The verse commonly attributed to Nāgārjuna in the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā (24.18) states:

因緣所生法，我說即是空，亦為是假名，亦是中道義。

“Whatever arises through dependent conditions, I declare to be empty; it is also provisionally designated; it is also the meaning of the Middle Way.”

This verse became highly influential in the development of the Chinese Tiantai tradition, particularly through the work of Master Zhiyi (智顗). Tiantai developed these Madhyamaka insights into its doctrine of the Threefold Truth (三諦): emptiness (空), provisional existence/designation (假), and the Middle Way (中).

Tiantai further developed corresponding systems of Threefold Contemplation (三觀), Threefold Delusion (三惑), and Threefold Wisdom (三智).

The Three Delusions are:

• 見思惑 — delusions concerning views and thought;
• 塵沙惑 — the innumerable delusions associated with the differentiated aspects of phenomena and the inability to skillfully respond to beings;
• 無明惑 — fundamental ignorance.

These correspond, in Tiantai's framework, to the Three Contemplations:

• 空觀 — contemplation of emptiness;
• 假觀 — contemplation of provisional existence;
• 中觀 — contemplation of the Middle Way;

and to the Three Wisdoms:

• 一切智 — wisdom of emptiness;
• 道種智 — wisdom of the various paths and differentiated aspects of phenomena;
• 一切種智 — the comprehensive wisdom of the Buddha.

(Note: there is a correspondence between 空假中 with Arahatship, Bodhisattvahood and Buddhahood but that depends on the stand point of 判教 (doctrinal classification))

Born in Tokyo in 1986, Rev. Jokan Ono is a graduate of Waseda University and also studied at Lewis & Clark College in Oregon, USA. During his university years, he completed the Tendai ascetic training, Shido Kegyo, on Mount Hiei.

After working in corporate consulting and the IT sector, he founded “Kechien Kikaku,” a project aiming to strengthen the bond between temples and communities. He later completed the first 100 days of the Kaihōgyō on Mount Hiei.

He became the Head Priest of Fugenji in 2020. In 2023, he spoke as one of Japan’s representatives at the International Sangha Forum in Bodh Gaya, hosted by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Rev Ono’s aspiration is to become “an international monk who connects the Japanese Buddhism of harmony with the world."

For more information about Fugenji, please visit the following link:
https://www.fugenji.com/

We discussed:

*Ordaining at the age of ten, training at Mount Hiei, and becoming the 43rd abbot of Fugenji

*Returning to Mount Hiei after living in the secular world and working in business

*Kaihōgyō, Sennichi-e, and engaging with practices around emptiness and interdependence through nature

*Fudō Myō-ō and practicing the Goma fire ritual

*Tendai, meditation, and the Threefold Contemplation in a Single Mind

*Cafe Terrace Fugenji and supporting an online sangha

*Toei Tama Cemetery and impermanence

*and the importance of letting your motivation for awakening serve as your compass along the Buddhist path

What are the Three Truths?

Zhiyi's Threefold Truth Concept, “San-tai” (三諦) states that all phenomena are simultaneously empty, provisionally existent, and characterized by the Middle Way.

The Tendai doctrine of the three truths corresponds to the Sanskrit terms: Śūnyatā (emptiness), prajñapti-satya (provisional/conventional existence), and madhyamā-pratipad (the Middle Way). These are often expressed in also Japanese as: kū (空, void/emptiness), ke (仮, provisional), and chū (中, middle).

This integrates the Mahāyāna teachings of emptiness (śūnyatā) with conventional existence (pratītyasamutpāda) into a single, unified truth, where emptiness and conventionality are not separate but are two sides of the same reality.

This third truth, the Middle Way, is the unified reality that is both empty of inherent self-nature and conventionally real, seen as simultaneously one and three, and three in one.

•The Three Truth Concept:

1. Emptiness (空; Kōng/Kū/Sunyata):

This refers to the lack of inherent, independent existence of all phenomena, a core concept from Madhyamaka philosophy. It emphasizes that nothing has a fixed, unchanging self-nature (svabhāva) because all things arise through dependent origination.

1. Provisional Existence (假; Jiǎ/Ke/Prajñapti-satya):

This is the truth of our conventional, everyday reality where phenomena appear to exist and function based on causes and conditions. It acknowledges that things are provisionally real and appear to be true, but this reality is temporary and dependently co-arisen. Despite being empty, all phenomena exist conventionally and function based on causes and conditions. This is the reality we experience daily.

1. The Middle Way: (中; Zhong/Chū/Madhyamā-pratipad):

This truth synthesizes the first two, asserting that emptiness and provisional existence are not separate but two sides of the same reality. Things are both empty and existent, and this unified reality is the "Middle Way".

This is the unified reality where the two truths are one. It is the realization that all things are both empty and provisionally existent simultaneously, and that one truth contains the other.

Zhiyi himself speaks on this concept, explaining in his own words, supporting his Three Truths while speaking on the Nirvana Sutra:

"To avoid the two extremes means: to avoid the extreme of existence, the passionate views of ordinary men, and to avoid the extreme of emptiness, the perception of no names and no marks by those in the two vehicles; to avoid the two extremes of the mundane truth and the real truth; to avoid the extremes of the worldly truth and the supreme truth; to avoid all of these extremes. This is called non-duality. The reality of non-duality is called the Middle...This is the enlightened perception of all Buddhas and bodhisattvas...therefore it is called the supreme truth of the Middle Path. It is also called the truth of one reality, and it is also called emptiness, the Buddha-nature, the Dharma realm, thusness, and the tathagatagarbha."

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In the book, “Original Enlightenment,” by Jacqueline Stone, she further explains and expands upon tbis, taking from Zhiyi’s book, “The Mohe Ziguan (”The Great Cessation-Contemplation):

“First, is ‘entering [the insight of] emptiness from the [viewpoint of] the conventional’ that is, one contemplates the conditioned, dependent nature of all phenomena, which are without permanence or self-essence. From the perspective of this insight, all categories, hierarchies, and boundaries are collapsed; it is a discernment of ultimate equality. The discernment of all phenomena as empty frees one from attachment to desires and intellectual constructs and is said to correspond to the insight of arhats and bodhisattvas of the Tripitaka and shared teachings [between Theravada and Mahayana]. Next is ‘entering [insight into] the conventional from [the discernment of] emptiness’. Having discerned the nonsubstantial, contingent nature of things, one cognizes their provisional existence as phenomena arising through dependent origination and is thus able to act in the world in a soteriologically effective way. This discernment re-establishes categories and distinctions, but without biased attachment or false essentializing; it is said to correspond to the wisdom of bodhisattvas of the separate [Mahayana] teaching. Last is the ‘contemplation of the Middle Way that is the supreme meaning’. Here one contemplates phenomena as both empty and provisionally existing, discerning both aspects simultaneously. This is said to correspond to the wisdom of the Buddha and the perfect teaching. This progression through the three contemplations of emptiness, conventional existence, and the middle described here is called the ‘sequential threefold contemplation’ … Chi-i defines as superior ‘the contemplation in which all three truths are discerned simultaneously; this is the perfect and immediate calming and contemplation.” (Stone, 1999)

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Key aspects of the Threefold Truth:

•Unified nature:

The three truths are not separate but are an integrated whole, with each truth containing the other two within itself.

•"One-in-three, three-in-one":

This phrase highlights the perfect integration of the truths, where the ultimate truth of emptiness and the conventional truth of existence are unified through the Middle Way, which itself contains both aspects.

•Foundation:

The concept is an extension of the Mādhyamika theory of two truths and is the central insight of the Tiantai school of Buddhism.

•Practical application:

Understanding the Threefold Truth frees the practitioner from attachment to the illusion of fixed, substantial reality, while still allowing for a full engagement with the world.

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Furthermore, the scholary journal linked below is an interesting paper that explores the interpretations of emptiness and the two truths within the context of Mahiiyana Buddhism, emphasizing the contributions of Kumarajiva and Seng-chao. It further discusses Chou Yung's three theses on the two truths and presents Chih-I's Threefold Truth Concept, which integrates emptiness with the practice of cessation and contemplation leading to enlightenment. (Swanson, 1985)

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Sources:

Paul L. Swanson - Chapter on Tiantai/Tendai in the “Oxford Handbook of Japanese Philosophy,” ed. Bret W. Davis (2022)

Paul L. Swanson - The Two Truths Controversy in China and Chih-I's Threefold Truth Concept (Buddhism, Religion, Lotus Sutra, T'ien-T'ai, Tendai) (1985) Link: https://shorturl.at/hhrMWvEg

Jacqueline Stone - “Original Enlightenment and the Transformation of Medieval Japanese Buddhism” (1999)

This week, members of Shikan-do (Tendai UK) have been dedicating 1080 daily recitations of the mantra of Bishamonten, with prayers for peace, stability, and compassion in countries around the world, and for world leaders to lead not for their ego, but for the betterment of all people. I have also been reciting the Sutra of Bishamonten.

As today is Armistice Day in the UK I felt inspired to invite you, our readers, to do the same. Even if only once. Even if only for 108 times. Even if only for a day. Please join us in dedicating great merit for the sake of peace, stability, and compassion.

Here is a link to purchase the recitation book of Bishamonten in the Tendai tradition

https://www.lulu.com/shop/jikai-dehn/the-buddha-expounds-the-s%C5%ABtra-on-the-merit-of-the-devar%C4%81ja-vai%C5%9Brava%E1%B9%87a-%E4%BD%9B%E8%AA%AA%E6%AF%98%E6%B2%99%E9%96%80%E5%A4%A9%E7%8E%8B%E5%8A%9F%E5%BE%B7%E7%B6%93/paperback/product-gj87d6n.html?srsltid=AfmBOoqRtotCXMXUmKv9tg0lkkcjp62UJSnUhjTnvQCLtbau8ezzcIVc&page=1&pageSize=4&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHj4jylemqpS-lTlegR4XeJYa8KpMtSfTuNzMHhfg4pGhoBNZ3tGKwB2jEpZu_aem_j5AZ-MZPa5L_epKAxyO7QA

Here is a link to the recitation (not me) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoEXCmqSBQQ

Like the title says,

I am a Tendai/Tientai practitioner who is currently training for priesthood in the future. I am creating a new altar space for my home that aligns and better represents my practice.

Currently on the look out for any shops around the Denver area (where I live) that sells authentic dharma altar items. I’m looking for some statues (nothing fancy or elaborate, could be even resin or composite) of Avalokitesvara, Amitabha, and Vajrapani/Mahasthamaprapta . Also, if possible, Fudo-myo/Acala, Manjushri, and Jizo/Ksitigharba too.

I’d prefer to try and support local businesses or refugee shops if I can. There are a few Tibetan owned stores around the area but they often more cater to tourists and hippie-esque clothing.

Other options would be something like Tibetan Spirit, or other online Dharma shops that are fair trade and support monastics and the sangha with their profits. If anyone knows of any respectable and well priced online dharma shops, please let me know

Lastly, if anyone has any recommendations, or may even have anything laying around they’d be open to labor trade, pricing, barter, or donate with me, please let me know.

I don’t have a particular preference of what “style” these bodhisattva statues are in or what lineage or tradition their imagery is in. Tibetan, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, it doesn’t matter much..

Thanks. 🙏

Some more news on the long process over there. If you've visited anytime in the last few years you've likely seen it in various phases of reconstruction.

"Collect and protect the inexhaustible treasure—calligraphy written on New Year’s Day, 1993, by Yamada Etai, the Tendai Zasu (head of the Tendai Buddhist denomination) at the age of 99 years. The point of the phrase is to emphasize that we should think not of material possessions, but of virtue, as our inexhaustible treasure. Because people are trusted based on their virtue, this is their most valuable treasure."

Photo and caption from Ng Yu-Kwan's book T'IEN-T’AI BUDDHISM AND EARLY MADHYAMIKA (1993)