[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.
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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 Buddhism