What You Should Know:

About Tiantai Teachings

Nichiren was inspired to reform Buddhism in accordance with the message of the Lotus Sutra. Without regard to his health or safety in the face of persecution, Nichiren established a school of Buddhism that would enable all people to practice the Buddha's teachings and assured all people that they would attain awakening through the teachings of the Lotus Sutra. In addition to the core beliefs shared by all Buddhists, Nichiren also emphasized the following concepts inherited from the Tiantai school founded by Zhiyi (538-597), also known posthumously as the Great Master Tiantai.

The Threefold Truth

The threefold truth is the term applied by Zhiyi to explain reality in three aspects: 1) the truth of emptiness, 2) the truth of provisionality, and 3) the truth of the middle. Nichiren Shonin studied the threefold truth as part of his early training as a Buddhist monk, and he made it a part of his own teaching. Together, the three parts of the threefold truth point out the correct way to understand and apply the teachings of emptiness, dependent origination, and the middle way, which are all different ways of explaining the central insight of Buddhism. Nichiren Shonin taught that chanting Namu Myoho Renge Kyo was itself a way to acknowledge and live in accord with the threefold truth.

The truth of emptiness is the teaching that everything that exists is empty of a permanent and independent essence. In other words, everything exists temporarily as part of a changing process that includes all other things in different ways. A tomato, for instance, comes into existence as part of a process that begins with a seed. The seed develops into a ripened tomato when it has the proper soil, water, and sunlight as conditions that allow it to sprout and grow. The same tomato inevitably disappears when it is eaten by people or animals, and then it becomes a contributing factor to the existence of whoever has eaten it. In this way, everything participates in the law of cause and effect. In fact, everything is a manifestation of the law of cause and effect, both as a cause and as an effect. Understanding the truth of emptiness can help us to overcome attachment and egotism. We overcome attachment when we recognize that nothing lasts forever in the same way. We overcome egotism when we recognize that nothing, including our own lives, can exist without the contribution and support of many other things. By awakening to the truth of emptiness we are able to develop freedom from selfish craving.

The truth of provisionality is the teaching that all things do have a provisional existence determined by causes and conditions. Even if nothing has an unchanging or independent existence, everything we experience, including ourselves, does exist provisionally as part of the ever-changing and interdependent process of life. Holding a ripe, red tomato in our hands, biting into it, and enjoying its flavor and texture is appreciating the provisional existence of a tomato. Understanding the truth of provisionality can help us to overcome indifference and carelessness. We overcome indifference when we acknowledge the beauty of things as they are. We overcome carelessness when we recognize that our own existence influences and is influenced by the world around us. The truth of provisionality ensures that we do not focus solely on the truth of emptiness and thus lose sight of the fact that phenomena actually do exist, though impermanently. The Buddha Dharma does not ignore the world and the sufferings of its inhabitants simply because of their provisionality.

The truth of the middle is the teaching that emptiness and provisionality are different ways of pointing out that the reality of anything, including our own lives, transcends the categories of existence and non-existence. From the point of view of emptiness, things do not exist as separate or permanent. From the point of view of provisionality, things do exist for a time in accordance with the law of cause and effect. The middle recognizes that both points of view are true and have their place. Coming back to the humble tomato, the reality of a tomato is that it is a temporary effect that arises in dependence upon a seed, sunlight, soil, and rain as its causes; and yet this dependence upon these causes means that the tomato is empty of its own independent and permanent existence. Understanding the truth of the middle can help us to overcome one-sided views. Awakening to the middle allows us to let go of the one-sided view of non-existence, which would deny any kind of existence to anything and allows us to let go of the one-sided view of existence, which attempts to find something unchanging and independent to cling to. The Truth of the middle frees us of worldly delusions even as it allows us to remain fully involved in the world as bodhisattvas.

Ultimately, the three truths that comprise the threefold truth are united in one vision of the true nature of reality. All three are different ways of explaining the insight of the Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha as taught in the Lotus Sutra. It is a vision of the dynamic and interdependent nature of all things. Living in harmony with the vision of the threefold truth means freedom from clinging, freedom to act compassionately in the world, and freedom from extremes. In past ages, this vision was only available to those with the ability to comprehend the many complex teachings of the sutras or those with the ability to meditate for long hours— even for many lifetimes to see for themselves the truth of the teachings. Nichiren Shonin, however, taught the simple practice of chanting Namu Myoho Renge Kyo as the correct way to focus our minds upon the ultimate truth of the Buddha's teachings with faith and joy. By following Nichiren Shonin's instructions, our hearts and minds will receive an intuitive understanding of the threefold truth, and we will be able to live in harmony with them ourselves.

The Three Thousand Realms in a Single Thought-Moment

The "three thousand realms in a single thought-moment" is a key teaching of the Tiantai school’s understanding of interdependence and non-dualism. It is also the theoretical formulation of the main teaching of the Lotus Sutra according to the Tiantai school of Buddhism, which Nichiren Shonin studied and practiced before declaring his teachings. Like the threefold truth, the three thousand realms in a single thought-moment teaching is a way of expressing the dynamic and interdependent nature of life to which the Buddha awakened. Nichiren Shonin recognized the importance of this principle and made it a central part of his own teaching.

To understand what it means to say that one moment of consciousness contains three thousand realms, we must understand that the three thousand realms (or modes of existence) are an analysis of life as seen from the Buddha's point of view. this analysis is composed of the ten realms, the mutual possession of the ten realms, the ten suchnesses, and the three categories of existence.

The first step in deriving the three thousand realms is the ten realms, which consist of the six realms of rebirth, plus the four noble states, composed of the voice-hearers, privately-awakened ones, bodhisattvas, and the buddhas. Each of these realms contains the others due to their mutual participation in each other, which results in one hundred worlds.

Life is also understood in terms of "ten suchnesses,” or aspects of phenomena that reveal the law of cause and effect at work in all things. These ten suchnesses are what the Buddha speaks of in the opening section of the "Expedients" chapter of the Lotus Sutra. In Mahayana Buddhism, the true nature of all things is often referred to as “suchness” or “as it is-ness.” By this, we mean that the true nature of reality is not liable to objectification but is simply empty and marvelous.

Each of these ten suchnesses in turn manifests in our lives in the three categories of existence: the realm of the five aggregates of a being (form, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness), the realm of sentient beings, and the realm of the supporting environment.

The final step in deriving the three thousand realms is achieved when we understand that each of the one hundred realms contains the ten suchnesses operating in the three categories of existence. Thus, one hundred realms multiplied by the ten suchnesses and then the three categories of existence gives us the three thousand realms. The important thing to keep in mind is not the number crunching or the scholastic analysis, but the insight that every single moment of conscious experience contains and manifests all the principles and phenomena that make life what it is.

The three thousand realms in a single thought-moment, is the theoretical cornerstone of Nichiren Buddhism. It is a universal vision of life as rich, dynamic, and meaningful. The three thousand realms in a single thought-moment, reveal that all life contains all ten realms, including buddhahood, and that these realms operate according to the causes and conditions that we all set in motion. In a practical sense, this theory means that we can make the cause that will allow the realm of buddhahood to emerge in our lives when we chant Namu Myho Renge Kyo.

Before Nichiren Shonin, the three thousand realms in a single thought-moment, was a theory that Buddhist practitioners attempted to understand through meditation. Nichiren Shonin, however, taught that the three thousand realms in a single thought-moment could be realized through faith in the Odaimoku. At the very end of the Kanjin Honzon-sho, Nichiren wrote:

For those unable to realize the three thousand realms in a single thought-moment, the Buddha arouses great compassion, wraps this gem within the five characters, and directs that it be hung upon the necks of the childish in the Latter Age. (On the Contemplation of the Mind and the Focus of Devotion, 133)

The Ten Realms and Their Mutual Possession

Let's begin our detailed discussion of the three thousand realms with the ten realms. In the Buddha's vision, our actions and attitudes govern which of the ten realms we are born into from lifetime to lifetime. However, the ten realms also describe the various states of life that all people experience constantly throughout everyday life. Each state flows smoothly and swiftly into the others many times over during the course of a day. These states of life encompass our thoughts, feelings, actions, relationships, and even our general environment.

Let us examine each of the ten realms in depth so that we will know how to recognize them, starting with the six destinies of tranmigration:

The realm of the hell-dwellers is the lowest of the worlds. Buddhist cosmology teaches that there are more than a hundred hells, including the eight major hot hells and eight major cold hells, reserved for those who are so consumed with hatred, bitterness, and despair that their only wish is to destroy themselves and others out of spite and the desire for non-existence.

The realm of the hungry ghosts is only slightly better. Hungry ghosts are said to have large mouths and bellies, but only tiny throats. Hungry ghosts can never be satisfied and are consumed by craving: This is the state of those who suffer from addictions that control and dominate their lives. These addictions can be to drugs, alcohol, sex, gambling, power, work, entertainment, or even religion.

The realm of animals is a state of cunning, primitive aggression, and instinctive desires. It is a state of mind that does not look beyond immediate gratification and pays no heed to consequences or long-term benefits. In this state, pleasure and pain reign supreme over reason - there is no sense of morality. Though not as inherently painful as the first two states, those in this state will inevitably meet with frustration and confusion, if not pain and suffering.

The realm of the asura, the fighting demons, is the realm of arrogant demons obsessed with gaining and maintaining power and whose sole wish is to overthrow the benevolent gods of heaven. Those in this state are full of pride and arrogance and are extremely competitive and envious. They can never rest or feel secure because they must constantly strive to maintain and improve their position and prestige, no matter how well-off they may be.

The world of humanity is, of course, the world we are most familiar with. In the human world, suffering is recognized for what it is, and morality and reason are called upon to improve the human condition. At this point, civilized life can truly begin. The human state is considered a very fortunate one, because reason is not dominated by the suffering and striving of the "four evil destinies" (as the previous four realms are called), nor is it distracted by the pleasures of the heavenly path. From the world of humanity, those who can make a connection with the Buddha Dharma and who have a clear head and strong discipline will be able to cultivate insight and attain the path of liberation.

The realm of the gods is where the gods and other heavenly beings make their abode. Unlike the Western concept of heaven, however; the Buddhist heavens do not refer to a realm of eternal salvation. Rather, they are temporary realms of bliss where all of one’s desires are satisfied. The heavens are also realms of increasing subtlety and refinement, transcending our worldly concepts of time, space, and matter. The heavens are attained as a reward for good deeds, as well as through the cultivation of meditation and other spiritual disciplines Eventually, however, those in the heavens will have to leave them and “come back down to earth.”

The six destinies are alike in that these states are driven by the three poisons of greed, hatred, and delusion to varying degrees. When in these states, we strive to make the world in which we live conform to our expectations and desires so we can find security and lasting satisfaction. According to Buddhism, however, life is what we make of it. Despite our wishes, we will still only reap what we have sown. If we are kind and helpful to others, we will discover that others are kind and helpful. If we mistreat others, we will find that others will mistreat us.

This cycle is self-perpetuating: we are constantly making new causes based on our reactions to the effects of our previous causes to find a stable place of comfort and security. Unfortunately, there is no final resting place or lasting fulfillment within the six destinies because they are all in a constant state of changing and interacting with one another. One cannot even count on the heavenly states, because they are also impermanent and subject to change.

The only real escape from the vicissitudes and uncertainty of the six destinies is to move into the four noble states through the practice of the Buddha's teachings. These four are not different realms or forms of rebirth like the first six. Instead, they are different ways of relating to and living within the six destinies. These four noble states consist of the voice-hearers, the privately awakened ones who take up the path of individual liberation, the bodhisattvas who compassionately strive for the awakening of all beings, and the buddhas who have perfect, unsurpassed wisdom and infinite compassion.

The four noble states, however, can also indicate levels of insight or compassionate activities associated with these various types of Buddhist practitioners. This broader interpretation of the four noble states can be applied to anyone and everyone, even those who may not know about Buddhism or identify themselves as Buddhists.

The first of the four noble states is the realm of the voice-hearers. This is the world as viewed from the perspective of the four noble truths: suffering, the origin of suffering, the cessation of suffering, and the way leading to the cessation of suffering. Those who live in this state of mind look to the Buddha for insight and guidance and strive to free themselves from the six destinies.

The second is the realm of the privately-awakened ones. This is the world viewed from the perspective of dependent origination. Those who abide in this state of mind can realize the impermanence, suffering, and selflessness of the all conditioned things for themselves through their own insight.

The third is the world of the bodhisattvas. This is the world viewed as the field of compassionate endeavor, specifically the cultivation of the six perfections. Those who view the world in this way are not seeking to flee the world of birth and death but stay within it to assist and teach others.

The highest of the four noble states and therefore of the ten realms is the realm of the buddhas. This is the world viewed from the perspective of perfect, unsurpassed awakening. From this perspective, one can see that the world of birth and death is itself the pure land. The world of the buddhas also represents the buddha-nature, which is our capacity for perfect and unsurpassed awakening. This world transcends all the other states because it is free of their limitations and suffering, but is also inherent within them as their true nature, infinite and free of suffering.

The principle of the mutual possession of the ten realms states that each of these ten realms, or states of mind, contains all of the others within itself. They are not mutually exclusive. Despair, craving, impulsiveness, reasoning, pride, rapture, self-discipline, insight, compassion, and awakening are all states of being that influence and even cause each other. For instance, we might experience great frustration driving to work through city traffic, but then become delighted the next moment when a good song comes on the radio, and listening to that song might lead to an insight into our own lives. This is just one example of an infinite number of combinations that we experience throughout lifetimes, in a single day, or even in a single moment. Though one or two states tend to predominate, they are all bound up in one another. The transformations between them are governed by the law of cause and effect.

The principle of the mutual possession of the ten realms is based upon the fact that these worlds are not separate. They are simply different ways of experiencing life depending upon the prevailing causes and conditions in operation at any given moment. As such, they all flow into one another. It works like the weather - rainy days give way to cloudy days, which eventually become sunny days.

Each one also contains aspects of the others within itself. Even as there is a flow from one realm to another, each realm contains the others within itself. The lower realms possess the higher realms as ideals, whereas the higher realms embrace the lower realms though compassionate understanding based on personal experience.

The key point to remember, however, is that since we contain all of the realms within ourselves, we also carry the realm of buddhahood. Therefore, we all can bring out the world of the buddha from within as soon as we meet up with the right causes and conditions. The teaching of the mutual possession of the ten realms is very profound, but even more important is the realization born from it that all beings are potential buddhas.

The Ten suchnesses And Three categories of existence

As mentioned above, "the mutual possession of the realms" means that each of the ten realms contains all ten within itself, bringing the total to one hundred realms. These one hundred realms are one hundred different perspectives on life. Each possesses ten suchnesses, which brings the total up to one thousand. 

The mutual possession of the ten realms is possible because the ten realms all possess the ten suchnesses in common. These ten suchnesses are how one can analyze the common properties of life in all of the one hundred realms. Fundamentally, the ten suchnesses show that the one hundred realms are all simply manifestations of the process of dependent origination, and therefore are empty of any fixed or independent existence. The ten suchnesses can be found in the first prose passage of the second chapter of the Lotus Sutra. The passage that contains them is recited as a part of the daily practice of Nichiren Buddhism. They are appearance, nature, entity, power, activity, cause, condition, effect, recompense, and the ultimate equality from beginning to end.

Appearance is the external or objective aspect of a phenomenon. It indicates the suchness of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and touching. Appearance is about the arising of experience in terms of distinct subjects and objects.

Nature is the internal or subjective aspect of phenomena. This is the suchness of intrinsic qualities which make things what they are, as opposed to external or superficial appearances. Nature also indicates our inner thoughts and feelings.

Entity is the integration of the spiritual and material aspects of phenomena. Phenomena cannot be understood one-sidedly, either from the viewpoint of their external appearances or their internal natures. The suchness of an entity is a recognition that nothing can be understood without both its objective and its subjective sides.

Power is the ability of phenomena to affect and undergo change. Whereas the first three suchnesses analyze phenomena from the perspective of their external and internal relations, this suchness and the next point out that all things are involved in a constant process of mutual influence and transformation. In other words, things do not merely bring each other into being and support each other's existence; they are mutually transformative.

Activity is the actual change brought about through power. It should be pointed out that things will not necessarily be done just because someone or something has the power to do them. Nothing exists by itself and nothing happens in a vacuum. To have an actual affect on the world, the right circumstances must exist. These circumstances, based upon the power of the beings involved, call forth the appropriate activity or response to produce the actual effect. A match will not light itself, for instance. It must be struck against a wall or a matchbox first.

A cause is an action that contributes directly to the experience of the present moment. This suchness and the next three directly refer to the law of cause and effect. Cause, in this context, refers to all our thoughts, words, and deeds, which become seeds in the depths of our lives. The accumulation of these seeds becomes the habit patterns that determine how our lives will unfold. The dominant realm or state of mind that is our usual state of being is the fruition of these very seeds. Therefore, we must plant as many good seeds in our lives as possible.

A condition is a secondary or environmental cause that allows the primary cause to bear fruit. The seeds we have planted in our lives through our actions require the proper circumstances before they come to fruition. Even when they do come to fruition, the exact ways they manifest can be influenced by the conditions surrounding them. The causes we have made can be inhibited, distorted, modified, or even amplified, depending upon the other causes previously sown and the circumstances in which we find ourselves.

An effect is the immediate consequences of a present action. Whenever we act, speak, or even think about something, there is an immediate effect on our lives. That effect might be so minimal as to be hardly noticeable. However, effect primarily refers to the sowing of a new seed in the depths of our lives, not just the immediate change in our conscious lives. The importance of this is that everything we do affects our day-to-day life and, even more importantly, our inner life.

A Consequence is the future result of present actions. This refers to the perhaps unforeseen long-term effects of our present actions. It also refers to the eventual fruition, in one manner or another, of the karmic seeds that we have sown in the depths of our lives.

Ultimate equality from beginning to end refers to the non-duality of all phenomena despite their differing aspects. Even though all phenomena can be distinguished due to the differences between them in the other nine suchnesses, they are all united and equal in that they are all empty and temporary manifestations of dependent origination. Again, this means that even though each of the ten realms from hell-dweller to buddhahood seems radically different from one another, in actuality they are all a part of the same life process and cannot be separated from one another. Because of this unity, the ten realms mutually possess one another: Because of the mutual possession of the ten realms, all beings are embraced by the Buddha and the buddha-nature can reside within all beings.

The ten suchnesses bring a dynamic element into the portrait of life revealed by the ten realms and their mutual possession because it shows how the law of cause and effect operates throughout the ten realms. In addition, the ten suchnesses show that this dynamism brings about great diversity. This diversity is revealed without overshadowing the essential unity of all phenomena. This unity is the suchness or emptiness, of dependent origination.

In the daily practice of Nichiren Buddhism, the ten suchnesses are always recited three times. This is done to acknowledge each part of the threefold truth of emptiness, provisionality, and the middle. The first recitation acknowledges that all ten suchnesses are ultimately empty because they are nothing apart from the flow and process of the realms that they describe. The second recitation acknowledges that all ten suchnesses do have provisional existence because their activity allows the ten realms to manifest. The third recitation acknowledges that all ten suchnesses are expressions of the middle way.

The one thousand realms resulting from the multiplication of the one hundred realms with the ten suchnesses are made universal by the three categories of existence. The three categories of existence consist of the five aggregates of a being (form, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness); the sentient beings, who are transmigrating through the six destines and sometimes striving to attain the four noble states; and the environment or lands in which they all live. These three categories of existence show that the one thousand realms are present in and manifest themselves through all things without exception. That is, the possibilities that they point to are possessed by individuals composed of the five aggregates, societies of sentient beings, and even non-human and inanimate phenomena.