All posts by John Hughes

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Aug. 23, 2018

Needless to say, boundless will be the merits
Of the person who hears this sūtra with all his heart,
And expounds its meanings,
And acts according to its teachings.

The Buddha sings these verses to Maitreya (whom he calls Ajita – Invincible) in Chapter Eighteen of the Lotus Sutra. The merits we gain through our study and practice of the Lotus Sūtra do not make us better than any of the other beings with whom we share this world. Merits accumulate when we strip away our delusions and see the world for what it is. We sometimes focus on what we can do to change the world, thinking that merely changing how we look at the world will have little effect. It is only when we see things for what they are that we can act effectively. Otherwise we are merely reinforcing the delusions of ourselves and others.

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

Profound

The Substance of the Lotus Sūtra

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For the section “Substance,” Chih-i compares various conceptions of the Ultimate Truth. The Ultimate Truth for beings in the realms of desire, form, and formlessness signifies that these three realms are different. The Two Vehicles perceive the Ultimate Truth as the suchness of emptiness. The bodhisattvas take both difference (provisional existence) and suchness (emptiness) as the Ultimate Truth. For the Buddha, the Ultimate Truth means neither suchness nor difference. The Ultimate Truth realized by the Buddha is thus taken as the correct substance. In Chih-i ‘s view, only the Lotus Sūtra enjoys the privilege of possessing the correct substance. Although the Ultimate Truth is also confirmed by Chih-i to be the substance of all other sūtras (seeing that the Ultimate Truth is the underlying principle), the substance they possess is not perfect. This is because other sūtras expound either the Relative Truth or the Ultimate Truth by means of expediency, and thus they cannot be regarded as fully possessing the correct substance, but only the one-sided substance (referring to emptiness as the Absolute Truth that is represented by the Tripitaka Teaching) or the correct substance with one-sidedness (referring to the Common Teaching that reveals the Ultimate Truth as the substance of dharmas, but its view concerns the one-sided emptiness). Only the substance of the Lotus Sūtra can function to embrace all entities, with which only the one Ultimate Truth is expounded without any expediency, viz. the Relative Truth and the Ultimate Truth are identified with each other in forming an integrated reality of all aspects. (Page 86)

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


beginning

The Inflexible Law of Cause and Effect

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Before dealing with the Four Noble Truths, Buddhism teaches the everyday common-sense law that a good cause produces a good effect, a bad cause a bad effect; and both kinds of causes, suitable rewards and retributions. Even small acts of good and small acts of evil unrelated to other acts of good and evil do not disappear without a trace. Instead, each is stored up to form the intellect, personality, customary behavior, and physical makeup of the individual committing them. They become part of the personality, which they daily alter in the direction of good or bad. Acts of good and evil are intimately related to the individual’s happiness and fate. All human beings must understand that everything in this world is related according to the inflexible law of cause and effect. (Page 95)

The Beginnings of Buddhism

LS32

Day 18

Day 18 concludes Chapter 13, Encouragement for Keeping this Sutra, and begins Chapter 14, Peaceful Practices.

Having last month concluded today’s portion of Chapter 14, Peaceful Practices, we return to today’s portion of Chapter 13, Encouragement for Keeping this Sutra, and the vow of the eighty billion nayuta Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas.

Thereupon the World-Honored One looked at the eighty billion nayuta Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas. These Bodhisattvas had already reached the stage of avaivartika, turned the irrevocable wheel of the Dharma, and obtained dhārāṇis. They rose from their seats, came to the Buddha, joined their hands together [towards him] with all their hearts, and thought, “If the World-Honored One commands us to keep and expound this sūtra, we will expound the Dharma just as the Buddha teaches.”

They also thought, “The Buddha keeps silence.’ He does not command us. What shall we do?”

In order to follow the wish of the Buddha respectfully, and also to fulfill their original vow, they vowed to the Buddha with a loud voice like the roar of a lion:

“World-Honored One! After your extinction, we will go to any place [not only of this Sahā-World but also] of the worlds of the ten quarters, as often as required, and cause all living beings to copy, keep, read and recite this sūtra, to expound the meanings of it, to act according to the Dharma, and to memorize this sūtra correctly. We shall be able to do all this only by your powers. World-Honored One! Protect us from afar even when you are in another world!”

My postscript a year ago still rings true: Imagine being a great Bodhisattva who has “already reached the stage of avaivartika, turned the irrevocable wheel of the Dharma, and obtained dhārāṇis” and still being unsure, waiting for some acknowledgment, some direction, and yet even with these doubts pushing ahead. With a roar like a lion!

Basics

The Six Fundamental Obstructions

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When the three … obstructions of pride, doubt, and false views are added to the three poisons, we have what are known as the six fundamental obstructions. Pride and self-centeredness prevent human beings from evaluating others correctly and lead to incorrect understanding and actions. Doubt is failure to believe in the existence of truth, the reality of good and evil, and the efficacy of karma. From such doubts are born false views that in turn obstruct faith in the Three Treasures. Of course, earnest, constructive doubt can lend strength to the pursuit of the ideal, but destructive skepticism serves no purpose at all. Such futile doubt is criticized in the six fundamental obstructions.Basic Buddhist Concepts

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Aug. 22, 2018

If his writings are against the teachings of the Buddha, no matter how hard one might believe them, one will never attain Buddhahood. No matter how much one prays for peace and tranquility for the country, only deplorable events will take place.

Nichiren wrote this passage in his Treatise on Prayers (Kitō-shō), commenting on the writings of a priest who did not hold the Lotus Sutra as the Buddha’s highest teaching. Because the Lotus Sutra assures the enlightenment of all beings who teach and practice the Wonderful Dharma, it is what brings peace and tranquility to the world.

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

Profound

A Technique of Comparison

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[The technique of comparison] serves to support Chih-i’s theory taking the Lotus Sūtra as the supreme teaching. By comparing different features between the Lotus Sūtra and other sūtras, the superiority of the former is confirmed.

The most unique feature of the Lotus Sūtra lies in its doctrine of the Ultimate Truth, and this Ultimate Truth is identified by Chih-i with the Middle Way, since the Middle Way, as the principle, represents the Ultimate Truth of Buddhahood. While the theory of the Lotus Sūtra as the supreme teaching is sustained by this method of comparison, the doctrine of the Ultimate Truth in turn provides the foundation for the legitimacy of Chih-i’s own theory of the Middle Way.

A good example of launching a comparison is by presenting an illustration of the Ten Suchnesses in each of the Ten Dharma-realms. As a result of this comparison, the Ten Suchnesses of the Buddha-realm are shown to be the foremost of all suchnesses in whatever realm, in view of the fact that they embody the Buddha’s knowledge and insight (that embrace all dharmas and make no distinction between the two opposite aspects). This is the first level of comparison among the Ten Dharma realms, by which the Buddha Dharma-realm is confirmed as the highest. The second step is to explain why the Buddha praises the Lotus Sūtra as the unsurpassed, by means of judging whether or not the Ten Suchnesses in the nine Dharma-realms (that are exposed in other sūtras) enter the Buddha Dharma-realm. The conclusion is that only in the Lotus Sūtra are the Ten Suchnesses in the nine Dharma-realms converged into the Buddha Dharma-realm. This kind of comparison legitimizes the Lotus Sūtra to be the supreme doctrine. By presenting the Lotus Sūtra as the final teaching of the Buddha, which automatically denote the meaning of perfect and harmonizing, Chih-i ‘s own system of thought is also legitimated with the undertone of perfection, corresponding to what is represented by the Lotus Sūtra. (Page 84-85)

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


beginning

The Heart of Benevolence

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Shakyamuni entered the [sacred-fire room of Uruvilva-Kashyapa] and sat in meditation. Surely enough, the malevolent snake came out and tried several times to attack him. But because he had a great heart of compassion for all sentient beings and felt no animosity toward the snake, Shakyamuni subdued it with benevolence and love. Entering the state of meditation known as the heart of benevolence, he calmed the fierce serpent, reduced it to a small, harmless creature, and went calmly on with his meditation throughout a peaceful night. …

Though it is a slight digression, I should like to offer a few words of explanation about the heart of benevolence, the state of concentration in meditation that Shakyamuni used to subdue the fierce serpent in the sacred-fire room of Uruvilva-Kashyapa. This state, which can be attained by anyone, refers to the benevolence that is one of the four infinite virtues–benevolence, compassion, giving happiness, and impartiality–and means constant compassion and kindness for all beings, not just for those that are dear but also for unrelated beings and even enemies against whom one might otherwise entertain bitterness.

According to Buddhist classics, eleven categories of merit attach to the practicing of the heart of benevolence. These categories are: peaceful sleep; peaceful awakening; no bad dreams; constantly clear, bright facial complexion; love from other people; love from nonhuman beings; protection of the gods; imperviousness to fire, wounds from blades, and poison; free entry into the concentration stage of meditation; at death, freedom from confusion (death comes as easily as sleep); after death, even if enlightenment has not been attained, at least the privilege of rebirth in a happy state of the Brahma heaven. (Page 64)

The Beginnings of Buddhism

LS32

Day 17

Day 17 covers all of Chapter 12, Devadatta, and opens Chapter 13, Encouragement for Keeping this Sutra.

Having last month considered Mañjuśrī and his efforts in the palace of Dragon-King Sagara, we hear Accumulated-Wisdom Bodhisattva ask whether anyone taught by Mañjuśrī is qualified to become a Buddha quickly.

Thereupon Accumulated-Wisdom Bodhisattva praised him with gāthās:

Possessor of Great Wisdom and Virtue!
You were brave in saving innumerable living beings.
This great congregation and I understand
That you expounded
The truth of the reality of all things,
Revealed the teaching of the One Vehicle,
And led those innumerable living beings
[Into the Way] to Bodhi quickly.

Mañjuśrī said, “In the sea I expounded only the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.”

Accumulated-Wisdom asked Mañjuśrī:

“The sūtra is exceedingly profound and wonderful. This is the treasure of all the sūtras. It is rare in the world. Do you know anyone who acted according to this sūtra so strenuously that he has already been qualified to become a Buddha quickly?”

Pausing before we get to the meat of this tale – the prejudice against women and the universality of Buddha nature – I want to underscore that Mañjuśrī expounded only the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma. That’s very rare. Consider Chapter 3’s revelation that Śāriputra will eventually become a Buddha called Flower-Light in a world “even, pure, adorned, peaceful, and fertile, where gods and men will prosper.” What will that Buddha teach? “Flower-Light Tathāgata will also lead the living beings [of his world] by the teaching of the Three Vehicles.” This remains a puzzle to me.

buddhaseed

A Very Positive Way of Living

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Because we are able to view our difficulties from the Buddha’s perspective, we can be grateful for the difficulties in our lives. We can benefit from facing difficulties as a good opportunity to improve ourselves. Thus, we endeavor to practice harder. The Lotus Sutra fundamentally leads people to think positively and make the most of their circumstances, or encourages people to try their best efforts to do so. Making the most of negative circumstances becomes a very positive way of living. This is the way of the Lotus Sutra.

Buddha Seed: Understanding the Odaimoku