Day 27 concludes Chapter 23, The Previous Life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva.
My trouble with Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva’s pyromaniacal offerings to Sun-Moon-Pure-Bright-Virtue Buddha are exactly that: My trouble. As explained yesterday, I crave a literalist reading of the promises contained in the Lotus Sutra and the actions necessary to attain Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.
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.
And yet, that offering of benefits to those willing to char appendages does not stand alone. That paragraph continues:
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.
So I stumble, wanting to have both metaphors for acts of faith and literal promises of rewards for such faith. Of course, it’s not like I’m wedded to those literal promises. For instance, I’m not sure I’m a big fan of this reward:
Anyone who rejoices at hearing this chapter of the Previous Life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva and praises [this chapter], saying, ‘Excellent,’ will be able to emit the fragrance of the blue lotus flower from his mouth and the fragrance of the candana of Mt. Ox-Head from his pores, and obtain these merits in his present life.
Sunday, July 24, 2016, was the Urabon (Obon) Ceremony. Coincidentally, I brought in a newly framed enlargement of the central portion of a photo taken April 28, 1934, on the front steps of the Sacramento home that served as the first Nichiren Shu Temple. Below is the full photo. If you click on the photo you can examine the larger image in your browser.
Sunday was the annual Urabon (Obon) ceremony in which prayers are said by the priest for our ancestors. In a coincidence of sorts, today was also the day I brought in a photo that Ven. Kenjo Igarashi had asked to be framed. As you can see above, it is a much-enlarged copy of the central area of a photo taken on the official founding of the church on April 28, 1934. (UPDATE: This photo is of “Founders Day,” celebrating Nichiren’s first chanting of Daimoku on April 28, 1253. The actual founding of the church was September 1931.)
Many of those attending the service examined the photo looking for familiar faces. The oldest person attending Sunday, a woman, was a child of 3 at the time. Others had grandparents who might be in the photo. As can be seen in the photo above, it was a very large crowd.
Prior to the service, church members submited lists of ancestors for whom they wish the priest to say prayers. After the prayers, the Ven. Kenjo Igarashi explained the origin of the practice of having priests say prayers.
Rather than paraphrase Rev. Igarashi’s explanation, I’ll use the story told by Nichiren in the Urabon Gosho (Writings of Nichiren Shonin, Volume 4):
Maudgalyayana was an unenlightened man who was unaware of his mother’s suffering in the realm of hungry spirits. As a child he received a non-Buddhist education in Brahmanism, mastering all the non-Buddhist scriptures such as the four Vedas and eighteen great sutras, but he was still unable to see where his mother had gone after her death. Later, at the age of 13 Maudgalyayana, together with Sariputra, visited Sakyamuni Buddha and became His disciple. He became a sage of the initial rank by eliminating delusions of views, rose to the rank of arhat by overcoming delusions of thought, and gained the three or six kinds of supernatural powers.
With his heavenly eyes wide open, Maudgalyayana could see everything throughout the triple thousand worlds as though they were all reflected in a spotless mirror. He was able to see everywhere in the great earth and in the three evil realms. It was as if he were looking at the fish below the water through the ice shining in the morning sun. It was then he saw his own mother in the realm of hungry spirits.
Without anything to eat or drink, his mother was emaciated and her skin looked like a pheasant whose feathers were all plucked, and her bones were worn away to such an extent that they looked like lines of round stones. Her head without hair looked like a ball, her neck as thin as a thread, and her stomach swollen as large as the ocean. Her appearance, as she begged by opening her mouth wide and pressing her palms together, resembled a leech trying to catch the scent of human beings. How heartbreaking it was for Maudgalyayana to see his own mother, suffering from hunger and wanting to cry at the sight of her own son in her previous life! It must have been sadness beyond description. …
Venerable Maudgalyayana felt so sorry for his mother that he made use of his supernatural powers to send a meal to her. His mother gladly grabbed the meal with her right hand and put it into her mouth while covering it with the left hand. At this moment the meal somehow changed into fire, bursting into flames, as if wicks were put rogether to build a fire, causing the mother to get burned all over. Shocked at seeing this, Maudgalyayana hurriedly used his supernatural powers again to pour plenty of water. The water, however, somehow changed to firewood, causing more burns to his mother. It was a dreadful scene!
Realizing that his own supernatural powers were not enough to save his own mother, Maudgalyayana hurriedly went to see the Buddha and cried, “I was born in a non-Buddhist family, but became a disciple of the Buddha and ascended to the rank of arhatship, won freedom from the chain of life and death in the triple world, and gained the three or six supernatural powers of arhatship. However, when I tried to save my mother from the great suffering in the realm of hungry spirits, I only intensified her suffering. I am grief-stricken.” The Buddha replied to Maudgalyayana, “Your mother’s sin is too serious for you alone to save her. No matter how many persons there are, the powers of such as heavenly beings, terrestrial gods, demons, non-Buddhists, Taoist priests, the Four Heavenly Kings, Indra, and the King of the Brahma Heaven cannot save her. You can only save your mother from suffering by gathering holy priests in all the worlds throughout the universe on the 15th of the 7th month, treat them with a feast.” As Maudgalyayana held a feast according to the instructions of the Buddha, his mother was able to escape the kalpa (aeon) of suffering in the realm of hungry spirits. So it is preached in the Ullambana Sutra.
Putting the story in the context of the Lotus Sutra, Nichiren went on to explain:
In the final analysis, the reason why Venerable Maudgalyayana could not save his suffering mother was that he was a believer of Hinayana Buddhism, observing the Hinayana precepts. … Nevertheless, coming to the Lotus Sutra, which enjoins listeners to “abandon the expedient teachings,” Maudgalyayana immediately cast away the 250 precepts of Hinayana Buddhism and chanted “Namu Myoho Renge kyo” to become a Buddha called Tamalapatracandana Fragrance. This is the very moment when his parents, too, became Buddhas. Therefore, it is stated in the Lotus Sutra, “Our wishes have already been fulfilled, and desires of the multitude are also satisfied.” Maudgalyayana’s body and mind are the legacy of his parents. When his body and mind became a Buddha, those of his parents also attained Buddhahood.
One of the aspects of Nichiren Buddhism that I appreciate greatly is this idea that I am the “legacy” of my parents and that my enlightenment benefits my parents. It is one way to understanding that past, present and future are not separate.
As Rev. Igarashi explained, we pray for ourselves as we pray for our parents.
We have never seen
These many thousands of billions
Of Bodhisattvas.
Tell me, Most Honorable Biped!
Where did they come from?
Maitreya Bodhisattva sings these verses to the Buddha in Chapter Fifteen of the Lotus Sūtra. In the story, the Buddha has asked who among those gathered to hear him teach will continue teaching this Wonderful Dharma in our world of suffering after the Buddha passes into his final extinction. Some Bodhisattvas say they will teach in other worlds, since the beings of this world are too defiled to hear the Buddha’s teaching. Other Bodhisattvas vow to remain in our world, but the Buddha tells them not to bother. At that moment, the ground cracks open, and innumerable Bodhisattvas spring up and vow to carry on the work of the Buddha. Maitreya and others had never seen these Bodhisattvas before. His asking the Buddha respectfully to explain what they do not understand. This example emphasizes that we must continue to question how the Buddha’s teaching applies to our lives rather than dogmatically accepting whatever happens.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Day 26 concludes Chapter 21, The Supernatural Powers of the Tathāgatas, includes Chapter 22, Transmission, and introduces Chapter 23, The Previous Life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva.
Having covered the transmission of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma to the Bodhisattvas who had sprung up from underground and discussed the benefits of keeping this sutra and the merits of this sutra to those to whom this sutra is to be transmitted from Chapter 21, it is time to explore “The Previous Life of Medicine King Bodhisattva.”
This chapter is problematic for me because I want to take the stories as literal lessons. Who wouldn’t want to be able to “know by smell whether an unborn child is a boy or a girl, or a child of ambiguous sex, or the embryo of a nonhuman being”? But Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva’s fiery all-consuming passion troubles.
Having made these offerings [to the Buddha], he emerged from the samādhi, and thought, ‘I have now made offerings to the Buddha by my supernatural powers. But these offerings are less valuable than the offering of my own body.’
The Daily Dharma from June 16, 2016, offers this perspective:
In Chapter Twenty-Three of the Lotus Sūtra, the Buddha tells the story of Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva, the previous life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva. This Bodhisattva practiced under an ancient Buddha, and made exorbitant offerings to that Buddha through his supernatural powers. He then realized that all the riches of the universe that he could conjure up paled in comparison to the treasure of his own body and his own life. He then made an offering of his body to the Buddha, which illuminated innumerable worlds. Nichiren wrote often of the hardships he faced in his life and those of his followers. He wrote of “reading the Lotus Sūtra with our bodies,” meaning bringing the Buddha’s wisdom to life in our lives. When we act according to the Wonderful Dharma, no matter what hardships we face, then we too are living the Lotus Sūtra, and making a perfect offering from our gratitude to the Buddha.
Needless to say, so will be the merits of the person
Who keeps this sūtra, gives alms, observes the precepts,
Practices patience, prefers dhyāna-concentrations,
And does not get angry or speak ill of others.
The Buddha sings these verses in Chapter Seventeen of the Lotus Sūtra. In this chapter, he explains that anyone who understands his ever-present existence, even for a moment, will gain the merit of ridding themselves of innumerable delusions. In his previous teachings on the perfections of a Bodhisattva, he showed that our practices of generosity, discipline, patience, enthusiastic perseverance, concentration and wisdom, all these will help us to see the world as it is. Realizing that the Buddha is always here teaching us helps us to look for him. But this realization does not obscure the necessity of putting his teachings into practice so that we may benefit all beings.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Day 25 covers all of Chapter 20, Never-Despising Bodhisattva, and opens Chapter 21, The Supernatural Powers of the Tathāgatas.
Having discussed yesterday the merits received by the “men or women who keep, read, recite, expound or copy this sutra” it’s appropriate to note the example of the Bodhisattva who posed as a Bhisku and wandered about bowing to everyone and saying, “You will become Buddhas.”
When he was about to pass away, he heard [from a voice] in the sky the twenty thousand billion gathas of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma, which had been expounded by the Powerful-Voice-King Buddha. Having kept all these gathas, he was able to have his eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind purified as previously stated. Having his six sense-organs purified, he was able to prolong his life for two hundred billion nayuta more years. He expounded this Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma to many people [in his prolonged life]. The arrogant bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas and upasikas, that is, the four kinds of devotees who had abused him and caused him to be called Never-Despising, saw that he had obtained great supernatural powers, the power of eloquence, and the great power of good tranquility. Having seen all this, and having heard the Dharma from him, they took faith in him, and followed him.
Something all can appreciate: The great power of good tranquility
To sum up, all the teachings of the Tathāgata, all the unhindered, supernatural powers of the Tathāgata, all the treasury of the hidden core of the Tathāgata, and all the profound achievements of the Tathāgata are revealed and expounded explicitly in this sūtra. Therefore, keep, read, recite, expound and copy this sūtra, and act according to the teachings of it with all your hearts after my extinction!
The Buddha makes this declaration to Superior-Practice Bodhisattva (Jōgyo, Viśiṣṭacārītra) in Chapter Twenty-One of the Lotus Sūtra. In Chapter Two, the Buddha told those gathered to hear him teach that his highest teaching could not be attained by reasoning alone. These two passages show us faith to look beyond the words in this book to find the Buddha Dharma in every aspect of our lives, and the ever-present Buddha leading us all to enlightenment.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Day 24 concludes Chapter 19, The Merits of the Teacher of the Dharma and closes the Sixth Volume of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.
In Chapter 19, we learn of eight hundred merits of the eye, twelve hundred merits of the ear, eight hundred merits of the nose, twelve hundred merits of the tongue, eight hundred merits of the body, and twelve hundred merits of the mind, all of which accrue to those good men or women who keep, read, recite, expound or copy this sutra.
And since I limit myself to a single topic each time through I can move on from my fascination with the merits of the nose (see last month) to the merits of the tongue.
The good men or women who keep, read, recite, expound or copy this sutra, will be able to obtain twelve hundred merits of the tongue. Anything which tastes good, bad, delicious, distasteful, bitter or astringent, will become as delicious as the nectar of heaven and not distasteful when it is put on their tongues.
But, in my mind, more important:
When they expound the Dharma to the great multitude with their tongues, they will be able to raise deep and wonderful voices, to cause their voice to reach the hearts of the great multitude so that the great multitude may be joyful and cheerful. Hearing their speeches given in good order by their deep and wonderful voices, Sakra, Brahman, and the other gods and goddesses will come and listen to them. In order to hear the Dharma, dragons, dragons’ daughters, yaksas, yaksas’ daughters, gandharvas, gandharvas’ daughters, asuras, asuras’ daughters, garudas, garudas’ daughters, kimnaras, kimnaras’ daughters, mahoragas, and mahoragas’ daughters also will come to them, respect them, and make offerings to them. Bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas, and upasikas; and kings, princes, ministers, and their attendants [also will come and hear the Dharma]. The wheel-turning[holy-] kings of small [countries], and the wheel-turning-[holy-] kings of great [countries, each of whom has the] seven treasires and one thousand children, also will come with their [treasures, children andl internal and external retinues, riding in their [movable] palaces, and hear the Dharma. These [good men or women, that is,] Bodhisattvas will expound the Dharma so well that the brahmanas, householders, and people of their country will, throughout their lives, attend on them, and make offerings to them. The Sravakas, Pratyekabuddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Buddhas also will wish to see them. [These good men or women] will expound the Dharma in the places which the Buddhas will face. They will keep all the teaching of the Buddha and raise deep and wonderful voices of the Dharma.
I’m toying with the idea of recording my recitation of each of the 32 sections of the Lotus Sutra and posting them within my 32 Days of the Lotus Sutra project. Perhaps after I finish 12 months of this practice I’ll start. My only hesitance comes from knowing that there are words such as Grdhrakuta (Mount Sacred Eagle) or Avaivartika (the stage of irrevocability) that I’ll surely stumble over. But even with the stumbles it would be fun to imagine when I “expound the Dharma to the great multitude with [my] tongues, [I] will be able to raise [a] deep and wonderful voice, to cause [my] voice to reach the hearts of the great multitude so that the great multitude may be joyful and cheerful.”
He should not have fruitless disputes or quarrels about the teachings with others. He should have great compassion towards all living beings. He should look upon all the Tathāgatas as his loving fathers, and upon all the Bodhisattvas as his great teachers. He should bow to all the great Bodhisattvas of the worlds of the ten quarters respectfully and from the bottom of his heart. He should expound the Dharma to all living beings without partiality. He should be obedient to the Dharma. He should not add anything to the Dharma or take away anything from the Dharma.
The Buddha declares this passage in Chapter Fourteen of the Lotus Sūtra. In an earlier teaching, the Buddha proclaimed, “I do not quarrel with the world. The world quarrels with me.” The Buddha does not need to prove anything to anyone. He realized the truth and teaches it out of his compassion for all beings. He understood that when people reacted poorly to his teaching and began to argue with him or chastise him, it was due to the illusions they had not yet eliminated. This chapter of the sūtra instructs us to keep the same mind when we spread the Dharma. We teach from our compassion and respect.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Day 23 covers all of Chapter 18, The Merits of a Person Who Rejoices at Hearing This Sutra, and opens Chapter 19, The Merits of the Teacher of the Dharma.
I would like to think I have new insights each day I recite a portion of the Lotus Sutra, but sometimes I’m simply reminded of how much I enjoy a particular passage. In this case, on the 10th time through Day 23, I’m again struck by the example of the propagation of the Lotus Sutra contained in the story of the 50th “good man or woman who rejoices at hearing this sutra.”
Ajita! Suppose a bhiksu, a bhiksuni, an upasaka, an upasika, or some other wise person, whether young or old, rejoices at hearing this sutra in a congregation after my extinction. After leaving the congregation, he or she goes to some other place, for instance, to a monastery, a retired place, a city, a street, a town, or a village. There he or she expounds this sutra, as he or she has heard it, to his or her father, mother, relative, friend or acquaintance as far as he or she can. Another person who has heard [this sutra from him or her], rejoices, goes [to some other place] and expounds it to a third person. The third person also rejoices at hearing it and expounds it to a fourth person. In this way this sutra is heard by a fiftieth person. Ajita! Now I will tell you the merits of the fiftieth good man or woman who rejoices at hearing [this sutra]. Listen attentively!
Underscore he or she expounds this sutra, as he or she has heard it, to his or her father, mother, relative, friend or acquaintance as far as he or she can.
And today I repeat what I wrote last April: Feeble and weak as my understanding may be, I rejoice in hearing and in turn pass it on.
Ajita, look! The merits of the person who causes even a single man to go and hear the Dharma are so many. It is needless to speak of the merits of the person who hears [this sutra] with all his heart, reads it, recites it, expounds it to the great multitude, and acts according to its teachings.
