Chapter 1: The Virtuous Practices
Rev. Nikkyo Niwano
Founder, Rissho Kosei-kai
This opening chapter is the Bodhisattva Great Adornment’s praise of the Buddha’s perfect virtue and practice for the liberation of all living beings.
Praise of the Buddha’s Perfect Virtue
The Bodhisattva Great Adornment praises the thirty-two marks of excellence of face and figure on Shakyamuni’s visible body. It is none other than a celebration of the perfection of character expressed in a physical body. He continues to observe that while the Buddha possesses these wondrous attributes, his being transcends both what has and does not have form. This we may take to mean that to the eyes of ordinary persons, his true nature is scarcely perceptible.
The true nature of all living beings is thus the same, though the expression of this true nature in bodily form may not be perfect. The Buddha had infinite virtue, and as that virtue appeared in his figure, all might joyfully revere him, take refuge in him, honor him, and wholeheartedly bow in reverence before him. Whatever insight the Buddha gained, he was never satisfied, but through practice after practice of the Way, he attained his indescribably beautiful body. We cannot but be grateful for this appearance in a visible body, though the real body was invisible
Two points are to be noted here. The first is that the attributes of all living beings are in their true nature the same. All life in its true nature is of the identical substance of the Buddha, but owing to our insufficient practice of the Way and our being filled with illusion, its appearance in visible bodies has imperfections that bear no comparison with the Buddha. Yet if in their true nature they are of the identical substance of the Buddha, it is plain that any appearance in a visible form has the capacity to become one with the Buddha, and so, on the one hand, we may all have vast hope, but on the other, we should be made to stop and reflect.
This thought permeates the Threefold Lotus Sutra from beginning to end, and thus it is important, in preparing to read it, to fix clearly in our minds the concepts of equality of the true nature and differentiation in appearances.
The second point is that the appearance of the Buddha in a visible body is something for which we must all be truly grateful. Shakyamuni appeared in this world, and as a result of his practice after practice of the Way, he became possessed of a perfected character. Because of this living example of one who reached the state of buddhahood, we are taught that it is well if we only imitate him, and we are enabled to pursue a path toward buddhahood far more easily than the painful course Shakyamuni trod. This is why we must be grateful for his appearing in this world.
Thus, as we revere the figure of Shakyamuni and receive and embrace his teachings with great joy in our hearts, we may merge into that ultimate substance of the Buddha as the Dharma body. The words of the Bodhisattva Great Adornment thus imply the right way to look upon the focus of our devotion.
This is an English translation of text originally appeared in Japanese in Hokke sanbu kyo: Kaku hon no aramashi to yoten, (Kosei Publishing, 1991 [revised edition, 2016], pp. 13–16).