Monthly Archives: February 2020

LS32

Day 25

Day 25 covers all of Chapter 20, Never-Despising Bodhisattva, and opens Chapter 21, The Supernatural Powers of the Tathāgatas.

Day 25 Text with annotationsPlay MP3

Having last month concluded Chapter 21, Never-Despising Bodhisattva, we open Chapter 21, The Supernatural Powers of the Tathāgatas, with the declaration of the Bodhisattvas who had sprung up from underground and the response of the Buddha.

Thereupon the Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas as many as the particles of dust of one thousand worlds, who had sprung up from underground, joined their hands together towards the Buddha with all their hearts, looked up at his honorable face, and said to him:

“World-Honored One! After your extinction, we will expound this sūtra in the worlds of the Buddhas of your replicas and also in the place from which you will pass away. Why is that? It is because we also wish to obtain this true, pure and great Dharma, to keep, read, recite, expound and copy [this sūtra], and to make offerings to it.”

Thereupon the World-Honored One displayed his great supernatural powers in the presence of the multitude, which included not only the many hundreds of thousands of billions of Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas who had already lived in this Sahā-World [before the arrival of the Bodhisattvas from underground], headed by Mañjuśrī, but also bhikṣus, bhikṣunīs, upāsakās, upāsikās, gods, dragons, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, mahoragas, men and nonhuman beings. He stretched out his broad and long tongue upwards until the tip of it reached the World of Brahman. Then he emitted rays of light with an immeasurable variety of colors from his pores. The light illumined all the worlds of the ten quarters. The Buddhas who were sitting on the lion-like seats under the jeweled trees also stretched out their broad and long tongue and emitted innumerable rays of light. Śākyamuni Buddha and the Buddhas under the jeweled trees displayed these supernatural powers of theirs for one hundred thousand years. Then they pulled back their tongues, coughed at the same time, and snapped their fingers. These two sounds [of coughing and snapping] reverberated over the Buddha-worlds of the ten quarters, and the ground of those worlds quaked in the six ways. By the supernatural powers of the Buddhas, the living beings of those worlds, including gods, dragons, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, and mahoragas, men and nonhuman beings, saw the many hundreds of thousands of billions of Buddhas sitting on the lion-like seats under the jeweled trees in this Sahā-World. They also saw Śākyamuni Buddha sitting by the side of Many-Treasures Tathāgata on the lion-like seat in the stupa of treasures. They also saw that the many hundreds of thousands of billions of Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas and the four kind of devotees were surrounding Śākyamuni Buddha respectfully. Having seen all this, they had the greatest joy that they had ever had.

See The Teaching of Wisdom and the Teaching of Compassion

b4today, LS32, d25b, d26b

The Teaching of Wisdom and the Teaching of Compassion

This chapter is very important because two teachings, the Law of Appearance and the Law of Origin, are brought to their culmination herein. It also teaches us that these two teachings are not separate but, even though they seem different, are one in essence.

In the Law of Appearance, Sakyamuni Buddha revealed the aim and the content of the teachings that he had preached since his attainment of buddhahood. This is a philosophical and ethical teaching emphasizing the formation of this world, human beings as they ought to be, the right way to live, and ideal human relationships.

In the Law of Origin, Sakyamuni revealed that the Buddha is not limited to Sakyamuni himself, who appeared in this world and lived a mortal life, but is the Original Being with the great life of non-beginning and non-end. In this Law, the Buddha teaches us that in order to be finally saved and to establish true peace in our world, we must be united with the Original Buddha, that is, must take refuge in him wholeheartedly.

We can distinguish between the Law of Appearance and the Law of Origin in the following way: the former is the teaching preached by Sakyamuni, who appeared as a man in this world, while the latter is the teaching declared by the Original Buddha, who exists from the infinite past to the eternal future. Because wisdom is more necessary than anything else in order to live correctly, the former is the teaching of wisdom, while the latter is the teaching of compassion, which preaches absolute salvation. It is indeed necessary for us to distinguish these two Laws when we go deeply into the study of the teaching of the Lotus Sutra.

Buddhism for Today, p323-324
2buddhas, d21b, WONS

Opening the Buddha Realm within the Nine Realms

Nichiren took the ichinen sanzen concept that Zhiyi had briefly delineated and made it the foundation of his teaching. For Nichiren, ichinen sanzen was “the father and mother of the buddhas.” He often referred to it in its “short form,” so to speak, as the mutual inclusion of the ten dharma realms… . Because the “ten suchnesses” (referred to at the beginning of the “Skillful Means” chapter) and the mutual inclusion of the ten realms are both concepts integral to the single thought-moment that is three thousand realms, the one implied the other, and Nichiren could take “the real aspect of all dharmas” or the ten suchnesses as pointing to the mutual inclusion of the ten realms. For him, this teaching was unique to the Lotus Sūtra and was what qualified it as the “wonderful dharma.” In one passage, he writes: “The sūtras that the Buddha preached for more than forty years before the Lotus do not set forth the mutual inclusion of the ten realms. And because they do not set forth the mutual inclusion of the ten realms, one cannot know the buddha realm within one’s own mind, and because one does not know the buddha realm within one’s own mind, the buddhas do not manifest externally either. … But now with the Lotus Sūtra, the buddha realm within the nine realms was opened, and those who had heard the Buddha’s forty and more years of preaching — bodhisattvas, persons of the two vehicles, and ordinary beings of the six paths — could for the first time see the buddha realm within themselves.”

Two Buddhas, p69-70
WONS

An Excellent Medicine

On reflection, in order to cure a serious sickness we have to prepare an excellent medicine. Likewise to save offenders of the five rebellious sins and slanderers of the True Dharma, there is no way but to administer to them the essential dharma (five characters of myō, hō, ren, ge, and kyō).

Soya Nyūdō-dono-gari Gosho, A Letter to Lay Priest Lord Soya, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Pages 147.

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Feb. 4, 2020

The Buddha possesses 32 marks of physical excellence, all of which belong to the category of matter. The Brahma’s voice, pure and immaculate voice of the Buddha, however is invisible. Therefore it is impossible for us to depict it in pictures or statues.

Nichiren wrote this passage in his Treatise on Opening the Eyes of Buddhist Images, Wooden Statues or Portraits (Mokue Nizō Kaigen no Koto). The statues, portraits and other images of the Buddha and other protective deities which we use in our practice are not meant to be idols. They are living examples of the perfections to which we aspire and from which we draw strength. The ceremony in which we “Open the Eyes” of an Omandala or anything else we use in our practice reminds us that everything around us has life. When we hear the Buddha’s voice from them, leading us to enlightenment, then we learn how to improve the world for ourselves and all beings.

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

LS32

Day 24

Day 24 concludes Chapter 19, The Merits of the Teacher of the Dharma, and closes the Sixth Volume of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

Day 24 Text with annotationsPlay MP3

Having last month considered the eight hundred merits of the nose in gāthās, we consider the twelve hundred merit of the tongue.

“Furthermore, Constant-Endeavor! The good men or women who keep, read, recite, expound or copy this sūtra, will be able to obtain twelve hundred merit of the tongue. Anything which tastes good, bad, delicious, distasteful, bitter or astringent, will become as delicious as the nectar of heaven and not distasteful when it is put on their tongues. When they expound the Dharma to the great multitude with their tongues, they will be able to raise deep and wonderful voices, to cause their voices to reach the hearts of the great multitude so that the great multitude may be joyful and cheerful. Hearing their speeches given in good order by their deep and wonderful voices, Śakra, Brahman, and the other gods and goddesses will come and listen to them. In order to hear the Dharma, dragons, dragons’ daughters, gandharvas, gandharvas’ daughters, asuras, asuras’ daughters, garuḍas, garuḍas’ daughters, kiṃnaras, kiṃnaras’ daughters, mahoragas, and mahoragas’ daughters also will come to them, respect them, and make offerings to them. Bhikṣus, bhikṣunīs, upāsakās, and upāsikās; and kings, princes, ministers, and their attendants [also will come and hear the Dharma]. The wheel-turning[holy-]kings of small [countries], and the wheel-turning-[holy-]kings of great [countries, each of whom has the] seven treasures and one thousand children, also will come with their [treasures, children and] internal and external retinues, riding in their [movable] palaces, and hear the Dharma. These [good men or women, that is,] Bodhisattvas will expound the Dharma so well that the brahmanas, householders, and people of their country will, throughout their lives, attend on them, and make offering to them. The Śrāvakas, Pratyekabuddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Buddhas also will wish to them. [These good men or women] will expound the Dharma in the places which the Buddhas will face. They will keep all the teaching of the Buddhas and raise deep and wonderful voices of the Dharma.”

Thereupon the World-Honored One, wishing to repeat what he had said, sang in gāthās:

Their tongues will be purified.
Their tongues will not receive anything bad.
Anything they at will become
As delicious as nectar.

When they e pound the Dharma to the great multitude
And lead them
By telling them the stories of previous lives, parables, and similes
With their deep, pure and wonderful voices,
The hearers will rejoice
And make excellent offerings to them.

All gods, dragons,
Yakṣas and asuras
Will come together
And hear the Dharma respectfully.

Anyone who expounds the Dharma, if he wishes,
Will be able to cause the living beings
Of the one thousand million Sumeru-worlds
To hear his wonderful voice.

The wheel-turning-kings of great and small [countries],
Who have each one thousand children,
Will come with their children and attendants,
And join their hands together respectfully to hear the Dharma.

Gods, dragons, yakṣas,
Raksasas and pisacakas
Also will come joyfully,
And make offerings to him.

The Brahman-Heavenly-King,
King Mara, Freedom [God],
Great-Freedom [God],
And the other gods also will come to him.

The Buddhas and their disciples who hear
The voice of the expounder of the Dharma,
Will think of him, protect him,
And sometimes appear before him.

See Enough Instruction To Lead To Perfect Enlightenment

b4today, LS32, d24b

Enough Instruction To Lead To Perfect Enlightenment

It is not supposed that all the disciples who listened to the Buddha’s preaching in chapter 19 completely understood the true meaning of his encouragement and the admonition included therein. Some of them may have become discouraged, thinking, “We cannot possibly practice all the teachings of the Lotus Sutra perfectly.” Others may have been complacent, thinking, “We can obtain merit somehow or other if we just do the five kinds of practices of preachers according to form.” Still others may have momentarily felt conceited, flattering themselves: “Unlike the disciples of the two vehicles, śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, we bodhisattvas are possessed of this kind of supernatural power. We are quite different from them.”

On all occasions, the Buddha’s sermons were perfect and left nothing to be desired. Whenever he perceived the slightest doubt in the minds of his disciples, he gave them enough instruction to lead them to Perfect Enlightenment. It can easily be imagined that probably he did the same in his preaching of chapter 19.

Buddhism for Today, p305
Basics

Storehouse Consciousness

Quote

In a more general sense, the storehouse consciousness is the accumulation of past experiences, which serves as a foundation for present spiritual and psychological activity and exerts great influence on superficial operations. In addition, it is the power that, by persisting, enables transmission of the karmic effects of present good and bad acts into future life. Buddha-nature deals with the essential nature of things, and the storehouse consciousness with their manifestations. The Mahayana idea of the buddha-nature evolved from Mahasanghika thought, while the concept of the storehouse consciousness derived from Abhidharma writings of the Theravada school.
Basic Buddhist Concepts

2buddhas

The Inconceivable Realm

Quote

[T]he “three thousand realms” denotes “all dharmas” or “all phenomena.” In that sense, the number “three thousand” might be considered somewhat arbitrary. Nonetheless, it refers to a constant set of patterns that for Zhiyi constituted the “real aspect of the dharmas.” Because each one [of the ten dharma-realms, from hell to buddhahood,] contains all ten within itself, there are a hundred realms, each endowed with the ten suchnesses. The resulting thousand realms each entail another “three realms” or three aspects of living beings: (1) the “five aggregates (skandhas),” or momentary mental and physical constituents that unite temporarily to form living beings; (2) living beings considered as individuals belonging to one or another of the ten realms, such as hell dwellers, hungry ghosts, humans, and others; and (3) the insentient container worlds, or environments, that living beings inhabit.

In translating, we often say “three thousand realms in a single thought-moment” because that is natural English, but, strictly speaking, it is not correct. As Zhiyi goes on to explain: “Were the mind to give rise to all phenomena, that would be a vertical [relationship]. Were all phenomena to be simultaneously contained within the mind, that would be a horizontal [relationship]. Neither horizontal nor vertical will do. It is simply that the mind is all phenomena and all phenomena are the mind. [This relationship] is subtle and profound in the extreme; it can neither be grasped conceptually nor expressed in words. Therefore, it is called the realm of the inconceivable.”

In essence, the most minute phenomenon (a single thought-moment) and the entire cosmos (three thousand realms) are mutually encompassing: the one and the many, good and evil, delusion and awakening, subject and object, self and other, and all sentient beings from hell dwellers, hungry ghosts, and animals up through buddhas and bodhisattvas as well as their corresponding insentient environments — indeed, all things in the entire cosmos — are inseparable from the mind at each moment. However, only in the state of buddhahood is this fully realized. Zhanran comments, “You should know that person and land both encompass three thousand realms in one thought-moment. Thus, when we attain the way, in accordance with this principle, our body and mind at each instant pervade the dharma-realm.”

Two Buddhas, p68-69
d18b, d19b, d25b, WONS

Persuasive and Aggressive Propagation

Now, two ways of propagation, the persuasive and aggressive, are incompatible with each other just as water and fire are. The fire dislikes the water, and the water hates the fire. Those who prefer the persuasive tend to laugh at those who practice the aggressive and vice versa. So, when the land is full of evil and ignorant people, the persuasive means should take precedence as preached in the “Peaceful Practices” (14th) chapter of the Lotus Sūtra. However, when there are many cunning slanderers of the True Dharma, the aggressive means should take precedence as preached in the “Never-Despising Bodhisattva” (20th) chapter.

It is the same as using cold water when it is hot and fire when it is cold. Plants and trees are followers of the sun, so they dislike the cold moon. Bodies of water are followers of the moon, so they lose their true nature when it is hot. As there are lands of evil men as well as those of slanderers of the True Dharma in this Latter Age of Degeneration, there should be both aggressive and persuasive means of spreading the True Dharma. Therefore, we have to know whether Japan today is a land of evil men or that of slanderers in order to decide which of the two ways we should use.

Kaimoku-shō, Open Your Eyes to the Lotus Teaching, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 111