March 15, 2010
Itai Doshin 異体同心
I always wondered what this really meant; what words were being translated. Evidently, the phrase was used by Nichiren Shonin to describe the kind of unity he wanted among his followers. I do not know of any usage of this exact term in other forms of Buddhism. As far as i know, there is no exact equivalent concept in Pali or Sanskrit.
異體 {yiti/itai} is used as a translation of anya or anyatva; meaning different or other. the word 異 does not mean many; it means different in the sense of odd, not uniform, irregular, or diverse. 體 {tai} means form, body, or style; but is not used to translate either rupa {form} or kaya {body}. It is the same kanji used in 如是體 {nishiti / nyozetai}; meaning the "the thusness substance of phenomena."
同心 {tongxin/doshin} is a common compound word meaning common wishes, or a cooperative spirit. There is a literal back translation to Sanskrit; Samana-citta. Samana means something like common. sameness, or equality. It is probably Sam = same + a = toward + na = ing. Citta refers to the mind, thought, and spirituality.
For now I like; 'diversity of styles with a common purpose.' Of course, that only has value if we have the right spiritual purpose, that of waking up, of attaining enlightenment. I suspect the main point is to overcome our attachments to familiar modes or styles; and instead, focus on common spiritual values. The Lotus Sutra describes many different styles of Bodhisattvas emerging from Underground. This is from the Watson translation:
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