Tao-sheng Commentary on the Lotus Sutra, pp;294-295The number of the kalpas which have elapsed since I became the Buddha is on hundred thousand billion nayuta asaṃkhyas larger than the number of the particles of the dust thus produced.
The Form-body (rūpakāya) of the Buddha must be something visible and existent but without real form. If he is not real, how can he be spoken of in terms of life-span? However, the [different] modes and forms [of manifestation] are directed to arrive at the same [goal]. He is one throughout the past and the present; the past also is the present, and vice versa. There is no time when he is not existent. There is no place where he is not present. If there are times when something is not existent and there are places when something is not present, it applies only to beings, but not to the Sage. For the reason, ultimately [the Sage] establishes the eternity [of the Buddha], suggesting that Gayā is (a part of) it. If Gayā is [a part of] it, there is no more Gayā. Because there is no more Gayā, how can eternity exist alone? [Therefore], eternity and shortness are not [separately] existent; this is the reason why both eternity and shortness remain existent.
Monthly Archives: June 2025
Hsuan Hua and the Four Vast Vows
Master Hsuan Hua offers this explanation of the Bodhisattva’s Four Great Vows in his discussion of Chapter 3, A Parable, in the Lotus Sutra and the description of the characteristics of the Great Cart given to the children who escape the Burning House of the Triple World.
Hsuan Hua Lotus Sutra Commentary, v4, p408-412The first of the four vast vows is, “Living beings are boundless; I vow to save them all.” The beings in our inherent nature are countless and limitless. You must first save beings within yourself before you can save beings on the outside. If you have not finished saving the beings within yourself, you cannot finish saving living beings on the outside. Although you have saved living beings, you should not become attached to having done so. You should save all living beings yet have no attachment to having saved them.
The second of the four vast vows is, “Afflictions are endless; I vow to cut them off.” Our afflictions arise without our intending to produce them. We try to avoid having afflictions, yet afflictions still arise. Without realizing how it happens, ignorance manifests. The Heart Sutra discusses twenty types of subsidiary afflictions. Without cause or reason, afflictions arise. One vows to sever these afflictions, but they continue to arise. We would be well-off indeed if we had as much money as we had afflictions. Then we’d always have money – no need to work for it. It’s too bad we don’t have as much money as we do afflictions. Afflictions are never-ending. Money is not. Once you use it, it’s gone. But there are people who think afflictions are the best thing. They get angry and think it’s more fun than eating dumplings. Is this strange or not? Giving rise to afflictions will burn away one’s virtues and Dharma wealth. That is why the Buddha taught all living beings to sever afflictions. Afflictions must be cut off.
The third vow Is, “Dharma-doors are countless; I vow to study them all.” Last year you studied the Śūraṅgama Sūtra. This year you are studying the Dharma Flower Sūtra, the Heart Sūtra, the Vajra Sūtra, and the Earth Store Sūtra; and soon we will have lectures on the Avataṃsaka Sūtra as well. Each sūtra has its own principles. How many doctrines would you say there are? There are as many as the grains of sand in the Ganges, as many as motes of dust. The Avataṃsaka Sūtra in its original form has as many chapters as the motes of dust in ten trichiliocosms. How many is that? It is as many as those dust motes. If you can count how many dust motes there are, then you know how many chapters there are. If you can’t, don’t ask me, because I am just like you.
As to Dharma-doors, there are the Great Vehicle Dharmas, the Lesser Vehicle Dharmas, the four noble truths, the six pāramitās, the twelve links of dependent arising, the thirty-seven factors of awakening… How many Dharmas are there? There are 84,000 Dharma-doors. If we were to study one Dharma-door every day, we would need 84,000 days. How many days are there in our lives? There are 365 days in a year, 3,650 days in ten years, and 36,500 days in one hundred years – so we would be dead before we finished studying. National Master Qingliang lived to be 101. How can we ever finish learning all wisdom and knowledge? We can never finish learning. If not, should we quit studying? No. Even though we cannot finish studying, we still need to study. “Dharma-doors are countless; I vow to study them all.” If we do not study, we will not learn. So we must keep studying. …
The fourth vow Is, “Buddhahood is unsurpassed; I vow to realize it.” In this world, there is nothing higher than the realization of Buddhahood. Becoming a Buddha is the most honorable accomplishment both in and beyond this world. Therefore, the Buddha, the World Honored One, is the most honored both within and beyond the world. Buddhahood is the ultimate refuge and final accomplishment. Before becoming a Buddha, one is simply a confused being in the nine Dharma realms. After becoming a Buddha, one is completely clear, without any confusion. This is why we vow, “Buddhahood is unsurpassed; I vow to realize it.” We vow to become Buddhas. Not only will we become Buddhas, we will lead all living beings to realize Buddhahood together.
These four vast vows are truly magnificent. “I vow to save the living beings of my inherent nature. I vow to cut off the afflictions of my inherent nature.” You can’t just run around telling other people that they should cut off their afflictions. You can’t walk up to someone and say, “You are studying the Buddhadharma, yet you still have so many afflictions. You still have a terrible temper. Just what meaning does all your study have?” You are not supposed to be looking at others’ faults. You are supposed to watch over yourself….
The four vast vows are very important. They are represented in the text by the phrase “with golden cords strung around them.” The four vast vows are like cords of gold braided together. You have to be vigorous. Don’t ever forget these vows. Always base your cultivation upon these four vast vows.
These vows, which are know in Nichiren Shu Buddhism as the Four Great Vows, are derived from T’ien T’ai Buddhism. There’s an excellent discussion of how these vows are derived from the Four Noble Truths in a 1983 article by Robert F. Rhodes. (PDF)
Myōhō Renge Kyō Promise for June 20, 2025
“It took the Buddha eight thousand kalpas to complete the expounding of Myōhō Renge Kyō. During that time he did not take a rest. Having completed the expounding of Myōhō Renge Kyō, the Buddha entered a quiet room and practiced dhyāna-concentration for eighty-four thousand kalpas. Seeing him practicing dhyāna-concentration quietly in the room, the sixteen Bodhisattva-sramaneras each sat on a seat of the Dharma, expounded Myōhō Renge Kyō to the four kinds of devotees for eighty-four thousand kalpas, and saved six hundred billion nayutas of living beings, that is, as many living beings as there are sands in the River Ganges. They showed them the Way, taught them, benefited them, caused them to rejoice and to aspire for Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi.”
Tao-sheng: The Buddha’s Real Life-Span
Tao-sheng Commentary on the Lotus Sutra, p294Thereupon the Buddha aid to the great multitude including Bodhisattvas and others, “Good men! Understand my sincere and infallible words by faith!” {the true speech of the Thus Come One}.
They beg for it three times, also expressing how intense is their aspiration.
The gods, men and asuras in the world think that I, Śākyamuni Buddha, left the palace of the Śākyas, sat at the place of enlightenment not far from the City of Gayā, and attained Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi [forty and odd years ago].
Here is the point of which many are doubtful. Thus, he points it out to dispel the doubts. This day [the Buddha] proves that his long life-span is real, thereby showing that [his enlightenment at] Gayā is unreal. If one perceives that Gayā is untrue, one also knows that [a] long or short [life-span] applies to beings, whereas the Sage is ever in the unconditioned state (wu-wei, asaṃskṛta).
Hsuan Hua’s Perspective: Siddhartha’s Three Wives and Yaśodharā’s Delayed Birth of Rāhula
In contrast to the story about The Deer Park, some of Master Hsuan Hua’s stories diverge from more common traditions. Consider this explanation of Rāhula, Śākyamuni’s son, and Yaśodharā, Rāhula’s mother.
Hsuan Hua Lotus Sutra Commentary, v2, p92-94Rāhula was Śākyamuni Buddha’s son. The Buddha had three wives. His senior wife was Gopika, his middle wife was Yaśodharā, and his junior wife was Mṛgadāva. Rāhula was the son of his second wife, Yaśodharā. After giving birth to him, Yaśodharā encountered a lot of problems and was involved in a scandal. Why was that? She did not show signs of pregnancy until after the Buddha had left the home life. Naturally, the entire Śākya clan was outraged. They said, “She’s certainly been up to no good. Her husband has been gone for six years. How could she have a son?” The truth was that Rāhula had been living in his mother’s womb for six years. Of course, no one could believe this. The Śākyans were furious and wanted to punish Yaśodharā for her infidelity by sentencing her to death.
Malicious rumors spread through the streets and all over the country. Everyone knew that the Buddha had been away for six years, but his wife had given birth to a son. Even though the palace maids had sworn before the Buddha’s father that Yaśodharā had not been unfaithful and that the child was indeed Śākyamuni Buddha’s, no one believed her innocence. It was thought to be impossible!
Left with no choice, Yaśodharā swore, “If I have behaved improperly, then when I jump into a pit of fire, my son and I will be burned to death; but if I am blameless, the heavenly spirits will protect us from the fire.
Consequently, a large pit was made and filled with lots of wood, and a roaring fire was lit. Holding Rāhula in her arms, she jumped into the fire. Miraculously, the fiery pit turned into a pond, and a lotus emerged to support her and Rāhula. After witnessing this, the king realized that his daughter-in-law had been wrongfully accused. Everyone in the country acknowledged this was an extraordinary situation and stopped criticizing her.
Rāhula means “covering and obstructing.” Why was he called Covering and Obstructing? In one of his past lives, when he was a child, he plugged up a mouse hole with a piece of wood for six days before removing it. As a result, in this life he had to bear the consequence of having to stay in his mother’s womb for six years. We should all consider this carefully: cause and effect is truly remarkable. Even though Rāhula was the Buddha’s son, he still had to undergo the retribution of spending six years in his mother’s womb because of this misdeed of plugging up a mouse hole. That was how he got the name Covering and Obstructing.
Another possible interpretation would be from Yaśodharā’s point of view. Because of Rāhula, she had to face a lot of troubles and adversities. The obstacles that she faced came from her son. That could also explain the name Covering and Obstructing.
Ultimately, where did Śākyamuni Buddha’s son come from? Was he really Śākyamuni Buddha’s son? Yes, he was. Did Śākyamuni Buddha have his son in the same manner as ordinary couples do? No. When Yaśodharā expressed her desire to have a son, the Buddha pointed his finger at her, and she became pregnant. This may sound like a myth, but in Buddhism there are many such myths. Yaśodharā’s pregnancy was inconceivable. There is no way to verify it
Google’s AI Mode search is helpful here. If you ask, “Which Buddhist school says Siddhartha had multiple wives and that his son, Rahula, was born years after he became the Buddha?” you find that Hsuan Hua’s story follows the Mūlasarvāstivāda tradition. The Widkipedia entry for Rāhula has more on this.
Myōhō Renge Kyō Promise for June 19, 2025
A Bhikṣu who expounds Myōhō Renge Kyō
With patience
After my extinction,
Will be emancipated
From jealousy, anger, and other illusions,
That is to say, from all obstacles.
He will have no sorrow.
He will not be spoken ill of.
He will not be in fear.
He will not be threatened with swords or sticks,
Or driven out [of his monastery].
Tao-sheng: The Life-Span Is The Ultimate Effect
Tao-sheng Commentary on the Lotus Sutra, p294The profound mirror is void and clear. It is outside the realm of phenomena. How can any being with a distinct form do away with lifespan, long or short? However, the proposition that there is nothing that is with form and enjoys [a long] life-span stems from various delusions. There is no way that the Sage can be in that category. Only the deluded would count the actual lifespan of the Buddha as a hundred years. Now such a [mental] impediment is driven out. [The Buddha] relies on [the theory of] longevity to dispel it. Thus this chapter is titled “Life-Span.” Life-span is none other than that which prompted the Buddhas [to achieve) spiritual insight in the earlier chapters and is none other than the ultimate effect. Because the ultimate fruit has been shown, is it not true that they abide eternally? Furthermore, they tend to have an affinity for life and distaste for death. What is now said about longevity must invigorate them greatly.
Hsuan Hua’s Stories of Buddhism: Śāriputra’s Failure
Following on yesterday’s post, here’s another example Master Hsuan Hua’s explanation of the basic stories of Buddhism.
See also Using Śāriputra’s Failure to Explain the Meaning of Bodhisattva Mahāsattva
Hsuan Hua Lotus Sutra Commentary, v4, p434-436Why was Śāriputra unable to practice the Bodhisattva Path?
Śāriputra was a Śrāvaka, and he once resolved to cultivate the Bodhisattva Dharma and practice the Bodhisattva Path of the Great Vehicle. Before you have genuinely brought forth the resolve for bodhi, nobody will test you. However, as soon as you have truly and sincerely brought forth the bodhi resolve, the gods, dragons, and other spiritual beings of the eightfold division, or the Bodhisattvas, will come to test you. It is sort of like university entrance exams. If you pass, you get in; otherwise, you have to start over again. Śāriputra resolved to practice the Bodhisattva Path, and Bodhisattvas must practice giving. If people want something that you have, you must give it to them. If you cannot fulfill their wishes, then you cannot be called a Bodhisattva.
When Śāriputra was practicing the Bodhisattva Path, he ran into a man who was crying in grief as he walked. The sad scene moved Śāriputra to compassion. As Bodhisattvas must sympathize and be compassionate with all living beings as well as alleviate their suffering and agony, Śāriputra asked the man, “Why are you crying?”
“My mother is sick,” said the man, “and she needs an eye from a living person to treat this illness. But where can I find such an eye? She will not recover without an eye from a living person. I went to all the medicine shops, but none of them carry eyes from living donors. How could I not cry?”
When Śāriputra heard this, he thought, “Ah, his mother is sick. He needs a live eye to cure her. He is very filial, but obviously there’s no medicine shop in this world where one can buy the eye of a living person. Since I have two eyes, I’ll give him one of mine.” Moved by compassion, he gouged out one of his eyes with his hand and said, “I’m here to help. Take this eye and go cure your mother’s ailment. Don’t cry now.”
The man took the eye, looked at it, and suddenly smashed it on the ground. The eye burst like a firecracker going off, and was no more.
“Why did you throw my eye to the ground?” asked Śāriputra.
The man said, “Your old eye is stinky and smelly and just plain useless, you know? What I need is a right eye! You gave me a left eye! Those are two different things. You didn’t even ask whether I needed a left or a right eye before you gouged your left one out. It’s useless, utterly useless. If you really want to help me, then please give me your right eye!”
Śāriputra was already suffering unbearable pain from gouging out his left eye. If he gouged out his right eye as well, he’d be totally blind. “No way! I can’t do any more giving! I can’t give you my right eye. Go look somewhere else.”
“Ah hah!” said the man. “So your Bodhisattva resolve was only half a resolve, eh? It wasn’t total. You could only give one eye. You couldn’t give the other one. Okay. So much for that. We’ll just have to wait awhile, won’t we?”
After saying that, the man flew up into space. He was actually a god who had come to test Śāriputra. He then said, “This time you didn’t pass the test. You can wait another few years.” This is like someone who wants to go to college but fails the exams and has to wait some time before he can try again.
Myōhō Renge Kyō Promise for June 18, 2025
The expounder of Myōhō Renge Kyō
Will be able to recognize from afar,
While he is staying in the world [of men],
The cryings and shriekings
Of the denizens in hell,
The shoutings of hungry and thirsty spirits
Who are seeking food and drink,
And the voices of asuras
Bellowing to each other
[As they pound] on the seacoasts.
Even when he recognizes all this by hearing,
His organ of hearing will not be destroyed.
Tao-sheng: Maitreya’s Doubts
Tao-sheng Commentary on the Lotus Sutra, p290-291Thereupon Maitreya Bodhisattva and the [other] Bodhisattvas [who had already been present in the congregation before the arrival of the Bodhisattvas from underground], eight thousand times as many as the sands of the River Ganges in number, thought: ‘We have never before seen these great Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas who sprang up from underground, stood before [Śākyamuni,] the World-Honored One, joined their hands together towards him, and made offerings to him. [Now we see that their leaders] inquire after him.’
It is said that [even] Maitreya did not recognize a single person because the [endowment] is such that [as an object of] enlightenment it cannot be empirically experienced [even by one who is] in the tenth stage. That what welled up was not Buddhas but bodhisattvas means that this endowment for enlightenment has necessarily to be studied accumulatively until there is nothing left to learn.
Thereupon Maitreya Bodhisattva-mahāsattva, seeing what the Bodhisattvas numbering eight thousand times as many as the sands of the River Ganges had in their minds, and also wishing to remove his own doubts, joined his hands together towards the Buddha
Riding on the thought of the multitude, [Maitreya] harbors doubts regarding [how] the Buddha since his attainment of Buddhahood could accomplish so many things [in such a short time], [Maitreya] begs [the Buddha] to resolve these doubts for the multitude, showing them the ultimate within themselves. The ever-abiding, subtle meaning is gradually revealing itself in this way.