Monthly Archives: September 2021

Higan

Contained Within the Daimoku

During the Month of September, as I did in March, I am publishing articles related to Higan, which occurs on the Spring and Fall Equinox and extends three days before and three days after to involve the six pāramitās.

The “six perfections” systematize the practices required of Mahāyāna bodhisattvas to achieve buddhahood: giving, good conduct, perseverance, effort, meditation, and wisdom, in the Kubo and Yuyama translation. Traditionally, each perfection was said to require a hundred eons to complete, one eon being explained, for example, as the time required for a heavenly goddess to wear away great Mount Sumeru, the axis mundi, if she brushes it lightly with her sleeve once every hundred years. Such was the vast effort that Śākyamuni was said to have expended over staggering lengths of time in order to become the Buddha; the perfections represent his “causes” or “causal practices” and form the model for bodhisattva practice more generally. The wisdom, virtue, and power that he attained in consequence are his “resulting merits” or “effects.” Nichiren’s claim here is that all the practices and meritorious acts performed by Śākyamuni over countless lifetimes to become the Buddha, as well as the enlightenment and virtuous attributes he attained in consequence, are wholly contained within the daimoku and are spontaneously transferred to the practitioner in the act of chanting it.
Two Buddhas, p197

WONS

the Lotus Sūtra Honzon

Considering the fact that all of the other schools regard the Buddha as the honzon, the reason why the Tendai school alone regards the Lotus Sūtra as the honzon must be very significant.

QUESTION: What is that significant reason? Also, which is superior, the Buddha or the sūtra?

ANSWER: The honzon is always that which is the ultimate concern. For instance, Confucius regards the Three Emperors and the Five Sovereigns as the Most Venerable (honzon). As Buddhists, we should regard Śākyamuni Buddha as the honzon.

QUESTION: If so, why do you regard the daimoku of the Lotus Sūtra and not Śākyamuni Buddha as the honzon?

ANSWER: As we see from the sūtra citations and their interpretations quoted above, even Śākyamuni Buddha and Grand Master T’ien-t’ai regarded the Lotus Sūtra as the honzon. This is not my own biased view. That’s why I, Nichiren, though I live in the age of the last Dharma, regard the Lotus Sūtra as the honzon, just like Śākyamuni Buddha and Grand Master T’ien-t’ai did. This is because the Lotus Sūtra is both father and mother to Śākyamuni Buddha and it is also the true intention of all Buddhas. Śākyamuni Buddha and the Great Sun Buddha and each and every Buddha in the worlds throughout the universe are all born from the Lotus Sūtra. This is why we regard the Lotus Sūtra, viewed as the father and mother of all Buddhas, as the honzon.

Honzon Mondō Shō, Questions and Answers on the Honzon, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 261

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Sept. 15, 2021

Bhikṣus! I will collect Bodhisattvas and Śrāvakas and expound this sūtra to them when I realize that the time of my Nirvāṇa is drawing near, that the living beings have become pure in heart, that they can understand the truth of the Void by firm faith, and that they have already entered deep into dhyāna-concentration.

The Buddha gives this explanation in Chapter Seven of the Lotus Sūtra. When we encounter even the smallest part of the Lotus Sūtra, it is because of all the wonderful things we have accomplished both in this life and in previous lives. Because we hear and practice this Sūtra, we are the Bodhisattvas who have vowed to benefit all beings and the Śrāvakas who have heard and practiced the teaching for their own benefit and are now awakening to the Bodhisattva path. The Buddha sees into the purity of our hearts, even though we may believe we are clouded by delusion and ignorance. He knows we can understand his teaching no matter how inadequate or unworthy we may think we are. No one besides us can bring the Buddha’s teachings to life and purify this world of suffering. This Wonderful Dharma helps us keep sight of who we are and what we are here to do.

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

LS32

Day 1

Day 1 covers the first half of Chapter 1, Introductory

Day 1 Text with annotationsPlay MP3
Having last month witnessed the reaction to the World-Honored One expounding the sūtra of the Great Vehicle called the “Innumerable Teachings,” we consider the ray of light emitted by the Buddha.

Thereupon the Buddha emitted a ray of light from the white curls between his eyebrows, and illumined all the corners of eighteen thousand worlds in the east, down to the Avchi Hell of each world, and up to the Akanistha Heaven of each world. The congregation saw from this world the living beings of the six regions of those worlds. They also saw the present Buddhas of those worlds. They also heard the Dharma expounded by those Buddhas. They also saw the bhikṣus, bhikṣunīs, upāsakās and upāsikās of those worlds who had already attained [the various fruits of] enlightenment by their various practices. They also saw the Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas [of those worlds] who were practicing the Way of Bodhisattvas [in various ways] according to the variety of their karmas which they had done in their previous existence, and also according to the variety of their ways of understanding [the Dharma] by faith. They also saw the past Buddhas [of those worlds] who had already entered into Parinirvana. They also saw the stupas of the seven treasures which had been erected to enshrine the śarīras of those Buddhas after their Parinirvana.

See Worshiping the Buddha

Buddhism For Today, LS32, d1b

Worshiping the Buddha

For Buddhists, worshiping the Buddha is an expression of gratitude. When we have a deep sense of gratitude, we must always be sure to express it in our conduct. Gratitude without worship cannot be said to be true gratitude. To venerate the Buddha, Japanese Buddhists worship at their family altars by presenting flowers, tea, and water and by burning incense and beating gongs.

Buddhism for Today, p4
Higan, perfections

Tolerance: The Contingency of Life

For some traditional Buddhists there is no such thing as misfortune. All fortune – good, bad, and indifferent – is justifiably earned, they claim. We deserve whatever we get in life. Grounded in the view of cosmic justice inherent in the Buddhist teachings of karma and rebirth, this idea is not always easy to practice. But for those who are adept at practicing it, it does have powerful ramifications. Whoever accepts these teachings to the extent of being able to live in accord with them has no reason to resent what has happened. When misfortune befalls such people, their understanding of karma and rebirth ameliorates its sting. Whatever has happened to them – no matter how terrible or how wonderful – it was their own actions in life that have produced this new state of affairs. Adopting this view, you would have every reason to tolerate everything that happens to you and no reason to resent or bemoan the consequences that your own actions have earned.

Six Perfections: Buddhism & the Cultivation of Character, p 125
WONS

How Can the Buddha Dwell Within Our Polluted Bodies?

We were born from the fluids of our parents. As we emerged from the carnal desire at the root of the three poisons (greed, anger, and ignorance), how can the Buddha dwell within our polluted bodies? Nevertheless, as we reconsider the matter, this is plausible. The pure flowers of the lotus bloom in a swamp. Sandalwood is a fragrant tree, but it grows in the soil. The cherry blossoms adorn the trees in the spring, but they bloom on trees that are nondescript. Yang Kuei-fei, a rare beauty, was born of a woman of low status. Likewise, many things which are inferior in quality sometimes produce things superior to themselves.

Generally speaking, however, the moon rising over a mountain shines on the mountain, evil words spewed through the mouth destroys a person’s body, and the virtuous acts of a person generated by the heart bring happiness. Likewise, in everything the result returns to the source of its cause. Now your earnest desire of making a donation to the Lotus Sūtra at the beginning of the first month of the year will bring you good fortune just as the cherry blossoms bloom on trees that are plain, the flowers of the lotus open in a muddy pond, sandalwood trees on the Himalaya Mountains grow in the snow, and the moon begins to arise over a mountain.

Omonsu-dono Nyōbō Gohenji, A Reply to the Wife of the Lord of Omonsu, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 7, Followers II, Pages 110

Daily Dharma, d13b

Daily Dharma – Sept. 14, 2021

The Nirvāṇa we attained was
Only part of the immeasurable treasures of yours.
We were like a foolish man with no wisdom.
We satisfied ourselves with what little we had attained.

Five hundred of the Buddha’s monks give this explanation in Chapter Eight of the Lotus Sūtra. They had spent all of their time with the Buddha working to rid themselves of suffering. While this is a remarkable achievement, it does not compare to the true purpose of the Buddha’s teaching. When these monks heard the Buddha teach the Lotus Sutra, and understood that their true purpose was to benefit others, they realized that their earlier practice was preparation. By remaining preoccupied with suffering, they had lost sight of the treasure of enlightenment.

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

Innumerable, LS32

Another Innumerable Day Before Day 1

Having last month considered the tenth beneficial effect of this sutra, we consider the reaction of Bodhisattva Fully Composed and the the universe of a thousand-million Sumeru worlds.

With that, the great-being bodhisattva Fully Composed and the eighty thousand great-being bodhisattvas addressed the Buddha in one voice, saying: “World-honored One! The profound, transcendent, incomparable, all- ferrying Infinite Meanings Sutra expounded by the Buddha is true and correct in its content and principles, and its value is supreme and unsurpassed! It is embraced by the buddhas of the past, present, and future together. It is impervious to the influence of disruptive forces and the influence of differing views, and is neither corrupted nor destroyed by any deluded perception or the cycle of births and deaths. This sutra therefore has the inconceivable power of ten such kinds of beneficial effect and greatly benefits all living beings inclusively. It enables each and every great-being bodhisattva to attain the specialized focus of mind of infinite meanings, or to gain access to a hundred thousand Dharma-grasping empowerments, or to achieve the various bodhisattva stages and insights, or to attain realization as pratyekabuddha, or to realize the fruits of the four stages of arhatship. The World-honored One has willingly and compassionately expounded such a teaching for all of us and enabled us to harvest the great benefits of the Dharma. This is extremely unusual, unique, and unprecedented! The World-honored One’s compassionate favor is truly difficult to repay!”

At that moment the universe of a thousand-million Sumeru worlds trembled and shook in six ways, and several kinds of heavenly blossoms—blue, crimson, yellow, and white lotus flowers— rained from the sky above. Also, a rain of many and various kinds of heavenly incense and garments, garlands of celestial jewels, and priceless celestial treasures came spiraling down from the skies above as offerings to the Buddha, the bodhisattvas, the śrāvakas, and the great multitude. Celestial bowls and containers were filled to overflowing with hundreds of heavenly delicacies that were spontaneously fully satisfying by appearance and aroma. Celestial flags, celestial banners and canopies, and marvelous celestial amusements were arranged everywhere, and heavenly music and songs were played and sung in praise of the Buddha. Also, buddha worlds in the eastern direction, as numerous as the Ganges River’s sands, likewise trembled and shook in six ways. Heavenly flowers, heavenly incense and garments, garlands of celestial jewels, priceless celestial treasures, celestial bowls and containers, hundreds of heavenly delicacies that were spontaneously fully satisfying by appearance and aroma, celestial flags, celestial banners and canopies, and marvelous celestial amusements also rained down. Heavenly music and songs were played and sung in praise of those buddhas, bodhisattvas, śrāvakas, and great assemblies. In the southern, western, and northern directions, in the four intermediate directions, and in the upper and lower regions it was like this as well.

Underscore: The World-honored One’s compassionate favor is truly difficult to repay!

Higan, perfections

Morality: Three Categories

In their effort to establish a more comprehensive understanding of Buddhist morality, Mahayana sources frequently classify morality into three increasingly significant categories. First is morality as restraint, which aligns with most concerns of early Buddhist moral precepts. Steadfast in renunciation of ordinary worldly desires, the bodhisattva observes the precepts with great care and exactitude and does this with no thought of reward. Second is morality as the cultivation of virtue. More comprehensive than following the Buddhist precepts, the second level of moral practice is grounded in meditation and its concern for mindfulness. Attentive to all of the ways in which enlightenment can be cultivated, the bodhisattva undertakes these regimes of training in order to prepare for the final stage. Third is morality as altruism. This dimension of morality shows the bodhisattva’s overarching concern for the welfare and enlightenment of others. Moral action at this stage, therefore, entails loving service to others, which includes everything from teaching to care for the poor and the sick. In the final analysis, moral action is not individual but collective, and the bodhisattva engages in morality for the betterment and enlightenment of all.

Six Perfections: Buddhism & the Cultivation of Character, p 59