Earthly Desires Are Enlightenment

In time I will type the entire Gosho, but for now an excerpt:

"I deeply appreciate your recent visit here and your constant concern over the numerous persecutions which have befallen me. I have met these great persecutions as the votary of the Lotus Sutra and do not regret them in the slightest. No life could be more fortunate than mine, no matter how many times one might repeat the cycle of birth and death [Were it not for these troubles,] I might have remained in the three or four evil paths. But now, to my great joy, I am sure to sever the cycle of suffering and attain the fruit of Buddhahood.

T'ien-t'ai and Dengyo suffered persecutions arising out of hate and jealousy merely because they propagated theoretical ichinen sanzen of shakumon (the theoretical teaching). In Japan this teaching was propagated and handed down successively by Dengyo, Gishin, Encho, Jikaku, and others. Among the many disciples whofollowed the Great Teacher Jie, the eighteenth chief priest of the Tendai sect, were Danna, Eshin, Soga, and Zen'yu. At that time the sect's teachings were divided in two: Danna, the Administrator of Monks, transmitted the doctrinal teachings while Eshin, the Supervisor of Monks, devoted himself to the meditative practices. Doctrine is comparable to the moon and practice to the sun. Doctrinal practices are shallow, while meditative practices are deep. The teachings expounded by Danna were therefore broad but shallow, while Eshin's teachings were deep but limited.

The teaching that I, Nichiren, am now propagating may seem limited, but it is actually most profound. This is because it goes deeper than the teachings expounded by T'ien-t'ai and Dengyo. It reveals the three important matters contained in the Juryo chapter of the essential teaching. To practice only the seven characters of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo may appear limited, yet since this Law is the master of all Buddhas of the past, present and future, the teacher of all bodhisattvas in the ten directions, and the guide that enables all beings to attain Buddhahood, its practice is incomparably profound.

The sutra states, "The wisdom of all Buddhas is infinitely profound and immeasurable." "All Buddhas" means every Buddha throughout the ten directions in every age of the past, present, and future. It represents every single Buddha and bodhisattva of any sutra or sect whatsoever, including both Dainichi Buddha of the Shingon sect and Amida Buddha of the Jodo sect, every buddha of the past, the future, or the present, including even Shakyamuni Buddha himself.

Next, what is meant by the "wisdom" of all Buddhas? It is the true aspect of all phenomena, the Dharma entity of the ten factors that leads all beings to Buddhahood. What then is the dharma entity? It is nothing other than Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. T'ien-t'ai states, "The profound principle of the 'true aspect' is the originally inherent Law of Myoho-renge-kyo". The true aspect of all phenomena indicates the two Buddhas Shakyamuni and Taho [seated together in the Treasure Tower]. Taho represents all phenomena and Shakyamuni, the true aspect. The two Buddhas also indicate the two principles of truth as object (kyo) and the subjective wisdom to grasp it (chi). Taho Buddha signifies the truth as object and Shakyamuni the subjective wisdom. Although these are two, they are fused into one in the Buddha's enlightenment.

These teachings are of prime importance. They mean that earthly desires are enlightenment and that the sufferings of birth and death are nirvana. When one chants Nam-myoho-renge-kyo even during the sexual union of man and woman, then earthly desires are enlightenment and the sufferings of birth and death are nirvana. Sufferings are nirvana only when one realizes that life throughout its cycle of birth and death is neither born nor destroyed. The Fugen sutra states, "Even without extinguishing earthly desires or denying the five desires, they can purify all of their senses and eradicate all of their misdeeds." It is stated in the Maka Shikan that "the ignorance and dust of desires are enlightenment and the sufferings of birth and death are nirvana." The Juryo chapter of the Lotus Sutra says, "This is my constant thought: how can I cause all living beings to gain entry to the highest Way and quickly attain Buddhahood?" And the Hoben chapter states, "The aspect of this world [as it manifests the Law,] abides eternally." The Dharma body is none other than Nam-myoho-renge-kyo..." Nichiren c.1272