Following yesterday’s post about the Expedient Means chapter, here is the translation of the second chapter recited during Gongyo, The Life Span of the Thus Come One (Juryo) chapter, sometimes abbreviated to The Life Span chapter.
To explain further, The Life Span of the Thus Come One refers to the duration of Shakyamuni’s life as a Buddha.
As previously, the Japanese phonetic recital is in italics, with the English translation below.
Ji ga toku bur-rai. Sho kyo sho kosshu. Muryo hyaku sen man. Oku sai asogi. Jo seppo kyoke Mushu oku shujo. Ryo nyu o butsu-do. Nirai muryo ko.
Since I attained Buddhahood the number of kalpas that have passed is an immeasurable hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions, trillions, asamkhyas. Constantly I have preached the Law, teaching, converting countless millions of living beings, causing them to enter the Buddha way, all this for immeasurable kalpas.
I do shujo ko. Hoben gen nehan. Ni jitsu fu metsu-do. Jo ju shi seppo.
In order to save living beings, as an expedient means I appear to enter nirvana but in truth I do not pass into extinction. I am always here preaching the Law.
Ga jo ju o shi. I sho jin-zu-riki. Ryo tendo shujo. Sui gon ni fu ken.
I am always here, but through my transcendental powers I make it so that living beings in their befuddlement do not see me even when close by.
Shu ken ga metsu-do. Ko kuyo shari. Gen kai e renbo. Ni sho katsu-go shin.
When the multitude see that I have passed into extinction, far and wide they offer alms to my relics. All harbor thoughts of yearning and in their minds thirst to gaze at me.
Shujo ki shin-buku. Shichi-jiki i nyunan. Isshin yok-ken butsu. Fu ji shaku shinmyo. Ji ga gyu shuso. Ku shutsu ryojusen.
When living beings have become truly faithful, honest and upright, gentle in intent, single-mindedly desiring to see the Buddha not hesitating even if it costs them their lives, then I and the assembly of monks appear together on Holy Eagle Peak.
Ga ji go shujo. Jo zai shi fu-metsu. I hobenrik-ko. Gen u metsu fu-metsu. Yo-koku u shujo. Kugyo shingyo sha. Ga bu o hi chu. I setsu mujo ho.
At that time I tell the living beings that I am always here, never entering extinction, but that because of the power of an expedient means at times I appear to be extinct, at other times not, and that if there are living beings in other lands who are reverent and sincere in their wish to believe, then among them too I will preach the unsurpassed Law.
Nyoto fu mon shi. Tan ni ga metsu-do. Ga ken sho shujo. Motsu-zai o kukai. Ko fu i gen shin. Ryo go sho katsu-go. In go shin renbo. Nai shutsu I seppo.
But you have not heard of this, so you suppose that I enter extinction. When I look at living beings I see them drowned in a sea of suffering; therefore I do not show myself, causing them to thirst for me. Then when their minds are filled with yearning, at last I appear and preach the Law for them.
Jin-zu riki nyo ze. O asogi ko. Jo zai ryo jusen. Gyu yo sho jusho. Shujo ken ko jin. Dai ka sho sho ji. Ga shi do annon. Tennin jo juman. Onrin sho dokaku. Shuju ho Shogon. Hoju ta keka. Shujo sho yuraku. Shoten gyaku tenku. Jo sas-shu gi-gaku. U mandara ke. San butsu gyu daishu. Ga jodo fu ki. Ni shu ken sho jin. Ufu sho kuno. Nyo ze shitsu juman.
Such are my transcendental powers. For asamkhya kalpas constantly I have dwelled on Holy Eagle Peak and in various other places. When living beings witness the end of a kalpa and all is consumed in a great fire, this, my land, remains safe and tranquil, constantly filled with heavenly and human beings. The halls and pavilions in its gardens and groves are adorned with various kinds of gems. Jewelled trees abound in flowers and fruit where living beings enjoy themselves at ease. The gods strike heavenly drums, constantly making many kinds of music. Mandarava blossoms rain down, scattering over the Buddha and the great assembly. My pure land is not destroyed, yet the multitude see it as consumed in fire, with anxiety, fear and other sufferings filling it everywhere.
Ze sho zai shujo. I aku-go innen. Ka asogi ko. Fu mon sanbo myo.
These living beings with their various offenses, through causes arising from their evil actions, spend asamkhya kalpas without hearing the name of the Three Treasures.
Sho u shu ku-doku. Nyuwa shichi-jiki sha. Sokkai ken gashin. Zai shi ni seppo. Waku-ji i shi shu. Setsu butsu-ju muryo. Ku nai ken bussha. I setsu butsu nan chi.
But those who practice meritorious ways, who are gentle, peaceful, honest and upright, all of them will see me here in person, preaching the Law. At times for this multitude I describe the Buddha’s life span as immeasurable, and to those who see the Buddha only after a long time I explain how difficult it is to meet the Buddha.
Ga chi-riki nyo ze. Eko sho muryo. Jumyo mushu ko. Ku shugo sho toku.
Such is the power of my wisdom that its sagacious beams shine without measure. This life span of countless kalpas I gained as the result of lengthy practice.
Nyoto u chi sha. Mot-to shi sho gi. To dan ryo yo jin. Butsu-go jip-puko. Nyo i zen hoben. I ji o shi ko. Jitsu zai ni gon shi. Mu no sek-komo. Ga yaku I se bu. Ku sho kugen sha.
You who are possessed of wisdom, entertain no doubts on this point! Cast them off, end them forever, for the Buddha’s words are true, not false. He is like a skilled physician who uses an expedient means to cure his deranged sons. Though in fact alive, he gives out word he is dead, yet no one can say he speaks falsely. I am the father of this world, saving those who suffer and are afflicted.
I bonbu tendo. Jitsu zai ni gon metsu. I joken ga ko. Ni sho kyoshi shin. Ho-itsu jaku go-yoku. Da o aku-do chu. Ga jo chi shujo. Gyo do fu gyo do. Zui o sho ka do. I ses-shuju ho.
Because of the befuddlement of ordinary people, though I live, I give out word I have entered extinction. For if they see me constantly, arrogance and selfishness arise in their minds. Abandoning restraint, they give themselves up to the five desires and fall into the evil paths of existence. Always I am aware of which living beings practice the way, and which do not, and in response to their needs for salvation I preach various doctrines for them.
Mai ji sa ze nen. I ga ryo shujo. Toku nyu mu-jo do. Soku joju busshin.
At all times I think to myself: How can I cause living beings to gain entry into the unsurpassed way and quickly acquire the body of a Buddha?
Every day can be an adventure into the unknown. If we allow ourselves to go with the flow of events, we can find ourselves in new situations, with new challenges. Making assumptions about where life will take us, to expect the mundane, the ordinary, the usual, may mean that we walk straight past the very opportunity we need to take our lives in a completely different and exciting direction.
Reading this today made me sit and think, I’m sure it will do the same for you.
“It starts with me! It starts from now!” was the subject of today’s Men’s Division Inspiration Day held at Taplow Court.
After lunch and chance to talk amongst ourselves about the morning, we made our way to the Mentor-Disciple room in the Manor House. It was my first look at the inside of the house, and it is beautiful. It has been carefully restored and contains a number of period artefacts as well as a multitude of photos and memorabilia of Sensei and the history of the SGI in the UK. After a short period of group chanting, Ricky Baynes the SGI-UK Chief Advisor, who has been practicing for the best part of the fifty years of the SGI in Europe, gave us a history and explanation of the Mentor-Disciple relationship.
The Lotus Sutra has the drama of fighting for justice against evil. It has the warmth that comforts the weary. It has a vibrate pulsing courage that drives away fear.
When times are easy and things go our way, it is easy to stick to the plan. It is when things go wrong, problems arise or we are distracted from our Practice that we need to summon up our inner strength.
It has been asked, ‘Why do we chant two verses of the Lotus Sutra during Gongyo, when Nichiren says that chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo is the true path to enlightenment?’
During Gongyo, apart from chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, we also recite two chapters from the Lotus Sutra, Chapter 2 Expedient Means (Hoben) and Chapter 16 The Life Span of the Thus Come One (Juryo). Both chapters are recited in Chinese, so unless you are fluent, the meaning may be lost. I believe that it is important to understand what I am reciting. So the following is an English translation in order that the true meaning can be understood.
April the first, April Fool’s or All Fool’s day, is traditionally a day of fun. To be totally traditional, any jokes have to be played before midday, but that seems to be just in the UK.
The Search For Enlightenment 
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