Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime & Kosen-rufu | Nichiren Buddhism
What Is the Purpose of Practicing Buddhism?
At the heart of Buddhist practice are two fundamental purposes:
Attaining Buddhahood
Happiness for oneself and for others
But what does it actually mean to attain Buddhahood?
Does it mean becoming a special kind of human being? Does it mean leaving this world and entering another world?
The answer is no .
What Attaining Buddhahood Does Not Mean
Attaining Buddhahood does not mean:
Becoming a special or extraordinary human being
Starting to look different from who we are
Moving to some other world
Being born into a pure land in our next life
Then what does attaining Buddhahood mean?
What Does Attaining Buddhahood Mean?
Attaining Buddhahood means opening up and revealing our innate Buddhahood —the qualities of Buddhahood that are inherently present within our lives.
It means:
Establishing a state of absolute and indestructible happiness , wherever we are
Appreciating our own uniqueness
Developing our innate talents to their fullest
Not being swayed by hardships
In this sense, attaining Buddhahood is a process of manifesting the life state of a Buddha that is originally present within all people .
Can I Attain Buddhahood in My Present Form?
Absolutely.
We can realize the life state of a Buddha just as we are , without having to be reborn or change our present form as an ordinary person.
Nichiren Daishonin states:
“One comes to realize and see that each thing—the cherry, the plum, the peach, the damson—in its own entity, without undergoing any change, possesses the eternally endowed three bodies (of the Buddha).”
This means that we do not need to become someone else in order to manifest Buddhahood.
We can appreciate our own uniqueness, develop our innate talents to the fullest and refuse to be defeated by hardships.
Attaining Buddhahood Is a Lifelong Process
Attaining Buddhahood is not the achievement of a final goal after which there is nothing more to do.
Rather, it is a continuous struggle based on faith in the Mystic Law to eliminate evil and create good .
It is an ongoing process of bringing forth our Buddhahood while confronting the challenges of daily life.
Understanding Absolute Happiness
The concept of absolute happiness can initially be difficult to understand.
To make it clearer, we can look at two types of happiness:
Relative happiness
Absolute happiness
Relative Happiness
Relative happiness depends on external conditions or circumstances .
We become happy in relation to something happening around us.
For example:
Receiving a promotion
Eating our favorite food
Seeing our children do well in school
Receiving appreciation at the workplace
These experiences can certainly bring happiness.
However, because relative happiness depends on external circumstances, it can be short-lived .
As soon as the external environment changes, our happiness may disappear or begin to recede.
Absolute Happiness
Absolute happiness does not depend on external circumstances .
It is happiness that comes from within our own lives.
The question then becomes:
Why are you happy?
The answer is simply:
For being alive itself.
This happiness comes from within our lives rather than from something external.
According to the material presented here, while relative happiness disappears with death, absolute happiness remains with us throughout eternity .
Does This Mean Relative Happiness Is Bad?
Not at all.
Does attaining absolute happiness mean that we should stop enjoying life?
Should we stop having desires to succeed at work, receive a promotion, see our children do well or improve our relationships?
No.
It does not mean that we should detach ourselves from the people around us, stop experiencing happiness or stop having desires.
In fact, the Lotus Sutra presents the concept of “earthly desires are enlightenment.”
Attaining Buddhahood While Living Our Ordinary Lives
Remember the idea that we can attain Buddhahood in our present form .
What does “present form” mean?
It means that we can attain Buddhahood:
Wherever we are
Whatever circumstances we are in
While fulfilling our responsibilities
While living as an ordinary person
It does not mean that we need to go away to the Himalayas, become a sanyasi or withdraw from our relationships.
Instead, we need to find absolute happiness within ourselves while fighting the battles of daily life .
Using Earthly Desires as a Source of Growth
Our earthly desires can include:
Wanting a promotion
Wanting to become healthier
Wanting better relationships
Wanting our children to do well
Wanting our parents to be healthy and happy
Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism teaches us not simply to become sad because of our present circumstances, accept the status quo and live our lives that way.
Instead, we can use these earthly desires as fuel to challenge our circumstances .
Rather than accepting the status quo, we can challenge ourselves to transform our situation.
Just as a lotus can bloom in muddy water, we too can bloom amid difficult circumstances and challenges.
The wonderful thing about faith in Nichiren Buddhism, as expressed in this material, is that it enables those who suffer the most to attain the greatest happiness and those who experience the most daunting problems to lead the most wonderful and meaningful lives.
Therefore, rather than running away from problems or simply accepting them as an unavoidable part of life, we can use our challenges and earthly desires as an opportunity to attain absolute happiness .
How Is This Different From Other Buddhist Views of Buddhahood?
Buddhism is broadly presented here as being divided into two major categories:
Mahayana Buddhism
Hinayana Buddhism
According to the material, Mahayana sutras other than the Lotus Sutra teach the attainment of Buddhahood but require certain conditions.
Condition 1
The practitioner cannot belong to certain categories, including the two vehicles—voice-hearers and cause-awakened ones—evil people and women .
Condition 2
The practitioner needs to engage in Buddhist practice through repeated cycles of birth and death .
In contrast, the Lotus Sutra teaches that:
Each person can reveal the life state of Buddhahood.
Buddhahood can be achieved in a single lifetime.
This is the significance of the teaching of attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime .
How Do We Attain Buddhahood?
Now that we understand what attaining Buddhahood means and why it is important, the next question is:
How do we attain Buddhahood? What is the secret to doing so?
Happiness for Oneself
When we believe in the Gohonzon and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo , we can transform our worries and concerns into fuel that propels us forward.
We can transform them into:
Life force
Greater depth of character
Good fortune
As expressed in the source material:
“I therefore hope you will challenge all kinds of problems, chant abundantly about them, and develop yourselves along the way.”
Our problems therefore do not have to become reasons for defeat.
Through faith and chanting, they can become opportunities for human revolution and personal growth .
Happiness for Others
Attaining Buddhahood is not only about achieving happiness for ourselves.
Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism also emphasizes happiness for others .
The first major treatise written by Nichiren Daishonin was:
Rissho Ankoku Ron — On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land
Nichiren Daishonin wrote:
“If you care anything about your personal security, you should first of all pray for order and tranquility throughout the four quarters of the land, should you not?”
The material explains this idea in the following way:
Establishing the Correct Teaching
→ Promoting faith
Peace of the Land
→ Realizing peace, prosperity, safety and security for all individuals
Therefore, we should not be content with achieving happiness only for ourselves.
We must also actively engage in seeking solutions to the problems and issues facing society.
What Is Kosen-rufu?
The aim of Buddhism is to accomplish kosen-rufu —to share and spread the correct teaching, guide all people toward attaining the life state of Buddhahood and realize peace and prosperity for all humanity.
We are Bodhisattvas of the Earth who have vowed to Shakyamuni Buddha to spread kosen-rufu in the Latter Day of the Law .
Achieving kosen-rufu, the widespread propagation of the Mystic Law, is presented as the fundamental spirit of Nichiren Daishonin Buddhism .
Thus, the practice of Buddhism has two inseparable aspects:
Happiness for oneself
and
Happiness for others
We challenge our own lives while also striving to help others reveal their Buddhahood.
The Role of Soka Gakkai in the Propagation of Nichiren Buddhism
The material describes Soka Gakkai as actively engaging in society through peace, culture, education and human rights initiatives based on Nichiren Buddhism.
It describes Soka Gakkai as an organization of Bodhisattvas of the Earth fulfilling the mission of kosen-rufu.
The material further presents Soka Gakkai as having played a unique role in widely spreading the Mystic Law and advancing kosen-rufu.
Its mission is to carry on the spirit of kosen-rufu and act in accord with the Buddha's intent.
Attaining Buddhahood and Kosen-rufu
We can now connect the two concepts.
Attaining Buddhahood means revealing the Buddhahood that inherently exists within our lives and establishing absolute happiness while living our present lives.
Kosen-rufu means working for the happiness of others and the realization of peace and prosperity for humanity through the widespread propagation of the Mystic Law.
Therefore:
Buddhism is not about escaping from life's challenges. It is about transforming our lives while confronting those challenges and using them as opportunities to reveal our Buddhahood.
And our own happiness does not end with ourselves.
We strive to become happy while helping others become happy , advancing together toward the realization of kosen-rufu.
Key Points to Remember
The fundamental purposes of Buddhist practice are attaining Buddhahood and achieving happiness for oneself and others .
Attaining Buddhahood does not mean becoming a different kind of human being or moving to another world.
It means revealing our innate Buddhahood .
We can attain Buddhahood in our present form and present circumstances .
Buddhahood involves establishing absolute and indestructible happiness .
We can appreciate our uniqueness and develop our innate talents to their fullest.
Attaining Buddhahood is a continuous process based on faith in the Mystic Law .
Relative happiness depends on external circumstances.
Absolute happiness comes from within our own lives and does not depend on external circumstances.
Earthly desires do not need to be rejected; they can become fuel for transforming our lives.
The Lotus Sutra teaches the possibility of attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime .
Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with faith in the Gohonzon is presented as the means for manifesting Buddhahood.
Buddhism seeks happiness not only for ourselves but also for others .
Rissho Ankoku Ron expresses the ideal of establishing the correct teaching for the peace of the land.
Kosen-rufu means the widespread propagation of the Mystic Law and working toward the happiness, peace and prosperity of humanity.
We are presented as Bodhisattvas of the Earth who have vowed to advance kosen-rufu in the Latter Day of the Law.
The material describes Soka Gakkai as an organization fulfilling the mission of kosen-rufu through activities in peace, culture, education and human rights.
From Personal Happiness to Happiness for All
Attaining Buddhahood begins with transforming our own lives .
We face our worries, desires and hardships through faith, chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and use our challenges as opportunities to reveal our Buddhahood.
But Buddhist practice does not end with our own happiness.
As we transform our own lives, we strive to help others become happy as well.
This movement—from happiness for oneself to happiness for others —is the spirit of kosen-rufu .