THE DHARMA FLOWER SUTRA SEEN THROUGH
THE ORAL TRANSMISSION OF NICHIREN DAISHÔNIN
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The Sutra on the White Lotus Flower-Like Mechanism
Of the Utterness Of the Dharma (Myôhô Renge Kyô),
The Fourteenth Chapter on Practicing in Peace and with Joy

The first important point on the Chapter on Practicing in Peace and with Joy.

The Oral Transmission on the Meaning of the Dharma Flower Sutra says that those who would do the practice of the Dharma Flower Sutra in peace and with joy are those who do the practices observed by Nichiren and also those that follow him during this final period of the Dharma of Shākyamuni (mappô). Their practice is to recite Nam Myôhô Renge Kyô which means to devote our lives to and found them on (Nam) the Utterness of the Dharma [entirety of existence] (Myôhô) permeated by the underlying white lotus flower-like mechanism of the interdependence of cause, concomitancy and effect (Renge) in its whereabouts of the ten realms of dharmas (Kyô). When troubles arise we must realize that this is normal for those who practice in peace and with joy.

At that time Monjushiri (Mañjushrî), Prince of the Dharma who was also a completely evolved bodhisattva who had refused his own extinction into nirvana for the sake of the Buddha enlightenment of all sentient beings (bosatsu makasatsu, bodhisattva mahâsattva), addressed the Buddha saying: “World Honoured One, it is very difficult to find bodhisattvas such as these who out of respect and of obeisance and deference to the Buddha reverently have expressed a great vow that afterwards in the iniquitous age they will hold to and protect the Dharma Flower Sutra; they will read and recite it as well as explain its meaning. World Honoured One, how are the completely evolved bodhisattvas who have refused their own extinction into nirvana for the sake of the Buddha enlightenment of all sentient beings (bosatsu makasatsu, bodhisattva mahâsattva) going to be able to expound this sutra?” The Buddha replied: Monjushiri (Mañjushrî), if there are completely evolved beings who have refused their own extinction into nirvana for the sake of the Buddha enlightenment of all sentient beings who in the iniquitous age to come wish to expound this sutra, they must peacefully abide with the four dharmas [that are rules for practice]. In the first place they must hold firmly to their dimension of bodhisattva practice and to their circle of personal frequentations; then they will be capable of expounding and explaining this sutra to sentient beings. Monjushiri (Mañjushrî), what is meant by the concept of the dimension of the practice of the completely evolved bodhisattvas who have renounced their own extinction into nirvana for the sake of all sentient beings (bosatsu makasatsu, bodhisattva mahâsattva)? It means that if there are completely evolved bodhisattvas who have refused their own extinction into nirvana for the sake of the Buddha enlightenment of all sentient beings who abide in the dimension of patient forbearance, in the dimension of mildness and docility along with an appropriate compliance to the monastic order without any brusque behaviour or thoughts nor ever being startled. Furthermore with regard to dharmas outside our practice, there should be no reaction whatsoever, either physical or mental. All dharmas should be looked upon in terms of the real aspect of all dharmas [i.e. the one instant of thought containing three thousand existential spaces (ichinen sanzen)] without further reaction whatsoever or without differentiating them (funbetsu) from all other dharmas. This is what is called the behaviour of the completely evolved bodhisattva who has refused his own extinction into nirvana for the sake of the Buddha enlightenment of all sentient beings (bosatsu makasatsu, bodhisattva mahâsattva). What do I mean by the personal frequentations of completely evolved bodhisattvas who have refused their own extinction into nirvana for the sake of the Buddha enlightenment of all sentient beings? They should not frequent the rulers of sovereign states, princes, ministers nor high ranking officials, nor should they frequent Brahmins outside of our teaching or naked mendicants who are free from all ties and cover themselves with ashes. Nor should they frequent those who compose unseemly literature, nor those who sing the praises of the brahmanical texts or frequent epicureans who believe that the soul perishes with the body and also anti-materialists, pugilists, wrestlers, dancers or any sort of conjuror or sleight of hand performer. Again they must not frequent people without caste or people who raise pigs, goats, chickens or dogs, or people who indulge in hunting, fishing or other activities that are forbidden by the monastic precepts. If such people come to the fully evolved bodhisattvas who have refused their own extinction into nirvana for the sake of the Buddha enlightenment of all sentient beings (bosatsu makasatsu, bodhisattva mahâsattva) they will expound the Dharma to them, but they must not flatter them with false hopes. In addition to this they must not frequent those people who strive to attain the full realization of the individual vehicle through listening to the Buddha (shômon, shrâvaka), nor monks, nuns, nor lay practitioners both male and female. They must not exchange greetings with members of the monastic order either in a house, the courtyard of a monastery or in a hall where lectures are given; nor should they live in the same place. If at times those persons of the monastic order approach the fully evolved bodhisattvas, then these must expound the Dharma according to their propensities without flattering them with false hopes. Monjushiri (Mañjushrî), a fully evolved bodhisattva who has refused his own extinction into nirvana for the sake of the Buddha enlightenment of all sentient beings (bosatsu makasatsu, bodhisattva mahâsattva) must explain the Dharma to women without having thoughts of carnal desires or even derive pleasure from looking at them. Should they enter somebody’s house, if according to the circumstances it is necessary to enter it, then they must not enter into conversation with any young girls, girls who are virgins or widows. Neither should they approach any of the five kinds of males who have virility deficiencies [i.e. eunuchs or impotent males by birth, emasculation, uncontrollable emission, hermaphrodites or those who are impotent for half a month] lest they become intimate with them. They should not enter another person’s house alone. If the reasons and circumstances allow, they must whole-heartedly bear in mind the Buddha. If they are to explain the Dharma to a woman, they must not smile in a way that shows their teeth or show their bare chests. Even for the sake of the Dharma they must take no pleasure in cultivating novices or novice monks of a tender age. Nor should they derive any pleasure from being their teacher. They should always enjoy sitting perfectly absorbed in the object of their meditation and to live in a deserted place suitable for practice. Also they must exercise in controlling their thoughts. Monjushiri (Mañjushrî), this is what is called the first sphere of frequentation. Furthermore the fully evolved bodhisattvas who have refused their own extinction into nirvana for the sake of the Buddha enlightenment of all sentient beings (bosatsu makasatsu, bodhisattva mahâsattva) should look upon all dharmas as being relativity (kû) . . .

The second important point on the passage, “Furthermore the fully evolved bodhisattvas who have refused their own extinction into nirvana for the sake of the Buddha enlightenment of all sentient beings (bosatsu makasatsu, bodhisattva mahâsattva) should look upon all dharmas as being relativity (kû).”

The Oral Transmission on the Meaning of the Dharma Flower Sutra says that this passage lists the eighteen essential qualities of relativity (kû) as 1) the immateriality of noumena or the interdependence of cause, concomitancy and effect that underlies all existence, 2) that is the real aspect of all that exists 3) and is not contrary to reality. 4) This essential quality is immutable; 5) it cannot be turned back; 6) nor can it be turned around into something else. 7) It is like the emptiness of space [or the vacuity between one atomic particle and another]. 8) It possesses no inherent nature of its own. 9) It is beyond the bounds of linguistic expression. 10) Neither does it come into being on its own; 11) nor does it derive from anything else; 12) nor is it even the result of anything. 13) It is psychologically beyond concept and 14) is imperceptible to any of our senses. 15) It has no qualities of its own, 16) nor any quantity, 17) nor any dimension. 18) It is also devoid of any restriction or obstruction. All of these are Nam Myôhô Renge Kyô which means to devote our lives to and found them on (Nam) the Utterness of the Dharma [entirety of existence] (Myôhô) permeated by the underlying white lotus flower-like mechanism of the interdependence of cause, concomitancy and effect (Renge) in its whereabouts of the ten realms of dharmas (Kyô). What these eighteen aspects of relativity really are, are all that concerns the Utterness of the Dharma (Myô) or the entirety of existence.

. . . . or the immateriality of noumena or the interdependence of cause, concomitancy and effect that underlies all existence that is the real aspect of all that exists and is not contrary to reality. The essential quality is immutable; it cannot be turned back nor can it be turned around into something else. It is like the emptiness of space [or the vacuity between one atomic particle and another]. It possesses no inherent nature of its own. It is beyond the bounds of linguistic expression. Neither does it come into being on its own; nor does it derive from anything else; nor is it even the result of anything. It is psychologically beyond concept and is imperceptible to any of our senses. It is also devoid of any restriction or obstruction. It only exists on account of cause and concomitancies which gives us the illusion that things are as they seem to be which is why we enjoy understanding them this way. This is what the fully evolved bodhisattva who has refused his own extinction into nirvana for the sake of the Buddha enlightenment of all sentient beings (bosatsu makasatsu, bodhisattva mahâsattva) should understand as the second sphere of frequentations towards enlightenment. Then the World Honoured One, wishing to reiterate the significance of what he had said, expressed it in the form of a metric hymn.

If there are bodhisattvas
who in the ages of iniquity
that are yet to come
who with a fearless heart
would wish to expound this sutra
they will have to enter the spheres of practices
such as the spheres of frequentations towards enlightenment.
they should constantly stay away from sovereigns
and also princes, ministers and high functionaries
along with acrobats, clowns
and people that have no caste
along with individuals outside the Buddha teaching
as well as those who aspire to be Brahmins.
Nor should they frequent
arrogant and boastful individuals
or people who study the Pali Canon,
monks who have broken the monastic rules
or even those who claim to have attained
the highest fruition of the individual vehicles (arakan, arhat)
or monks or nuns who like to fool around
and are attached to the five desires [wealth, sex, eating and drinking, fame and sleep]
who try to keep up the appearance
that they are seeking extinction in nirvana.
Nor should they approach
either male or female lay practitioners.
If such people with good intentions
go to where the bodhisattvas are
in order to listen to
the teaching of the path to Buddhahood
then the bodhisattvas with no fear in their hearts
should without deluding them with false hopes
teach the Dharma to such people.
The bodhisattvas should never frequent
widows, virgins and males who are not masculine
lest they become intimate with them.
Nor should they frequent
slaughterhouses or butchers,
hunters or fisherman
or any person who kills for profit
or even sells meat to make a living
or those who parade
female sexuality for sale.
The bodhisattvas should never
frequent any such people.
Wrestlers, seductive women or prostitutes
should definitely not be frequented.
They must never go into
a closed-off place
in order to teach the Dharma to women.
If and when they must
expound the Dharma to them
monks should not play around and laugh.
On going into villages to beg for food
clerics have to be accompanied by another monk.
If there is no other monk
then such a cleric should whole-heartedly
bear in mind the teaching of the Buddha.
This is what is called the practices
of the spheres of frequentation towards enlightenment.
Whether these practices are brought about by karma
or whether they are not subject
to cause or conditions at all
or even if they are endowed with these two aspects,
bodhisattvas can expound the Dharma
with joy and ease of mind;
otherwise they will not do any
practices at all.
Again, there are no superior,
intermediate or inferior dharmas.
Either they are brought about by conditions
or they are completely untouched by conditions.
Either they are real
or they are not real.
Nor should bodhisattvas
make a distinction between male and female.
There are no dharmas that can be got hold of.
They cannot be known nor can they be perceived
since basically they are all the relativity of the void (kû).
This is what is called
the sphere of the practices of the bodhisattvas.
All dharmas by being relativity (kû)
have no existence
and are devoid of any permanence
that either arises or does it ever cease to exist.
[This reference to dharmas arising or ceasing to exist is one of the arguments in the Yuima Kyô (Vimalakirti Sutra) as well as other sutric texts. In the Buddha teaching of Shākyamuni dharmas come into being or cease to exist due to the provisional combination of causes and concomitancies. When these causes and concomitancies scatter and break up then such dharmas cease to exist. In the fifth fascicle [scroll] of the Universal Desistance from Troublesome Worries in Order to See Clearly (Maka Shikan) it says, “All arising is the arising of the nature of dharmas (the nature of existence which is the mind or experiences) and ceasing to exist is when the nature of dharmas also ceases to exist. This nature of dharmas or the Dharma nature only points to our total immersion into delusive thinking. It is through the nature of dharmas (the fundamental nature of existence which is Nam Myôhô Renge Kyô) that our thoughts are forcibly dragged along with it; hence we create our own karma. When we ponder over this nature of dharmas, then this nature of dharmas which is the Dharma nature is eternally present. There is no instant that it is not.” In this way we should understand that the arising or the extinction of phenomena of all kinds along with noumena is fundamentally due to the principle of the nature of dharmas (which is the fundamental nature of existence that is mind or experiences). It is also mentioned in various Buddha teachings that the nature of existence is none other than experience (all dharmas are only mind). The only thing that remains permanent is the nature of Dharma or the Dharma nature which is when we really understand what it is, and then this is total enlightenment. Nevertheless in the Buddha teaching of Nichiren Daishônin there is the concept of phenomena (ke), relativity (kû) and the bridge between the two with the reality of the middle way (chûdô jissô).]
This is the sphere of frequentations towards enlightenment
of those who are wise.
We distinguish the various elements
of our respective existence
on account of our deluded way of thinking
that things are as they seem to be
and that all dharmas either exist or do not exist.
They are either real or they are not.
The bodhisattvas residing in deserted places
suitable for practicing meditation
rehearse holding their thoughts together.
They remain firm and immutable [not giving way to the workings of their own minds] and as firm as Mount Sumeru.
They look upon all dharmas
as having no existence of their own
as though they were empty space
devoid of any density.
Neither being produced or simply appearing,
neither is their essence on the move
or receding into nothing.
All dharmas eternally abide
in the one aspect of the Dharma realm.
This is what is called
the sphere of frequentations towards enlightenment,
If there are monks who
after my extinction into nirvana
engage themselves into these practices
as well as the spheres of frequentations towards enlightenment,
then when they expound this sutra,
they will have no weaknesses or fears in doing so.
Bodhisattvas who at the right moment
enter into quiet rooms
and collect their thoughts in the right manner
and look upon dharmas according to their real significance,
when they emerge from their meditative states
they will go to all the sovereigns,
princes, ministers, the people and the brahmins.
They will be at peace
and without any fears or pulling back.
Monjushiri (Mañjushrî), this refers to the bodhisattvas
who are firmly settled at the beginning
of their understanding of the Dharma
who in later ages
will be able to explain this sutra
which is the Sutra on the White Lotus Flower-like Mechanism
of the Utterness of the Dharma.

Furthermore Monjushiri (Mañjushrî), any person who after my extinction into nirvana during the final period of my Dharma [i.e. the end period of the Dharma of Shākyamuni (Mappô)] that wishes to expound this sutra must hold to practicing in peace and with joy. Whether they propagate this sutra orally or when these persons just read it, they will take no pleasure in mentioning the faults of other people or errors in the sutra or slightly look down on other teachers of the Dharma or even point out the qualities and faults or the strong points and weaknesses of different individuals. With regard to those people who strive to attain the highest realization of the teachings of the individual vehicle through listening to the Buddha (shômon, shrâvaka), the persons who wish to teach this sutra must not mention the name of those seekers of realization of the individual vehicle when talking about their errors and faults. Neither should they mention any names when praising the virtues of people who strive for the highest realization of the individual vehicle (shômon, shrâvaka). Moreover the people who wish to expound this sutra must not have any thoughts of resentment or dislike. Because it is beneficial to exercise a mind of peace and joy, also all the people who listen to this sutra must not have thoughts on the contrary. If there are difficult questions, the person who expounds this sutra must not reply in terms of the individual vehicle (shôjô, hînâyâna), but must explain and discuss these questions in terms of the universal vehicle (daijô, mahâyâna) so that the questioner may acquire the insight of the Buddha (issai-shu-chi) which is the capability to attain the wisdom to penetrate all dharmas. [According to numerous sutric texts there are three categories of wisdom which are also defined in Nagarjuna’s (Ryûju) encyclopedic work, “The Discourse on the Universal Insight that carries People from the Shores of Mortality to the shores of nirvana” (Dai chido ron) as: 1) the total insight of the people who exerted themselves to attain the highest stage of teachings of the individual vehicle through listening to the Buddha or the intellectuals of today (issai chi); also the insight of people who are writers, artists, musicians or scholars as well as people who understand the various branches of science, technology or medicine; 2) the religious insight of the bodhisattva who in terms of the Buddha teaching have a grip on the concept of the real aspect of all dharmas (dôshuchi) and finally 3) the sum total of every category of insight (issaishuchi) which is the fundamental wisdom of the Buddhas and is capable of attaining enlightenment as to every single dharma.]

The third important point on the sentence, “If there are difficult questions, then the person who expounds this sutra must not reply in terms of the individual vehicle (shôjô, hînâyâna), but must explain and discuss these questions in terms of the universal vehicle (daijô, mahâyâna).”

The Oral Transmission on the Meaning of the Dharma Flower Sutra states that when one is facing up to erroneous ideas with the idea of putting them right one must not use the provisional doctrines in order to get people to understand our teaching. The sum total of every category of insight (issaishuchi) [which is the fundamental wisdom of the Buddhas and is capable of attaining enlightenment as to every aspect of sentient existence] is Nam Myôhô Renge Kyô. The words “sum total” in this expression refer to all matters and the words “every category” refer to the variety of dharmas whose underlying white lotus flower-like mechanism of the interdependence of cause, concomitancy and effect that permeates the entirety of existence (Myôhô Renge Kyô).

Also the Oral Transmission points out that the sum total of every category of insight (issaishuchi) is the whole of our minds. The whole of our minds is the totality of all of our minds. The whole of our minds is the totality of all phenomena and all that goes on in our heads. You must ponder over this.

The World Honoured One wishing to reiterate the meaning of what he had said expressed it in the terms of a metric hymn.

The constant pleasure of the bodhisattvas
is to expound the Dharma with mental composure
in places that are pure
where they will establish their seats
and rub their bodies with oil
so as to wash away all dirt and grime.
They will put on fresh clean cloths
and be inwardly pure as well as on the outside.
They will take their places
on seats of the Dharma
and will expound it
according to the questions that are put to them.
If there are monks or nuns
or male lay practitioners
or female lay practitioners
or kings or princes or their ministers,
educated people or ordinary commoners,
they will explain the meaning
of the subtlety of Utterness (Myô)
with a pacifying look on their faces.
And if there are difficult questions
then they will reply
according to the meaning of the Dharma.
They will explain the causes and concomitancies
with similes and mataphors
or develop their discourses further
by pointing out various subtle differences.
It is by such expedient means
that will make people give rise
to a mind to seek enlightenment
whereby they will gradually
amplify their positive qualities
and enter onto the path of Buddhahood.
The bodhisattvas will eliminate
their own mental laziness
along with their thoughts of negligence.
They will free themselves from personal worries
so as to expound the Dharma
with a mind of benevolence.
Day and night they will continue to preach
the teaching of the Dharma
that cannot be surpassed,
by explaining all the causes and concomitancies
illustrating them with innumberable similes and metaphors
in order to reveal to sentient beings their personal perceptive wisdom
and give them a measure of happiness.
The bodhisattvas have no longing
for clothes, garments, bedclothes or beds
or drinks, fine foods or medical remedies.
But they will fix their minds
with a singularity of attention
on the causes and concomitances
expounded in the Dharma
and their aspirations of realizing
the path of Buddhahood
along with all sentient beings.
These are the all-embracing benefits
of making offerings for happiness and peace.
If after my extinction into nirvana
there is a monk who can expound
this Dharma Flower Sutra
with no jealousy or anger
and free from the hindrance of personal worries,
as well as all unhappiness and anxiety,
yet for whom nobody shows disrespect,
again this monk has no fear of being
assaulted with blades or staves of wood . . .

The fourth important point on the last two lines of the above metric hymn, “again this monk has no fear of being assaulted with blades and staves of wood.”

The Oral Transmission on the Meaning of the Dharma Flower Sutra says that the bodhisattvas who were instructed and converted through the teachings derived from the external events of the Buddha Shākyamuni’s life and work (shakumon) will not be subjected to being assaulted with blades or staves of wood. However in the Thirteenth Chapter of the Dharma Flower Sutra on Exhorting the Disciples to Receive and Hold to the Buddha Teaching it does say that, during the final period of the Dharma of Shākyamuni, the practitioner of the Dharma Flower Sutra [i.e. Nichiren] “will also be subjected to being assaulted with blades or staves of wood and will be banished on various occasions.” Nevertheless in the chapter we are dealing with now, which is the Fourteenth Chapter on Practicing in Peace and with Joy, it makes no mention of this prophecy. This is because that particular chapter is referring to the people who propagate the Buddha teaching by means of suppressing and refuting the points of view to which people are attached in order to guide them towards a correct way of understanding what the Dharma of the Buddha should be about (shakubuku) during the final period of the Dharma of Shākyamuni (mappô), whereas the present Chapter on Practicing in Peace and with Joy refers to the people who propagate the Buddha teaching by a method which consisted of gradually leading people towards the correct Buddha teaching without refuting other people’s attachment to doctrines that were either inferior or misguided (shôju) during the period when the Buddha Dharma was mainly featured by formal pomp and ceremonies and with rather less inward searching for the truth (zôhô).

. . . or even being exiled,
because he peacefully dwells
in a mind of patience.
The person who is wise
exercises his mind in this manner
and is able to reside in peace and with joy,
just as I have already said.
The merits of such a person
will endure for a thousand kalpas
which cannot be counted or exemplified;
nor can one exhaustively recount them.

What is more, Monjushiri (Mañjushrî), is that completely evolved bodhisattvas who have renounced their extinction into nirvana for the sake of the Buddha enlightenment of all sentient beings (bosatsu makasatsu, bodhisattva mahâsattva) who, during the final age when the Dharma is about to disappear, receive, hold to, read and recite this sutra without any jealousy, base fawning or deceit in their minds, who do not look down on nor hold in contempt those who are just learning about the path of Buddhahood, nor look for their good qualities or shortcomings, if there are monks, nuns or either male or female lay believers who are seeking to be among those who exert themselves to attain the highest stage of the teachings of the individual vehicle through listening to the Buddha (shômon, shrâvaka) or who are seeking the partial enlightenment of those who have affinities with the arts, music, literature, the various branches of the sciences or medicine (engaku, pratyekabuddha) or even in quest of the path of the bodhisattvas, they will in no way tease them or make them hold doubts or regrets by saying: “You are a long way away from the path. In the end you will never acquire all the kinds of wisdom of the Buddha that is capable of attaining enlightenment as to every aspect of existence (issaishuchi). What do I mean by this? It is because you are idle, lazy and disregardful of the path of enlightenment.”

At the same time these practitioners must not pay any attention to superficial discussions about the Dharma, nor partake in any debates. But they must bear in mind a strong sentiment of compassion for all sentient beings and, with regard to all the Tathâgatas, they look upon them as compassionate fathers and all the bodisattvas must be regarded as universal teachers. Again when it comes to fully evolved bodhisattvas who have renounced their own extinction into nirvania for the sake of the Buddha enlightenment of all sentieint beings (bosatsu makasatsu, bodhisattva mahâsattva) of the ten directions, they must have deep feelings of reverence and respect for them. These practitioners must explain the Dharma to all sentient beings without distinction. But because they are faithful to the Dharma, they will neither supplement anything to it nor deduct anything from it even for the benefit of those who are deeply attached to the Dharma. They should not expound it in excess. Monjushiri (Mañjushrî), in the final age when the Dharma is about to disappear the fully evolved bodhisattvas who have renounced their own extinction into nirvana for the sake of the Buddha enlightenment of all sentieint beings (bosatsu makasatsu, bodhisattva mahâsattva) will have added to their accomplishment the third way of practicing in peace and with joy. They will not have any disturbing worries, but will have good study companions with whom they can recite this sutra. Again there will be large multitudes that will come to listen to it and accept it. Then having listened to it, they will be able to hold to it; having held to it, they will be able to explain its meaning; being able to explain its meaning, they will be able to copy out this sutra; having copied it out, they will get other people to copy it and make offerings to those sutric scrolls [ancient Indian books were piles of loose paper leaves, but at the time of Kumarajû (Kumârajîva) Buddhist texts existed in the form of scrolls made of paper], show their fidelity to them, venerate and praise them.

Thereupon the World Honoured One, wishing to reiterate the significance of what he had said, expressed it in the form of a metric hymn.

Those who wish to expound this sutra
must give up their jealousies, anger and pride
as well as all thoughts of flattery and hypocrisy.
They must constantly do their practices
with a disposition of going straight ahead.
They must not look down on other people
nor hold discussions on the Dharma
and not cause other people to have doubts or regrets
saying that they cannot attain enlightenment.
When these believers expound the Dharma
it will be with a constant gentleness and patience,
with loving kindness for all
without any thoughts of indolence or laziness.
When it comes to the bodhisattvas of the ten directions
they will practice the path
out of compassion for all sentient beings.
Practitioners should have a mind of respect for them
and think of them as “my universal teachers”.
As for all the Buddhas who are World Honoured Ones,
practitioners should think of them as sovereign fathers
who will get rid of the proud selfish thoughts of the practitioners
so as to expound the Dharma without hindrance.
The third method is as follows,
which the person who is wise will observe
and single-mindedly practice in peace and with joy
and be revered by uncountable multitudes.

Furthermore, Monjushiri (Mañjushrî), Bodhisattva Mahâsattva (bosatsu makasatsu) [which is a fully evolved bodhisattva who has renounced his own extinction into nirvana for the sake of the Buddha enlightenment of all sentient beings, here this term is used as a title], in the final period when the Dharma is about to become extinct, practitioners must hold to this Dharma Flower Sutra for both the people who are still with their families as well as those who have left home to take up the ascetic way of life. They must give rise to a mind of all-embracing compassion for them. For those people who are not bodhisattvas, practitioners must give rise to a mind of loving kindness and have this thought in their minds. All those above categories of people have lost something extremely important. When the Tathâgata explained this sutra either through various expedient means or according to his own enlightenment, they did not listen; nor did they know about it; nor were they aware of it. They neither asked about this sutra, nor did they believe in it, nor did they even try to unravel its significance. Such people, even though they never asked about this sutra, nor believed in it, nor even tried to fathom its implications, when I had arrived at the unexcelled, correct and all-embracing enlightenment, I decided that whatever dimension there may exist, I would, by using the reaches of my mind and the strength of my wisdom, lead them so as to make them abide in this Dharma.

Monjushiri (Mañjushrî), those fully evolved bodhisattvas who have renounced their own extinction into nirvana for the sake of the Buddha enlightenment of all sentient beings (bosatsu makasatsu, bodhisattva mahâsattva) after the extinction of the Tathâgata into nirvana will have accomplished the fourth method of practicing in peace and with joy. They will make no mistakes or overlook anything whilst they are explaining the Dharma. They will receive offerings, veneration, respect, deep devotion and praise from monks, nuns, male and female lay people as well as sovereigns of states, princes, their ministers, ordinary people, Brahmins, householders who practice at home etc. The devas in empty space will always follow these fully evolved bodhisattvas and render services to them in order to listen to the Dharma, whether they might be in villages, towns or in deserted places in the forests. If anyone comes along with obnoxious and awkward questions, all the devas will constantly night and day for the sake of the Dharma . . . .

The fifth important point on the passage, “If anyone comes along with obnoxious and awkward questions, all the devas will constantly night and day for the sake of the Dharma . . . ”

The Oral Transmission on the Meaning of the Dharma Flower Sutra says that during the final period of the Buddha teaching of Shākyamuni the people who do the practices of the Dharma Flower Sutra will constantly be guarded and protected by all the devas for the sake of the Dharma. The Dharma is Nam Myôhô Renge Kyôwhich means to devote our lives to and found them on (Nam) the Utterness of the Dharma [entirety of existence] (Myôhô) permeated by the underlying white lotus flower-like mechanism of the interdependence of cause, concomitancy and effect (Renge) in its whereabouts of the ten realms of dharmas (Kyô).

. . . . protect and guard these fully evolved bodhisattvas, as well as making all those who are listening joyfully glad. Why should this be so? This sutra is protected with the reaches of the mind of all the Buddhas of the past, present and future.

Monjushiri (Mañjushrî), in uncountable dimensions of existence, it is impossible to hear the title of this Dharma Flower Sutra, let alone have a chance to see it, accept it, hold to it or even read and recite it. Monjushiri (Mañjushrî), for instance it is like a very powerful sovereign whose chariot wheels roll everywhere without hindrance (tenrin’ô, chakravarti-râja) who wishes to submit all the other countries to his authority. All the lesser sovereigns do not obey this powerful sovereign so that this powerful sovereign raises all sorts of warriors in order to subjugate his opponents. The powerful sovereign on seeing the qualities of his armies in combat is filled with great joy and rewards them according to their merits, either by giving his warriors gifts of villages and towns or with clothing and bodily ornaments of rare and precious materials such as gold, silver, lapis lazuli, mother-of-pearl, agate, coral and amber, or by giving them elephants, horses, chariots, slaves and even ordinary people. But in the topknot of his hair there is a brilliant pearl which this powerful sovereign never gives away. What is the reason for this? This unique pearl is only to be found on the head of a sovereign. If he were to part with it all the following of this sovereign would be shocked and amazed. Monjushiri (Mañjushrî), it is the same with the Tathâgata. Due to his powers of absorption into his one object of meditation (zenjô) and the strength of his wisdom he has attained sovereignty in the dimension of the Dharma and is the ruler of the threefold dimension where sentient beings have appetites and desires, which are incarnated in subjective materialities with physical surroundings, who at the same time are endowed with the immateriality of the realms of fantasies, dreams, thoughts and ideas (sangai). Now the demon kings (ma’ô) take it upon themselves not to submit to the Buddha. The people who are wise and correct in all their actions are comparable to having the roles of generals under the Tathâgata and engage in combat with the demon sovereigns. For those who have merited it, the Buddha’s heart is filled with joy. In the midst of the four kinds of congregations which consist of monks, nuns, male and female lay practitoners, the Tathâgata expounds various sutras so as to give them pleasure and joy. Also he gives them the gift of perfect absorption into the objects of their meditation (zenjô), freedom from the bonds of delusion and suffering in the threefold dimension (gedatsu) [mentioned above] and sense organs that produce the consciousness of the five faculties of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and touch [which are really in the mind] completely free from any unintended misinterpretation (murokon), the treasure of the strength of the entirety of the Dharma; and in addition the Buddha presents all sentient beings with the largess of the dimension of total extinction into nirvana. Also he insists that all sentient beings will cross over from the shores of living and dying to the shore of ceasing to exist altogether, thereby leading the minds of all sentient beings towards greater happiness. Yet for a long time the Buddha did not expound the Dharma Flower Sutra.

Monjushiri (Mañjushrî), in the same way as the powerful sovereign whose chariot wheels roll everywhere without hindrance (tenrin’ô, chakravarti-râja) rejoices on seeing the effectiveness of his assembled armies along with the incredibly marvelous pearl which for a very long time he would not give away without deep consideration, but on this occasion he gives it away, it is exactly the same with the Tathâgata, in the triple dimension where sentient beings have appetites and desires, which are incarnated in a subjective materiality with physical surroundings, who at the same time are endowed with the immateriality of the realms of fantasies, dreams, thoughts and ideas. He is the universal sovereign. It is by means of the Dharma that he teaches and transforms the lives of all sentient beings with his army of wise people who are correct in every way. He wages war on the demons that control the five aggregates (go’on) that darken the awareness of our original enlightenment which are our respective physical bodies, the ways we perceive existence outside us, our ways of thinking, our ways of acting which are influenced by our karma and the totality of how our minds work, the demons that control our troublesome worries (bonnô) and the demons that cause our anxieties about death. These wise people who are correct in every way distinguish themselves with great merits by annihilating the three poisons of greed, anger and stupidity and with a release from the triple dimension [as mentioned above] as well as the entanglements that negative forces use to ensnare us, so that when the Tathâgata sees these merits he is also overjoyed. The Buddha is also overjoyed with the Dharma Flower Sutra which is capable of leading sentient beings toward the wisdom of those who exert themselves to attain the highest stage of the teachings of the individual vehicle through listening to the Buddha (shômon, shrâvaka) [who are the intellectuals of today] as well as the people who have affinities with the arts, music, literature etc., or the various branches of science and medicine (issai chi). This sutra has numerous adversaries as well as being more difficult to hold faith in than the sutras I have expounded previously; in addition this sutra has never been explained before, Monjushiri (Mañjushrî). This particular sutra is the foremost out of all those I have already expounded. It is the most profound and therefore is the final reward, just in the same way as the powerful sovereign whose chariot wheels roll everywhere without hindrance (tenrin’ô, chakravarti-râja), who had kept the pearl in the topknot of his hair for so long now gives it away as a reward. Monjushiri (Mañjushrî), this Dharma Flower Sutra is the enduring esoteric content of the wisdom (hi mitsu shi zô) of all the Buddha Tathâgatas. Out of all the sutras this is the most authoritative preeminent which has been safeguarded throughout the long night of the ages and is never expounded without due consideration. Starting with today I finally disclose it for you.

The World Honoured One, wishing to reiterate the meaning of what he had expounded, expressed it in the form of a metric hymn.

Those who practice patience and forgiveness
have pity for all sentient beings
and can expound this sutra
that is praised by the Buddhas.
For those who are capable
of holding to this sutra
in the final ages,
whether they are still with their family
or have left home to lead the life of an ascetic,
or those who are not yet bodhisattvas
must give rise to mercy and benevolence.
For those who do not listen to
or do not hold faith in this sutra
it becomes a total loss.
On attaining to the path of Buddhahood
I expound this Dharma
through various expedient means
in order that those who hold faith in it
remain within its bounds.
For instance there was a powerful sovereign
whose chariot wheels roll everywhere
without hindrance (tenrin’ô, chakravarti-râja)
whose warriors distinguish themselves in combat.
He offers them rewards
such as elephants, horses, chariots
along with various estates and buildings,
villages and towns; or he even gives his warriors
clothing or various precious jewels,
slaves and other material assets
all with which he rewards them with joy.
If there is an astoundingly valiant warrior
who was capable of difficult exploits
he rewards this hero with the bright pearl
that is in the topknot of this king’s hair.
It is exactly the same with the Tathâgata
who is the sovereign of all dharmas [i.e. the Utterness of the Dharma (Myôhô)]
and whose powers of patience are all-embracing
as well as being the receptacle of his wealth of wisdom.
By means of his loving kindness
which is as vast as the Dharma
he converts through his instruction
the world that is immersed
in the cycles of mortality.
Since the Buddha perceives all humankind
as a container of hardships and worries
he aims at their release and deliverance from them
by waging war on those cruel and destructive forces
that bring such troubles about.
For the benefit of sentient beings
he expounds the various facets of the Dharma
by using expedient means that allude
to the entirety of the Dharma.
He expounded the sutra
by being aware that sentient beings
have acquired sufficient strength.
He finally explains the Dharma Flower Sutra to them,
in the same way as the powerful sovereign
unties the topknot on his head
in order to make a gift
of the rarest of pearls.
This particular sutra is numinous and to be venerated [since it contains the wisdom of what existence is about]
and is the consummate sutra out of all the others.
I have always held onto it
and not unwisely revealed it
until now which is the right moment
for explaining it to you.
After my extinction into nirvana
for those who seek the path of Buddhahood
that also wish to attain it in peace and tranquility
I have expounded this sutra
so that they may personally
get to know these four approaches
to the path of Buddhahood.
Those who read this sutra
will never have troubles or depression
nor even sickness nor pain.
Neither will such people be born in poverty
base, lowly, ugly and squalid.
But they will have clear and fresh complexions
and people will be pleased to meet them
with the same eagerness due to sages and saints.
All the celestial protective forces
will be at their service.
Blades and sticks will not harm them
and poisons will have no effect.
Those people who would insult and abuse them
will have their mouths stopped up.
The people who read this sutra
will go without fear wherever they wish
just like the brightness of the sun.
Even in such persons’ dreams
they will only see what is sublime.
Also they will see all the Tathâgatas
seated upon their lion thrones
surrounded by their assemblies of monks
expounding the Dharma to them.
They will also see devas and dragons (ryû)
as well as titanic ashwas (shura)
as many as there are grains of sand in the Ganges
who all have their palms together in reverence.
Thereupon they will see themselves
explaining the Dharma to them.
Furthermore they will see all the Buddhas
with their bodies and features all gold in colour
emitting uncountable rays of light
that shine upon all beings and things
and with their brahmanical voices
expounding all the Dharma [i.e. the Utterness of the Dharma (Myôhô)].
The Buddhas expound for the four congregations
of monks, nuns, male and female practitioners
the Dharma that has no superior [Nam Myôhô Renge Kyô]
with their palms of their hands pressed together
in praise of the Buddha and listening to the Dharma
with joy, as well as making offerings to the Tathâgata
when they will receive dharani (darani) [these are very often understood as the quintessence of a sutra rather like a mantra in Brahmanism; a deep power is said to be embodied in these syllables which very often have no verbal or literal meaning],
which bear witness to their
wisdom that does not regress.
The Buddha knows that their minds
are profoundly entered upon the Buddha path
and that they will receive the announcement
of their attainment to the supreme and correct enlightenment.
The Buddha will say, “Believing and convinced practitioner,
in an age to come, you will become boundlessly wise
upon the all-embracing path of the Buddha.
The terrain upon which you will depend for an existence
will be ornate, pure and vast beyond comparison.
Also the four congregations of monks, nuns,
male and female practitioners will listen to the Dharma
with the palms of their hands pressed together.”
Again those people who read this sutra
will see themselves residing in the mountains or forests
practicing the correct Dharma
in order to experience the real aspect of all dharmas,
deep in concentration on the single object
of their meditation as well as seeing
the Buddhas of the ten directions.
The bodies of these Buddhas are gold in colour
adorned with a hundred auspicious bodily features.
They have listened to the Dharma
which they now explain for other people,
and those who read this sutra
will constantly have such beautiful dreams.
Otherwise they dream they are a sovereign king
who abandons his palace and courtiers
as well as the five most subtle desires [for 1) property and wealth, 2) sexual love, 3) eating and drinking, 4) renown, 5) sleep]
and went straight to the place of enlightenment
under the bodhi tree
where he seats himself on the lion throne
and seeks the path for more than seven days,
when finally he attains all the wisdom of a Buddha.
Having realized the highest path, he then
gets up and sets in motion the wheel of the Dharma
in order to expound it for the four congregations
of monks, nuns and lay followers both male and female.
For myriads of myriads of myriads of kalpas
the Buddhas have expounded the Dharma
free of troublesome worries (bonnô)
in order to ferry countless sentient beings
from the shores of living and dying
to the shore of nirvana.
Afterwards the Buddha must enter
into the extinction of nirvana in the same way
as smoke dissipates and lamps go out.
If in iniquitous ages someone expounds this primordial Dharma [Nam Myôhô Renge Kyô],
such a person will have enormous benefits
like the merits described above.