Monthly Archives: August 2020

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The Reality and Importance of One Buddha in Many Embodiments

Today I conclude the quotes I saved from Gene Reeves’ Translator’s Introduction to his 2008 translation of the The Lotus Sutra as I continue my Office Lens housecleaning.

The idea in this sutra that everyone has the ability to become a buddha gave rise to the association of the sutra with the notion of Buddha-nature as found in somewhat later Mahayana sutras. The term “Buddha-nature” is another powerful expression of the reality and importance of the one Buddha in many embodiments. One’s Buddha-nature is both the Buddha’s and one’s own. Consequently, anyone can develop an ability to see the Buddha in others, their Buddha-nature. Thus, to awaken is to see, to see the Buddha, or as the text often says, to see countless buddhas.

It would be a great mistake, I think, to reify this notion, turning it into some sort of substantial reality underlying ordinary realities, something that is easy to do and is often done. In the text itself, it seems to me, Buddha-nature has no such ontological status. It is mainly a skillful way of indicating a potential, a potential with real power, to move in the direction of being a buddha by taking up the bodhisattva way.

It is also a very clever way to answer the question of how it is possible for one to overcome obstacles, however conceived, along the path of becoming a buddha. If ordinary human beings are completely under the sway of passions and delusions, by what power can they break through such a net of limitations? Some say that it is only by one’s own strength; one can be saved only by oneself. Others say that it is only by the power of Amida Buddha or perhaps Guan-yin that one can be led to awakening. The Lotus Sutra says that it is by a power that is at once one’s own and Shakyamuni Buddha’s. The Buddha really is embodied in the lives of ordinary people. He himself is both a one and a many. (Reeves, p15-16)

Lotus Seeds

The True Nature of All Beings

Quote

Buddha nature is the true nature of all beings. There are no barriers due to race, class, sex, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or even moral quality. The Buddha-nature is always there waiting to be discovered. All of the previous teachings of the Buddha, which separated people into several subsidiary “vehicles,” are skillful means for accomplishing the “One Vehicle.”

Lecture on the Lotus Sutra

d27b, mappō, WONS

The Sūtra for the Latter Age

Śākyamuni Buddha, the World Honored One, preaches to Bodhisattva Moon Store in the Sūtra of the Great Assembly, fascicle 51: “The period of 500 years following My death is characterized by the firm attainment of emancipation (when many are able to attain Buddhahood); the following five centuries is a period of steadfast practice of meditation (when there are many practicers of the Buddhist way); the third 500-year period is of steadfast reading, recitation and hearing of the Buddhist teaching (when the reading and recitation of sūtras and the study of Buddhist teaching are prevalent); the next five centuries is the period of the steady building of many temples (when many temples and towers are built); and in the following 500 years there will be many quarrels and lawsuits within the Buddhist world and the True Dharma will disappear.” Now, it has been over 220 years since we entered the Latter Age of Degeneration, the period which is predicted in the sūtra when “There will be many quarrels and lawsuits within the Buddhist world and the True Dharma will disappear.”

In the 23rd chapter on “The Previous Life of the Medicine King Bodhisattva” of the Lotus Sūtra, fascicle 7, Lord Buddha Śākyamuni together with the Buddha of Many Treasures spoke to Star King Flower Bodhisattva, “Spread this sūtra widely in the world during the fifth 500-year period after My extinction lest it should disappear, allowing devils, devils’ people, various gods, dragons, yakṣa demons, and kumbhāṇḍa devils to take advantage of the situation.”

Considering the time and country for spreading Buddhism, according to the Sūtra of the Great Assembly, as the first four 500-year periods matched exactly as predicted by the Buddha, how would only the fifth 500-year period miss the mark? Looking at the state of affairs today in the world, great countries of Japan and Mongol are at war. Does it not tally with the conditions in the fifth 500-year period? As we reflect on the statement in the 23rd chapter of the Lotus Sūtra cited above with this prediction of the Sūtra of the Great Assembly, the Holy Proclamation, “Spread this sūtra widely in the world during the fifth 500-year period” means “Spread the Lotus Sūtra in Japan,” does it not?

Soya Nyūdō-dono-gari Gosho, A Letter to Lay Priest Lord Soya, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Pages 169-170.

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Aug. 3, 2020

Those who have much lust will be saved from lust if they constantly think of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva and respect him. Those who have much anger will be saved from anger if they constantly think of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva and respect him. Those who have much stupidity will be saved from stupidity if they constantly think of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva and respect him.

The Buddha gives this description of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva (Kannon, Kanzeon, Avalokitesvara) to Endless-Intent Bodhisattva in Chapter Twenty-Five of the Lotus Sūtra. World-Voice-Perceiver is the embodiment of compassion for all beings, the wish that all beings be freed from suffering and realize the enlightenment of the Buddha. This compassion is the antidote to the three poisons of lust, anger and stupidity. By aspiring to the example of World-Voice-Perceiver and awakening our own compassion, we can overcome these poisons and bring benefits to all beings.

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

LS32

Day 1

Day 1 covers the first half of Chapter 1, Introductory

Day 1 Text with annotationsPlay MP3
Having last month met the gods and other creatures in the vast congregation, we meet the remainder of the congregation and witness the heavenly flowers falling over the entire congregation.

King Ajatasatru, who was the son of Vaidehi, was also present with his hundreds of thousands of attendants. They each worshipped the feet of the Buddha, retired, and sat to one side.

Thereupon the four kinds of devotees, who were surrounding the World-Honored One, made offerings to him, respected him, honored him, and praised him. The World-Honored One expounded a sūtra of the Great Vehicle called the “Innumerable Teachings, the Dharma for Bodhisattvas, the Dharma Upheld by the Buddhas.” Having expounded this sūtra, the Buddha sat cross-legged [facing the east], and entered into the samadhi for the purport of the innumerable teachings. His body and mind became motionless.

Thereupon the gods rained mandārava-flowers, mahā-mandārava-flowers, mañjūṣaka-flowers, and mahā-mañjūṣaka-flowers upon the Buddha and the great multitude. The world of the Buddha quaked in the six ways. The great multitude of the congregation, which included bhikṣus, bhikṣunīs, upāsakās, upāsikās, gods, dragons, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, mahoragas, men, nonhuman beings, the kings of small countries, and the wheel-turning-holy-kings, were astonished. They rejoiced, joined their hands together [towards the Buddha], and looked up at him with one mind.

Yesterday, I discussed the crowd of people gathered to hear the Sutra of Innumerable Meanings and how it compared with the crowds in the The Sutra of Contemplation of the Dharma Practice of Universal Sage Bodhisattva and in the Lotus Sutra.

Yesterday, I said King Ajatasatru was the only non-monastic in the audience. Just as the Sutra of Innumberable Meanings gathers leaders of empires great and small, the Lotus Sutra does include  these “kings of small countries, and the wheel-turning-holy-kings.”

It is still a point of interest that the crowd doesn’t include shopkeepers or farmers or townspeople, let alone day-laborers or the poor and destitute in the audience. But the inclusion of the kings of small countries, and the wheel-turning-holy-kings in both the Sutra of Innumerable Meanings and the Lotus Sutra can be used to underscore that the Lotus Sutra begins after the completion of the Sutra of Innumerable Meanings and thus would be expected to include the same audience.

Blog, d5b, d6b

A More Generous and Inclusive Lotus Sutra

Today I continue my Office Lens housecleaning with another quote from Gene Reeves’ Translator’s Introduction to his 2008 translation of the The Lotus Sutra.

As in the case of the carriages in the parable of the burning house, the great vehicle can be understood as replacing the other vehicles, or as making skillful means unnecessary. There are passages in the sutra that suggest this interpretation. We might call this the narrow interpretation of the Lotus Sutra, a perspective taken by some followers of Nichiren. They insist that in the Lotus Sutra they have found the one truth in light of which all other claims, and all other forms of religion including all other forms of Buddhism, are to be rejected as false and misleading. Most of those who study the Lotus Sutra, however, understand the teaching of the one vehicle in a much more generous, inclusive way.

The one vehicle itself can be understood as nothing but skillful means. That is, without a great variety of skillful means there can be no one vehicle, since it is through skillful means that living beings are led toward the goal of being a buddha. Without skillful means the one vehicle would be an empty, useless vehicle. Furthermore, the one vehicle itself is a teaching device, a skillful means of teaching that the many means have a common purpose. (Reeves, p13)

WONS

The Intended Audience of the Theoretical Section

The theoretical section of the Lotus Sūtra consists of fourteen chapters, of which eight chapters (2-9) serve as the main discourse. At first glance, these eight chapters seem to be preached primarily for the two categories of Hinayāna sages called śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha and only secondarily for bodhisattvas and ordinary people. On careful examination, they seem primarily reserved for ordinary people after the death of Śākyamuni Buddha, in the Age of the True Dharma, that of the Semblance Dharma, and the Latter Age of Degeneration. These chapters are aimed especially at those people living in the beginning of the Latter Age of Degeneration.

QUESTION: What is your proof for that?

ANSWER: It is stated in the tenth chapter of the Lotus Sūtra, “The Teacher of the Dharma:” “This sūtra has aroused much hatred and jealousy even during the lifetime of the Buddha. How much more can this be expected after His death!” And in the eleventh chapter, “Appearance of the Stupa of Treasures:” “The Buddha of Many Treasures and Buddhas in manifestation (funjin Buddhas) from all the worlds in the universe gathered together to make this dharma live forever. (…) Buddhas in manifestation should remember My (Buddha’s) intention to keep on spreading the dharma forever.” You may find similar statements in the thirteenth chapter, “Encouragement for Upholding This Sūtra, and fourteenth chapter, “Peaceful Practices.” They show that the theoretical section of the Lotus Sūtra is directed to those in the beginning of the Latter Age.

Kanjin Honzon-shō, A Treatise Revealing the Spiritual Contemplation and the Most Verable One, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 153

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Aug. 2, 2020

It is difficult to keep this sūtra.
I shall be glad to see
Anyone keeping it even for a moment.
So will all the other Buddhas.

The Buddha sings these verses in Chapter Eleven of the Lotus Sūtra. He is well aware of how hard it is to move from expedient teachings to the Wonderful Dharma. We have habits and attachments built up over many lifetimes, and live in a world that does not always support our practice. Still, one cannot underestimate the importance of trying, even for the briefest amount of time, to hold on to this teaching and bring it to life in this world.

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

Innumerable, LS32

Another Innumerable Day Before Day 1

In today’s reading of the Sutra of Innumerable Meanings I was struck by the description of the crowd listening to the sermon. In addition to the expected mahāsattva bodhisattvas, heavenly beings, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, and mahoragas and the various monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen, this sutra adds another component:

Spontaneously gathered around them—each with retinues that were hundreds of thousands of myriads in number—were leaders of empires great and small: rulers of gold-wheel, silver-wheel, and lesser-wheel domains; kings, princes, and officials of state; and citizens who were noblemen, noble-women, or people of great means.

Later when the benefits of the sutra are detailed “the leaders of empires great and small—rulers of silver-wheel, iron-wheel, and lesser-wheel domains, kings, princes, officials of state, and citizens who were noblemen, noblewomen, or people of great means” are recognized again.

Why, in this sutra, are government officials and wealthy people prominently singled out?

The Sutra of Contemplation of the Dharma Practice of Universal Sage Bodhisattva, which I recited yesterday, we have just Ānanda, Mahākāśyapa and Maitreya singled out in the audience even though this sutra includes instruction specifically designed for “kings, ministers of state, spiritual leaders, people of privilege, wealthy persons, civic leaders, and others of this kind.” In the Lotus Sutra, we have just King Ajatasatru, who was the son of Vaidehi, and no other references to kings and government officials in the audience.

Why are there no shopkeepers or farmers or townspeople, let alone day-laborers or the poor and destitute in the audience?

While I recognize that sutras need to be considered in the context of Indian cultural attitudes, the disregard for those who are not wealthy or powerful just struck me as strange today.

 

Blog, d3b

One Vehicle of Many Means

Having added the “missing” portion of the Lotus Sūtra’s Chapter 5, The Simile of Herbs, I’m continuing my Office Lens housecleaning with quotes I saved from Gene Reeves’ Translator’s Introduction to his 2008 translation of the The Lotus Sutra.

Today’s quote ties nicely to the Buddha’s statement in Simile of the Clay Pots: “O Kāśyapa, there are not three vehicles. There are only beings of severally different modes of conduct, and for that reason three vehicles are designated.”

While the three ways [Pratyekabuddhas, Śrāvakas and Bodhisattvas] can be understood as two, they can also be understood as representative of many ways. “Ever since I became a buddha,” Shakyamuni says at the beginning of chapter 2, “I have used a variety of causal explanations and a variety of parables to teach and preach, and countless skillful means to lead living beings.” The reason the Dharma is so difficult to understand and accept is that a great many teaching devices have been used, among them both the metaphor of the three vehicles and the reality underlying the metaphor, the three different approaches themselves. What makes everything clear, says the Buddha, is an understanding of the one vehicle of many skillful means now being revealed.

While the Lotus Sutra rejects the extreme of pure diversity and the consequent danger of nihilism through use of the one vehicle as the unity in purpose of the many skillful means, it also clearly rejects the opposite extreme of complete unity in which diversity disappears or is relegated to mere illusion. Here diversity is not lamented but regarded as a necessary consequence of the fact that living beings and their situations are diverse. And it is celebrated as the way in which a diversity of people can share the Dharma. Even when the sutra describes a future paradise, it includes shravakas as well as bodhisattvas; the diversity of approaches never disappears. In this sense, as in many others, this sutra teaches a “middle way,” here a middle way between utter diversity and sheer unity.

The infinite variety of ways of teaching have the one purpose of leading all living beings to pursue the goal of becoming a buddha, a goal that everyone without exception can reach, though the time may be very long and the way far from smooth or easy. (Reeves, p12-13)