Different Times Required Different Methods-Lotus Sutra And Dharma Are One

Buddhist Worship Alter

Honolulu
Nichiren Shoshu, Buddhism

Greeted by the man opening the door, I entered the building and
the first thing I noticed was that the temple area was not opened for
viewing. It was behind closed doors. After I told the man I was
curious about his religion, he invited me into his office and told me
to have a seat. He asked me, "What would you like to know?" I replied,
"I was curious about what makes Nichiren Shoshu different from Zen
Buddhism or from Buddhism in general?" Actually, I already knew
something about this sect because many years ago some fluke of fate
got me initiated into it. I had no idea what I was getting into back
then, but, later, when I made some inquiries, I was not impressed. I
had come here only to confirm what I already suspected. I just played
dumb when the man in the suit answered my question. "We are all
Buddhists," he said. "The Buddha taught how to put an end to
suffering. All Buddhists work toward that end."

"How come I don't see any Buddha statues around here?" I said, "At
the Zen Temple a huge statue greeted me."

"All Buddhists want to put an end to suffering," he replied, "but the
methods for doing so are different for different Buddhists. At
Nichiren Shoshu, we believe in the teachings of the monk, Nichiren
Diashonan. He taught that different times required different methods
to put an end to suffering. After all, the methods that worked at the
time of the Buddha are not necessarily going to work in today's world.
Things are different for people living under the stresses of modern
society. In fact, the Buddha knew that his teachings would have to
change. He predicted that his teachings would lose meaning over time.
It was the monk, Nichiren, who revived the Buddha's teachings. He
taught the Lotus Sutra, the most powerful of all Buddhist sutras.
During the Buddha's time, the sutra was taught to only the few who
could understand its elevated truths. Here at Nichiren Shoshu, we
believe that the dharma of the highest Truth and the Lotus Sutra are
one. The Truth is in the dharma, not in the Buddha. That is why you
do not see Buddha statues in this temple."

The guy was convincing, but when I continued to question him, I got
the same old line: Reverencing "Gonyo," repetitive prayers to the
Lotus Sutra, eliminated suffering. I knew that to eliminate suffering,
according to the Buddha, you had to eliminate desire, attachment, and
craving, but the monk Nichiren, in a seeming contradiction, taught
that prayers were answered when desires got satisfied. Reverence to
the Lotus Sutra and the Nichiren Shoshu way in general, was all that
was required in order to get your prayers answered. What a deal! I
thanked the guy and told him I would probably be back to see him, but
I knew I wouldn't.