1. Lotus Sutra, chap. 3.
2. Ibid., chap. 20. This refers to the karmic retribution suffered by those who persecuted Bodhisattva Never Disparaging.
3. The five causes are the five cardinal sins of killing one’s father, killing one’s mother, killing an arhat, injuring a Buddha, and causing dissension in the Buddhist Order.
4. According to The Biography of Vasubandhu, when Vasubandhu, originally a Hinayana scholar, was awakened to the greatness of the Mahayana by his brother Asanga, he wanted to cut out his tongue to expiate the slander he felt he had committed in preaching the Hinayana teachings and criticizing those of the Mahayana. However, Asanga persuaded him that he could better eradicate his offense by using the same tongue to praise the Mahayana.
5. No mention of this incident appears in the biography of Ashvaghosha. Possibly, after his conversion to Mahayana by Parshva, he felt regret similar to that of Vasubandhu for having previously condemned the Buddhist teachings.
6. Chi-tsang (549–623) was a priest of the Three Treatises school in China, sometimes regarded as the founder of the school. According to The Supplement to “The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra,” he took T’ient’ai as his master and personally served him in reparation for his previously shallow understanding. “Made a bridge of his own body” means that he lifted T’ien-t’ai on his back whenever the latter mounted the elevated lecture platform.
7. According to his biography in The Sung Dynasty Biographies of Eminent Priests, Pu-k’ung returned to India to obtain a copy of the Diamond Crown Sutra in order to resolve doubts he had about the Diamond Realm mandala.
8. A Brief Commentary on the Susiddhikara Sutra.
9. The precise source for this quotation is not certain. However, A Personal Commentary on “The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra” by Shoshin, a priest living between the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, quotes Chisho to this effect.
10. The Precious Key to the Secret Treasury. This statement means that each of the many schools claims to be the vehicle of Buddhahood, but that their doctrines prove to be shallow when compared with the doctrine of the True Word school.
11. The True Word school argued that the Mahavairochana Sutra, its basic sutra, was expounded by Mahavairochana Buddha.
12. Eryo (801–859) was a priest of the Tendai school. He studied under Encho and Jikaku, the second and third chief priests of Enryaku-ji, and learned both exoteric and esoteric doctrines. He was supervisor of a temple on Mount Hiei called Hodo-in.
13. Jokan (843–927), also known as Zomyo, was initiated into the esoteric teachings by Chisho and in 906 became chief priest of Enryaku-ji. He was named supervisor of priests and later appointed administrator of priests in 923 after his prayers had allegedly cured the emperor of illness.
14. Jitsue (786–847) was originally a priest of the Dharma Characteristics school who became Kobo’s disciple after the latter returned from China in 806. Jitsue helped Kobo establish Kongobu-ji temple on Mount Koya. Shinzei (800–860) was a disciple of Kobo who lived at Jingo-ji temple on Mount Takao. In 856, he was appointed administrator of priests, the first True Word priest to receive this title. Shinga (801–879) was a disciple and younger brother of Kobo. He served as chief priest of both Todai-ji and To-ji temples, and was appointed administrator of priests in 864.
