Mr. Altig’s Overview of the Wonderful Dharma of the Lotus Sutra

This briefing document reviews the main themes and most important ideas or facts regarding universalism, drawing from excerpts concerning Swedenborg’s reflections, the Lotus Sutra, and Catholicism.

Overall Theme: The sources explore the concept of universalism in different religious contexts, specifically focusing on the potential for salvation or enlightenment for all beings. While the terminology and specific paths differ, a shared underlying principle is the widespread access to ultimate spiritual fulfillment.

Key Themes and Ideas:

1. Universal Access to Divine Wisdom/Buddhahood:

• Lotus Sutra: A central theme is the inherent capacity for Buddhahood within all living beings. The SGI viewpoint highlights this inherent potential.
• Quote: “already inherently possess the Buddha wisdom. The reason they possess the Buddha wisdom is that they are essentially Buddhas. Shakyamuni’s words are in fact a great declaration that all living beings are worthy of supreme respect.”
• The Lotus Sutra emphasizes the “one supreme vehicle of Buddhahood” as the “only true way to enlightenment,” superseding the “three vehicles—Learning, Realization and Bodhisattva” as “expedient means.”
• Quote: “The Buddha then reveals that the three vehicles—Learning, Realization and Bodhisattva—are no more than expedient means, while the one supreme vehicle of Buddhahood offers the only true way to enlightenment.”
• This “one vehicle” is the path the Buddha himself followed and provides the means for others to follow it.
• Quote: “The ‘one vehicle’ means ‘the one and only teaching.’ Since the Buddha expounds his teaching solely so that all people may attain Buddhahood, it is also called the Buddha vehicle or the one Buddha vehicle. It can also be interpreted to mean the conveyance by which the Buddha himself attained enlightenment. The one vehicle teaches the path the Buddha himself followed and furnishes us with that very same means to follow that path.”

2. The Buddha’s Purpose in the World:

• Lotus Sutra: The Buddha’s appearance in the world is not exclusive but for the benefit of all sentient beings, guiding them towards purity, wisdom, and enlightenment.
• Quote: “The Buddha Bhagavat appear in this world for only one great purpose… to cause sentient beings to aspire toward purity and the wisdom and insight of the buddhas… to manifest the wisdom and insight of the buddhas to sentient beings… to cause sentient beings to attain the wisdom and insight of a buddha’s enlightenment… in order to cause sentient beings to enter the path of the wisdom and insight of a buddha.”
• The teaching of the single vehicle Dharma is meant for all, with the Buddha using “provisional words” to lead sentient beings.
• Quote: “In the buddha worlds of the ten directions There is only the Dharma of the single vehicle… A buddha merely uses provisional words In order to lead sentient beings. All the buddhas appear in the world To teach the wisdom of the buddhas.”

3. Inclusivity and the Universal Nature of the Dharma:

• Lotus Sutra: The Lotus Sutra repeatedly emphasizes the vast number of beings who will benefit from the Dharma, including śrāvakas, bodhisattvas, monks, nuns, laymen, laywomen, devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, and asuras. It even includes predictions of future Buddhahood for individuals like Subhūti and Devadatta, highlighting the transformative power of the teachings regardless of perceived past actions.
• Quote: “Those śrāvakas or bodhisattvas, Who have heard even a single verse Of the Dharma that I have taught, Will all become buddhas. There can be no doubt about it.”
• Quote: “The king at that time was I myself, and the sage was he who is now Devadatta. Through the virtuous friendship of Devadatta I was able to become endowed with the six perfections…”

4. Skillful Means (Upaya):

• Lotus Sutra: The concept of “skillful means” is presented as the Buddha’s method of adapting his teachings to the understanding and capacity of different beings. The “three vehicles” are explicitly labeled as skillful means to guide people towards the ultimate truth of the “one vehicle.”
• Quote: “Profound and immeasurable is the wisdom of the buddhas. The gate to their wisdom is hard to enter and difficult to understand. None of the śrāvakas and pratyeka buddhas may be capable of understanding it. Why is this? The buddhas have closely attended innumerable hundreds…” (followed by the discussion of skillful means).

5. The Role of the Lotus Sutra and Its Preservation:

• Lotus Sutra: Preserving and teaching the Lotus Sutra is presented as an act of immense merit, leading to purification and immeasurable benefits. Even hearing a single verse with joy brings vast merit.
• Quote: “If there are any sons or daughters of a virtuous family who preserve, recite, and extensively teach this sutra… their merit is immeasurable and limitless. Even fire cannot burn it. Even water cannot wash it away. Even thousands of buddhas cannot give a complete description of your merit.”
• Quote: “If there is anyone who holds to the name of Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara and anyone who pays homage to him and makes offerings… The Buddha said: “If any son or daughter of a virtuous family preserves a verse of four lines of this sutra, recites it, understands the meaning, or practices what it teaches, his or her merit will be very great.”

6. Universal Predestination to Heaven in Catholicism:

• Universalism (Wikipedia): Catholicism, despite its emphasis on moral acts and the reality of Hell, holds a concept of universal predestination to Heaven.
• Quote: “The church believes that everyone is predestined to Heaven, that no one is predestined to Hell, that everyone is redeemed by Christ’s Passion, that no one is excluded from the church except by sin, and that everyone can either love God by loving others unto going to Heaven or reject God by sin unto going to Hell.”
• Catholicism teaches that God desires the salvation of all and exhausts every means to achieve it, including through elements of truth in other religions and the good people of every nation.
• Quote: “apart from coercion God exhausts every means to save mankind from evil: original holiness being intended for everyone, the irrevocable Old Testament covenants, each religion being a share in the truth, elements of sanctification in non-Catholic Christian communities, the good people of every religion and nation, everyone being called to baptism and confession, and Purgatory, suffrages, and indulgences for the dead.”

7. Equality and Dignity in Catholicism:

• Universalism (Wikipedia): Catholicism emphasizes the inherent equality and dignity of all individuals before God, regardless of their state.
• Quote: “that everyone is equal in dignity yet distinct in individuality before God, that no one should be discriminated against because of their sin or concupiscence.”

8. Swedenborgian Reflections on Spiritual Concepts:

• A Thoughtful Soul (Swedenborg): While this source is primarily an index of works cited, the topics listed provide insight into Swedenborg’s focus on concepts relevant to spiritual universalism, such as:
• Heaven and Hell: Suggests a framework for understanding the afterlife, although the universal nature of salvation requires further exploration within Swedenborg’s full works.
• Intercourse between the Soul and the Body: Indicates an interest in the connection between the spiritual and physical realms, potentially relevant to how spiritual truths are universally accessible.
• The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine: Points to a focus on a heavenly state and the doctrines governing it, which would likely include principles of divine order and justice.
• True Christian Religion: Suggests a theological framework that might address the scope of salvation and God’s relationship with humanity.
• Love, Light, Life: These frequently appearing terms are foundational to many spiritual traditions and often associated with divine influence and the potential for growth, implying a broad availability of these spiritual elements.
• Levels: The mention of “levels” (pages 13, 29-34, etc.) suggests a hierarchical or progressive understanding of spiritual states, which could accommodate a universal progression towards higher understanding or being.
• Meaning, spiritual: The repeated references to “meaning, spiritual” (pages xxi, 49, 89, etc.) indicate a focus on interpreting reality and scripture on a deeper, universal level beyond the literal.

Important Facts:

• The Lotus Sutra identifies specific individuals, including prominent disciples, as future Buddhas, illustrating the accessibility of Buddhahood. (e.g., Subhūti, Devadatta).
• The Catholic Church’s first recorded use of the term “Catholic Church” (meaning universal church) was around 100 AD.
• Catholicism explicitly denies predestination to Hell.
• The Swedenborg excerpts list key terms like “Heaven and Hell,” “Lord,” “love,” “light,” and “spiritual meaning,” which are fundamental to his theological system and suggest a focus on the spiritual condition and potential of individuals.

In Summary:

These sources, though from different religious traditions, collectively present a compelling perspective on universalism. The Lotus Sutra emphasizes the inherent Buddha nature and the “one vehicle” for enlightenment, highlighting the Buddha’s purpose in guiding all beings. Catholicism, from a Christian perspective, asserts universal predestination to Heaven and God’s pervasive efforts for salvation, while also acknowledging the possibility of self-exclusion through sin. Swedenborg’s cited works, through their indexed terms, indicate a system concerned with the spiritual realities of Heaven and Hell, the relationship between the spiritual and physical, and the concept of spiritual meaning, suggesting a framework where the divine is accessible and impactful on a broad scale. While the paths and specific doctrines differ, the underlying principle of a potential for ultimate spiritual fulfillment for all beings resonates across these texts.