Tao-sheng Commentary on the Lotus Sutra, p271Anyone who reads and recites the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma, know this, will be adorned just as I am. I will shoulder him. {Borne about on the Thus Come One’s shoulders}
The Dharma is [the same as] the Buddha Master. One should respect the Dharma in order to receive the Dharma, and what [the expression] bearing about means really is that one “bears about” the Dharma but not men. However, the descriptive trace of speech as found here also is focused on man [as the agent of Dharma] in order to help strengthen learning.
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Doing Without Women
This quote is from Master Hsuan Hua‘s commentary on the Medicine Master Sūtra.
Hsuan Hua, Medicine Master Sutra commentary, p82-83[Medicine Master’s Vaiḍūrya] Buddhaland has always been completely pure. It is always clean, pure, and undefiled, as bright and clear as vaiḍūrya.
There are no women in the Vaiḍūrya Land. Some women’s rights activists object to Amitabha Buddha’s Land of Ultimate Bliss, saying, “Why are there no women in that land? Does Amitabha Buddha look down on women? Does he favor men over women?” Not at all. We should realize that the Sahā world, in which men and women engage in lust, is filled with all kinds of evil and suffering. There is nothing worthwhile here. Everything is unclean.
The Sahā world Is known as the World of the Five Turbidities. Our time is very impure–that’s the turbidity of the eon. The things we see with our eyes are also unclean–that’s the turbidity of views. We all have incredibly many afflictions–that’s the turbidity of afflictions. Living beings are all born from emotional desire, and they are differentiated into males and females–that’s the turbidity of living beings. Not only human beings, but all beings with blood and breath are this way–born from sexual desire and dying from sexual desire. Even germs are imperceptibly brought into existence by this kind of desire. As long as there is desire, one is impure. The turbidity of life comes about because beings in the Sahā world live in an extremely unclean environment. The things we see, hear, smell, taste, touch, and think about are all unclean. Thus, this is known as the Evil World of the Five Turbidities.
In contrast to our dusty, defiled world, there is no dirt in the heavens; nor in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, where the ground is paved with gold; nor in the Eastern Vaiḍūrya Land, which has ground made of vaiḍūrya.
The people in the land of Ultimate Bliss are born transformationally from the vows of Amitabha Buddha, and they are free of desire. The Vaiḍūrya Land is created from the vows of Medicine Master Buddha. Because these Buddha lands are completely free of desire and birth occurs by transformation, not by sexual reproduction, there are no women in these lands.
No lower destinies and no sounds of suffering. The hells, hungry ghosts, and animals do not exist in the Vaiḍūrya Land. There aren’t any heartbreaking sounds of pain, sorrow, or distress.
Myōhō Renge Kyō Promise for May 28, 2025
Anyone who visits a monastery to hear
Myōhō Renge Kyō
And rejoices at hearing Myōhō Renge Kyō even for a moment,
Will be able to obtain the following merits:He will be reborn among gods and men.
He will be able to go up to the palace of heaven,
Riding in a wonderful elephant-cart or horse-cart,
Or in a palanquin of wonderful treasures.
Tao-sheng: Cursing Men and Disgracing the Dharma
Tao-sheng Commentary on the Lotus Sutra, p270-271An evil man who speaks ill of me in my presence with evil intent for as long as a kalpa is not as sinful as the person who reproaches laymen or monks with even a single word of abuse for their reading and reciting the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.
The Buddha is supreme among men and gods. To hate and “curse” him is but cursing the man, not cursing the Dharma. However, if a man who receives the Dharma Blossom “curses” it, this is tantamount to “cursing” the man and disgracing the Dharma as well. To “curse” men and disgrace the Dharma is identical with “slandering” the Dharma-body. The guilt of those who “slander” the Dharma-body is extremely “grave.” [This injunction by the Buddha] is designed to strengthen the learner’s drive, certainly with great effect.
The Twelve Links of Conditioned Causation
This quote is from Master Hsuan Hua‘s commentary on the Medicine Master Sūtra.
Hsuan Hua, Medicine Master Sutra commentary, p66-67We were born from ignorance. Ignorance is the root of birth and death, the source of all troubles and afflictions. The goal of our practice is to break through ignorance. Ignorance confuses us, so that we live as if drunk or dreaming, driven by the desires for wealth, sex, fame, food, and sleep. Ignorance causes us a lot of trouble. Once there is ignorance, it manifests in activity. We act on what we don’t understand, and then we become attached to appearances. When consciousness arises and begins to make distinctions, the marks of self, others, living beings, and a life span appear. Activity and consciousness generate name and form, making it possible to talk about things. Then the whole body comes into being, and with it, the six entrances (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind). The six entrances come into contact with the external environment, and that contact brings on feeling. We differentiate between good and bad sensations, trying to avoid unpleasant sensations while craving pleasant ones. Thus, feeling then brings on craving. As we grasp at the object of our craving, there is becoming, then birth into the next life, and then old age and death all over again. The Twelve Links of Conditioned Causation describe the endless rounds of rebirth that all living beings undergo.
Pratyekabuddhas feel that this cycle is a lot of suffering, so they practice the Path in order to liberate themselves from birth and death. When they succeed, they attain to the fruition and become Pratyekabuddhas or Solitary Enlightened Ones, who belong to the Two Vehicles.
The Two Vehicles consist of the Hearers and Those Enlightened to Conditions (also called Solitary Enlightened Ones). The term “vehicle” is used to designate a class of cultivators. The practice of the Two Vehicles is not ultimate, because they have ended only physical birth and death, not the birth and death of thoughts. This is why Medicine Master Buddha vowed to lead the cultivators of the Lesser Vehicle to abide in the Great Vehicle and to resolve their minds on realizing the Buddhas’ Unsurpassed Enlightenment.
Myōhō Renge Kyō Promise for May 27, 2025
Even if I praise for innumerable kalpas
The keeper of Myōhō Renge Kyō,
To whom Myōhō Renge Kyō is to be transmitted,
I cannot praise him highly enough.His merits are as limitless,
As infinite, as boundless
As the skies of the worlds
Of the ten quarters.
Tao-sheng: Their Understanding Comes from the Buddha
Tao-sheng Commentary on the Lotus Sutra, p270The good men or women who expound even a phrase of the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma even to one person even in secret after my extinction,
What has been mentioned is the abundance of merits one obtains when one receives [the sūtra] for oneself. Now [the Buddha] talks about preaching it to another person, which represents an altruistic act, benefitting others. When one’s Path (Tao) embraces [others] as well, one’s merits and rewards will be endless.
know this, are my messengers.
The mind of Great Benevolence always cherishes the idea of propagating the Dharma. If a man is a practitioner of the Dharma, he is then “an emissary of the Thus Come One.”
They are dispatched by me.
This explains that what they understand comes from the Buddha’s understanding. I say “[their understanding] comes from the Buddha’s,” because certainly the Thus Come One is the source of understanding, and they act in compliance with him. The Thus Come One from the beginning takes propagating the Dharma to be his business. And he who can do so is said to be “doing the Thus Come One’s business.”
Merit and Virtue on the Way to Becoming A Buddha
These quotes, which are from Master Hsuan Hua‘s commentary on the Medicine Master Sūtra, are examples of lessons that should be applied by all Buddhists.
Hsuan Hua, Medicine Master Sutra commentary, p27-28Merit and Virtue
Merit is created externally, while virtue is accumulated internally. One creates merit by building temples, repairing bridges or roads, or doing other work to benefit others. Virtue exists within one’s self and doesn’t rely on anything external. A virtuous person doesn’t have a bad conscience. He has no reason to feel ashamed before the heavens or before other people. He doesn’t cheat others or himself. In everything he does, he creates outer merit and amasses inner virtue. A saying about virtue goes,Good done in the hope that others will notice is not genuine good.
Evil done in the fear that others will find out is truly great evil.Don’t boast about yourself, saying, “I’ve done good deeds. I’ve received the five precepts, the eight precepts, and the Bodhisattva precepts!” Virtuous deeds are done without others knowing. If you want others to notice your good deeds, you are not virtuous. If you try to cover up your bad deeds, then your offenses are great indeed.
Buddhists should not be boastful or competitive, saying, “I’ve done many good deeds and made many donations. I actually do much to support Buddhism.” People with such an attitude are not fit to be Dharma-protectors. Therefore, in studying the teachings, we should remember this point. We should value genuine practice, not false publicity. This is very important. As Buddhists, we must be models for the world. If we have integrity and hold to our principles, other people will respect us and be influenced by us. That is merit and virtue.
Hsuan Hua, Medicine Master Sutra commentary, p42-43How to Become A Buddha
If we want to be like the Buddha, first we should learn not to contend, not to be greedy, not to seek, not to be selfish, and not to pursue personal advantage. But that doesn’t mean saying you won’t do these things, while at the same time planning to commit a robbery. Then you’re only cheating yourself and others. Genuine non-contention means letting things follow their natural course. If you are not greedy, you will also let things happen naturally. As for seeking nothing, it is said, “When one reaches the state of seeking nothing, one has no worries.” Worries come from seeking things. You should also be unselfish. All the troubles in the world come from selfishness and desire. Being unselfish means seeking nothing and having no emotional attachments. Not pursuing personal advantage means not thinking about your own benefit, pleasure, or comfort. Cast out all these faults, and then you can become a Buddha.
Hsuan Hua, Medicine Master Sutra commentary, p62-63Stupid Expedients
I vow that in a future life when I attain Bodhi, I will, by means of limitless, unbounded wisdom and skill-in-means. Medicine Master Buddha uses wise expedients, not stupid ones, to teach and transform living beings. While wise expedients may not necessarily benefit oneself, they benefit others. Wise expedients are wholesome and in accord with Dharma. Stupid expedients are unwholesome and go against the Dharma.What are unwholesome expedients? Doing wrong things and then rationalizing them as “expedient.” For example, someone may rationalize the killing of a mosquito as an expedient, saying that it doesn’t violate the precept against killing. Someone else might justify stealing something that doesn’t belong to him, saying, “I’m just being expedient! What difference does it make whether he uses it or I use it? We’re all the same.” However, stealing is not in accord with Dharma; it’s an evil deed. As for sexual misconduct, a man may know very well that his extramarital affair will upset his wife, but he thinks, “Why should I worry about her? I’m just being expedient, that’s all!” He thinks sexual misconduct is an “expedient dharma.” All people know how to defend their infidelity. They know it’s wrong, yet they still say it doesn’t matter. Do they really know then? People rationalize lying and taking intoxicants as well.
“I think I’ll have a little wine, just for the fun of it. What’s wrong with that? I’m not getting drunk or anything.”
“Why should I be worried about telling a little lie? It’s not like I’m committing a murder. What’s the big deal?”
Expedients can be wise or stupid. Stupid expedients are wrong deeds that people rationalize as “expedient.” Medicine Master Vaiḍūrya Light Tathāgata uses wise expedients.
Hsuan Hua, Medicine Master Sutra commentary, p89-90Three Gifts
At that time, the World-Honored One, Śākyamuni Buddha, again compassionately spoke to the Pure Youth Mañjuśrī, saying, “Mañjuśrī, there are living beings who don’t distinguish good from evil, who mix up good and evil, who indulge in greed and stinginess, unable to give things away, and who know nothing of giving or its rewards. They don’t know how to be generous or how to treat people well. They don’t understand that they should give to the needy.There are three kinds of giving:
- The giving of wealth
- The giving of Dharma
- The giving of fearlessness
The giving of wealth means giving away one’s wealth and property, including one’s skills and talents, to help other people. In giving Dharma, one bestows teachings suited to the needs of each individual, like a physician prescribing medicine. When one sees people who are suffering or in danger, one may bestow fearlessness by comforting them and dispelling their fears. These are the three kinds of giving. If you have no wealth, you can give Dharma. If you have no Dharma, then you can give fearlessness. You may also explain the rewards of giving to others, telling them, for example, that in giving one thing, one may reap a reward ten thousand times greater (as stated in Chapter Ten of the Earth Store Sūtra).
Myōhō Renge Kyō Promise for May 26, 2025
Good men!
Who will receive and keep Myōhō Renge Kyō,
And read and recite Myōhō Renge Kyō
After my extinction?
Make a vow before me
[To do all this]!
Tao-sheng: The Teacher of the Dharma
Tao-sheng Commentary on the Lotus Sutra, p270Thereupon the World-Honored One said to Medicine-King Bodhisattva in the presence of the eighty thousand great men:
The reason why [the Buddha] addressed them through Medicine King is because he could burn his own body [as he did in his former incarnation in order to propagate the Dharma.]’ [The Buddha says that if] one rejoices over one single gāthā [of the sūtra, then one will be granted a prophecy]. If this is so with a few [gāthās], how much more so if one rejoices over many! So deep is the meaning here. If one harbors anger in the heart, one then separates oneself from other beings. When one [as a propagator] is separated from others, [one does] not then cause [others] to trod the path [also]. Therefore, [the Buddha] praises one who “rejoices”; rejoicing means that the Dharma Blossom is propagated.