Peaceful Action, Open Heart, p76-77[The Buddha] predicted that [Purna] would become the Buddha Dharma Glow (Dharmaprabhasa) in a Buddha Land called Well Purified (Suvishuddha). In that land there are two kinds of food that are given to the people every day – the food of Dharma Joy and the food of Meditative Delight. Dharma Joy is the feeling of joy we have when we are able to hear and learn about the Dharma. When we listen to a Dharma talk, participate in a Dharma discussion, and study the teachings, it is great joy and it is also a kind of nourishment for us. The food of Dharma Joy belongs to the realm of study, and the food of Meditative Delight, meditative concentration, belongs to the field of practice. When you listen to the teachings with concentration, you are at the same time enjoying the food of Dharma Joy and the food of Meditative Delight. These two expressions, Dharma Joy and Meditative Delight, are taken from a gatha in the Avatamsaka Sutra.
Monthly Archives: November 2020
What the Lotus Sūtra Preaches
The Annotations to the Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra, fascicle 6, states: “Although various sūtras claim to be the king of sūtras, they do not preach as the Lotus Sūtra does that they are superior to all the sūtras preached in the past, being preached at present and will be preached in the future. You should know for certain that those sūtras preached before the Lotus Sūtra are those preaching the perfect and distinct teachings combined (Flower Garland Sūtra); preaching merely tripiṭaka (Hinayāna) teaching (Āgama sūtras); comparing the tripiṭaka, common, distinct and perfect teachings (Hōdō sūtras); and preaching the perfect teaching tinged with the common and distinct teachings (Wisdom Sūtra).” The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sūtra, fascicle 3, states, “The tongue will be inflamed in the mouth.” Elaborating on this, the Commentary on the Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sūtra declares: “The Lotus Sūtra is supreme of all the sūtras preached in the past, being preached now, and to be preached in the future. If you harbor any doubts about this, your tongue will be inflamed in this present life and you will suffer for aeons for committing the sin of slandering the True Dharma. … You will be remonstrated by the Buddha for all time.”
Ichidai Goji Keizu, Genealogical Chart of the Buddha’s Lifetime Teachings in Five Periods, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Page 243-244
Daily Dharma – Nov. 24, 2020
World-Honored One! Explain all this so that we may be able to remove our doubts and that the good men in the future may have no doubts when they hear these words of yours!
The Bodhisattva Maitreya makes this request to the Buddha in Chapter Fifteen of the Lotus Sūtra. There are several ways that the Buddha leads us to his enlightenment. One is by making us aware of the mysteries that abound in this world of conflict. The Lotus Sūtra promises in Chapter One that no question will be left unresolved. But unless we are aware of these questions, and these mysteries, then they cannot be explained. When we allow ourselves to wonder, to question, to become aware of the mystery of existence, and resist being ashamed of not knowing. then we are coming to understand the Buddha’s own mind.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Day 12
Day 12 concludes Chapter 7, The Parable of the Magic City, and completes the Third Volume of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.
Having last month considered the meaning of the Magic City, we consider the story of Great-Universal-Wisdom-Excellence Buddha in gāthās.
Thereupon the World-Honored One, wishing to repeat what he had said, sang in gāthās;
Great-Universal-Wisdom-Excellence Buddha sat
At the place of enlightenment for ten [small] kalpas.
He could not attain the enlightenment of the Buddha
Because the Dharma of the Buddhas had not yet come into his mind.The gods, dragon-kings,
And asuras rained down
Heavenly flowers,
And offered them to him.The gods beat heavenly drums,
And made many kinds of music.
Withered flowers were swept away by fragrant winds;
And fresh and beautiful flowers were rained down.After the ten small kalpas elapsed,
He attained the enlightenment of the Buddha.
The gods and men of the world
Felt like dancing with joy.Surrounded by their followers,
Thousands of billions in number,
The sixteen sons of that Buddha
Came to him.Worshipping the feet of the Buddha with their heads,
They begged him to turn the wheel of the Dharma, saying:
“Lion-like Saint! Send the rain of the Dharma
On us and on all others also!”It is difficult to meet a World-Honored One.
He appears only once in a very long time.
When he appears, he causes all the worlds to quake
In order to awaken all living beings.
Each time through this section I pause and consider that Great-Universal-Wisdom-Excellence Buddha sat at the place of enlightenment for ten [small] kalpas. He could not attain the enlightenment of the Buddha because the Dharma of the Buddhas had not yet come into his mind.
How much easier we followers of Nichiren have it.
It is said that the merit of all the Buddhist scriptures (except the Lotus Sūtra) is found in the promise that men can become Buddhas after they have done good deeds, which means the attainment of Buddhahood is not certain. In the case of the Lotus Sūtra, however, when one touches it, one’s hands immediately become Buddhas, and when one chants it, one’s mouth instantly becomes a Buddha. For example, when the moon rises above the eastern mountain, its reflection immediately shows on the water. Sound and resonance also occur simultaneously.
Ueno-dono Gozen Gohenji, Reply to My Lady, the Nun of Ueno, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Followers II, Volume 7, Page 58-59
Purnamaitrayaniputra
Peaceful Action, Open Heart, p76In Chapter 8, “Receipt of Prophecy by Five Hundred Disciples,” the Buddha predicts the future Buddhahood of Purna, one of his ten outstanding disciples. His full name is Purnamaitrayaniputra (son of Maitrayana). Maitrayana, which was the name of his mother, is Sanskrit for “the fullness of loving kindness.” He was foremost among the Buddha’s senior disciples in giving excellent Dharma talks. Purna was present in the assembly when the Buddha predicted the Buddhahood of the four bhikshus, and he was so moved by this that he came to stand near the Buddha as he was teaching. Then the Buddha looked at Purna and began to praise his fine qualities and practice, and predicted that he would become the Buddha Dharma Glow (Dharmaprabhasa) in a Buddha Land called Well Purified (Suvishuddha).
The Only Certainty
Today, I am not sure of staying alive or dying here; however, at the same time I am sure that the five characters of myō, hō, ren, ge and kyō will spread widely in this Latter Age of Degeneration.
Toki-dono Go-henji, A Response to Lord Toki, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 180
Daily Dharma – Nov. 23, 2020
Even if I praise for innumerable kalpas
The keeper of this sūtra,
To whom it is to be transmitted,
I cannot praise him highly enough.
The Buddha sings these verses to Superior-Practice Bodhisattva (Jōgyo, Viśiṣṭacārītra) in Chapter Twenty-One of the Lotus Sūtra. When the Buddha praises us for keeping the Lotus Sūtra, he is praising our Buddha-Nature and encouraging us to develop it. When we praise the Buddha and show our gratitude for the practice he has given us, we are praising the Lotus Sūtra. When we praise and value the Lotus Sūtra, we are encouraging the Buddha-Nature in all beings, just as the Buddha has promised to do. Therefore when we keep and practice the Lotus Sūtra, we are fulfilling the Buddha’s promise of our enlightenment.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Day 11
Day 11 continues Chapter 7, The Parable of the Magic City
Having last month considered the reaction of the Brahman-heavenly-kings of the five hundred billion worlds in the southeast, we consider the reaction of the Brahman-heavenly-kings of the five hundred billion worlds in the south.“Bhikṣus! The great Brahman-[heavenly-]kings of the five hundred billion worlds in the south, who saw their palaces illumined more brightly than ever, also danced with joy. They wondered why [their palaces were so illumined]. They visited each other and discussed the reason, saying, ‘Why are our palaces illumined so brightly?’ There was a great Brahman-heavenlyking called Wonderful-Dharma among them. He said to the other Brahmans in gāthās:
Our palaces are illumined so brightly.
There must be some reason.
Let us find [the place]
[From where the light has come].We have never seen this [light]
For the past one hundred thousand kalpas.
Did a god of great virtue or a Buddha appear
Somewhere in the universe?“Thereupon the Brahman-heavenly-kings of the five hundred billion [worlds] went to the north, carrying flower-plates filled with heavenly flowers, in order to find [the place from where the light had come]. Their palaces also moved as they went. They [reached the Well-Composed World and] saw that GreatUniversal-Wisdom-Excellence Tathāgata was sitting on the lionlike seat under the Bodhi-tree of the place of enlightenment, surrounded respectfully by gods, dragon-kings, gandharvas, kiṃnaras, mahoragas, men and nonhuman beings. They also saw that the sixteen princes were begging the Buddha to turn the wheel of the Dharma. They worshipped the Buddha with their heads, walked around him a hundred thousand times, and strewed heavenly flowers to him. The strewn flowers were heaped up to the height of Mt. Sumeru. The Brahman-heavenly-king offered flowers also to the Bodhi-tree of the Buddha. Having offered flowers, they offered their palaces to the Buddha, saying, ‘We offer these palaces to you. Receive them and benefit us out of your compassion towards us!’ In the presence of the Buddha, they simultaneously praised him in gāthās with all their hearts:
It is difficult to see a World-Honored One.
You, the World-Honored One, eliminated all illusions.
We have not seen a World-Honored One
For the past one hundred and thirty kalpas.Send the rain of the Dharma
On the hungry and thirsty beings!
Possessor of immeasurable wisdom,
We have never seen anyone wiser than you.
You are as rare as an udumbara-flower.
Now we have met you today.Our palaces are beautifully adorned
With your light.
World-Honored One, receive them
Out of your great compassion towards us!“Thereupon the Brahman-heavenly-kings, having praised the Buddha with these gāthās, said, ‘World-Honored One! Turn the wheel of the Dharma so that Mara, Brahman, the other gods, śramaṇas, and brahmanas of the world may be peaceful, and that they may be saved!’ They simultaneously praised the Buddha in gāthās with all their hearts:
Most Honorable of Gods and Men!
Turn the wheel of the unsurpassed Dharma,
Beat the drum of the Great Dharma,
Blow the conch-shell horn of the Great Dharma,
Send the rain of the Great Dharma,
And save innumerable living beings!
Devoting ourselves to you, we beg you.
Resound your profound teaching!“Thereupon Great-Universal-Wisdom-Excellence Tathāgata gave his tacit consent to their appeal.
See The Power in Us
The Power in Us
The Stories of the Lotus Sutra, p107We should not think that the Buddha is some kind of all-powerful god who can awaken all living beings by himself. The Buddha of the Dharma Flower Sutra, like all beings, lives interdependently with others. He needs his children, his bodhisattvas, to do his work in this world, working both for their own liberation and for the liberation of others.
Shinran, the great founder of the True Pure Land (Jodo Shin-shu) tradition of Japanese Buddhism, thought it important to say that human beings are utterly dependent on the “other-power” of the Buddha and can accomplish nothing good by their “own-power.” But in the Dharma Flower Sutra we cannot find this radically dualistic distinction between the power of the Buddha and the power of others. In this Sutra, the power in us, the buddha-nature in us, is always both our own power and the power of the Buddha embodied in us.
Our Ultimate Goal
Peaceful Action, Open Heart, p72The feeling of the shravakayana is that you cannot yourself become a Buddha, you cannot be equal to a Buddha, because the Buddha is too great, he is unique. Along with this belief was the feeling that you don’t need to become a Buddha, so there is no need to cultivate bodhichitta, the aspiration to attain Buddhahood, in order to help others. You have a lot of suffering and you want to stop your suffering, so you concern yourself only with your own safety and liberation. You are satisfied with a small path, a small nirvana.
Out of his compassion and love for us, the Buddha gave the small vehicle teaching of nirvana in the beginning. But after a time, our skillful guide tells us it is time to go farther on the path. Even though many of us may be satisfied to stay and enjoy the peace and bliss of individual nirvana, the Buddha reminds us of our ultimate goal: to arrive at the shore of freedom and well-being and then extend a hand to others so that they may cross over to liberation. From the path of the shravakayana we continue onto the bodhisattva path of the Mahayana and continue our journey to the end.