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Lotus
Sutra Translation — Hoben-pon Dai ni in Chinese
"As I said
before, though no chapter of the Lotus Sutra is negligible, among the entire
twenty-eight chapters, the Hoben chapter and the Juryo chapter are particularly
outstanding. The remaining chapters are all in a sense the branches and
leaves of these two chapters. Therefore, for your regular recitation, I
recommend that you practice reading the prose sections of the Hoben and
Juryo chapters."
—Nichiren
Daishonin in the "Recitation of the Hoben and Juryo Chapters," Major
Writings, Vol. 6
Ho |
The
Ho (of
Hoben-pon Dai ni)
in its most ancient form resembles a swastika. It is four boats tied together.
It divides the earth's surface into four regions. The same four regions
are represented by the Four Heavenly Kings in the corners of the Gohonzon.
This ancient image was: a place, a region, a square. It also meant regular,
apt, easy, a rule, a prescription, a means, and/or a comparison.
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The modern
character Ho is
a contracted composite of two characters, the primitive for leader —
one who stands up — (on the left) and the primitive for open
space (on the right). In the phrase Hoben-pon, it is one who leads others
to open space (freedom or liberation). Because this image represents the
Buddha(s) leading the four regions of the earth to freedom and is not freedom
itself, the Ho of the Hoben-pon is translated as a "means" or "prescription."
Ben |
Ben
is composed of the primitive image
of one who stands up (on the left) and a contracted composite (on the right)
of a fire rising above the roof of a house, underneath this image is an
armed (and therefore capable) hand. The burning house represents suffering
or difficulties. The whole character means a person stands up and removes
those from a burning house (suffering) quickly. Because the house is ablaze
and the armed (capable) person uses the quickest means possible, this character
is commonly translated as "expedient".
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Thus,
Hoben
means "Expedient Means"
Pon |
Pon
is three squares stacked in a triangle. This is a multitude. It means a
decree or a profound, important, universal teaching.
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Dai |
Dai
is not the same "dai" that means "great"
(as in Dai Gohonzon). This Dai is
the ancient symbol for spindle with the radical for bamboo above. The bamboo
radical looks like two ks on top. The rest of the structure of the spindle
with a piece of thread dangling on the bottom left. In this context it
means section or chapter. The bamboo denotes sections (as in bamboo sections).
Bamboo also represents Buddhism, because the first Chinese Buddhist teachings
were written on slats of bamboo, held together by thread. The combination
of spindle and bamboo means section, or chapters (usually of Buddhist or
other important teachings).
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Ni |
Ni
is two horizontal lines. It is the
number two. The number two, in Chinese thinking, is the principle of Yin
and Yang and the number of the earth. In Confucian thought, the number
two refers to the second virtue, which is to love each other.
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Putting
it all together: Hoben-pon
= means (Ho),
expedient (Ben),
pronouncement (Pon).
Dai ni
= Section (Dai)
two (Ni).
Burton
Watson translates Hoben-pon as
"Expedient means."
H.
Kern (from the Sanskrit) as "Skillful means."
The
Three Fold Lotus Sutra as "Tactfulness." (The 3FLS is an extremely
poor translation.)
Leon
Hurvitz translates this as "Expedient Devices."
Reciting
"Hoben Pon. Dai ni."
reminds us to emerge from our selfish desires and use the Buddha's teaching
to free ourselves and others from suffering as quickly as possible. The
Buddha teaches:
"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?"
—Lotus
Sutra, Vol.
16, p. 232
Everything
the Bodhisattvas of the Earth do is to cause all living being to quickly
attain Buddhahood. But as the Lotus Sutra also teaches:
"The
evil monks of that muddied age,
failing
to understand the Buddha's expedient means [Hoben],
how
he preaches the Law in accordance with what is appropriate,
will
confront us with foul language and angry frowns;
again
and again we will be banished
to
a place far removed from towers and temples."
—Lotus
Sutra, Chapter
13, p. 195
What can
the Bodhisattvas do when they are "Banished to a place far removed from
towers and temples?"
The
Lotus Sutra teaches:
"All
these various evils,
because
we keep in mind the Buddha's orders,
we
will endure.
If
in the settlements and towns
there
are those who seek the Law,
we
will go to wherever they are
and
preach the Law entrusted to us by the Buddha."
—Lotus
Sutra, Chapter
13 ("Encouraging Devotion"), p. 195
The phrase
"Hoben" can be found throughout the Lotus Sutra. It is mentioned 7 times
in Gongyo. The Lotus Sutra states that it is because the monks do not understand
the Buddha's expedient means (hoben)
that they slander the Bodhisattvas and "Banish [them] from the towers and
temples."
Updated 6/7/06
Copyright 2002
Imagery of Nichiren's Lotus Sutra website
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