All posts by John Hughes

beginning

The Hermit

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The third of the four stages is that of the hermit (vanaprastha). When the householder had completed his domestic duties, when his heirs had passed through the studentship stage and were fully grown, and when he himself had reached the age of fifty or so and had gray hair, he would resign his family responsibilities and retire to live a secluded life, most often a life of disciplines conducted in forests.

Ancient Indian philosophy propounded four ideals for mankind: love of pleasure (kama), material gain (artha), morality and religion (dharma), and devotion to spiritual pursuits (moksha). The young man is devoted to kama, the man in the prime of life to artha, and the old man to moksha. Righteous duty, or dharma, is considered necessary in all the stages of life. When a man who had completed his duties as householder was about to enter the third, or hermit, stage of life, he was considered to have already given up love of pleasure and desire for material gain and to be ready to emphasize religious understanding.

The Beginnings of Buddhism

LS32

Day 22

Day 22 covers all of Chapter 17, The Variety of Merits.

Having last month considered the innumerable merits of a moment’s faith, we repeat in gāthās.

Thereupon the World-Honored One, wishing to repeat what he had said, sang in gāthās:

Suppose someone practiced
The five paramitas
For eighty billion nayuta kalpas
In order to attain the wisdom of the Buddha.

Throughout these kalpas he offered
Wonderful food and drink,
Excellent garments and bedding,
And monasteries made of candana
And adorned with gardens and forests
To the Buddhas,
To the cause-knowers, to the disciples,
And to the Bodhisattvas.

Throughout these kalpas he made
These various and wonderful offerings
In order to attain
The enlightenment of the Buddha.

He also observed the precepts,
Kept purity and faultlessness,
And sought the unsurpassed enlightenment
Extolled by the Buddhas.

He was patient, gentle,
And friendly with others.
Even when many evils troubled him,
His mind was not moved.

He endured all insults and disturbances
Inflicted upon him by arrogant people who thought
That they had already obtained the Dharma.

He was strenuous and resolute in mind.
He concentrated his mind,
And refrained from indolence
For many hundreds of millions of kalpas.

He Lived in a retired place
For innumerable kalpas.
He sat or walked to avoid drowsiness
And to concentrate his mind.

By doing so, he became able to practice
Many dhyāna-concentrations.
His mind was peaceful, not distracted
For eighty billion kalpas.

With these merits of concentration of his mind,
He sought unsurpassed enlightenment, saying:
“I will complete all these dhyāna-concentrations,
And obtain the knowledge of all things.”

He performed
The meritorious practices
As previously stated
For hundreds of thousands of billions of kalpas.

The good men or women who believe my longevity,
Of which I told you,
Even at a moment’s thought
Will be able to obtain more merits than he.

I’ve recently been reading a lot about T’ien-t’ai Chih-i and his Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra. Chih-i’s focus on rendering the mind and opening oneself to the innate Buddha nature mirrors the meritorious practices detailed above. Thankfully, Nichiren realized that chanting Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō provides even more merits.

Summer Writings

Enma-san Awakens Our Buddha-Nature

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These are Nichiren Shonin’s words:

“In this fleeting life, you cling to temporary pleasures day and night and do not care about the reverence of the Buddha, the teachings, or praying for your parents or ancestors. You spend every day uselessly in routine work without any inspiration. After death, how are you going to justify your life before Enma, the King of Hell? How are you going to get to the peaceful Buddha world while crossing the deep seas of suffering?”

One famous old doctor said, “After death, we human beings have to appear before Enma-san! When we die, we are shown into Enma’s court, and balance-scales are placed before us. ‘Place all the things that you have received from others when you were alive on one side and the things you gave to others on the other side.’ If the items received are heavier than the given, Enma-san will say, ‘You have taken advantage of people’s kindness without giving to others. You have to go to Hell.’ If your giving was more than what you received, Enma-san will inform you that you may enter into the other better worlds, or the peaceful Buddha world.” The doctor described Enma’s court like this. “I don’t think I have given enough. I would like to work harder so that medical treatments will be more helpful for others.”

That doctor saved many lives and was always improving medical treatments, but he said, “It is still not enough.” Such words have never come from a selfish or arrogant mind. Being fearful of Enma-san disciplines our selfish and arrogant mind, making it humble and compassionate. In other words, Enma-san awakens our Buddha-nature. He is like a mental trainer for savage, greedy human beings.

Summer Writings

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Aug. 26, 2018

I, Nichiren, am the lone forerunner of the bodhisattvas who emerged from the earth. I may even be one of them. If I am counted as one of the bodhisattvas who emerged from the earth, my disciples and followers too are among the ranks of those bodhisattvasI, Nichiren, am the lone forerunner of the bodhisattvas who emerged from the earth. I may even be one of them. If I am counted as one of the bodhisattvas who emerged from the earth, my disciples and followers too are among the ranks of those bodhisattvas from the earth, are they not? The “Teacher of the Dharma” chapter states, “If someone expounds even a phrase of the Lotus Sūtra even to one person in secret, then you should know that such a person is my messenger, dispatched by Me and carries out My work.” This refers to none other than us.

Nichiren wrote this passage as part of his Treatise on All Phenomena as Ultimate Reality (Shohō Jissō-Shō), sent to the monk Sairen-Bō. He refers to Chapters Ten and Fifteen of the Lotus Sūtra. This passage reminds us of our position as followers of Nichiren, and fellow messengers of Śākyamuni Buddha.even a phrase of the Lotus Sūtra even to one person in secret, then you should know that such a person is my messenger, dispatched by Me and carries out My work.” This refers to none other than us.

Nichiren wrote this passage as part of his Treatise on All Phenomena as Ultimate Reality (Shohō Jissō-Shō), sent to the monk Sairen-Bō. He refers to Chapters Ten and Fifteen of the Lotus Sūtra. This passage reminds us of our position as followers of Nichiren, and fellow messengers of Śākyamuni Buddha.

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

Profound

Nāgārjuna’s Dialectic of Eight Negations

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In Mādhyamika philosophy, all things are viewed as empty (Ch., K’ung; Skt., śūnya), since they are produced by causes and conditions, and cannot exist independently. Prajn͂ā (Perfect wisdom) can be attained through realization of śūnyatā. Endowed with prajn͂ā, one is able to reach the state of Absolute Truth, the truth to which no thoughts and words are applicable but is comprehended through intuition. In Nāgārjuna’s system, although there are two levels of truth, the only reality is the world of the Absolute. This is the never changing world, always remaining what it has ever been, in which there is no distinction between birth and death, or nirvāṇa and saṃsāra. The truth of śūnyatā is conveyed by Nāgārjuna through his dialectic of eight negations stated in the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā (T.30, I c). These eight negations are: “Nothing originates (Pu-sheng), nor does anything annihilate (Pu-mieh). Nothing is permanent (Pu-ch ‘ang), nor has anything an end (Pu-tuan). Nothing is identical (Pu-i), nor is anything different (Pu-i). Nothing comes (Pu-lai), nor does anything go (Pu-ch’ü).” The phenomenal world is conceived through analysis of words and conceptions. The very same world, if perceived free from conceptualization, is nothing but the absolute reality. From this point of view, there could exist multiple worldly truths, such as the Śrāvakayāna doctrines, which, according to Mahāyānists, were taught by the Buddha for the beings who were not ready for the Supreme Truth.

The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra: Tien-tai Philosophy of Buddhism


beginning

The Meaning of Growth in Religious Faith

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In summary, then, as long as human beings are relatively content with their way of life, they feel no need for religious faith. They turn to deities and Buddhas for aid in time of illness, poverty, trouble, or other suffering. Faith of this kind is egoistic in that it is directed toward the elimination of the actual suffering of the involved individual. But as the person advances in faith and has the opportunity to observe coolly his own fate and the nature of the society around him, he grows from an understanding of the law of cause and effect alone to an understanding of the wider Law of Causation. This, in turn, gradually brings about alterations in his ideals and values. A true comprehension of basic Buddhist doctrines—the Law of Causation and the Seal of the Three Laws: that all things are impermanent, that nothing has an ego, and that nirvana is quiescence – changes a self-oriented faith into a faith taking into consideration other people and all sentient beings. Faith then leads from solving issues of common, ordinary suffering to a higher faith. This is the meaning of growth in religious faith. (Page 98)

The Beginnings of Buddhism

LS32

Day 21

Day 21 covers all of Chapter 16, The Duration of the Life of the Tathāgata.

Having last month considered the reality of the power of the Buddha’s wisdom, we conclude Chapter 16, The Duration of the Life of the Tathāgata.

All of you, wise men!
Have no doubts about this!
Remove your doubts, have no more!
My words are true, not false.

The physician, who sent a man expediently
To tell his perverted sons
Of the death of their father in order to cure them,
Was not accused of falsehood although he was still alive.

In the same manner, I am the father of the world.
I am saving all living beings from suffering.
Because they are perverted,
I say that I pass away even though I shall not.
If they always see me,
They will become arrogant and licentious,
And cling to the five desires
So much that they will fall into the evil regions.

I know who is practicing the Way and who is not.
Therefore I expound various teachings
To all living beings
According to their capacities.

I am always thinking:
“How shall I cause all living beings
To enter into the unsurpassed Way
And quickly become Buddhas?”

See Hidden Core and Supernatural Powers

LS Introduction, LS32, d21b

Hidden Core and Supernatural Powers

Sakyamuni begins [Chapter 16, The Duration of the Life of the Tathāgata,] by appealing three times for his listeners to “understand my sincere and infallible words by faith.” To this appeal, all the Bodhisattvas headed by Maitreya responded each time, “World-Honored One, tell us! We will receive your words by faith.” Then Sakyamuni replied, “Listen to me attentively! I will reveal to you my hidden core and supernatural powers” (p. 241).

Here “hidden core” means his deepest innermost self, and “supernatural powers” are actions outflowing from that hidden core.

Introduction to the Lotus Sutra

Lecture on Lotus Sutra

With Joy

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Our Buddhist practice always should be about joy. When we approach it as if it is a burden that must be accomplished then I believe we have missed the message of the Buddha. Yes, there are times when it will be difficult to accomplish the changes in life you wish to accomplish, and sometimes these changes will take a long time. Yet, what we learn in Buddhism is there is no one more qualified to make those changes than the individual, you.

Lecture on the Lotus Sutra

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Aug. 25, 2018

Although he was abused like this for many years, he did not get angry, He always said to them, ‘You will become Buddhas.’

The Buddha tells this story of Never-Despising Bodhisattva in Chapter Twenty of the Lotus Sūtra. This Bodhisattva did not read or recite sutras. His practice was simply to tell all those whom he encountered, “I respect you deeply. I do not despise you.” Despite his pure intentions, the deluded minds of those who heard him caused them to be angry with him, beat him, and chase him away. While he did not stand fast and endure their abuse, he did not lose his respect for them. This is an example for us who aspire to practice the Wonderful Dharma to show us how we can learn to treat all beings.

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