Monthly Archives: December 2020

LS32

Day 26

Day 26 concludes Chapter 21, The Supernatural Powers of the Tathāgatas, includes Chapter 22, Transmission, and introduces Chapter 23, The Previous Life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva.

Day 26 Text with annotationsPlay MP3

Having last month conclude Chapter 21, The Supernatural Powers of the Tathāgatas, we open Chapter 22 and Śākyamuni Buddha’s transmission of the Dharma.

Thereupon Śākyamuni Buddha rose from the seat of the Dharma, and by his great supernatural powers, put his right hand on the heads of the innumerable Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas, and said:

“For many hundreds of thousands of billions of asaṃkhyas of kalpas, I studied and practiced the Dharma difficult to obtain, and [finally attained] Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi. Now I will transmit the Dharma to you. Propagate it with all your hearts, and make it known far and wide!”

He put his [right] hand on their heads twice more, and said:

“For many hundreds of thousands of billions of asaṃkhyas of kalpas, I studied and practiced the Dharma difficult to obtain, and [finally attained] Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi. Now I will transmit [the Dharma] to you. Keep, read, recite and expound [this sūtra in which the Dharma is given], and cause all living beings to hear it and know it! Why is that? It is because I have great compassion. I do not begrudge anything. I am fearless. I wish to give the wisdom of the Buddha, the wisdom of the Tathāgata, the wisdom of the Self-Existing One, to all living beings. I am the great almsgiver to all living beings. Follow me, and study my teachings without begrudging efforts! In the future, when you see good men or women who believe in the wisdom of the Tathāgata, you should expound this Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma to them, and cause them to hear and know [this sūtra] so that they may be able to obtain the wisdom of the Buddha. When you see anyone who does not receive [this sūtra] by faith, you should show him some other profound teachings of mine, teach him, benefit him, and cause him to rejoice. When you do all this, you will be able to repay the favors given to you by the Buddhas.”

See Trust and Faith

LS32, d26b, stories

Trust and Faith

In ancient India placing one’s hand on the head of another apparently was a sign of trust. Clearly something like that is intended here – but perhaps something more is involved. Though not in this chapter, in various places in the Dharma Flower Sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha has said that he is the father of this world. Further, bodhisattvas are regarded as children of the Buddha. There is, in other words, a kind of familial relation, a relation of affection between the Buddha and bodhisattvas. Here, the placing of his hand on the heads of bodhisattvas indicates that the relationship is not only one of trust in a formal sense but displays a religious faith which goes beyond calculations of ability and such. Just as in early chapters of the Sutra he has assured shravakas of becoming buddhas, here the Buddha assures bodhisattvas that they can do the job that needs to be done.

The bodhisattvas, in turn, assure the Buddha that they will indeed carry on his ministry of spreading the Dharma. In other words, the relationship of trust between the Buddha and the bodhisattvas is a mutual one, based on personal assurance. The Buddha assures the bodhisattvas that they can do what needs to be done and they assure him that they will do it.

The Stories of the Lotus Sutra, p 234-235
d19b, d20b, Peaceful Action

Beyond Time and Space

In Chapter 15 of the Lotus Sutra, “Welling Up Out of the Earth,” we begin to see the unborn and undying nature of the Buddha. From the point of view of our conventional understanding, we see reality as limited by the two barriers of time and space. But the Lotus Sutra reveals to us the eternal presence of the Buddha; time and space are not separate.

Peaceful Action, Open Heart, p108
d26b, WONS

The Lotus Sūtra Is Truest of All True Words

In the Lotus Sūtra, fascicle 7 (“Divine Powers of the Buddha” chapter), preaches, “You should uphold this sūtra after My death. There is no doubt that such people will attain Buddhahood.” The holy teachings of the Buddha preached during His lifetime are all so precious that we cannot neglect them. They are all golden words of our Father, Lord Teacher Śākyamuni Buddha, the Great Sage. They are all true words. Nevertheless, they are divided into several categories such as Hinayāna, Mahāyāna, exoteric, esoteric, provisional Mahāyāna and true Mahāyāna. Compared to the sūtras of the non-Buddhist teachings such as Two Heavenly Beings and Three Hermits in India and Taoist priests in China, Buddhist sūtras are the teachings of the true words whereas these non-Buddhist scriptures are of lies. The Buddhist scriptures, however, can also be divided into those of true words, lies, idle talks, and harsh words. Among them, the Lotus Sūtra is the truest of all true words, the utmost of all truth.

Myōhō-ama Gozen Gohenji, A Reply to My Lady, the Nun Myōhō, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 142

Daily Dharma, d14b

Daily Dharma – Dec. 7, 2020

Anyone who keeps
The Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma
Should be considered to have given up his pure world and come here
Out of his compassion towards all living beings.

The Buddha declares these verses to Medicine-King Bodhisattva in Chapter Ten of the Lotus Sūtra. He reminds us that as Bodhisattvas, we are no longer concerned with getting into a paradise where all our desires are met. This also means that we were not sent into this world of conflict (Sahā) so that we could be tested to see whether we are worthy of getting into that paradise. Instead, we are Bodhisattvas, beings who through our great resolve to benefit all beings, have with great courage chosen to immerse ourselves in the misery of this world, because we know there is no other way to create benefit and lead all beings to the Buddha’s enlightenment.

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

LS32

Day 25

Day 25 covers all of Chapter 20, Never-Despising Bodhisattva, and opens Chapter 21, The Supernatural Powers of the Tathāgatas.

Day 25 Text with annotationsPlay MP3
Having last month heard the vow of the Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas as many as the particles of dust of one thousand worlds who sprang up from underground, we conclude today’s portion of Chapter 21, The Supernatural Powers of the Tathāgatas, with the reaction of the gods in the skies [of the worlds of the ten quarters.

At that time the gods in the skies [of the worlds of the ten quarters] said loudly:

“There is a world called Sahā beyond a distance of many hundreds of thousands of billions of asaṃkhyas of worlds. In that world lives a Buddha called Śākyamuni. He is now expounding to Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas a sūtra of the Great Vehicle, called the ‘Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma, the Dharma for Bodhisattvas, the Dharma Upheld by the Buddhas.’ Rejoice from the bottom of your hearts! Bow and make offerings to Śākyamuni Buddha!”

Having heard their voice from the skies, the living beings of those worlds joined their hands together towards the Sahā World, and said, “Namah Sakyamunaye Buddhaya, namah Sakyamunaye Buddhaya.” Then they strewed various flowers, various kinds of incense, various necklaces, streamers, canopies, personal ornaments, treasures, and other wonderful things to the Sahā-World from afar.

The strewn things came from the worlds of the ten quarters like gathering clouds and changed into a jeweled awning over the Sahā-World. The awning extended over the Buddhas staying in this world. At that time the worlds of the ten quarters became passable through each other without hindrance as if they had been a single Buddha-world.

See 10 Divine Powers

LS32, d25b, d26b, stories

10 Divine Powers

The divine powers displayed in this story are said to be ten in all, five having to do with the past and five with the future. The second five can be understood as consequences of the first five being widely implemented. While these ten are known as “divine powers,” they are actually events – events that display special, magical powers, some by buddhas, some by others.

The Stories of the Lotus Sutra, p224
d19b, d20b, Peaceful Action

When Daffodils Manifest

In the Upper Hamlet of Plum Village where I live there is an area where wild daffodils manifest in late February. When we first arrived on the land to begin building Plum Village, we were not aware that there were so many beautiful daffodils, hundreds of thousands of them, waiting there to manifest in early spring. We had only a historical perception of the land; we had not yet seen its ultimate dimension. The daffodils don’t bloom any other time of the year, and then suddenly tens of thousands of them spring up, just like the bodhisattvas welling up from the Earth. When these golden flowers manifest, it is very beautiful, and so we have named that place “Treasure of the Dharma Body.” You can’t see the Dharma realm (dharmadhatu), until it manifests to you. If you’re too attached to your perception of the historical dimension of reality, you may not be able to see the ultimate dimension manifest. When you know how to look deeply into the historical dimension, you touch the ultimate dimension.

Peaceful Action, Open Heart, p108
WONS

A Wish-Fulfilling Gem Placed Above All the Buddhist Sūtras.

[I]f we are to believe in the Buddha’s will, we must comprehend the teachings of all the other sūtras as reflected upon the clear mirror of the Lotus Sūtra. Now, it is stated in the Lotus Sūtra: “The Lotus Sūtra is above all the other sūtras.” This means that just as Indra resides on the top of Mt. Sumeru, or a wish-fulfilling gem exists on the head of the Wheel-turning Noble King, or the moon shines over various trees, or a protuberance is seen on the head of Buddhas, the Lotus Sūtra is a wish-fulfilling gem placed above all the Buddhist sūtras.

Hōon-jō, Essay on Gratitude, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Pages 4.

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Dec. 6, 2020

Ajita! Anyone who hears that my life is so long, and understands it by faith even at a moment’s thought, will be able to obtain innumerable merits.

The Buddha makes this declaration to his disciple Maitreya, also known as Invincible (Ajita) in Chapter Seventeen of the Lotus Sutra. In the previous chapter, the Buddha revealed for the first time that his impending death was merely an expedient, intended to reach those who would take him for granted if they thought they could see him at any time. The Buddha explained that this is the teaching that is most difficult to believe and difficult to understand. Namely that he is always present, leading us and all beings to enlightenment.

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