[Chih-i’s] talent lies in the fact that he not only absorbed and incorporated different views and theories, but also went beyond all of his predecessors and contemporaries by formulating his own system of thought. Since his system is based on a complete evaluation and critique of all other available views of his time, it is thus endowed with the features of syncretism, comprehensiveness, and completeness, and a sense of harmony, flexibility, and perfection. (Page 22)
The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra: Tien-tai Philosophy of BuddhismMonthly Archives: August 2018
The Strings of a Lute
Shakyamuni then said, “Sona, just now were you not thinking these thoughts?” And Shakyamuni enumerated the distractions that had been running through Sona’s mind. Sona admitted that all this was true.
Shakyamuni then asked Sona if he had played the lute when he lived at home. Sona said he had played it, and Shakyamuni asked, “If the strings are stretched too taut, will the lute produce a pleasing sound?”
“If the strings of the lute are too slack, will the instrument produce a pleasing sound?”
“No.”
“But if the strings are neither too taut nor too slack, but just right, the lute will produce a pleasant sound?”
“Yes, it will.”
“Well, Sona, in Buddhist discipline, if one is too eager, the mind will be shallow and unsettled. If one is too lax, the mind will become lazy. The proper way is to be neither too eager nor too lax but to make spiritual efforts and progress at a suitable pace.”
When he had heard this highly appropriate metaphor of the lute, Sona acquired the ability to go on with disciplines at a suitable pace and thus to abandon illusions and hindrances and finally to attain the ultimate enlightenment of the arhat.
No matter how eager and assiduous a person is in religious training, achieving enlightenment depends on primary and secondary causes from previous existences. For people with the right causes, the opportunity for enlightenment will come readily; for people without them, the opportunity will probably not develop. Although it is true that the buddha-nature is inherent in all sentient beings, the speed with which enlightenment is reached depends on the causes from previous existences and the causes in the present life. (Page 166-117)
The Beginnings of BuddhismDay 27
Day 27 concludes Chapter 23, The Previous Life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva.
Having last month considered the merits of making offerings to the Lotus Sūtra, we compare the Lotus Sūtra to all other sūtras.
“Star-King-Flower! Just as the sea is larger than the rivers, this Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma is more profound than any of the other sūtras expounded by the Tathāgatas. Just as Mt. Sumeru is the largest of all the mountains including earth mountains, black mountains, the Small Surrounding Iron Mountains, the Great Surrounding Iron Mountains, and the Ten Treasure Mountains, this Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma is above all the other sūtras. Just as the Moon God is brighter than the stars, this Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma gives us more light than any of the other sūtras numbering thousands of billions. Just as the Sun God dispels all darkness, this sūtra drives away all the darkness of evils. Just as the wheel-turning-holy-king is superior to the kings of small countries, this sūtra is more honorable than the other sūtras. Just as King Sakra is the king of the thirty-three gods, this sūtra is the king of all the sūtras. Just as the Great Brahman Heavenly-King is the father of all living beings, this sūtra is the father of all the sages and saints, of the Śrāvakas who have something more to learn, of the Śrāvakas who have nothing more to learn, and of those who aspire for Bodhisattvahood. Just as Srota-āpannas, Sakrdāgāmins, Anāgāmins, Arhats, and Pratyekabuddhas are superior to ordinary men, this sūtra is superior to any of the other sūtras expounded either by Tathāgatas or by Bodhisattvas or by Śrāvakas. The person who keeps this sūtra is superior to any other living being. Just as Bodhisattvas are superior to Śrāvakas or to Pratyekabuddhas, this sūtra is superior to any other sūtra. Just as the Buddha is the king of the Dharma, this sūtra is the king of all the sūtras.
Nichiren offers this on the 10 parables of this chapter.
The ten parables preached in the “Medicine King Bodhisattva” chapter of the Lotus Sūtra seem to compare the relative merits of the Lotus Sūtra against all other Buddhist scriptures, though this is not the true intent of Śākyamuni Buddha. In actuality, what the Buddha is preaching is that when we compare the practicer of the Lotus Sūtra against the practicer of all other scriptures of Buddhism, the former is like the sun and moon while the latter is like stars and lights.
How do we know this? We know this because of the most important statement in the eighth parable: “Likewise, one who is able to uphold this sūtra is the most superior of all living beings.” These 22 Chinese characters are the foremost essence of the entire Lotus Sūtra. They are the eyes of all living beings. This scriptural statement means, “The practicer of the Lotus Sūtra is like the Sun Deity, Moon Deity, King of the Brahma Heaven, and a Buddha while the practicer of the Great Sun Buddha Sūtra is like a star, river and an ordinary being.”
Therefore, anyone in this world, male or female, laity or clergy, who upholds the Lotus Sūtra will be regarded by the Buddha to be the lord of all living beings, and revered by the King of the Brahma Heaven and Indra. When I think of this, my joy is beyond expression.
Shijō Kingo-dono Nyōbō Gohenji, A Reply to the Wife of Lord Shijō Kingo, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 7, Followers II, Pages 120-121
The Buddha Heart in Each Character
The Lotus Sūtra was expounded by the Buddha in accordance with his own heart. In this Sūtra, the Buddha disclosed the entirety of his life, such as his compassion, his wisdom and his power to save people through his virtue. Thus, the Lotus Sūtra has been called the Buddha’s life itself.
After years of study, Nichiren Shōnin, the founder of our order, understood the profound and deep connection between the Lotus Sutra and the Buddha. Whenever he received gifts from his followers, he always wrote a “thank you” letter and reported to the Lotus Sūtra about the gifts. In this manner, he also taught his followers about the Buddha’s heart and intention. Whenever one reads the Lotus Sūtra with deep faith, each character of the Sūtra is equal to the Buddha himself because each character is his true heart.
Buddha Seed: Understanding the OdaimokuDaily Dharma – Aug. 31, 2018
It is not difficult
To grasp the sky,
And wander about with it
From place to place.
It is difficult
To copy and keep this sūtra
Or cause others to copy it
After my extinction.
The Buddha sang these verses in Chapter Eleven of the Lotus Sūtra for all those who had come to hear him teach. When we start on the path of enlightenment by finding joy in the Buddha Dharma, we might believe that the world will change around us to meet our expectations, and that we will have no more difficulties. Then when we do find hard times, we may even abandon this wonderful practice and go back to our habits of gratifying ourselves. Our founder Nichiren lived through unimaginable hardships so that we who follow him would not lose this precious teaching. The Buddha in these verses reminds us that difficulties are part of our practice, and that we can find a way to use any situation in life to benefit others.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
A Rabbit, a Horse and an Elephant Cross a River
[I]n the discourse of the Substance, [Chih-i] uses three analogies to distinguish correct or one-sided substance, from which he intends to imply that the Triple Dimension of Buddhism is embraced by the correct substance, namely, Teaching is reflected by the first analogy; Practice by the second one; and Realization by the third one.
The first analogy is concerned with three kinds of animal (a rabbit, a horse, and a big elephant) going across the river. The rabbit and the horse are not so strong, and thus, they swim through water without penetrating its depth, or without reaching the bottom (even though all of them reach the other shore). The rabbit and the horse analogize the Two Vehicles (śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas). The water analogizes emptiness, and the bottom analogizes no-emptiness. Since the Two Vehicles have less knowledge and cannot penetrate deeply to reach the bottom, they can only perceive emptiness but cannot perceive no-emptiness. The big elephant is strong and can reach the bottom. This analogizes the bodhisattva, for the bodhisattva, whose knowledge is profound, can not only perceive emptiness but also no-emptiness. In the case of touching the bottom, there are two levels that symbolize the perception of the Separate Teaching, and that of the Perfect Teaching in terms of the Ultimate Truth. The bottom, in this case, is also the analogy for the Ultimate Truth. In the procedure of reaching the other shore, the small elephant can only touch the mud in the bottom, which analogizes that, even though the bodhisattva can perceive no-emptiness, this knowledge of the Separate Teaching is still not the ultimate. The big elephant that can penetrate deeply to the firm ground in the bottom analogizes that this perception of no-emptiness with the knowledge of the Perfect Teaching is ultimate. From the dimension of the Teaching, this analogy singles out the knowledge of the Perfect Teaching that contains the Ultimate Truth as the only substance. (page 112-113)
The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra: Tien-tai Philosophy of BuddhismCustomary Stage-By-Stage Manner of Teaching
Then Shakyamuni, perceiving their reaction, taught them in his customary stage-by-stage manner, beginning with almsgiving, abiding by the moral precepts, and the assurance that good acts are rewarded by rebirth in a blessed state. He went on to teach the doctrine of cause and effect, to show the error of adhering to desire, and to emphasize the merit of renouncing it. Finally, when he saw that they were purified in heart, he taught them the basic Buddhist doctrine of the Four Noble Truths. The result of this teaching was that the overseers were enlightened to the correct Buddhist views of the world and of human life, were freed of all delusions, and attained the spotless Eye of the Law. They became lay believers in Buddhism for the rest of their lives and took refuge in the Buddha, the Law, and the Order.
The Beginnings of BuddhismDay 26
Day 26 concludes Chapter 21, The Supernatural Powers of the Tathāgatas, includes Chapter 22, Transmission, and introduces Chapter 23, The Previous Life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva.
Having last month concluded Chapter 22, Transmission, we begin Chapter 23, The Previous Life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva.
Thereupon Star-King-Flower Bodhisattva said to the Buddha:
“World-Honored One! Why does Medicine-King Bodhisattva walk about this Sahā-World? World-Honored One! This Medicine-King Bodhisattva will have to practice hundreds of thousands of billions of nayutas of austerities in this world. World-Honored One! Tell me why! Not only the gods, dragons, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, mahoragas, men and nonhuman beings but also the Bodhisattvas who have come from the other worlds’ and the Śrāvakas present here will be glad to hear the reason.”
Thereupon the Buddha said to Star-King-Flower Bodhisattva:
“Innumerable kalpas ago, that is, as many kalpas as there are sands in the River Ganges ago, there lived a Buddha called Sun-Moon-Pure-Bright-Virtue, the Tathāgata, the Deserver of Offerings, the Perfectly Enlightened One, the Man of Wisdom and Practice, the Well-Gone, the Knower of the World, the Unsurpassed Man, the Controller of Men, the Teacher of Gods and Men, the Buddha, the World-Honored One. He was accompanied by eight thousand million great Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas and also by great Śrāvakas numbering seventy-two times as many as there are sands in the River Ganges. The duration of his life was forty-two thousand kalpas. So were the durations of the lives of the Bodhisattvas. His world was devoid of women, hellish denizens, hungry spirits, animals and asuras. There was no calamity in his world. The ground of his world was as even as the palm of the hand. It was made of lapis lazuli, adorned with jeweled trees, and covered with a jeweled awning from which the streamers of jeweled flowers were hanging down. Jeweled vases and incense-burners were seen everywhere in that world. There was a platform of the seven treasures at the distance of a bowshot from each of the jeweled trees under which the Bodhisattvas and Śrāvakas were sitting. On each of the platforms of treasures, myriads of millions of gods were making heavenly music, singing songs of praise of the Buddha, and offering the music and songs to the Buddha.
The Daily Dharma from April 3, 2017, offers this:
Thereupon Star-King-Flower Bodhisattva said to the Buddha: “World-Honored One! Why does Medicine-King Bodhisattva walk about this Sahā-World? World-Honored One! This Medicine-King Bodhisattva will have to practice hundreds of thousands of billions of nayutas of austerities in this world.
This excerpt is from Chapter Twenty-Three of the Lotus Sutra. Star-King-Flower Bodhisattva is aware of the difficulties that Medicine-King or any other Bodhisattva will encounter while living in this world of conflict (Sahā) and asks the Buddha why this Bodhisattva would give up the pleasures of the higher realms to which he is entitled. The Buddha then tells the story of Medicine-King’s previous life, in which he gave up many attachments, including the attachment to his own body. These stories of Bodhisattvas are reminders of our own capacities, and that no matter what difficulties we face in our lives, our determination to benefit all beings, our certainty of enlightenment, and the help we receive from other beings will lead us to overcome any problems.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
The Rich Man and His Poor Son
Man is said by Chinese moralists to be the chief of all living beings in this world. But when a man is engrossed in pursuing his own interests, and cannot live in peace with his neighbours, how can he deserve so high a title? Let us take an illustration. There is one, say, who is entirely ignorant of the Truth. He does not know that in his real nature he is identical with the Buddha of Original Enlightenment, but regards himself as a debased and common person incapable of instruction. In short, he is such a one as Buddha would call a mendicant. But he was not always thus. He began life as the son of a rich man to whom he was very dear. Yet he left his good father, and wandered to and fro upon the earth till forty years had elapsed; during which period his father went to live in a foreign land, so that the prodigal could not rejoin him even when he wanted to, but sank into the direst poverty. But was this poverty, this beggary, his true and original condition? Was it the state proper to a rich man’s heir? No! The beggar is but the image of the real man. He is like the Chinese philosopher Chuang-tzu when he dreamt he was a butterfly. The butterfly had only a temporary and subjective existence in the consciousness of the dreamer; it was not Chuang-tzu himself, but vanished when he awoke. Our wanderer, however, is still asleep; alas he is still dreaming that he is a beggar. Under this delusion he is taken captive by the five appetites of colour, sound, smell, taste, and touch, and humbled by the seven passions of cheerfulness, anger, sorrow, pleasure, love, hate, and avarice; he becomes unjust and partial, and aims only at self-interest; he sinks into the gulfs of sadness, melancholy, pains, and troubles; he assumes that his soul is doomed to pass through a series of painful transformations in the six forms of living beings – such as hungry devils, brutes, and so forth. To enable such a one to awake from his dream, and recover from the confusion that besets him, our Sect appoints the Great Mandala as the Chief Object of Worship, which manifests the identity existing between the Buddha and the multitude, and helps people to form a determination to become enlightened. If the beggar we have been speaking of looks steadfastly at this Mandala and sees his own person reflected there, so as to free himself from the base idea of self-renunciation, he will soon become a Buddha of Original Enlightenment in spite of his outward ordinary appearance, just as, on Chuang-tzu awaking from his dream, the butterfly disappeared and the dreamer became himself again. Thus restored, the beggar will be once more the rich man’s son. Sariputra, one of Sakyamuni’s disciples, is said to have become Keko Buddha without undergoing any change in his appearance. Therefore Sakyamuni says, “The Mandala is the mysterious ground on which any man can acquire enlightenment and become a Buddha.”
Doctrines of Nichiren (1893)A Good Buddhist Friend
Friends form a unique relationship; true friendship is one of mutual commitment to the well-being of the other. Friendship takes time to build. It takes trust, openness, and a desire to put in to it freely just for the benefit of the other, and not just for what can be taken away. And from a Buddhist perspective a good Buddhist friend can help us to maintain our practice, a person who will tell us when we have done something right or when we might do something better. A good Buddhist friend will not merely say things just to make us feel good. Instead, they will say things to us that will make us be good. This is also the kind of friend we can become to others. Helping them attain Buddhahood is the best gift we can give to our friends.
Lotus Path: Practicing the Lotus Sutra Volume 1