Treasure Tower, the Two Buddhas

The purpose of Taho’s appearance was to validate the truth of the teaching expounded in the former part of the Lotos sutra. From within the Treasure Tower he proclaimed: "All that you (Shakyamuni) have expounded is the truth". Taho Buddha himself did not expound or preach any teaching; his only purpose was to attest to the validity of Shakyamuni’s teaching. Consequently, the two Buddhas, Taho and Shakyamuni, represents objective verification or actual proof and subjective wisdom or enlightenment, respectively.

It was not only Taho Buddha who fulfilled the role of proving the Buddha’s teachings. The Treasure Tower itself also fulfilled this purpose. The first ten chapters of the Lotos sutra state that the disciples of Learning such as Shariputra and Mahakasyapa would become enlightened to the Buddha nature inherent within the depths of their life trough Shakyamuni’s teaching and be able to attain Buddhahood. The Treasure Tower symbolizes the grandeur and dignity of this innate Buddha nature as well as a shift from a theoretical perception to the actual manifestation of the Buddha nature. The jewels which adorn the Treasure Tower signify power, wisdom, fortune and the other positive characteristics of an enlightened life.

Shakyamuni then opened the Treasure Tower and at Taho’s invitation seated himself at this Buddha’s side. Shakyamuni and Taho seated side by side in theTreasure Tower signifies the fusion of reality and wisdom (kyochi myogo). Shakyamuni represents the Buddha’s enlightened wisdom inherent in all people, especially in the men of Learning and Realization at the ceremony of the Lotos sutra, and Taho, the objective and unchanging truth that all people inherently possess the Buddha nature within their lives. In order to realize this truth one has to activate his wisdom, after which the fusion of wisdom and truth leads him to the attainment of Buddhahood.

Nichiren Daishonin embodied the ceremony of the Tresure Tower described in the Lotos sutra into the Gohonzon. Therefore, in concrete terms, the Treasure Tower is the Gohonzon and, in a broad sense, the life of those who manifest their inherent Buddhahood by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

Hoto (jedanaesto) poglavlje Lotos sutre opisuje izgled jedne impozantne i veličanstvene draguljima optočene tvrđave. Tvrdi se da tvrđava meri 500 joana (jedna joana je rastojanje koje bi kraljevska vojska mogla premarširati za jedan dan) u visinu, 250 joana u širinu i 250 joana u dubinu. U skladu sa jednim tumačenjem, 500 joana bi bilo jednako obimu Zemlje. Pošto je tvrđava ukrašena sa sedam vrsta dragog kamenja, uključujući zlato i srebro, nazvana je Taho Tvrđavom, jer je u njoj sedeo Taho Buda. Ime "Taho" znači "mnoga blaga".

Svrha Tahoovog pojavljivanja beše da vrednuje istinitost učenja izloženog u prethodnom delu Lotos sutre. Iz Tvrđave s Blagom on je objavio: "Sve što si ti (Šakjamuni) izložio je istina". Sam Taho Buda nije izlagao niti propovedao bilo kakvo učenje; njegov jedini cilj bio je da proveri valjanost Šakjamunijevog učenja. Prema tome, dvojica buda, Taho i Šakjamuni, predstavljaju objektivnu potvrdu ili stvarni dokaz, odnosno subjektivnu mudrost ili prosvetljenje.

Taho Buda nije bio jedini koji je ispunio ulogu potvrđivanja budinog učenja. Sama Tvrđava s Blagom takođe je ispunila tu svrhu. Prvih deset poglavlja Lotos sutre tvrde da bi učenici Znanja, kao što su Šariputra i Mahakašjapa, postali prosvetljeni za buda prirodu svojstvenu dubinama njihovih života kroz Šakjamunijevo učenje i bili sposobni da dostignu budastvo. Tvrđava s Blagom simbolizuje sjaj i dostojanstvo ove unutrašnje buda prirode jednako dobro kao i pomeranje sa nivoa teoretske percepcije do stvarne manifestacije buda prirode. Dragulji koji krase Tvrđavu s Blagom označavaju snagu, mudrost, sreću i druge pozitivne osobine jednog prosvetljenog života.

Šakjamuni je tada stupio u Trđavu s Blagom i na Tahoov poziv i sam seo pored ovog bude. Zajedno sedevši u Tvrđavi s Blagom, Šakjamuni i Taho označavaju spajanje stvarnosti i mudrosti (kjoči mjogo). Šakjamuni predstavlja budinu prosvetljenu mudrost prisutnu u svim ljudima, osobito u ljudima od Znanja i Shvatanja na ceremoniji Lotos sutre, a Taho objektivnu i nepromenljivu istinu da svi ljudi poseduju buda prirodu unutar svog bića. U cilju ostvarenja ove istine, čovek mora da pokrene svoju mudrost, posle čega ga spajanje mudrosti i istine vodi do postizanja budastva.

Ničiren Dajšonin je utelotvorio ceremoniju Tvrđave s Blagom u Gohonzon. Prema tome, konkretnim rečima, Tvrđava s Blagom je Gohonzon i, u jednom širokom smislu, život onih koji manifestuju svoje prisutno budastvo recitovanjem Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.