| Viśiṣṭacāritra | |
|---|---|
| Sanskrit | विशिष्टचारित्र Viśiṣṭacāritra |
| Chinese | 上行菩薩 (Pinyin:Shàngxíng Púsà) |
| Japanese | 上行菩薩 (romaji:Jōgyō Bosatsu) |
| Khmer | វិសិស្តចារិត្រ (vi-ses-chaa-reut) |
| Korean | 상행보살 (RR:Sanghaeng Bosal) |
| Tagalog | Bisistakalitla |
| Tibetan | སྤྱོད་པ་ཁྱད་པར་ཅན་ Wylie: spyod pa khyad par can |
| Vietnamese | Thượng Hạnh Bồ Tát |
| Information | |
| Venerated by | Mahāyāna,Vajrayāna |
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Viśiṣṭacāritra (Sanskrit:विशिष्टचारित्र; also known asSuperior Practice) is abodhisattva mentioned in the 15th, 21st, and 22nd chapters of theLotus Sutra. He is one of thefour great perfected bodhisattvas who attendsGautama Buddha and protects theLotus Sutra and its devotees.[1] The other three areAnantacaritra,Visuddhacaritra, andSupratisthitacaritra; together they make up the four great primarily evolved bodhisattvas.[1][2] Viśiṣṭacāritra is also believed to represent the "true self" characteristic ofbuddhahood, which is the selflessness ofNirvana.[3]
In most schools ofNichiren Buddhism,Nichiren is believed to have fulfilled the vow of Viśiṣṭacāritra during his lifetime.[3] This is because he revealed what he held to be the Superior Practice of chanting the title (daimoku) of theLotus Sutra,Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō, which would quickly allow all beings to attain enlightenment in their present lifetime, no matter what their capacities. According to Anesaki, from the time of his exile toSado Island Nichiren deemed himself as the reincarnation of Viśiṣṭacāritra.[4]
InNichiren Shōshū,Soka Gakkai and theKempon Hokke schools, Nichiren is revered as the reincarnation of Viśiṣṭacāritra[5] because he revealed the "cause" ofBuddhahood: chanting "Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō", a practice calleddaimoku, whereas Gautama is seen as the "Buddha of True Effect" as he only revealed the "effect" of Buddhahood.[5] This is based on the passage in Chapter 16 of theLotus Sutra that reads, "Originally I [Shakyamuni Buddha] practiced the bodhisattva way, and the life that I acquired then has yet to come to an end"[6] Nichiren Shōshū and Soka Gakkai interpret the passage to mean that Gautama Buddha must have practiced something to attain Buddhahood, but in theLotus Sutra he did not reveal what that practice was, whereas Nichiren taught the daimoku, which leads all beings to Buddhahood.
These groups concludeShakyamuni Buddha attained buddhahood in the remote past through the daimoku.[6]The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind states, "Showing profound compassion for those unable to comprehend the gem of the doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life, the Buddha wrapped it within the five characters [of Myōhō Renge Kyō], with which he then adorned the necks of the ignorant people of the latter age.[7]
This is the first definite statement' about his personal connection with Viśiṣṭacāritra (Jap. Jogyo), the leader of the saints called out of earth in the chapter on the 'Apparition of the Heavenly Shrine.' From this time on, Nichiren remained constant in the belief that his former life was that of Viśiṣṭacāritra, although he often referred to other saints as his predecessors, and spoke as if he were a reincarnation of one of them.
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)Saddharma Puṇḍarīka Sūtra | ||
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