Vasubandhu's Commentary on the Lotus Sutra, p 140What are the three types of sullied pride for the three types of people who have no defilements? They are referred to as the three biased beliefs. What are these three? 1) The belief that the various vehicles are different, 2) the belief that the conventional world and nirvana are different, and 3) the belief that the bodies [of the Buddha] are different. It should be known that [the Buddha] has explained the three equalities as the antidotes to [those who possess] these three types of sullied pride.
What are the three equalities and what do they remedy? 1) The equality of the vehicles means that the disciples receive the prediction of enlightenment since there are not two vehicles, only the single Great Vehicle, and this vehicle is equal and undifferentiated. 2) The equality of the conventional world and nirvana means that in accordance with Prabhūtaratna Tathāgata being in [final] nirvana [even while appearing in the world], the conventional world and nirvana are equal and undifferentiated. 3) The equality of the bodies [of the Buddha] means that although Prabhūtaratna Tathāgata had already entered [final] nirvana, he manifested his body since his own body, the other bodies, and the absolute body [of all the buddhas] are equal and undifferentiated. Thus, the three types of people with sullied pride but no defilements who see this and the other bodies make distinctions and do not understand that the buddha-nature and the absolute body are equal. These people think they have realized the Dharma although they have not. It should be known that as a counteragent to this, the disciples are given a prediction [of their enlightenment].
Monthly Archives: October 2020
The Lineage of Aniruddha
When we consider the lineage of Aniruddha, he was descended from the Wheel-turning Noble King, the original lord of India. He was born as a grandson of Shimuhahanu, a nephew of King Śuddhodana, and was the crown prince of King Doronodana. Thus Aniruddha was born to a noble family widely known in the world. Moreover, he was very wealthy, and his house was always crowded with visitors — as many as 12,000 people, 6,000 seeking loans and 6,000 returning them, would come and go in a day. Besides being such a wealthy person, he had the foremost in divine eyesight among His disciples and was guaranteed to become the future Universal Brightness Buddha.
Inquiring how meritorious the acts of Aniruddha in his previous life were, we find the following: “Once in the past there was a hunter. He made a living by hunting the mountain beasts and raising barnyard millet. It was during a year of famine, when he was eating a bowl of millet rice, which was all that he had, a sage pratyekabuddha named Rita came along begging for food, ‘I have not eaten anything for the last seven days. Please let me share your food.’ The hunter answered, ‘My millet rice has been disgraced in a dirty bowl,’ but Rita insisted, ‘Please do not be concerned about that. I will die if I don’t eat now.’ Feeling embarrassed the hunter passed his bowl of millet rice to Rita, who finished eating it and returned the bowl with one grain of millet left in it to the hunter.
“But, the grain of millet transformed into a wild boar, which in turn changed to a piece of gold, which turned into a dead person, then into a golden person. When the hunter pulled out a finger of the golden person to sell, a new finger grew back. Thus, the hunter was reborn as an immensely wealthy man for as long as 91 kalpa (aeons). Ultimately, he was reborn in this world as Aniruddha and became a disciple of the Buddha. Though it was merely a bowl of millet rice, Aniruddha offered it to a sage during a famine to prolong his life. Thus, Aniruddha was rewarded with such a splendid fortune.”
Tokimitsu-dono Gohenji, Reply to Lord Tokimitsu, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 7, Followers II, Page 24-25
Daily Dharma – Oct. 17, 2020
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.]
The Buddha gives this explanation to Star-King-Flower Bodhisattva in Chapter Twenty-Three of the Lotus Sūtra. The story of the previous life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva shows us the capacities we have already developed and are not aware of. When we see ourselves as choosing to come into this world of conflict to benefit all beings, rather than stuck where we do not want to be and just making the best of it, then it is much easier to let go of our delusions.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Day 8
Day 8 concludes Chapter 4, Understanding by Faith, and closes the second volume of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.
Having last month considered how the Buddha is like the rich man, we consider the rich man in gāthās.
Thereupon Mahā-Kāśyapa, wishing to repeat what they had said, sang in gāthās:
Hearing your teaching of today,
We are dancing with joy.
We have never had
Such joy before.You say:
“The Śrāvakas will be able to become Buddhas.”
We have obtained unsurpassed treasures
Although we did not seek them.Suppose there lived a boy.
He was young and ignorant.
He ran away from his father
And went to a remote country.
He wandered from country to country
For more than fifty years.The father anxiously sought him
In all directions.
Finally tiring of looking for him,
He settled in a certain city.He built a house,
And enjoyed satisfaction
Of the five desires.
He was very rich.
He had a great deal of gold, silver,
Shell, agate, pearl and lapis lazuli;
And many elephants, horses,
Cows, sheep,
Palanquins, carts,
Farmers and attendants.
He invested his money in all the other countries,
And earned interest.
Merchants and customers
Were seen everywhere [around him].Thousands of billions of people
Surrounded him respectfully.
He was favored by the king,
And respected
By the ministers,
And by the powerful families.Many people came to see him
For various purposes. Because he was rich,
He was very powerful.
As he became older,
He thought more of his son.
He thought from morning till night:
“I shall die before long.
It is more than fifty years
Since my ignorant son left me
What shall I do
With the things in the store-houses?”
See A Loving Father
A Loving Father
The Stories of the Lotus Sutra, p55In many of the parables in the Dharma Flower Sutra, it is a father figure who represents the Buddha. It is possible that the use of such stories influenced the teachings of the Dharma Flower Sutra, leading it, probably more than any other Buddhist text, to emphasize the father-like nature of the Buddha, personalizing him as it were. Over and over, the Lotus Sutra uses personal language to speak of an ultimately important reality. Far from being “absolute,” or even “omniscient,” as the Buddhist tradition has sometimes claimed, the Buddha of the Dharma Flower Sutra is someone who is very concerned for his children. This means, in effect, that the happiness of the Buddha, the fulfillment of the Buddha’s purpose, depends – again – on us.
The Merit of the Bodhisattva and the Merit of the Disciple
Vasubandhu's Commentary on the Lotus Sutra, p 140-141Question: Is it the case that the disciples are given their prediction because they will actually achieve buddhahood, or are they given it even though they will not achieve [buddhahood]? If disciples can actually achieve buddhahood, why [then] do bodhisattvas practice and accumulate a countless variety of merit for immeasurable world-ages? If disciples cannot achieve buddhahood, then why do [the tathāgatas] give them a false prediction?
Answer: That the disciples have received their prediction [shows that] they have attained fixed resolve. It is not the case that these disciples have perfected the true nature (dharmatā). The tathāgatas teach the Dharma of the single vehicle through the three equalities. [They] give the disciples their predictions because the absolute body of the Buddha and the absolute body of the disciples are equal and undifferentiated. It is not the case that [the disciples] have completed the practice of cultivating merit. Therefore [the distinction between the disciples and the bodhisattvas is that] the merit of a bodhisattva is complete, while the merit of a disciple is not.
Daily Dharma – Oct. 16, 2020
He will have correct memory and the powers of merits and virtues. He will not be troubled by the three poisons. He will not be troubled by jealousy, arrogance from selfishness, arrogance from self-assumed attainment of enlightenment, or arrogance from self-assumed acquisition of virtues. He will want little, know contentment, and practice just as you do.
The Buddha gives this description of the person who keeps and practices the Lotus Sūtra to Universal-Sage Bodhisattva (Fugen, Samantabhadra) in Chapter Twenty-Eight of the Lotus Sūtra. Powers of merits are what we have when we see things clearly. The three poisons are greed, anger and ignorance. The practice of Universal-Sage is to support and encourage everyone who takes on this difficult practice of the Wonderful Dharma. This is another Bodhisattva who gives us an example of how we can live in this world of conflict.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Day 7
Day 7 concludes Chapter 3, A Parable, and begins Chapter 4, Understanding by Faith.
Having last month considered the Buddha’s declaration that this triple world is his property and all living beings his children, we learn that all living beings taught by Buddhas are Bodhisattvas.(The Buddha said to Śāriputra:)
All of you
Are my children.
I am your father.You were under the fires of many sufferings
For the past innumerable kalpas.
Therefore, I saved you
From the triple world [ with expedients].I once told you that you had attained extinction.
But you eliminated only birth and death
[By that extinction].
The extinction you attained was not the true one.
What you should do now is
Obtain the wisdom of the Buddha.The Bodhisattvas in this multitude
Should hear
With one mind
The true teaching of the Buddhas.The Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones,
Say only expediently [that some are not Bodhisattvas]
To tell the truth,
All living beings taught by them are Bodhisattvas.[I said:]
“To those who have little wisdom,
And who are deeply attached to sensual desires,
The Buddhas expound the truth that all is suffering.
Those [who hear this truth]
Will have the greatest joy that they have ever had.
The statement of the Buddhas that all is suffering
Is true, not false.
To those who are ignorant
Of the cause of all sufferings,
And who are too deeply attached
To the cause of suffering
To give it up even for a moment,
The Buddhas expound
The [eight right] ways as expedients.The cause of suffering is greed.
When greed is eliminated,
There is nothing to be attached to.
The extinction of suffering
Is called the third truth.
In order to attain this extinction,
The [eight right] ways must be practiced.
Freedom from the bonds of suffering[,]
[That is, from illusions] is called emancipation.”From what illusions can one be emancipated, however,
[By the practice of the eight right ways]?
He can be emancipated only from unreal things
[That is, from the five desires] thereby.
He cannot be emancipated from all illusions.
The Buddhas say
That he has not yet attained
The true extinction
Because he has not yet attained
Unsurpassed enlightenment.
I also do not think that I have led him
To the [true] extinction thereby.
Shariputra and Maudgalyayana
The Stories of the Lotus Sutra, p57-58One of the ten great disciples of Shakyamuni Buddha, Shariputra was usually regarded as first in wisdom, sometimes regarded as first among the disciples, and sometimes even mistaken by Jains as the leader of the Buddhist movement. Shariputra was a brahman, a member of the highest caste in India, who left a wealthy family to follow one of the six great non-Buddhist teachers. This teacher taught skepticism about knowledge of things we cannot see – such things as other worlds, causation, and so forth.
It is said that Shariputra and Maudgalyayana (called “Maha Maudgalyayana,” Great Maudgalyayana, in his only appearance in the Lotus Sutra) were close friends before they became monks. One day when they were in a crowd of people watching dancing girls and enjoying a festival, Shariputra suddenly realized that all of those people now having so much fun, and he himself, would soon be dead. He resolved to seek liberation from a condition in which the conclusion to everything is death. After listening to several other teachers, he decided, with Maudgalyayana, to become a disciple of the skeptic Sanjaya. Later, after meeting a monk who told him only that the Buddha’s main teaching was that all things are produced through causation, together with Maudgalyayana and all of the other disciples of Sanjaya, he joined the Buddha’s following. This was about a year after Shakyamuni’s awakening.
Legend also has it that when he was about to die, Shariputra requested permission from the Buddha to do so before the Buddha himself, as he would not be able to stand the grief of witnessing the Buddha’s death. With the Buddha’s permission he returned to his home with one disciple. Saying “I have been with all of you for forty years. If I have offended anyone, please forgive me,” he lay down on his bed, and quietly passed away.
Predictions in the Lotus Sutra
Vasubandhu's Commentary on the Lotus Sutra, p 141-142Predictions occur on six occasions [in the Lotus Sutra]; on five occasions the prediction is given by the Buddha and in one occasion it is given by a bodhisattva. The predictions given by the tathāgatas include those for Śāriputra, Mahākāśyapa and the other well-known [disciples]. Since they will have different names [as buddhas], they receive their predictions separately. The five hundred disciples, including Pūrṇa and the others, and the twelve thousand disciples are given their predictions at the same time, since they will all have the same name [as buddhas]. Those who have more to learn and those who do not [have more to learn] all have the same name [as buddhas], and since they are not well known they are given their predictions together. That the Tathāgata gives Devadatta his prediction separately shows the Tathāgata has no enmity. That the nuns and maidens of the heavenly realm receive their predictions from the Buddha shows that women, either lay Buddhists or renunciants, who cultivate the bodhisattva practice will also realize the fruit of buddhahood.
It should be known that the prediction of enlightenment given by a bodhisattva is illustrated as follows in the chapter “Bodhisattva Sadāparibhūta” [where it says]:
[D]oing obeisance and praising them, he would make this proclamation, “I do not disrespect you. You will all certainly become buddhas.” This shows that all living beings have buddha-nature.
Regarding the disciples’ attainment of a prediction, [it should be known that] there are four types of disciples: 1) disciples who are fixed [in the path of the Small Vehicle], 2) arrogant disciples, 3) disciples who have retreated from the thought of enlightenment, and 4) transformation disciples.
The two types of disciples who receive a prediction from the tathāgatas are the transformation disciples and the disciples who have retreated from the thought of enlightenment. Since disciples who are fixed [in the path of the Small Vehicle] and arrogant disciples have faculties that are not yet mature, they are not given predictions of enlightenment.
Regarding a bodhisattva giving a prediction, it shows expedient means being used to cause [the disciples] to produce the thought of enlightenment.