Votary of the Lotus Sutra
Nichiren Daishonin and the Lotus Sutra
In the Latter Day of the Law , those who propagate the Lotus Sutra will inevitably encounter great difficulties.
Nichiren Daishonin propagated the Lotus Sutra and experienced major persecutions, just as the sutra predicted. In this sense, he “read” the Lotus Sutra with his own life and fulfilled the role of the votary of the Lotus Sutra who demonstrates the validity of its teachings through his actions.
The Votary of the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Day of the Law
Nichiren Daishonin referred to himself as the “votary of the Lotus Sutra.”
A votary is a genuine practitioner who:
Believes in the Lotus Sutra.
Practices its teachings exactly as instructed.
Propagates the Mystic Law.
Faces and overcomes great persecutions in doing so.
The Lotus Sutra explains that those who believe in, practice and spread its teachings after Shakyamuni's passing will encounter various obstacles and persecutions .
Hatred and Jealousy Toward the Lotus Sutra
The “Teacher of the Law,” Chapter 10 of the Lotus Sutra , states:
“Since hatred and jealousy toward this Sutra abound even when the Thus Come One [Shakyamuni Buddha] is in the world, how much more will this be so after his passing?”
In the Latter Day of the Law, Nichiren Daishonin experienced severe persecutions motivated by intense hatred and jealousy.
His life demonstrated the prediction of the Lotus Sutra.
The Six Difficult and Nine Easy Acts
The “Emergence of the Treasure Tower,” Chapter 11 of the Lotus Sutra , describes the six difficult and nine easy acts .
Through these examples, Shakyamuni emphasizes how difficult it is to accept and propagate the Lotus Sutra after his passing and calls on the Bodhisattvas to make a vow to propagate it in the Latter Day of the Law.
The Six Difficult Acts
The six difficult acts are:
Propagating the Lotus Sutra widely.
Copying the Lotus Sutra or having someone else copy it.
Reciting the Lotus Sutra, even for a short while.
Teaching the Lotus Sutra even to one person.
Hearing, accepting and inquiring about the meaning of the Lotus Sutra.
Maintaining faith in the Lotus Sutra.
The Nine Easy Acts
The nine easy acts include extraordinary feats such as:
Taking up Mount Sumeru and hurling it across countless Buddha lands.
Placing the earth on one stone hill and ascending to the Brahma heaven .
Walking across a burning prairie carrying a bundle of hay without being burned.
Preaching 84,000 teachings .
These acts appear impossibly difficult. However, they are called “easy” when compared with the difficulty of propagating the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Day of the Law.
Why Is Propagating the Lotus Sutra So Difficult?
The difficulty lies not simply in teaching the Lotus Sutra but in the opposition and persecution that arise when one sincerely propagates its teachings.
Through the six difficult and nine easy acts, the Lotus Sutra expresses Shakyamuni's strong encouragement to propagate its teachings after his passing.
Therefore, propagating the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Day of the Law is described as the most difficult of difficult endeavors .
Key Points to Remember
Nichiren Daishonin is the votary of the Lotus Sutra.
He “read” the Lotus Sutra with his life by experiencing the persecutions predicted in the sutra.
A votary is one who believes in, practices and propagates the Lotus Sutra.
Chapter 10 — “Teacher of the Law” : hatred and jealousy toward the Lotus Sutra will increase after Shakyamuni's passing.
Chapter 11 — “Emergence of the Treasure Tower” : teaches the six difficult and nine easy acts .
The six difficult acts demonstrate the difficulty of accepting and spreading the Lotus Sutra.
The nine easy acts are extraordinary feats that are nevertheless called “easy” compared with propagating the Lotus Sutra.
The greatest difficulty in propagation comes from the opposition and persecution encountered by those who spread the teachings.
Exam takeaway: Nichiren Daishonin demonstrated through his own life that he was the votary of the Lotus Sutra by propagating its teachings and overcoming the persecutions predicted in the sutra.