Having last month heard the dharani spells of Brave-In-Giving Bodhisattva, we come to Vaisravana Heavenly-King.
Thereupon Vaisravana Heavenly-King, the Protector of the World, said to the Buddha, ‘World-Honored One! I also will utter dharanis in order to protect this teacher of the Dharma out of my compassion towards all living beings.’
Then he uttered spells, ‘Ari, nari, tonari, anaro, nabi, kunabi.’
[He said to the Buddha:]
‘World-Honored One! I will protect this teacher of the Dharma with these divine spells. I also will protect the person who keeps this sutra so that he may have no trouble within a hundred yojanas’ distance [from here].’
Lotus World offers this about Vaishravana, whom Nichiren placed in the upper left corner of the Mandala Gohonzon.
Vaishravana is the chief of the four heavenly kings. The Flammarion Iconographic Guide: Buddhism describes Vaishravana as follows: Vaisravana is the guardian of the north and the chief of the four guardian kings, ‘He who is knowing’, ‘He who hears everything in the kingdom’, the protector of the state par excellence, sometimes thought to be a god of defensive warfare. In China, he is considered to be a Buddhicization of the Indian god of wealth, Kuvera, the north being considered to hold fabulous treasures. He presides over winter and is black, so is also called ‘the black warrior’. His symbols are a jewel and a serpent, and he commands a large army of Yaksas.
Vaishravana’s army and attendants consisted of the kimnaras and the yakshas, two of the eight kinds of supernatural beings who are said to revere and protect the Dharma. The kimnaras are celestial musicians and dancers who have the bodies of birds with human heads and torsos. They officiate at Vaishravana’s court. The yakshas are a kind of flesh-eating demon or spirit who make up Vaishravana’s army. Lotus World: An Illustrated Guide to the Gohonzon
When we chant Namu Myoho Renge Kyo let us do so with great joy welling up from within our lives, with the mind of praise for the Lotus Sutra and with the desire to enable not only our own self to become enlightened but for everyone to attain enlightenment.
Great-Power-Obtainer, know this! This Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma benefits Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas, and causes them to attain Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi. Therefore, they should keep, read, recite, expound and copy this sūtra after my extinction.
The Buddha gives this explanation to Great-Power-Obtainer Bodhisattva in Chapter Twenty of the Lotus Sūtra. In several places in the sūtra, the Buddha asked who would continue to teach this Wonderful Dharma after his extinction and lead all beings to Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi: perfect unsurpassed enlightenment. When he revealed his Ever-Present Existence in Chapter Sixteen, he assured all those receiving his words that his life is not limited to that of the physical body he inhabited. In truth he is leading all beings throughout all time and space to his wisdom, and this Lotus Sūtra he has given us is the embodiment of that wisdom.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Day 29 covers all of Chapter 25, The Universal Gate of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva.
Having last month covered lust, anger and stupidity, we complete the enumeration of the supernatural powers of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva-mahasattva.
A woman who, wishing to have a boy, bows and makes offerings to World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva, will be able to give birth to a boy endowed with merits, virtues and wisdom. [A woman] who, wishing to have a girl, [does the same,] will be able to give birth to a beautiful girl who will be loved and respected by many people because of the roots of virtue which the [newly-born] girl planted in her previous existence. Endless-Intent! Because World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva has these powers, the merits of those who respect him and bow to him will not be fruitless. Therefore, all living beings should keep the name of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva.
Endless-Intent! Suppose a good man or woman keeps the names of six thousand and two hundred million Bodhisattvas, that is, of as many Bodhisattvas as there are sands in the River Ganges, and offers drink, food, clothing, bedding and medicine to them throughout his or her life. What do you think of this? Are his or her merits many or not?
Anyone who keeps the name of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva and bows and makes offerings to him even for a moment, will be given as many merits as to be given to the good man or woman as previously stated. The merits will not be exhausted even after hundreds of thousands of billions of kalpas. Endless-Intent! Anyone who keeps the name of World-VoicePerceiver Bodhisattva will be given these benefits of innumerable merits and virtues.
In the February 1, 2017, Nichiren Shu News, Rev. Shokai Kanai of the Las Vegas Kannonji Temple, has an article entitled, “Before Trying to Become a Buddha, Behave like a Bodhisattva!”
Kannon Bodhisattava (the statue) with Omandara Gohonzon (the object of veneration, behind the statue)There is a big difference between statues of Buddha and those of Bodhisattvas. Statues of the Buddha only have one robe because they have renounced worldly matters and attained Buddhahood leaving them with no attachments to anything. On the other hand, Bodhisattvas are lay people. Therefore most statues wear garments, crowns, necklaces, and bracelets. Some Bodhisattvas hold a flower or a medicine bottle in their hand. Thus the Bodhisattvas are decorated with many jewels.
Bodhisattva means, “One who seeks enlightenment not only for himself but also for others.” The most well-known Bodhisattva is “Kannan” described in the Lotus Sutra Chapter 25. The title of the chapter is “The Universal Gate of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva.” Many Buddhists consider this chapter as an independent sutra, therefore it is widely accepted and read regardless of their denomination. The “Universal Gate” symbolizes that it is open to everyone! Some Kannan Bodhisattva statues, such as the one enshrined in the Nevada Kannan Temple, have eleven faces to perceive all directions.
The sutra teaches about benefits in this world. It says, “If living beings call the name of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva with all their heart when they are under various sufferings, the Bodhisattva will immediately perceive their voices and cause them to emancipate themselves from their suffering.”
There are two kinds of people who come to our temple. One group is seeking salvation from Kannan Bodhisattva. For these people, we do counseling, memorial services, kito blessings and teach them to have peace of body, mind and soul. The other group who comes to the temple wants to learn how to behave like a Bodhisattva. The Kannan Bodhisattva called them to come to the temple. They practice. chanting, Shodaigyo meditation, and studying the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren Buddhism. They are the leaders in our communities.
To behave like a Bodhisattva means to keep up your work in the office, do chores at home and help the community. Bringing happiness to others is behaving like a Bodhisattva.
The ingredients of the Physician’s Cure are the five practices of the Lotus Sutra – to keep, read, recite, copy, and teach this Sutra. All of these are simple enough except they are indeed very difficult.
Join your hands together and bow
To the person who keeps this sūtra
In the evil world after my extinction,
Just as you do to me!
The Buddha sings these verses to Medicine-King Bodhisattva at the beginning of Chapter Ten of the Lotus Sūtra. By extension he is giving this instruction to all Bodhisattvas and great beings of the universe, and explaining to them that those who keep the Lotus Sūtra are as precious in this world of conflict at the Buddha himself. If we hear these verses with a mind of ego and attachment, we could conclude that we deserve respect and begin to demand it from others. Those who demand respect only generate fear. The Buddha gained respect by respecting all beings. When we treat others as Buddhas, we are certain to have that treatment reflected back towards us.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Day 28 covers all of Chapter 24, Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva, and concludes the Seventh Volume of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.
Last month covered the benefits obtained by Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva-mahasattva, and now we return to the All-Pure-Light-Adornment World and complete Chapter 24.
Thereupon Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva-mahasattva made offerings to Sakyamuni Buddha and to the stupa of ManyTreasures Buddha, [benefited the living beings of the SahaWorld,] and left for his home world] accompanied by the eighty-four thousand Bodhisattvas. As they passed through the [one hundred and eight billion nayuta] worlds, the ground of those worlds quaked in the six ways; lotus-flowers of treasures rained down; and hundreds of thousands of billions of kinds of music were made. Having reached his home world, accompanied by the eighty-four thousand Bodhisattvas who surrounded him, he came to Pure-Flower-Star-King-Wisdom Buddha. He said to the Buddha:
World-Honored One! I went to the Saha-World and benefited the living beings there. I saw Sakyamuni Buddha and the stupa of Many-Treasures Buddha. I bowed and made offerings to them. I also saw Manjusri Bodhisattva, the Son of the King of the Dharma. [I also saw] Medkine-King Bodhisattva, Endeavor-Power-Obtainer Bodhisattva, Brave-In-Giving Bodhisattva, and others. I also caused these eighty-four thousand Bodhisattvas to obtain the ability to practise the samadhi by which they could transform themselves into any other living being.
When [Sakyamuni Buddha] expounded this chapter of the Coming and Going of Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva, forty-two thousand gods obtained the truth of birthlessness, and Flower-Virtue Bodhisattva obtained the ability to practice the samadhi for the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.
I’m pondering the position of gods and the truth of birthlessness. The truth of birthlessness is first mentioned in the Devadatta chapter as something to which some of his disciples will aspire. In The Variety of Merits, six hundred and eighty billion nayuta livings beings obtained the truth of birthlessness after Sakyamuni revealed the duration of his life in the previous chapter. Realizing the truth of birthlessness is one of the benefits obtained by a woman, reborn a man, who hears of the Previous Life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva. And, finally, 68,000 people obtained the truth of birthlessness when the Buddha expounded the Dharanis chapter.
Today’s quote from Awakening to the Lotus offers this on life and death and, I suppose, birthlessness:
The suffering of birth, old age, sickness, and death are facts of everyone’s lives. No matter how developed science may become or how far medicine may advance, these cannot be avoided. Buddhism teaches, however, that when a person discovers that he or she exists within the life of the Eternal Buddha and can perceive the great stream of life flowing endlessly from the past through the present and into the future, he or she will escape the suffering that these events normally cause. Awakening to the Lotus
Anyone who does not keep our spells
But troubles the expounder of the Dharma
Shall have his head split into seven pieces
Just as the branches of the arjaka-tree [are split].
The ten rakṣasī demons and Mother-of-Devils sing these verses in Chapter Twenty-Six of the Lotus Sūtra. They are among the many gods and other supernatural beings who vow to protect all those who keep and practice the Buddha Dharma. These verses help us to understand the nature of those who create harm in the world and to develop a heart of compassion towards them. The nature of delusion is that it sets up a world separate from the world we all share. It puts a barrier between us and the world out of fear that this world will harm us. The Buddha’s teachings show us how to develop the courage to live in harmony with this world, rather than splitting ourselves from it, and splitting ourselves in it.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Day 27 concludes Chapter 23, The Previous Life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva.
Having last month covered the sacrifice and restoration of Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva, we come to the big reveal about Medicine-King Bodhisattva and some more flaming offerings.
The Buddha said to Star-King-Flower Bodhisattva:
What do you think of this? Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva was no one but Medicine-King Bodhisattva of today. He gave up his body in this way, offered it [to the Buddha], and repeated this offering many hundreds of thousands of billions of nayutas of times [in his previous existence]. [He knows that he can practice any austerity in this Saha-World. Therefore, he does not mind walking about this world.]
Star-King-Flower! Anyone who aspires for, and wishes to attain Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, should offer a light to the stupa of the Buddha by burning a finger or a toe. Then he will be given more merits than the person who offers not only countries, cities, wives and children, but also the mountains, forests, rivers and ponds of the one thousand million Sumeru-worlds, and various kinds of treasures. But the merits to be given to the person who fills the one thousand million Sumeru-worlds with the seven treasures and offers that amount of the seven treasures to the Buddhas, to the Great Bodhisattvas, to the Pratekabuddhas, and to the Arhats, are less than the merits to be given to the person who keeps even a single gatha of four lines of this Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.
The Daily Dharma from Sept. 7, 2016, offers this:
What do you think of this? Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva was no one but Medicine-King Bodhisattva of today. He gave up his body in this way, offered it [to the Buddha], and repeated this offering many hundreds of thousands of billions of nayutas of times [in his previous existence]. [He knows that he can practice any austerity in this Sahā-World. Therefore, he does not mind walking about this world.]
The Buddha gives this explanation to Star-King-Flower Bodhisattva in Chapter Twenty-Three of the Lotus Sūtra. The story of the previous life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva shows us the capacities we have already developed and are not aware of. When we see ourselves as choosing to come into this world of conflict to benefit all beings, rather than stuck where we do not want to be and just making the best of it, then it is much easier to let go of our delusions.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Nichiren’s thinking always aimed, as we have seen, to unite two opposites, and to explain either by reference to the other. This method was applied to the relation between the particular and the universal, between the world and the individual, between human nature and Buddhahood. So also with the Kingdom of Buddha. It is individual and universal at the same time; either aspect is incomplete apart from the other; individual perfection is inconceivable without the basis of the universal truth, while the universal community cannot exist apart from the spiritual enlightenment of every individual. The Kingdom means the complete working out of the harmonious relation of these two aspects of perfection — Buddhahood.
