I would like to discuss Kannon's (Avalokiteshvara's) compassion as seen in the thought of Rev. Nikkyo Niwano (1906-99), the founder of Rissho Kosei-kai. What I would like to demonstrate in this essay is that in Rev. Niwano's thinking, on one level, Kannon's compassion is unconditional, a transcendent love that saves people in times of urgent difficulty if they really believe in Kannon and invoke the name of Kannon, and, on a more advanced level, Kannon's compassion is a practical model to be followed by everyone in order to help others who are suffering in this world. In addition, for Rev. Niwano, Kannon's compassion is more than ordinary sympathy, which tends to have human attachments and cravings; it is more a balanced combination of wisdom and compassion. I will describe how, in the context of the Lotus Sutra, Kannon's compassion in the thirty-three bodies of manifestation can be understood as the active forms of the Eternal Buddha's preaching of the Dharma.

The title of chapter 25 of the Lotus Sutra is "The Universal Gate of the Bodhisattva Regarder of the Cries of the World." The bodhisattva Regarder of the Cries of the World is called Kanzeon Bosatsu in Japanese, and this is usually shortened to Kannon Bosatsu. This chapter has been circulated in East Asia as a separate sutra. In China, Korea, and Japan, it was well known as the Kannon Sutra. Faith in Kannon has long been popular among ordinary people in those countries. In Tibetan Buddhism, the Dalai Lama has been revered as a manifestation of Kannon.

Chapter 25 explains how the name of the bodhisattva Regarder of the Cries of the World (Avalokiteshvara) came to be and makes the claim that all people who are suffering and who call upon the bodhisattva's name will be delivered instantly from all of their sufferings.1

Kannon's Compassion

Basic Faith in Kannon's Grace Traditionally, once you chant the name of Kannon, you will be delivered instantly from all your sufferings and be rewarded with your worldly wishes and desires. The phrase "Keep in mind the powers of the Cry Regarder" appears thirteen times in this chapter.

The idea of chanting "Namu Kanzeon" (Hail to Kannon), or "Keep in mind the powers of the Cry Regarder," has a close relationship with the chanting of "Namu Amida Butsu" (Hail to Amitabha Buddha) in Pure Land practice. Traced to its origins, this idea is related to the prayers of invocation to gods in Hinduism, by means of which people's wishes or desires are fulfilled, as seen in the Atharva Veda. Kannon's compassion is naturally understood as something like a deity's grace.[2]

Bestower of Freedom from Fear
In the Lotus Sutra, it is written: "This Regarder of the Cries of the World, this great one, is able to bestow freedom from fear on those who are faced with a frightening, urgent or difficult situation. This is why in this world everyone gives him the name Bestower of Freedom from Fear" (The Threefold Dharma Flower Sutra, trans. Gene Reeves, 365).

In his final book, Shabyo mui (Last Full Message), Rev. Niwano introduced Kannon's miraculous power[3] as experienced by Ven. Etai Yamada, head priest of the Tendai Buddhist denomination. In the terminal phase of the Pacific war, Ven. Yamada was onboard a transport ship from Okinawa to mainland Japan with fifteen hundred pupils. The transport ship lacked even one escort ship.

Phrases of the Kannon Sutra came to his mind. "If there are hundreds of thousands of billions of beings who . . . go out to sea and have their ships blown off course by a fierce wind to the land of the ogre demons, and if among them there is even a single person who calls the name of Regarder of the Cries of the World Bodhisattva, all those people will be saved from difficulties caused by the ogres. . . . Or if you are drifting around in a great ocean, / Threatened by dragons, fish and various demons, / Keep in mind the Cry Regarder's powers / And you will not drown in the waves!" (Threefold Dharma Flower Sutra, 360, 366-67).

On the transport ship from Okinawa to Kyushu, Ven. Yamada devoted himself to chanting the Kannon Sutra wholeheartedly. After reaching their destination safely, he had no doubt that what the sutra says is the truth. After that, Ven. Yamada, who had a thorough knowledge of Tendai doctrine, stopped giving lectures on the linguistic meanings of the sutras. He said that at the age of fifty, he became awakened to the fact that if we simply believe in and practice the sutras, we are embraced by the power of the Buddha.

It is important to know that Ven. Yamada prayed not only for his own safety but for that of all fifteen hundred pupils. One of the most characteristic acts of compassion of this bodhisattva is to bestow freedom from fear.

Sharing the Same Sorrow and Suffering, and Making Oneself a Vicarious Sacrifice. The Japanese word jihi is usually translated as compassion. It is more than human sympathy. The ji of jihi is often used as a translation of the Sanskrit maitri, meaning friendship, or giving pleasure or comfort (yoraku). The hi, often a translation of the Sanskrit karuna, means sorrow, or hearing the cries of suffering, taking suffering away from someone (bakku). I think the Latin word pietas is close to karuna in meaning.

As the name of Kannon shows, regarding the cries of the world is seen as one form of compassion, sharing the same suffering and pain out of sympathy.

Wherever and whenever people are experiencing suffering and agony and call his name, "Namu Kanzeon," this bodhisattva will immediately hear their cries and they will be freed. Not only will he hear their cries, this bodhisattva will appear, immediately responding to their needs, in a manifestation appropriate to help them.

As both the name of Kannon and his thirty-three bodies of manifestation suggest, the action of this bodhisattva is only sympathy oriented; it comes out of sharing the same pain and suffering. Naturally, this suffering comes down to making oneself a vicarious sacrifice.

In folk and religious stories of miraculous experience in Japan, many compassionate figures of Kannon can be found. Among the thirty-three bodies of manifestation in the sutra, a mother figure does not appear. Yet often this bodhisattva is depicted as a mother figure in popular culture. There are two types of mother figure: Hibo Kannon and Jibo Kannon. The former is a mother who is compassionate from sorrow and pity; the latter, from love and mercy.

The former is like the mother taking on her child's pain and suffering, experiencing them whenever possible so as to make of herself a vicarious sacrifice. The mother's compassion comes especially from the oneness between herself and her child.

Commenting on Kannon's great pure vow that is as deep as the sea, Rev. Niwano claimed that this vow is nothing but the spirit of making oneself a vicarious sacrifice based on compassion.[4] It is quite understandable that in the history of Japanese folk religions, bodhisattva statues representing vicarious sacrifices (migawari bosatsu) have been popular.

Kannon's Compassion in the Context of Bodhisattvas Making Vows

Kannon's Compassion Understood in Terms of "Other Power"
Rev. Niwano maintained that Kannon's compassion should not be superficially understood only in terms of "other power" (tariki). He tried to caution people who expect Kannon to be a transcendent and supernatural power who saves suffering people if they worship him. If you pray to Kannon by invoking his name and are delivered from some mental or physical suffering, such a salvation is only temporary. Suffering in this life is always coming and going, as long as we live. Real "salvation lies in our awareness of the existence of the Eternal Buddha, who is omnipresent both within and outside us."[5] Until we realize that our own life is enabled by the Eternal Buddha, we cannot be free of suffering. Once we feel that we are always and already with the Eternal Buddha, we can be in a profound state of peace. Kannon's compassion must lead people to awaken to this ideal state of mind.

Kannon as a Model of Compassion Rev. Niwano stressed the point that bodhisattvas should be models for us, not objects of worship. His idea was that we should visualize an image of Kannon and want to be like this bodhisattva and perform as this bodhisattva does. That is the real compassion that human beings can have.

Rev. Niwano understood Kannon in the context of bodhisattvas making vows. I think this is in keeping with the real intention of the Lotus Sutra.

Let me explain in more detail. First, the main idea of the Lotus Sutra is that all living beings can become buddhas through practicing the bodhisattva way. The main line of bodhisattvas in the Lotus Sutra comprises a group of beings who, out of compassion toward people suffering in this world, have made a vow to help them. In the Lotus Sutra, there are two types of bodhisattvas: those who have made a vow to save this world, like the bodhisattvas who spring up out of the earth in chapter 15, and those who tend to be objects of worship and have some divine authority to save people. We can be like mother Kannon for her children. From Rev. Niwano's point of view, the former are the authentic bodhisattvas in the Lotus Sutra. I agree with him in the sense that such a view is much more comprehensible.

The authentic bodhisattvas of the Lotus Sutra are working together, sharing the same sadness and suffering. The story in chapter 15 tells of innumerable bodhisattvas emerging from the earth, entrusted with a task by the Eternal Buddha. They are the so-called apostles of the Buddha, responsible for this saha-world, this world of suffering.[6] This story was interpreted by Rev. Niwano to mean that the experience of being under the earth is a hardship that can be shared with the people of this world. Therefore, those who have been given the mission to spread the teachings are people who have experienced hardship before and can be sympathetic with the suffering of others.

An important concept of the bodhisattva is sharing "the same sadness and the same suffering" (dohi-doku). It symbolizes those who have had much suffering and hardship during their lives but then have awakened to their own buddha-nature and have had some real power to help and benefit others. These bodhisattvas are those who help people become compassionate by making the Buddha's compassion real. Compassion is sympathy for those who suffer. In Rev. Niwano's understanding of compassion, sharing the same sadness and the same suffering, Kannon is in the line of the innumerable bodhisattvas emerging from the earth.

Japan Should Be a Nation of Kannon
Rev. Niwano also insisted that not only can an individual be a bodhisattva, but Japan should also be a Kannon nation. He said: "To gain true international affection and respect, Japan should play the role of the compassionate bodhisattva by discerning the needs and desires of other nations and extending a helping hand to them in ways suited to each situation. Obviously this entails a certain amount of sacrifice, but only the stingy flinch at self-sacrifice. One of the great merits of Regarder of the Cries of the World is the compassion to feel the suffering of others as if it were his own."[7]

Compassion Is Teaching the Dharma
In the Lotus Sutra, what is the compassion of the Buddha? There are three principles of teaching the Dharma.

In chapter 10, "Teachers of the Dharma," we find this idea: "Medicine King, after the extinction of the Tathagata, if there are good sons or good daughters who want to teach this Dharma Flower Sutra for the four groups, how should they teach it? Such good sons or good daughters should enter the room of the Tathagata, put on the robe of the Tathagata, sit on the seat of the Tathagata, and then teach this Sutra everywhere for the four groups.

"To enter the room of the Tathagata is to have great compassion for all living beings. To wear the robe of the Tathagata is to be gentle and patient. To sit on the seat of the Tathagata is to contemplate the emptiness of all things" (Threefold Dharma Flower Sutra, 218).

From the perspective of the history of Mahayana Buddhism, the Lotus Sutra tries to teach the reality of all things (shoho jisso) instead of the emptiness in other Mahayana sutras. One of the messages in the Lotus Sutra is to realize the truth of emptiness while living in this actual world. Such a realization of emptiness is not nihilistic but, rather, a creative and compassionate way of life. These lines suggest that great compassion for all living beings must come with the contemplation of the emptiness of all things. Such compassion is not just human sympathy--it must be free from attachments and delusions.

Here, the room of the Tathagata is great compassion. This means that the heart of the Buddha is compassion. In early Buddhism as well as in the Mahayana, to teach the Dharma is an act of compassion. The Lotus Sutra says the same. This is affirmed in the following verse in chapter 7, "The Parable of the Fantastic Castle-City": "Out of your great compassion, we beg you-- / Open wide the gates of nectar / And turn the unexcelled dharma-wheel!" (Threefold Dharma Flower Sutra, 187).

The idea that the Eternal Buddha's compassion is expressed in teaching the Dharma can also be found in the closing words of chapter 16, "The Lifetime of the Tathagata":

"I always know which living beings / Practice the way and which do not. / In accord with what they need to be saved, / I share various teachings for them. / I am always thinking: 'How can I lead all the living / To enter the unexcelled way / And quickly perfect their Buddha-bodies?'" (Threefold Dharma Flower Sutra, 290-91).

Professor Yoshiro Tamura pointed out that in the Lotus Sutra the eternal life of the Buddha is revealed in the bodhisattva way and through the historical appearance of the Eternal Buddha in this world. In other words, the historical Buddha is the human form in which the Eternal Buddha appeared in India, and the acts of this historical Buddha were those of a bodhisattva. Not only the historical Buddha but also the Eternal Buddha continues to follow the bodhisattva way.[8]

In the final words of chapter 16, the Buddha's deep compassion is expressed as the Buddha's bodhisattva way, teaching the Dharma. The eternity of the Buddha is not everlasting quietude. The eternity or the eternal life of the Buddha is revealed in the concrete and the practical activities of the bodhisattva way, that is, in teaching or preaching the Dharma. The eternal Buddha keeps this in mind and watches over all the living and leads all toward buddhahood by preaching the Dharma. This idea is related to the manifestation of Kannon in thirty-three bodies. Instead of simply teaching the Dharma in words, Kannon appears as an appropriate body, helping suffering people to overcome their fear. This is precisely teaching the Dharma by appearing as a compassionate body.

Real Compassion is Integrated with Wisdom: Penetrating Wisdom
In the title of chapter 25 is the term fumon (universal gate, or gate open to all), which is a translation of the Sanskrit term samata-muk, which means "all-sidedness" or "facing in all directions."[9] The manifestation in thirty-three bodies signifies an open gate through which all people can be saved. It signifies universal salvation. This can be reaffirmed by the following phrases found toward the end of the chapter: "Viewing all [living beings] with compassionate eyes, / His [Kannon's] ocean of accumulated blessings is immeasurable" (Threefold Dharma Flower Sutra, 369). The compassion of Kannon is universal and the same for all living beings, even though his appearances are concrete and fitted to a particular person in a particular situation.

The manifestation of the thirty-three bodies of Kannon is called fumon-jigen--salvation open to all through means of a needed body. The meaning of this term is translated by Rissho Kosei-kai as "the manifestation of compassion for all."[10] Responding to the need of all living beings who are suffering anytime and anywhere, Kannon appears as a suitable figure for their sake. Thus, in order to fulfill this task in various situations, Kannon's compassion must come with the kind of wisdom that can penetrate the desires, understandings, and talents of people and their circumstances.

The miraculous power of Kannon is the power of wisdom to perform freely and without hindrance in the manner most appropriate to various situations. It is more than human sympathy. This sympathy comes with the exceptional wisdom to use the appropriate skillful means.

Kannon's compassion is integrated both with wisdom and with practice. As his name suggests, the bodhisattva looks at each living being and his or her situation without hindrance. Kannon's virtue is expressed in the following verse: "True regarder, pure regarder, / Vast wisdom regarder, / Compassionate and kind regarder-- / Always called upon, always looked up to! / His pure and spotless radiance / Is a wisdom-sun, destroying all kinds of darkness" (Threefold Dharma Flower Sutra, 368-69).

Rev. Niwano commented on this paragraph, saying that Kannon's compassion is more than human sympathy. It is an integration of both compassion and wisdom.

Conclusion

Rev. Niwano thought that the image of merciful Kannon who gives worldly benefits to the people in terms of a deity's grace is not an authentic one. The central idea of the Lotus Sutra lies in bodhisattvas making vows. The compassion of Kannon is grasped in the forms of sharing the same pain and suffering and vicarious sacrifice. Rev. Niwano understood that from the perspective of the comprehending of bodhisattvas, Kannon's compassion is not a merely passive and receptive response through which human beings are to be saved but a positive and active practice through which they accomplish the Buddha's vow to save all living beings. Therefore, Kannon's compassion is a practical model for us, and real compassion is to become like Kannon. The real compassion of Kannon lies in penetrating wisdom, which sees clearly the hearts and situations of all suffering beings. Real compassion is more than human sympathy; it is integrated, being free from attachments and delusions. It must be the middle way. Compassion is nothing but the Buddha's vow to save all living beings by teaching the Dharma.

Notes

[1] The genesis of Kannon's name, according to Keisho Tsukamoto's Hokekyo no seiritsu to haikei [Source Elements of the Lotus Sutra], stems from the three extant Chinese translations corresponding to the Sanskrit text of the Saddharma-pundarika sutra. In the Sho Hokke version, it is Kozeon (Light of the Cries of the World), but in the other two versions, the Myohorenge-kyo and the Tenpon Myohokke-kyo, it is Kanzeon (Regarder of the Cries of the World). Other sutras use various forms of the name, including Kannon, Kanjizai, and Kanzeon-jizai. The word jizai means "freely independent without any hindrances." Tsukamoto aligns himself with a hypothesis that this bodhisattva's name originated under the influence of the Hindu supreme god Ishvara. Philologically speaking, the name Avalokiteshvara is a combination of the word Avalokita (regard) and the name of the god Ishvara.

[2] Tsukamoto, Hokekyo no seiritsu to haikei, 427-28.

[3] Nikkyo Niwano, Shabyo mui, 30-31.

[4] "His great vow is as deep as the sea, / Unfathomable even after eons. / Serving many hundreds / Of billions of buddhas, / He has made a great pure vow." (Threefold Dharma Flower Sutra, 366.)

[5] Nikkyo Niwano, Buddhism for Today, 377-78.

[6] In reference to the mentioned story: "Inexhaustible Mind Bodhisattva said to the Buddha, 'World-Honored One, now I should make an offering to Regarder of the Cries of the World Bodhisattva.' Then he took from his neck a necklace of many valuable gems worth a hundred thousand pieces of gold and presented it to him. . . . But Regarder of the Cries of the World Bodhisattva would not accept it then." But then, out of sympathy for those in the assembly, Regarder of the Cries of the World Bodhisattva accepted the necklace, and "dividing it into two parts, offered one part to Shakyamuni Buddha and the other to the stupa of Abundant Treasures Buddha" (Threefold Dharma Flower Sutra, 365). Kannon can be considered an apostle of the Buddha.

[7] Nikkyo Niwano, "Unlimited Manifestation of Compassion," Dharma World May/June 1988: 3.

[8] Tamura, Hokekyo, 115-77.

[9] Hiroshi Kanno, Hokekyo nyumon (Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, Publishers, 2003), 180-81.

[10] Rissho Kosei-kai calls the present time the years of the manifestation of the spirit of the open gate (fumon-jigen no jidai). Rev. Niwano said on the fiftieth anniversary of Rissho Kosei-kai's founding on March 5, 1988: "We have now entered the eleventh year since we proclaimed the Unlimited Manifestation of Compassion as Rissho Kosei-kai's guiding principle. This means that we have entered a new decade with that lofty goal. Keeping in mind this goal and the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of Rissho Kosei-kai, which we celebrated on March 5, I should like to reexamine the spirit of 'Unlimited Manifestation of Compassion' and reaffirm our resolution to abide by it. It means that we can show the compassionate heart to others by our bodhisattva way."

Bibliography

Kanno, Hiroshi. Hokekyo nyumon [An Introduction to the Lotus Sutra]. Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, Publishers, 2003.

Nakamura, Hajime. Jihi [Compassion]. Kyoto: Heirakuji Shoten, 1956.

Niwano, Nichiko. Asu ni mukau [Looking toward Tomorrow]. Tokyo: Kosei Publishing Company, 1986.

------. Shinden o tagayasu [Cultivating the Field of the Heart]. Tokyo: Kosei Publishing Company, 1998.

Niwano, Nikkyo. Buddhism for Today: A Modern Interpretation of the Threefold Lotus Sutra. New York: Weatherhill, 1961.

------. Shabyo mui [Last Full Message]. Tokyo: Kosei Publishing Company, 1993.

Tamura, Yoshiro. Hokekyo [The Lotus Sutra]. Tokyo: Chuo Koron-sha, 1969.

The Threefold Dharma Flower Sutra. Translated by Gene Reeves. Tokyo: International Buddhist Congregation of Rissho Kosei-kai, 2008.

Tsukamoto, Keisho. Hokekyo no seiritsu to haikei: Indo bunka to Daijo Bukkyo [Source Elements of the Lotus Sutra]. Tokyo: Kosei Publishing Company, 1986.

Michio T. Shinozaki, former director of the General Secretariat of Rissho Kosei-kai, is president of the organization's Gakurin seminary in Tokyo. He received a Ph.D. in religious studies from Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, in 1988. He has contributed a number of articles on Buddhist ethics to various journals.