Donald S. Lopez Jr., Jacqueline I. Stone. Two Buddhas Seated Side by Side: A Guide to the Lotus . Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2019. 312 pp. $29.95, cloth, ISBN 978-0-691-17420-4.

Reviewed by Hsun-Mei Chen (Kyoto University; National Taiwan University)

Published on H-Buddhism (April, 2021)

Commissioned by Ben Van Overmeire (Duke Kunshan University)

For a long time, there has been a lack of an in- circumstances surrounding the compilation of the depth, chapter-by-chapter guidebook of the Lotus Lotus Sūtra, guiding the readers to understand the Sūtra from a scholar’s perspective in English, and challenges faced by the compiler of the Lotus this book, Two Buddhas Seated Side by Side: A Sūtra and the narrative strategies used to confront Guide to the Lotus Sūtra, is precisely the road map those challenges. Finally, the authors examine needed by readers interested in the Lotus Sūtra. how past commentators, primarily the Japanese As if echoing the title of the book, also a famous religious innovator , interpreted the Lo‐ scene that appears in chapter 11 of the Lotus tus Sūtra to meet the needs in their own time and Sūtra, this book on the Lotus Sūtra is written by space. Obviously, providing chapter-by-chapter two famous scholars in Buddhist studies: Donald discussions of this volume would make this re‐ S. Lopez Jr. and Jacqueline I. Stone. Except for the view far too long, and therefore I will instead col‐ authors’ introduction at the beginning and the lectively summarize some important ideas and conclusion at the end, the chapters are ordered ac‐ features of these three main themes and then cording to the Kumārajīva’s twenty-eight-chapter provide some comments. version of Lotus Sūtra. This volume has three At the beginning of every chapter, the authors main goals: First, the authors provide clear and first summarize the narratives and main ideas of concise chapter-by-chapter summaries with back‐ the corresponding chapter of the Lotus Sūtra. The ground explanations to help modern readers to authors regard the Lotus Sūtra as an ancient liter‐ comprehend the rich, but also abstruse, contents ary and philosophical text that can be appreciated of the Lotus Sūtra. Then, in conjunction with the more by modern readers if the historical circum‐ summaries, the authors illustrate the historical stances of its composition are provided. Therefore, H-Net Reviews in addition to the summaries, Stone and Lopez placing other teachings as skillful means that also demonstrate how the main characters in the guide the sentient beings to the Mahāyāna, the Lo‐ Lotus Sūtra and teachings of Buddha were under‐ tus Sūtra referred to itself as the last and perfect stood in mainstream Indian (that is, non- teaching by the Buddha. Moreover, the Lotus Mahāyāna) Buddhism. From the authors’ summar‐ Sūtra not only described itself as the last teaching ies, the readers can clearly grasp major messages by Śākyamuni Buddha but also referred to itself as delivered in the Lotus Sūtra, such as the teaching primordial teaching taught by all previous of the one vehicle (一乘, ekayāna), skillful means Buddhas eons ago. By employing self-referential (方便, upāyakauśalya), and Śākyamuni’s eternal narratives and expanding the time scope in the abode in the Sahā world. Then by comparing the sūtra, the Lotus Sūtra aimed to establish its cred‐ Lotus Sūtra with the background knowledge in ibility and legitimacy in the context of mainstream mainstream Buddhism, modern readers, espe‐ Buddhism, and by deploying the famous parables, cially those who do not know much about it attacked mainstream Buddhism by suggesting Buddhism, can clearly see how the Lotus Sūtra re‐ that it is the mainstream version of Śākyamuni, interpreted mainstream Indian Buddhism and re‐ who would have to respond to the charge of lying vealed a new Śākyamuni who ultimately never (instead of the cosmic, skill-in-means-using passes into parinirvāṇa. Śākyamuni in the Lotus Sūtra itself). Through the The only dissatisfaction I have about this part authors’ elegant elucidations, the readers can is how the authors present the parable of medicin‐ clearly see how the compilers/authors of the Lotus al herbs in the fifth chapter of the Lotus Sūtra. Sūtra applied those narrative devices throughout When explaining the parable, the authors obvi‐ to legitimize the Lotus Sūtra and counter the criti‐ ously reckon that the idea of single truth in this cisms from mainstream Buddhism. Readers famil‐ parable contradicts the multiplicity of skillful iar with other Mahāyāna sūtras can also appreci‐ means in previous chapters. While the authors do ate how unique and creative the Lotus Sūtra is try to resolve some apparent inconsistencies in within this genre of Buddhist scripture. Nichiren’s explanations of the Lotus Sūtra, it The authors analyze the narrative strategies seems that they have no intention to resolve this applied in the Lotus Sūtra primarily from the tension. However, there are some historical resol‐ angle of the opposition between mainstream utions to this tension that I would have liked to see Buddhism and Mahāyāna texts. Furthermore, the discussed here. For example, in his explanation of authors implicitly suggest that the Mahāyāna this parable in Miaofa Lianhua Jing Wen Ju (妙法 sūtras are in the same camp in the Mahāyāna 蓮華經文句), commented that while sentient movement, facing the same opponent, main‐ beings are unaware that all five vehicles (namely, stream Buddhism. This perspective may give the the vehicles of humans, gods, śrāvakas, pratyeka‐ readers the impression that the narrative buddhas, and bodhisattva) are all Mahāyāna, the strategies used in the Lotus Sūtra only aimed to Buddha does know.[1] According to Zhiyi’s com‐ rebut criticism from mainstream Buddhism. In‐ mentary, the parable of medicinal herbs actually deed, as the authors propose, the Lotus Sūtra had raises the idea of ekayāna to a more inclusive to counter strong criticisms from mainstream level: seemingly, there are different skillful means, Buddhism during its composition. However, if the but ultimately, they are all Mahāyāna. Lotus Sūtra could also be compared with other Mahāyāna sūtras, the narrative strategies of the Integrated with the summaries and back‐ Lotus Sūtra may be understood in a different way. ground knowledge is an explanation of the narrat‐ ive devices applied in the Lotus Sūtra. In brief, by

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For example, the contemporary Japanese daimoku on the principle of Three Thousand scholar Satoshi Hiraoka has argued in his book Realms in a Single Thought Moment (一念三千) by that “the Lotus Sūtra aimed to transcend the dual‐ Zhiyi, the authors also provide lucid explanations istic discrimination between Mahāyāna and other of Zhiyi’s complicated philosophy. inferior teachings mentioned in the Vimalakīrti Besides Nichiren’s philosophy, the authors Nirdeśa Sūtra.”[2] Moreover, he suggested that clearly show how Nichiren linked his historical “the intention behind the Lotus Sūtra was to sur‐ moment with the narratives in the Lotus Sūtra. pass the Mahāyāna teaching advocated in Nichiren took the natural disasters, civil strife, Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa and Prajñāpāramitā Sūtras and Mongol invasion that affected Japan in his by proposing a new ekayāna teaching.”[3] Here I lifetime as the result of disparaging the Lotus am not proposing that Hiraoka is correct but Sūtra. He then proposed that the Bakufu, the milit‐ simply suggesting that if the relationship between ary government that ruled Japan in his time, the Lotus Sūtra and other Mahāyāna texts could should only support the Lotus Sūtra and abandon also be taken into consideration, one may find that all other Buddhist sects. Because of his vehement the criticisms the compilers of the Lotus Sūtra had way of propagating the Lotus Sūtra, Nichiren was to face were not only from mainstream Buddhism exiled, persecuted, and even physically attacked. but perhaps also from the proponents of other Nevertheless, those predicaments never shook Mahāyāna texts. Therefore, I would suggest that a Nichiren’s faith in the Lotus Sūtra but for him more complete and richer explanation of the nar‐ were proof of the statements in the Lotus Sūtra rative strategies in the Lotus Sūtra could be ob‐ that people propagating the Lotus Sūtra may en‐ tained if the Lotus Sūtra could be examined in this counter hostility. broader context. Taking Nichiren as a case study on East Asia The last theme of the book is hermeneutics. Buddhist hermeneutics, the authors present how The authors primarily focus on how Nichiren, an this Buddhist commentator engaged in “hermen‐ important advocate of the Lotus Sūtra in Japan, eutical triangulation,” that is, Nichiren’s interpret‐ interpreted the Lotus Sūtra. As the authors point ation was informed by the scripture itself, his re‐ out, both Ongi kuden and Okō kikigaki, two works ceived interpretive tradition, and also the time traditionally taken as Nichiren’s lectures on the and circumstances in which he was embedded. In Lotus Sūtra, cannot be cited as Nichiren’s own this volume, the authors do not superimpose their writings from a scholarly perspective. Therefore, personal evaluation on Nichiren’s hermeneutic sorting out how Nichiren interpreted each chapter activities. Instead, they provide a relatively object‐ of the Lotus Sūtra actually becomes a difficult ive and coherent illustration of those activities. I task. Nevertheless, through their deep under‐ think the way they present Nichiren could inspire standing of Nichiren’s works, the authors accom‐ the readers to reflect more on Nichiren’s interpret‐ plish an admirable task identifying passages per‐ ation of the Lotus Sūtra. taining to each chapter of the Lotus Sūtra from a Nevertheless, this book may lead some read‐ great number of Nichiren’s writings. They beauti‐ ers to think that the idea that the Lotus Sūtra can fully illustrate how Nichiren annotated various protect the nation originated with Nichiren. I passages from the Lotus Sūtra to support his po‐ would like to supply some historical background lemic advocation of chanting the daimoku (題目), of chingo kokka (鎮護国家, literally means “to pro‐ the title of the Lotus Sūtra, as the only means to tect the nation”) to point out that the Lotus Sūtra attain the liberation in the so-called decline of the was connected with the protection of the nation Dharma (mappō 末法) period. To elaborate on how prior to Nichiren. Based on chingo kokka, Nichiren grounded the act of chanting the

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Buddhism in Japan was understood as having the Lotus Sūtra. Hence, I think by supplementing power to protect and stabilize the country. This those historical contexts, the readers could not idea can be found in Sūtra for Humane Kings (仁 only have a better understanding of how Nichiren 王經) and Suvarṇa-prabhāsôttama-sūtra (金光明最 was embedded and influenced by the religious, 勝王經), and in Japan, these two sūtras together political, and doctrinal circumstances prior to him with the Lotus Sūtra were regarded as “Three but also see how unique he was. Sūtra of the Protection of the Nation” (鎮護国家三 As I near the end of this review, one minor 部経).[4] point I would like to address is a possible discrep‐ Moreover, under the influence of chingo ancy between the historical record and the discus‐ kokka, some Japanese Buddhist schools tended to sion of self-immolation in this volume. In the dis‐ argue for their own doctrine as the one that can cussion of how the twenty-third chapter of the Lo‐ protect the nation. For instance, before Nichiren’s tus Sūtra influenced the Buddhist self-immolation Risshō ankoku ron, Eisai, the founder of Rinzai practice in twentieth-century China, the authors school of Zen Buddhism, wrote Kozen Gokoku-ron describe a famous abbot in the early twentieth (興禅護国論) to establish the idea of “promoting century, Bazhi Toutur (八指頭陀, literally means Zen to protect the nation.” This competition led to eight-fingered monk), who burned off a finger of some schools calling their rivals’ doctrines malig‐ each hand in reverence to the Lotus Sūtra. How‐ nant heresies that would damage the nation. For ever, Bazhi Toutur’s practices might not be in‐ example, in 1205, The Kofukuji Temple (興福寺) spired by the Lotus Sūtra.[6] In a biography of submitted Kofukuji Sōjo (興福寺奏状) to the imperi‐ Bazhi Toutur by Venerable Master Taixu (太虛), al court, requesting the prohibition of Nembutsu Bazhi Toutur burned 48 scars on the top of his practice advocated by Hōnen.[5] One reason men‐ head and 108 scars from his neck to his abdomen, tioned in the Kofukuji Sōjo is that the flourish of and left his arms almost without any intact skin. Nembutsu practice would lead to the devastation According to the biography, those extreme prac‐ of the land and the decline of the laws, and there‐ tices were inspired by a self-immolation scenario fore Nembutsu should be stopped immediately. in Great Skillful Means Sūtra on the Buddhaʼs Re‐ Eventually, it could be said that partly due to the payment of Kindness (大方便佛報恩經), not the Lo‐ influence of Kofukuji Sōjo, in 1207, four of Hōnen’s tus Sūtra.[7] disciples were condemned to death by the emper‐ Overall, this book is a must-have compendium or, and Hōnen, including seven of his disciples, for everyone interested in the Lotus Sūtra. With were sent into exile. the help of this book, readers who are new to the According to the above-mentioned historical Lotus Sūtra can appreciate the profound contents records, the Lotus Sūtra was connected with the and beautiful narratives in the Lotus Sūtra. Exper‐ protection of the nation prior to Nichiren. Further‐ ienced teachers can use this book for lectures on more, Nichiren was actually not the first one who the Lotus Sūtra or even for seminars about harshly accused other doctrines and also not the Buddhist narratives and hermeneutics. Moreover, first one who was exiled. There were already the notes in this book provide abundant resources some similar radical religious activities prior to for readers who want to explore further readings. Nichiren. Nevertheless, compared to his prede‐ Some Buddhist readers may feel uneasy when cessors, Nichiren took the stronger position that reading the authors’ statement that “The Lotus only the Lotus Sūtra can truly protect the nation Sūtra, like all Mahāyāna sūtras, is an apocryphal and had faith that what happened to him and to text, composed long after the Buddha’s death and his nation had already been truly described in the yet retrospectively attributed to him” (p. 56). But I

4 H-Net Reviews think this statement is the challenge, based on nu‐ Ennin’s idea as it would destroy the protectorate merous historical evidence, that modern apolo‐ that had been in place since Saichō and argued gists of the Mahāyāna sūtras need to respond to. that this would eventually destroy Japan. As it stands, the authors demonstrate how one can [5]. Prior to Kofukuji Sōjo, in 1204, Enryaku-ji still appreciate a Mahāyāna sūtra under the chal‐ (延暦寺) also submitted Enryaku-ji Sōjo (延暦寺奏 lenges from contemporary Buddhist studies. This 状) to urge the government to stop Nenbutsu. invaluable book not only guides its readers to un‐ [6]. Please see 太虛 (Venerable Master Taixu), derstand the Lotus Sūtra and Nichiren’s hermen‐ 中興佛教寄禪安和尚傳 (A biography of Venerable eutic works but also presents a commentary by Buddhist Monk [Jing]-An, Ji-Chan who revitalized which two famous scholars interpret the Lotus Buddhism), 海潮音 (Hai Ch'ao Yin monthly) 2 no. 4 Sūtra to ft our time. (1990): 1-9. Notes [7]. In the scenario, to obtain the Buddha- [1]. The original quote is “亦不自知五乘之教皆 Dharma, a king ordered others to cut a thousand 是大乘，亦不自知同歸佛慧，唯有如來能知也。 ” holes on his body, and then turned those holes Please see T34: 92c23-24. into lamps as an offering by filling them with oil [2]. Similar understanding on Vimalakīrti and then lighting them up. Please see T03: Nirdeśa can be found in Tiantai’s five periods sys‐ 133b24-134c15. tem, in which Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa is classified as a sūtra criticizing “Hinayāna” in the period of the expedient teaching (方等時). Please see T38: 544b27-28 and T33: 800b05-06. [3]. For the book by 平岡聡 (Satoshi Hiraoka), see 法華経成立の新解釈 : 仏伝として法華経を読み解 (A new explanation of the composition of the Lo‐ tus Sūtra: Interpreting the Lotus Sūtra as life stor‐ ies of Buddha). 平岡聡. (Tokyo: Daizō Publication [東京:大蔵出版], 2012). The two quotations are from my book review of Hiraoka’s book: Hsun-Mei Chen, review of 法華経成立の新解釈 : 仏伝として法 華経を読み解, by 平岡聡 (Satoshi Hiraoka), Har‐ vard-Yenching Institute, New Frontiers in Asian Scholarship (September 2020), https:// www.harvard-yenching.org/research/new-explan‐ ation-composition-lotus-sutra-interpreting-lotus- sutra-life-stories-buddha/. [4]. Alternatively, Ennin, the third head of the Japanese Tendai Order, positioned the Mahāvairocana-sūtra(大日経), Vajraśekhara-sūtra (金剛頂経), and Susiddhi-kara-mahā-tantra-sād‐ hanôpāyika-paṭala (蘇悉地経) as the Three Sūtra of the Protection of the Nation. In Soya Nyūdō dono gosho (曽谷入道殿御書),” Nichiren harshly rejected

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Citation: Hsun-Mei Chen. Review of Lopez Jr., Donald S.; Stone, Jacqueline I. Two Buddhas Seated Side by Side: A Guide to the . H-Buddhism, H-Net Reviews. April, 2021.

URL: https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=55521

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