Monthly Archives: September 2020

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 considered Universal-Sage’s vow to protect the practicer of the Lotus Sutra, we receive the dhārāṇis spells from Universal Sage.

“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. I will expound the Dharma to them, show them the Way, teach them, benefit them, and cause them to rejoice. I also will give them dhārāṇi spells. If they obtain these dhārāṇis, they will not be killed by nonhuman beings or captivated by women. Also I myself will always protect them. World-Honored One! Allow me to utter these dhārāṇis spells!”

Thereupon he uttered spells before the Buddha:

“Atandai (1), tandahatai (2), tandahatei (3), tandakusharei (4), tandashudarei (5), shudarei (6), shudarahachi (7), botsudahasennei (8), sarubadarani-abatani (9), sarubabasha-abataru (10), hu­abatani (11), sōgyahabishani (12), sōgyaneku-kyadani (13), asogi (14), sōgyahagyadai. (15), teirei-ada-sōgyatorya-aratei-haratei (16), sarubasogya-sammaji-kyarandai (17), sarubadaruma­shuharisettei (18), saru-basatta-rodakyōsharya-atogyadai (19), shin-abikiridaitei (20).”

[He said to the Buddha:]

“World-Honored One! It is by my supernatural powers, know this, that a Bodhisattva can hear these dhārāṇis. Anyone who keeps the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma [while it is] propagated in the Jambudvipa, should think, ‘I can keep [this sūtra] only by the supernatural powers of Universal-­Sage.’ 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]. He will be caressed on the head by the hands of the Tathāgatas. Anyone who copies this sūtra will be reborn in the Heaven of the Trāyastriṃs̒a Gods immediately after his present life. On that occasion, eighty-four thousand goddesses will come and receive him, making many kinds of music. A crown of the seven treasures will be put on his head, and he will enjoy himself among the ladies in waiting. Needless to say, [more merits will be given to] the person who [not only copies this sūtra but also] keeps, reads and recites it, memorizes it correctly, understands the meanings of it, and acts according to it. Anyone who keeps, reads and recites this sūtra, and understands the meanings of it, will be given helping hands by one thousand Buddhas immediately after his present life. He will be fearless. He will not fall into any evil region. He will be reborn in the Tusiita Heaven. There he will go to Maitreya Bodhisattva who, adorned with the thirty-two marks, will be surrounded by great Bodhisattvas, and attended on by hundreds of thousands of billions of goddesses. He will be given the benefits of these merits. Therefore, anyone who has wisdom should copy this sūtra with all his heart, cause others to copy it, and also keep, read and recite it, memorize it correctly, and act according to it.

“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.”

See Doing the Work of the Buddha with the Strength of an Elephant

stories, LS32, d32b

Doing the Work of the Buddha with the Strength of an Elephant

It is significant that Universal Sage and his elephant come not to offer us a ride to some paradise above the masses of ordinary people but to bring the strength of an elephant for doing the Buddha’s work in the world, so that the Dharma can blossom in us, empowering us to be bodhisattvas for others, enabling us to see the Buddha in others and to experience the joy of seeing buddhas everywhere.

In doing the work of the Buddha, we should recognize that there are many kinds of Dharma – teachings, truths, and correct ways of doing things. In the Buddha’s time there were Hindu dharmas and Jain dharmas, dharmas stemming from one’s birth or caste, and dharmas appropriate to one’s stage of life. In many respects, the Buddha’s teachings provided an alternative to conventional Indian dharmas. Thus, in Buddhism, Dharma is always Buddha Dharma. In other words, Buddha Dharma is such that without the Buddha there is no Buddha Dharma and, since the Buddha is first and foremost a teacher, the Buddha is not the Buddha without Buddha Dharma. The Buddha and his Dharma, the Dharma and its teacher, cannot be separated into independent realities.

There is a very interesting passage in Chapter 28: “If there are any who receive and embrace, read and recite, remember correctly, practice, and copy this Dharma Flower Sutra, it should be known that they have seen Shakyamuni Buddha. It is as though they heard this sutra from the Buddha’s mouth. It should be known that they have made offerings to Shakyamuni Buddha. It should be known that the Buddha has praised them for doing good. It should be known that Shakyamuni Buddha has touched the heads of such people with his hand. It should be known that such people are covered by the robes of Shakyamuni Buddha.” (LS 397)

The Sutra itself, in other words, is not just an embodiment of Buddha Dharma but of Shakyamuni Buddha himself, and thus is one of the ways in which the Buddha appears to and for us.

The Stories of the Lotus Sutra, p305-306
Lotus Seeds

The True Nature of All Life

Quote

One can say that the teaching of the Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha during the Ceremony in the Air is not merely a mythological portrayal of the timeless and placeless qualities of Buddhahood, but is also a symbol of the workings of the pure consciousness within the depths of our lives. This is likewise the dimension of our life that transcends space and time. Essentially, Chapter 16 of the Lotus Sutra teaches that the true nature of Shakyamuni Buddha’s life is the true nature of all life, including our own. This means that the Buddha’s life and all of his awakened qualities are just as present here and now as they were 2,500 years ago in India when he was teaching the Lotus Sutra. Therefore, we should no longer feel we must devote ourselves to any cold, abstract principles or to any personifications of incomplete aspects of the life of the Buddha. Based upon his understanding of the Ceremony in the Air, Nichiren Shonin taught that we should take refuge in the Eternal Shakyamnni Buddha as the unity of the historical, ideal, and universal aspects of the Buddha-­nature. These are fully realized and manifested by Shakyamuni Buddha, and are also the potential within all of us. The Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha, therefore, should be our Focus of Devotion if we want to fully realize the true nature of the Buddha’s awakened life and our own.

Lotus Seeds

Vasubandhu, d1b

Merits Necessary To Teach the Dharma

As for the merit, on what means does he rely to teach the Dharma? He utilizes three methods:

  1. [He] utilizes the accomplishments of meditative trance. There are two types of accomplishments: The first is the power of self-mastery, since [in meditative trance] the body and mind remain imperturbable. The second is the elimination of all the obstructions, something that occurs along with the power of self-mastery. The power of self-mastery also has two types:The first type is for [the Tathāgata] to conform [the teaching] to living beings to illustrate the antidotes [and enable them to] attain the elements conducive to enlightenment. The second type functions as an antidote to the tenacious defilements that exist from beginningless time. Just as it says in the Lotus Sutra:

    The Buddha, having expounded this sutra, sat in the posture of meditation and entered the meditative trance called “the abode of the exposition of infinity” where he remained imperturbable in body and mind…

  2. He utilizes the physical worlds.
  3. He utilizes the human worlds.

That is why [the Tathāgata] caused the earth to quake and knew what had happened over the past countless world-ages (kalpas). Just as it says in the Lotus Sutra:

Then mandārava [and great mandārava, manjūsaka and great manjūsaka flowers fell like rain from the sky, scattering over the Buddha and the great assembly. And the entire buddha world quaked in six ways. Thereupon the entire assembly of monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen in that gathering, the devas, nāgas, yakyas, gandharvas, asuras, garudas, kimnaras, mahorāgas, humans and nonhumans, kings and noble emperors, attained an unprecedented experience]. Joyfully, and with the palms of their hands pressed together in reverence, they gazed attentively at the Buddha.

Vasubandhu's Commentary on the Lotus Sutra, p 104-105
WONS

All the Dharma of the Buddha

Having thus manifested the ten divine powers, Śākyamuni Buddha transmitted the five characters of myō, hō, ren, ge, and kyō to the original disciples of the Buddha since the eternal past, who had sprung up from underground. So it is stated in the chapter on the “Divine Powers”:

“Thereupon Śākyamuni Buddha proclaimed to the host of those bodhisattvas such as Superior Practice, who had sprung from underground: ‘The divine powers of the Buddhas are as immeasurable, boundless and unfathomable as shown above. Nevertheless, I shall not be able to reveal all the merits of this sūtra even if I continue telling them, for the sake of its transmission, with my divine powers for infinite myriads of kalpa. To sum up, all the dharma of the Buddha, all the unrestricted divine powers of the Buddha, all the most secretly treasured teachings of the Buddha, and all the profundity of the Buddha are clearly revealed and explained in this Lotus Sūtra.’ ”

T’ien-t’ai comments on this in his Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra: “Following ‘Thereupon Śākyamuni Buddha said to the host of bodhisattvas’ is the third section of the chapter on the ‘Divine Powers,’ summarizing the essence of the Lotus Sūtra and transmitting it to the bodhisattvas from underground.” Dengyō interpreted this in his Outstanding Principle of the Lotus Sūtra (Hokke shūku):

“Again, the chapter on the ‘Divine Powers of the Buddha’ says: ‘To sum up, all the dharmas of the Buddha. … are clearly revealed in this Lotus Sūtra.’ This makes it clear that the dharmas embodying Perfect Enlightenment of the Buddha in the eternal past, all the unrestricted divine powers which the Buddha attained in the eternal past, all the teachings in which the Buddha’s Perfect Enlightenment in the eternal past is most secretly treasured, and all the profundity which the Buddha attained in the eternal past, are all clearly revealed and explained in this sūtra.’ ”

Kanjin Honzon-shō, A Treatise Revealing the Spiritual Contemplation and the Most Verable One, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 158-159

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Sept. 2, 2020

The son thought: “I was poor, base and mean.
Now I have obtained
The treasures, houses,
And all the other things
From my father.
Never before
Have I been so happy.”

These verses are part of the story of the Wayward Son told by Subhūti, Mahā-Kātyāyana, Mahā-Kāśyapa, and Mahā-Maudgalyāyana in Chapter Four of the Lotus Sūtra. The son in the story has come into his inheritance after years of training and preparation by his father. The story explains the disciples’ understanding of how the Buddha uses expedients over time to prepare us for enlightenment. When we are not ready for the Buddha’s wisdom, he teaches to the capacity of our own minds. Now that we are ready for his highest teaching, he reveals his own mind in the Lotus Sutra.

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

LS32

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 heard Cloud-Thunderpeal-Star-King-Flower-Wisdom Buddha’s prediction for King Wonderful-Adornment, we consider the reaction of King Wonderful-Adornment

“King Wonderful-Adornment came down from the sky and said to that Buddha [staying in the sky], ‘World-Honored One! You are exceedingly exceptional. You have merits and wisdom. Therefore, the fleshy tuft on your head shines bright. Your eyes are long, wide, and deep blue in color. The curls between your eyebrows are as white as a bright moon. Your teeth are white, regular and bright. Your lips are as red and as beautiful as the fruits of a bimba-tree.’

“Thereupon King Wonderful-Adornment, having praised the Buddha for his many hundreds of thousands of billions of merits including those previously stated, joined his hands together towards the Tathāgata, and with all his heart, said to that Buddha again, ‘World-Honored One! I have never seen anyone like you before. Your teachings have these inconceivable, wonderful merits. The practices performed according to your teachings and precepts are peaceful and pleasant. From today on, I will not act according to my own mind. I will not have wrong views, arrogance, anger or any other evil thought.’ Having aid this, he bowed to that Buddha and retired.”

The Daily Dharma from June 5, 2020, offers this:

World-Honored One! I have never seen anyone like you before. Your teachings have these inconceivable, wonderful merits. The practices performed according to your teachings and precepts are peaceful and pleasant. From today on, I will not act according to my own mind. I will not have wrong views, arrogance, anger or any other evil thought.

King Wonderful-Adornment makes this declaration to Cloud-Thunderpeal-Star-King-Flower-Wisdom Buddha in Chapter Twenty-Seven of the Lotus Sūtra. The king had been led to this Buddha by his sons, who showed him the wonders they learned from their practice of the Buddha Dharma. With his mind purified by hearing the Buddha’s teachings, he makes this aspiration to behave differently. Whether or not he can keep this aspiration, he shows his realization that hearing the teachings is not enough. Practicing them means changing our minds and how we live.

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

Vasubandhu, d1b

Seventeen Titles of the Lotus Sutra of the Great Vehicle

That merit is accomplished when the Tathāgata wants to teach the Dharma means the Tathāgata explains the Sutra of the Great Vehicle to the bodhisattvas. It should be known that this [Lotus] Sutra of the Great Vehicle has seventeen titles that reveal its profound merit. What are these seventeen and what do they show?

  1. [The Lotus Sutra] is called “The Infinite Meanings Sutra” because it completes the meaning of words, and because this religious discourse explains the subtle realm of their profound truth (Dharma). “The subtle realm of their profound truth” means the ultimate realm of all the buddhas, the tathāgatas.
  2. It is called “The Most Excellent Sutra.” This shows that among the three divisions of the Buddhist scriptures, the most excellent division is well completed in this religious discourse.
  3. It is called “The Greatly Expanded Sutra” since it well completes the foundation of all the vast discourses of the Great Vehicle in accordance with the faculties of living beings.
  4. It is called “The Instruction for the Bodhisattvas,” since it well completes the instruction for those bodhisattvas with mature faculties in accordance with their capacities.
  5. It is called “[The Sutra] that is Protected by the Buddhas,” since the buddhas, the tathāgatas, abide in this Dharma.
  6. It is called “The Mysterious Dharma of All the Buddhas,” since the profundity of this Dharma is known only by the buddhas.
  7. It is called “The Storehouse of All the Buddhas,” since the storehouse of all the meritorious meditative states of the tathāgatas is in this sutra.
  8. It is called “The Mysterious Subject of All the Buddhas,” since it is not conferred on those who do not have the capacity [to understand it], such as living beings with immature faculties.
  9. It is called “The Sutra that Produces All the Buddhas,” since the great enlightenment of all the buddhas can be produced by hearing this religious discourse.
  10. It is called “The Seat of Enlightenment of All the Buddhas,” since the highest, complete enlightenment of all the buddhas can be produced through this religious discourse, and not through any of the other sutras.
  11. It is called “The Wheel of the Dharma Set in Motion by All the Buddhas,” because all the obstructions can be destroyed through this religious discourse.
  12. It is called “The Adamantine Relic of All the Buddhas,” since the true absolute body (dharmakāya) of all the tathāgatas [that is found] in this sutra does not decay.
  13. It is called “The Sutra that is the Great Skillful Expedient Means of All the Buddhas,” since they rely on this religious discourse to develop great enlightenment and use it to explain all the good attributes of the heavenly beings (devas), disciples, and self-enlightened buddhas to living beings.
  14. It is called “The Sutra that Teaches the One Vehicle,” since this religious discourse reveals the ultimate essence of the highest, complete enlightenment of the tathāgatas, whereas the way of the other two vehicles does not.
  15. It is called “The Sutra that is the Abode of the Highest Meaning,” because this religious discourse is the ultimate abode of the dharmakāya of all the buddhas, the tathāgatas.
  16. It is called “The Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-sūtra.” This title has two meanings. What are these two?
    The first meaning is [that of a lotus] emerging from water. This indicates that which cannot be destroyed emerges from the turbid water of the Small Vehicle. There is another significance, [that of the disciples who are] just like a lotus emerging from turbid water. When all the disciples obtain entry to the Tathāgata’s great assembly, they too, like all the bodhisattvas, are seated on lotuses. And while listening to the explanation about the pure realm of the Tathāgata’s unsurpassed knowledge, they directly apprehend this profound subject matter.

    The second meaning is [that of] a blossoming lotus. Because of the trepidation living beings have regarding the Great Vehicle, they are unable to produce faith in it. Therefore a blossoming lotus represents the pure dharmakāya of all the tathāgatas, which causes living beings to engender faith.

  17. It is called “The Supreme Religious Discourse,” because of its accomplishment of verses. “The accomplishment of verses” means it includes countless words, phrases, syllables, and ten millions and hundreds of tens of millions of verses.

These seventeen statements about the religious discourse are general, while all others are particular. Just as it says in the Lotus Sutra, “[Buddha Candrasūryaprabhā] taught the sutra of the Great Vehicle called “[The Sutra] of Infinite Meanings” to the bodhisattvas. . .”

Vasubandhu's Commentary on the Lotus Sutra, p 102-104
WONS

Those Who Despise a Practicer of the Lotus Sūtra

It is preached in the Lotus Sūtra that anyone who hates a practicer of the Lotus Sūtra is certain to fall into the Avīci Hell without fail. The fourth fascicle of the sūtra (“Teacher of the Dharma” chapter) preaches, “The sin of abusing a practicer of the Lotus Sūtra in the Latter Age of Degeneration is more serious than if one abused the Buddha for as long as a medium kalpa (aeon).” The seventh fascicle (“Never Despising Bodhisattva” chapter) declares, “Those who despise a practicer of the Lotus Sūtra will wallow in the Hell of Incessant Suffering for 1,000 kalpa (aeons).” The fifth fascicle (“Encouragement for Keeping This Sūtra” chapter) preaches, “During the Latter Age of Degeneration after my passing a practicer of the Lotus Sūtra will appear. Then in the country a great number of priests, observers, and violators of the Buddhist precepts will gather together to bring false charges against the practicer and advise the king to exile or behead the practicer.” Each of these scriptural statements match me perfectly. Therefore, I am certain that I am a practicer of the Lotus Sūtra and you, who help me, will inevitably attain Buddhahood in the future.

Matsuno-dono Gohenji, Response to Lord Matsuno, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 7, Followers II, Page 70

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Sept. 1, 2020

To see a Buddha is as difficult
As to see an udumbara[-flower].
To avert a misfortune is also difficult.

These verses are sung by two sons of a king in a story told by the Buddha in Chapter Twenty-Seven of the Lotus Sūtra. In the story, the boys have heard the Dharma from a previous Buddha and are asking permission from their parents to leave home and follow that Buddha. The legend of the udumbara flower is that it only blooms every 3000 years. Meeting a Buddha is not to be taken for granted. However, it is still important to remember the ties of our families. Rather than leaving in secret from their home, the sons’ asking permission from their parents creates more benefits. The King and Queen accompany their sons and learn the Wonderful Dharma. As Bodhisattvas it is important to use our relationships wisely as we lead all beings to enlightenment.

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