Let me say this again: Without the teaching of the Lotus Sutra, we would be left today in the 21st Century with only a dead Buddha and a bunch of old historical documents. It would be as if we were stranded on a deserted island with no means to reach any other place, knowing that there once was some place better. The Lotus Sutra shows us not only that there was a Buddha, but, more important, there still is a Buddha if we only look for it. And the place to begin that search is in the Lotus Sutra itself. We have a clue to a buried and forgotten treasure, and we have a map to show us the location.
Lecture on the Lotus SutraMonthly Archives: October 2020
Recognizing Nichiren’s Wisdom
Some people, who do not understand me, may call me self-conceited for what I say. I am not self-conceited. As a practicer of the Lotus Sutra, I must speak out. When what I say is proven to be true in the future, people will believe me. I write this now because I am certain that people in the future will recognize my wisdom.
Oto Gozen Go-shōsoku, A Letter to Lady Oto, Nyonin Gosho, Letters Addressed to Female Followers, Page 124
Daily Dharma – Oct. 3, 2020
Anyone who does not keep our spells
But troubles the expounder of the Dharma
Shall have his head split into seven pieces
Just as the branches of the arjaka-tree [are split].
The ten rakṣasī demons and Mother-of-Devils sing these verses in Chapter Twenty-Six of the Lotus Sūtra. They are among the many gods and other supernatural beings who vow to protect all those who keep and practice the Buddha Dharma. These verses help us to understand the nature of those who create harm in the world and to develop a heart of compassion towards them. The nature of delusion is that it sets up a world separate from the world we all share. It puts a barrier between us and the world out of fear that this world will harm us. The Buddha’s teachings show us how to develop the courage to live in harmony with this world, rather than splitting ourselves from it, and splitting ourselves in it.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Day 28
Day 28 covers all of Chapter 24, Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva, and concludes the Seventh Volume of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.
Having last month concluded Chapter 24, Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva, we return to the start and the light that illumined the world of Pure-Flower-Star-King-Wisdom Buddha.
Thereupon Śākyamuni Buddha [faced the east and] emitted rays of light from the fleshy tuft on his head, that is, from one of the marks of a great man, and also from the white curls between his eyebrows. The light illumined one hundred and eight billion nayuta Buddha-worlds, that is, as many worlds in the east as there are sands in the River Ganges. There was a world called [All-] Pure-Light-Adornment [in the east] beyond those worlds. In that world was a Buddha called Pure-Flower-Star-King-Wisdom, 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. He expounded the Dharma to a great multitude of innumerable Bodhisattvas who were surrounding him respectfully. The ray of light, which was emitted from the white curls [between the eyebrows] of Śākyamuni Buddha, also illumined that world.
At that time there was a Bodhisattva called Wonderful-Voice in the All-Pure-Light-Adornment World. He had already planted roots of virtue a long time ago. He had already made offerings to many hundreds of thousands of billions of Buddhas, and attended on them. He had already obtained profound wisdom. He had already obtained hundreds of thousands of billions of great samadhis, that is, as many great samadhis as there are sands in the River Ganges, such as the samadhi as wonderful as the banner of a general, the samadhi for the traveling of the king of the stars, the samadhi for freedom from causality, the samadhi for the seal of wisdom, the samadhi by which one could understand the words of all living beings, the samadhi by which one could collect all merits, the samadhi for purity, the samadhi for exhibiting supernatural powers, the samadhi for the torch of wisdom, the samadhi for the Adornment-King, the samadhi for pure light, the samadhi for pure store, the samadhi for special teachings, and the samadhi for the revolution of the sun.
The Voice of Wonderful Voice
The Stories of the Lotus Sutra, p260Here [in Chapter 24] it might be relevant to remember that this display of light by Shakyamuni Buddha has happened in Chapter 1. There we learn that it has happened many times in the past, always signifying that the Buddha was about to preach the Dharma Flower Sutra. Should we assume that this meaning has simply been forgotten here? Or might it be the case that in the story of Wonderful Voice Bodhisattva the Dharma Flower Sutra is being preached in some way? But here its teaching is seen not so much as something oral or written, but as a kind of action. That is, Wonderful Voice Bodhisattva can be understood to be preaching or teaching the Dharma Flower Sutra not so much by words as by embodying it by taking on whatever forms are needed to help others. The voice of Wonderful Voice then, is wonderful not by being loud or beautiful but by being absent! His voice, in a sense, is his body, which takes on whatever form is needed by others.
Symbols, not Idols
The Focus of Devotion is not to be worshiped as an idol. Rather it is an expression of awakening, presented in such a way that it allows us to perceive warmly and intimately the living reality of Buddhahood.
It is very important to keep in mind that the statues or mandalas are not idols or fetishes to be treated with superstitious reverence. They are expressions of the reality of Ichinen Sanzen, which transcends the duality between the animate and inanimate. Therefore, they have the potential to express Buddhahood, just as anything and anyone else. Because they are specifically depicting the Focus of Devotion, the life of the Buddha, we should treat them respectfully, though not as an idol.
Lotus SeedsNamu Byodo Daie Ichijo Myōhō Renge Kyō
Journey of the Path to Righteousness, p 25-27Honor Be: To the Eternal Dharma that equally benefits all, The One Vehicle of Myōhō Renge Kyō
Let’s discuss the “Dharma Treasure”:
“By Odo Daie” is “The Great Wisdom”: it is the supreme truth of the universe which Shakyamuni Buddha became enlightened to from the results of all his spiritual practices.
Ending all (Kugyo) penance [austerity], he entered quietly into meditation under the Bodhi Tree and finally became enlightened to the truth and the reality of the universe. This realm is to be understood – from the macrocosm of the universe to the microcosm of the atom – to exist only through the workings of cause and effect [karma].
Perceiving our reality through the “Eye Of A Buddha” (or enlightenment) as Shoho Jisso (the ultimate reality of all things), we might say, “Ah. It is so very mystic! I cannot even describe this using words. Minds of sentient beings cannot even fathom it. I name this ” Myō.” I name being enlightened to the Law (Dharma) as “Myōhō.” Being so, the great truth of cause and effect is Myōhō.
“Renge” (the lotus flower) is a symbol for Myōhō (the great truth of cause and effect). The pure Lotus lives in the swamp but blooms pristine and beautiful flowers with no stains of mud. Myōhō is as pure as the lotus. The Buddha’s enlightenment is the ultimate reality of all things based on that great truth of cause and effect (from the viewpoint of the enormity of the universe, to large world problems, to the smaller problems of the individual, and also to the entirety of problems that exist in this world). The Buddha, after all, integrated all aspects into the Kyo (Sutra) of Myōhō Renge Kyō.
The Most Efficacious Prayer
QUESTION: Suppose such Buddhist schools as the Kegon (Flower Garland), Hossō (Dharma Characteristics), Sanron (Three Discourses), three Hinayāna (Kusha, Jōjitsu and Ritsu Schools), Shingon (True Word) and Tendai (T’ien-t’ai) perform prayer services, which school will have the most miraculous efficacy?
ANSWER: Prayers of every Buddhist sect are based to some extent on the Buddha’s teaching. We can say, therefore, that in some sense they are all Buddhist prayers. Nevertheless, the prayer service conducted according to the Lotus Sūtra is nothing but the true prayer which will be most efficacious.
QUESTION: What is the reason for this?
ANSWER: First let us consider the case of the Two Vehicles (śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha). Even though they practiced the pre-Lotus sūtras of the first four flavors for an inconceivably long period of time (as many kalpa as the number of dust-particles of the great earth) they were regarded as incapable of attaining Buddhahood. In the Lotus Sūtra, however, they were granted the status of Buddhas in a short while. Therefore, beginning with men like Śāriputra and Kāśyapa, 1,200 or 12,000 in number, all those former Two Vehicles who attained Buddhahood should not fail to answer the prayers said by the practicers of the Lotus Sūtra.
Kitō Shō, Treatise on Prayers, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 57
Daily Dharma – Oct. 2, 2020
The Buddha said to Universal-Sage Bodhisattva: “The good men or women will be able to obtain this Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma after my extinction if they do the following four things: (1) secure the protection of the Buddhas, (2) plant the roots of virtue, (3) reach the stage of steadiness [in proceeding to enlightenment], and (4) resolve to save all living beings. The good men or women will be able to obtain this sūtra after my extinction if they do these four things.”
For us who aspire to this difficult practice of the Wonderful Dharma, the Buddha gives this guide in Chapter Twenty-Eight of the Lotus Sūtra. For us to have even heard of this sūtra in this life we must have already done these four things. In order to maintain this practice, we need to use the Buddha’s protection for the benefit of all beings, not just for our benefit alone. We need to nourish the virtuous seeds we have already planted, remain steady and confident on the path to enlightenment, and sustain our determination to maintain our respect for everyone.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Day 27
Day 27 concludes Chapter 23, The Previous Life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva.
Having last month considered Glady-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva’s further offering to the śarīras of Sun-Moon-Pure-Bright-Virtue Buddha, we learn the identity of Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva today and the merits to be given to the person who keeps even a single gāthā of four lines of this Sūtra.The Buddha said to Star-King-Flower Bodhisattva:
“What do you think of this? Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva was no one but Medicine-King Bodhisattva of today. He gave up his body in this way, offered it [to the Buddha], and repeated this offering many hundreds of thousands of billions of nayutas of times [in his previous existence]. [He knows that he can practice any austerity in this Sahā-World. Therefore, he does not mind walking about this world.]
“Star-King-Flower! Anyone who aspires for, and wishes to attain Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi, should offer a light to the stupa of the Buddha by burning a finger or a toe. Then he will be given more merits than the person who offers not only countries, cities, wives and children, but also the mountains, forests, rivers and ponds of the one thousand million Sumeru-worlds, and various kinds of treasures. But the merits to be given to the person who fills the one thousand million Sumeru-worlds with the seven treasures and offers that amount of the seven treasures to the Buddhas, to the Great Bodhisattvas, to the Pratyekabuddhas, and to the Arhats, are less than the merits to be given to the person who keeps even a single gāthā of four lines of this Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.