When human beings are born, they shoulder the karma they have created in previous lives, and live their lives under the influence of that karma. Karma is a fundamental teaching of Buddhism, as is the cycle of rebirth. Essentially, karma means action, effect and the activity of being reborn. Put simply, there are two types of karma: good and bad. Bad karma is called “Zaisho.” Most of the time, when people mention karma, they are usually referring to bad karma or Zaisho.
Summer WritingsAll posts by John Hughes
Daily Dharma – Oct. 25, 2018
When they come to him
With good intent
In order to hear
About the enlightenment of the Buddha,
He should expound the Dharma to them
Without fear,
But should not wish to receive
Anything from them.
The Buddha makes this explanation to Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva in Chapter Fourteen of the Lotus Sūtra in which he describes the peaceful practices of a Bodhisattva. In our zeal to practice this Wonderful Dharma we may come to expect that because this is such a wonderful teaching, we deserve to be rewarded for providing it to others. With this expectation, we then lose our focus on using the Dharma to benefit others and instead use it to benefit ourselves. When we show how to give freely, without expectations, we embody generosity, the same generosity the Buddha himself demonstrated when he provided the teaching to us.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
The Subtle Lotus
The three aspects of “subtle” are completely possessed by the Lotus Sūtra. In contradistinction to the views of Kuang-chai, who only assigns “fine” to the “present”, Chih-i argues that the Buddhist scriptures of the “past” contain both “fine” and “coarse” in terms of the cause and effect of Buddhahood. He goes through the teaching of the Buddha in the five periods that correspond with the five dairy flavors, and classifies the causes and effects that are contained in the teaching of the five periods into coarse or subtle. For Chih-i, the uniqueness of the present Lotus Sūtra as the ghee flavor (T’i-hu-ching) that is expounded in the fifth period is that it contains no coarse elements. The Lotus Sūtra presents only one kind of cause and effect of Buddhahood, which is the representation of a single unified entity. This one cause and effect of Buddhahood as the essential teaching of the Buddha is defined by Chih-i as “all-embracing in substance” (T’ikuang), “superior in position” (Wei-kao), and “eternal in function” (Yung-ch’ang). The substance of this essential teaching is all embracing, because it refers to the Ultimate Truth that permeates everywhere. The position of this essential teaching is superior because it refers to the Buddhahood that occurred in an incalculable past in the Origin. The function of this essential teaching is long because it refers to the Buddha’s activities in the Traces that can benefit sentient beings in the three periods of time, due to the fact that the Traces are derived from the Origin in an incalculable past. (Vol. 2, Page 66)
The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra: Tien-tai Philosophy of BuddhismNature Practice
Of the five practices of a Bodhisattva – saint practice, Brama practice, nature practice, child practice, and sickness practice – Nature practice is being aware of the true reality of things, as well as the beauty and wonder of nature. This is a state of perfect mindfulness being, as if at one with all of nature, which is the actual truth of reality. There is no real distinction between self and environment. … It is our false perception of reality that says this world is one of suffering and prevents us from realizing that in fact this world is the pure land of the Buddha.
Lecture on the Lotus SutraDaily Dharma – Oct. 24, 2018
They also will be able to locate the Śrāvakas, Pratyekabuddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Buddhas by smelling their bodies from afar. Even when they recognize all this by smell, their organ of smell will not be destroyed or put out of order. If they wish, they will be able to tell others of the differences [of those scents] because they remember them without fallacy.
The Buddha gives this explanation to Constant-Endeavor Bodhisattva in Chapter Nineteen of the Lotus Sūtra, describing those who keep the Lotus Sūtra. Our sense of smell is often unconscious. We associate smells with places, experiences or even people that we like or dislike. These smells can even cause an emotional reaction by causing us to relive a situation associated with that smell. In the Lotus Sūtra, the Buddha teaches that our everyday experiences are no different from enlightenment, that his great wisdom is not about how to escape from this world. It is about how to use the senses and abilities with which we are blessed in ways we cannot imagine.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
The Three Aspects of “Subtle”
The three aspects of “subtle” are illustrated in terms of the effect of Buddhahood. From the three perspectives of the effect of Buddhahood, the “vastness of substance” refers to an all-embracing nature of the substance, because this substance “permeates everywhere and is inclusive of everything in the universe. The “superiority of position” refers to the immeasurable length of time in the past when the Buddha had attained Buddhahood. The “length of function” refers to the Traces (activities of the historical Buddha) that are manifested by the eternal Buddha from the Origin (the moment the Buddha initially attained enlightenment in an incalculable past) (Ts’ung-pen Ch’uichi), that benefit sentient beings in the three periods of time in terms of past, present, and future. (Vol. 2, Page 66)
The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra: Tien-tai Philosophy of BuddhismPerceiving the True Nature of Reality
Unlike previous Buddhist forms of contemplation, which depended upon one’s own ability to perceive the true nature of reality, Nichiren Shonin taught that the true nature of reality makes itself known to us as the Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha in the form of Namu Myoho Renge Kyo. In other words, Buddhahood is not some thing that we cultivate through our own self-conscious efforts. Rather, the true nature of reality is conveyed to us by the spiritual presence of the Eternal Buddha within our lives, which we awaken to through our faith in Namu Myoho Renge Kyo. All of this unfolds naturally when we focus our whole being upon the Gohonzon and chant Namu Myoho Renge Kyo.
Lotus SeedsDaily Dharma – Oct. 23, 2018
Anyone who expounds the Dharma, if he wishes,
Will be able to cause the living beings
Of the one thousand million Sumeru-worlds
To hear his wonderful voice.
The Buddha sings these verses to Constant-Endeavor Bodhisattva in Chapter Nineteen of the Lotus Sūtra, describing those who keep the Lotus Sūtra. When we learn to hear the voice of the Wonderful Dharma, we recognize it in everything that surrounds us. When we speak with the voice of the Wonderful Dharma, we are in accord with the reality of all things. There is no need to distinguish between our voice and the voice of the Ever-Present Buddha who is always thinking of how to lead all beings to enlightenment. The only thing that blocks this voice is the comfort of our own attachment and delusion.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
The Length of Function
The “length of function” (Yung-ch’ang) refers to the dynamic nature of the Middle Way functioning to teach and transform living beings. Where is this function derived from? It is derived from the wisdom of realizing that “the Ten Dharma-realms are Emptincss, the Provisional, and the Middle Way.” The ten realms are empty of substantial Being, but bear names and are temporarily existent this is the comprehensive view of reality: Emptiness and the Provisional are identical to each other, and this is the Middle Way. How does the Middle Way function? This is related to the Threefold Contemplation of Emptiness, the Provisional and the Middle Way. When the bodhisattva enters the view of Emptiness, he does not stop like the Two Vehicles (śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha) do (which entails the attachment to Emptiness). The bodhisattva proceeds to enter the view of the Provisional with Emptiness, which entails the view of non-attachment to the Provisional Existence. For Chih-i, entering the view of the Provisional Existence means to be active in the empirical world to save sentient beings. Since this view of the Provisional is integrated with Emptiness (i.e., the Provisional is Emptiness, and vice versa), it partakes the Middle Way. The function of the Middle Way is spoken of in terms of the bodhisattva entering the provisional existence with the view of Emptiness to benefit living beings. Whereas there are immeasurable sentient beings, the bodhisattva’s action of saving them also lasts forever. This endless action of saving beings renders length of function. Furthermore, these three aspects (substance, position, and function) are contained within each other. When one aspect is scrutinized upon, what one sees are the three aspects, since any one of these three is not apart from the other. When three aspects are examined, what one sees is actually one integrated unity of all three aspects. One cannot look at them as a fixed conception, they are neither the same nor different, which is designated by Chih-i as “fine” or “subtle.” (Vol. 2, Page 65)
The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra: Tien-tai Philosophy of BuddhismThe Merits of the Lotus Sutra
The merits of the Lotus Sutra are so profound that it can open the eyes of those who do not believe so that they can also share in its merits.
Awakening to the Lotus