Monthly Archives: June 2019

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – June 11, 2019

The Buddha said to Endless-Intent Bodhisattva: “Good man! If many hundreds of thousands of billions of living beings hear [the name of] World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva and call his name with all their hearts when they are under various sufferings, World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva will immediately perceive their voices, and cause them to emancipate themselves [from the sufferings].”

The Buddha gives this description of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva (Kuan-Yin, Kannon, Kanzeon, Avalokitesvara) to Endless-Intent Bodhisattva in Chapter Twenty-Five of the Lotus Sūtra. World-Voice-Perceiver is the embodiment of compassion, a living manifestation of the desire that all beings be happy and free from suffering. By calling the name of this Bodhisattva, we awaken the compassion within ourselves. We become this Bodhisattva and remove our fear of suffering. With this awakening we can be fully present for those in this world of conflict who are suffering and liberate ourselves from the delusion and isolation of our own suffering.

The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com

LS32

Day 22

Day 22 covers all of Chapter 17, The Variety of Merits.

Day 22 Text with annotationsPlay MP3

Having last month considered what the good men or women who hear of the Buddha’s longevity and understand it by firm faith will see, we consider the merits of those who keep or copy the Lotus Sūtra.

“Ajita! Anyone who, after hearing this sūtra, keeps or copies it or causes others to copy it after my extinction, should be considered to have already built many hundreds of thousands of billions of monasteries, that is to say, innumerable monasteries, each of which was installed with thirty-two beautiful halls made of red candana, eight times as tall as the tala-tree, and spacious enough to accommodate one hundred thousand bhikṣus. He also should be considered to have already furnished [those monasteries] with gardens, forests, pools for bathing, promenades, and caves for the practice of dhyāna, and filled [those monasteries] with clothing, food, drink, bedding, medicine, and things for amusements, and offered [those monasteries] to me and to the Saṃgha of bhikṣus in my presence. Therefore, I say, ‘Anyone who keeps, reads or recites this sūtra, expounds it to others, copies it, causes others to copy it, or makes offerings to a copy of it after my extinction, need not build a stupa or a monastery, or make offering to the Saṃgha.’ Needless to say, anyone who not only keeps this sūtra but also gives alms, observe the precepts, practices patience, makes endeavors, concentrates his mind, and seeks wisdom, will be able to obtain the most excellent and innumerable merits. His merits will be as limitless as the sky is in the east, west, south, north, the four intermediate quarters, the zenith, and the nadir. These innumerable merits of his will help him obtain the knowledge of the equality and differences of all things.

“Anyone who reads, recites or keeps this sūtra, expounds it to others, copies it, or causes others to copy it [in my lifetime,] should be considered to have already built stupas and monasteries, made offerings to the Saṃgha of Śrāvakas, praised them, praised Bodhisattvas for their merits by hundreds of thousands of billions of ways of praising, expounded this Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma to others with various stories of previous lives according to the meanings of it, observed the precepts without fallacy, lived with gentle persons, practiced patience, refrained from anger, become resolute in mind, preferred sitting in dhyāna, practiced deep concentrations of mind, become strenuous and brave, practiced good teachings, become clever and wise, and answered questions satisfactorily.

Ajita! Any good man or woman who keeps, reads, or recites this sūtra after my extinction, also will be able to obtain these merits. Know this! He or she should be considered to have already reached the place of enlightenment, approached Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi, and sat under the tree of enlightenment. Ajita! Erect a stupa in the place where he or she sat, stood or walked! All gods and men should make offerings to that stupa just as they do to the stupa of a Buddha.”

Having completed the review of the content from Miraculous Tales of the Lotus Sutra from Ancient Japan, we turn to the earlier Miraculous Stories from the Japanese Buddhist Tradition. Today’s tale: On Recollecting and Reciting the Hoke-kyō and Gaining an Immediate Reward to Show an Extraordinary Sign.

Nihon

On Recollecting and Reciting the Hoke-kyō and Gaining an Immediate Reward to Show an Extraordinary Sign

In Kazuraki upper district, Yamato province there was once a devotee of the Hoke-kyō. He came from the Tajihi family, and, even before he was eight years old, he could recite the Hoke-kyō with the exception of one character which always escaped his memory and continued to escape it even when he was in his twenties.

Once he prayed to Kannon, confessing his offenses, and had a dream. A man said to him, “In your previous existence you were the child of Kusakabe no Saru in Wake district, Iyo province. At that time while reciting the scripture you burned one character with a lamp so that you could no longer read it. Now, go and see.”

When he awoke, he was filled with wonder, and he said to his parents, “I want to go to Iyo on urgent business.” They consented.

Setting forth on his quest, he reached Saru’s home at last and knocked at the door. A woman came and reported back to her mistress with a smile, saying, “There is a guest at the door who looks exactly like your deceased son.” On hearing this, the mistress went to the door to see the guest, finding him the very image of her deceased son. In wonder, the master asked the guest, “Who are you?” And the latter answered by announcing the name of his home district and province. In turn, the guest asked the same question, and he was given a detailed answer. It became evident to him that they were his parents in his former life. He knelt down to pay respect to them. Saru affectionately invited him into the house, and, staring at him as he sat in the seat of honor, said, “Aren’t you the spirit of my deceased son?” Their guest told them in detail about his dream and announced that the old couple were his parents. Saru, after some reminiscing, motioned to him, saying, “My late son, so and so, lived in this hall, read this scripture, and used this pitcher.” The son entered the hall, opened the scripture, and found that the character which he could never remember was missing, for it had been burned with a lamp. When the young man repented of his offense and repaired the text, he could recite it correctly. Parents and son were amazed and delighted, and the son never lost the parent-child relationship and his sense of filial piety.

The note says : How happy is this member of the Kusakabe family who, in pursuit of the path through Buddhist scriptures, recited the Hoke-kyō in two lives, present and past, and served two fathers to be renowned in posterity. It is an extraordinary phenomenon, and not commonplace. Indeed, we are sure it is due to the divine influence of the Hoke-kyō and the miraculous power of Kannon. In the same spirit, the Zen’aku inga-kyō says, “Look at present effects if you want to know past causes. Look at present deeds if you want to know future effects. (Page 129-130)

Miraculous Stories from the Japanese Buddhist Tradition (Nihon ryōiki)

Lotus Seeds

Ordinary Buddhahood

Quote

Another principle of non-duality important in Nichiren Buddhism is the teaching that “with this present body we can become Buddhas.” This principle points to the fact that the state of Buddhahood is not so idealized that it cannot be attained by ordinary people living ordinary lives. A Buddha is not some kind of god-like being, but simply someone who has awakened to the truth and teaches it to others.

Lotus Seeds

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – June 10, 2019

Now I will tell you.
Listen to me
With one mind!

The Buddha speaks these verses in Chapter Six of the Lotus Sūtra. When we understand what someone tells us, it is as if we share a mind with that person. When we listen and understand what the Buddha teaches us, we are of one mind with him. We then have the Buddha mind.

The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com

LS32

Day 21

Day 21 covers all of Chapter 16, The Duration of the Life of the Tathāgata.

Day 21 Text with annotationsPlay MP3

Having last month concluded the Parable of the Skillful Physician and His Sick Children, we consider whether the physician lied to his children.

“Good men! What do you think of this? Do you think that anyone can accuse this excellent physician of falsehood?”

“No, World-Honored One!”

The Buddha said:

“I am like the father. It is many hundreds of thousands of billions of nayutas of asaṃkhyas of kalpas since I became the Buddha. In order to save the [perverted] people, I say expediently, ‘I shall pass away.’ No one will accuse me of falsehood by the [common] law.”

Today we conclude our sampling of the content from Miraculous Tales of the Lotus Sutra from Ancient Japan with a tale of Priest Dōei of Hōdōin Who Left Mount Hiei.

Miracles

Priest Dōei of Hōdōin Who Left Mount Hiei

Priest Dōei was a man from Ōmi Province. In his youth, he went to Mt. Hiei and lived in the Hōdōin. Since he was one of those who received government support, he spent as much as twelve years sequestered in the mountain. There he read, learned the Mahāyāna Teachings, served his masters, venerated Buddhas by offering flowers, and spent many years reading the sūtras. Twelve years later, he finally returned to his country.

As he quietly remained at home, he reflected, “Being unintelligent, I have not learned much about the teachings of the Law. Lacking energy, I have not accomplished much by my ascetic practices. I only add years to my age and the remaining years before the expiration of my life are fewer. If I spend this life vainly, surely I will tread the path to the Three Lower Realms of fire, blood, and swords. Unless I plant good seeds now, I will not be able to gather the good fruit of Buddha. I think I will copy the Hokekyō.”

Thus deciding, Dōei began to copy the sūtra. Every time he finished copying one chapter, he made it a roll with a cover and invited five experts for veneration, discussion, and lecturing on the chapter. In this manner he offered a venerating dedication for the sūtra a few times or five to six times a month depending on the number of copies. This continued for some ten years and Dōei awaited his last moments as he firmly vowed, “For generation after generation, if one meets Buddhas and the Law, and if one copies the marvelous Hokekyō, one will surely become a Buddha on leaving one’s present status.”

At one time Dōei dreamed of a two-storied golden pagoda constructed in his front yard. It was most beautifully decorated with Korean lutes, with bells hanging from the spire on the top of the roof, and with the bejeweled ball placed at the tip of the spire. Looking at the pagoda, Dōei earnestly venerated it. Then a man resembling Taishaku appeared and said to Dōei , “This is the pagoda for storing your copied sūtras. Open its doors and see the interior.”

Being overjoyed by his dream, Dōei opened the doors and saw that every part of the interior of the pagoda except that towards the northeast was filled with several hundred copies of piled sūtras.

The man said again, “All the sūtras you copied in your present life are in this pagoda. You will ascend to the Tosotsu Heaven with this pagoda.”

Dōei woke up from his dream and leaped up and down with unlimited joy. Afterwards, his faith in the sūtra became firmer and he continued to copy it.

As he grew older, he became unable to walk and moved to the Yasu district, relying on his acquaintances. Towards the end of his life, Dōei finished copying the Chapter of Fugen. He venerated it with lectures, paid homage to it, joined his palms and passed away. (Page 51-52)

Miraculous Tales of the Lotus Sutra from Ancient Japan


Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – June 9, 2019

Thereupon Medicine-King Bodhisattva said to the Buddha, “World-Honored One! Now I will give dhāraṇī-spells to the expounder of the Dharma in order to protect him.”

This promise to the Buddha from Medicine-King Bodhisattva comes in Chapter Twenty-Six of the Lotus Sutra. The dhāraṇīs are given in a language that nobody understands any more. But this does not reduce their effectiveness. In the second chapter of the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha declared that his wisdom cannot be reached by understanding alone. There is another, nonverbal aspect of his teaching that we must comprehend. The dhāraṇīs not only give us reassurance that beings we cannot comprehend are helping us to become enlightened, they also remind us to look for the unspoken teachings that are part of the Buddha Dharma.

The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com

LS32

Day 20

Day 20 completes Chapter 15, The Appearance of Bodhisattvas from Underground, and concludes the Fifth Volume of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

Day 20 Text with annotationsPlay MP3

Having last month considered the idea of a man, 25, saying old men, 100 years old, are his sons, we hear Maitreya Bodhisattva repeat gāthās his question about the Bodhisattvas who emerged from the earth and conclude Chapter 15, The Appearance of Bodhisattvas from Underground.

Thereupon Maitreya Bodhisattva, wishing to repeat what he had said, sang in gāthās:

It is not long
Since you renounced the family of the Śākyas
And sat under the Bodhi-tree
Near Gaya.

These sons of yours are innumerable.
They have practiced
The way to Buddhahood for a long time.
They have supernatural powers and the power of wisdom.

They have studied the Way of Bodhisattvas well.
They are not defiled by worldliness
Just as the lotus-flower
Is not defiled by water.

They sprang up from underground,
And are now standing before you respectfully.
This is difficult to understand.
How can we believe this?

You attained enlightenment quite recently.
But you have done so many things.
Remove our doubts!
Explain all this as it is!

Suppose a man twenty-five years old
Points to grey-haired and wrinkle-faced men
A hundred years old,
And says, “They are my sons.”
Suppose old men point to a young man
And say, “He is our father.”
No one in the world will believe
That a father is younger than his sons.

You are like the father.
You attained enlightenment quite recently.
These Bodhisattvas are resolute in mind.
They are not timid.
They have practiced the Way of Bodhisattva
For the past innumerable kalpas.

They are good at answering difficult questions.
They are fearless and patient.
They are handsome, powerful and virtuous.
They are praised by the Buddhas
Of the worlds of the ten quarter .
They expound [the Dharma] clearly.

They did not wish to live among men.
They preferred dwelling in dhyana-concentration.
They lived in the sky below
In order to attain the enlightenment of the Buddha.

We do not doubt your words
Because we heard them direct from you.
Explain all this so that the living beings in the future
May be able to understand your words, Buddha!

Those who doubt this sūtra
And do not believe it
Will fall into the evil regions.
Explain all this to us now!

How did you teach these innumerable Bodhisattvas
In such a short time,
And cause them to aspire for enlightenment
And not falter in seeking enlightenment?

[Here ends] the Fifth Volume of the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

Continuing with the content from Miraculous Tales of the Lotus Sutra from Ancient Japan, we learn of Priest Myōtatsu of Ryūgeji Temple of Dewa Province.

Miracles

Priest Myōtatsu of Ryūgeji Temple of Dewa Province

Myōtatsu was a resident priest of the Fuyama-Ryūgeji Temple of the Takawa District of Dewa Province. Being pure in mind and conduct, he was not spoiled by the vulgarities of life. He firmly followed the precepts, always feared sins and crime, and recited the Hokekyō. He avoided idleness, was filled with mercy, and always enjoyed offering blessings and benefits to others.

In the ninth year of Tenryaku, Myōtatsu, with no particular illness or pain, suddenly passed away holding a copy of the Hokekyō in his hand and arrived at the King Yama’s palace. King Yama descended from his seat and paid homage to Myōtatsu, saying, “You are not called here because of the termination of your life span, but on account of your devotion to the Hokekyō and your deep knowledge of both the Buddhist and Chinese writings. You are the guardian of the Correct Law in these degenerated times. I have invited you here to urge you to explain good and evil deeds to all the people in Japan. So Holy Man, Myōtatsu, benefit your people by encouraging their practice of good deeds and by discouraging their practice of evil deeds. The effect on the good and the bad souls shall be recorded in separate writings.”

Seven days later, Myōtatsu revived, and told others about his experiences in King Yama’s Palace, explaining about the Land After Death. All who listened were awestruck, abstained from evil deeds, and entered Buddhahood. They practised good deeds, made Buddhist images, copied the sūtras, and constructed halls and pagodas. Their numbers were countless. This was all due to hearing and believing Myōtatsu who once died and brought King Yama’s message.

Myōtatsu respected the Hokekyō during his entire life and achieved the Way. In his last moments, with an incense burner in his hand, Myōtatsu single-mindedly paid homage to the Three Treasures as well as to the various Buddhas for one-hundred-and-eight times. Paying his last homage, he touched the ground with his forehead, his palms pressed together over his head, and passed away. (Page 37-38)

Miraculous Tales of the Lotus Sutra from Ancient Japan