The Prose & Verse of The Lotus Sutra

The Prose & Verse of The Lotus Sutra

Measuring the Life of The One That Has Come - Chapter 16

Page 5

The Spiritual Body of The One That Has Come has been called Vairocana¹.
This has been translated as 'Everywhere in All Places'.
The Body that is the Living Reward of The One That Has Come has been called Rocana.
This has been translated as 'Fully Pure'.
The Body that is the Living Response of The One That Has Come has been called Sakya.
This has been translated as 'Saving From the Fire'.

If one holds only one of these to be The One That Has Come, one is in error.

The Great Nirvana Sutra says:
"The Spiritual Body, the wisdom, and the liberation are all incomplete by themselves separately."
When these three are possessed perfectly, they are called The Treasury of the Secret Mystery and The Great Nirvana. They cannot be separated or classified as being the same, different, horizontal or vertical. When these three are viewed totally they are called The One That Has Come.

The Sutra on Brahma's Net closes the teaching of The Flower Garland Sutra and says:
"The blossom's calyx appears at the beginning and it's petals appear at the end."
One explains it like this to make distinctions in the relationship but in truth the beginning and the end are inseparable aspects."

The Sutra on Resolving Doubts in the Age of the Copied Dharma closes The Nirvana Sutra, and it says:
"Some saw Sakyamuni and made him to be Vairocana. Some made him to be Rocana."
This only explains their different points of view. The Buddha is not three people!

The Sutra on the Observation of the Bodhisattva Universal Virtue closes the The Lotus Sutra, and it says:
"Sakyamuni is called Vairocana."
This is just a different name. It is not a different entity.

The generally idea in all these Sutras is that it is necessary to understand that the Three Buddhas are not the same and they are not different.

Question:
This chapter does not have the names of these three Buddhas; how is this explained?
Answer:
Although the names are not indicated, it is complete with their meanings.

This chapter says:
"Not the same as anything and not different from anything, not like the those of the threefold realm see the threefold realm."
This is impartiality as-it-is revealing totality as-it-is, and is the meaning of The Spiritual Body of The One That Has Come.
This chapter further says:
"The One That Has Come knows and sees the true spiritual aspect of the threefold realm as-it-is."
This is the absolute wisdom praising the absolute object. It is the knowledge that is 'the wisdom of all kinds' and the vision that is 'the enlightened eye'.
This is the meaning of The Body that is the Living Reward of The One That Has Come.
This chapter also says:
"Sometimes revealing my life, sometimes revealing the lives of others, sometimes revealing my work, sometimes revealing the work of others."
This is the meaning of The Body that is the Living Response of The One That Has Come.

If the Three Virtues of The One That Has Come were only what one was naturally endowed with, their natures would be horizontal.
If the Three Virtues of The One That Has Come were only that what one attained through practice, their natures would be vertical.
If The Spiritual Body came first, The Living Reward came next and The Living Response came last, they would also be vertical in nature.

Now, in the total teaching of this Sutra, the three aspects of The One That Has Come are neither vertical nor horizontal. To choose one of the three over the others is not the idea here either, much less the ideas of the General Doctrine or the Doctrine of the Three Baskets.

And before The Lotus Sutra, the idea of The One That Has Come was clarified by teaching of its manifestations. However, in discarding the manifestations and revealing the source, The Lotus Sutra is different from all the other Sutras.

The Discourse² says:
"To reveal the supreme Bodhi, there are three parts:
a. The Enlightenment that is the Response of an Incarnation:
    This is attaining enlightenment by responding to present conditions.
    As the Sutra says:
     "I left the palace of the Sakya clan".
b. The Enlightenment that is the Buddha's Reward:
    This is tenth stage of perfectly attaining the permanence of Nirvana.
    As the Sutra says:
     "I have already attained enlightenment and come into this world for measureless, countless lifetimes."
c. The Enlightenment of the Buddha's Spirituality (Dharma):
    This is the treasury that is the pure unchanging nature of Nirvana in The One That Has Come."
    As the Sutra says:
     "The One That Has Come knows and sees the true spiritual aspect of reality in the threefold realm as-it-is.""

The Sutra is complete with all of these meanings. The Discourse has now displayed their names. Without the above explanation, how would one understand this Sutra's explanation?

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Footnotes:

1. Vairocana: (The Illuminator) Name given for the embodiment of spirituality (S. Dharamakaya) in various sutras, notably The Flower Garland (Avatamsaka) Sutra and later The Maha Vairocana Sutra. Rocana: Name Chih-I used for distinguishing the Body of Reward (S. Sambhogakaya) which appears in various Sutras. Many other names are used as well. Sakya: A reference to Sakyamuni, the Buddha that appeared in this world to enlighten living beings.

2. The Discourse: The Discourse on The Perfection of the Great Wisdom (S. Maha Prajna Paramita Sastra, C. Ta-Chi Tu-Lun, J. Dai Chidoron) Written by Nagarjuna and translated into Chinese by Kumarajiva.

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