A Vow for the Enlightenment of All People—The Power Deep Within Our Lives That Can Overcome All Obstacles

In “The Opening of the Eyes,” the Daishonin first reveals that the doctrine of “actual three thousand realms in a single moment of life” hidden in the Lotus Sutra’s depths is the teaching to be propagated in the Latter Day of the Law for the enlightenment of all humankind. We have already discussed this subject in detail.

Next, he identifies the true votary of the Lotus Sutra who will spread this great teaching. In other words, after revealing the fundamental Law for attaining Buddhahood, he turns to focus on the person who will propagate it.

At the beginning of this section of the treatise, the Daishonin discusses his own vow to stand up and spread the Mystic Law in the Latter Day—the vow he made when he first proclaimed the establishment of his teaching. This demonstrates the profound importance of a personal vow or pledge when taking on the challenge to propagate the Law in the latter age.

The Fundamental Darkness That Denies Human Potential for Buddhahood

Touching on how difficult it is to carry out kosen-rufu in this latter age, the Daishonin writes: “The Buddha predicted in the Nirvana Sutra that in the Latter Day of the Law those who abide by the correct teaching will be as few as the specks of dirt that can be placed on a fingernail, while those who slander the correct teaching will be as numerous as the specks of dirt in all the lands of the ten directions … 

“Those who fall into the evil paths because of secular crimes will be as insignificant in number as the specks of dirt placed on a fingernail, but those who do so because of violations of the Buddhist teachings will be equal in number to the specks of dirt in all the lands of the ten directions. More monks than laymen, and more nuns than laywomen, will fall into the evil paths” (WND-1, 238).

The Latter Day of the Law is described as a defiled age, a time when people are said to have inferior capacity to understand Buddhism and when monks and nuns of various Buddhist schools become increasingly decadent. While these are obviously important factors, the true essence of why propagation in the Latter Day is far more difficult than during the Former or Middle Days of the Law^[1] cannot be fully understood without addressing the subject of slander of the Law.

Slander of the Law means denigrating the correct teaching, and it arises from disbelief in that teaching. “Correct teaching” indicates the Lotus Sutra, which expounds the enlightenment of all people. The sutra teaches that each of us, without exception, can attain Buddhahood. But this is difficult for many people to accept because they think of Buddhas as transcendent, otherworldly beings, somehow separate or different from mere mortals. This long-standing belief, derived from an authoritarian view of Buddhist faith and religion in general, had so influenced people that they could not believe in the Lotus Sutra or its teaching of universal enlightenment.

People’s actual life experience has also made it difficult to believe in their potential for Buddhahood. Amid trying circumstances, they can scarcely imagine that anyone suffering as much as they are could possibly become a Buddha. When things are going smoothly, however, and people seem already happy, they tend to think there’s no need to seek enlightenment or attain Buddhahood. Either way, it is rare for people to actually embrace faith in the correct teaching.

Consequently, because the idea of universal enlightenment is so difficult to believe, many lean toward authoritarian religions that promote the concept of transcendent, otherworldly gods or Buddhas. These religions often interpose a clergy as a necessary intermediary between the practitioners and these distant, transcendent beings.

When a practitioner of the Lotus Sutra striving to enable all people to attain enlightenment appears in a society where such religious views predominate, many who are stubbornly attached to their existing beliefs will resent and persecute that person—the very one actually practicing the correct teaching.

For example, illustrating the persecution that arises from disbelief in and slander of the correct teaching that expounds the enlightenment of all people, “Encouraging Devotion,” the 13th chapter of the Lotus Sutra, describes the three powerful enemies taunting the sutra’s practitioners with sarcastic contempt, “You are all no doubt Buddhas!” (The Lotus Sutra and Its Opening and Closing Sutras, p. 233). 

The Hinayana and provisional Mahayana teachings either make Shakyamuni out to be a special being possessing a state of life that human beings cannot attain, or they discuss only transcendent Buddhas far removed from the mortal realm, such as Amida or Mahavairochana.^[2] Buddhist schools based on such teachings emerged during the Former and Middle Days of the Law, and the more they focused on otherworldly Buddhas, the more authoritarian they eventually became. 

In the Latter Day of the Law, people fail to grasp the Lotus Sutra’s true meaning and insist even more rigidly that authoritarian religion is correct; the prevailing religious attitude is one of submissive dependence on the power or beneficence of transcendent gods or Buddhas. As a result, people’s attachment to faith in the teachings of their existing Buddhist schools grows even stronger, and mistaken views grow more rampant, as evidenced by the Daishonin’s words “Those who espouse Hinayana reject Mahayana, and those who espouse provisional teachings attack the true teaching” (“On the Buddha’s Prophecy,” WND-1, 400). That is, there is a prevalence of Buddhist schools that slander the Lotus Sutra.

In the end, these schools serve as negative influences producing many disbelievers and slanderers of the Lotus Sutra. They give rise to the lamentable situation in which “those who do so [fall into the evil paths] because of violations of the Buddhist teachings will be equal in number to the specks of dirt in all the lands of the ten directions” (WND-1, 238). Buddhism is originally a teaching for enabling people to attain enlightenment. As a result of believing in the erroneous doctrines of various Buddhist schools, however, people fall into the evil paths. This is what happens in the Latter Day, when the Law is about to perish.

The Daishonin stood up alone to lead the people of this dark age to enlightenment, and toward that end, he exposed in detail the hidden devilish nature of the various Buddhist schools of his day. In “The Opening of the Eyes,” before sharing his vow in taking his solitary stand as the votary of the Lotus Sutra, the Daishonin exposes and harshly denounces the true nature of these schools that have degenerated into purveyors of slanderous teachings and cause people to fall into the evil paths of existence. He identifies this devilish nature as a manifestation of the principle of “evil demons entering the body” (see LSOC, 233).^[3]

The Root Cause of Slander of the Law

In “The Opening of the Eyes,” the Daishonin points out that devils possess high-ranking priests who seem thoroughly conversant with the teachings of Buddhism, and through these priests they work to mislead many people (see WND-1, 239). In other words, devilish functions take over those who command a great deal of spiritual influence in society, aiming to confuse large numbers and cause them to fall into the evil paths.

It is not that the teachings Shakyamuni expounded prior to the Lotus Sutra are slanderous in and of themselves. The problem lies with aberrant priests who become attached to these teachings, misuse them and denigrate the Lotus Sutra; this is the root cause of slander of the Law. Furthermore, propagating the correct teaching in the Latter Day starts with overcoming the ignorance and delusion of those who support such slanderous priests.

As the Daishonin indicates when he says, “Fundamental darkness manifests itself as the devil king of the sixth heaven” (“The Treatment of Illness,” WND-1, 1113), the true nature of the devil king is the fundamental darkness or illusion in the lives of all people. Dispelling the innate ignorance in people’s hearts requires us to resolutely stand against and defeat evil influences and what Buddhism calls “bad friends.” That is why correct Buddhist teaching has always stressed the importance of remaining constantly on guard against such negative influences, recognizing them for what they are and battling against them.

Some 200 years into the Latter Day of the Law, only Nichiren Daishonin could see these priests’ true inner reality of being “possessed by evil demons.”

If a votary of the Lotus Sutra loudly proclaims the truth when everyone else has lost sight of the correct teaching, evil priests who have been deceiving the people will fear exposure and therefore attack that person. Meanwhile, those in the thrall of priestly deception, not willing to recognize their own folly in being deceived, will shun the practitioner of the correct teaching. They will regard him with hatred and jealousy, speak ill of him and ultimately persecute him.

A society where slander of the Law is rife will inevitably become one that represses the votary of the Lotus Sutra who proclaims the truth. 

Nichiren Daishonin was well aware of this. Even so, he resolved to stand up alone for the sake of the people. His awareness of the obstacles ahead of him is evident from the unflinching consideration he gave this matter and the momentous struggle he waged in his heart before declaring the establishment of his teaching.

He describes some of that deep introspection in “The Opening of the Eyes.” I am confident that the Daishonin’s sublime inner struggle, which these words reveal, will be recognized for all time as an important page in the spiritual history of humankind.

Standing Up Alone Based on a Vow

Saying, “I, Nichiren, am the only person in all Japan who understands this” (WND-1, 239), the Daishonin indicates he alone realizes that evil influences causing people to slander the Law are rampant in the land.

In light of the Lotus and Nirvana sutras and other Buddhist scriptures, it is clear that if one tries to alert people to the fact that the country is filled with such slander, then the three obstacles and four devils are certain to arise. It is equally evident, however, that not speaking out constitutes a lack of compassion and as such destines one to the hell of incessant suffering in the next life. Consequently, based on the sutras, the Daishonin concludes that he should speak out.

As if choosing whether to take on the difficulty of sailing into stormy seas or accept the suffering of sinking in a dark abyss, the Daishonin clearly indicates that the correct course is to bravely venture into the storms of difficulty.

Of course, spreading the correct teaching in the Latter Day is by no means easy. The relentless onslaught of devilish forces, when the powerful wield their authority and commit persecution, can take an unimaginable mental and physical toll. The Daishonin, with his thorough grasp of the correct teaching of universal enlightenment, possessed deep insight into the Buddha nature inherent in human life. Perhaps this is why he could keenly apprehend the fearfulness of the devilish nature that seeks to obstruct the propagation of the correct teaching. Hence he says: “If I were to falter in my determination in the face of persecutions by the sovereign, however, it would be better not to speak out. While thinking this over …” (WND-1, 239). 

So fierce and relentless is the struggle against devilish forces that one may well think: If I’m going to turn back once I sail into tempestuous seas, then perhaps it would be better not to set out in the first place. If being battered by a storm of devilish functions might cause me to falter in my determination, then perhaps I should refrain from speaking out altogether.

Similarly, the Daishonin deeply reflected on the challenges ahead before translating his conviction into courageous action. When he says it would be better not to speak out if it meant that he would falter in his determination, he is certainly not speaking from cowardice or weakness. The Daishonin understood the true nature of the devilish functions he would be up against. His earnest reflection on which course to take was that of a person with the genuine courage to ponder the incredibly difficult challenge of vanquishing the devilish forces that pervade the universe.

Although writing “while thinking this over” may give the impression of restful contemplation, an intense battle was raging in his heart, during which the Daishonin, then still in his early 30s, recalled the six difficult and nine easy acts described in “Treasure Tower,” the 11th chapter of the Lotus Sutra.

Shakyamuni Buddha outlined the six difficult and nine easy acts to the assembly of bodhisattvas to encourage them to make a vow to spread the Lotus Sutra after his passing. The nine “easy” acts include such feats as lifting Mount Sumeru and hurling it across countless Buddha lands or walking into a great fire with a bundle of dry grass on one’s back and remaining unburned. Even more difficult than these are the six difficult acts—the most difficult of feats possible—which involve upholding and propagating the Lotus Sutra in the age after Shakyamuni’s passing.

After explaining all this, Shakyamuni urges the bodhisattvas present to vow to exert themselves to propagate the Lotus Sutra after his death, regardless of the hardships it may entail. Later, in “The Opening of the Eyes,” the Daishonin cites this exhortation by Shakyamuni as one of the “three pronouncements”^[4] of the “Treasure Tower” chapter (see WND-1, 262).

The propagation of the Lotus Sutra after the Buddha’s passing is the wish of all Buddhas throughout past, present and future. The Buddha, while thoroughly recognizing the difficulty of this undertaking, urges the bodhisattvas who will succeed him to boldly take on this challenge. 

The six difficult and nine easy acts express the Buddha’s intent. The Buddha, while plainly indicating the immense difficulty of spreading the Lotus Sutra after his passing, solemnly urges his disciples to make a vow. This can be regarded as a clear message to the practitioners of the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Day that if they make a vow and establish solid faith in the Lotus Sutra, there is no hardship or obstacle that they cannot overcome.

Let us look at the three examples of the nine easy acts the Daishonin uses in weighing his own chances of success. He stresses that he is an ordinary mortal, describing himself as a person “of paltry strength,” “lacking in supernatural powers” and “without wisdom” (WND-1, 239). What he wishes to communicate is that even if one should lack physical strength, supernatural powers or wisdom, a person who cherishes a strong vow or commitment to propagate the Law and advances together with the Buddha will be filled with infinite strength, courage and wisdom and can overcome even the most daunting obstacles. That is the message of boundless hope implicit in his words. 

If they persevere in faith based on an unwavering commitment in an evil age, even ordinary people lacking in strength can summon the power of Buddhahood from within to overcome hardships and transform their lives.

Conversely, though some may boast of phenomenal strength, supernatural powers or wisdom, they may still find it exceedingly difficult to transform their individual lives.

What It Means to Make a Vow in Buddhism

After carefully considering the matter, the Daishonin at last makes his pledge: “I vowed to summon up a powerful and unconquerable desire for the salvation of all beings [literally, a desire for enlightenment] and never to falter in my efforts” (WND-1, 240). A powerful and unconquerable desire for enlightenment means the spirit to aspire for the attainment of Buddhahood, no matter what. This is the vow of a bodhisattva.

In fact, in the Mahayana teachings, all bodhisattvas are known to make four great vows: 1) to save innumerable living beings, 2) to eradicate countless earthly desires, 3) to master immeasurable Buddhist teachings and 4) to attain supreme enlightenment. 

Words that constitute what could be described as the original form of these bodhisattva vows appear as a vow the Buddha makes in “The Parable of the Medicinal Herbs,” the 5th chapter of the Lotus Sutra: “Those who have not yet crossed over I will cause to cross over, those who have not yet understood I will cause to understand, those not yet at rest I will put at rest, those not yet in nirvana I will cause to attain nirvana” (LSOC, 135). This wholly expresses the first vow to save innumerable living beings. It clearly conveys that the Buddha’s actions are based on his resolute vow to lead all people to enlightenment. In this passage, we can also find expressions corresponding to the other three vows. 

A vow in Buddhism can be likened to the power with which to sever the chains of karma, to free oneself from the fetters of the past and to forge a self that can look with hope to a new future. In other words, the power of a vow enables us to develop ourselves through the Buddha’s teachings, to take charge of our own future direction based on a solid sense of self and to keep on making efforts toward that end.

Making a vow, then, is the fundamental principle of change. While it naturally entails trying to change oneself, it is also the impetus for transforming the lives of all people, as seen in the Buddha’s vow in the “Medicinal Herbs” chapter.

To fulfill the vow for the enlightenment of all people in the Latter Day, the Daishonin above all emphasizes the power of faith.

Believing in the boundless potential of human beings as entities of the Mystic Law may be considered the essence of the Lotus Sutra. Not only is this an expression of deep faith in the Mystic Law but also of profound trust and respect for human beings.

Bodhisattva Never Disparaging,^[5] who is described in the Lotus Sutra and serves as a model for propagation in the Latter Day, was motivated by the same spirit. Although repeatedly attacked with “sticks of wood or tiles and stones” by the four kinds of believers—monks, nuns, laymen and laywomen—he persevered in the practice of venerating others. Sometimes he would retreat to a safe distance and shout words to the effect: “Even so, I respect you. You will all become Buddhas.” He continued to venerate even those who showered him with criticism or who physically assaulted him. Bodhisattva Never Disparaging’s practice is based on the philosophy that all human beings without exception possess the Buddha nature. Above all, he himself appears to have had an unwavering belief in the existence of the Buddha nature within the lives of all people. 

In dramatic contrast, there is the case of Shariputra,^[6] who in a past life, allowed himself to be defeated over his ordeal with the eye-begging Brahman^[7] and as a result returned to the Hinayana teachings. When his good intentions were literally trampled on, Shariputra reflexively cried out: “This person is impossible to save!” Ultimately, he lost faith in the existence of the Buddha nature in all people.

The Brahman in this story was the devil king of the sixth heaven in disguise. It is the essential character of devils to strive to prevent one and all from manifesting their inherent Buddha nature. At heart, these dark functions seek to destroy people’s belief in the tenet that all people are Buddhas.

Understandably, we might feel upset at being hated and attacked by the very individuals we are trying to lead to happiness. But remaining true to one’s profound conviction, like Bodhisattva Never Disparaging who continued to declare, “Even so, I respect you,” is the hallmark of genuine Buddhist practitioners in the Latter Day of the Law. In a sense, the power of the vow or commitment to lead all people to enlightenment sustains an unswerving belief in the innate goodness of human beings, as well as the deep optimism that arises from that belief. 

Nichiren Daishonin, through his profound vow, boldly stood up alone as the votary of the Lotus Sutra. He steadfastly persevered out of a desire to save all people who were being led by evil influences to commit slander of the Law. Consequently, as the Daishonin himself foresaw, he incurred the hatred of people throughout the land and brought a great storm of persecution upon himself. 

Nevertheless, with the spirit “I rejoiced, saying that I had long expected it to come to this” (“The Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra,” WND-1, 764), he struggled on with the resolute spirit expressed by the lines “But still I am not discouraged” (“The Essentials for Attaining Buddhahood,” WND-1, 748), “Not once have I thought of retreat” (“The Great Battle,” WND-2, 465) and “So the battle goes on even today” (“On Practicing the Buddha’s Teachings,” WND-1, 392).

We can take it that the sole driving force that sustained the Daishonin’s momentous lifelong struggle was the power of his vow. His example teaches us how, by maintaining our own vow, we can become one with the heart of the Buddha and bring forth the limitless power of Buddhahood from our lives.

In a defiled age, it is only through the power of a vow for the enlightenment of all people that we can defeat the evil functions that seek to incite distrust and doubt.

From the April 2025 Living Buddhism