Monthly Archives: December 2025

AI Contribution, Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma for December 24, 2025

20251224-ddi

Illustration by Google Gemini

Show Gemini's thinking

Focusing on Buddhist themes
I'm now zeroing in on the Buddhist aspects requested. I've broken down the central quote from the Lotus Sūtra and am evaluating the key elements that need to be visually present to convey the core meaning. Next, I need to come up with ideas to communicate the themes effectively. The next iteration will refine these concepts into something more concrete.

Refining visual concepts
I am now translating the text into visual elements. The central scroll represents the "king of sūtras", with the Buddha and Medicine-King Bodhisattva. Smaller scrolls symbolize the criticism of other teachings. A path will lead to a halo, representing the Buddha's wisdom. I will incorporate Japanese iconography, such as cherry blossoms, pagodas, and clouds, into the art to achieve the desired effect. The artwork will follow a 1:1 aspect ratio.

Conceptualizing the composition
I'm solidifying the visual framework for this piece. The main scroll will anchor the composition, symbolizing the Lotus Sūtra's preeminence. I'm placing the Buddha and Medicine-King Bodhisattva centrally, and using smaller scrolls to represent subordinate teachings. The path to enlightenment will guide the eye towards the central halo. I'll employ traditional Japanese elements like cherry blossoms, pagodas, and clouds to achieve the desired aesthetic and mood.

Verifying the Illustration
I'm checking that the generated image satisfies the user's request. It's a square format suitable for Instagram, and it includes the specified Buddhist iconography: the Buddha and Medicine-King Bodhisattva. The crucial element, the quote from the Lotus Sūtra, is also present.

Confirming the Composition
I've confirmed that the image aligns with the user's criteria. It's properly formatted as a square, suitable for Instagram, and features the requested Buddhist elements: the Buddha and Medicine-King Bodhisattva. The key quote from the Lotus Sūtra is also incorporated as requested. I am now preparing the image for delivery.

In this profound sūtra
The teachings for the Śrāvakas are criticized.
Those who hear
That this sūtra is the king of all the sūtras,
And think over this sūtra clearly after hearing it,
Know this, will approach the wisdom of the Buddha.

The Buddha sings these verses to Medicine-King Bodhisattva in Chapter Ten of the Lotus Sūtra. He has already declared that the sūtra he is teaching is the closest to his own wisdom, that it is different from anything he has taught before, and that it is the teaching for Bodhisattvas. The expedient teachings he gave to Śrāvakas before this sūtra were limited because they did not show the way to enlightenment for all beings. As we keep this sūtra in our minds, and learn to recognize it in our daily lives, we not only approach our own enlightenment, we lead all beings to enjoy the Buddha’s wisdom.

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

AI Contribution, Blog

Illustrating the Daily Dharma

February 28, 2026
Updated prompt after Gemini updated Nano Banana
Updated how kanji translation is accomplished.
January 29, 2026
Updated prompt info and explained signature addition.
Updated how kanji translation is accomplished.

I’m illustrating the Daily Dharma received via email daily from  zenzaizenzai.com. Here’s the process I use.

At Gemini.Google.Com, you can automate tasks with Gems. A gem is a reusable set of instructions telling the AI what you want to accomplish. Before Google updated Nano Banana, my Illustrated Daily Dharma Gem said:

Create a square illustration. The illustration should utilize Japanese Buddhist iconography. Do not use symbols or images representing Amida Nyorai (Amitabha Buddha), the Buddha of Infinite Light and Life, or Dainichi Nyorai (Mahavairocana Buddha), the cosmic Buddha who embodies the absolute truth of the universe.

Limit kanji and English text

Traditional Japanese paintings contain a artist signature with red stamp. Create a kanji signature that says “Gemini” with a suitable red stamp below. Place this signature and stamp in the illustration in a suitable location and in an appropriately small size.

I added the request that Gemini sign its illustration in January 2026 because Gemini would randomly add pretend signatures. Why not make it always say Gemini?

In late February, Google updated Nano Banana 1 to Nano Banana 2. Same great illustrations but the “thinking” Gemini uses to explain how it developed its idea for the illustration became muddled. Since I was adding Gemini’s thinking to the illustration everyday, I decided that I should have Gemini write its own summary of its thinking.

Through a day’s trial and error I settled on this prompt for my Illustrated Daily Dharma Gem:

[Reasoning Protocol – COMPULSORY]
Before generating any image, Summarize your thinking in a paragraph of fewer than 600 words. Include identification of individuals in the illustration. Translate any kanji text.

[Visual Directive]
Create a square illustration utilizing Japanese Buddhist iconography.

Strict Exclusions: Do not use symbols or images representing Amida Nyorai (Amitabha Buddha) or Dainichi Nyorai (Mahavairocana Buddha).

Text/Kanji: Limit English and general Kanji.

Artist Signature: Include the Kanji signature 双子座 with a red square seal (hanko) containing the katakana ジェミニ. Place this signature/stamp in a traditional, subtle location.

The default tool for this Gem is the Image Generator (Nano Banana). The tool defaults to “fast,” which doesn’t involve any “thinking.” I prefer to use Thinking. I tested the thinking levels with whether you can get Gemini to draw Universal Sage riding a six-tusked white elephant. (I wrote about this problem here.) Both Fast and Pro resulted in a standard two-tusk elephant. The Thinking version in this test had three tusks, one on the near side and two on the far side. (Test images: Quick, Thinking or Pro)

Each morning, I click on the Gem and then paste the text for that day’s Daily Dharma into the prompt. I select the “Thinking” mode and submit that prompt and Gemini performs its magic.

With the updated prompt I get a summary of the thinking explaining the illustration and then the actual image.

If there are errors or I want the image generator to focus on a different aspect of the text, I can request a do-over by updating the prompt and resubmitting.

Once I’m satisfied, I download the image to my computer and then upload it into the website.

For some time I have wanted to be able to add illustrations to the Daily Dharma. Years ago I explored using Google’s image search feature, but the process was too cumbersome and unreliable. The Gemini process is dead simple.

Promises

Myōhō Renge Kyō Promise for Dec. 23, 2025

The Saha-world is the world of the Original Buddha and is the eternal Pure Land, which is free from the three calamities and the four kalpa. In this eternal world, the Buddha never disappeared in the past, nor is He to appear in the future. In consequence, all living beings under the Buddha in the Saha-world are one with Him and eternal. It is because those who believe in the Lotus Sutra, live in the land where they have united themselves with the Buddha and attained the truth of “the three thousand existences in one thought.”

Realization of Buddhahood, Kanjin Honzon Sho

About this project

AI Contribution, Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma for December 23, 2025

20251223-ddi

Illustration by Google Gemini

Show Gemini's thinking

Considering Core Concepts
I'm currently focused on the central ideas of the Buddhist text. The key elements are suffering caused by ignorance and the cyclical nature of rebirth, visualized as "blindness" and "darkness" leading to "evil regions." I'm trying to decide how to represent these complex ideas visually in a single, square Instagram-friendly illustration.

Refining Visual Metaphors
I'm now focusing on a way to visually divide the illustration into sections. I'm exploring the use of traditional Japanese Buddhist imagery, like emakimono and sumi-e techniques, to depict the key concepts. I'm experimenting with placing the Buddha figure above the darkness. Also, I am attempting to ensure that the Lotus Sutra is included with the Buddha.

Conceptualizing Compositional Elements
I'm now focusing on arranging the elements within the square format. I'm considering a clear visual division, with darkness and suffering occupying the lower section and the enlightened realm above. The Buddha, radiating light, will be central, possibly seated on a lotus, and holding the Lotus Sutra. I'm exploring how to include figures from the lower section reaching upward towards the light.

Analyzing The Visuals
I'm currently evaluating the visual execution of the concept. It seems to adhere well to the described Japanese Buddhist art style and effectively communicates the interplay between suffering and liberation. The central figure resonates as a beacon of light, guiding those in darkness. The composition seems to successfully capture the essence of the user's prompt.

Evaluating the Relevance
I've examined the latest iteration and found it to completely align with the user's focus on suffering and liberation through the chosen aesthetic. The central Buddha figure is indeed the guiding light, and all elements contribute to the requested feel. The square format works well. It fulfills the user's intent.

Kanji translation
Top Left Text: 一切衆生、苦悩に沈む。

一切衆生 (Issai Shujō): All sentient beings (all living things)

苦悩に沈む (Kunō ni Shizumu): Sink into suffering (or agony)

Translation: "All sentient beings sink into suffering."

Text on the Scroll: 妙法蓮華経

妙法蓮華経 (Myōhō Renge Kyō): The Lotus Sutra (The Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Law)

All living beings are suffering.
Being blind, they have no leader.
They do not know how to stop suffering,
Or that they should seek emancipation.
In the long night fewer people go to heaven,
And more people go to the evil regions.
They go from darkness to darkness, and do not hear
Of the names of the Buddhas.

The children of Great-Universal-Wisdom-Excellence Buddha proclaim this to their father in a story told by Śākyamuni Buddha in Chapter Seven of the Lotus Sūtra. They understand that when beings are so preoccupied with their own happiness, and so convinced that this happiness comes from what they can acquire, that they need an enlightened being to lead them to see the world as it is. With the Lotus Sūtra as the embodiment of the Buddha’s highest teaching, we have the same wisdom present to us as those children’s father was to them.

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

Blog, Books, Hsuan Hua, Hsuan Hua Lotus Sutra Commentary

Chinese Master Hsuan Hua’s Commentary on the Lotus Sutra

Chinese Master Hsuan Hua began his commentary on the Lotus Sutra with Chapter 25, the “Universal Door of Guan Yin Bodhisattva” on October 6, 1968. He finished explaining the “Universal Door” chapter on Nov. 9, 1968. On the next day, Nov. 10, he began his commentary on the full Wonderful Dharma Lotus Sūtra. These lectures were open to anyone wishing to attend and were delivered nightly in San Francisco, generally running from seven to nine in the evening. The lecture series continued for two years. Over this period, Hsuan Hua delivered over 350 lectures. The lectures concluded November 10, 1970.

The Buddhist Text Translation Society in Ukiah, California, turned the lecture series into a 14-volume commentary along with a 15th volume containing both the English and Chinese translations of the Lotus Sutra. The first edition of the commentary was published in 1998; the second edition in 2020.

Each volume starts with The Eight Guidelines of the Buddhist Text Translation Society.

  1. A volunteer must free him/herself from the motives of personal fame and profit.
  2. A volunteer must cultivate a respectful and sincere attitude free from arrogance and conceit.
  3. A volunteer must refrain from aggrandizing his/her work and denigrating that of others.
  4. A volunteer must not establish him/herself as the standard of correctness and suppress the work of others with his or her fault-finding.
  5. A volunteer must take the Buddha-mind as his/her own mind.
  6. A volunteer must use the wisdom of Dharma-selecting vision to determine true principles.
  7. A volunteer must request virtuous elders in the ten directions to certify his/her translations.
  8. A volunteer must endeavor to propagate the teachings by printing and distributing sūtras, śāstra texts, and vinaya texts when the translations are certified as being correct.

Three Forewords follow: The Lotus Dharma Blooms in Us All by Bhikṣuṇī Heng Chih; Fifty Years Later, the Lotus Continues to Bloom by Ron Epstein, PhD; and Timeless Ease for an Uneasy Time by Susan Rounds, PhD.

With the exception of Volume 1, Prologue, each volume contains an Outline of the Lotus Sutra covering the content in the volume. This outline was created by Ouyi Zhixu, a Chinese Buddhist monk and scholar in 17th century China. He is considered the Ninth Patriarch of the Chinese Pure Land tradition and the Thirty-First Patriarch of the Tiantai tradition as well as a Chan master.

Each volume contains a 44-page glossary and an index.

After I finished Hsuan Hua’s commentary I went back to see if I could discern any pattern in his work. As a student of Nichiren Buddhism, I wanted to know if there was an obvious difference in interpretation from what would be expected from someone in the Nichiren school. His focus on Guan Shi Yin was certainly far greater than a Nichiren devotee would have offered, but generally Hsuan Hua came across as a student of Zhiyi of the Tiantai School. (See Five Schools of One Buddhism.)

I counted 382 pages in the English text of the Lotus Sutra in Volume 15 of the set. The 14 volumes of commentary total 3,529 pages, not counting the stuff repeated in each volume. On average, each page of the sutra generated 9.24 pages of commentary text. But that’s just the average. By far the subject that generated the most commentary was Chapter 25, The Universal Door of Guan Yin Bodhisattva, which is Volume 13. The eleven pages of sutra text resulted in 229 pages of commentary – 20.82 pages generated for each sutra page. The other above average chapters were Chapter 1, Introduction, 16.40 pages of commentary for each sutra page; Chapter 12, Devadatta, 12.56; Chapter 3, A Parable, 12.49; and Chapter 10, Dharma teachers, 10.91.

Tomorrow: Variations In The Translation of Kumārajīva’s Lotus Sutra

Blog, Hsuan Hua, Hsuan Hua Lotus Sutra Commentary

Variations In The Translation of Kumārajīva’s Lotus Sutra

In reading the 14 volumes of Chinese Master Hsuan Hua’s commentary on the Lotus Sutra I’ve identified a number of places where his translation differs – mostly minor points – from other English translations of Kumārajīva’s fifth century Chinese translation. (See here, here, and here.)

For the final example, consider this description of monks who tormented Never-Despising Bodhisattva from Hsuan Hua’s commentary on Chapter 20:

SUTRA

After that Buddha passed into nirvāṇa,
When his Dharma was about to perish,
There was a Bodhisattva
Known as Never Slighting.
At that time the fourfold assembly
Was attached to the Dharma. …

COMMENTARY

The fourfold assembly at that time was attached to the Dharma. Even the Dharma has to be relinquished, how much more so that which is not the Dharma? If you don’t understand the Dharma, you must strive to understand it. Once you understand it, you have to let go of it. You can’t cling to it. At that time, because the Buddhadharma was about to perish, the bhikṣus, bhikṣunīs, upāsakās, and upāsikās were all attached to the superficial aspects of the Dharma. They focused their efforts on the trivial aspects of the Dharma and clung to them rigidly. Not only did they fail to understand the Dharma, they were attached to it. Attached to the Dharma, they gave rise to overbearing pride.

Hsuan Hua Lotus Sutra Commentary, v11, ch20, p198-199

This idea that you shouldn’t cling to the boat that carries you across the water after you reach the other shore is a common reframe in Hsuan Hua’s commentary. But other English translation offer a different picture.

Senchu Murano’s translation says:

Some time after the extinction of that Buddha,
His teachings had almost died out.
At that time there lived a Bodhisattva Called Never-Despising.
The four kinds of devotees at that time Were attached to views.

The Modern Rissho Kosei-kai translation offers:

The four groups of that era
Were attached to their own views of the teachings.

Gene Reeves has:

At that time the four groups
Were attached to self-centered views of things.

The BDK Tripiṭaka translation says:

At that time the fourfold assembly
Was becoming attached
To its own interpretation of the Dharma.

Leon Hurvitz’s translation, considered by many to be the most academically thorough, is the least clear on the point:

At the time, the fourfold multitudes
Were reckoning in terms of dharma.

Hsuan Hua spent many years in China printing sutras in Chinese and distributing them as part of his practice. Given the ways in which his English translation of Kumārajīva differs from other English translators, I’m left to wonder whether he was working from a different copy of Kumārajīva’s work.  The volume that contains the English translation of the sutra also contains the Chinese version from which it was translated.

While there’s a clear difference between Hsuan Hua’s translation describing the monks who tormented Never-Despising Bodhisattva, other differences reveal examples of where Senchu Murano, whose  translation I use in my daily practice, differed from the majority of English translators.

Consider this part of Chapter 23, The Previous Life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva. Hsuan Hua’s English translation has:

SUTRA

“Having spoken this verse, Bodhisattva All Beings Delight to See said to the Buddha, ‘World Honored One! World Honored One! You are still in the world!”

COMMENTARY

Having spoken this verse, Bodhisattva All Beings Delight to See said to the Buddha Pure Bright Virtue Resembling the Sun and Moon, “World Honored One! World Honored One! You are still in the world!” This Bodhisattva exclaimed “World Honored One” twice because the Buddha hadn’t yet entered parinirvāņa, so he could meet the Buddha for a second time in his new life.

Hsuan Hua Lotus Sutra Commentary, v12, ch23, p88-89

That repetition is not present in Senchu Murano’s translation:

“Having sung this gāthā, Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva said to the Buddha, ‘World-Honored One! You do not change, do you?’

On the other hand, Leon Hurvitz’s translation agrees that “World Honored One” is repeated:

“At that time the bodhisattva Seen with Joy by All Living Beings, having proclaimed this gāthā, addressed the buddha, saying, ‘World-Honored One, World-Honored One, you are still in the world!’

In fact, Murano’s is the only translation that does not include the title World Honored One twice in the verse. But those repetitions are unlike Hsuan Hua and Hurvitz. For Example, Reeves has:

“Having recited this verse, Seen with Joy by All the Living Bodhisattva said to that buddha: ‘World-Honored One, is the World-Honored One still alive in the world?’

Or the BDK Tripiṭaka’s:

“Thereupon Bodhisattva Sarvarūpasamdarśana, having spoken this verse, addressed the Buddha, saying: O Bhagavat! The Bhagavat is yet in this world!

The Modern Rissho Kosei-kai translation offers:

Then the Bodhisattva Delight to Behold for All Living Beings, having uttered these verses, said to that buddha, ‘World-Honored One, just as before, you are still the world-honored one in this world.’

As a scholar-priest within the Nichiren Shu, Murano is highly regarded for the clarity of his translations and for his alignment with the traditional Japanese understanding of the text. To reach that  clarity appears to have led to differences between Murano’s  translation and other English translators.

Next: Where Chinese Master Hsuan Hua and Nichiren Would Disagree

AI Contribution

AI Magic

Going forward I intend to use Google’s AI tools to create illustrations for text. All of these illustrations will be categorized as AI Contribution. The illustration for today’s Daily Dharma is one example, but I want to explore other opportunies.

For example, I have a 1983 PDF document by Robert F. Rhodes entitled The Four Extensive Vows and Four Noble Truths in T’ien-t’ai Buddhism. I uploaded this to Google’s NotebookLM and asked it to produce an infographic based on the contents of the PDF document. Here’s the result:

four-vows-four-truths-illustration-web
Click to view PDF of image
AI Contribution, Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma for December 22, 2025

Daily Dharma illustration

Illustration by Google Gemini

Show Gemini's thinking

Composing Visuals
I'm focusing on the user's request for a square illustration using Japanese Buddhist iconography for an Instagram post. I've broken down the request into its core components: format, style (Japanese Buddhist), and subject (a scene from the Lotus Sutra, specifically a discussion between the Buddha and his aunt). My aim is to accurately represent the discussion, while adhering to the specified format and style.

Crafting the Scene
I'm now carefully mapping out the elements to ensure the scene from the Lotus Sutra resonates within a square format. I'm focusing on the interaction between the Buddha and Mahā-Prajāpatī Gautamī, ensuring their poses and expressions convey the essence of their conversation. The visual emphasis will be on their interaction, with the surrounding elements serving as supporting context, all while respecting the traditional Japanese Buddhist aesthetic. My aim is a visually engaging and spiritually resonant composition.

Verifying Image Accuracy
I'm verifying that the image matches the user's specific request. It is a square illustration with Buddhist iconography as the style, for use on Instagram, and represents the requested figures, including the exact quote.

Assessing Prompt Alignment
I'm now focusing on the image's adherence to the original prompt, which specified a square format, Buddhist iconography, and the inclusion of specific figures and a quote. I've confirmed that these details are all present and accurately represented. The alignment of the visual elements and the text is as requested.

Why do you look at me so anxiously? You do not think that I assured you of your future attainment of Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi because I did not mention you by name, do you? Gautamī! I have already said that I assured all the Śrāvakas of their future attainment [of Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi]. Now you wish to know my assurance of your future attainment [of Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi].

The Buddha has this discussion with his aunt, Mahā-Prajāpatī, also called Gautamī, in Chapter Thirteen of the Lotus Sutra. She raised the young Siddhartha after his mother Queen Māyā died when he was only six weeks old. Gautamī was also the first woman to be ordained into the Sangha. Since women then were thought by some to be not as capable as men, the Buddha specifically assures Gautamī, and thus all women, of the certainty of her enlightenment.

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

Promises

Myōhō Renge Kyō Promise for Dec. 22, 2025

When all the people under the heaven and various schools of Buddhism are all converted to the one and real vehicle, and when only the Lotus Sutra flourishes and all the people recite “Namu Myoho Renge-kyo” in unison, the howling wind will not blow on the branches, falling rain will not erode the soil, and the world will become as good as during the reigns of the Chinese Emperors Fu-hsi and Shen-neng. You will see that such times will come when the calamities cease to exist, people live long, and men and their faith become eternal. There should be no doubt about the proof of the tranquility in life.

An Instruction from Sado to Disciples and Followers, Shingyō Hikkei: Nyosetsu Shugyō-shō

About this project

Promises

Myōhō Renge Kyō Promise for Dec. 21, 2025

Accept suffering as suffering, joy as joy; life consists of suffering and joy; therefore recite “Namu Myoho Renge-kyo” for either case. Isn’t this religious ecstasy? Please strive to keep firm faith.

Shijō Kingo-dono Gohenji, Response to Lord Shijō Kingo

About this project