who committed these criminal acts with hatred
and brutality then we will have created the cause to experience even
more violence in this country.
This book is entitled "A House On Fire" because many do not realize
the urgency of their personal situation. At the moment you have
earned the opportunity to change what will happen to you now and in
future lives. If you do not seize the moment and work to attain
Anuttara-Samyak-Sambodhi then your life, and many future lives will
have been wasted.
We are not here to become famous, wealthy or popular, we are here to
grow, develop as human beings, and bring benefit to all the numerous
people around us. You can imagine how you would behave if you
discovered that your house was literally on fire; your life must be lived
with that same sense of urgency!
If we do nothing, if we just go to meetings every week to practice
together, then our society will continue to follow the course its now
on. We already know what the results of violence will be: more hatred,
bloodshed, and war.
War must be viewed as the ultimate human atrocity because it is the
direct opposite of what we should be accomplishing both as individuals
and as a species.
War is not a natural, spontaneously occurring phenomena, it is a kind
of rage that must be worked up by the people participating. Inept
politicians create situations that precipitate wars but they never seem
to risk themselves in the battle. The persons sent to war are always

37
younger because they can be deceived easiest by noble sounding
rhetoric about heroism, personal courage, and duty to country.
These child-soldiers soon learn what their more mature counterparts
already understand; there is no honor in killing other people and there
is nothing glorious about having your friends intestines splattered
across the countryside.
It is not easy to kill a total stranger whose only crime was to be born
in a different country, it takes a great deal of training to make young
men coldly murder one another on command. During World War 1
troops that spent too much time in the same trenches came to know
their enemies across from them and would not attack one another so
before the slaughter could continue the men had to be moved to a
different area of the battlefield.
Some soldiers never kill anything in combat. If they fire their weapons
at all they make certain that nobody is close to their line of fire. The
men that do learn to kill change their lives forever. Why should people
be surprised that combat veterans have mental problems and
difficulties adjusting to peacetime society?
Any successful social structure is predicated on the concept of group
protection, do not kill is the prime rule of law we all learn as young
children. Irrespective of culture, this law is ingrained in the minds of all
citizens.
A person who violates this rule has put themselves outside the
parameters of the human family and is aware of that fact at some level
of consciousness. By definition one human being does not know what it
feels like to end the life of another. If this code is violated mental and
physical suffering will inevitably ensue in this and future lives.
The way back for an individual who has killed is long and difficult. It
takes less then a second to kill in our modern world but the debts that
are incurred will not be paid off for thousands of years.
Our species has poured endless amounts of energy, resources, and
money into developing better ways of killing one another: trillions of
dollars and countless man-hours have been drained from our social
coffers. Can you imagine the wonders our society could have created
with this same effort?
Instead of smart bombs we could have smart students, instead of
invisible bombers we could have vast networks of public

38
transportation, and instead of living in fear we could all treat others
like human beings and friends.
This world society could become a place where people wouldnt have
to struggle to find their daily food. If we stopped wasting resources on
new and improved methods of destruction we could begin to focus on
wiping out disease and establishing world literacy.
If we really want to live in a Buddhist Pure Land then peoples daily
needs must be met. The individual who spends all of his waking hours
seeking food and shelter does not have time to worry about spiritual
advancement. If countries based their foreign policies on love and
compassion then war and starvation could both become bad
memories.
Everybody wants to be loved. Love is something all people need; our
society obsesses about it in movies, books, poetry and song. Yet, in
spite of all the enthusiasm displayed, the sad truth is that most people
never experience much real love in their lives.
Far too many people settle for a shoddy imitation of love and lead lives
filled with misery and needless suffering. At first they are drawn to one
another by a strong sexual attraction. When this initial attraction fades
what they are left with is often an unpleasant or possibly ugly
relationship that can even become violent. Jealousy is not a symptom
of love; it is a demonstration of immaturity and improper attachment.
Love is selfless and giving, love never has an ulterior motive and is free
from attachment. There are never any strings attached to love, it is
completely unconditional. The goal of one who loves is to bring
widespread and long lasting happiness to the person or persons being
cherished. Therefore, love does not lead to pain and suffering, it is
always life affirming.
To be a Bodhisattva you must love all beings. In this simple statement
we find expressed much of the wisdom of all the great spiritual
teachers. You could as easily exchange the word Bodhisattva for
Christian, Muslim, or Jew and few would argue.
It was my teacher, Nichiren, called Shonin or Daishonin, who
provided the greatest example of a Bodhisattva demonstrating how to
practice love. He taught realized Truth to anyone interested all of his
adult life and he did it in the face of constant hatred and abuse. A true
Bodhisattva will persevere even after "common sense" tells most
people that its time to pack it in and quit.

39
The love and compassion of my Teacher has spread the Dharma all
across the world and the movement he created is growing larger every
year. As followers of this great Bodhisattva, identified as "Superior
Practices" in "The Lotus Sutra" we must identify our individual mission
and then strive tirelessly to fulfill it during the short time that we are
present in this world system.
I can honestly say that this is, by far, the most difficult thing I have
ever tried to do. When I became part of Buddhist Information my
intentions were to help as many people as possible. I saw that people
could not find the Buddhist practices they were looking for and I
wanted to help them. The people who work for Buddhist Information
are never paid for their time. In fact, the people who work here pay the
bills that keep us running from year to year.
The reaction has beenmixed. The people that were here to actually
serve have been warmly appreciative and this has been enough to
motivate us to continue. However, while intending only good things,
offering only unconditional love to any person we encountered we have
been reviled, slandered, abused, ostracized, spit on, cursed and
occasionally threatened with death.
As disturbing as this has sometimes been, it is nothing compared to
what our Teacher had to face. This has served to point out to me the
greatness of Nichiren. To persevere in the face of constant hatred and
animosity, yet still have the compassion to bring benefit to all the
beings in this world system clearly demonstrates and defines love.
As the illness eating away at the body I inhabit continues its work, I can
clearly see that my time here is limited. The closer we perceive
physical death to be, the clearer our vision becomes. People often lose
sight of what is truly important and they forget to love. The "great
secret" to being loved is laughably easy to discern from here. If you
want to be loved you must open your heart to the universe and love
everyone, especially when they do not love you.
We are all one family and we have many more things in common then
the silly things that separate us from each other. It is pitiful that we
spend the small amount of time we have here hating one another; the
Earth is a beautiful place, truly a Buddhist Pure Land if we only have
the wit to see it and the heart to live in it.

40

Questions From The BIONA Sangha

[Some of the Questions have been edited for brevity and
clarity.]

Question: You stated in one of your books that chanting the mantra
Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo is meditation training for your mind. I do not
understand how this is possible.
Answer: Meditation is a technique that causes the student to focus
the mind on an object that to the student seems virtuous. Whether
you are using your meditation to investigate the nature of an object or
you are holding the mental vision of the object firmly in your mind the
principle remains the same. When we sit in front of the Gohonzon our
mind is totally focused and filled with the Mandala, therefore we enter
the state of Samdhi. [See Dream World]
Question: What can you tell me about the future Buddha, Maitreya?
Answer: This is a subject that seems to interest every Buddhist
student at some time. The best text that Ive seen (present in my
personal library, entitled, Maitreya, The Future Buddha) was
translated from Sanskrit. It is a short work, which opens with
Shariputra asking Shakyamuni about the future Buddha. Shakyamuni
responds by first describing the future world Maitreya will enter.
The Buddha explains that the ocean will lose much of its water and
there will be much less of it than now. This will cause land bridges to
appear, which will connect the continents. There will have been
considerable erosion so that in comparison, the world will appear quite
flat.
The world will have innumerable inhabitants and Kosen Rufu will
have been established because there will be no crime or evil and all
people will take pleasure in doing good.
The Earth will be truly beautiful and food will be produced without
effort. Human beings will be born physically perfect, their bodies will
be very large and they will have incredible physical strength. Only
three kinds of illness will remain; people will still need to consume
food, they will still have to relieve their bowels and they will
eventually have to grow old. However, human life will be considerably

41
lengthened because women in that time will not marry until they are
five hundred years old.
When all of this has occurred, a great world leader will emerge and he
will make the Dharma prevail. This leader will be raised to his station
because of his meritorious deeds and his spiritual advisor will practice
correct morality. This advisor will have a beautiful wife who also
practices pure, correct morality. After all of these things have come to
pass Maitreya will leave the Tushita Heaven and be re-born into the
womb of this woman.
This document asserts that all Buddhas have similar birth patterns for
his mother will carry Maitreya for ten months and then give birth in a
grove while standing upright. The newborn Buddha will not exit the
birth cannel, but like Shakyamuni emerge from the right side of his
mother. He will announce, This is my last birth.
Maitreyas father will see the thirty-two marks on his son and know
that he will either become a universal monarch or a supreme
Buddha. However, as Maitreya ages the Dharma will become his only
interest and he will go into the homeless life with a retinue of eightyfour thousand people. He will teach his followers Mantras and then
become enlightened on the very first day of homeless life.
Then the Buddha Maitreya will explain to his followers that because
Shakyamuni put you onto the path to enlightenment you have arrived
here to hear my teaching.
Shakra (King of the gods), Mara (the evil one), Brahma and all the
gods, men, Gandharvas, Yakshas, Rakshasas and Dragons will all
praise the Buddha Maitreya and begin to lead a holy life.
The Buddha will teach for sixty-four thousand years and then enter
Nirvana. His true Dharma will endure for ten thousand years. The
document ends by telling the reader to take faith in the Buddha
Shakyamuni, for then you will see Maitreya.
Question: Im very interested in the historical reasons, both your own
and those of Nichiren Buddhists in general, for giving preference to
chanting over sitting, walking, or quiet meditation techniques. Is it
simply a question of taste or did Nichiren recognize the profound power
of sound and therefore recommend it? And is it then, a Japanese or
Chinese tradition?

42
Answer: Every School of Buddhism that Ive encountered uses some
kind of chanting technique. The following quotations appeared in
chapter thirteen of my last book, Dream World: All Schools of
Buddhism chant because the practice is so beneficial. Lama Yeshe,
one of my favorite Tibetan teachers, wrote: Mantra recitation makes
the mind focus single-pointedly, thereby counteracting scattering and
other distractions. (The Tantric Path of Purification p. 12) The
Venerable Ajahn Sanong Katapunyo, an excellent Theravadin Teacher
wrote: When we have real understanding, we will be confident about
chanting and worshipping the triple Gem, which makes our body,
speech and mind peaceful. (From Oneness) During the early years
of his ministry Nichiren did teach a form of quiet sitting meditation but
he then discovered that it was unnecessary and so eliminated the
practice. It takes years to have realizations when practicing quiet
sitting and then you must have the time and proper environment. In
the latter day of the Law it is the layperson who disseminates these
Teachings so the practice we use must be easy to teach, simple to use
and, most importantly, it must be efficacious. When the Nichiren
movement was small other Schools had very little to say about the
form our practice takes, however, when the Kosen Rufu movement
began at the end of the second World War we suddenly became the
largest Buddhist group in the world and other teachers began pointing
out our numerous errors. However, the writings of these various
Schools reveal a different attitude: Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo, for
example, wrote Actually, any path that leads to the abandonment of
defilement and to the release from suffering is right. The value of
medicine lies in its ability to cure disease; the value of a method of
practice lies in its ability to get rid of defilement. As far as I can see,
there is nothing wrong with any method that has been found to work.
(Frames Of Reference)
Question: Local leaders have told me that the students who practice
Nichiren Daishonins Buddhism should not study The Lotus Sutra
until they adequately understand the Gosho and can read the sutra
from the perspective of Nichirens teaching. Do you agree?
Answer: This is an attitude that seems prevalent in Great Britain. I
remember reading a similar statement in A Time To Chant, which
perhaps not surprisingly, was written in the United Kingdom. To me,
this seems inverted and goes a long way toward explaining some of
the peculiar ideas that young Nichiren students hold. In one of his
most important writings, The Opening Of The Eyes Nichiren wrote:
There are three types of doctrines that are to be studied. They are
Confucianism, Brahmanism, and Buddhism. Later, in the same work,
he also states: Nevertheless, all the sutras preceding The Lotus

43
Sutra also represent the true words of the Buddha. In Part two of this
major writing Nichiren stated: It does not do to hate others. If one has
eyes, one should examine the sutra texts and compare ones behavior
with them. In another of his major works, The True Object Of
Worship, Nichiren wrote: All the teachings Shakyamuni expounded
all the eight volumes and twenty-eight chapters of The Lotus Sutra,
the first four flavors of teachings that preceded the sutra and The
Nirvana Sutra that came after the Lotusmake an unbroken series of
teachings like one perfect sutra. Finally in the Gosho entitled The
Tripitaka Master Shan Wu Wei Nichiren wrote: Persons of wisdom
should of course devote themselves to the study of all the eighty
thousand doctrines of Buddhism, and should become familiar with all
the twelve divisions of the scriptures.
Question: What does rokusoku mean?
Answer: The literal translation is six and equality. According to Tien
Tai these are the six stages of practice for Bodhisattvas who are
practicing The Lotus Sutra. [1] Ri-soku: having the potential for
Buddhahood but not yet being aware of it. Tien Tai wrote: "Whether
or not they are awakened to it, all living beings have the nature of
enlightenment within themselves, as they are part of the spiritual
reality as-it-is." [2] Myoji-soku: hearing the truth and understanding
that the student does have the potential to attain Enlightenment. Tien
Tai stated: "When one hears of the Bodhi of the One Reality, and one
penetrates and reaches a thorough understanding of the names and
terms, one recognizes that all things everywhere are the Buddhas
Enlightenment." [3] Kangyo-soku: seeing the truth within and having
no internal contradiction between the perception and the action of the
practitioner. According to the writings of Tien Tai: Without having
penetrated and reached the meaning of the words, how can there be
Bodhi? It is necessary to observe the mind clearly and thoroughly.
Insight and the principle must correspond, practice must be the same
as speech, and speech must be the same as practice. When the mind
and the mouth correspond, there is the Bodhi that is the Practice of
Observation." [4] Soji-soku: the stage of outwardly resembling a
Buddha. Tien Tai stated: There is no contradiction between one's
spiritual life and ones worldly livelihood to sustain oneself, and ones
thoughts and speculations about Bodhi are as previously taught in the
Sutra." [5] Bunshin-soku: A partial awakening to the truth. Tien Tai
wrote: In opening up the precious treasury of the Dharma and
revealing the absolute spiritual reality as-it-is, the darkness of
ignorance is weakened and wisdom turns ever deeper." [6] Kukyosoku: the level of ultimate enlightenment. According to the writings of
Tien Tai: "In one turn, the Universal Awakening becomes the

44
Wonderful Awakening. The light of wisdom becomes totally full and
cannot be made fuller. Only the Buddha is able to penetrate this."
Question: All of this effort directed at helping people train themselves
to practice morality seems to be wasted effort. If we had stricter laws
and harsher penalties criminals would not be so anxious to commit
crimes. Is this not self-evident?
Answer: Morality implies having a choice. When morality is
excessively legislated and enforced there is no choice and so there can
be no morality.
Question: My husband used to be my lover as well. This is no longer
the case. Is there something wrong with American men?
Answer: Men often become bored after several years of marriage and
the wives inevitably blame their husbands for waning desire in the
marital bed but the blame falls squarely on the shoulders of both
partners. Nobody eats the same meal everyday for five or six years; it
would become impossible to work up enthusiasm for your dinner if you
know it will be the very same thing over again. I do not believe the
nationality of your husband has much to do with this situation; rather,
it seems to me to be a lack of imagination on the part of both partners.
Question: Why did Shakyamuni feel the need to call forth the
Bodhisattvas of the Earth? Was there something lacking in the
disciples already present at the teaching?
Answer: Nichiren says that in all the sutras, before The Lotus, and in
the first half of The Lotus Sutra itself, the Buddha invariably depicted
himself as having attained enlightenment for the first time in this
world. The difference he says is like that between a one hundred
year old man and a one year old baby. The disciples of these two
teachings are also as different as fire is from water, to say nothing of
the difference between their lands.
Question: We are told to love all beings as we do our own mother or
father but what if we have terrible parents? My family loves one
another the same way that Iraq loves Israel! Shouldnt I try to do
better then that and what can I do to assure myself of better family
circumstances in the future?
Answer: You have failed to analyze your situation thoroughly. Your
parents could not have been that bad because you survived childhood.

45
Your father and mother gave you life, made certain that you had
sufficient food and arranged for you to have a proper education. They
took you to the doctor when you were sick, bought the medicine you
needed to recover your health and made certain that you took it
correctly. Even if they did nothing else for you, this is still an amazing
gift.
Question: I overheard you tell another student that they must
master various sutras. How do you master a sutra?
Answer: When you understand a text well enough to help someone
else who wishes to learn its meaning then you have mastered that
particular sutra. People often seem to feel that they should have a title
or position from some organization before they help other beings in
need but this is wrong. If the Buddha had waited for some recognized
religious group to grant him the authority to help others no one would
have been helped at all. In the latter day of the law it is the layperson
that is responsible for disseminating these Teachings. I call your
attention to the Gosho entitled The Teaching, Capacity, Time and
Country where Nichiren writes, During the Former period of the Law,
one should cast aside those who break the precepts or who have no
precepts at all, giving alms only to those who uphold the precepts.
During the Middle Day of the Law, one should cast aside those without
precepts and give alms only to those who break them. And during the
Latter Day of the Law, one should give alms to those without precepts
(laypersons) treating them in the same way as if they were the
Buddha.
Question: I have read Inside The Lotus Sutra so I know that you
consider this to be the most important Mahayana Teaching given by
the Buddha. What would you say is the most important Theravada
Sutra in the Pali Canon?
Answer: Actually, there are a number of them that are important to
me: Maha Sunnata Sutta, Cula Sunnata Sutta, Jinna Sutta,
Mogharaja Manava Puccha, Udayi Sutta, Sigala Sutta,
Sabbasava Sutta, Sallatha Sutta, Cunda Sutta, Sunna Sutta,
Paccaya Sutta, Dhamma Niyama Sutta, Pabhassara Sutta,
Avalambana Sutta, "Mata Sutta," nanda Sutta, the Salha Sutta,
along with the Kalama Sutta, and the Mett Sutta. This list is
hardly complete but these texts are all available in the BIONA Sutra
section of our library and I have found them helpful to my
understanding and practice. Any Sutra or Sutta that helps you attain a
higher level of realization is important. I have absolutely no doubt that
other Buddhist students would have many different titles on their list

46
but that is why Shakyamuni taught in the manner that he did. When I
first began to practice the Sabbasava Sutta (All the Fermentations
or All the Taints in English) was the most important Sutta to me
because it reached me on a level that other teachings had not yet
reached.
Question: I am still pretty new to the Buddhist faith; I have read that I
should study the Gosho every day but I dont understand a lot of it and
it bores me. I already agree that The Lotus Sutra was the Buddhas
highest teaching and that seems to be all that Nichiren talks about.
What could I read and study instead, or is my attitude wrong?
Answer: Please dont let this trouble your mind so much because you
are hardly alone! I had much the same experience when I first started
studying the Gosho. First of all, you are probably trying to read some
of the more difficult texts too soon. Most of the people Nichiren wrote
his advanced texts to were raised in the Buddhist faith and had a fairly
extensive Dharma education so they had a better level of
understanding then you do right now. However, not all of Nichirens
writings are difficult to comprehend. I would suggest that the best
thing for you to do is to continue your Dharma education. As your
knowledge grows you will also be polishing the mirror of your mind
with daily practice, which will allow your Buddha wisdom to naturally
flower and then you will suddenly discover that Nichiren is no longer
talking over your head. Before returning to any systematic study of
the Gosho spend time becoming familiar with the following texts: The
Heart Sutra, The Diamond Sutra, The Vimalakirti Sutra, The
Shurangama Sutra, The Lankavatara Sutra, and The Threefold
Lotus Sutra. All of these works can be found in the BIONA library
along with commentaries to help you understand them.
Question: How many Dharma teachers can I have?
Answer: There is no limit to the number of secondary teachers a
student can learn from or receive benefit from. However, in the latter
day of the Law the Gohonzon serves as a primary Teacher for all beings
that seek wisdom and the peace of Enlightenment. Once you begin to
practice in front of this mandala your questions will be answered in the
very next Dharma text, lecture, or book that you pick up to study.
Question: At the beginning of many of the sutras I have read, a monk,
before asking the Buddha his intended question will arrange his robe
over one shoulder. Why do they do that?

47
Answer: Originally, this was done in Royal Courts as a sign of respect
and to show that the person asking the question did not have a
weapon in his hand.
Question: I have just discovered that my Dharma teacher has several
bad habits and cannot be worthy of being anyones instructor! I am
supposed to see my teacher as a holy Buddha and this person clearly
is not even close to being enlightened! Ive heard good things about
your website, can I study with BIONA?
Answer: You are welcome to study with us as long as you find it
beneficial. However, it might be best for you to reconsider your
attitude toward your former teacher. Perhaps, for the time being, you
can keep him as a secondary instructor while you think about things.
Ask yourself about the quality of the teaching you have received, try
not to focus on what you perceive to be the faults of the individual.
Even if you decide to follow another teacher you owe your original
teacher a debt that is difficult to repay, so remember to think of him as
an Enlightened Buddha. For your own sake please keep in mind that it
is best to only say good things about him or to remain silent.
Question: How exactly does one practice the Lotus Sutra? The word
practice seems to be used in lots of different ways. In your opinion
what exactly is it?
Answer: The obvious answer is steady Dharma practice in front of the
Gohonzon as well as constant daily study but you already know this
much, Charley. There are different approaches to the practice of The
Lotus Sutra, which one you do very much depends on who you are
and the karmic connections that you have formed in the past. Thich
Nhat Hanh teaches The Lotus Sutra in a manner very different from
the method expounded by the Tendai School, and both of these
approaches radically differ from the method Nichiren recommended. Is
one of these approaches better then another? The answer to that
question really depends on who you are; I cannot find it in my heart to
tell sincere students who do other practices that what they are doing is
wrong or somehow evil. My Teacher wrote: I believe that the
devotees and followers of the various provisional sutras such as the
Kegon, Kammuryoju, and Dainichi Sutras will undoubtedly be protected
by the Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and heavenly beings of the respective
sutras that they uphold. (The Opening Of The Eyes Part Two)
Although you now consider yourself a Tibetan Buddhist you obviously
have a connection to the people at BIONA or you would not have joined
our electronic Sangha and remained in the community. No matter
what you decide to do in the future you have chanted Nam-Myoho-

48
Renge-Kyo with true sincerity, thus planting a seed for the future that
will bring you great benefit. I never worry about any student once they
have taken this step because I know that their future is assured.
Since you ask for my opinion, to practice The Lotus Sutra means: [1]
to comprehend and live by the four Noble Truths and to end mental
suffering by following the path taught to us by the Buddha. (See The
Phantom City, chapter seven: Here is suffering, here is the origin of
suffering, here is the annihilation of suffering, here is the path to the
annihilation of suffering. Then he expounded the Law of the twelve
linked chain of causation: suffering and anguish will be wiped out.)
(See Chapter three, Simile and Parable: As to the cause of suffering,
it has its roots in greed and desire. If greed and desire are wiped out it
will have no place to dwell. To wipe out all sufferingthis is called the
third rule.) [2] to realize the emptiness of all phenomena: (See
Chapter fourteen, Peaceful practices: Next, the bodhisattva should
view all phenomena as empty, that being their true entity.) [3] to
realize the such-ness of life (See chapter sixteen, The Life Span Of
The Thus Come One The Thus Come One perceives the true aspect
of the threefold world exactly as it is. There is no ebb and flow of birth
and death, and there is no existing in this world and later entering
extinction. It is neither substantial nor empty, neither consistent nor
diverse. Nor is it what those who dwell in the threefold world perceive
it to be. All such things the Thus Come One sees clearly and without
error.) [4] to awaken to our true identity: (See chapter three, Simile
And Parable: I tell you, Shariputra, you and the others are all my
children, and I am a father to you. Also, from the earlier in the same
chapter, Today at last I understand that truly I am the Buddhas son,
born from the Buddhas mouth, born through conversion to the Law,
gaining my share of the Buddhas Law!)
Finally, [5] to develop love and compassion for all sentient beings: (See
Chapter sixteen, The Life Span Of The Thus Come One: At all times I
think to myself: how can I cause living beings to gain entry to the
unsurpassed way and quickly acquire the body of a Buddha?)
Question: Martin Luther broke away from the Catholic religion and
started what came to be called the Protestant Reformation. In the
same manner, isnt the Buddhist Religion an offshoot of Hinduism?
Answer: No, Hinduism is a modern religion with roots in the ancient
past. The Hindu faith cannot be compared to any other religion in the
world. Its history and development is truly unique. Recent polls
suggest that at least eighty percent of Indias population considers
themselves to be Hindu. However, while this means that there are

49
approximately seven hundred million Hindu practitioners in India the
historical record clearly demonstrates that before the nineteenth
century what we now call the Hindu faith simply did not exist.
Hinduism is actually a loose confederation of various belief systems; it
is not in any sense an integrated religion. There is no single founding
personage, no single text to serve as a doctrinal reference and no
hierarchy to settle questions of what is or is not considered proper
Hinduism. On the hand, some Brahmanical texts now considered
Hindu date back to at least 1100 B. C. E. The Hindu practitioners that I
have met are delightful people and every single one of them embraces
Buddhists as co-religionists, considering us to be a small branch of
their own faith. Of course, we do share some similar beliefs, re-birth
and karma being the most important of the shared doctrines.
Question: I've got a pretty hot question, of the aforementioned
metaphysical type, for you, which came out of my morning
meditation. I am generating "Tranquil abiding" and concentrating on
Compassion as my object of meditation. I contemplate the world's
suffering, and incidentally get a bird's-eye view of the six lower realms,
e.g. hospitals, prisons, war zones, etc., then bring my concentration to
a still point on my compassion. However, my sense of the
hopelessness of the plights of these lives can easily overwhelm me. I
have a terrible sense of their being left behind and their undesirable
state of unconscious incompetence concerning how to even begin to
assuage their misery. How can Samsara be finally extinguished? And
how can I, we, hope to save them? I just get this awe-inspiring sense
of millions and billions of untrained ignorant minds out there.
Answer: You cannot help anyone who does not choose to accept your
help. If an individual is not willing to acknowledge that he has a
problem then how can you help him solve it? The good news is that
samsra on this planet will be eliminated eventually. The day will
arrive when every human on this planet will be interested in spiritual
growth and development, which means that the planet Earth will
become a Buddhist Pure Land. Your assessment of the number of
untrained minds is doubtless accurate but your focus should be on the
people who want to help themselves now. If we do this then the future
will be in good hands.
Question: How can one get the balance right between sorting out
oneself, the mind and all its bad habits and going for refuge on behalf
of all sentient beings? At what point is one ready to teach others given
there is so much work still to do on oneself?

50
Answer: If we had to wait until we had attained self-perfection then
very little Dharma would ever be taught. Teaching others is an
important part of practicing, you will learn a great deal from helping
others and as your compassion grows you will discover that you are
not able to sit back and simply watch other people suffer when you
might help them with a few well-chosen words.
Question: Isnt the emptiness of all phenomena a Mahayana concept?
I seem to recall that Nargarjuna invented the idea in the second
century C.E.?
Answer: You have not yet read enough Suttas: The Maha Sunnata
Sutta states: However, nanda, there is this abiding discovered by
the Tathgata: to enter and abide in void-ness (emptiness) internally
by giving no attention to all signs. From the same text we find the
following: Therefore, nanda, if a Bhikkhu should wish: "may I enter
upon and abide in void-ness internally, he should steady his mind
internally, quiet it, bring it to singleness, and concentrate it. Then he
gives attention to void-ness internally. While he is giving attention to
void-ness internally, his mind does not enter into void-ness internally
or acquire confidence, steadiness, and decision. He gives attention to
void-ness externallyhe gives attention to void-ness internally and
externallyhe gives attention to imperturbability. The Mogharaja
Manava Puccha reads thus: "Look upon the world as empty,
Mogharaja, ever mindful; uprooting the view of self you may thus be
one who overcomes death. So regarding the world one is not seen by
the King of Death." The Cula Suata Sutta states: Then in the
evening, Ven. nanda, coming out of seclusion, approached the
Blessed One and, on arrival, having bowed down, sat down to one side.
As he was sitting there, he said to the Blessed One: On one occasion,
when the Blessed One was staying among the Sakyans in a Sakyan
town named Nagaraka, there -- face to face with the Blessed One -- I
heard and learned this: 'I now often remain in an attitude of
emptiness.' Did I hear that correctly, learn it correctly, attend to it
correctly, remember it correctly? "Therefore, nanda, you should
train yourselves: 'We will enter and remain in the emptiness that is
pure, superior, and unsurpassed.'" These teachings are freely available
in the Sutra section of the BIONA library.
Question: Since the Buddha has predicted that our planet will
eventually become a Pure Land anyway why is it necessary for me to
practice correct morality?
Answer: The Venerable Yin-shun once stated: Trying to establish
everlasting peace for humankind while going against normal virtuous

51
conduct is like trying to find fish by climbing up a tree. (The Way To
Buddhahood P. 92) My Teacher wrote: Neither the Pure Land nor hell
exists outside oneself; both lie within ones own heart. Awakened to
this one is called a Buddha; deluded about it, one is called an ordinary
person. (Hell Is the Land of Tranquil Light) Obviously the Pure
Land of the Buddhas exists within the hearts and minds of those
people that follow the Middle Path, if you do not study and practice on
a daily basis then your feet are not firmly on this path and your
morality will be that of an ordinary worldly person. Under those
circumstances you cannot help yourself, let alone be of real service to
others.

7
Concluding Thoughts
What does the future hold for the North American Buddhist movement?
At this point in time Buddhism is still the fastest growing religion on our
continent but if we want this trend to continue some house cleaning
might be necessary. As someone who attends activities where
different Buddhist Schools interact it saddens me to report that dislike
for groups that are not us is becoming the accepted norm.
Theravada teachers and students routinely dismiss all Mahayana
practitioners as non-Buddhist. A question I have asked but have
never had answered by any of the people who made these comments
to my face is if the entire Mahayana world is non-Buddhist, what
exactly are they?
Mahayana students do not do any better in this regard; although
everyone accepts Theravada students as fellow Buddhists they often
disparage other Mahayana organizations. The greater the success of
the organization, the more they are disliked and the harsher the
slander becomes. The SGI is presently the largest Mahayana School in
the world and it is routinely slandered, sneered at or again, dismissed
as non-Buddhist.
Yet, when inter-Buddhist group activities are planned the SGI is always
invited to participate. I attend these events and sit and listen to
teachers tell their students to chant mantra on a daily basis because of

52
its value to the development of samdhi but then these same teachers
will flatly state that Nichiren Buddhists do not practice properly
because they devote themselves to chanting mantra!
There is no logic to any of this, but there seldom is where hatred is
concerned. The time to free our communities from this verbal brutality
is now. If we do not rebuke these misguided teachers who misbehave
this way now the future of the Buddhist movement in North America
may be seriously compromised. Many new students are now reluctant
to become involved with organized communities because they do not
want to hate anybody or become involved in the senseless violence.
However, a comprehensive visit to Internet chat rooms and discussion
forums will quickly demonstrate that Nichiren Buddhists are often the
worst of offenders. Many young Nichiren students dismiss all other
Buddhist Schools as not-Buddhist and have nothing good to say about
anyone involved in other styles of practice.
In one of his most important Teachings, The Opening Of the Eyes
Nichiren wrote, Those who seek the truth of Buddhism, however,
should reject one sided views, transcending disputes between ones
own sect and others, and should not treat others with contempt. (Part
two)
Even worse is the ongoing feud between the various Nichiren Schools.
The most heart rending lies and distortions are hurled back and forth
with little regard for who is hurt in the fallout. Of course, many of the
most vicious statements are intended to hurt their recipients but these
misguided students seem to forget that others are also reading these
vile messages and forming opinions of Nichiren Buddhism based on
what they are seeing. For many people this is the only exposure they
will have to any kind of Buddhist thinking in this lifetime; how could
they possibly form a positive opinion? This is a tragedy that will be the
cause of incredible future suffering for the misguided students that
choose to behave in this irrational manner.

Love for all sentient beings was the central message taught by
Nichiren. It is impossible to read the Gosho and not to ascertain that
this was the driving force that motivated all of his actions. In The
Opening Of The Eyes Nichiren wrote, I vowed to summon up a
powerful and unconquerable desire for the salvation of all sentient
beings and never to falter in my efforts. (Part One) As students who
profess to be following the Teachings of Nichiren we must strive to

53
achieve that same level of love and compassion for all beings. At the
very least we must learn to politely close our mouths and not respond
to hatred with any kind of negativity.

A Personal Note To The Readers Of These

Books
At this time things are going very nicely for Buddhist Information, we
are bigger and hopefully better then ever. I do not know if BIONA will
or even should survive my death; that will be determined by many
different factors.
Whatever happens I hope that you have enjoyed this series of books.
If even one person realizes the smallest particle of truth from reading
my words then my efforts have been richly rewarded.
I do not intend to roll over now and promptly die. Who can say when
any persons time here is over? It may be that I will write yet another
book, I will not be content to rest on any laurels that might be awarded
to me for my activities to date. I certainly stay active speaking to
groups of people, mailing Dharma to students around the world and
maintaining the library at the BIONA website.
In the last few months my focus has been on finishing these books
and I have often had to pray for the strength to sit at my desk long
enough to type the words that I have written. I now intend to
challenge this illness so that is where my extra energy will be directed.
When we commit evil acts we create negative karma that will cause
us to suffer hellish circumstances. The Nirvana Sutra states: by
making offerings to the three Treasures, one avoids falling into hell and
receives the retribution in this life, in the form of afflictions of the head,
eye, or back. Tien Tai wrote, Illness occurs when evil karma is
about to be dissipated. (Great Concentration And Insight) However,
as Nargarjuna wrote, The Lotus Sutra is like a great physician that can
change poison into medicine. (Treatise On The Great Perfection Of
Wisdom)
I therefore owe all of my readers a great debt for their assistance in
helping me clean up the mess I have made in the past and in the

54
present! May all of you find your way to happiness and freedom, may
all of you be reborn with me again and again in good places, may we
go together to the place of practice and there attain Enlightenment for
the benefit of all sentient beings. Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, Nam-MyohoRenge-Kyo, Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, may we bring the joy of Nirvana to
all beings!

Stephen L. Klick
August 20, 2002

Common Buddhist Terms

Abhidharma: One of the three baskets of the Tripitaka
Agama Sutras: The teachings Shakyamuni taught that deal with the
four noble truths, the eightfold path, and other introductory concepts.
Ajatashatru: King of the state of Magadha. He murdered his father
(King Bimbisara) to ascend to the throne. He later repented of his evil
ways and became a devoted follower of the Buddha.
Amida: The Buddha who resides in the Western Pure Land.
Anagamin/Anagami: A non-Returner (the third stage of holiness in
the Theravada tradition.)
Anatt: No self
Anicca: Impermanence
Anuttara-Samyak-Sambodhi: Supreme perfect enlightenment.
Arahant: (Also called Arhat) One who is worthy of respect, the
highest stage arrived at by Theravada practitioners.

55
Asura: Angry demon or demigod. They were a kind of powerful Titan
(or giant) who used powerful magic and often fought with the Devas.
They appear in every Indian religion. They rejected truth and
embraced falsehood.
Avichi: The Hell of constant suffering, you must commit at least one of
the five cardinal sins to arrive in this state.
Bardo: (also called Ku) the state of in-between where you gather
energy until life can be resumed. What you experience depends on the
life condition you died in, for example, those in the world of hell will
suffer anguish, and those in the world of Bodhisattva will experience
bliss.
Bhikkhu: Monk
Bhikkhun: Nun
Bodhi: Enlightenment
Bodhi Tree: Also called Pipal tree, the kind of tree Shakyamuni sat
under attain to attain enlightenment.
Bodhicitta: The mind of enlightenment.
Bodhisattva: One who desires to attain the state of Buddhahood and
lives in the world of compassion.
Bodhisattvas of the Earth: The Bodhisattvas who appear in The
Lotus Sutra and vow to propagate these teachings in the latter day of
the Law. Any person who chants Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo is a
Bodhisattva of the Earth but we usually refer to ourselves as followers
of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth as an act of humility.
Bon: The native religion of Tibet before the introduction of Buddhism.
Brahma: a protective deity
Brahma Practices: Religious practices that are done for the right
reason.
Buddha: A fully awakened being.
Butsudan: (Japanese) A Buddhist Altar containing the Mandala called
the Gohonzon.

56
Chandala: the lowest class in Indian society, they were considered
untouchable because they were undertakers, butchers, or fishermen.
Anything job that involved killing were left to this class.
Chih-i: (also called the great teacher Tien Tai) The Buddha of the
Middle Period of the Law. The Middle period is also called the
Counterfeit Period of the Law.
Chunda: A blacksmith who offered a meal to Shakyamuni. The meal
proved to be his last because he died shortly after eating it. However,
the meal was offered in sincerity, there was nothing wrong with the
food. Shakyamuni made it clear that Chunda did not poison him or
serve him spoiled food.
Circumambulation: A walking meditation around some holy object,
usually a stupa or Buddhist statue.
Daimoku: The title of The Lotus Sutra. (To chant Nam-MyohoRenge-Kyo.)
Daimoku Toso: A gathering of Buddhist students who chant NamMyoho-Renge-Kyo together; this is the meditative part of the practice
taught by Nichiren. These meetings usually last for an hour or an hour
and a half.
Dainichi: See Maha Vairochana
Daishonin: Great Sage or wise man.
Dakini: A female spirit who supports Dharma practitioners.
Dana: a gift or offering freely given (charity)
Dengyo: The great teacher Saicho was the founder of the Tien Tai
sect in Japan, which came to be called the Tendai sect.
Deva: There were hundreds of these Indian gods. They are said to
have created the Asuras, who almost immediately revolted. According
to Indian mythology, this set off a war that is still going on to this day.
Devadatta: A cousin of Shakyamuni who at first was a follower but
later became an enemy. He tried to kill Shakyamuni and also created a
schism in the Sangha. In spite of this behavior, he had also served as
a teacher of Shakyamuni in a past life, and in chapter twelve of The

57
Lotus Sutra he received a prediction of enlightenment. He is destined
to become the Buddha Heavenly King.
Dhamma/Dharma: Dhamma to Theravadin practitioners, Dharma to
the rest of us the word has numerous meanings. It means the Buddhas
teaching, Law or truth.
Dharmakaya: The mind (or truth body) of any Buddha.
Dharani: a memorized phrase, sometimes a mantra, which is used to
protect against negative forces. A student pronounces Dharanis
every day in the Gongyo ceremony.
Dozen Bo: The priest who first taught Nichiren when he was young.
Dragon Kings daughter: The dragons supposedly live on the ocean
floor. The dragon kings daughter attained enlightenment in chapter
twelve of The Lotus Sutra. A recent interesting theory suggests that
she was a dolphin.
Dukkha: usually translated as suffering, it also means impermanence
and that which is unsatisfactory.
Eagle Peak: (Also called vulture peak) the mountain in India where
Shakyamuni taught The Lotus Sutra.
Eight phases of a Buddhas existence: (1) descending from a
heavenly realm (2) entering the mothers body (3) emerging from the
mothers body (4) renouncing the world (5) conquering Mara (6)
attaining Anuttara-Samyak-Sambodhi (7) teaching the law (8) entering
nirvana.
Engaku: (in Sanskrit Pratyekabuddhasee the entry below) this is
the eighth of the ten worldssee the entry below)
Esho Funi: The oneness of life and its environment.
Esoteric Teachings: Secret teachings that are given to selected
students only after they have been initiated.
Essential Teachings: The final thirteen and one half chapters of The
Lotus Sutra. (For more information read Inside The Lotus Sutra, free
from BIONA books.)

58
Exoteric teachings: Teachings that are freely given to anyone who is
interested.
Five cardinal sins: The worst transgressions possible. They are:
Killing your father, killing your mother, killing an Arhat (see above),
injuring a Buddha, and bringing about disunity in the Sangha.
Flower Garland Sutra: The first teaching of the Buddha, which he
preached right after his enlightenment. Seeing that none of his
followers could understand what he was talking about, he preached
what are called the Agama Sutras.
Four noble truths: The first teachings from the Agama Sutras. The
Four Noble Truths are: 1) The Noble Truth of Suffering. (2) The Noble
Truth of the origin of suffering. (3) The Noble Truth of the cessation of
suffering. (4) The Noble Truth of the way leading to the cessation of
suffering. (See the twelve-link chain of causation.)
Fourteen Slanders: Fourteen attitudes you should avoid as a
Buddhist practitioner. They are: Shallow understanding, and I list this
first because if you do not study you cannot grow in your
understanding of the Dharma. Not growing is a serious form of slander.
Arrogance, negligence, wrong understanding of the concept of self,
improper attachment, ignorance, not having faith, scowling or making
faces at others, having unresolved doubts, slandering, despising,
hating, envying and bearing grudges.
Garuda: A giant Bird who eats dragons. Some Indian deities rode
them.
Gandharva: Part man, part horse, (similar to the Greek Centaur) they
were adept in the use of musical instruments.
Geshe: The equivalent of a Doctor of Philosophy in Tibetan Buddhism.
Ghee: The highest grade of clarified butter. Ghee was often used as
an example of something that was the finest or best it could possibly
be.
Gohonzon: The Mandala created by Nichiren and offered to the
human race as the best means of manifesting your Buddha nature in
the latter day of the law. Never seek this Gohonzon outside of
yourself! You are the Buddha whose nature is manifested when you
use this tool.

59
Gosho: literally, honored writings, this title is applied only to the
writings of Nichiren.
Great teacher: A title given to enlightened teachers in China and
Japan, usually after their death.
Grdhrakuta: A mountain in India also called Eagle Peak
Guru: A Dharma teacher in the Tibetan tradition.
Heart Sutra: An amazingly concise stating of the teachings known as
The Wisdom Sutras that deals with the emptiness of all phenomena.
Himyo Hoben: The highest level of the Buddhas teaching.
Hinyaya: The early teachings of the Buddha, which aim at achieving
the state of arhat. The word Hinyaya literally means lesser vehicle
and is not often used because it is seen as derogatory. These
teachings are usually called Theravada.
Hoyo Hoben: To match teachings to the capacity of a students ability.
These are the beginning teachings of the Buddha.
Hungry Ghosts: People who live in the world of hunger. Early
teachings were misunderstood and Shakyamunis students thought
that the ten worlds were actually places you would be re-born into.
Icchantika: A person possessed of incurable disbelief who has no
desire to attain Buddhahood.
Ichinen Sanzen: Three thousand-life conditions in one thought
moment. (For more information see the entry for the ten worlds
below.)
Indra: A swashbuckling god, known for destroying demons and getting
drunk. His chariot was the sun and his usual weapon of choice was the
thunderbolt. He is also known as Shakra.
Itai Doshin: (Japanese) To be many in body but one in mind. Any
Sangha needs Itai Doshin to function properly.
Jambudvipa: the entire human world.
Kalpa: Approximately sixteen million years.

60
Kalavinka: A bird with a beautiful voice.
Kanjin: A meditation technique where the goal is to observe your own
mind in order to establish the presence of the ten worlds within
yourself.
Karma/Kamma: (Kamma is Theravada) means action. The result you
receive is based on your intention.
Kimnara: A heavenly being with a beautiful voice that protects
Dharma practitioners.
Khandha: The component parts that make up sensory perception:
Physical perception, feelings, concepts or labels, mental formations
and sensory consciousness.
Kosen Rufu: Kosen Rufu means world peace but it also means that
we want the world we live in to be a Buddhist Pure Land where all
people are concerned with spiritual development.
Ku: (Also called Bardo in Tibetan Buddhism) the state of in-between
where you gather energy until life can be resumed. What you
experience depends on the life condition you died in, for example,
those in the world of hell will suffer anguish, and those in the world of
Bodhisattva will experience bliss.
Kumarajiva: A remarkable scholar who translated numerous sutras
into Chinese.
Kyochi Myogo: To fuse reality with wisdom. If you do not Kyochi
Myogo with your mattress and pillow, for example, you cannot sleep at
night.
Latter Day of the Law: The last of the three periods that exist after a
Buddha dies.
Lama: A spiritual teacher in the Tibetan tradition.
Lion throne: Any seat a Buddha uses to teach Dharma.
Mahasattva: A great being.
Maha Vairochana/Dainichi: A Buddha mentioned in several sutras,
worshipped by esoteric practitioners.

61
Mahayana: The greater vehicle teachings of the Buddha.
Mahoraga: A deity with the head of a snake who protects Buddhists.
Major writings: The five major works of Nichiren Daishonin. They
are: On Establishing The Correct Teaching For The Peace Of The land,
The Opening Of The Eyes, The Object Of Devotion For Observing
The Mind, The Selection Of The Time, and On Repaying debts Of
Gratitude.
Mandarava flower: A legendary flower that only grows in the heaven
realms.
Maitreya: (Also called Ajita) He is the Bodhisattva that will take
Shakyamunis place in this world as the next Buddha some five and a
half million years from now.
Mandala: An object of focus, which allows the practitioner to naturally
produce a state of Buddhahood.
Mano: The seventh level of consciousness that we incorrectly identify
as self.
Mantra: a phrase that is repeated as a means of producing the state
of samdhi. A mantra works because it is based on truth.
Mara: This is the negative force present in all of us, which must be
overcome if we are to advance in spiritual practice.
Mett: The first stage of Loving kindness practice, you remain silent
when you feel abused by another being.
Mudra: A mystic hand gestures used in esoteric Buddhism.
Mystic Law: The ultimate Law that runs the universe expressed by
Nichiren as Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo.
Naga: A half man, half snake, this beast lives deep under water.
Nayuta: An inexpressibly large number.
Nembutsu: A Japanese form of Buddhism that focuses on Amida
Buddha.

62
Nirvana: The attainment of enlightenment. When you become
enlightened you no longer suffer while living in the world and that is
the real nirvana taught by the Buddha.
Nirvana Sutra: The final teaching of the Buddha given on the day he
died.
Notsu Hoben: The middle level Mahayana teachings that emphasize
Bodhisattva endeavors.
Paramita: These are practices performed by Bodhisattvas, they are
usually listed as the six paramitas, but often the list is expanded to
ten. They are: charity, keeping the precepts, forbearance, diligence in
practice, meditation, wisdom, to be able to teach by the use of
expedient means, keeping your vows, knowledge, and the
development of spiritual power.
Poison Drum: When a person criticizes or mocks The Lotus Sutra
(or its followers) they form what Buddhists call a poison drum
relationship with the ultimate teaching of the Buddha. They will incur
negative karma for their actions but when the negative energy is
exhausted the connection will still remain so they can, if they choose,
go on to attain enlightenment. This is how Devadatta was able to
receive a prediction for Buddhahood in the future. (See Chapter twelve
of The Lotus Sutra)
Pratyekabuddha: One who understands impermanence by observing
the way the universe works or a student who understands the twelvelink chain of causation (see the entry below) this can also be a
student who desires to attain enlightenment without a teacher. (See
the entry for Engaku above.)
Prtas: A hungry ghost (see hungry ghost)
Pure Land: A land free from impurities. To live in a Buddhist Pure
Land you must elevate your life condition and see things the way they
really are.
Rajagriha: The capitol city of the kingdom of Magadha.
Rakshasa: An evil demon with up to twenty heads and one thousand
arms.
Rigpa: A Tibetan word that means perfect, pure awareness.

63
Rupa: physical phenomena
Saddharma-Pundarika Sutra: The title of The Lotus Sutra in
Sanskrit. The Lotus Sutra is the most widely studied text in the
Buddhist world.
Saha world: The word means endurance. The Saha world is often
called Samsara. The Saha world is the world we live in now.
Sal Trees: A kind of tree that grows in India. Shakyamuni died in a
grove of Sal trees.
Samdhi: An intense state of concentration that generates first, a
state of temporary bliss and then inner peace and tranquility.
Samatha: serenity, peacefulness, this is a synonym for Samadhi.
Sangha: All followers of the teachings of the Buddha.
Sankhr: Mental formations.
Saa: Concepts or labels
Seicho-ji Temple: A temple in Awa Province where Nichiren studied
as a young man.
Shakabuku: To strictly refute someones incorrect views concerning
the teachings of the Buddha.
Shikishin Funi: The oneness of body and mind.
Shoju: A method of gradually leading others away from incorrect
views.
Shomon: (In Sanskrit Sravaka) A voice-hearer student (see the
entry for voice-hearer below). This is also the world of learning, the
seventh of the ten worlds and the first of the four noble worlds. (For
more information see the ten worlds below.)
Shonin: (Jap.) The word means Sage or wise man.
Shoten Zenjin: The forces that protect Buddhist practitioners.
Shramana: One who leaves worldly cares and becomes a monastic
seeker of the way.

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Shravasti: The capitol city of Kosala in ancient India.
Shodai: The meditative practice of Nichirens followers.
Srotaapanna: A follower who has reached the level of stream
enterer. A stream enterer is a person who will never regress back to
the six lower worlds; he will continue to live in the upper worlds until
he attains Buddhahood.
Stupa: a container (usually a monument) that holds the ashes of some
highly realized being.
Sumeru: (Also known as Mount Sumeru) According to Indian
mythology, Mount Sumeru stands at the center of the world.
Sutra: A holy teaching or book
Tala Trees: A type of palm tree.
Tathgata: An honorific title of a Buddha.
Tantra: Secret teachings passed from Teacher to student, they are
based on Hindu practices that became Buddhist when adopted by
certain sects.
Tendai School: The Tien Tai sect founded in Japan by Dengyo.
Ten Directions: The eight directions plus up and down.
Ten Worlds: The concept of Ichinen Sanzen is often referred to as
the ten worlds as a shorthanded way of expressing this complex
teaching. Ichinen literally means one mind or life moment.
Sanzen means three thousand, so together Ichinen Sanzen means
three thousand realms in a single moment of life. To begin to
understand this principal, we must first understand the ten worlds.
Everyone possesses the ten worlds; these worlds are states or
conditions that exist in our minds. The ten worlds are:
1. Hell (rage, suffering, intense fear)
2. Hunger (greed never satisfied)
3. Animality (lack of wisdom, lack self of control, foolish)
4. Anger (directly connected to the ego)

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5. Humanity (calmness and reason)
6. Heaven (dependent joy)
7. Learning (to understand some aspect of reality through hearing,
reading or listening; dependent on the efforts of others)
8. Realization (to understand some aspect of reality through your
own efforts)
9. Bodhisattva (intense compassion and the desire to benefit all
beings every where)
10. Buddhahood (someone who is awake to the way things really
are)

These states exist (at least potentially) in all of our minds. An

individual is capable of experiencing all of these states anytime from to
moment to moment.
The reality is, however, that people who do not have any kind of
spiritual practice or mental training spend most of their time bouncing
around in the lower six realms: hell, hunger, animality, anger,
humanity and heaven. Sometimes their environment treats them well
and they have a good day. Other times the environment is hostile and
they have a bad day. People with no spiritual practice at all consider
this normal but, it isnt normal, it is really unnecessary suffering. If you
live in the lower six worlds, you are not in control of your own life
your environment is in control.
The best way to climb into the upper four worlds and stay there is to
chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo every day without fail. But, be careful. It
is better to live in the state of hell then it is to spend all of your time in
Learning or Realization! Why? Because those who live in these worlds,
called Shoman and Engaku, tend to look down on other people and
treat them with contempt. This may very well be the worst cause you
can make. Mr. Ikeda wrote, committing such acts as ostracizing,
bullying, or treating contemptuously the comrades of the Bodhisattvas
of the earth who embrace the mystic law is an immeasurably grave
offense. People who are guilty of this type of conduct will without fail
experience the hell of incessant suffering. The outcome will be the
same whether or not one practices this faith. Perhaps this principle

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applies even more so in this case of the person who does embrace this
faith.
To avoid this problem, always check your motivation before speaking
if you have any doubt at all about why you are saying somethingbe
quiet. Its very easy to control your mouth if its closed. Every day
make a determination in front of the Gohonzon to benefit as many
beings as possible. Generate a mind of love and compassion, this will
make you happier and keep you from burning out, which can happen.
Now, the ten worlds mutually possess the ten worlds bringing the total
to one hundred. This now becomes somewhat subtler. What were
saying is that you can be in a state, of say, learning/Bodhisattva, or
humanity/Bodhisattva or any combination you can think of. I use
learning, humanity, or any of the worlds and mix it with Bodhisattva
because this is the path that leads to the end of sufferingto Nirvana.
President Ikeda wrote, Only those who directly attain the world of the
original Buddha, or the embodiment of the Eternal Law, can gain
release from human suffering.
Let me make this clearerlearning and realization can be very
dangerous, we need them, but we must be careful not to fall into the
dreadful pit that treating other with contempt can create for us. If you
mix learning or realization with Bodhisattva (or intense compassion)
you will not have anything to worry about.
So, the ten world contain the ten worlds but reality is still more subtle
then that. Each individual has ten factors that make him who he is.
The ten factors are:
1. Appearance (or how you look, thats simple isnt it?)
2. Nature (is what makes you who you are. It is the reason you
know that you are the same mind now that when you were
when you were four years old)
3. Entity (Christians would call this your soul. This life entity
has existed foreverfrom time without beginning. Entity will
remain unchanged throughout your life and reappear with you
after are reborn.)
4. Power (your life force, the strength you have to achieve
something or effect your environment.)

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5. Influence (is the use of thought or deed to create good or
evil.)
6. Internal Cause (is the latent karmic seeds in your mind.)
7. Relation or External Cause (any stimulus in our
environment that causes us to react.)
8. Latent Effect: when we take action the latent effect is
lodged in us as energy and will appear as
9. Manifest Effect when it meets the right circumstances in
the future. (No cause you make, good or bad is ever lost)
Finally,
10. Their consistency from beginning to end (all of these
factors work togetherif you are in the state of Buddhahood
your life condition will be high, you will not be depressed. If
you are in hell, your life condition will not be great.)
So, the ten worlds contain the ten worlds and ten times ten equals one
hundred. The ten factors make up the individual, so a hundred times
ten equals a thousand. We need now to look briefly at the three
realms of existence. They are
1) Self (the Buddha taught that each individual is composed of
heaps or aggregates) these aggregates are:
Form
Feeling
Perception
Intellect and
Consciousness, (form has to do with your physical appearance,
the other four are your mental makeup.)
2) The society we live in, or the other living beings around us.
3) The land or environment you live in.
1000X3=3000 realms in each moment of life.

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Theoretical teachings: The first fourteen and one half chapters of
The Lotus Sutra. (For more information read Inside The Lotus
Sutra, free from BIONA books.)
Thirty-three heavenly gods: The gods who live on the top of Mount
Sumeru.
Three Great Secret Laws: The chanting of Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo,
the Gohonzon, and the place where the Mandala is enshrined.
Three Treasures: (Also called The Triple Gem or The Three
Jewels) The Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha.
Threefold Lotus Sutra: The Sutra of Innumerable Meanings. The
Lotus Sutra, The Sutra of Meditation on The Bodhisattva Universal
Virtue.
Tripitaka: The three baskets (or groups) of Theravada teachings.
They are also known as the Agama sutras.
Thus come one: An honorific title of the Buddha.
Tushita Heaven: This is the world Bodhisattvas are born into just
before they are born into the life where they will attain Buddhahood.
This is known as the heaven of satisfaction. Maitreya is said to be
living in the Tushita heaven waiting to be born into the Saha world.
Twelve-link chain of causation: Actually the Buddha taught
different levels of dependent origination, because people have
different mental capacities. One version of this teaching has three
links,
1. Affliction
2. Karma
3. Suffering
(From afflictions comes Karma, Karma causes the fruit of suffering,
which in turn leads to afflictions.)
Another has five links:
1. Desire

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2. Clinging
3. Existence
4. Birth
5. Aging, Sickness, and Death.
(Desire leads to clinging, clinging leads to existence, because of this
burning need to be re-born the entity experiences birth, which always
leads to aging, sickness and death.)
Another version has nine links, and still another has ten: but the
classic list of twelve links is the traditional, and it is the version found
in The Lotus Sutra. There are places in the Pali canon where
expansions beyond twelve links are made so the goal was to help
students comprehend, and any of these versions are correct, if they
help you understand.
The twelve links are:
1.

Ignorance conditions Karma

2.

Karma causes Consciousness

3.

Consciousness causes Mind and Body

4.

Mind and Body cause the Six Senses

5.

The Six Senses cause Contact

6.

Contact causes Feeling

7.

Feeling causes Craving

8.

Craving causes Clinging

9.

Clinging causes Becoming

10.

Becoming causes Birth

11.

Birth causes---

12.

Aging sickness and death.

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These twelve links are connecting three lifetimes together. 1 and 2
belong to your last life, 3-10 belongs to this life, and 11 and 12, belong
to the future.

Two Hundred and fifty precepts: The rules followed by monastic

men.
Udumbara: A mythical flower that is said to bloom once every three
thousand years.
Vaishali: One of the great cities of Ancient India that Shakyamuni
often visited.
Vajra: Wisdom that is unchanging, like a diamond.
Vajrayna: The highest vehicle in Tibetan teachings.
Varanasi: The capitol of Kashi, one of the states of ancient India.
Shakyamuni often preached in Varanasi.
Vedana: Feelings of pleasure, pain, or indifference.
Vimalakirti: The ideal lay believer who appears in The Vimalakirti
Sutra. This sutra is the second most popular Buddhist teaching in the
world, which means that it is studied every day by millions of people.
Vinnana: Sensory consciousness.
Vipassana: Insight into the character of impermanence and the actual
nature of the universe.
Voice Hearer: One who encounters the four noble truths and strives
to become an arhat. There are four levels of voice-hearers: (1) srotaapanna means that you have entered the way. (2) Sakridagamin
means that you will only have to experience one more birth before you
attain enlightenment. (3) Anagamin is a voice-hearer who does not
have to return to the human world. (4) Arhat or saint means that
you have attained the highest state possible when following the early
teachings of Shakyamuni.
Votary of The Lotus Sutra: One who spreads the teachings of
The Lotus Sutra.

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Wheel Turning King: An ideal ruler in Indian mythology who never
practiced violence.
Wish fulfilling jewel: A mythical gem that will give the bearer
anything he wishes for.
World Honored One: An honorific title of the Buddha.
Yaksha: A type of demon who now protects Buddhism.
Yama: (also called King Yama) the ruler of hell who judges people for
their acts while alive.
Yoga: A method of uniting body and mind into its natural state.
Yojana: A unit of measurement, which is supposedly based on how far
the Indian royal army could march in one day.