BACKGROUND:

From the cover letter, it is clear that this treatise was addressed to Sairen-bo, one of Nichiren Daishonin's followers. However, it does not bear the date or the name of the place where it was written. One conjecture is that it was authored in 1273, at Ichinosawa on Sado Island, when the Daishonin was fifty-two years old and living in exile.

Sairen-ba was an extremely learned scholar of the Tendai sect and had been living in exile on Sado for some unknown reason. one of the Daishonin's letters to him, entitled "Reply to Sairen-bo" (P- 20 in this volume), reveals that he converted to the Daishonin's teachings in the second month of 1272, during the period the Daishonin was living on Sado in exile. Sairen-bo received this treatise one year later.

"The Entity of the Mystic Law" is one of the most profound writings of Nichiren Daishonin and explains the great effects of having faith in the Gohonzon, the true object of worship. When examined in terms of the concept of teaching, practice and proof, this treatise corresponds with proof, while "The Opening of the Eyes" and "The True Object of Worship" are related to teaching and practice, respectively. "Teaching" means the Buddha's teaching and "practice" means the practice that accords exactly with the teaching. "Proof" means the merit resulting from the practice of the teaching.

"The Opening of the Eyes" establishes a fivefold comparison, a system of comparative classification of all of Shakyamuni Buddha's teachings, and demonstrates the superiority of the Lotus Sutra over all the other sutras. Ultimately it clarifies the supremacy of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo among all the Buddhist teachings, and accordingly it corresponds to "teaching." "The True Object of Worship" states that embracing faith in the Gohonzon is in itself enlightenment. By believing in the Mystic Law one acquires all the practices in which all the Buddhas engaged, as well as all the benefits and virtues that they obtained through these practices. Therefore, it corresponds to "practice." "The Entity of the Mystic Law" corresponds to "proof," because it reveals that by believing in the Mystic Law one can manifest oneself as the entity of Myoho-renge-kyo.

In this treatise, Nichiren Daishonin uses the question-and-answer format in order to make his teaching more accessible to his contemporary and later followers. Its contents are divided into six parts. The first part teaches that the beings of the Ten Worlds and their environments, that is, all things and phenomena in the universe, are entities of Myoho-renge-kyo. Concerning this view, a question is posed: "If the entity of all living beings is the Mystic Law in its entirety, then are all the actions and their results that are associated with the nine worlds, from Hell up to Bodhisattva, In effect the entity of the Mystic Law?" in reply to this question, the Daishonin states thatjust as Buddhahood is the functioning of the Mystic Law, so likewise are the nine worlds of illusion and suffering. This is explained from the viewpoint of the defiled aspect and the pure aspect, both of which constitute the functioning of a single Law, that is, the Mystic Law.

The second part reveals from a more profound standpoint that actually only those who have faith in the Mystic Law are the entities of the Mystic Law. The Daishonin states, "The Buddha who is the entity of Myoho-renge-kyo, of the Juryo chapter of the essential teaching.... is to be found in the disciples and followers of Nichiren." In the third part, citing T'ient'ai's Hokke gengi, the Daishonin discusses the lotus of the entity and also uses the lotus figuratively. The lotus flower was used as a metaphor to explain the lotus of the entity, since the entity of the Law is difficult to understand. He clarifies the lotus of the entity that inherently exists and is not created, and identifies it as the supreme single Law that simultaneously possesses both cause and effect. He also says that in the infinite past a sage perceived the reality of this Law and named it Myoho-renge. This is what the lotus of the entity means. The lotus blooms and produces seeds at the same time, and so represents the simultaneity of cause and effect, which is the expression of the Mystic Law.

In the following three parts, the treatise describes those who ha,e become enlightened to the lotus of the entity. The fourth part reveals that the original Buddha first became enlightened to the lotus of the entity in kuon ganjo. This revelation is found in the passage that reads: "The Shakyamuni Buddha who lived in a past even more distant than gohyaku-jintengi achieved enlightenment with regard to the lotus that is the entity of the Mystic Law." The Shakyamuni Buddha referred to here is the Buddha of kuon ganjo, not the Shakyamuni Buddha who, as described in the jurya (sixteenth) chapter of the Lotus Sutra, attained enlightenment in gohyaku jintengo. "A past even more distant than gohyaku-jintengo" means kuon ganjo, an eternity without beginning.

Next, this treatise asserts that the passage in the Haben (second) chapter on the true aspect of all phenomena and the passage in the Jinriki (twenty-first) chapter on the transmission of the essence of the Lotus Sutra both contain perfect elucidations of the lotus of the entity. Then the treatise explains that the title "Myoho-renge-kyo" itself, appearing at the beginning of each of the twenty-eight chapters of the Lotus Sutra, represents the lotus of the entity. In response to the question regarding who was able to obtain the lotus of the entity during Shakyamuni Buddha's lifetime, the fifth part singles out those who received instruction from the Buddha of the Juryo chapter of the essential teaching.

The sixth and last part clarifies who is able to obtain the lotus of the entity in the present Latter Day of the Law. This part also makes clear what Law it is that enables the people of the Latter Day to realize the lotus of the entity and to attain Buddhahood. Clarification of this point is found in the passage that states: "But those who follow the teachings of Nichiren ... are able to gain the lotus of the entity and to manifest the mystic principle of the entity of the Tranquil Light. This is because they put their faith in the golden words of the Buddha indicated in the Juryo chapter of the essential teaching and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo." "The Buddha indicated in the Juryo chapter" means the advocate of the teaching hidden in the depths of the Juryo chapter.

Subsequently this treatise explains why the Mystic Law was not propagated in the Former and Middle Days. it identifies Nam-myoho-renge-kyo as the Great Pure Law that is to spread in the Latter Day. Nan-yueh and T'ien-t'ai of China and Dengyo of Japan employed the recitation of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo as their private practice, but they did not spread this practice to other people. The treatise sets forth two reasons for this fact: "First of all, the proper time to do so had not yet arrived. Second, these men were not the persons entrusted with the task of doing so."

Then, in conclusion, the Daishonin writes: "Therefore Nanyiieh, T'ien-t'ai and Dengyo, though in their hearts they understood the truth, left it to the leader and teacher of the Latter Day to spread it widely, while they themselves refrained from doing so."
 

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PODACI O POREKLU GOŠOA:

Sa omota pisma je jasno da je ova rasprava bila upućena Sairen-bou, jednom od sledbenika Ničirena Dajšonina. Međutim, ona ne nosi datum niti ime mesta u kome je pisana. Jedno je nagađanje da je napisana 1273. u Ičinosavi na ostrvu Sado, kada je Dajšonin imao pedeset dve godine i kada je živeo u progonstvu.

Sairen-bo je bio jedan izuzetno učen učenik Tendai sekte i bio je živeo u progonstvu na Sadou iz nekih nepoznatih razloga. Jedno od Dajšoninovih pisama njemu, naslovljeno sa "Odgovor Sairen-bou" (str. 20 ovog toma), otkriva da se preobratio Ničirenovim učenjima u drugom mesecu 1272. godine, tokom perioda kada je Dajšonin bio živeo na Sadou u progonstvu. Sairen-bo je primio ovu raspravu godinu dana kasnije.

"Suština Mističnog Zakona" je jedan od najdubljih spisa Ničirena Dajšonina i objašnjava moćne efekte verovanja u Gohonzon, pravi predmet poštovanja. Kada se ispituje u terminima koncepta učenja, prakse i dokaza, ova rasprava odgovara dokazu, dok se "Otvaranje očiju" i "Pravi predmet poštovanja" odnose prvi na učenje, a drugi na praksu. "Učenje" znači Budino učenje, a "praksa" znači praksu koja je potpuno u skladu sa ovim učenjem. "Dokaz" znači zaslugu koja rezultuje iz praktikovanja ovog učenja.

"Otvaranje očiju" ustanovljuje jedno petostruko poređenje, sistem uporedne klasifikacije svih učenja Šakjamuni Bude, i demonstrira superiornost Lotos sutre nad svim drugim sutrama. U svojoj konačnoj analizi ovaj spis razjašnjava nadmoć Nam-mjoho- renge-kjoa u odnosu na sva ostala budistička učenja, i s tim u skladu odgovara "učenju". "Pravi predmet poštovanja" tvrdi da je prihvatanje vere u Gohonzon samo po sebi prosvetljenje. Verovanjem u Mistični Zakon savladavaju se sve prakse kojima se sve bude bave, kao i sve dobrobiti i vrline/moći, koje su ovi stekli tim praksama. Prema tome, ovo odgovara "praksi". "Suština Mističnog Zakona" odgovara "dokazu", stoga jer otkriva da se verovanjem u Mistični Zakon može manifestovati kao suština Mjoho-renge-kjoa.

U ovoj raspravi, Ničiren Dajšonin koristi formu pitanja i odgovora da bi svoje učenje učinio pristupačnijim svojim savremenim i potonjim sledbenicima. Njen sadržaj je podeljen na šest delova. Prvi deo podučava da su bića Deset Svetova i njihova okruženja, to jest sve stvari i fenomeni univerzuma, suštine Mjoho-renge-kjoa. Razmatrajući ovo gledište, postavlja se pitanje: "Ako je suština svih živih bića Mistični Zakon u svojoj potpunosti, da li su onda sve akcije i njihovi rezultati, koji su povezani sa devet svetova, od Sveta Pakla do Sveta Bodisatve, posledično suštine Mističnog Zakona?" U odgovoru na ovo pitanje, Dajšonin tvrdi da isto kao što je budastvo funkcionisanje Mističnog Zakona, slično tome su i devet svetova [funkcionisanje] iluzija i patnje. Ovo je objašnjeno sa stanovišta uprljanog i čistog aspekta, gde oba sačinjavaju funkcionisanje jednog jedinog Zakona, to jest, Mističnog Zakona.

Drugi deo otkriva sa jednog dubljeg stanovišta da su stvarno samo oni koji veruju u Mistični Zakon suštine/bića Mističnog Zakona. Dajšonin tvrdi: "Buda koji je suština/biće Mjoho-renge- kjoa, Đurjo poglavlja suštinskog učenja... se nalazi u Ničirenovim učenicima i sledbenicima." U trećem delu, citirajući Tjen-tajev Hoke gengi, Dajšonin diskutuje o lotosu suštine i takođe koristi lotos figurativno. Lotosov cvet je korišćen kao metafora da bi se objasnio lotos suštine, pošto je suštinu Zakona teško razumeti. On razjašnjava lotos suštine koji inherentno postoji i nije stvoren, i identifikuje ga kao vrhovni jedini Zakon koji simultano poseduje i uzrok i posledicu. On takođe kaže da je mudrac u beskonačnoj prošlosti opazio stvarnost ovog Zakona i nazvao ga Mjoho-renge. To je ono što lotos suštine znači. Lotos cveta i proizvodi seme istovremeno, na taj način predstavljajući simultanost uzroka i posledice, što je izraz Mističnog Zakona.

U sledeća tri dela, rasprava opisuje one koji su postali prosvetljeni za lotos suštine. Četvrti deo otkriva da je autentični Buda postao prvi prosvetljen za lotos suštine u kuon ganđo [periodu]. Ovo obelodanjenje se nalazi u odeljku koji kaže: "Šakjamuni Buda koji je živeo u prošlosti čak davnijoj od gohjaku-đintengo dostigao je prosvetljenje u pogledu lotosa koji je suština Mističnog Zakona." Šakjamuni Buda koji se ovde pominje je onaj Buda kuon ganđo-a, ne onaj Šakjamuni Buda koji je, kao što je opisano u Đurjo (šesnaestom) poglavlju Lotos sutre, dostigao prosvetljenje u gohjaku- đintengo. "Prošlost davnija čak i od gohjaku-đintengo" znači kuon ganđo, večnost bez početka.

Dalje, ova rasprava tvrdi da i odeljak iz Hoben (drugog) poglavlja o pravom aspektu svih fenomena i odeljak iz Đinriki (dvadeset prvog) poglavlja o transmisiji suštine Lotos sutre sadrže savršena tumačenja lotosa suštine. Zatim rasprava objašnjava da sâm naslov "Mjoho-renge-kjo", koji se pojavljuje na početku svakog od dvadeset osam poglavlja Lotos sutre, predstavlja lotos suštine. U odgovoru na pitanje koje se odnosi na to ko je bio sposoban da stekne lotos suštine tokom života Šakjamuni Bude, peti deo izdvaja one koji su primili instrukcije od Bude iz Đurjo poglavlja suštinskog učenja.

Šesti i poslednji deo razjašnjava ko je sposoban da stekne lotos suštine u sadašnjem Potonjem Danu Zakona. Ovaj deo takođe čini jasnim koji je to Zakon koji osposobljava ljude Potonjeg Dana da shvate lotos suštine i da dostignu budastvo. Razjašnjenje ove stvari se nalazi u odeljku koji tvrdi: "Ali oni koji slede učenja Ničirena... sposobni su da steknu lotos suštine i da manifestuju mistični princip suštine Mirnog Svetla. To je stoga što veruju u zlatne reči Bude na koga je ukazano u Đurjo poglavlju suštinskog učenja i stoga što recituju Nam-mjoho-renge-kjo." "Buda na koga je ukazano u Đurjo poglavlju" znači zaštitnik učenja koji je skriven u dubinama Đurjo poglavlja.

Naknadno ova rasprava objašnjava zašto Mistični Zakon nije propagiran tokom prethodnih i Srednjih Dana. Ona identifikuje Nam-mjoho-renge-kjo kao Veliki Čisti Zakon koji se objavljuje tokom Potonjeg Dana. Nan-jue i Tjen-tai iz Kine i Dengjo iz Japana koristili su recitovanje Nam-mjoho-renge-kjoa kao svoje privatno praktikovanje, ali ovu praksu nisu razglašavali. Ova rasprava dalje iznosi dva razloga za ovu činjenicu: "Pre svega, odgovarajuće vreme da se tako čini nije još bilo došlo. Drugo, ovi ljudi nisu bili osobe kojima je takav zadatak poveren."

Zatim, u zaključku, Dajšonin piše: "Prema tome, Nan-jue, Tjen-tai i Dengjo, mada su u svojim srcima razumeli istinu, ostavili su je vođama i učiteljima Potonjeg Dana da je objavljuju nadaleko, dok su se sami uzdržali od toga."
 

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