a)
Mutual possession of the Ten Worlds
A principle formulated by T'ien-t'ai (538-597) on the basis of the Lotus Sutra
stating that each of the Ten Worlds possesses the potential for all ten within
itself. One of the component principles of T'ien-t'ai's doctrine of three
thousand realms in a single moment of life. "Mutual possession" means that life
is not fixed in one or another of the Ten Worlds, but can manifest any of the
ten, from hell to the state of Buddhahood, at any given moment. While one of the
ten is manifest, the other nine remain latent, in the state of
non-substantiality. The important point of this principle is that all beings in
any of the nine worlds possess the Buddha nature. This means that every person
has the potential to manifest Buddhahood, while a Buddha also possesses the nine
worlds and in this sense is not separate or different from ordinary people.
In his treatise The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind, Nichiren
(1222-1282) writes: "The 'Expedient Means' chapter in volume one of the Lotus
Sutra states, 'The Buddhas wish to open the door of Buddha wisdom to all living
beings.' This refers to the world of Buddhahood inherent in the nine worlds. The
'Life Span' chapter states: 'Thus, since I attained Buddhahood, an extremely
long period of time has passed. My life span is an immeasurable number of
asamkhya kalpas, and during that time I have constantly abided here without
entering extinction. Good men, originally I practised the bodhisattva way, and
the life span that I acquired then has yet to come to an end but will last twice
the number of years that have already passed.' Here the sutra refers to the nine
worlds inherent in Buddhahood." (WND-1, pp. 356-57)
b) Oneness
of life and
its
environment (Jp. esho funi)
Also, non-duality of life and its environment. The principle that life and its
environment, though two seemingly distinct phenomena, are essentially non-dual;
they are two integral phases of a single reality. In the Japanese term
esho-funi, esho is a compound of shoho, meaning life or a living
being, and eho, its environment. Funi, meaning "not two,"
indicates oneness or non-duality. It is short for nini-funi, which means
"two (in phenomena) but not two (in essence)." Ho of shoho and
eho means reward or effect. It indicates that "life" constitutes a
subjective self that experiences the effects of its past actions, and "its
environment" is an objective realm in which individuals' karmic rewards find
expression. Each living being has its own unique environment. The effects of
karma appear in oneself and in one's objective environment, because self and
environment are two integral aspects of an individual. The Treatise on the
Great Perfection of Wisdom by Nagarjuna (c. 150-250) introduces the concept
of the three realms of existence, which views life from three different
standpoints and explains the manifestation of individual lives in the real
world. These three are the realm of the five components of life, the realm of
living beings, each as a temporary combination of these components, and the
realm of the environment. T'ien-t'ai (538-597) included this concept in his
doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life. According to
Miao-lo's Annotations on "The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra," two
of these three realms – the realm of the five components and the realm of living
beings – represent "life," and, naturally, the realm of the environment
represents "environment" in terms of the principle of oneness of life and its
environment. These three realms exist in a single moment of life and are
inseparable from one another. Therefore, a living being and its environment are
non-dual in their ultimate reality. Nichiren (1222-1282) writes in his letter
On Omens: "The ten directions are the 'environment,' and living beings are
'life.' To illustrate, environment is like the shadow, and life, the body.
Without the body, no shadow can exist, and without life, no environment. In the
same way, life is shaped by its environment." (WND-1, p. 644) He also writes in
On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime: "If the minds of living beings
are impure, their land is also impure, but if their minds are pure, so is their
land. There are not two lands, pure or impure in themselves. The difference lies
solely in the good or evil of our minds." (WND-1, p. 4)
c) Conspicuous and Inconspicuous Benefit
(i) conspicuous
benefit
Benefit that appears in clearly recognisable form. The term is used in contrast
with inconspicuous benefit, or benefit that accumulates over a period of time
and is not immediately recognisable. The Teaching, Practice, and Proof, a
work by Nichiren (1222-1282), states: "Those who obtained benefit during the
Former and Middle Days of the Law received 'conspicuous' benefit, because the
relationship they formed with the Lotus Sutra during the lifetime of the Buddha
had finally matured. On the other hand, those born today in the Latter Day of
the Law receive the seeds of Buddhahood for the first time, and their benefit is
therefore 'inconspicuous'." (WND-1, p. 474) This passage explains conspicuous
benefit as the benefit of the Buddhism of the harvest (Shakyamuni's teachings),
and inconspicuous benefit as that of the Buddhism of sowing (Nichiren's
teachings).
(ii) inconspicuous
benefit
Benefit deriving from Buddhist practice that accumulates over a period of time
and is not immediately recognisable. The term is contrasted with conspicuous
benefit, or benefit that appears in clearly recognisable form. In The
Teaching, Practice and Proof, Nichiren (1222-1282) explains conspicuous and
inconspicuous benefit, respectively, as the benefit of the Buddhism of the
harvest and that of the Buddhism of sowing. Those who attained Buddhahood during
Shakyamuni's lifetime and in the subsequent two thousand years of the Former Day
and Middle Day of the Law had already received the seed of Buddhahood from
Shakyamuni in the remote past and nurtured it over many kalpas until
their capacity for enlightenment had all but matured. Therefore, they were able
to reap the fruit of enlightenment when they practised Shakyamuni Buddha's
teachings during his lifetime or in the Former Day and Middle Day of the Law.
The fruit or benefit of their enlightenment was conspicuous and ready for
harvest. In the Latter Day of the Law, however, people receive the seed of
Buddhahood in their lives for the first time. The growth of this seed is not
immediately recognisable. Therefore, the benefit of the Buddhism of sowing is
called inconspicuous benefit. Practically speaking, conspicuous and
inconspicuous benefits are not two different types of benefit but two different
ways in which benefit appears. Inconspicuous benefit is likened to the gradual
growth of a tree – the growth is real, but difficult to recognise in the short
run. In the long run, however, the shade or fruit the tree provides can be
conspicuously appreciated. In a similar manner, the inconspicuous benefit that
derives from the practice of the correct teaching in the Latter Day eventually
finds conspicuous expression in the present life of the practitioner.