The
Prose & Verse of The Lotus Sutra
Chapter
2 - Ways & Means
Text - Page 11
The above explanations are not without similarities.
Actually they both do not penetrate the principle and their words do not have the resonance
of truth.
- These words do not have the resonance of truth. With
the Sutra speaking
of
All things (Shoho), what is not included? Why stop at the Three
Vehicles?
- The principle is not penetrated. With the Sutra speaking of
The True Spiritual Aspect (Jisso), what is not included in this? And yet
there was the explanation that it was only in the cause. When the effect and the embodiment are explained
as being real, they
are only said to be so in the sphere of enlightenment but not in the other nine
spiritual
realms.
In these explanations, enlightenment was without any
provisional wisdom. The provisional wisdom was only found in
the Three Vehicles and the Three Vehicles, it follows, were without the real wisdom.
- If the
Three Vehicles were only found in the first five aspects, it follows that the provisional
wisdom would be insufficient and entirely without the real wisdom.
- If enlightenment was only found in the last four aspects, it would be entirely without the provisional
wisdom. The real wisdom would also be insufficient and its meaning would not
be concerned with ordinary
people.
It follows that the words explaining All things (Shoho) are of
no use and the explanation of the true
spiritual aspect of reality (Jisso) is not all encompassing. There
would be something that could be distinguished that would be beyond the true spiritual
aspect of reality. With the errors of these explanatons being like this, they
are of no use at all.
Volume 31 of The Discourse1 clarifies that all
things spiritual have nine aspects.
- Each has an embodiment
- Each has a function, like the eye and ear. Although
they are similarly created by the four elements, the eye has the function
of seeing whereas the ear does not. As another
example, fire has the fnction of heating, and yet it is unable to moisten.
- Each has a power; for example, fire has the power to burn
and water has the power to moisten.
- Each has a cause
- Each has a condition
- Each has an effect
- Each has a nature
- Each has a limitation
- Each has the ways & means to open up and penetrate
reality
Dharmagupta2 understood the ten aspects from The
Lotus Sutra from these nine aspects.
- With each having a function; there is the influence as-it-is
from The Lotus Sutra
- With each having a limitation; there is the appearance
as-it-is from The Lotus Sutra
- With each having an effect; there is the effect as-it-is
and the retribution as-it-is from The Lotus Sutra.
- With each having the ways & means to open up and penetrate
reality; there is the ultimate consistncy from beginning to end
as-it-is from The Lotus Sutra.
- The others have the same name and may be understood.
Literature
Next
Page Home
Footnotes:
1. The Discourse: Nagarjuna's Discourse
of the Perfection of the Great Wisdom (S. Maha Prajna Paramita Sastra,
D. Ta-Chih Tu-Lun)
2. Dharmagupta: Sarvastivada master from Sri
Lanka in early fifth century CE.
Copyright
© Peter Johnson 2002 - All rights reserved
Copyright
Policy - Contact the Author at pj@tientai.net
Since
July 9, 2001
FastCounter by bCentral