Monthly Archives: July 2019

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – July 27, 2019

World-Honored One! I have never seen anyone like you before. Your teachings have these inconceivable, wonderful merits. The practices performed according to your teachings and precepts are peaceful and pleasant. From today on, I will not act according to my own mind. I will not have wrong views, arrogance, anger or any other evil thought.

King Wonderful-Adornment makes this declaration to Cloud-Thunderpeal-Star-King-Flower-Wisdom Buddha in Chapter Twenty-Seven of the Lotus Sūtra. The king had been led to this Buddha by his sons, who showed him the wonders they learned from their practice of the Buddha Dharma. With his mind purified by hearing the Buddha’s teachings, he makes this aspiration to behave differently. Whether or not he can keep this aspiration, he shows his realization that hearing the teachings is not enough. Practicing them means changing our minds and how we live.

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

LS32

Day 2

Chapter 1, Introductory (Conclusion).

Day 2 Text with annotationsPlay MP3

Having last month considered what Mañjuśrī saw as a result of the light emitted by the Buddha in the past, we witness what happened when Sun-Moon-Light Buddha emerged from his samādhi.

The four kinds of devotees
Of the world of Sun-Moon-Light Buddha
Also saw the Buddha displaying this great wonder.
They had great joy.
They asked one another:
“Why is he doing this?”

He who was honored by gods and men
Emerged from his samādhi,
And praised Wonderful-Light Bodhisattva, saying:
“You are the eyes of the world.

You are believed and relied on
By all living beings.
You are keeping the store of the Dharma.
Only you will understand the Dharma which I shall expound.”

Having praised Wonderful-Light
And caused him to rejoice,
That World-Honored One expounded
The Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.
He never rose from his seat for sixty small kalpas.
Wonderful-Light, the Teacher of the Dharma,
Kept the Wonderful Dharma
Expounded by that World-Honored One.

That the Buddha expounded the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma for sixty small kalpas underscores that there are many versions of the Lotus Sutra beyond what we read here.

21days, Innumerable

21 Days: Where This Sutra Comes From

Gathering quotes from the The Sutra of Innumerable Meanings, here’s the Buddha’s response to a question from Magnificently Adorned Bodhisattva (Reeves, p42):

“Good son, you ask where this sutra comes from, where is it headed, and where it will live. Now you should listen carefully. Good son, this sutra originally comes from the home of all the buddhas, goes toward the aspiration for awakening of all the living, and lives wherever bodhisattvas practice. Good son, this sutra comes like this, goes like this, and lives like this. Thus, having such innumerable blessings and amazing powers, this sutra enables people to attain unexcelled awakening quickly.”

Lotus Path

Seeing the Gem

Quote

Looking into our lives to find those things that prevent us from accomplishing what we wish is fundamental to Buddhist practice. … Also a hindrance is the desire to seek out some new and improved practice. Focus less on the tool and more on the skill. We can become like junk collectors accumulating lots of needless and useless things in an attic. We have the gem; the wisdom to see it and use it is what’s important.

Lotus Path: Practicing the Lotus Sutra Volume 1

Daily Dharma, d26b

Daily Dharma – July 26, 2019

The Buddhas joyfully display
Their immeasurable, supernatural powers
Because [the Bodhisattvas from underground]
[Vow to] keep this sūtra after my extinction.

The Buddha sings these verses to Superior-Practice Bodhisattva (Jōgyo, Viśiṣṭacārītra) in Chapter Twenty-One of the Lotus Sūtra. Superior-Practice is the leader of the Bodhisattvas who came up from underground in Chapter Fifteen when the Buddha asked who would continue to keep and practice this sūtra after his physical extinction in this world. Nichiren saw himself as the embodiment of Superior-Practice, and all of us who are determined to lead all beings to enlightenment through this Wonderful Dharma as embodiments of the Bodhisattvas who came up from underground. The powers of the Buddhas only seem supernatural to those who are mired in delusion and ignorance. They are nothing more than turning the poison of anger into the medicine of energy; the poison of isolation into the medicine of compassion; the poison of attachment into the medicine of wisdom.

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

Blog, LS32

Which Lotus Sutra

20190725_Reeves_LotusSutra
Tabbed and ready to go

Today I began what will be my 44th cycle of 32 Days of the Lotus Sutra posts. At the start of cycle 43 I had intended to make two cycles through The Threefold Lotus Sutra as translated by Bunnō Katō, et al. and revised by W.E. Soothill et al. in 1975. I just couldn’t make it. Today’s post 21 Days: Lost in Translation illustrates part of my disappointment with this translation. But, worse still, this is just not a translation that lends itself to reading aloud and that is a serious failing when you are using it as I am.

As a result I’ve switched a cycle early to Gene Reeves 2008 translation of The Lotus Sutra. Like the Threefold Lotus Sutra, Reeves translation includes The Sutra of Innumerable Meanings and The Sutra of Contemplation of the Dharma Practice of Universal Sage Bodhisattva. It was Reeves’ translation that I have used most often in my 21-Day Retreat posts.

Having read those auxiliary sutras I know what to expect as I cycle through the 28 chapters of the Lotus Sutra. For example, I am not a fan of Reeves’ decision to change “dragons, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, mahoragas” to “dragons, satyrs, centaurs, asuras, griffins, chimeras, pythons.” I’m also not a fan of using Law in place Dharma.

Still as I start this cycle I know Reeves’ translation at the very least lends itself well to my daily reading aloud.

Update July 27, 2019: I was in error saying Reeves’ translation uses Law instead of Dharma. The Threefold Lotus Sutra translation is the one that uses Law instead of Dharma.

LS32

Day 1

Day 1 covers the first half of Chapter 1, Introductory

Day 1 Text with annotationsPlay MP3

Having last month met King Ajatasatru and the the four kinds of devotees, we witness the Buddha emit a ray of light from the white curls between his eyebrows illumining all the corners of eighteen thousand worlds in the east.

Thereupon the Buddha emitted a ray of light from the white curls between his eyebrows, and illumined all the corners of eighteen thousand worlds in the east, down to the Avchi Hell of each world, and up to the Akanistha Heaven of each world. The congregation saw from this world the living beings of the six regions of those worlds. They also saw the present Buddhas of those worlds. They also heard the Dharma expounded by those Buddhas. They also saw the bhikṣus, bhikṣunīs, upāsakās and upāsikās of those worlds who had already attained [the various fruits of] enlightenment by their various practices. They also saw the Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas [of those worlds] who were practicing the Way of Bodhisattvas [in various ways] according to the variety of their karmas which they had done in their previous existence, and also according to the variety of their ways of understanding [the Dharma] by faith. They also saw the past Buddhas [of those worlds] who had already entered into Parinirvana. They also saw the stupas of the seven treasures which had been erected to enshrine the śarīras of those Buddhas after their Parinirvana.

Nichiren writes about omens:

Grand Master T’ien-t’ai states in his Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sūtra fascicle 6, “It is said in a secular society that a cobweb is an advance notice of a happy event and chirps of a magpie foretell the arrival of a traveler. Even such trifle matters in the secular world are foreshadowed by an omen, how much more so the advent of the Buddhist Dharma. Based on worldly matters, we can conjecture the profound truth of Buddhism.” Thus, the Buddha showcased the greatest omens that had never been seen during the more than 40 years in His lifetime when He expounded the theoretical section of the Lotus Sūtra.

Zuisō Gosho, Writing on Omens, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 6, Followers I, Page 122

21days, Universal Sage

21 Days: Lost in Translation

The Sutra of Contemplation of the Dharma Practice of Universal Sage Bodhisattva (Reeves) and The Sutra of Meditation on the Bodhistattva Universal Virtue (Threefold Lotus Sutra) and The Sutra Expounded by the Buddha on Practice of the Way through Contemplation of the Bodhisattva All-embracing Goodness (BDK English Tripitaka) all offer English translations of the ancient Chinese translation of this sutra, which is considered the closing sutra of the Lotus Sutra.

Before this three-week stay-cation retreat I didn’t fully appreciate the difficulty in creating these English versions of a sutra. It is not a simple task of finding the English word for the Chinese word. There’s a lot more required and a good example is this quote from the Reeves translation (Page 416):

“Where can I practice the teaching of repentance?”

The voice in the sky will then say: “Shakyamuni Buddha is called Vairocana, the Omnipresent. His dwelling place is called Always Tranquil Light, a place that is taken up by constant practice, a place that is made stable by self-practice, a place where the characteristics of existence are extinguished by pure practice, a place where body and mind cannot live in comfortable practice, a place where the character of existing or non-existing cannot be seen in anything, and a place of tranquil liberation, which is the practice of wisdom. Because these forms are the ever-present Dharma, you should now meditate on the buddhas in the ten directions.”

I could follow most of this illustration of the Buddha’s teaching of emptiness, but I stumbled over “where body and mind cannot live in comfortable practice.” So I went to the other translations that I have.

Here’s what the Threefold Lotus Sutra (Page 363-363) offers:

“At what place may I practice the law of repentance?”

Thereupon the voice in the sky will speak thus, saying: “Śākyamuni Buddha is called Vairocana Who Pervades All Places, and his dwelling place is called Eternally Tranquil Light, the place which is composed of permanency-pāramitā, and stabilized by self-pāramitā, the place where purity-pāramitā extinguishes the aspect of existence, where bliss-pāramitā does not abide in the aspect of one’s body and mind, and where the aspects of all the laws cannot be seen as either existing or non-existing, the place of tranquil emancipation or prajn͂āpāramitā. Because these forms are based on permanent law, thus you must now meditate on the buddhas in all directions.

For me, this was incomprehensible and another reason why I’ve shunned this translation of the entire threefold sutra.

Which brings us to the BDK translation (Page 69):

At what place may I now practice the way of self-amendment?

The ethereal voice will then immediately reply, saying:

Śākyamuni Buddha is Vairocana – the One Who Is Present in All Places. Where this buddha abides is called Perpetual Tranquil Light – where perpetuity is perfectly achieved, where the perfect truth of self is constituted, where perfect purity casts off the aspects of existence, where perfect happiness is no longer a characteristic that occupies body and mind, where phenomena are no longer perceived as having or not having aspects, where likewise there is serene liberation as well as perfect wisdom. As these are features of the ever-abiding Dharma, you must accordingly contemplate the buddhas of the ten directions!

Already understanding the concept of emptiness of self – there is no fixed, enduring thing that is myself; what we perceive is provisional existence that arises from causes and conditions; and the Middle Way encompasses all of this – the BDK translation left far fewer questions. It also gave me a much better appreciation of the task of translating Buddhist texts into English.

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – July 25, 2019

Mañjuśrī! What are the proper practices the Bodhisattva-mahāsattva should perform? He should be patient, mild and meek. He should not be rash, timorous, or attached to anything. He should see things as they are. He should not be attached to his non-attachment to anything. Nor should he be attached to his seeing things as they are. These are the proper practices the Bodhisattva-mahāsattva should perform.

The Buddha makes this explanation to Mañjuśrī in Chapter Fourteen of the Lotus Sūtra in which he describes the peaceful practices of a Bodhisattva. When we learn to see things differently, we act differently. Conversely, when we act in ways that are not beneficial, either to ourselves or to others, it is an indication that we are not seeing things as they are. At the same time, not being attached to non-attachment helps us realize that becoming enlightened is a process, and that becoming proud of our achievements is another indication of being stuck and not seeing things as they are.

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

21days, Universal Sage

21 Days: Reading and Reciting the Sutras of the Expansive Teaching

From The Sutra of Contemplation of the Dharma Practice of Universal Sage Bodhisattva (Reeves, p420), something I want to set aside for future reference:

Having recited these verses, the Buddha said to Ananda: “Repent now of the six sense faculties, embrace the teaching of meditation on Universal Sage Bodhisattva, and explain it clearly everywhere for all the heavenly beings and people in all directions. After the extinction of the Buddha, if the disciples receive and embrace, read and recite, and explain the sutras of the Great Vehicle, the Expansive Teaching, in a quiet place, such as a graveyard or under the trees of a monastery, they should read and recite the sutras of the Expansive Teaching and should think about the meaning of the Great Vehicle. As a result of the strong power of reflecting. They will be able to see my body, the Stupa of Abundant Treasures Buddha, the countless buddhas embodied in all directions, Universal Sage Bodhisattva, Manjushri Bodhisattva, Medicine King Bodhisattva, and Medicine Lord Bodhisattva. As a result of revering the Dharma, these buddhas and bodhisattvas, living in the sky with wonderful flowers, will praise and revere those who practice and embrace the Dharma. And as a result just of their reciting the sutras of the Great Vehicle, the Expansive Teaching, the buddhas and bodhisattvas will make offerings day and night to those who embrace the Dharma. …

“After the extinction of the Buddha, if his disciples faithfully follow the Buddha’s words and practice repentance, it should be known that they are doing the work of Universal Sage. Those who do the work of Universal Sage neither see evil characteristics nor experience retribution from evil actions. If there are living beings who show respect to the buddhas in all ten directions six times night and day, recite the Great Vehicle sutras, and think about the profound first principle of the teaching of emptiness, in the time it takes to snap one’s fingers they will rid themselves of the sins of life and death committed during hundreds of myriads of thousands of billions of eons. Anyone doing this work is truly a child of the Buddha, born from the buddhas. The buddhas in all directions and the bodhisattvas will become their teachers. Such people will be said to be perfect in bodhisattva precepts. Without going through a special ceremony, they will become accomplished naturally, and be worthy of receiving offerings from all human and heavenly beings.”

Accomplished naturally without going through a special ceremony.