Monthly Archives: August 2019

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Aug. 27, 2019

Having made these offerings [to the Buddha], he emerged from the samādhi, and thought, ‘I have now made offerings to the Buddha by my supernatural powers. But these offerings are less valuable than the offering of my own body.’

In Chapter Twenty-Three of the Lotus Sūtra, the Buddha tells the story of Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva, the previous life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva. This Bodhisattva practiced under an ancient Buddha, and made exorbitant offerings to that Buddha through his supernatural powers. He then realized that all the riches of the universe that he could conjure up paled in comparison to the treasure of his own body and his own life. He then made an offering of his body to the Buddha, which illuminated innumerable worlds. Nichiren wrote often of the hardships he faced in his life and those of his followers. He wrote of “reading the Lotus Sūtra with our bodies,” meaning bringing the Buddha’s wisdom to life in our lives. When we act according to the Wonderful Dharma, no matter what hardships we face, then we too are living the Lotus Sūtra, and making a perfect offering from our gratitude to the Buddha.

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

LS32, Universal Sage

Between Day 32 and Day 1 Again

Having competed my 44th cycle through the Lotus Sutra, it is again time to consider The Sutra of Contemplation of the Dharma Practice of Universal Sage Bodhisattva and since this is the first complete cycle since my 21-day stay-cation retreat, it seems appropriate to start at the very beginning:

This is what I heard.

At one time the Buddha was staying in the kingdom of Vaisali, in the multi-storied assembly hall of the Great Forest Monastery. He said to all the monks: “After three months, surely I will enter complete nirvana.”

Then the Venerable Ananda rose from his seat, straightened his robe, put his palms together, and circled around the Buddha three times. Kneeling with his palms together, he paid his respects, gazing at the Tathagata attentively without turning away for even a moment. Mahakashyapa, the elder, and Maitreya Bodhisattva, the great one, also rose from their seats and, with palms together and gazing up at his honored face, paid respects to the Buddha.

Then the three great leaders spoke to the Buddha in one voice: “World-Honored One, after the extinction of the Tathagata, how can living beings aspire to be bodhisattvas, follow the Great Vehicle sutras, the Expansive Teaching, and think about the world of one truth correctly? How can they keep from losing their aspiration for unexcelled awakening? Without cutting off their afflictions and renouncing the five desires, how can they purify their sense organs and completely rid themselves of their sins? With the natural pure eyes received at birth from their parents, and without leaving the world of the five desires, how can they see past their hindrances?” (Reeves, p401)

Two points to make here: Note the very sparse crowd here. This is not the grand Lotus Sutra. This is a practice guide. The Lotus Sutra has been described as a preface to a sermon that’s never delivered. I reject that. Instead I see the Lotus Sutra as a carefully constructed house, a grand mansion of precious materials. The walls and floors and ceilings and doors of this sutra define the boundaries of the mansion. Those who practice the Lotus Sutra do so by exploring within the rooms and halls of this great mansion. By comparison, the Contemplation of Universal Sage is but one room equipped with tools for self-improvement.

buddhaseed

The Ultimate Form of Reciting the Odaimoku

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Nichiren Shōnin took the Buddha’s vows as his own and did not spare his life to spread the Odaimoku. This is the actual meaning of Shiki doku, reading the Lotus Sūtra by realizing its teaching through our experience; and, it is the ultimate form of reciting the Odaimoku verbally and faithfully.

Buddha Seed: Understanding the Odaimoku

WONS

Saving Ajātaśatru to Save All Sinners

When Śākyamuni Buddha was about to pass away, He lamented, “I will die soon. My only worry concerns King Ajātaśatru.” Upon hearing this, Kashōdōji Bodhisattva asked the Buddha, “The compassion of the Buddha should extend equally to all. Your life should be considered precious for the sake of all living beings. Why do You only think of King Ajātaśatru?” The Buddha answered, “Suppose a couple has seven children, one of whom falls ill. Although the children are equal in the hearts of the parents, they worry most about the sick child.”

Grand Master T’ien-t’ai interprets the above scriptural passage in his Great Concentration and Insight, “As the Buddha answered: ‘Although the love of parents for their seven children is not biased, they worry especially about the sick one,’ thus even if parents have many children they pay special attention to the one who is ill.”

All living beings are children of the Buddha. Among them, the sinful ones who kill their parents or become enemies of Buddhism are like the sick child. As the Buddha approached death, he worried that “Ajātaśatru was the King of the Magadha Kingdom. He killed King Bimbisāra, who was My great supporter; thus becoming an enemy of the Buddha. As a result, heavenly beings abandoned him, a crisis among the sun and moon arose, the god of the earth shook in anger; the people turned against the Buddha Dharma, and foreign troops approached to attack the Magadha Kingdom. All of this happened because the king followed the wicked Devadatta as his teacher. As a result, the king will suffer a malignant rash and fall into the Hell of Incessant Suffering on theth day of th sevene third month. This saddens Me and makes it difficult for Me to pass away.” Thus the Buddha lamented, “If I were able to save King Ajātaśatru now, all sinners would be saved as in the same way.”

Myōichi-ama Gozen Goshōsoku, A Letter to My Lady, the Nun Myōichi, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 7, Followers II, Pages 133-134

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Aug. 26, 2019

Expound it
To those who make efforts,
Who have compassion towards others,
And who do not spare their lives!

The Buddha sings these verses to all those gathered to hear him teach in Chapter Three of the Lotus Sūtra. These are instructions for us to know who will benefit from the Wonderful Dharma. It is difficult for those who are absorbed in their own suffering to realize the benefit of helping others. It is difficult for those who are distracted by their preoccupations, or who do not believe they can become enlightened, to maintain their efforts to lead all beings to enlightenment. These insights also help us keep our minds open to the Buddha’s teachings.

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

LS32

Day 32

Day 32 covers Chapter 28, The Encouragement of Universal-Sage Bodhisattva, closing the Eighth Volume of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

Day 32 Text with annotationsPlay MP3

Having last month heard Universal Sage’s prediction for anyone who keeps the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma, we hear Śākyamuni Buddha praise Universal Sage’s efforts.

“World-Honored One! I will protect this sūtra with my supernatural powers so that it may be propagated and not be destroyed in the Jambudvipa after your extinction.”

Thereupon Śākyamuni Buddha praised him, saying:

“Excellent, excellent, Universal-Sage! You will protect this sūtra so that many living beings may obtain peace and benefits. You have already obtained inconceivable merits and great compassion. You aspired for Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi and vowed [to protect this sūtra] by your supernatural powers in the remotest past, and have been protecting this sūtra since then. By my supernatural powers, I will protect anyone who keeps your name.

“Universal-Sage! Anyone who keeps, reads and recites this Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma, memorizes it correctly, studies it, practices it, and copies it, should be considered to see me, and hear this sūtra from my mouth. He should be considered to be making offerings to me. He should be considered to be praised by me with the word ‘Excellent!’ He should be considered to be caressed by me on the head. He should be considered to be covered with my robe. He will not be attached to worldly pleasures. He will not like to read heretical scriptures or any other writings of heretics. He will not be intimate with heretics, slaughterers, boar-breeders, sheep-breeders, fowl-breeders, dog­breeders, hunters, prostitutes, or any other evil people. He will be upright. He will have correct memory and the powers of merits and virtues. He will not be troubled by the three poisons. He will not be troubled by jealousy, arrogance from selfishness, arrogance from self-assumed attainment of enlightenment, or arrogance from self-assumed acquisition of virtues. He will want little, know contentment, and practice just as you do.

The Daily Dharma from Dec. 27, 2018, offers this:

He will have correct memory and the powers of merits and virtues. He will not be troubled by the three poisons. He will not be troubled by jealousy, arrogance from selfishness, arrogance from self-assumed attainment of enlightenment, or arrogance from self-assumed acquisition of virtues. He will want little, know contentment, and practice just as you do.

The Buddha gives this description of the person who keeps and practices the Lotus Sūtra to Universal-Sage Bodhisattva (Fugen, Samantabhadra) in Chapter Twenty-Eight of the Lotus Sūtra. Powers of merits are what we have when we see things clearly. The three poisons are greed, anger and ignorance. The practice of Universal-Sage is to support and encourage everyone who takes on this difficult practice of the Wonderful Dharma. This is another Bodhisattva who gives us an example of how we can live in this world of conflict.

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

Lotus Path

Practicing the Way of Bodhisattvas

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“What you are now practicing is the way of Bodhisattvas. Study and practice it continuously, and you will become Buddhas.” – Lotus Sutra, Chapter III

Our daily efforts may seem small but over time they accumulate into a significant effort. What may seem quite impossible if we look at the whole actually becomes very doable with continuous effort. The trick is to not be discouraged. While enlightenment exists in every single moment, it is the accumulation of many moments of practice and effort that enables us to build a solid life full of happiness and joy. It may be impossible to imagine this today, but looking back over your life of accumulated effort you will definitely see significant change.

Lotus Path: Practicing the Lotus Sutra Volume 1

WONS

A General Comparison

As I enter the library of all the Buddhist scriptures to see them with my own eyes, there are two sets of Buddhist scriptures brought to China during the period between the Yung-p’ing Era of Later Han China and the end of the T’ang Dynasty. The so-called “old translations” translated by such masters as Kumārajiva consist of 5,048 fascicles while the “new translations” translated by Hsūan-chuang and others consist of 7,399 fascicles. Each of these sūtras claims to be supreme. Comparing them against the Lotus Sūtra, however, there exists a difference as great as that between heaven and earth or chalk and cheese. These sūtras are like the numerous stars while the Lotus Sūtra is like the moon. They are compared to lights, torches, stars, and the moon while the Lotus Sūtra is compared to the great sun. This is a general comparison.

Kyōdai-shō, A Letter to the Ikegami Brothers, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 6, Followers I, Page 72

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Aug. 25, 2019

Śāriputra! Some disciples of mine, who think that they are Arhats or Pratyekabuddhas, will not be my disciples or Arhats or Pratyekabuddhas if they do not hear or know that the Buddhas, the Tathāgatas, teach only Bodhisattvas.

The Buddha makes this declaration to his disciple Śāriputra in Chapter Two of the Lotus Sutra. When the Buddha says he only teaches Bodhisattvas, he does not mean that he excludes anyone from his teaching. It is only when we realize and develop our capacities as Bodhisattvas, beings who exist to benefit all beings, rather than being preoccupied with our own suffering, can we hear, practice and appreciate the Buddha Dharma.

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

LS32, WONS

Day 31

Day 31 covers Chapter 27, King Wonderful-Adornment as the Previous Life of a Bodhisattva.

Day 31 Text with annotationsPlay MP3

Having last month witnessed the two sons asking their mother and the mother allowing her sons to join the Buddha, we consider the preparations to see Cloud-Thunderpeal-Star-King-Flower-Wisdom Buddha.

“Thereupon the [father came to them. The] two sons said to their parents, ‘Excellent, Father and Mother! Go to Cloud-Thunderpeal-Star-King-Flower-Wisdom Buddha, see him, and make offerings to him because to see a Buddha is as difficult as to see an udumbara flower or as for a one-eyed tortoise to find a hole in a floating piece of wood! We accumulated so many merits in our previous existence that we are now able to meet the teachings of the Buddha in this life of ours. Allow us to renounce the world because it is difficult to see a Buddha, and also because it is difficult to have such a good opportunity as this to see him.’

“Thereupon the eighty-four thousand people in the harem of King Wonderful-Adornment became able to keep the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

“Pure-Eyes Bodhisattva had already practiced the samādhi for the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma for a long time. Pure-Store Bodhisattva had already practiced the samādhi for the release from evil regions in order to release all living beings from evil regions for many hundreds of thousands of billions of kalpas.

“Now the queen practiced the samādhi for the assembly of Buddhas, and understood the treasury of their hidden core. The two sons led their father by these expedients and caused him to understand the teachings of the Buddha by faith and to wish [to act according to those teachings].

Nichiren explains the target audience for this chapter in his letter “Response to My Lady Nichinyo”:

The chapter “Wonderful Adornment King” is expounded for women. It tells of a wife recommending Buddhism to her husband. If a wife recommends the Lotus Sūtra to her husband in the Latter Age of Degeneration, her merit will be the same as that of Lady Jōtoku, or Pure Virtue. The merits would be much more upon you both, a husband and wife, who believe together in the Lotus Sūtra. You are like a bird that has two wings or a vehicle with two wheels. Everything will surely be achieved by you. With heaven and earth, sun and moon, sunshine and rain, plants and trees of the merits will bear blossoms and fruit.

Nichinyo Gozen Gohenji, Response to My Lady Nichinyo, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 137