Mahayana Buddhism and the Lotus Sutra

hakyamuni Buddha, for nearly half a down by tradition”) sutras are said to century, expounded various teachings, have been compiled earliest. These sutras collectively referred to in Buddhist belong to the category of teachings later Stexts as the eighty thousand or eighty-four classified as Hinayana (Lesser Vehicle), also thousand teachings. Such figures, though not called Shravakayana (the Vehicle of the literal, indicate the great variety and number Voice-Hearers). of Buddhist teachings. After Shakyamuni’s A number of Buddhist schools arose out of death, his disciples gathered to confirm and divisions that took place following the Second compile his teachings for posterity in what Buddhist Council, but only one has survived came to be called the Buddhist Councils. until today. That is the Theravada, meaning The First Buddhist Council took place “Teaching of the Elders,” the dominant tradi- shortly after the Buddha’s death, near Raja- tion in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia. griha, the capital of the ancient kingdom During the second or first century BCE, the of Magadha. It was led by Mahakashyapa, compilation of Mahayana Buddhist scriptures Ananda and Upali, three of the Buddha’s ten began. One of the most important movements major disciples, and attended by many others. in Buddhist history, Mahayana emphasized They recounted and corroborated their the practice of bodhisattvas, those dedicated memories of the Buddha’s teachings, creating to the enlightenment of others, as well as an oral tradition to be passed to future genera- their own. This was in contrast to the practice tions. Two more Buddhist Councils were of those aspiring to become arhats, or sages, held—the second about one hundred years who led a monastic lifestyle. Mahayanists after the Buddha’s death and the third some criticized such practitioners as self-centered, one hundred years after that. because they focused primarily on personal attainment and kept their teachings closed off to society. Mahayana Scriptures It is thought that the Lotus Sutra was compiled in its present Sanskrit form some- he teachings compiled as oral Buddhist where between the first century BCE and the tradition during the first three Buddhist first century CE. Because they were written councilsT are thought to have been first put down later, the Mahayana scriptures have been into writing around the second century criticized as not being the words of the Buddha. BCE. The resulting scriptures are known But modern scholars point out that they share as sutras. Among the sutras, those known much in common with the scriptures compiled as the Agama (meaning “teachings handed earlier. Rather, Mahayana Buddhism is today

14 ESSENTIALS EXAM, PART 2 seen by many as the product of a movement surrounding currents. He took the universal to revive Shakyamuni Buddha’s original spirit truth to which he had awakened as his teacher and approach. In other words, the essential and made it the foundation of his life and philosophy of Mahayana Buddhism can be encouraged people to follow in his footsteps traced to the earliest Buddhist scriptures and after his death. to the practice and behavior of Shakyamuni In its textual narrative, the Lotus Sutra Buddha. refers to itself, as well as other Lotus Sutras The Mahayana Buddhists, it is now expounded by Buddhas in the past. The size thought, sought to give new expression to and format of these other Lotus Sutras vary, Shakyamuni’s original awakening and teach- but their purpose is to explain the universal ings as a response to new circumstances facing Law and encourage and empower people to the Buddhist community. live as Buddhas who manifest that Law. In this sense, what those sutras point to may be described as a “universal Lotus Sutra.” A Universal Lotus Sutra Nichiren Daishonin viewed the twenty- eight chapters of Shakyamuni’s Lotus Sutra, T’ien-t’ai’s Great Concentration and Insight and e can view the Lotus Sutra, regarded as a most important Mahayana sutra, his own teaching of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo Was a scripture that profoundly conveys as different expressions of the same universal Law described as “three thousand realms in a Shakyamuni’s original awakening, intent and single moment of life.” his behavior as a Buddha—reviving Buddhism Second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda in accord with the demands of the times. called these three respectively “the Lotus According to early Buddhist scriptures, Sutra of the Former Day,” “the Lotus Sutra after his awakening, Shakyamuni pledged to of the Middle Day” and “the Lotus Sutra of regard the truth to which he had awakened the Latter Day” of the Law. All Buddhas of as his teacher and live accordingly. In his final past, present and future become enlightened years, it is said, he stated that he had fulfilled to this eternal universal Law or truth, the this vow. Before his death, he encouraged his Wonderful, or Mystic, Law of the Lotus Sutra. disciples: “Therefore, you must be your own The Lotus Sutra is a teaching based on this islands. Take the self as your refuge. Take truth describing how to manifest this truth in refuge in nothing outside yourselves. Hold the reality of our lives. firm to the Law as an island, and do not seek refuge in anything besides yourselves” (The Living Buddha, p. 132). Shakyamuni encour- aged his disciples to rely upon themselves and This article is based on the book Kyogaku no kiso (Essentials the Law as an “island,” unperturbed by the of Study) published by the Soka Gakkai Study Department.

THE HISTORY OF BUDDHISM 15