SGI-USA Study Curriculum
Lectures on the Hoben and Juryo Chapters of the Lotus Sutra
by SGI President Daisaku Ikeda
The True Entity of All Phenomenon Is the
Wisdom To Grasp the Truth of Life
Yui butsu yo butsu. Nai no kujin. Shoho jisso. Sho-i
shoho. Nyo ze so. Nyo ze sho. Nyo ze tai. Nyo ze riki. Nyo
ze sa. Nyo ze in. Nyo ze en. Nyo ze ka. Nyo ze ho. Nyo ze
honmak kukyo to.
The true entity of all phenomena can only be understood
and shared between Buddhas. This reality consists of the
appearance, nature, entity, power, influence, internal cause,
relation, latent effect, manifest effect and their consistency
from beginning to end. (LS-2,
24)1
We now come to the most important passage of the "Expedient
Means" chapter, the section dealing with the true
entity of all phenomena and the 10 factors.
Just what exactly is the wisdom of the Buddha that Shakyamuni
has been praising from the start of the chapter as "infinitely
profound" and "difficult to understand?"
Here, he tries to explain.
The true entity of all phenomena is the wisdom of the Buddhas
that can only be understood and shared between Buddhas.
Shakyamuni clarifies that the true entity specifically consists
of the 10 factors of appearance, nature, entity, power,
influence, internal cause, relation, latent effect, manifest
effect, and their consistency from beginning to end.
"All phenomena" indicates life in the ten worlds
(Jpn shoho) and its environment (eho), or all living beings
and the realms in which they dwell. In other words, it refers
to all nature, to all things and phenomena.
Also, "true entity," just as it sounds, means
the true reality just as it is. The true entity of all phenomena
might be thought of as the undisguised truth of all things.
The 10 factors that follow indicate the contents of the
true entity. For this reason, this passage is termed the
"true entity of the 10 factors."
What Are the 10 Factors?
The meaning of the 10 factors might be summarized as follows:
(1) appearance (nyo ze so): the external manifestation
of life. (2) nature (nyo ze sho): the spiritual or mental
aspect of life. (3) entity (nyo ze tai): the totality of
life consisting of appearance and nature. (4) power (nyo
ze riki): inherent energy. (5) influence (nyo ze so): externally-directed
action. (6) internal cause (nyo ze in): the direct cause
for things to occur. (7) relation (nyo ze en): the causes
or conditions that activate the internal cause. (8) latent
effect (nyo ze ka): the result produced [in the depths of
life] by internal cause and relation. (9) manifest effect
(nyo ze ho): the concrete, perceptible manifestation of
the latent effect. (10) consistency from beginning to end
(nyo ze hommatsu kukyo to): the perfect integration of these
nine factors in every moment of life.
The three factors of appearance, nature and entity explain
the essential composition of all phenomena. The six factors
of power, influence, internal cause, relation, latent effect
and manifest effect analyze the functions and workings of
all phenomena. And consistency from beginning to end indicates
the coherency of the nine factors from appearance to manifest
effect.
In the passage, each factor is prefixed by the term nyo
ze (literally, "it is like"). Shakyamuni is saying
in effect: although the Buddha wisdom fundamentally cannot
be articulated in words, if one were to venture to describe
it, this is how it might be expressed.
Let me try to explain the ten factors through an example.
Your own existence is a "phenomenon." features,
posture and so on comprise the "appearance" of
the "phenomenon" of your life.
Again, while invisible to the eye, such traits as shortness
of temper, magnanimity, kindness or reticence, or the various
aspects of your personality or temperament, make up your
"nature." Your physical and spiritual totality
- that is, your "appearance" and "nature"
together - makeup your "entity," the person you
are.
Also, your life has various energies ("power"),
and these produce various external functions ("influence").
Your life thus becomes a cause ("internal cause")
and, activated by conditions internal and external ("relation"),
changes arise in your life ("latent effect"),
and these eventually appear externally ("manifest effect").
Moreover, these nine factors interweave your life and your
environment without any inconsistency or omission ("consistency
from beginning to end"). This is the true aspect of
the 10 factors of your life.
Each of us lives within the framework of the 10 factors.
No one could say that he or she has no "appearance."
Such a person would be invisible. Similarly, no one could
truly claim not to have a personality, not to have any energy,
or not to carry out any activity. Nor could there be a situation
where the appearance was one person, the nature someone
else and the entity another person still. There is consistency
among all factors, and together they make up the irreplaceable
totality of your being.
People in each of the ten worlds are endowed with the 10
factors according to their state of life. For example, people
in the world of Hell have the dark and depressed appearance
of those overwhelmed by suffering. Since their nature is
filled with suffering and anger, their power and influence
tend to mire those around them in darkness, too.
Those in the world of Heaven are typically bright and smiling
in their appearance. In their nature, since they feel uplifted
- as though "ascending into the sky," as it were
- anything they see makes them happy. Their power and influence
tend to make those around them feel buoyant and cheerful,
too.
Similarly, each of the ten worlds has its own factors of
appearance, nature, entity, power, influence, internal cause,
relation, latent effect and manifest effect, and there is
consistency from beginning to end. This is the true nature
of all phenomena.
President Toda explained this as follows: "Suppose
there is a thief in front of us. He is a thief from appearance
to manifest effect. That's consistency from beginning to
end in a thief's life. There is no discontinuity."
Rather than simply looking at surface appearances, understanding
the true entity of all phenomena means to grasp the vastness
and profundity of life in its entirety.
The 10 factors are not limited only to human beings. Flowers
blooming on the roadside, for example, have the appearance,
nature and entity of beauty. And they also possess power,
influence, internal cause, relation, latent effect and manifest
effect, without any omission. And in their totality all
of these factors are coherently integrated with the life
of the flower.
The same is also true of inorganic things. A pebble, the
sky, the moon, stars, the sun, the sea with its salty scent,
rugged mountains, skyscrapers overlooking noisy streets,
houses and cars and every piece of furniture or utensil
- the 10 factors describe the existence of all things.
This is the wisdom of the true entity of all phenomena
that the Buddha has attained. In other words, when observing
any phenomenon, the Buddha understands its true entity.
When looking at people, the Buddha understands their state
of life; and he sees their Buddha nature within. When looking
at something in nature, the Buddha can sense its noble brilliance.
And when considering social phenomena, the Buddha can deftly
discern their underlying significance.
It might be said that the wisdom of the true entity of
all phenomena is the ability to discern the true nature
of all things.
The Importance of Seeing the Truth
Buddhism explains that there are five types of vision that
people may possess depending on their state of life: the
eye of common mortals, the divine eye, the eye of wisdom
(of people of the two vehicles), the eye of the Law (of
bodhisattvas), and the eye of the Buddha. The wisdom of
the true entity of all phenomena is to view everything with
the eye of the Law and the eye of the Buddha.
Seeing is of course just one example. There is also hearing,
smelling, tasting, feeling and sensing. Through all our
faculties we should strive to perceive the true entity of
all phenomena.
The French poet Comte de Lautreamont writes: amid passing
phenomena, I search for the truth.
What is important is the vision to profoundly and deftly
perceive the true nature of shifting phenomena. The Buddha
is one who has mastered this vision.
It is often the case that people experience failure or
loss in even simple, everyday affairs due to misunderstandings
or misperceptions, prejudice or speculation. It is all the
more difficult to see the truth when it comes to fundamental
problems of human life or society. When observing the same
phenomena, the Buddha succeeds in seeing the true entity
while others fail.
To take one example, the scientist Isaac Newton is said
to have discovered the law of universal gravitation from
observing an apple fall from a tree. In the falling apple
(the phenomenon), he discerned the truth (the true entity)
that the force of gravity acts upon all things. This could
be thought of as a part of the wisdom of the true entity
of all phenomena.
No matter how many apples someone sees fall, if the person
lacks insight, he or she will not be able to discern the
true entity. Newton's discovery resulted in the opening
of a new world and has greatly benefited humankind.
Similarly, and on an even grander scale, the Buddha wisdom
to discern the true entity of all phenomena is of inestimable
importance for people's happiness in life and for the advancement
of humanity.
To speak of discovering the true entity "behind"
phenomena might give the impression that the Law exists
somewhere apart from the phenomena. This is definitely not
the case. Phenomena and their true entity are always inseparable.
The Buddha observes the true entity as it manifests through
phenomena and correctly perceive that the true entity exists
only as the phenomena. They certainly do not exist separately.
To illustrate, if phenomena, which are constantly changing,
are likened to waves, then the true entity is comparable
to the ocean. Waves are produced by the ocean, and wave
crests consist of sea water. Conversely, there is no ocean
that does not manifest as waves. The two are one in essence.
Again, if the true entity is likened to the surface of
a mirror, then phenomena would be comparable to the images
appearing therein. The mirror reproduces all kinds of things
as images. There is no mirror that does not reflect images
as long as there is light. Conversely, there could be no
reflected images without the mirror.
From the standpoint of life, "all phenomena"
means individual lives, and "true entity" refers
to the truth of life-which pervades the universe-that the
Buddha perceives. The Buddha perceives the universal life
in even the smallest living manifestation.
To put it another way, all living beings are entities of
the Mystic Law to which the Buddha is enlightened, and the
Buddha perceives that they are inherently endowed with the
Buddha nature. This is the wisdom of the true entity of
all phenomena.
The vision that enables the Buddha to perceive the true
entity that manifests in all phenomena is also the eye of
compassion to save all people and enable them to become
Buddhas.
The Daishonin says: "Life itself is the most precious
of all treasures. Even the treasures of the entire universe
cannot equal the value of a single human life" (MW-
1, 267). The life of one person, an individual, he says,
is more precious even than all the treasures of the universe.
This is the wonderful Buddhist view of life, which is based
on the perception of the true entity in all phenomena.
Life is mysterious. It is the wisdom of the Buddha to perfectly
and fully understand the truth of life. What a vast and
infinitely profound wisdom this is!
As seen with the eye of the Buddha, this world, this universe
is a world shining with life, a world resounding with the
chorus of all things. The Buddha perceives the irreplaceable
uniqueness and value of all things in the world. The Buddha's
wisdom is a state of life filled with boundless exhilaration
and joy in living.
As I will discuss later, from the standpoint of the Daishonin's
Buddhism, the true entity of all phenomena means the Gohonzon.
For us who embrace the Gohonzon, the wisdom of the true
entity of all phenomena means to view everything with the
eye of Buddhism and the eye of faith.
Notes:
- Ed. note: All quotations from the Lotus Sutra are from:
The
Lotus Sutra, tran. Burton Watson (New York: Columbia
University Press, 1993). For convenience, all citations
from this work will be given in the text and abbreviated
as follows: LS followed by the chapter number, and then
the page number.
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