P02, Shakyamuni Buddha's "oneness of mentor and disciple" during his lifetime, the Buddha of Kuon Jitsujo:久遠実成- Shakyamuni is an eternal Buddha as taught in the Lotus Sutra

■Shakyamuni Buddha's "oneness of mentor and disciple" during his lifetime

A human being, Gautama Siddhartha (Shakyamuni, the Buddha of this world, hereafter abbreviated as Shakyamuni), was born around 566 BC to 486 BC as the prince of the Shakya clan of India, to King Suddhodana and Queen Maya.

Queen Maya died seven days after his birth, so he was raised by her sister, Mahaprajapati, and lived a rich and comfortable life without any hardship. However, after his four excursions outside the palace, he left the castle at the age of 29, abandoning his beloved wife, Yasodhara, and his young son, Rahula, and entered the path of renunciation. (The Sutra of the Great Adornment of the King’s Chamber)

He studied under Bakkabha, Alara, and Uddaka, and attained enlightenment at the age of 35 under the Bodhi tree.

At first, he tried to tell his former teachers the content of his enlightenment, but they had already passed away, so he preached the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path to the five ascetics, and for more than 40 years until he entered nirvana at the age of 80, he propagated his teachings throughout the countries of India.

He denied the Brahmanism of the highest caste, which was the fundamental principle of Brahmanism, which ruled the Indian society before Shakyamuni, and taught the non-self of all phenomena and the impermanence of all actions. He also taught the Middle Way, the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, and so on.

”諸行無常　是生滅法　生滅滅已　寂滅為楽”This is a famous verse.

It shows that,

All actions are impermanent. This is the fundamental law by which all things are born and disappear. The state of life in which you are no longer bound by such things is the state of happiness that you aim for.

All conditioned phenomena are subject to decay. When one sees this with wisdom, One turns away from suffering.

These teachings were a way of practice that showed how to overcome birth, old age, sickness, and death as a rich human being, by rejecting the teachings of the Brahmins, who were the highest caste at that time and who caused people to suffer from birth, old age, sickness, and death.

There have been many various erroneous theories about Shakyamuni’s subsequent propagation since ancient times. (For example, the Tibetan legend: 2422 BC, the Faxian legend: 1008 BC, the Zhou Shu Yi Ji: 949 BC, the Zhong Sheng Dian Ji: 485 BC, and there is a difference of more than 100 years between the Northern Buddhism (Chinese translation of the Four Agamas) and the Southern Buddhism (Pali scriptures) for the time of death, etc.)

The archaeological research on the tumuli where his disciples buried his relics, which are still being studied by many scholars, dates back to several centuries before Christ, and the analysis of the Piprahwa tumulus suggests that it was around 463 BC, and according to the remains of a Buddhist temple from the 6th century BC discovered in Lumbini in 2013,

Shakyamuni was a person from before the 6th century BC. In Shakyamuni’s lifetime, the Buddha was a person who had attained enlightenment, not a transcendent or absolute being, and was a title for a person who overcame birth, old age, sickness, and death concretely with deep compassion and excellent wisdom.

His disciples regarded him as their teacher and practiced the Buddha’s way, such as alms. Shakyamuni’s teachings were passed on by word of mouth or recitation, not by writing, because of the undeveloped cultural background at that time. Even after Shakyamuni’s death, the scriptures were compiled by his disciples based on their own hearsay.

The first of these was the first assembly, which was held shortly after his death, when 500 bhikkhus gathered in the suburbs of Rajagriha (the Rajagriha Assembly), but it was also a process of confirming their memories by chanting together. It must have been a tremendous work, but in modern terms, it was a large-scale “telephone game”.

After that, in the process of transmission, they gradually recorded them in writing as the civilization developed, and left various scriptures such as the Pali Five Scriptures (Southern Buddhism) and the Chinese Translation of the Four Agamas (Northern Buddhism). As for the direct teachings of the Buddha, the academic examination can only be done by these. After that, in contrast to these, there were the following scriptures: - The Buddhist scriptures compiled around 100 years after the Buddha’s death, in the time of King Ashoka.

- The Buddhist scriptures compiled 200 years after the Buddha’s death, in the Southern tradition, in the time of the third King Ashoka (King Ayo). - The Buddhist scriptures compiled in the Northern tradition, by the Sarvastivada sect, around the 2nd century AD, by King Kanishka.

This was probably because the original Buddhism of Shakyamuni was for the salvation of all people, and it developed into this theory.

The Buddhist scriptures compiled after 100 years after the Buddha’s death also include the Prajna, Lotus, and Nirvana sutras. These were called “Mahayana Buddhism” because they claimed that their Buddhism was for the salvation of all people, unlike the “Hinayana Buddhism” that was critically called because it could only save a few people who renounced the world and practiced. In recent years, this theory has become the mainstream, that these are far from the original teachings of Shakyamuni, and that they are later works of thought. Whether it is bones or scriptures, it is impossible to expect complete objectivity because it is a word of mouth or a copy from a time when science was undeveloped. However, at least, he was a person who certainly existed about 2500 years ago. And his archaeological research is still being studied by many scholars. Naturally, the theory and historical basis of the religion that is the root of it, such as the date of birth and death of Shakyamuni and the authenticity of the scriptures, should be re-examined objectively from the scientific and academic standards of the present day, which is self-evident. It should not be taken for granted. Moreover, it is socially reprehensible to wield a mythological level of argument or claim with a serious face, and it is ridiculous to deal with it seriously scientifically. In the past 20 to 30 years, the accuracy of GPS at the civilian level has improved to the level of seconds and centimeters. Communication technology has entered the 5G era2. Science and religion have generally agreed not to invade each other’s territories, from the lessons of the tragic history of the past, but if science and technology are serious about dealing with the humanitarian crisis that we are facing, such as environmental destruction, they may play a role in overcoming it. It may also be possible to pinpoint the date of birth and death of Shakyamuni and the authenticity of the scriptures, such as scientific identification of the bones. Therefore, these theories should be considered as provisional logic at the present time. By the way, Shakyamuni left his parents, his wife, and his newborn child and left. Depending on the social environment at that time, if it were in today’s Japanese society, it would be parental abandonment, marital abandonment, and child abandonment, depending on the family composition. Even if he attained enlightenment and succeeded afterwards, he would be bashed by the world for his one-sided abandonment of marriage and child rearing. By the way, as a digression,

There seems to be plenty of room for reexamination as to whether or not Shakyamuni Buddha, who achieved enlightenment, really possessed the three virtues of Buddha, but from the Buddhist scriptures compiled a considerable period after his death, we have no choice but to believe what has been created and praised by later generations, and a complete scientific examination is nearly impossible.

In reality, the Buddha should be evaluated as having attained enlightenment and overcoming his mentor.

The subsequent missionary work and leadership is praised in the Buddhist scriptures called the 80,000 Treasure Treasures, and even now the contributions to humanity are enormous and are highly worthy of praise.

However, no matter how much you glorify or justify it, sinful karma is still sinful karma.

Even if a disciple has overcome his master, even if he has reached the same state of being as his master (for example, a Buddha with the three virtues of master, mentor, and parent), he is still a disciple, not a master(mentor).

According to the main ideology of the time, the fundamental principle of Brahmanism, the supreme caste system that had controlled Indian society since before the Buddha, was Brahma Ichinyo.

Brahma Ichinyo means that Brahman (Brahman: the principle that governs the universe) and I (Atman: the principle that governs the individual) are the same (Takamichi Suita, Who is the Buddha, 2013, pp. 41-44).

Ultimate liberation in the Vedas means that by realizing that we, as an individual entity, are the same as Brahma, which is omnipresent in the universe, we can become free and escape from all suffering.(wikipedia,梵我一如) This is where the idea of reincarnation comes from.

The Buddha of this world voluntarily broke the teachings of the three masters he studied under (the above-mentioned Bakkaba penance aiming at Brahma Ichinyo, Arara's non-possessive disposition, and Uddhaka non-thought-non-conceited disposition), and did not attain true enlightenment. Since he denied that there is such a thing and advocated the immutability of all laws and the impermanence of all actions, if we look at him critically, even though he has attained enlightenment, he is clearly an enemy of the mentor (a person who is hostile to the worldly mentor).

This may be the case from the Brahmins' point of view at the time, and it may still be the case today. There have been many times when he has been refused to preach the Dharma.

From the beginning, from the founder of Buddhism, this is what happened.

Isn't there no way that there could have been a path of mentor and disciple from the beginning, or a duality between mentor and disciple?

As a side note, if I were to be 26 years old, the same age as Buddha, I would unilaterally leave home, abandon my wife and infant, disappear, and become a priest to a new religious organization that I don't even know about. No matter how good the cause was, and no matter how successful they were, they would still be accused of unilaterally annulling their marriages and abandoning their children.

As a further aside, ``The universe is me, I am the universe'' is the enlightenment of Josei Toda, the second president of the Soka Gakkai, who read the White Lotus Sutra in prison and realized that ``Buddha is life.'' It is said to be part of.

Isn't "the universe is me, I am the universe" exactly the same as "Brahma Ichinyo"? …

■The Buddha of Kuon Jitsujou as taught in the Lotus Sutra

Now, more than 500 years have passed since the death of the Buddha, and after several Buddhist scriptures were compiled, the Mahayana Buddhist scriptures were created over several centuries.

This flow passed through India and China's ascetics (Ryuju, Kumaraju, etc.) and was systematized by China's Nanto six sects such as the Hosso sect and the Kegon sect, and the Tendai Chigi.

In particular, Tendai Chigi's Mystery of the Lotus, Lotus Letters, and Makatsukan are famous.

He formed his own metaphysical teachings centered on the Lotus Sutra.

These are the interpretation of the Five Hours and Eight Sects, which systematized Buddhism as a whole, and the doctrine of Ichinen 3000 with regard to life.

It was brought to Japan by Denkyo (Saichō), became the Tendai sect of Enryakuji Temple on Mt. Hiei, and became the source of Buddhist culture in Japan.

During the Kamakura period, Seicho-ji Temple, where Nichiren acquired a degree, was also one of its subsidiary temples.

In the past, up until modern times, all Buddhist scriptures were regarded as the true teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha, and the founders of each sect after Prince Shotoku, as well as Nichiren in the 13th century, developed arguments based on this belief.

Even today, Tendai and other Lotus- and Nichiren-affiliated religious groups ignore scientific results and insist on the legitimacy of their own sects.On the other hand, there are sects that criticize these while adopting Mahayana non-Buddhist theories.

The Mahayana Buddhist scriptures were not assembled by the first generation of Buddhist disciples, but belong to the production of subsequent eras.'' (Fumio Masutani, ``One Hundred Stories of Buddhism,'' etc.)

It is thought that the Lotus Sutra was established as a sutra approximately 400 to 500 years after the death of Buddha.Of course, this was not known at the time of Nichiren Shonin, so as per the ancient theory, the Lotus Sutra was established as a sutra. It is said that this is a sutra that Shakyamuni Buddha preached in his later years.In today's scholarship, it has come to be understood that it is not Shakyamuni's Buddhist teachings itself.'' (Kishio Satomi, ``Nichiren's Person and Thought'')

The Lotus Sutra of the Nichiren sect was written by many people from the 1st century to around 700 AD, so they were not all preached by Shakyamuni Buddha.'' (Doban Sousei ``From Buddhist Monk to Teacher'') )

The above-mentioned theory, the so-called ``Mahayana non-Buddhist theory,'' fundamentally overturns the foundations of the religious systems of the Lotus-style religion, the Taisekijimon school, and the Soka Gakkai.

They claim that the Lotus Sutra is Shakyamuni Buddha's highest teaching, even though it is written in later generations.

However, other lineages make similar claims, so in the end, it ends up being a watershed argument.

Therefore, based on the principle of "Do not obey men, but obey the law", it does not matter whether it is a Buddhist theory or not, whether the author is a later generation or whoever, as long as the content is true. It goes without saying that this should be objectively demonstrated.

Since faith is inherently subjective, it cannot be objectively proven by science, and faith cannot be destroyed unless it is objective.It is a one-sided claim that this is the original teaching. It does not apply to other religious groups...

This seems to be common knowledge, but

Since subjectivity (one thought) always manifests itself in concrete words and actions, it itself becomes the subject of objective scientific research.

In fact, although there are many difficulties, research in areas such as brain science and behavioral economics is based on this idea, and has achieved a certain degree of success.

Although there are many blind theories regarding the theory of Ichinen Sanzen established by Tendai and Nichiren's belief in attaining sokushinjobutsu, it has been proven that it is still sufficiently scientific and philosophical even today when examined based on the principle of "Do not obey men, but obey the law". There is a truth to it that can withstand examination.

Now, getting back to the topic, the Lotus Sutra was a collaboration between many people who wrote it later, so there is no definitive translation.

Nowadays, there are direct translations from Sanskrit, but at that time, the 5th century translation by Kumaraju was used by Tendai and Nichiren and was the mainstream in Japan.

Although some have pointed out that it contains a lot of the translator's subjectivity, it is composed of 28 chapters (28 articles), nearly 70,000 characters, and is written in a beautiful style, mainly "Ge "(Chinese poetry).

The preface to this sutra is ``The truth that has not been revealed for more than 40 years'' (the truth has not yet been revealed in the 40 years of sermons up to that point) and ``Honestly withdraw the expedient and preach the law of excellence'' (honestly, I throw away the expedient methods I have preached up until now and just preach the best way.). For example, he abandons all expedient methods and simply preaches the best way.

Entering the main story, the first half starts with Shakyamuni Buddha waving his long and wide tongue to the heavens to his disciples on Mt. Ryoju (a sacred mountain in Buddhism) (the longer the tongue, the higher the degree of truth; in other words, proof that it is absolutely true) ) His disciples were praised by all sentient beings, and several metaphors and treasure tower"宝塔" appeared.

The keynote is ``all phenomena are true reality:諸法実相'' (

meaning the theory "everything is the reality" in Chapter 2 (Expedient chapter:方便品).

All of the universe is defined by ``truth,'' and this Shaba world (the real world) is actually the land of Buddha.

Until then, it was believed that women and scholars could not attain Buddhahood even if they practiced ascetic practices, but the Lotus Sutra guarantees that anyone can realize the truth and become a Buddha.

In other words, it guarantees the attainment of Buddhahood for all, including those who have fallen into hell or the path of hungry demons, animals, women, scholars, Bodhisattvas, and even local demons, demons, and heavenly gods.

The method was first written down in the Lotus Sutra, so Shakamuni preach that we should spread the Lotus Sutra without getting confused by the teachings of outsiders or those who came before us, and without giving in to persecution.

Afterwards, all the audience members are lifted into the air, looking down on the earth far in the distance, and a majestic pagoda appears before their eyes. In it, Shakyamuni Buddha and Tahobutsu guarantee that this Lotus Sutra is the truth.

Suddenly, from a landlocked landlocked world deep in the mountains of India, it has now become a ritual in outer space.

In modern terms, it is an epic science fiction novel.

In the second half, in Chapter 15, in response to the question of who will spread the Lotus Sutra after Shakyamuni's death, the Bodhisattvas present at the time claimed to be the one who would spread the Lotus Sutra, but Shakyamuni rejected all of this, and from eternity Shakyamuni He summons Bodhisattvas who are said to have been his disciples.

Then, a huge number of Bodhisattvas appeared, as if springing from the depths of the earth far below.

Then, one by one, each person stood in line, greeting and clasping their hands together in front of the Buddha.

An eternity of time had passed, but to the audience at the time, it seemed like only a small amount of time had passed.

Here we get a glimpse of the great insight that even space and time, including the earth, are nothing more than relative things.

Even more amazingly, all of the numerous Bodhisattvas possessed wisdom and dignity that far exceeded the Buddha in front of them.

Shakyamuni Buddha said that they were all disciples that he had taught since time immemorial.

Many people who saw this thought it was the most wonderful thing, but naturally they had doubts.

Why are there so many masters better than the ones in front of me?

Moreover, in just over 40 years, how did they outsmart those in front of them and accomplish such a feat...

It was inevitable that the elite who had trained with Shakyamuni would have such doubts.

Then, Shariputra, the wisest disciple of the time, asked on behalf of him.

Then, Shakyamuni Buddha revealed that he had actually attained Buddhahood a long time ago, that his lifespan was twice that of eternity, and that he had been nurturing the disciples in front of him, the Bodhisattvas of the Earth.

And as one way of raising them, he uses the analogy of a good doctor and preaches that Nirvana (death) has been manifested as a means.No one would criticize that method as a lie, that life continues forever even after death. revealed that he is a permanent resident.

The Buddha's answer to this is Chapter 16, ``The Life of Life,寿量品,'' which is the climax of the Lotus Sutra.

The Buddha at this time was called ``Shakyamuni of Eternal Reality:久遠実成の釈尊,'' and his disciples from Eternity were called ``Bodhisattvas of the Earth,地涌の菩薩,'' and their representative was ``Ascending Bodhisattva,上行菩薩.''

2,000 years after the death of the Buddha, during the period of the end of the Dharma, when the Lotus Sutra ceased to be effective, the Buddha made a vow that a ``bodhisattva of the earth'' would appear in his place and carry out the mission of spreading the true Lotus Sutra, and the Buddha vowed to fulfill this mission, receive.

Following this, the disciples who were present also took vows one after another.

The Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara also vows to be a proponent of all merits...This part, Chapter 25, is famous as the ``Kannon Sutra.''

Looking at the whole, most of the expressions are filled with self-congratulatory and self-congratulatory Chinese poems, but in short, all phenomena are "laws and realities(諸法実相)" (all manifestations of truth), all life is eternal, and all things are eternal. He has an absolute counterpart in the form of the actual Relative Buddha.

The reason why I have chosen to use the term absolute ``Relative'' here is because the Buddha himself is said to have attained Buddhahood by practicing the ``Dharma'' called the Lotus Sutra a long time ago, after countless years of ascetic practices.

It is also preached that all believers, including evil people, women, ignorant people, and animals, can attain Buddhahood (be saved), so they should preach without fear even in the face of persecution.

The suggestion here of the dignity and equality of all life under the Buddha is admirable.

However, although anyone can attain Buddhahood (become the same as Kuon Jitsujo's Shakyamuni,久遠実成の釈尊) by establishing the only Absolute Being in the form of Shakyamuni Kuon Jitsunari, it is natural that the basic tone of Buddhism, which has preached the non-self of all laws from the beginning, is not at first glance. It seems contradictory.

Therefore, he preaches that there is no choice but to believe without doubt (Mugi-wasshin,無疑日信) and urges people to stop thinking.

Because of this content, those who preached the Lotus Sutra, especially practitioners and propagators such as Ryuju(竜樹) Tenjin(天親), Kumaraji(鳩摩羅什), and Tendai Chigi(天台智顗), were attacked by traditional Buddhists as being hostile to the master.

Recent research has shown that the Lotus Sutra was created during a time when temples and pagodas were being built actively, and that there were connections between the monks and groups involved in these projects.

Considering the background of the times when there were few means and it was extremely difficult to pass down the tradition, believing in this sutra means supporting those who preach this sutra.

The predicted persecution indicates that there were conflicts between sects (Hinayana Sutra and Mahayana Sutra) and conflicts with other religions.

In fact, in India, many Buddhist denominations have virtually disappeared due to the propagation of Islam.

In the 6th century, China's Tendai Chikyu(天台智顗) established their own metaphysical system using the Lotus Sutra, which had been brought to China by Ryuju, Tenjin, and Kumaraji, as material.

Based on the materials available at that time, he systematically classified the teachings of the Buddha (the Five Hours and Eight Sutras（五時八経）) and placed the Lotus Sutra first.

The theory of the Lotus Sutra, the investigation of the reality of various laws, the three truths of emptiness, temporary, and middle, the eternal thoughts of the three thousand, Ichinenn-sannzenn(一念三千), etc.

He argued that the ``achievement of Buddha(成仏)'' preached in this law can be realized through ``conceptual thinking, Kan-nen-kannpo(観念観法)'' a type of mental concentration.

The Kan-nen-kannpo method was a training method in which one looked at one's own mind and the world in the ten directions, in other words, through mental concentration (Shi-kan 止観), one saw reality 実相(the Buddha within).

In retrospect, the concept of various laws and realities, and the three thousand thoughts of one thought(一念三千), can now be seen as an analytical concept that extends not only to sentient life, but also to elementary particles and the many unobservable universes.

However, the method of attaining Buddhahood, ``kanshin,観心'' or ``observing one's own mind and seeing the ten directions,'' was at this point only available to elite monks who had extensive training. It was not a common or common cause, and it did not lead to widespread relief.

Therefore, the tradition must have been protected by the state and ruler.

In fact, the Tendai sect he founded was heavily used by the emperors of the Sui and Tang dynasties in China, and was transmitted to Japan through Denkyo (Saichō), becoming the center of aristocratic Buddhism during the Heian period.

As time progresses, we enter the end of the law.

The end of the Dharma 2,000 years after the death of Shakyamuni Buddha, as predicted in the Lotus Sutra, is a time of ``fighting and perseverance, and the disappearance of the White Dharma'' (in which there will be intense struggle and war, and Shakyamuni's Buddhism will disappear).

In reality, during Shakyamuni Buddha's time, language and writing were not common, and there were few means of writing down his teachings, making it difficult to propagate his teachings.

His disciples gathered together and memorized their master's teachings, internalizing them and passing them on to others.

Therefore, even if he decided to enter this path, he had no choice but to honestly believe in it, and there was probably no room for doubt in the first place.

However, after the death of Shakyamuni, language, writing, and means of communication gradually improved in accordance with the development of the times.

The period up to 1,000 years after the death of Shakyamuni is defined as the True Dharma(正法), and the subsequent 1,000 years as the Illustrated Dharma(像法), and as civilization gradually progresses, it is also included in the prophecy that temples and temples will be built.

However, at the same time, it also means that honest faith is lost, and the three poisons of greed and delinquency that reside in the people emerge(貪瞋痴の三毒), become generalized, and spread as suspicion and opposition.

As a result of this, especially after the end of the Dharma, Shakyamuni Buddhism has no true believers even though there are only letters, and greed, jealousy, prejudice, and desire have expanded due to the generalization of language, means of expression, and means of transportation, and the truth, lies, and value have been expanded. It is foretold that things that exist and things that do not exist will coexist, people will fight each other with their own selfish claims, and false accusations will be laid against innocent people, and the true teachings will have no effect in front of such sentient beings. It was predicted.

It can be said that this was not a mistake on its part.

By the way, is it surprising that we live in an age where science is progressing rapidly and we are entering the era of IT and AI? It is surprising that there is not only a mixture of truth and lies, and things that have value and things that have no value, but also fabrications, cover-ups, fraud, deception, and fake news. The prophecies of the Lotus Sutra are being further confirmed.

As mentioned in Nichiren's ``Risho Ankoku Ron 立正安国論,'' natural disasters (including disasters caused by global warming, etc.), famine, epidemics (such as the coronavirus), and wirld-wide war have occurred twice in the last century. Even though we have experienced world wars and the Cold War between East and West has ended, we are honest with the history of humanity and the continued destruction of the global environment, with the stage shifting to terrorism, coups, regional conflicts, and global economic domination. If you look closely, the analyzes and arguments of Buddhism and Nichiren can be said to be truly astonishing insights, even though they were made at a time when science was underdeveloped.

Now, in the 13th century, Nichiren refuted that the Buddha of Eternal Reality(Kuon Jitsunari久遠実成) who is the only absolute being in the Lotus Sutra, is actually all sentient beings and each and every creation, and he preached the law that was the basis for this.

Doctrinally, the Buddha of this world is said to be a suijaku 垂迹whose original origin is the Buddha of Kuon Jitsunari 久遠実成.

According to the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni is said to have preached the life of the third generation and attained enlightenment a long time ago, and according to Nichiren, he is said to be the Buddha of Eternal Reality 久遠実成の釈尊.

According to the Soka Gakkai theory, the path of his mentor and disciple is called Buddhism.

If so, who exactly was the mentor of Kuon Jitsunari's Shakyamuni (Shakyamuni in the Book of Buddhism)?

Who on earth was the mentor of the first self-receiving Boshin Tathagata, the Tathagata who originally attained Buddhahood in the infinitely distant past,(Kuon-ganjo-jijuyuhoshin-Tathagata 久遠元初自受用報身如来=Nichiren in the Nichiren Book of Buddhism) in the Kuon Gen era?

If we pursue this, we will fall into infinite regression (infinite regress), which will ultimately prove to be a failure in explanation.

As long as this has not been clarified, it cannot be denied that there are scientifically incomplete elements in Buddhism itself.

Next, at the 15th Koku-kai exhibited in the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni called forth the Bodhisattva of the Earth, who he himself had edified as his disciples.

There were an infinite number of them, but at the top of their heads was the Ascending Bodhisattva.

Here, the teacher of Ascending Bodhisattva Jogyo(上行菩薩), is Kuon Jitsunari Shakyamuni 久遠実成の釈尊.

In this ceremony, in the era of the end of the Dharma, 2000 years after Shakyamuni's death, Shakyamuni's Buddhism would no longer be effective, so an imperial edict (attached) was given to the bodhisattvas on Earth to propagate the Lotus Sutra, which would be effective instead.

Incidentally, in the Nirvana Sutra, which the Buddha preached before his death, he preached that one should depend on the law Dharma and not on man 依法不依人.

■Here, we once again confirm the principle of "e-ho-hue-nin(依法不依人)".

"Depending on the law, not relying on others=依法不依人" means "depending on the law and not on others," and the standard for judgment and action should be based on the law, and should not be influenced by other people's interpretations and arguments about the law. This means that you should not take what he says at face value or use it at face value.

At the time of writing this law, the law refers to Buddhism.

Although the true law does not change, people and things are constantly changing, changing over time and place, and are unstable, which is why we have adopted the basic policy of ``depending on the law and not on others''.

Needless to say, the word ``ho 法'' in the phrase ``e-ho-hue-nin 依法不依人'' and its true meaning means all the laws of truth.

This is also hinted at by the statement in the Nirvana Sutra that ``All of the world's exoteric sutras are Buddhist theories and do not belong to the exoteric theories.''

People interpret, debate, and argue the law in various ways for arbitrary purposes based on their upbringing, the presence or absence of authority and property, the organizations they belong to, and their own beliefs and experiences.

It is not correct just because a professor, ruler, president, or lord says it, or because it was decided by majority vote, or because it is public opinion. Also, just because claims about minors, beggars, criminals, eccentrics, perverts, organized crime groups, etc., or inconsistent statements that keep changing, does not necessarily mean that they are false, and that they are based on the truth. This is a common story.

After all, an argument can be said to be correct because it applies to objective "laws."

Historically, authority, fame, power, honor, and majority opinion have perverted justice and truth, and with the development of science, religions with many non-scientific dogmas have become more and more similar to science. Although we have separated, the principle of "not relying on men but relying on the law" is one of the important criteria for determining whether religious teachings and dogma that contradict scientific logic are truly correct, true, or false.

Naturally, it is self-evident that the current progress in science and technology is based on this.

It is probably because of this principle that many Buddhist insights, such as the doctrine of one thought and three thousand thoughts, are able to endure the development of science.

In order to express this clearly, in this article from P01, I use the term "obey the law＝依法不依人" as a concept that includes actions as well as actual criteria for judgment, such as ”obey the law, not others（”depending on the law and not on others”＝依法不依人）.''

This is an updated idea or a principal theory.

Ryuju, Tendai, etc. from the later period, which is said to be Shōhō and Izōhō, are omitted.

This page has been revised, updated and translated on 2024/02/23 from a post on Ameblo on 2021/04/28. The original text is available at the link below.

https://ameblo.jp/raketto-chan/entry-12671290928.html?frm=theme