Coëmgenu wrote: ↑Fri Jan 26, 2018 10:09 pm
Queequeg wrote: ↑Fri Jan 26, 2018 2:09 am
People who say Buddhism is expired and only Nichiren matters...
When I read Ven Chegwan, who is definitely/likely quoting Ven Zhìyǐ, he states:
disclosing the prior sudden and gradual, and merging it into the teaching that is neither sudden nor gradual. Therefore it is called disclosing the provisional and revealing the true. It is also called discarding the expedient and establishing the real, and it is also called uniting the three and returning them to the one.
I see the three descriptions as all equally applying to what comes before them.
Namely: the merging.
I see the three descriptions, as "disclosing the provisions [so as to] reveal the truth [inside the provisional]", "discarding the expedient to establish the real[ity that there is no difference between the expedient and the real]", and "uniting the three diverse perspectives/truths,
[perhaps 1) sudden 2) gradual 3) neither-sudden-nor-gradual?] and returning them to one". But that is only my interpretation.
From the above, "the truth [inside the provisional]" refers to the way I am reading "disclose the provisional" (開權,
IMO "open the provisional" is also possible). When one opens/discloses/explains the provisional, the action of "opening" enacts a transformation* in conception of the provisional, namely, it is no longer "provisional", though it itself has
not changed. Like the furniture in a room is not rearranged by adding light. The provisional and ultimate are every bit the provisional and ultimate they were before, but now there is non-obstruction (無礙) were before obstruction was imagined.
One of the examples from the Lotus Sutra is the parable of the Rich Father and Poor Son, right? Son was already the son, but he was so deranged his father who only wanted to bring him home, terrified the young man. The young man was hired to do menial labor and eventually promoted. When the father announced the son's real identity, nothing about the son's work history changed, but its real significance was revealed.
Enlightenment is said to have the same effect. When the Buddha reveals to us his real identity (and ours), nothing changes, really, except that the real significance of our circumstances is made apparent.
To put it into Ziporyn terms...
Man walks into a bar and takes a seat. As he sits he hears faint piano music. Man says to the bartender, "Say, where's that music coming from?"
Bartender looks up from polishing a glass and nods to the end of the bar.
At the end of the bar, to the man's astonishment, is a tiny man playing a tiny piano. The man walks over to have a closer look. Indeed, it is a real, miniature man, playing a miniature piano. The man is excited and says, "Holy Cow! Where did he come from?"
Bartender, looking sullen, reaches behind him and pulls down a little dusty bottle from the shelf. "There's a genie in there. If you rub the bottle, he'll come out and grant you one wish."
Man, looks in disbelief, "You're kidding me." He walks over to take a closer look at the bottle. Its a somewhat ornate looking bottle with a silver stopper, with ancient looking grime encrusted. He rubs it a few times and the cork pops off. A green haze flows from the open bottle and surprisingly fills the room. From somewhere in the haze, a hacking cough can be heard, and then a gaunt looking genie emerges waiving his arms, trying to clear the haze.
"I'll grant you a wish. Whaddaaya want?"
The man is stunned and just stares.
"Come on, you woke me up, make it quick."
"Um, uh, um, I, uh, I, I want a million bucks."
"Really? OK."
In an flash of white light and smoke, the genie disappeared, and the room was full of quacking ducks, floor to ceiling.
The man, in shock, says, "What the fu..."
Bartender says, "Well, what do you think? You think I asked for a twelve inch pianist?"
Now how this actually works I do not know.
One attains the Buddha wisdom. One understands the full implications of the Buddha's infinite life span.
"So, you think I was born in Lumbini, awoke at Gaya, taught at Sarnath, and will die at Kusinagara. Actually, I've always been Buddha. I've always been your teacher. I've been teaching you since I attained enlightenment. All those things I taught you were expedients so that I could explain my real life span (your real life span), our real relationship, your real aspect."
Its the same pattern throughout the sutra. This is the structure of the Tientai teachings.
The questions always is, how do we get to see the way the Buddha sees it? Aye, there's the rub!