BUTSUDAN

On the Recitation of the

Ten Factors and Their Meaning

In the Shakumon recitation of the Ten Factors, which corresponds to the Tendai Teaching, "Sho I Sho Ho" refers to the Law as "all Laws," a view of the manifestation of the Law in all things.所謂諸法 • 如是相 • 如是性 •

sho i sho jō ño ze sō ño ze sho

如是體 • 如是力 • 如是作 • ño ze

tai ño ze riki ño ze saku

如是因 • 如是緣 • 如是果 • ño ze

in ño ze in ño ze ka

如是報 • 如是本末究竟等 ño ze

jō ño ze jon matsu ku kiō tō

On the other hand, in the Honmon recitation, “Sho I Sho” opens the door to say that there is one Law and not several, nor many, nor that everything is the Law. And then “Ho Nyo Ze” is mentioning that one Law, which is the Dai-Honzon.

所謂諸 • 法如是 • 相如是 • 性如

是 • sho i sho jō ño ze sō ño ze

shō ño ze

體如是 • 力如是 • 作如是 • 因如

是 • tai ño ze riki ño ze saku ño ze

in ño ze

緣如是 • 果如是 • 報如是 • in ño

ze ka ño ze jō ño ze

本末究竟等 jon matsu ku kiō tō

This is the form of recitation that refers to the Age of the Final Law. Other ways of reciting the Ten Factors are not valid in the Age of Unprecedented Law.

In summary: HO in Shakumon is the Law, meaning All Laws. The

Dharma is all dharmas. HO in Honmon, The Law, is the Dai-Honzon.

One Law, one Dharma, the Unprecedented Law. SHO I SHO means THIS. And THIS refers to the Dai-Honzon as the unitary point of all the laws of the universe. It is similar to the emanation of Buddhas that arrive from all the universe and gather in one place in the Treasure Tower.

Arriving at a place in the Treasure Tower means Namu Myo (南無妙).

It means that the Dai-Honzon (Treasure Tower) becomes the mystical body (Myo Tai).

The meaning of the Ten Factors is as follows:

WHEN THERE IS MYO, THERE IS HO: HO NYO ZE: Law. The word Dharma (Law) has its root dhar, to carry, and can be considered the ultimate elements of Reality. It is, therefore, the knowledge of these elements and, therefore, being in possession of universal wisdom. The Daishōnin identifies Ho with the world of phenomena, in its ever-changing forms. Life expresses itself in various visible forms, according to defined patterns, and corresponds to ho. It is easy to see that ho, the Law, relates to life. The movement of the universe is Ho, and therefore, life understood as manifestation; but the fundamental force of that movement is myo, understood as a latent force. Myo (妙) = particle

塵 ， 颗粒) = matter (物) Ho (法)

= wave motion (波动) = energy (能量) In the man Nen Ku Gyo Dai-Honzon, the characters “Myo Ho” are contained within a diacritical mark, to indicate that they are in fact one and the same thing. Therefore, Myo Ho is the wave-particle activity that is at the heart of this ever-changing universe. THE CONSEQUENCE OF MYOHO IS REN, WHICH MANIFESTS IN THE FOLLOWING FACTORS:

2. SO NYOZE: Appearance. It is the external manifestation of life, the phenomenological and material aspects of life. That which can be described or discerned from the outside.

3. SHO NYOZE: Nature. It is the mental or spiritual aspect of life. An inherent disposition or quality imperceptible directly from the outside, such as mind and consciousness.

4. TAI NYOZE: Entity. It is the totality of life that penetrates and integrates appearance and nature. The Entity is not visible in and of itself, but one can observe how it manifests through its physical, external appearance and internal nature, although, in and of itself, it is neither. It is the entity of life in any of the Ten States.

5. RIKI NYOZE: Inherent Force. This is the inherent capacity for action that life possesses, or, in other words, its energy and potential to accomplish a goal.

6. SA NYOZE: Influence. This is the outward-directed movement or action that is generated when latent energy is activated and manifests in thought, word, and deed.

7. IN NYOZE: Internal Cause. This is the cause that resides latently within life and simultaneously contains the latent effect, of the same nature as the cause; In other words, positive causes produce positive effects, and negative causes generate negative effects. This is the direct cause by which things happen. Every internal cause simultaneously contains a latent effect.

8. EN NYOZE: External relationship or cause. This is the function that connects life with its environment; it acts as an auxiliary cause. These are the causes or conditions that activate the manifestation of the internal cause. An internal cause that is activated by the external relationship or cause undergoes a change and simultaneously produces a new latent effect; likewise, the factor of the external cause or relationship is what causes the latent effects manifest. REN, then, is Appearance, Nature, Entity, Inherent Force, Influence, Internal Cause, and Relationship or External Cause. AFTER REN, GUE ARRIVES WITH THE FOLLOWING FACTORS:

9. KA NYOZE: Latent Effect. It is the

result produced in the depths of life when an internal cause is activated through a relationship. The internal cause and the latent effect exist simultaneously.

10. HO NYOZE: Manifest Effect.

It is the concrete and perceptible manifestation of the latent effect, which emerges over time,

as a consequence of the internal cause and the latent effect. The manifest effect indicates the results of the causes that a person imprinted in the past. GUE, then, is the Latent Effect and the Manifest Effect.

FINALLY, KYO CORRESPONDS TO HOMMATSU KUKYOTO: Coherence from beginning to end. It is the perfect integration of the ten factors in every moment of life.

Because the Hoben chapter reveals the 10 factors of the Dai-Honzon (Treasure Tower), ichinen sanzen is complete and is considered ichinen sanzen in the real sense (Ji no ichinen sanzen).

While the Shakumon Hoben is like the closed Treasure Tower because its door cannot be opened if the emanation Buddhas are dispersed (various laws), the Honmon Hoben is the open tower because the emanation Buddhas are gathered. The point is that the emanation Buddhas are actually the One Body of Honbutsu. They gathered as a mystical body (Myo) to preach the Law (Ho) with one voice. The summary of the explanation is that life is already ichinen sanzen. But what kind of ichinen sanzen do people understand? If the 10 factors are misunderstood, it undermines the realization of true ichinen sanzen. Therefore, the realization of true ichinen sanzen involves understanding the 10 factors in light of Hoben/Treasure Tower/Dai Honzon. All three concepts refer to the same thing.