The purpose for which the buddhas appear in the world is said to be the One Great Cause. To be specific, this is to “open,” or reveal the knowledge and insight of the buddhas to us, demonstrate it to us, awaken us to it, and finally, encourage us to embark on the Way of the knowledge and insight of the buddhas. This is what the Lotus Sutra calls Opening, Demonstrating, Realizing, and Embarking.
Simply put, Opening the knowledge and insight of the buddhas means the buddhas show us our buddha nature. Then, by demonstrating how to see everything through the wisdom and insight of the buddhas, they lead us to realize supreme joy. Furthermore, this joy encourages us to embark on the Way that leads to the Buddha, which entails entering the path of living life in the right way. These endeavors make up the One Great Cause of the buddhas’ appearance in the world.
Related to this is a teaching about the nature of our human minds that is called the “mutual inclusion of the ten realms.” First of all, “ten realms” refers to ten levels within our minds. Second, at the lowest levels are the six realms of delusion: the realm of hells (a mind of anger), the realm of hungry spirits (a mind of desire), the realm of beasts (a mind of ignorance), the realm of asuras (a mind of jealousy), the realm of human beings (a mind of all of these states existing in balance), and the realm of heavenly beings (a mind of worldly bliss). Third, above these are the four realms of awakening: the realm of shravakas (a mind that awakens through following the teachings), the realm of pratyekabuddhas (a mind that awakens by experiencing truth for oneself), the realm of bodhisattvas (a mind that awakens by liberating others), and the realm of buddhas (the mind of Supreme Perfect Awakening). Lastly, the “mutual inclusion of the ten realms” means each of these realms (minds) also has all the other nine within it.
Depending on the current state of our minds, we may experience the realm of hells or the realm of bodhisattvas within our hearts. This illustrates that everything is dependent on the state of our minds and thus demonstrates how a single thought has boundless potential to expand infinitely.
The wisdom of the buddhas perceives all the changes in the world according to this principle. If we understand how the state of our minds influences everything, we can expand the warmhearted encounters we have with others by aspiring to have the frame of mind that always puts others first.
In the Lotus Sutra’s “A Parable” chapter, the Buddha says: “Now this threefold world /
Is all my domain, / And the living beings in it / Are all my children.” The Buddha said to us: “You are all my children.” We are given the gift of life and sustained by the Buddha. The Buddha is a parent to us, and so all living things in this world are our siblings.
Shakyamuni Buddha’s One Great Cause for appearing in the world was to convey this message to everyone and awaken in them gratitude for having been given the gift of life and having their lives sustained. The One Great Cause also refers to the role and responsibility of each and every one of us.
In Rissho Kosei-kai, we place great importance on taking care of our parents and appreciating our ancestors. Since all living things are brought into existence by one great life, our ancestors are also buddhas, and everything around us is a manifestation of the Buddha. Taking care of our parents and performing ancestor appreciation are practices to help us to discover this and deepen our gratitude.
Bodai no me o okosashimu [Germinating the Seeds of Awakening] (Kosei Publishing, 2018), p. 29–31
Nikkyo Niwano, the founder of Rissho Kosei-kai, was born in Niigata Prefecture, Japan, in 1906. A longtime advocate of cooperation and dialogue between the world’s religious faiths, Rev. Niwano promoted interreligious understanding as honorary chairman of Shinshuren (Federation of New Religious Organizations of Japan), honorary president of Religions for Peace, and in various other capacities. He is the author of several books on Buddhism, the Lotus Sutra, and spirituality, such as Buddhism for Today, Lifetime Beginner, Buddhism for Everyday Life, and more. Rev. Niwano passed away in 1999 at the age of 92.
