Monthly Archives: June 2020

Eyes, d17b, WONS

An Inspired Teaching

The Mahāyāna response … to the question as to when a teaching can be considered to have been taught by the Buddha is that it does not matter whether or not it was taught by the historical Buddha, but whether it conforms to the truth, to those teachings we know the historical Buddha did teach, to the renunciation of defilement, and to revealing the praiseworthy qualities of nirvāṇa, the unconditioned. Of course, this criteria comes down to the subjective judgment of those who are evaluating a given teaching, but this is certainly in line with the Buddha’s advice to the Kālāmas when he told them that they should not depend upon external authorities, traditions, or even their own speculations, but rather to depend upon what they come to know for themselves directly is wholesome and praiseworthy and to be put into practice. Mahāyānists may consider the Śākyamuni Buddha who speaks in the Mahāyāna sūtras as the personification of a wisdom tradition whose initial inspiration is found, but not limited to, the life and teachings of the historical Gautama Buddha.

In the case of Nichiren and those who follow him, there is certainly the conviction that the Lotus Sūtra is an inspired teaching, and furthermore that it expresses the ultimate intent of the Buddhist tradition as a whole — the buddhahood or perfect and complete awakening of all people without exception. To bring this point home, Nichiren adds to the three proclamations two additional proclamations from chapter twelve of the Lotus Sūtra: the prediction of buddhahood given to Devadatta and the transformation of the dragon king’s daughter into a buddha. Based on these two exhortations or additional proclamations, Nichiren asserts that the Lotus Sūtra guarantees that all men and women can attain buddhahood. This universal guarantee of buddhahood is where Nichiren, basing himself on the Lotus Sūtra, believes that all the teachings of all the other sūtras, Mahāyāna and pre-Mahāyāna, are leading. It is, therefore, up to us to accept this with trust and joy, put it into practice, and find out for outselves.

Open Your Eyes, p498-499
d7b, d8b, WONS

Not Only the Śrāvaka But Also Śākyamuni Buddha Is Within Us

[I]t is stated in the Lotus Sūtra (chapter four, “Understanding by Faith”) that four great Śrāvakas such as Kāśyapa rejoiced in their understanding of the teaching of the Lotus Sūtra enabling śrāvakas to attain Buddhahood, and reported to the Buddha that they had been given invaluable jewels without asking for them. This represents the attainment of Buddhahood by the śrāvaka realm contained in our minds.

Not only the śrāvaka but also Śākyamuni Buddha is within us. For, we encounter such a statement like this in the second chapter of the Lotus Sūtra: “It was My (Śākyamuni’s) original vow to let all beings become like Myself. My vow has now been fulfilled. I have helped them all enter the way of the Buddha.” Does this not mean, that Śākyamuni Buddha, who has attained Perfect Enlightenment, is our flesh and blood, and all the merits He has accumulated before and after attaining Buddhahood are our bones?

Kanjin Honzon-shō, A Treatise Revealing the Spiritual Contemplation and the Most Verable One, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 146

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – June 12, 2020

Anyone who keeps, reads and recites this sūtra, memorizes it correctly, understands the meanings of it, and acts according to it, know this, does the same practices that I do. He should be considered to have already planted deeply the roots of good under innumerable Buddhas [in his previous existence].

Universal-Sage (Fugen, Samantabhadra) Bodhisattva makes this declaration to the Buddha in Chapter Twenty-Eight of the Lotus Sūtra. In our mundane practice of the Wonderful Dharma, it is easy to overlook our place in the world and the benefits we bring to all beings. The magnificent character of Universal-Sage reminds us that despite our feelings of insignificance, we are the result of countless lives of practice and equal in our merits to this great Bodhisattva.

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

LS32

Day 17

Day 17 covers all of Chapter 12, Devadatta, and opens Chapter 13, Encouragement for Keeping this Sutra.

Day 17 Text with annotationsPlay MP3
Having last month heard the Buddha’s prediction for his aunt, Maha-Prajapati Bhikṣunī, we conclude today’s portion of Chapter 13, Encouragement for Keeping this Sutra.

Thereupon Yaśodharā Bhikṣunī, the mother of Rāhula, thought, “I am not among the persons whom the World-Honored One mentioned by name and assured of their future attainment of [Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi].”

The Buddha said to Yaśodharā:

“You will perform the Bodhisattva practices under hundreds of thousands of billions of Buddhas in the future. You will become a great teacher of the Dharma under those Buddhas. You will walk the Way to Buddhahood step by step, and finally become a Buddha in a good world. The name of that Buddha will be Emitting-Ten-Million-Rays-Of-Light, the Tathāgata, the Deserver of Offerings, the Perfectly Enlightened One, the Man of Wisdom and Practice, the Well-Gone, the Knower of the World, the Unsurpassed Man, the Controller of Men, the Teacher of Gods and Men, the Buddha, the World-Honored One. The duration of the life of that Buddha will be many asaṃkhyas of kalpas.”

Thereupon Mahā-Prajāpatī Bhikṣunī, Yaśodharā Bhikṣunī, and their attendants had the greatest joy that they had ever had. They sang in a gāthā before the Buddha:
You, the World-Honored One, are our leader.
You give peace to gods and men.
Hearing that you assured us of our future Buddhahood,
We are relieved and satisfied.

Having sung this gāthā, the bhikṣunīs said to the Buddha, “World-Honored One! We also will expound this sūtra in other worlds.”

See Mahā-Prajāpatī, Yaśodharā and Universal Salvation

LS32, d17b, stories

Mahā-Prajāpatī, Yaśodharā and Universal Salvation

[A] central point of the story of Mahaprajapati and Yashodhara is related to the main doctrinal theme of the whole Sutra – universal salvation or the potential of all living beings to become a buddha. If, as many scholars believe, Chapter 12 with its story of the dragon princess was added to the Dharma Flower Sutra relatively late, this chapter would have been needed to make it quite clear that becoming a bodhisattva and eventually achieving full awakening is not something limited to men.

Not only Mahaprajapati and Yashodhara but Mahaprajapati’s six thousand nun followers as well, who are to become great Dharma teachers, gradually fulfilling the bodhisattva way, are assured of reaching supreme awakening as buddhas. In contrast with the story of the dragon princess, there is no mention of these nuns having to become male. Clearly, as Dharma teachers and bodhisattvas at least, they are female.

The Stories of the Lotus Sutra, p171-172
Eyes, WONS

The Correct Path

Quote

Using the four reliances as his standard for evaluating Buddhist teachings and going by the statements made by the Buddha in the Lotus Sūtra, Nichiren believed that the evidence conclusively pointed to the Lotus Sūtra as the Buddha’s most challenging and therefore most subtle and profound teaching. Because of the Buddha’s own testimony, he did not even feel that it would be necessary to go into a point-by-point comparison of the teachings of the other sūtras with those contained in the Lotus Sūtra, though of course he does that earlier in the Kaimoku-shō. Convinced of the superiority of the Lotus Sūtra to all the other sūtras, Nichiren was certain that the path he had chosen to uphold it against all opposition must be correct.

“It is I, Nichiren, who is the richest in Japan today, because I sacrifice my life for the sake of the Lotus Sūtra and leave my name for posterity. Gods of rivers take orders from the master of a great ocean, and gods of mountains follow the king of Mt. Sumeru. Likewise, when one knows the meaning of the “six difficult and nine easier actions” and “scriptures preached in the past, are preached at present, and will be preached in the future” in the Lotus Sūtra, one will automatically know the comparative merits of all Buddhist scriptures without reading them.” (Ibid, p. 90 adapted)

Open Your Eyes, p496
WONS

When We Believe in the Certainty of Attaining Buddhahood

[W]hen we believe in the certainty of attaining Buddhahood, is there anything to fear? It is pointless to become royalty and enjoy the pleasures of this life. It is useless to be born in heaven and enjoy its pleasures. Instead, follow the example of the dragon girl who attained Buddhahood in the “Devadatta” chapter of the Lotus Sūtra, and align yourself with Mahā-Prajāpatī.

How delightful it will be! How joyful it will be! Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō. Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō.

Toki-ama Gozen Gosho, A Letter to My Lady, the Nun Toki, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 7, Followers II, Page 116

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – June 11, 2020

He should not have fruitless disputes or quarrels about the teachings with others. He should have great compassion towards all living beings. He should look upon all the Tathāgatas as his loving fathers, and upon all the Bodhisattvas as his great teachers. He should bow to all the great Bodhisattvas of the worlds of the ten quarters respectfully and from the bottom of his heart. He should expound the Dharma to all living beings without partiality. He should be obedient to the Dharma. He should not add anything to the Dharma or take away anything from the Dharma.

The Buddha declares this passage in Chapter Fourteen of the Lotus Sūtra. In an earlier teaching, the Buddha proclaimed, “I do not quarrel with the world. The world quarrels with me.” The Buddha does not need to prove anything to anyone. He realized the truth and teaches it out of his compassion for all beings. He understood that when people reacted poorly to his teaching and began to argue with him or chastise him, it was due to the illusions they had not yet eliminated. This chapter of the sūtra instructs us to keep the same mind when we spread the Dharma. We teach from our compassion and respect.

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

LS32

Day 16

Day 16 concludes Chapter 11, Beholding the Stūpa of Treasures, and completes the Fourth Volume of the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

Day 16 Text with annotationsPlay MP3
Having last month witnessed the purification of additional lands in order to seat all of Śākyamuni Buddha’s replicas, we witness Śākyamuni open the door to the Stupa of Treasures and reveal Many Treasures Tathāgata.

Thereupon one of the Buddhas on the lion-like seats under the jeweled trees, wishing to inquire after Śākyamuni Buddha, gave a handful of jeweled flowers to his attendant, and said to him, [wishing to] dispatch him:

“Good man! Go to Śākyamuni Buddha who is now living on Mt. Gṛdhrakūṭa! Ask him on my behalf, ‘Are you in good health? Are you peaceful? Are the Bodhisattvas and Śrāvakas peaceful or not?’ Strew these jeweled flowers to him, offer them to him, and say, ‘That Buddha sent me to tell you that he wishes to see the stūpa of treasures opened.”‘

All the other Buddhas also dispatched their attendants in the same way.

Thereupon Śākyamuni Buddha, having seen that all the Buddhas of his replicas had already arrived and sat on the lion-like seats, and also having heard that they had told their attendants of their wish to see the stūpa of treasures opened, rose from his seat, and went up to the sky. All the four kinds of devotees stood up, joined their hands together towards him, and looked up at him with all their hearts. Now he opened the door of the stūpa of the seven treasures with the fingers of his right hand. The opening of the door made a sound as large as that of the removal of the bolt and lock of the gate of a great city. At that instant all the congregation saw Many Treasures Tathāgata sitting with his perfect and undestroyed body on the lion-like seat in the stūpa of treasures as if he had been sitting in dhyāna-concentration. They also heard him say:

“Excellent, excellent! You, Śākyamuni Buddha, have joyfully expounded the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma. I have come to hear this sūtra [directly from you].”

See The Reminder That This Same Shakyamuni Is A Man

LS32, d16b, stories

The Reminder That This Same Shakyamuni Is A Man

A related point of secondary interest in this story is the common courtesy in the greetings brought to Shakyamuni. After all the buddhas from all over the universe have assembled and seated themselves on their lion seats in the much expanded and purified world, each of them instructs his attending bodhisattva to go to Shakyamuni Buddha to ask to be included in witnessing the opening of the Stupa of Abundant Treasures Buddha. But first, they are told, they should inquire about Shakyamuni Buddha’s health, about whether he has any illnesses or worries, and similarly about the health and spirits of the bodhisattvas and shravakas of this world.

These greetings are not just about his physical condition, but about the Buddha’s mental or spiritual condition as well. This tells us something not only about common courtesy, but also about the nature of the Buddha in this Sutra. He is not indifferent to what happens in the world, but one who himself suffers, both physically and mentally.

In the Dharma Flower Sutra there are several ways in which the humanity, or what we would now call the “historicity,” of Shakyamuni Buddha is affirmed and even insisted upon. He is placed within fantastic stories, such as this one, in which he can be seen as much more than human, but from time to time we are reminded that this same Shakyamuni is a man. We are reminded that he is one who left his father’s castle, who became awakened under the bodhi tree, who went to Varanasi to teach, and so on, and, perhaps most importantly, a man who at the end of his life died and his body was cremated.

The Stories of the Lotus Sutra, p144-145