World Peace Buddhists  

     Stanford University                           SGI-USA

* Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra

 

The Revelation of the Single Buddha Vehicle: Opening the Door to the Oneness of Mentor and Disciple (Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra Vol1)

 

 

The essence of the Expedient Mean chapter (Chapter 2 of the Lotus Sutra) is to replace the three vehicles with the single vehicle.

 

The three vehicles are respectively the voice hearer, the praytyekabuddhas and the Bodhisattvas. The previous two are collectively called the two vehicles.

 

What are the characteristics of the two vehicles ? They’re people with superior character seeking for deeper understanding and practice of their lives. The way they practice is to

annihilate their consciousness and reduce their body to ashes, to totally extinct of their body and mind, in such a way that they’re free from the hatred of birth and death, and they left no self to achieve Buddhahood. And because of this, they also lack the desire to save other people from such suffering. The two vehicles are heavily criticized in the provisional sutras prior to the Lotus Sutra as self-centered and can never attain Buddhahood.

 

Quoted from the English Poet, John Donne, “No man is an island, entirely of itself, every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main, if a clod be washed by the sea, Europe  is the less, as well as if the promontory were, as well as if a manor of  thy friends or of  thy own were; any men's death diminished me, because I am involved in mankind; therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee.

 

Bodhisattvas are people in the state to care others. Because of the mutual possession of the ten worlds. If the two vehicles can’t attain Buddhahood, so is the Bodhisattvas. The Buddhahood itself contains the three vehicles and the three vehicles contains Buddhahood. The revelation of a Single vehicle is that all three vehicles can through their practice attain Buddhahood.

 

The essence of the revealing of the one vehicle is addressed in The parables of the three carts and the Burning house, detailed in the “Parables and Similes” chapter. The story described, in a burning mansion, the kids are playing without knowing of their danger, a rich men lure the kids to ride on a sheep, a deer, and an ox cart to escape from the flame. After that the three carts are replaced by a great white ox cart.

 

Here the single Vehicle is likened as a great white ox cart, while the sheep, deer and ox cart are respectively the three vehicles. The flame is the suffering of life and death while the kids are all the human beings. The rich man is Shakyamuni himself who know of the away to escape from suffering and lead others to the suffering. He first provides them with three vehicles, which means the provisional teaching as a lure for them to ultimately ride on the greater vehicle – the great white ox cart.

 

To strive to develop a greater life state, one as vast as the universe is the aim of the single buddha vehile, or the heart of the replacement of the three vehicle by one vehicle.

 

Indeed a distinction between the three vehicles and Buddhahood lies in the way they perceive mentor and disciple relationship. The three vehicles practice as a disciple of their mentor Shakyamuni. For people in Buddhahood, they’re in oneness with their mentor. (Oneness of mentor and disciple relationship).

 

Dostoevsky - Many very proud people like to believe in God, especially those who despise other people. ... The reason is obvious. They turn to God to avoid doing homage to men ... To do homage to God is not so humilating.

 

A Blacksmith's apprentice is a blacksmith, similarly a Buddha's disciple is a Buddha. The three vehicles doesn’t believe they’re having the same potential as their mentor and that hinder them from obtaining enlightenment. It is easy to follow the path of mentor and disciple but it is extremely difficult to follow the path of the oneness of mentor and disciple.

 

opening, showing, awakening, causing to enter

replacement of the three vehicle by one vehicle

expedient means put one vehicle into three

 

The two vehicles

Annihilating the consciousness and reducing the body to ashes

The extinction of the body and mind

If they achieve their goal, no self remain to achieve buddhahood.

They also forget to save other individual, they forget they owe

the ordinary living beings.

The provisional sutra teach inequality, the lotus sutra teach equality

The greater vehicle - nam myo ho renge kyo.

 

No man is an island, entirely of itself, every man is a piece of the

continent, a part of the main, if a clod be washed by the sea, Europe

is the less, as well as if the promontory were, as well as if a manor of

thy friends or of thy own were; any men's death diminished me, because I

am involved in mankind; therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls,

it tolls for thee.

 

striving to develop a greater life state, one as vast as the universe is the

aim of the single buddha vehile, or the heart of the replacement of the three

vehicle by one vehicle.

 

Blacksmith's apprentice is a blacksmith, a Buddha's disciple is a Buddha

 

Dostoevsky - Many very proud people like to believe in God, especially those

who despise other people. ... The reason is obvious. They turn to God to avoid

doing homage to men ... To do homage to God is not so humilating.

 

It is easy to follow the path of mentor and disciple but it is extremely difficult

to follow the path of the oneness of mentor and disciple.