The Ten Suchnesses: Cause and Condition
Dr. Dominick Scarangello
International Advisor to Rissho Kosei-kai
This time, we will consider “such a cause” and “such a condition” and why understanding them is essential to living the Way in our daily lives.
In March, we learned that the ultimate cause of our behavior lies within ourselves—the disposition of our minds (such a nature). It is crucial that we understand this properly. In our daily lives, we encounter innumerable things and situations, and each one of them becomes a condition through which the potency (such a potential) arising from the mind’s disposition manifests as concrete action (such a function). These actions, in turn, become causes that bring about effects in the world.
Sometimes people misconstrue the statement “the cause is within ourselves” as claiming that the conditions we encounter do not affect our lives or limit our options. The Buddha’s teaching does not deny the existence of structural or socioeconomic factors that create difficult challenges. However, there remains a wide range of possible responses to the conditions we face, even when those conditions are harsh. Some ways of responding deepen our suffering, while others lessen it and guide us toward liberation.
Accepting that “the cause is within ourselves” is not passivity in the face of life’s difficulties. Just the opposite. It empowers us by showing that we always have agency. This freedom of the heart is an aspect of our “such a nature,” which naturally gives rise to the potential to act in ways that lead to greater happiness for both ourselves and others. Founder Niwano explained the intersection of “such a cause” and “such a condition” with the example of a boy sitting on a crowded train. Kindness in the boy’s heart (such a nature) creates the potential (such a potential) for compassionate action (such a function). When he notices a frail elderly person struggling to stand and immediately offers his seat, that potential manifests as action that becomes a cause for positive change in the world.
Rev. Kosho sometimes offers the example of choosing a cashier at a store. When faced with several open registers, we tend to choose the one staffed by the friendliest-looking cashier. But if our hearts are filled with a bodhisattva’s wish to bring people happiness, we make a different choice—we go to the unhappy-looking cashier. We cannot know for certain, but for all we do know, the smile we offer might transform the circumstances of that person’s day, or even their life. The Lotus Sutra teaches in chapter 2, “Skillful Means,” that even seemingly insignificant virtuous actions can give rise to a “butterfly effect”—not by causing a storm, but by setting in motion a chain of causes and conditions that transforms the world for the better.
In the language of the Ten Suchnesses, such transformations are referred to as “such a result” and “such a reward.” We will explore these further next time.
In closing, I would like to consider how our understanding of “such a cause” and “such a condition” can also be used to practice the Truth of the Cause and uncover the roots of our suffering.
Once, a friend pointed out that although I am generally patient and slow to anger, there was one situation in which I became surprisingly angry over something very minor. A coworker had repeatedly asked me about a translation I was working on, even though it was not due for several more weeks. I found this extremely annoying. “Why did you become angry?” my friend asked. Reflecting on my state of mind at the time (such a nature), I realized that I felt the coworker did not trust me to complete the task. I experienced their behavior as a judgment of me as unreliable and untrustworthy.
Why did I read so much into my coworker’s actions? As I stayed with that emotion and examined it more closely, I realized it echoed a feeling I had experienced as a child when a certain adult in my life belittled me as incapable and unreliable. Through further reflection, I recognized I had internalized that judgment in the form of a lasting defensiveness. So now when I feel that others are doubting me, I tend to respond with feelings of anger.
Although I am usually patient, I discovered that I do carry within me the potential for anger and that it tends to manifest when I encounter a particular condition—situations in which I feel doubted. Such circumstances become the condition that allows this latent anger to surface, giving rise to conflict and suffering. The ultimate cause is indeed within me, and to address this suffering, I must process the hurt and wounded self-esteem that remain in my heart from the past.
I share this experience because it taught me that by paying attention not only to my actions but also to how I respond differently to various conditions (such a condition), I can practice the Truth of the Cause and understand why I feel and act as I do. The Ten Suchnesses are not merely an abstract doctrine; they are the Lotus Sutra’s means for applying the Four Noble Truths directly to our lives.
Field Report from the Sangha
Rev. James A. Lynch, Jr.
Minister, New York Dharma Center
First and foremost, thank you for giving me this wonderful opportunity to share.
Recently, I reflected deeply on the teaching of “such a cause” and “such a condition” through my experience with a teaching colleague.
Early in my career as a college professor, I had a supervisor, and our relationship was often difficult. There were times when I felt misunderstood and even unfairly treated, including situations where I believed false reports had been made about me. Over time, our roles changed, and I eventually became their supervisor. However, the impressions I had formed did not simply disappear; they remained within me.
At one point, I learned that this person was being considered for my position. In that moment, I found myself immediately constructing a narrative about their intentions. Old feelings resurfaced, and through the lens of past experiences, I began to see them once again as someone who was calculating and perhaps even trying to undermine me. Without realizing it, I had reduced a living, changing person into a fixed image shaped by my own history.
Then something unexpected happened. This individual reached out to me and asked if we could speak privately. After some small talk, they shared a deeply personal and serious challenge they were facing with their family. In that moment, I was struck not only by the situation they were describing but by the trust they were placing in me.
As I listened, something within me softened. I felt tears lightly filling my eyes, just enough to moisten them. For in that moment, I felt both humbled and grateful, as if the situation itself had been arranged by the Buddha to reveal something I could not see on my own. I realized how quickly I had forgotten one of the most fundamental teachings of our practice—that we are not separate. The person before me, my colleague, was not the character I had constructed but a human being experiencing suffering and seeking support.
All at once, I saw that what I had taken as a fixed condition was in fact still unfolding.
Reflecting more deeply, I began to see how causes and conditions are not static or one-directional. They move continuously, in a two-way flow, shaping and reshaping our relationships. My responses affected my colleague, just as her responses had affected me, and she was as much a cause for my growth as I was for hers.
What I had been reacting to was not simply the present moment, but a past-conditioned understanding that I had continued to carry forward.
When I could meet the situation with openness rather than from those fixed impressions, something shifted, not only in our interactions but within my own heart. What had once felt like an intractable situation, something to defend against or resist, became an opportunity to practice compassion.
This experience reminded me that our Buddhist practice is not something abstract or removed from our lives. When we become aware of how we are responding to causes and conditions, we begin to clearly see how easily we can fall into patterns of fixing others in place through our own perceptions. At the same time, through daily life and our practice, we are always given the freedom to respond differently.
In this way, life is not a static reality defined by fixed labels but a living flow in which every thought, word, and action participates. Even in difficult circumstances, if we meet conditions with awareness and compassion, we can begin to transform not only our relationships but the very field in which those relationships unfold.