The Oneness of Mentor and Disciple

At the beginning of the section we are studying in this installment, Nichiren Daishonin reveals the spirit of the mentor in the mentor-disciple relationship in Buddhism. He writes, “Nichiren has been trying to awaken all the people of Japan to faith in the Lotus Sutra so that they too can share the heritage and attain Buddhahood” (WND-1, 217). This passage can be read as expressing the fundamental spirit of the Buddha of the Latter Day, which pervades Nichiren’s life of momentous struggle for kosen-rufu. 

This desire to enable all people to equally share in the heritage of attaining Buddhahood is itself the spirit of the Lotus Sutra, and also the great wish, or vow, of the Buddha described in the sutra. 

The Lotus Sutra is permeated by the Buddha’s great vow to enable all people to attain Buddhahood. Shakyamuni teaches that a person who inherits and carries on this vow is a genuine bodhisattva and true disciple of the Buddha. He also calls on his followers to widely propagate the Law throughout the world after his passing, stressing the importance of winning in the struggle against negative forces that seek to obstruct the flow of kosen-rufu.^[1]

Accordingly, the great vow of the Buddha and the wish of the mentor—for the enlightenment of all people and the happiness of self and others—are none other than the great vow, or wish, for kosen-rufu itself. 

During the Tatsunokuchi Persecution and Sado Exile, there were those among Nichiren’s disciples who, failing to understand this spirit of the mentor, ignorantly slandered him and abandoned their faith. Adversity invariably separates the genuine from the false. In the midst of this great wave of persecution, Nichiren taught the vital importance of the mentor-disciple relationship and inspired true disciples who shared his powerful commitment to stand up. He engaged in a struggle to rebuild his community of followers after repression by state authorities had resulted in “999 out of 1,000 people who gave up their faith” (“Reply to Niiama,” WND-1, 469). 

Even on Sado, there appeared a steady stream of people who decided to follow Nichiren after observing at close hand his integrity and dauntless struggle as a votary of the Lotus Sutra. They were disciples of “pure gold” who joined Nichiren knowing full well that he was an exile. One of these people was the Tendai priest and fellow exile Sairen-bo. 

The True Heritage of Faith Is Open to All People

When considering Nichiren Daishonin’s wish to enable all people to share the heritage for attaining Buddhahood, the most crucial point is that the heritage of Buddhism is open to all. This universally accessible nature of the heritage is so important that it simply cannot be emphasized too strongly. When it is correctly understood, Buddhism can serve as a humanistic and universal religion; when it is not, Buddhism can become narrow and authoritarian, deviating from the original spirit of the Buddha. 

Since this writing is a reply concerning the heritage of the ultimate Law of life and death, we can surmise that its recipient, Sairen-bo, may have questioned the way the heritage was understood in the Japanese Tendai school of the day. In another writing by Nichiren, titled “Establishing the Correct Method of Contemplation,” we learn that high-
ranking priests of the Tendai school cloaked the transmission of the heritage in mystery, used it as a means to enhance their own or their school’s authority, or treated it as something to be bought and sold for large sums of money. In this way, the transmission of the heritage itself had become a source of corruption and decadence.^[2]

Next, Nichiren says, “But instead they have persecuted me in various ways and finally had me banished to this island [of Sado]” (WND-1, 217). Referring here to his own struggles during the past 20 years, Nichiren indicates that the endeavor of kosen-rufu is one of overcoming an unending series of great obstacles. The spirit of the mentor in the mentor-disciple relationship in Buddhism, as I mentioned earlier, is the great wish for kosen-rufu. Here, we can also see Nichiren’s willingness to undergo repeated persecution for his cause as the essence of the mentor’s conduct, which is taking action without begrudging one’s life.

The sutra states that if one propagates the correct teaching in the evil age of the Latter Day of the Law when people’s lives are defiled by the five impurities, one is certain to encounter great, even life-threatening, persecution. However, as indicated by the statement, “I rejoiced, saying that I had long expected it to come to this,” Nichiren relished obstacles, confronting them head-on and calmly triumphing over them (“The Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra,” WND-1, 764). His whole life was characterized by a dauntless spirit. The simple manner in which he says, “But instead they have persecuted me in various ways and finally had me banished to this island,” is
a reflection of his serene state of being, which derived from living based on the Law and not begrudging his life. It was a state of being overflowing with the heart of the lion king, unswayed by even the harshest persecution. 

A Person of ‘Pure Gold’ Upholds the Lotus Sutra Even in the Face of Great Obstacles

Thus in this writing, Nichiren Daishonin clarifies that the spirit and conduct of the mentor in the struggle for kosen-rufu in the Latter Day of the Law consist of the following: the “great vow for kosen-rufu” to enable all people to attain enlightenment and the “selfless action” to triumph over one great obstacle after another. 

Nichiren then observes, “You [Sairen-bo] have followed Nichiren, however, and met with suffering as a result” (WND-1, 217). This fact, Nichiren says, qualifies Sairen-bo as a person of “pure gold.” In praising Sairen-bo for being such a dedicated disciple, Nichiren teaches that the all-important heritage in Buddhism flows in the lives of those who practice in the same spirit as the mentor. 

Nothing is known as to the specific persecutions that befell Sairen-bo. But Nichiren’s disciples on Sado obviously suffered various kinds of harassment and discrimination. It is not difficult to imagine that among the villainous individuals who sought to kill Nichiren, there were those who also attacked his followers.

In describing the hardships faced by Abutsu-bo and his wife, the lay nun Sennichi, also his followers on Sado, Nichiren writes: “Every single steward and Nembutsu believer worthy of the name kept strict watch on my hut day and night, determined to prevent anyone from communicating with me. Never in any lifetime will I forget how in those circumstances you [the lay nun Sennichi], with Abutsu-bo carrying a wooden container of food on his back, came in the night again and again to bring me aid. …   “[Because of your support for me,] you were driven from your land, fined, and had your house taken from you” (“The Sutra of True Requital,” WND-1, 933). 

With regard to Sairen-bo encountering persecution on account of his having become Nichiren’s disciple, Nichiren writes, “It pains me deeply to think of your anguish” (WND-1, 217). And he lauds Sairen-bo as a person of “pure gold” because the latter persisted in following Nichiren through thick and thin, without being defeated by difficulties along the way. 

Further, Nichiren clearly indicates that Sairen-bo is a person of “pure gold” because he embraces the “‘gold’ of the Lotus Sutra” (WND-1, 217). Embracing the Lotus Sutra specifically means internalizing the great vow of the mentor who has dedicated his life as a votary of the Lotus Sutra and, even in times of adversity, maintaining the same resolute and selfless faith as the mentor. 

In other words, a person of “pure gold” is another name for a person of selfless dedication to the Law. Such people are to be exalted, as Nichiren indicates, “If the Law that one embraces is supreme, then the person who embraces it must accordingly be foremost among all others” (“Questions and Answers about Embracing the Lotus Sutra,” WND-1, 61). 

Those who base themselves on the highest principles or truth will not be deceived by surface phenomena or swayed by anything. They are always able to discern the underlying essence. By contrast, foolish people who lack solid guiding principles will always be confused and readily defeated by hardships or obstacles. They base themselves on their own foolish minds.

Sairen-bo most certainly had a deep recognition that the Lotus Sutra was the Buddha’s highest teaching. Moreover, his unwavering resolve and readiness to follow Nichiren made him a disciple of “pure gold.” 

Sairen-bo was profoundly inspired on Sado by witnessing a true votary who practiced the Lotus Sutra—the “king of sutras”—in exact accord with its teaching and spirit, and strove selflessly to lead all people to enlightenment. This is expressed in Sairen-bo’s own words, which Nichiren shares, “In your letter you mention that you became a disciple of mine and pledged to follow me at the beginning of the second month, and that from now on, though you may not measure up to others, you would be most pleased and honored if I would continue to count you among my disciples” (“Reply to Sairen-bo,” WND-1, 309). 

Sairen-bo no doubt immediately and correctly grasped that advancing together with a true votary of the Lotus Sutra is the essence and ultimate meaning of embracing the Lotus Sutra. That is probably why he unhesitatingly chose the course of enduring persecution together with Nichiren. 

Nichiren next cites two passages from the “Former Affairs of the Bodhisattva Medicine King” chapter of the Lotus Sutra. This is to illustrate the true life state of those who embrace the Lotus Sutra. 

The first passage concerns the Lotus Sutra, or the Law, which they embrace, “Just as among all the mountains, Mount Sumeru is foremost, so this Lotus Sutra is likewise” (see LSOC, 327). Just as Mount Sumeru towers at the center of the world, so the Lotus Sutra is the supreme and unsurpassed Law. 

The second passage concerns the indomitable state of life attained by those who embrace the Law, “The good fortune you gain thereby … cannot be burned by fire or washed away by water” (LSOC, 329). Because those who embrace the Mystic Law can bring forth the infinite power of Buddhahood within their lives, they can triumph over all, without being defeated by hardship or suffering. 

To embrace the Lotus Sutra is to feel deep joy in living as a person of wisdom, a person of “pure gold.” Such vibrant pride and self-worth give rise to the strength, courage and wisdom to endure and overcome all obstacles. 

The Great Vow

What is often translated into English as vow can also be read as a pledge to fulfill a wish or desire. One who fully and consistently lives to fulfill this desire or vow, no matter what opposition might arise, is called a Buddha. Regarding this, Ikeda Sensei said: “‘I want to become happy and for everyone else to become happy too.’ This is the original mind, the pure wish, functioning in the depths of life since beginningless time. Those who totally embrace this spirit are Buddhas. Because it is the Buddha’s all-encompassing wish, it is the great vow” (The Heart of the Lotus Sutra, p. 380).

The vow of the disciple, of a bodhisattva, is not an imposed obligation. It is freely declared and joyously put into action. Nam can be read as dedication or devotion. The vow, or wish, to awaken Buddhahood in ourselves and others is something we renew every time we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

The Eternal Karmic Ties of Mentor and Disciple

Nichiren Daishonin also tells Sairen-bo of the profound karmic ties they share as mentor and disciple: “It must be ties of karma from the distant past that have destined you to become my disciple at a time like this” (WND-1, 217). Nichiren indicates that this mysterious bond can perhaps only be fathomed by the Buddhas Shakyamuni and Many Treasures. 

Further, he explains that the profound karmic ties shared by mentor and disciple who uphold the Lotus Sutra are an indisputable truth, citing a passage from “The Parable of the Phantom City” chapter, “Those persons who had heard the Law dwelled here and there in various Buddha lands, constantly reborn in company with their teachers” (LSOC, 178). This passage reveals the depth of the mentor-disciple bond.

To give a brief explanation of its meaning, since the distant time of major world system dust particle kalpas in the past, Shakyamuni’s voice-hearer disciples had constantly been born in various Buddha lands with Shakyamuni as their mentor and carried out bodhisattva practice together. 

The important point here is that Shakyamuni’s voice-hearer disciples in the Lotus Sutra were actually bodhisattvas who had undertaken bodhisattva practice in past lifetimes. Through these words of the Buddha, the voice-hearers remember that they originally possessed the life state of bodhisattvas. The Lotus Sutra reveals that since the immeasurable past, the voice-hearers have possessed the “wish that we have had deep in our hearts from the start” (LSOC, 182). That is, the wish to attain supreme enlightenment and free all living beings from suffering. Therefore, the voice-hearers, by recalling their great wish from the distant past, discover and awaken to their identity as living beings who have carried out the same bodhisattva practice as their teacher, Shakyamuni. 

This passage indeed describes the eternal relationship of mentor and disciple who strive together to realize the most profound aspiration of human beings and of all life—the enlightenment and happiness of both self and others. A true mentor in Buddhism is one who enables us to remember this aspiration. True disciples, meanwhile, are ones who follow the mentor’s teaching, who never forget that this most profound aspiration is in fact their own, and who—convinced from the bottom of their hearts that this is so—launch into action in accord with the mentor’s instructions. 

The most profound mentor-disciple relationship is that of mentor and disciple who struggle together for kosen-rufu. Their lives are linked on the deepest level. The eternal world of Buddhahood exists in the depths of their lives. Both mentor and disciple then dwell in the immense life state of the “palace of the ninth consciousness,^[3] the unchanging reality that reigns over all of life’s functions” (“The Real Aspect of the Gohonzon,” WND-1, 832).

‘Those Persons Who Had Heard the Law Dwelled Here and There in Various Buddha Lands, Constantly Reborn in Company With Their Teachers’

At the third memorial (second anniversary) in November 1946, for his mentor, first Soka Gakkai President Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda said: “In your vast and boundless compassion, you let me accompany you even to prison. As a result, I could read with my entire being the passage from the Lotus Sutra, ‘Those persons who had heard the Law dwelled here and there in various Buddha lands, constantly reborn in company with their teachers.’ The benefit of this was coming to know my former existence as a Bodhisattva of the Earth and to absorb with my very life even a small degree of the sutra’s meaning. Could there be any greater happiness than this?”^[4]

This captures the essence of the mentor-disciple relationship in Buddhism. 

In those early days of our organization, there were many other Soka Gakkai leaders who proclaimed to be disciples of President Makiguchi. But once the wartime persecution of the Soka Gakkai affected them personally and led to their imprisonment, they did a complete turnaround and recanted their faith. Showing gross ingratitude, there were even some who openly turned against President Makiguchi, cursing at the mentor to whom they were so deeply indebted. The human heart can be frightening. 

Only Mr. Toda, President Makiguchi’s true disciple, was unwavering in his awareness of the profound and noble bond of mentor and disciple, speaking with gratitude of President Makiguchi’s “vast and boundless compassion.” 

This lofty mentor-disciple relationship is the vital spirit of the Soka Gakkai. If this spirit lives on, our movement will continue to develop eternally. The mentor-disciple spirit of the first three presidents is key to securing the foundations of the kosen-rufu movement for the future. 

Mr. Toda states that by going to prison with his mentor, he was able to realize his former existence as a Bodhisattva of the Earth and the sutra’s meaning. He found the key in the sutra passage concerning being reborn in lifetime after lifetime with one’s mentor. 

Both mentor and disciple dedicate their lives eternally to bodhisattva practice—this point is crucial to understanding the Lotus Sutra’s essence. Once in a lecture open to all members, President Toda explained: “When I said: ‘I’m going to go and be reborn in the country of Japan when it’s in a state of ruin. Why don’t you all come with me?’ you all replied, ‘OK, let’s go!’ ‘Yes, why not!’ And as a result, we all appeared in this world. … 

“The sutra says that wherever they may be, practitioners of the sutra are sure to be born together with their mentor in various Buddha lands. This is certainly not a lie. It means that mentor and disciple are always born together. In light of these words of Nichiren, I feel tremendous gratitude to all of you. We were born together in this world as a result of a promise we made in the past.”^[5]

In another writing, Nichiren Daishonin says, “I wonder if you and I have not been pledged to each other as teacher and disciple from countless kalpas in the past” (“Reply to Sairen-bo,” WND-1, 309). Mentor and disciple share karmic ties that extend over past, present and future. When we strive with all our might for kosen-rufu, we can sense this profound connection. 

It is the first three presidents of the Soka Gakkai who have revived in the present age an active and engaged mentor-disciple spirit—the essence of Nichiren Buddhism. It would be no exaggeration to say that were it not for the appearance of the Soka Gakkai, the spirit of mentor and disciple of the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren Buddhism would have all but disappeared. 

The Nine Consciousnesses

Nine kinds of discernment. The first five of the nine consciousnesses correspond to the five empirical senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. The sixth, mind-consciousness, is formed from the correlation of sensory information, to create an understanding of the physical environment. The seventh, mano-consciousness, is an inner-directed awareness. It is through the seventh consciousness that understanding of and attachment to the concept of self derive. The eighth consciousness, alaya, stores past causes from this life and previous lives. In Chinese, it was rendered as “storehouse consciousness.” The ninth is the amala-consciousness. It is free from any karmic defilement and corresponds to the Buddha nature. According to Nichiren Daishonin, “The body is the palace of the ninth consciousness, the unchanging reality that reigns over all of life’s functions” (“The Real Aspect of the Gohonzon,” WND-1, 832).

The Mentor-Disciple Relationship Is the Essence of the Lotus Sutra

So why is the mentor-disciple relationship valued so highly in Buddhism? Let me reconfirm the Buddhist significance of this relationship. 

In general terms, a mentor is someone who teaches one enhanced skills or technical expertise, deeper knowledge, a loftier way of life, a more fulfilling state of mind and so forth. People look up to someone as a mentor when that person helps them in some way to improve or develop themselves. 

In the Buddhist teaching of the Lotus Sutra, the teacher Shakyamuni Buddha, based on his awakening to the Law, strove together with his disciples to enable them to achieve their highest potential as human beings. This Law was none other than the Mystic Law, which the Buddha’s disciples could not perceive on their own. Their awareness was clouded by fundamental darkness, and they had no conception of the Law. Therefore, even if they were given theoretical explanations of the Law or told to practice to overcome sufferings, the life state of Buddhahood could not be conveyed to them through such words alone. Rather, it was through being inspired by coming into contact with the Buddha’s character, along with these words of instruction, that they awakened to the Law within their lives. This is how the Law was communicated to them. 

And this is why the mentor-disciple relationship holds so much importance in Buddhism. The Law is conveyed through the life-to-life bonds of the mentor-disciple relationship. Based on this Law, it is possible for us to achieve our human revolution. 

This also explains why Nichiren Daishonin refers to the deep mentor-disciple bond between himself and Sairen-bo in this writing on the transmission of the heritage of the ultimate Law of life and death. 

It follows that Buddhism does not set forth the mentor as a mystical or transcendent superhuman being. Nichiren states, “Outside of the attainment of Buddhahood, there is no ‘secret’ and no ‘transcendental powers’” (The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, p. 125). As this passage suggests, the supreme and only mystery in Buddhism is the ability of human beings to attain Buddhahood in their present form. Moreover, the secret and transcendental powers for attaining Buddhahood are something that can be manifested in the lives of all people. 

What, then, were the disciples to do after their teacher Shakyamuni Buddha had passed away? Did it mean that, without the Buddha there to teach the Law through his own example, Buddhism could not be transmitted in a true sense? The Lotus Sutra directly addresses these questions. 

The sutra teaches that the core of Shakyamuni’s being is nothing other than the “vow of the Buddha.” Shakyamuni explains, “At the start I took a vow, hoping to make all persons equal to me, without any distinction between us” (LSOC, p. 70). That is, the vow to enable all people to attain the same state of enlightenment as he had.

In the theoretical teaching (the first 14 chapters) of the Lotus Sutra, the voice-hearers awaken to the fact that they, too, have originally dedicated their lives to the same great vow as the Buddha. This clarifies that Shakyamuni and his voice-hearer disciples are committed to the same fundamental wish. 

The essential teaching (the last 14 chapters) of the sutra reveals the true identity of Shakyamuni as the Buddha who has continued to preach the Law—teaching and converting living beings in the saha world based on this vow—ever since attaining enlightenment in the inconceivably distant past. This is the “Buddha of actual attainment in the remote past” expounded in the “Life Span” chapter. In addition, the essential teaching clarifies that the bodhisattvas who share the mentor’s commitment—those who after the Buddha’s passing pledge to carry on the Buddha’s vow and devote themselves to the Buddha’s work of leading all living beings to happiness—are the Bodhisattvas of the Earth. 

The Lotus Sutra from beginning to end teaches the oneness, or shared commitment, of mentor and disciple. Looking over the history of Buddhism, the deification of Shakyamuni began when his disciples forgot to strive with the same commitment he had. If Shakyamuni who attained enlightenment in the remote past is turned into a transcendent, superhuman being, then the mentor-disciple relationship cannot function. The point is that when the Buddha’s disciples fail to emulate his spirit and conduct, the Buddha merely becomes an object of veneration or worship. The Buddha therefore can no longer serve as a model for others’ human revolution. 

The Lotus Sutra reveals that a vow lies at the core of Shakyamuni Buddha’s character. It further clarifies that the Law is transmitted to disciples who make that vow their own and strive in the same spirit. This paves the way for conveying the life state of the Buddha to living beings even in the age after his passing. 

Especially important in achieving the great vow for kosen-rufu is the willingness to take action without begrudging one’s life. The “Life Span” chapter of the Lotus Sutra says that even after his passing, Shakyamuni will appear where there are practitioners striving in faith with the spirit of “single-mindedly desiring to see the Buddha, not hesitating even if it costs them their lives” (LSOC, 271). 

Even after Shakyamuni’s death, the life state of the Buddha can be conveyed to those who take action based on the great vow for kosen-rufu and the spirit of selfless dedication, which constitute the core of the Buddha’s life. 

Nichiren set forth Nam-myoho-renge-kyo as the means for manifesting our innate Buddhahood. He revealed that the great vow for kosen-rufu and selfless dedication are the key to Buddhist practice in the evil age of the Latter Day of the Law. By doing so, he secured the transmission of the heritage for attaining Buddhahood. 

Everything rests on the fundamental power inherent in the mentor-disciple relationship. Nichiren’s true disciple and direct successor, Nikko Shonin, says: “In the teaching of Nichiren, one attains Buddhahood by correctly following the path of mentor and disciple. If one veers from the path of mentor and disciple, then even if one upholds the Lotus Sutra, one will fall into the hell of incessant suffering.”^[6]

In the present age, it is the first three Soka Gakkai presidents who awakened to the great vow for kosen-rufu, the vow of the Buddha, and have striven with the spirit of not begrudging their lives. 

As the disciple of Mr. Makiguchi and Mr. Toda, I have won in successive momentous struggles against the three powerful enemies.^[7] I have created a history of absolute victory as a disciple. I can proudly report to Mr. Toda that I have won on all fronts. I have no regrets whatsoever. 

Mr. Makiguchi and Mr. Toda, Mr. Toda and me. Through the actions of its first three presidents, the Soka Gakkai has forged the path of shared commitment of mentor and disciple, the essence of Buddhism. Because the mentors and disciples of Soka have been victorious, we have made worldwide kosen-rufu—the decree of the Lotus Sutra and the wish of Nichiren—a reality. 

“If teacher and disciple are of different minds,” writes Nichiren, “they will never accomplish anything” (“Flowering and Bearing Grain,” WND-1, 909). But when mentor and disciple are united, they can achieve even the loftiest goals. The mentor-disciple bond is an unparalleled force for victory. 

From the December 2024 Living Buddhism