At the time of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, in the fifth and sixth centuries, Chinese Buddhism was divided into three schools in the South and seven schools in the North.

Buddhism originated in India and was transmitted to China without the content or doctrines taught in the sutras being organised and systematised. For this reason, in China, analyses of the teachings were carried out to judge which of the sutras was superior to the others from the point of view of the doctrine it developed. Thus, during the period of the Southern and Northern dynasties, ten masters "Three in the South and Seven in the North" appeared, who founded three schools south of the Yangtze River and seven schools in the North.

The three schools in the South were the Three Period School, the Four Period School and the Five Period School.

The first, the Three Period School, was founded by the Dharma Master Ji of Mount Huqiu Temple.

The three periods refer to the teachings of 1) the period of the doctrines of the character-determined (jp. Usō-kyō - 有相教), i.e. the period of the Agama Sutras, 2) the period of the doctrines devoid of particularizing characters (jp. musō-kyō - 無相教), i.e. the sutras of the developed period, the wisdom and the Lotus, and finally, 3) the period of permanent presence, i.e. the period of the Nirvana Sutra.

The Four Period School of the Dharma Master Zong-Ai took the previous three periods and deleted the Lotus Sutra of the period of doctrines without distinctive characters, making it an independent fourth period.

The school of the five periods was created, among others, by the Dharma Master Fa-Yün who added a fifth period to the four previous periods, whose teachings discredit and suppress the Small Vehicle and praise and proclaim the Great Vehicle.

As for the seven schools north of the Yangtze River, they are 1) the Five Periods School, which takes up the four previous periods by adding the teaching of men and heavens, a teaching according to which observing the five precepts enables one to be born in the world of humans and observing the ten acts of good enables one to be born in the world of heavens, and which preaches only worldly good. 2) The two Bodairushi teachings, which are the twelve years of preaching of the Small Vehicle by Shakyamuni Buddha through the Agama Sutras, then the rest of the teachings representing the Great Vehicle. 3) The current initiated by Guang-Tong who founded the current of the four schools which are a) the school of conditionality, based on the Treatise of the Abhi-dharma, b) the school of the All-Provisional, based on the Treatise of the Fulfilment of Truth of Harivarman, which affirms that the entirety of the phenomena are only a provisional name without having any reality, c) the school of the Deceptive Aspect, based on the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra, teaching that all phenomena are not truth and have only a deceptive aspect, all being emptiness, and d) the school of permanent presence, based on the Nirvana and Flowery Ornament Sutras, affirming the eternity of the Buddha nature, permanently present even among beings. 4) The five schools initiated by the master of the Dhama Ji of the Hushen temple; these are the four schools to which he added the school of the world of dharmas. 5) The six schools of the Dharma Master An-bin of the Qishe Temple, 6) the two teachings of the Mediation Master of the Northern Lands (the great vehicle determined by characters and the great vehicle without particularising characters and 7) the unique teaching of the Meditation Master of the Northern Lands (this is the "doctrine of the unique sound", according to which all the teachings of the Buddha had the same content and therefore the same value.

Within this profusion (and confusion) of currents and analyses of the Buddha's teachings, the general tendency was to consider the Flowery Ornament Sutra as the most important Sutra, followed by the Nirvana Sutra and, in third place, the Lotus Sutra.

At that time of the three southern schools and the seven northern schools, what was the state of faith of the general population? They did not rely on the immense compassion and mercy of the Buddha to lift the illusion in which their minds were immersed and apply unshakable conviction to their real lives, but sought happiness and enjoyment of material life by turning to bodhisattvas such as Maitreya, Avalokitesvara and Ksitigarbha.

Moreover, people had no idea that their good and bad deeds in this life were directly related to their afterlife, but only wished to be reborn in this world to enjoy their wealth and nobility again. This can be seen in the fact that the statues of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas created at that time have the texts of the wishes I have just mentioned engraved on them as to why they were created.

The reason why the essence of Buddhism was not grasped and all the schools had fallen into a state of chaos is that they were too busy translating the scriptures, lacked systematic unity and had no time to discern the fundamental principles of Buddhism. It was at this time that Zhiyi, the great Tendai Master, appeared and established the doctrine of the single Lotus vehicle, unique to the Tendai, expounding the five periods of the revered Shakya's teachings and thus establishing the true intention of the Buddha. If we consider Zhiyi's doctrine as a whole, it is considered to be the lineage of the Tendai school founded by the Bodhisattva Nagarjuna, followed by Huiwén of Bei-zhai, then Huisi of Nányuè, and culminating in the great Tendai Master Zhiyi.

Great Master Zhiyi is indeed a major figure in Chinese Buddhism. Not only did he raise the then chaotic Chinese Buddhism to its highest point by organising and systematising it and propagating the true Mahayana teachings, but he also made a great contribution to early modern Chinese philosophy by giving new life and effervescence to a stalled world of thought.

Let us summarise and give an overview of the doctrine built by the great master Zhiyi. As I mentioned earlier, until the period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, when the great master of Tendai appeared, the Buddhist community in China was so preoccupied with the reception of Buddhist scriptures that it neglected organizational research and suffered, so to speak, from indigestion and diarrhea. Even those who were revered for their so-called high priestly knowledge had a narrow mindset, just involved in what they were doing. Now, in fact, there is a great variety of beings who have listened to the Buddha's teachings. In this sense, the Infinite Senses Sutra states, "I realised that the nature and desires of beings are dissimilar. Since nature and desires are not similar, I preached the Dharma in various ways". As the sutra says, it was not an easy task in reality to fully grasp the Buddha's true intention from the infinite number of sutras, from the most superficial to the most profound teachings, preached according to the predisposition of the beings he addressed.

The great master Zhiyi, however, scrupulously selected and analysed the contents and values of the enormous number of sutras and formulated the "Five Periods and Eight Teachings" based on the "Three Types of Doctrines" seen in the previous chapter and came to the conclusion that the essence of Buddhism is the Lotus Sutra, that the principles taught in the Lotus Sutra represent the true intention of the Buddha, and that the teachings of the various other sutras are offshoots from the Lotus Sutra. The reasons why he was able to completely refute the high priests of the ten northern and southern schools, who were considered great scholars at the time, is that he experienced through practice the profound meaning of the Lotus Sutra, and his firm conviction based on this experience led him to express the sublime doctrine of One Thought Three Thousand, which synthesizes the purpose of the Buddha's teaching and enlightenment.

This part of Zhiyi's teaching is called "the door of doctrine" (kyōsō mon - 教相門). It is the theoretical study of the sutras and treatises. The door counterpart of the doctrine is "the door of heart contemplation" (kanjin mon - 観心門)

Contemplation of the heart is a thorough observation of the Dharma by comparing the knowledge and understanding gained from the teaching with one's own thinking. Teaching is 'objective study', while heart contemplation is 'subjective practice'. Zhiyi's conclusion, after reading the Lotus Sutra and reflecting on it in his mind, was that in order to become a Buddha, one does not have to look far to the east to find Akshobhya Buddha or to the west for Amitabha Buddha, for Buddhahood is intrinsically contained in each person's mind. This is called "the mysterious law of the mind", which means that the true source of liberation and the mysterious meaning of the universe are all within our own body, and it is the doctrine of the Lotus Sutra that opens it up to all beings and enables them to enter into enlightenment. This is what Zhiyi experienced through scripture and practice.

After Zhiyi's death, his disciple Zhang-An Guanding（561-632） took over as head of the school. Thereafter, the Tendai current gradually weakened until the appearance of Zhiyi's 6th successor, in the person of Miaolè Zhanran who, through his commentaries on Zhiyi's three major works on the Lotus Sutra, revived the school. His successors were Dao-sui and Sing-man. Subsequently, from the time of the great anti-Buddhist persecution of 845 and the disturbances that occurred at the end of the Tang dynasty, the school fell into decline. It split into two conflicting currents and, with the general collapse of Buddhism in China that began at the end of the Song Dynasty, it declined completely.

At the time of Dao-sui and Sing-man, the great Japanese Master Dengyō Saichō, travelled to China to study the Tendai doctrines which he received from them. On his return to Japan in 805, he settled at the Enryaku-ji temple on Mount Hiei near Kyōto, where he endeavoured to propagate the Dharma by establishing the Japanese Tendai school. His successor was his disciple Gishin who had accompanied him on his journey to China during which he served as interpreter and translator. After Gishin, Jikaku and Chishō also travelled to China, but they studied in other schools and on their return incorporated the esoteric doctrines of Shingon into the Tendai. This syncretism, which came to be known as esoteric Tendai, flourished in the Heian period (794 - 1185). It is said to have been the matrix of all the new religions that appeared in the Kamakura period (1185-1333).

Buddhism was brought to Japan in 552, at the time of Emperor Kinmei, by King Seong of Baekje (Korea). It developed throughout the country and the Tendai and Shingon schools were dominant. At the beginning of the Kamakura period, however, new religions came to the fore and Pure Land Buddhism became popular among the working classes, while the Zen schools were favoured by the elites. The Lotus Sutra, which had been defined by Zhiyi as the true and only intention of Shakyamuni Buddha, was completely forgotten, as was Shakyamuni himself, to the extent that his statues were replaced by those of Amida, Vairocana, etc.

It was also at this time that Nichiren appeared. He became a monk at the age of sixteen in a temple of the esoteric Tendai school, and went on a journey of initiation that lasted almost twenty years, during which he visited the main temples of all the schools of Japan and studied their doctrines. His conclusion was, like Zhiyi, that the Lotus Sutra was indeed the perfect teaching of Shakyamuni Buddha, the sole purpose of his coming into this world, and he decided to propagate it, while refuting the heresies of other schools. This is what he thinks of the great Tendai Master. In his Treatise that Opens the Eyes (Kaimoku shō - 開目抄) he writes:

"Only Tendai's (Zhiyi's) Three Thousand Thought is the path to Buddhahood.

Or again

"Although my wisdom in understanding the principles of the Lotus Sutra is not one ten millionth of that of the great masters Tendai and Dengyō, my endurance of hardship and compassion are truly remarkable.

Since Nichiren's doctrine is mainly based on Zhiyi's, many people in the world confuse Tendai's doctrine with Nichiren's. Therefore, I would like to mention here the differences that require special attention.

Nichiren never followed the "Tendai school doctrine". Many people in the world interpret Buddhism in the sense that Shakyamuni Buddha was born in India and Nichiren appeared in Japan as an ascetic who faithfully propagated the Lotus Sutra, the purpose of Shakyamuni Buddha's coming into the world, through the doctrine established by Zhiyi, of which he is said to have been an extension. This is a serious error, an assessment that could be described as "colour-blind".

Even if for Zhiyi as for Nichiren, the finality of the teachings of Buddhism are found in the doctrine of One Thought Three Thousand, there are notable differences between the two.

These differences already stem from the notion of time. Indeed, in the introduction to his Treatise on the Selection of Time, Nichiren states: "The path of learning Buddhism inevitably passes through the study of time".

In various sutras, Shakyamuni defines the future after his extinction in three periods: period of Dharma Rectitude (jp. Shōbō), period of Dharma Semblance (jp. Zōbō) and period of Dharma End (jp. Mappō). Here, 'dharma' means 'teaching'.

The Period of Rectitude was the period when Shakyamuni's teaching was correctly transmitted and practitioners could achieve enlightenment. In the period of Semblance, the abilities of beings with regard to the Buddha's teaching became inferior to those of the beings of Rectitude. However, while the Buddha's teaching was transmitted in a formalistic manner, the fervour in practising the Dharma resembled that of the Rectitude and brought benefits. As for the period of the End of the Dharma, this is when Shakyamuni's teaching lost all its benefits.

The duration of each of these three periods differs according to the sutras. However, it is generally considered that the period of the Correctness of the Dharma lasted a thousand years, as did the period of Semblance. The period of the End of Dharma, on the other hand, is eternal.

The Great Gathering Sutra (sk. Maha sannipata sutra, jp. Daishū kyō), divides time into five periods of five hundred years each. The first period of five hundred years after the extinction of Shakyamuni is called the "Period of Certain Deliverance" (jp. Gedatsu kengo). This was a period when one could become a Buddha through Shakyamuni's teaching. The second is called "Period of Certain Concentration" (jp. Zenjō kengo). This was a period when one could become Buddha through meditation. The third is called "Period of Certain Reading, Recitation and Scholarship" (jp. Dokuju tamon kengo). This was a period when the reading and recitation of sutras, the study of doctrines and debates developed. The fourth is called the "Period of Certain Construction of Many Stupas and Temples" (jp. Tazō tō ji kengo). During this period, many temples and pagodas were built. Finally, the fifth and last period of five hundred years is called the "Period of Struggles and Debates in which the White Dharma hides and dies" (jp. Tōjō kengo, byaku hō on-motsu). This is the period when struggles and disputes are fierce and the white dharma (Shakyamuni's enlightening teaching) dies out and no longer brings benefit. If we apply the five periods of five hundred years to the three periods of Rightness, Semblance and End of Dharma, the first two (periods of certain deliverance and certain concentration) correspond to the period of Rightness. The next two (periods of certain reading, recitation and erudition and of the certain construction of many stupas and temples) correspond to the period of Semblance. The last one, the Period of Struggles and Debates in which the White Dharma hides and dies out, applies to the beginning of the End of the Dharma.

In the Treatise on the Selection of Time, Nichiren repeats this definition:

"In the Great Gathering Sutra, the revered one of the world with great enlightenment defines the future after his extinction for the Basket-of-Moon Bodhisattva. He says, "After my extinction and passage, five hundred years will see certain deliverance, the next five hundred years will see certain concentration (one thousand years). The next five hundred years will see certain reading, recitation and scholarship, the next five hundred years will see the certain construction of many stupas and temples (two thousand years). In the next five hundred years struggles and debates will take place and the white dharma will hide and die".

This analysis of the future after Shakyamuni's extinction shows that with time, the lives of beings become defiled and their capacities diminish. Several reasons for this phenomenon can be considered. The further away we are from Shakyamuni's time, the more the beings that appear have a tenuous link with his teaching. Secondly, with the development of politics and the progress of civilisation, greed, anger, foolishness and pride become stronger, leading to a corruption of the acts of men, due to the deviations of their minds.

Yet another reason is that there are two categories of beings according to their predisposition. There are those who "already possess the good originally" (Hon-i uzen - 本已有善) and those who "do not yet possess the good originally" (Hon-mi uzen - 本未有善). The word "good" here refers to the seeding by listening to the Lotus Sutra. People born in the periods of Dharma Rectitude and Semblance all had a connection with Shakyamuni Buddha, from whom they received the seeding in the distant past. This seed matured in the course of time and its harvest (awakening) took place during the periods of Shakyamuni's lifetime and the subsequent periods of the Correctness and Semblance. However, the people who appeared in the period of the End of the Dharma (us) never received the seeding and therefore have no connection with Shakyamuni Buddha. Therefore, even if we practised all of Shakyamuni's teachings and sutras, there would be no effect of Buddhahood. It would be like watering a field sown with no seeds and which, therefore, would not yield any harvest, although it was fertile.

Therefore, are we who are born in the period of the End of the Dharma condemned never to become Buddha? At least that was the prevailing idea at the time of Kamakura in Japan. This is where Nichiren comes in. Taking up Zhiyi's analysis of the Lotus Sutra, he goes even further. According to Zhiyi, the Lotus Sutra is superior to the previous sutras and the original doctrine (second part) of the Lotus Sutra is superior to its ephemeral doctrine (first part). For Nichiren, the entire Lotus Sutra is intended for those present in the periods during Shakyamuni's lifetime and in the two millennia following his extinction, namely the periods of Dharma Rectitude and Semblance. For him, the truth, the seeding of the beings of the End of the Dharma lies "deep within the sentences of the single chapter 'Duration of Life' (16th) of the original doctrine of the Lotus Sutra. In his Eye-opening Treatise, he makes a series of five comparisons.

The first is the comparison between the inner path and the outer path in which Buddhism refers to itself as the inner path, while all other teachings, religions, thoughts are referred to as the outer path. The comparison between these two paths is the means of determining the superiority or inferiority of one over the other.

As a rule, the view of life and the world according to non-Buddhist doctrines does not really consider life itself to be based on the middle path, but rather on arbitrary statements without logical justification. One example is the view that human beings exist only while they are alive and have no past before birth and no future after death. In Buddhism, this view is called 'impermanence', which denies the existence of causality.

The opposite example is the view that humans and other living beings have an unchanging existence called the individual ego, hence the explanation of the soul after death, a view called "permanence" in Buddhism. These two erroneous views are both part of the extreme views of the outer path. They are manifested in the inaccurate views of the self and the world, which deny the law of causality and preach partial and biased causality.

Things in the dharma worlds of the universe are always established by the law of cause and effect. Materialism, on the other hand, asserts that matter is the substance and that everything is a phenomenon manifested by the evolution of matter. But then, what made matter, it is said, is the fundamental existence of matter. To place a specific primordial being in this way goes against the law of cause and effect.

Christianity is a bit like materialism in this respect. It says that everything was created by God who is fundamental and not created.

So to say that matter is the origin of everything or to say that it is God, are both prejudices that ignore the law of causality.

On the other hand, Buddhism explains the appearance and disappearance of dharmas in terms of causality, which is correctly understood from both the inner and outer perspectives. It is therefore arbitrary to assert the existence of an absolute being without taking into account the principle of cause and effect.

Furthermore, he shows that luck and misfortune in life are never natural or fortuitous, but that present retributions are due to past causes and future retributions are due to present causes.

In the Eye-opening Treatise, Nichiren establishes his demonstration of the difference between the outer and the inner path by dealing with Confucianism and Hinduism. Confucianism establishes causality only for the present life, but does not grasp the causality of past and future phases of the long transformation of life. For their part, Indian religious philosophies, relying mainly on the Six Masters of the Outer Way, propose or reject various theories of causality, all of which are based on erroneous views that lose sight of the true principle of causality and thus cannot lead to right liberation.

Only Buddhism teaches a holistic view of life in the universe and the world of dharmas. It provides guidelines for living based on a correct view of causality that clarifies the past, present and future in the three phases. The comparison between the inner and outer paths thus determines the superiority of the former over the latter.

The second eye-opening comparison in the Treatise is the comparison between the Greater and Lesser Vehicles.

The Lesser Vehicle, or Hinayana, is a doctrine leading listeners and the awakened by conditions, who seek only their own salvation, to the minor effect of "annihilation of wisdom and reduction of the body to ashes" (keshin metschi - 灰身滅智). In contrast, the Mahayana is the doctrine that leads bodhisattvas to their own salvation, simultaneously to the salvation of others, by obtaining the great fruit of enlightenment without a superior.

The third comparison is the comparison between the circumstantial sutras and the true Sutra (the Lotus). Circumstantial sutras are teachings given on a provisional basis and do not represent the true intention of the Buddha. The true sutra, on the other hand, expresses it perfectly.

In his comparison between the circumstantial sutras and the true sutra, Nichiren uses the Five Periods and the Eight Teachings of Zhiyi. The Eight Teachings are, remember, the Basket Teachings, the Common Teachings, the Particular Teachings and the Perfect Teaching in terms of their content and the Subdued Teaching, the Gradual Teachings, the Secret Teachings and the Indeterminate Teachings in terms of the methodology of the teaching.

All of Buddhism was taught by the combination of these eight teachings.

 

From this diagram, it appears that only the Lotus Sutra is the exclusively perfect teaching, comprising no provisional means, and is therefore the only Sutra capable of leading beings to the attainment of Buddhahood. Zhiyi, based on the ten Thus's of the Means chapter of this Sutra, establishes the doctrine of One Thought Three Thousand.

This is the end of Zhiyi's theory, but Nichiren goes even further; in his Treatise that opens the eyes, he states:

"The doctrine of One Thought Three Thousand, only in the Lotus Sutra, in the chapter Duration of Life, in the depth of the sentences of the original doctrine, is hidden and buried.

I have kept the order of the Japanese words for the translation, because this order is important. Indeed, it is necessary to understand that in this sentence, the word "only" is linked to the three propositions that follow it. Namely, "only in the Lotus Sutra, which eliminates all previous sutras and thus refers to the comparison between the circumstantial sutras and the true sutra. Second, "only in its original doctrine," which indicates the fourth comparison, between the original doctrine and the ephemeral doctrine of the Lotus Sutra. Finally, "only in the depths of the sentences of the original doctrine is hidden and buried". This is where the fifth comparison appears, between the Lotus Sutra "at the level of sentences" (monjō文上) and "the deep of sentences" (montei - 文底) of this sutra. This comparison is called the "comparison between sowing and harvesting and represents the true doctrine of Nichiren.

For a being to become a Buddha, he or she must first receive the sowing of the seed of Buddhahood. For beings connected with Shakyamuni Buddha, this seeding took place in the infinitely distant past called the past of the "five hundred grains of eon dust" (gohyaku jinten gō).  Subsequently, this seed ripened, especially in the nearer past of the "three thousand grains of eon dust" (sanzen jintengō), and then matured at the time of the preaching of the sixteenth chapter of the Lotus Sutra, during which they were able to harvest the fruit of Buddhahood. But this process was that of the beings connected with Shakyamuni Buddha, who already possessed the good in the beginning" (Hon-i uzen). For us, beings of the End of the Dharma who do not originally possess the good" (Hon-mi uzen), the seeding takes place in the depths of the sentences of the Lifetime chapter of the Lotus Sutra.

Zhiyi determined that this chapter revealed for the first time the cause of enlightenment, the effect of Buddhahood, and the abode of Shakyamuni Buddha. Briefly, these three wonders together appear in the form of the phrases, "originally I practiced bodhisattva austerities and the longevity I achieved," (Ga hon gyō bosatsu dō. Sho jō jumyō. - 我本行菩薩道。 所成壽命。) for the cause, "since I realized enlightenment, a very long time has passed" (ga jōbutsu irai. Jindai kuon - 我成佛已來。甚大久遠。) for effect and "I have always been in this world of endurance preaching and converting" (Ga jō zai shi. Shaba sekai. Sep'pō kyōke - 我常在此。娑婆世界。説法教化。) for the Buddha's residence.

For Nichiren, these phrases conceal in their depths the true purpose of the appearance of a Buddha in this world, that is, the three great esoteric Dharmas. In the chapter of the Means of the Lotus Sutra, it is stated:

"The Revered Buddhas of the world appear to the world only because of a single great work".

In this sentence, "one" refers to the Honzon of the original doctrine, for there are no two in the world. "Unique" also represents the true aspect of the Dharmas. "Great" refers to the platform of the precepts (Kaidan) of the original doctrine. It is great because it is superior to the platforms of the precepts of the provisional teachings and the ephemeral doctrine of the Lotus Sutra and also because it must be built on the most sublime place. "Work" refers to the Daimoku of the original doctrine. It is called "work" because it is no longer the theoretical practice of the Tendai, but the concrete practice.

The root of these three great esoteric Dharmas is the Honzon of the original doctrine which contains all three.

Returning to the original cause, effect and territory of the Life Span chapter, "originally I practised the Bodhisattva austerities" refers to practice and "the longevity I achieved" refers to faith replacing wisdom. This sentence therefore contains the meaning of the Daimoku of the original doctrine.

In the sentence "Since I realized enlightenment", "I" refers to the Buddha's Dharma body, "enlightenment" refers to the infinite wisdom of the Buddha's retribution body, and "since", which can be divided into "from", indicating the past, and "then", indicating the future, with the present in between, refers to the compassion of the Buddha's communication body appearing according to circumstances. "A long time has passed" being the three original bodies of the Buddha, his ultimate expression, it is the three-bodied Buddha without artifice from the very beginning of the remote and extended origin (kuon ganjo), in other words, the Honzon of the original doctrine.

"I have always been in this world of endurance preaching and converting" refers to the place of activity of the Buddha, the place where the Honzon resides, in other words, the great Sanctuary of the original doctrine.

In other words, the depth of the sentences in the Life Span chapter contains the three great esoteric Dharmas that are capable of making all the beings of the End of the Dharma, originally devoid of goodness, attain Buddhahood.

Now, when Nichiren speaks of the "Honzon", it is not just any Honzon.

In the Difficulties of the Saint (Shōnin gonanji - 聖人御難事), Nichiren writes:

"Facing south, in the Buddha shrine of the pavilion of all Buddhas in the temple called Seichōji, at the hour of the horse, I first spoke of this doctrine. It is now twenty-seven years in this second year of Kōan, the year of the hare, the sign of the younger earth. It took the Buddha more than forty years, the great master of the Tendai more than thirty years, the great master Dengyō more than twenty years to realise the purpose of their coming into this world. There is no need to mention the difficulties they encountered. I have already mentioned them. For me, it took twenty-seven years. The trials I endured are such as you know.

It is therefore clear that the purpose of Nichiren's coming into this world is the realization of the three great esoteric Dharmas through the inscription of the Honzon "of the second year of Kōan" (1279), i.e. the Dai Gohonzon enshrined in the Taisekiji, the main temple of the Nichiren Shōshū School, the materialization of the principle of One Thought Three Thousand.

To conclude this chapter, I will say that the goal of Buddhist practice is to become Buddha.

The process of enlightenment requires that the seed of Buddhahood be sown in the spiritual field of ordinary beings. This seed must then ripen before it can be harvested and the fruit of Buddhahood obtained.

The ripening requires unceasing asceticism as the aspiring Buddha evolves through a journey of fifty-two degrees.

According to the particular teaching and the perfect teaching, the bodhisattva of the great vehicle, after he has brought forth the thought of enlightenment, must accumulate the practices that lead him to the fruit of Buddhahood. His development occurs in fifty-two degrees which are the ten degrees of faith, the ten degrees of station, the ten degrees of practice, the ten degrees of transference, the ten degrees of earth, equal awakening and marvelous awakening.

In the earlier sutras, this process required continuous asceticism, life after life, over many, many eons.

 

 

For Zhiyi, this fifty-two degree process takes place in one lifetime. Now, it is important to know that the practice Zhiyi was engaged in was composed of auxiliary practices and main practices.

The auxiliary practices, preparatory to the main practices, were composed of the twenty-five Means, divided into five categories of five subjects to be cultivated or mastered in order to prepare for a serious asceticism of contemplation:

1. meeting five conditions: observing the precepts, preparing a minimum of food and clothing, residing in a quiet and secluded place, putting an end to all worldly responsibilities, and approaching a 'good friend'.

2. renounce (restrict and control) the sensual desires of form, sound, smell, taste and touch.

3. reject the five obstacles of greed, anger, laziness, shame and doubt.

4. Regularising one's diet, sleep, body, breath and mind.

5. five additional practices concerning desires, diligence, mindfulness, skillful wisdom, and single-mindedness.

Once these conditions are met, the four main asceticisms can be tackled, which consist of the constant sitting Samadhi (meditation), consisting of sitting silently and solemnly before the Buddha for ninety days to unify the mind and contemplate the worlds of the dharmas. The second asceticism was the Constant Walking Samadhi, which consisted of walking around the statue of Amitabha Buddha for a period of ninety days, reciting his name and invoking him internally in order to see the Buddha. The third asceticism was the half sitting, half walking Samadhi, consisting of the combination of sitting and walking Samadhi and finally, the neither sitting nor walking Samadhi which consists of all other practices, regardless of the conduct of the body, other than the three types mentioned above, aiming at the perfection of the Buddha's path through the cultivation of contemplation in all aspects of life by contemplating every thought as it arises in the mind. This asceticism is also called "Samadhi of enlightened thoughts" and "Samadhi of pursuing one's own thoughts".

These practices allowed for the nurturing of the Buddha nature, i.e. the ninth consciousness in the heart of the practitioner, and enabled him to become a Buddha in this body, in this life.

It goes without saying that these practices (Kanjin) are unfeasible for us today, on the one hand because we would no longer have any social life and on the other hand, because they would be useless, as we are no longer in the period of the Semblance of the Dharma in which Zhiyi lived and we have not received the seeding.

Therefore, Nichiren inscribed the Dai Gohonzon saying that receiving and keeping this Gohonzon was the same as practising the contemplation of the Heart. In his Treatise on the Honzon, he writes:

"For those who do not know One Thought Three Thousand, the Buddha, inspired by great compassion, wrapped this jewel in five ideograms (of the Wonderful Dharma = the Dai Gohonzon) which he hung around the necks of the infantile beings of the End of the Dharma."

From then on, faith in the Gohonzon, combined with the practice of the Daimoku (Nam Myōhōrengekyō) allows the powers of the Buddha and the Dharma present in this Gohonzon to act and we too become Buddha from this body.

 

However, what I have just explained corresponds to the teachings of the Nichiren Shōshū School. It should be noted that there are a large number of other Nichiren schools, which do not all say the same thing. Some, for example, consider the Nichiren teaching as an extension of the Tendai teaching. We will look at these schools in the next chapter.