The Lineage Chart
The following list of names which appear at the bottom of the
Omandala provide a kind of lineage chart of the authentic
teaching of the Lotus Sutra according to Nichiren. This
lineage comprises the historical transmission of the Lotus
Sutra which began with the historical Shakyamuni Buddha.
Nichiren refers to this in the Kanjin Honzon-sho (Spiritual
Contemplation and the Most Venerable):
"...I should say that during the period spanning the
time the Buddha was still alive and some 1,800 years after
His death, there appeared only three throughout the three
lands of India, China, and Japan who perceived the ultimate
truth, that is, the Lotus Sutra. They are Sakyamuni Buddha of India, Grand Master T'ien-t'ai of China, and Grand Master Dengyo of Japan, who are the three sages of Buddhism." (p. 142)
If Nichiren Shonin is included in this number, all of these
teachers are known collectively as the "four masters in
three lands," who comprise the outer or historical
transmission as opposed to the inner or spiritual one from the
Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha to Bodhisattva Superior Practice who
appeared in the Latter Age as Nichiren Shonin. Shakyamuni Buddha
already appears at the top of the Omandala and it is he who
originally transmits the Lotus Sutra and Namu Myoho
Renge Kyo. Nagarjuna is added to the lineage chart because according to the T'ien-t'ai school he is one of the twenty-four patriarchs of Buddhism in India after Shakyamuni, and the
honorary first patriarch of T'ien-t'ai Buddhism. The teachings
attributed to him also contain praise for the Lotus Sutra
and Nichiren stated that while he knew the truth of the Lotus
Sutra in his heart he did not teach it to others because the
time was not yet ripe. Chih-i, the Grand Master T'ien-tai,
appears on the list as the founder of the T'ien-t'ai school and
the one who proclaimed the true stature and meaning of the Lotus
Sutra in China during the Age of Semblance Dharma. Chan-jan,
the Great Master Miao-lo, appears on the chart as the ninth
century T'ien-t'ai patriarch who revitalized the T'ien-t'ai
school and wrote authoritative commentaries on the works of
Chih-i. Next, Saicho, or Grand Master Dengyo, appears as the
founder of the Tendai school in Japan. Nichiren's name appears,
both in his capacity as the inheritor of the historical
T'ien-t'ai legacy, but more importantly as the practicer of the Lotus
Sutra and the envoy of the Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha in the
Latter Age of Degeneration. Nichiren's name, in many ways,
represents all of those who chant Odaimoku in the presence of the
Gohonzon.
Namu Ryuju Bosatsu
Nagarjuna Bodhisattva ~ 2nd-3rd century CE
Little is known about the life of Nagarjuna. He was
supposedly a brahmin from South India who converted to Buddhism
and then to Mahayana Buddhism. Some sources say that he studied
and later taught at the the Buddhist university Nalanda in what
is now Bihar, India. He is also said to have recovered the
Mahayana sutras, specifically the Prajnaparimita-sutras,
from the nagas. Nagarjuna was the founder of the Madhyamika
school of Mahayana Buddhism which emphasized the teaching of
emptiness and a system of Middle Way dialectics which showed the
untenability of holding substantialistic views.
Nagarjuna is considered the fourteenth patriarch after
Shakyamuni Buddha according to a late 5th century Chinese work
called A History of the Transmission of the Dharma Treasury.
It was allegedly a translation from a
Sanskrit original, but this have never been proven. In that
writing, a lineage of Buddhist patriarchs is given beginning with
Mahakashyapa continuing with Ananda and ending with Aryasimha,
the twenty-fourth patriarch. This list appears in the preface to
Chih-i's The Great Calming and Contemplation (Jap. Maka
Shikan) and became a part of the T'ien-t'ai tradition. In
this system, the lineage ends with Aryasimha. Later, this became
the basis for the legendary Zen lineage of 28 Indian patriarchs
which extended to four more Indian patriarchs of which
Bodhidharma was the last. Most schools of East Asian Mahayana
Buddhism try to trace their lineages back to Nagarjuna or at least to find precedents for their teachings and practices in the
works attributed to him. His most important work is the Mula
Madhyamika-karika (Jpn. Chu Ron) which is the main
basis for the Madhyamikan teaching of emptiness and the Middle
Way between the views of existence and non-existence. This work
inspired Chih-i's teaching of the Three Truths of emptiness,
provisionality, and the Middle Way. The Mahaprajnaparamita-shastra
(Jpn. Daichido Ron) was also of great influence in
T'ien-t'ai Buddhism. It is a commentary on the Perfection of
Wisdom Sutra in 100,000 Lines and only the Kumarajiva
translation is still extant. Most scholars believe that it may
have been written by Kumarajiva rather than Nagarjuna. In any
case, it is a work which comprehensively describes Mahayana
Buddhist teachings and practices, and also contained passages in
praise of the Lotus Sutra as the highest teaching of
Shakyamuni Buddha.
Icon: Indian monk.
Namu Tendai Daishi
Great Master T'ien-t'ai, aka Chih-i, aka
Chih-che 538-597 CE
Chih-i was the real founder of T'ien-t'ai Buddhism, but he is
considered the third patriarch after his teacher Nan-yueh Hui-ssu
(515-577) and his teacher's teacher Hui-wen. Some accounts make
Nagarjuna the first patriarch, and Chih-i then becomes the
fourth. In any case, Chih-i was ordained as a novice at the age
of 18 after his parents died. He was fully ordained as a monk at
age 20. From around 562 until 569 he lived at Mt. Ta-su studying
with Hui-ssu (who would later leave to spend the rest of his life
on his namesake Mt. Nan-yueh). There is a legend that when Chih-i
met Hui-ssu, his teacher greeted him by saying that he had been
waiting for him and that they had been together on Vulture Peak
where they heard the Lotus Sutra from Shakyamuni Buddha
himself. Hui-ssu was supposedly an earthly manifestation of
Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva and Chih-i was supposedly an earthly manifestation of Medicine King Bodhisattva. Chih-i, in fact, is said to have attained enlightenment while reading chapter 23 of
the Lotus Sutra, "The Previous Life of
Medicine-King Bodhisattva." After studying with Hui-ssu,
Chih-i moved to Chin-ling, the capital of the Ch'en dynasty. He
spent eight years there at Wa-kuan-ssu temple. In 575 he moved
again to Mt. T'ien-t'ai which would become his namesake and the
name of the school of Buddhism that he founded. In 584 he was
joined by Kuan-ting (561-632) who is also known as Chang-an after
his birthplace. Kuan-ting is the actual compiler of the three
major works of Chih-i, and he also wrote the introductions to
them. In 585 he was persuaded to return to Chin-ling to lecture
on the sutras. In 587 he delivered the lectures which would
become the Fa-hua wen-chu (Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra).
In 589, Chih-i left Chin-ling for Lu-shan in order to avoid
the invading forces of the Sui dynasty which was in the process
of uniting all of China. In 591, however, he visited Prince Yang
Kuang, who would become the first emperor of the Sui dynasty, and
administered the bodhisattva precepts to him and gave him a
Dharma name. In return, Prince Kuang bestowed the title Chih-che
(Wise One) upon Chih-i. After that, Chih-i returned to his
homeland, Chiang-ling. In 593 and 594 respectively, Chih-i
delivered the lectures which would become the Fa-hua hsuan-i (Profound
Meaning of the Lotus Sutra) and the Mo-ho chih-kuan
(Great Concentration and Insight). In 595 he returned to Mt. T'ien-t'ai and passed away there in 597. Kuan-ting became his successor and the second patriarch of the T'ien-t'ai school.
Chih-i's most important works are the Words and Phrases
of the Lotus Sutra, the Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra, and
the Great Concentration and Insight. His most important
teachings include the three truths of the empty, the provisional,
and the Middle Way; the "three thousand existences contained
in single moment of thought"; the five flavors (or periods)
of the Buddha's teaching; the eight teachings consisting of the
four doctrinal teachings and the four methods of teaching; and
his analysis of the Lotus Sutra into the theoretical
section and the essential section. These teachings and many
others gave T'ien-t'ai Buddhists the ability to make sense of the
vast collection of Buddhist sutras and put them to practical use
in the cultivation of meditation practice. In particular, the
commentaries of Chih-i enabled T'ien-t'ai Buddhists and others to
grasp the essential points and subtle teachings of the Lotus Sutra.
Icon: Chinese monk.
Namu Myoraku Daishi
Great Master Miao-lo,
aka Chan-jan, aka Ching-hsi 711-782 CE
Chan-jan was the sixth patriarch of T'ien-t'ai Buddhism (if
Chih-i is counted as the first, ninth if Nagarjuna is counted as
the first). His birthplace was Ching-hsi, and he is sometimes
given that name as well. He is named Miao-lo after the
Miao-lo-ssu temple where he lived. He began to study Buddhism at
the age of 20 under the fifth T'ien-t'ai patriarch, Hsuan-lang
(673-754) but did not become a monk until he was 38. In his day,
the T'ien-t'ai school had become moribund and was overshadowed by
newer and more vital schools like Ch'an, Hua-yen, and the
Consciousness Only teachings of the great traveler and translator
Hsuang-tsang (602-664). Chan-jan revitalized the T'ien-t'ai
school, refuted the claims of the rival schools, and wrote
definitive commentaries on each of the three major works of
Chih-i. Those commentaries are called: Annotations on the
Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra, Commentary on the Profound
Meaning of the Lotus Sutra, and Annotations on the Great
Concentration and Insight.
Icon: Chinese monk.
Namu Dengyo Daishi
Great Master Dengyo, aka Saicho 767-822 CE
Saicho was the founder of the Japanese Tendai school. He was
ordained at the age of 19 in 785 and immediately he retreated to
Mt. Hiei. There he spent his time meditating, reciting and
copying sutras, and studying the writing of Chih-i. In 804 he was
sent by the Imperial court to China along with his disciple and
translator Gishin (781-833), and there he was able to spend nine
months studying T'ien-t'ai Buddhism with Tao-sui, the seventh
patriarch of the T'ien-t'ai school, and Hsing-man, who was also a
direct disciple of Chan-jan. Some of that time was spent on Mt.
Hiei itself. Saicho also received the bodhisattva precepts of the
Brahma Net Sutra from Tao-sui, some limited training in esoteric Buddhism, and a transmission in the Ox Head school of Ch'an Buddhism. He returned to Japan in 805 and set up two study
tracks on Mt. Hiei - one for the practice of esoteric Buddhism
and one for the practice of meditation. From 809 until 816,
Saicho and Kukai exchanged teachings and assistance. But the
relationship broke down when Kukai demanded that Saicho become
his disciple if he wanted to study esoteric Buddhism in depth,
and later when one of Saicho's disciples refused to return to Mt.
Hiei because he preferred to study Shingon Buddhism under Kukai.
Saicho is also renowned for the debate by way of letters and
treatises that he conducted with the Hosso priest Tokuitsu
beginning in 817. Saicho argued for the universality of the
buddha-nature against the Hosso theory that people have different
inherent natures, and that only some can attain buddhahood while
others may not be able to attain enlightenment of any kind.
This debate only ended with Saicho's death. Starting in 818,
Saicho began lobbying the Imperial court for the establishment of
a Mahayana precept platform (kaidan) on Mt. Hiei based
upon the Mahayana precepts of the Brahma Net Sutra.
Permission was only granted a week after his death. Saicho died
in 822. Gishin became his successor and the second patriarch of
the Japanese Tendai school. In 823, the Emperor Saga renamed the
temple on Mt. Hiei Enryakuji. In 866, the Emperor Seiwa bestowed
the name Dengyo Daishi upon Saicho. This was the first time an
emperor ever awarded the title Daishi (Great Master).
Icon: Japanese monk.
Nichiren (1222-1282 CE)
Nichiren Shonin is the founder of Nichiren Buddhism. He began to publicly declare and teach the chanting of Namu Myoho Renge Kyo on April 28, 1253 after many years of study and
contemplation. His strongly worded critiques of those Buddhists
who neglected or misrepresented the Lotus Sutra earned
him the enmity of both the Buddhist establishment and the
shogunate who patronized them. He suffered four major and several
minor persecutions at their hands, but Nichiren never relented
because he knew that it was the Lotus Sutra which could
awaken people to the possibility of attaining buddhahood and
seeing that this world itself is the pure land of the Eternal
Shakyamuni Buddha. It was during his exile on Sado Island on
April 25, 1273 that Nichiren wrote the Kanjin Honzon Sho
which described the form the Omandala should take. On July 8 of
that same year he inscribed the Omandala for the first time. The
Shutei Mandala was inscribed in March of 1280, and it is the
mandala that Nichiren chanted to before he passed away at the
home of Munenaka Ikegami on October 13, 1282.
Nichiren's self-evaluation can be found throughout his
writings. In the Kembutsu Mirai-ki (Testimony to the
Prediction of the Buddha) he states that he is a
practitioner of the Lotus Sutra (Hoke-kyo no gyoja).
This means that he is the one who practices the Lotus Sutra
just as it preaches and who experiences and thereby fulfills the
predictions of the Buddha for the Latter Age of the Dharma found
in the Lotus Sutra. Furthermore he states that he is an
ordinary person at the second of the T'ien-t'ai's six stages of
practice whereby one attains buddhahood. That stage is called
"notional understanding" (myoji-soku) because
it involves hears the Wonderful Dharma for the first time and
takes faith in it. Nichiren equates this with the first of the
five stages of practice to be undertaken after the Buddha's
passing which is the stage of rejoicing at hearing the sutra. So
on one level, Nichiren's sees himself as on the same level as all
others who are hearing the Lotus Sutra and taking faith
in it in the Latter Age of the Dharma. In the Kaimoku-sho
(Open Your Eyes to the Lotus Teaching), Nichiren even
states that he himself must have slandered the Lotus Sutra
and persecuted its practitioners in his past lives, and that he
was now making recompense for his sins in undergoing various
persecutions for the sake of the Lotus Sutra in his
present life. This would be the position of many of those who
initially opposed him and then converted, or who were following
him and also wondering why they had to undergo such hardships. So
in many ways, Nichiren saw himself as the "every man"
in the Latter Age of Degeneration.
After the Sado Exile, however, Nichiren also began to
consider himself the appearance of Bodhisattva Superior Practice
insofar as he was fulfilling the role of the Buddha's messenger
in the Latter Age of the Dharma. Nichiren believed that in
chapter 21, Shakyamuni Buddha specifically commissioned
Bodhisattva Superior Practice and the Bodhisattvas of the Earth to spread the Odaimoku, the essential practice of the Lotus
Sutra, in the Latter Age. Since no one else had appeared to
do that, Nichiren concluded that he was either Bodhisattva
Superior Practices' forerunner or perhaps the bodhisattva
himself. In Yorimoto's Letter of Explanation, Nichiren
writes in the persona of his own disciple Shijo Kingo who is
trying to explain his faith in the Lotus Sutra and
Nichiren's teachings to his feudal lord. In that letter, Nichiren
says of himself: "...if the teaching in the sutra is
correct, Nichiren Shonin is a reincarnation of Bodhisattva
Visistacaritra (Superior-Practice), a practicer of the Lotus
Sutra and a direct disciple of the Original and Eternal
Sakyamuni Buddha (who attained Buddhahood in the remotest past,
according to the essential part of the Lotus Sutra).
Nichiren Shonin is a great leading master in the beginning of the
fifth 500-year period after the Buddha's extinction." (The
Shimoyama Letter, p. 184)
More often, however, Nichiren simply suggests the
relationship to Bodhisattva Superior Practice and goes on to
extend the relationship to the Bodhisattvas of the Earth to all
those who practice Odaimoku. The Shoho jisso-sho (True
Aspect of All Phenomena), provides a very good example of
this: "Nichiren alone took the lead in carrying out the task
of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth. He may even be one of them. If
Nichiren is to be counted among the Bodhisattvas of the Earth,
then so must his disciples and lay supporters." (p. 385)
Later in the same writing he says, "If you are of the same
mind as Nichiren, you must be a Bodhisattva of the Earth, there
is not the slightest doubt that you have been a disciple of
Shakyamuni Buddha from the remotest past." (p. 385)
So Nichiren thought of himself as an ordinary person who was
fulfilling the mission of Bodhisattva Superior Practice for the
Latter Age, and as Bodhisattva Superior Practice appearing to
demonstrate how ordinary people can uphold the Lotus Sutra
in the Latter Age. His position on the mandala is indicative of
the position of all of us who stand before the Eternal Shakyamuni
Buddha and take faith in the Wonderful Dharma thereby taking part
in the Ceremony in the Air.
In addition, Nichiren also thought of himself as having
received two transmissions - an outer or historical one, and an
inner or spiritual one. The outer one is referred to at the end
of the Kembutsu Mirai-ki where he states: "I,
Nichiren, of Awa Province, graciously received the teaching of
the Lotus Sutra from three masters (Sakyamuni Buddha,
T'ien-t'ai and Dengyo) and spread it in the Latter Age of
Degeneration. Therefore, I add myself to the three masters,
calling ourselves "four masters in three lands.'" (Writings
of Nichiren Shonin, p.178) This is the line of transmission
that runs from the historical Shakyamuni Buddha, to the
Madhyamika teachings of Nagarjuna, through the T'ien-t'ai
teachings of Chih-i, Miao-lo, and Saicho, and finally to Nichiren
Shonin who at first acted as a reformer who was trying to restore
the authentic teachings of the historical T'ien-t'ai school.
Nichiren's debt to this historical transmission of those who
taught and transmitted the Lotus Sutra down through the
ages is indicated by the "lineage chart" at the bottom
of the mandala and it is perhaps significant that Nichiren's name
is amongst them.
But there is also the inner one which is the direct
transmission of the Wonderful Dharma from the Eternal and
Original Shakyamuni Buddha to his original disciples, the
Bodhisattvas of the Earth, in chapter 21 of the Lotus Sutra.
In Kanjin Honzon-sho (A Treatise Revealing the
Spiritual Contemplation and the Most Venerable One) Nichiren writes:
"The manifestation of the ten divine powers in the
twenty-first chapter on the 'Divine Powers' is for the sake
of transmitting the five characters of myo, ho, ren, ge, and
kyo to the four bodhisattvas Superior Practice,
Limitless Practice, Pure Practice, and Steadily Established
Practice, representing the host of bodhisattvas who had
sprung from underground." (p. 159) Later on in the same
work he says, "Then for the first time those
bodhisattvas from underground appear in this world attempting
to encourage ignorant people to take the five characters of myo,
ho, ren, ge, and kyo, the excellent medicine of
the Latter Age." (p. 162) He also says, "After all,
the task of establishing the true honzon was reserved for the
bodhisattvas from underground who had been
entrusted to propagate the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Age." (p. 163)
Since Nichiren is the one who first propagated the Odaimoku
and established the true honzon, one must conclude that Nichiren
believed that he was able to do so because in his true identity
as Bodhisattva Superior Practice the Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha
had directly transmitted the teachings to him so that he could
act as the Buddha's messenger in the Latter Age. In this respect,
Nichiren transcended the historical T'ien-t'ai school insofar as
he was teaching what was reserved for the Bodhisattvas of the
Earth in the Latter Age of the Dharma. In this sense, Nichiren is
the first direct receiver and transmitter of Namu Myoho Renge
Kyo to appear in the Latter Age, and it is perhaps
significant that Nichiren's name is directly below the Odaimoku
where it is in a position to directly receive and proclaim it.
Icon: Nichiren either sitting or standing with the rolls of
the Lotus Sutra in hand and perhaps his juzu in another.
This Great Mandala was revealed for the first time in the
world of Jambudvipa 2,220 odd years after the extinction of the
Buddha .
March, the third year of Koan (1280)
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Lotus World: an Illustrated Guide to the Gohonzon
