The Prose & Verse of The Lotus Sutra

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

Page 7

The one body is three bodies, which are neither identical nor separable. One must know that the body of each Buddha is endowed with the life and the merits & virtues of all three of these bodies. Accordingly, the length and brevity of their lives are not the same.

The Great Nirvana Sutra says:
"Common mortals and those of the Two Vehicles see the Buddha's life as being like it is on a winter day. Bodhisattvas see it being like it is on a spring day. Only the Buddhas see the life of the Buddha being like it is on a summer day."

1. Common Mortals¹ are beaten against the ground in an obscuring haze of obstacles.
2. Those of the Two Vehicles have cut off the four conditions of mortality but do not see the middle way. If they abandon the idea of dividing things into stages, they will receive a share of the body that is the nature of spirituality. Although not yet refuting ignorance, they still have responded better than most. One must therefore know that those of the Two Vehicles see the Buddha's life like it is on a winter day.
3. If there are any Bodhisattvas who have not yet abided in the higher stages, their vision is like that just described. When they refute ignorance, they will receive part of the Spiritual Body. If they get to see the Body of Reward and its life, there will be an even more superior response. If they have not reached the ultimate source of the Body of Reward, they have not yet fathomed the ultimate nature of spirituality. They see the life of the Spiritual Body being like it is on a spring day.
4. The ultimate source of its nature can only be fathomed between The Buddhas. They see the life of the Spiritual Body like it is on a summer day.

The Great Nirvana Sutra makes these illustrations:

• "Of all that is permanent, empty space is the ultimate.
   Of all that is living, The One That Has Come is the ultimate."
  This illustrates that the life of The Spiritual Body that is without beginning or end.
  "Its nature and appearance fill everywhere:
  This is its reward and response.
• "It is like the four rivers that all return to the great ocean."
  This illustrates The Body that is the Living Reward and its cultivation of a myriad of good things, all being received in the ocean of life that is the Buddha's reward.
• "Four great rivers arise from the Anavatapta Lake²."
  This illustrates The Living Response. Its life arises from spirituality and its reward and it is as long or as short as they are.

This chapter on Measuring the Life generally discusses the idea of measure to clarify the Threefold Body.
More specifically, its main discussion is on The Body that is the Living Reward³. How is this so? 

"By means of the meaning one understands the words⁴"

The wisdom that is The Living Reward fuses with that above and is committed to those below, and so the threefold body is completely endowed just as it is.
Therefore it is said "By means of the meaning..."

Understanding the words:
"I have already attained enlightenment and come here for all of great eternity, and so I am able to benefit living beings of the past, the present and the future."
The Spiritual Body is that which is attained
The Body that is the Living Reward is that which is able to attain it.
The Spirituality and the Reward are united, making it possible to benefit living beings.
Therefore it is said "One understands the words."

This is the main idea in the discussion of the merits & virtues of The Buddha's Living Body of Reward.

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 Footnotes:

1. Common mortals: Those of the six paths in the realm of Life & Death (Samsara)

2. Anavatapta Lake: ('The Lake Without Heat') Anavatapta is the name of a lake in the Himalaya Mountains (now Manasarovar) that was said to have a five-pillared pagoda. The lake is said to be able to cool the scorching fires that come from the dragons of the nether realms, just as Calm can cool the flames of suffering and emotional distress and the five conditions of mortality, making possible the Perfection of Spiritual Insight.

3. The main discussion is on The Body that is the Living Reward: Although the general discussion of The One That Has Come involves the description of the threefold life of enlightenment, it is the Living Reward or Body of Reward (S. Sambhogakaya) that ties the three together and makes the manifestation of enlightenment possible. It makes the three one. This wisdom aspires to the highest spiritual truth of the spiritual path (fuses with that above) and yet responds to the needs of living beings (is committed to those below).

4. "By means of the meaning one understands the words": This is a reference to the word as the vehicle for the attainment of spiritual enlightenment. This is the key to understanding the meaning of Prajna and The Body That is the Living Reward (S. Sambhogakaya). This is a reference to the words in which the fullness of meaning transcends all illusion; Words that are most full of spiritual truth are those that we speak ourselves and express our most innermost aspiration for spiritual enlightenment. They are the words that are the most knowing of our true mind. These words would be our most heartfelt prayers (mantra, japa, dharani, shingon, daimoku, call them what you will) and the answers to them - the true words of the Buddha. In these words the cognitive aspects are utterly transcended (or more precisely, fulfilled) and the meaning of significance is most clearly revealed. The Body that is the Living Reward (S. Sambhogakaya) is the vehicle of the word of enlightenment that conveys the spiritual truth to and from living beings. Living beings aspire to The Spiritual Body (S. Dharmakaya) through their prayers and their prayers are in turn answered by The Body that is the Living Response (S. Nirmanakaya).

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