Monthly Archives: January 2020

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Jan. 30, 2020

World-Honored One! The bhikṣus, bhikṣunīs, upāsakās or upāsikās who seek, keep, read, recite and copy this Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma in the defiled world in the later five hundred years after [your extinction], if they wish to study and practice this sūtra, should concentrate their minds [on study and practice] strenuously for three weeks. When they complete [the study and practice of] three weeks, I will mount a white elephant with six tusks, and appear before them with my body which all living beings wish to see, together with innumerable Bodhisattvas surrounding me.

Universal-Sage Bodhisattva (Fugen, Samantabhadra) makes this declaration to the Buddha in Chapter Twenty-Eight of the Lotus Sūtra. Nichiren interprets “the later five hundred years” as the time in which we live today. Universal sage describes the ways in which we can practice this Sūtra. To seek it is to find it in all aspects of our lives. To keep it is to rely on its teachings and have confidence in its ability to lead us to the Buddha’s wisdom. To read and recite it is to continue to remind ourselves and others of the details of the teachings. To copy it is to make it available to others. The merits we gain through these practices allow us to see the world for what it is and be part of making it better for everyone.

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

LS32

Day 19

Day 19 concludes Chapter 14, Peaceful Practices, and begins Chapter 15, The Appearance of Bodhisattvas from Underground.

Day 19 Text with annotationsPlay MP3

Having last month concluded today’s portion of Chapter 14, Peaceful Practices, we consider the question poised by the Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas, more than eight times the number of the sands of the River Ganges, who had come from the other worlds.

Thereupon the Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas, more than eight times the number of the sands of the River Ganges, who had come from the other worlds, rose from among the great multitude, joined their hands together towards the Buddha, bowed to him, and said:

“World-Honored One! If you permit us to protect, keep, read, recite and copy this sūtra, and make offerings to it strenuously in this Sahā-World after your-extinction, we will [do so, and] expound it in this world.”

Thereupon the Buddha said to those Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas:

“No, good men! I do not want you to protect or keep this sūtra because there are Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas sixty thousand times as many as the sands of the River Ganges in this Sahā-World. They are each accompanied by attendants also numbering sixty thousand times as many as the sands of the River Ganges. They will protect, keep, read, recite and expound this sūtra after my extinction.”

See Through Our Own Efforts

LS32, d19b, d20b, b4today

Through Our Own Efforts

The bodhisattvas who sprang up out of the earth signify people who have had much suffering and worry during their lives, have accumulated virtues in such an unfavorable environment, and have attained enlightenment while leading ordinary lives. Such people, who have themselves experienced and weathered much suffering and worry, possess real power. They indeed have the power to instruct other people.

That the Buddha entrusted the sahā-world to the bodhisattvas who emerged from the earth teaches us that the world in which we live should be purified and made peaceful through our own efforts as dwellers in the world, and that we should realize happiness in our lives through our own efforts. We are responsible for creating the Pure Land where we live. We should bring about our happiness through our own efforts. What a reassuring and positive teaching this is!

Buddhism for Today, p177
Eyes

An Introduction to Open Your Eyes

Nichiren arriving at Sado exile.

Introduction from Open Your Eyes: A Nichiren Buddhist View of Awakening.


On September 12, 1271, Nichiren Shōnin was arrested and taken to the execution grounds on Tatsunokuchi beach. He was saved from death when a mysterious ball of light that flew through the sky frightened the executioner and the other samurai. A messenger from the regent arrived soon after with orders that Nichiren Shōnin was not to be executed in any case but exiled instead. On October 10, 1271, Nichiren Shōnin was sent into exile on Sado Island. At first, he lived in a small broken-down shrine in a graveyard called Tsukuhara. It was the hope of his enemies that Nichiren Shōnin would die in the harsh winter of Sado Island without any adequate shelter or provisions.

Many of Nichiren Shōnin’s followers, like Nisshin and Nichirō had also been arrested and imprisoned. They wondered why they had not been protected from such persecution, so in order to resolve these doubts Nichiren Shōnin wrote the Open Your Eyes to the Lotus Teaching (Kaimoku-shō) in February 1272 and addressed it to Shijō Kingo, a samurai in Kamakura who was a staunch follower of Nichiren. Shockingly, Nichiren Shōnin wrote that he had been beheaded at Tatsunokuchi and it was his spirit that had come to Sado Island. This reflects Nichiren Shōnin’s feelings that in a sense he had given up his life at the execution ground and had now begun a new life. At the same time, he was aware that he could still literally die in the harsh conditions of winter on Sado Island or that he might once again face execution. So he stated that the Kaimoku-shō was intended to be a memento and an expression of his true will if it should come to that. Throughout the work, Nichiren Shōnin states that the most important question is whether or not he really has been acting as the practitioner of the Lotus Sūtra; and, if so, why he and his followers have not received the blessings and protections of the buddhas, bodhisattvas and other divine protectors of the Dharma.

In the course of the Kaimoku-shō Nichiren Shōnin shows through a series of comparisons that only the teaching of the Lotus Sūtra can enable all people to attain buddhahood. He also shows that the Lotus Sūtra itself predicted that anyone propagating it in the Latter Age of the Dharma would be bound to encounter the kinds of hardships that Nichiren Shōnin and his disciples had already faced and would continue to face. Nichiren also discerned that of all the teachers in Japan at that time, he was the only one who was directing people to the Lotus Sūtra instead of away from it. Having reflected upon these things, Nichiren Shōnin states his determination in the form of a threefold vow to continue upholding the Lotus Sūtra for the sake of Japan, no matter what hardships he might have to face:

“…no matter how many great difficulties fall upon me, I will not submit to them until a man of wisdom defeats me by reason. Other difficulties are like dust in the wind. I will never break my vow to become the pillar of Japan, to become the eyes of Japan, and become a great vessel for Japan.” (Hori 2002, p. 106; see also Murano 2000, p. 114; Gosho Translation Committee 1999, pp. 280-281)

The Kaimoku-shō is one of the five major writings of Nichiren Shōnin. In it, Nichiren Shōnin reflects upon the course of his life and the nature of the hardships and persecutions that had beset him. In this work, Nichiren Shōnin clarifies his mission and renews his determination to work selflessly, even at the cost of his life, for the sake of Japan and by extension all sentient beings whose only salvation is in the universal promise of Buddhahood conveyed by the Lotus Sūtra.

Open Your Eyes, p8-9
Eyes, Blog, Books

Open Your Eyes

A Nichiren Buddhist View of Awakening

Finally completed Rev. Ryuei McCormick’s Open Your Eyes: A Nichiren Buddhist View of Awakening. This is a compilation of a series of blog posts McCormick originally posted on his Fraught With Peril website.

I heartily endorse Mark Herrick’s assessment of this work:

This book is a thoroughly researched and well sourced reference combining a historical look at the spread of Buddhism and illuminating Nichiren’s thinking within its context of medieval Japanese culture. It carefully explains why Nichiren expressed criticism of other Buddhist schools and his overarching motivation to ease the suffering of people in this world by returning emphasis to Śākyamuni Buddha’s message that everyone regardless of gender, status, or circumstance can become a buddha in this very lifetime.

Open Your Eyes, p6

The physical book is huge. Literally. It measures 7 inches by 10 inches and 600 pages. (By comparison, Murano’s Lotus Sutra is 5 7/8 by 8 1/4 and 427 pages.) But it is not difficult to read. The text is broken up into 46 chapters, with an average length of 12 or so pages per chapter. I recommend a chapter-a-night regimen.

At the conclusion of the book, McCormick offers an excellent explanation of why you should bother reading his book. Given the length of the book, moving this message up front may encourage more people to pick it up and consider what it has to say:

Many people today, I think, are very casual about being either nominally religious, or vaguely spiritual, or openly disdainful of religious teachings and spiritual practice. Those who do investigate and take up Buddhism and Buddhist practice all too often are satisfied with the small rewards of worldly benefits like peace of mind gained through silent sitting practices, or perhaps good fortune in their relationships or careers because they believe Buddhism can give them some kind of metaphysical control over their lives through ritual practices. I would not deny that sitting meditation or chanting can bring about peace of mind or help people gain the insight to refrain from bad and instead make good causes to help them make the most of life in a worldly sense. Even Śākyamuni Buddha gave discourses to lay followers to help them live wisely and thereby enjoy relatively happy lives in a worldly sense. However, what Nichiren is inviting us to do in Kaimoku-shō is to reflect more deeply about religious teachings including Buddhism and what they mean in terms of how we view life and our own role. Are we content to simply accept that this is the only life and that after death there is nothing at all? Or do we believe there may be some heavenly realm to hope for and that a virtuous life can lead us to it? Or do we wish to seek buddhahood — a life of selfless compassion that transcends small-minded concerns about personal happiness in this or some other lifetime? If we are really willing to engage the deepest teachings of Buddhism and try to realize and actualize them, what are we willing to put on the line? How much of ourselves are we willing to give? Are we only looking for protection and benefits? Or do we have the compassion and courage to give more and more of ourselves for the sake of all beings according to whatever the situation may demand? I cannot imagine that everyone will come to the same conclusions as Nichiren did, but I do think that if the Kaimoku-shō can inspire us to at least reflect on these questions, then it will have been well worth taking the time to read and ponder its message.

Open Your Eyes, p586-587

I’m also publishing the Introduction and I will be setting aside additional quotes in the future.

Earlier I published a lengthy excerpt in a blog post Understanding the 12-Linked Chain of Causation.

 
Book List

d5b, 2buddhas

The Nature of Buddha Nature

The Hossō school represents an intriguing case, in that its doctrinal position offered a steadfast minority opposition, not only to the Tiantai/Tendai schema of the five periods, but also to the entire notion of buddhahood as a universal possibility. Hossō thought distinguishes two kinds of buddha nature: buddha nature as suchness or principle (J. ri busshō), which is universal, and active buddha nature (gyō busshō), which is not. Buddha nature as principle is quiescent and does not manifest itself in the phenomenal world; thus its universality does not mean that all beings can become buddhas. Achieving buddhahood depends on the presence of “untainted seeds” originally inherent in the ālaya or storehouse consciousness, the root consciousness underlying samsaric existence in which all deeds and impressions are stored as “seeds” or latent potentials, later fructifying in the form of experience. According to Hossō doctrine, individuals can be divided into “five natures” according to what sort of seeds they possess. Some have “active buddha nature,” that is, seeds that enable them to practice the bodhisattva way and become buddhas. Others have seeds that allow them to practice the path of the śrāvaka or the pratyekabuddha. These individuals can reach the nirvāṇa of the arhat, but they cannot become buddhas. Another group has a mixture of two or more of these three kinds of seeds: bodhisattva, śrāvaka, pratyekabuddha. Which kind of seed will develop is not predetermined; such persons are therefore said to be of “indeterminate nature.” Last, there are those who possess no untainted seeds and thus can never escape saṃsāra. They can, however, better their condition by accumulating merit through Buddhist practice.

Against the Lotus Sūtra’s claim that the three vehicles are the Buddha’s skillful means while the one vehicle is true, Hossō thinkers put forth this division of human capacity into five natures; they argued that the three vehicles of the śrāvaka, pratyekabuddha, and bodhisattva are true, while the one vehicle is a skillful method, designed by the Buddha to lead persons of the indeterminate group to follow the bodhisattva path and become buddhas, rather than taking the lesser path of the two vehicles. To support this argument, they invoked the Lotus Sūtra’s theme of “resuscitating” śrāvakas and restoring them to the bodhisattva path — as when the Buddha, in Chapter Three, reminds Śāriputra of his long-forgotten bodhisattva vow. Saichō, the Japanese Tendai founder, countered in part by drawing on Huayan (J. Kegon) thinkers to argue that suchness has not only a quiescent aspect as universal principle (fuhen shinnyo), but also a dynamic aspect that manifests itself as the concrete forms of the phenomenal world (zuien shinnyo). He also maintained that suchness has the nature of realizing and knowing. Thus, there was no need to postulate seeds in the store consciousness of only certain individuals as the cause of buddhahood. Saichō equated suchness in its dynamic aspect with active buddha nature, and because suchness is universal, everyone has the potential to realize buddhahood.

Two Buddhas, p94-95
WONS

The Kalpa of Decrease

The Kalpa of Decrease is a period of cosmic change in which the individual life span decreases from 80,000 years to ten and human beings degenerate. The cause of this decrease in life span and degeneration of human life lies in the mind of human beings. Namely, as the three evil passions of human beings — greed, anger, and ignorance — grow rampant, the life span of human beings gradually decreases, and their height is diminished.

Before the transmission of Buddhism to China and Japan, non-Buddhist teachings of the Three Emperors, Five Rulers, and Three Sages were used to educate the people and govern the country. As a result, human hearts hardened and virtue declined while evil flourished.

Chie Bōkoku Gosho, Evil Wisdom Destroying the Country, Volume 7, Followers II, Pages 84

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Jan. 29, 2020

Anyone who keeps this sūtra in the evil world
In the age of the decline of my teachings
Should be considered
To have already made these offerings.

The Buddha sings these verses to Maitreya Bodhisattva in Chapter Seventeen of the Lotus Sūtra. Given the trauma we have suffered in our previous existences, especially the calamity of death, it should be no surprise that our memories of those lives is dim at best. It can be enough to know that beneficial actions bring benefit and harmful actions bring harm, even if we do not know the specific causes of our condition. Our finding and practicing the Wonderful Dharma in this life is an indication of our great generosity in previous lives, and our capacity to continue practicing that same generosity.

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

LS32

Day 18

Day 18 concludes Chapter 13, Encouragement for Keeping this Sutra, and begins Chapter 14, Peaceful Practices.

Day 18 Text with annotationsPlay MP3

Having last month considered Mañjuśrī’s question, we consider the proper practices a Bodhisattva-mahāsattva should perform and the proper things a Bodhisattva-mahāsattva should approach.

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

“What are the proper things the Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas should approach? He should not approach kings, princes, ministers or other government directors. He should not approach heretics, aspirants for the teaching of Brahman, Nirgraṇṭhas, writer of worldly literature, writers of non-Buddhist songs of praise, Lokāyatas or Anti-Lokāyatas. He should not approach players of dangerous sports such as boxers or wrestlers. He should not approach naṭas or other various amusement-makers. He should not approach caṇḍālas, boar-keepers, shepherds, poulterers, dog-keepers, hunters, fishermen, or other people who do evils for their livelihood. When they come to him, he should expound the Dharma to them, but should not wish [to receive anything from them]. He should not approach those who seek Śrāvakahood, be they bhikṣus, bhikṣunīs, upāsakās or upāsikās. He should not exchange greeting with them. He should not stay with them in the same monastery, promenade or lecture-hall. When they come to him, he should expound the Dharma to them according to their capacities, but should not wish [to receive anything from them]. Mañjuśrī! The Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas should not expound the Dharma to a woman with a desire for her. He should not wish to look at her. When he enters the house of others, he should not talk with a little girl, an unmarried woman or a widow. He should not approach or make friend with anyone of the five kinds of eunuchs. He should not enter the house of others alone. lf he must enter it alone for some rea on, he should think of the Buddha with all his heart. When he expounds the Dharma to a woman, he should not laugh with his teeth visible to her. He should not expose his breast to her. He should not be friendly with her even for the purpose of expounding the Dharma to her. Needless to say, he should not be so for other purposes. He should not wish to keep young disciples, śramaṇeras or children. He should not wish to have the same teacher with them.

See A Happy Life

LS32, d18b, b4today

A Happy Life

“A Happy Life” [the title of the Peaceful Practices chapter in the 1975 edition of the Threefold Lotus Sutra] means always to maintain a peaceful and happy mind and willingly to practice religious disciplines. So long as a person faces religious persecution with resentment, his mental attitude does not embody the ideal way of a true believer of the Lotus Sutra; whatever misfortune may befall him, he must maintain a peaceful and calm mind for the sake of the Law and must voluntarily practice religious discipline and preach the Law.

Buddhism for Today, p169