All posts by John Hughes

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Jan.11, 2024

Anyone who protects this sūtra
Should be considered
To have already made offerings
To Many-Treasures and to me.

The Buddha makes this declaration to all those assembled to hear him teach the Dharma in Chapter Eleven of the Lotus Sūtra. In the story, Many-Treasures Buddha has just appeared to confirm the truth of the sūtra, and the Buddha has asked who will protect and preserve this sūtra after his extinction. By considering anyone who defends the meaning of the Lotus Sūtra to be one who has been personally present before these Buddhas, the Buddha invites us to consider not just our previous lives, but our current lives. We repay these Buddhas for this wonderful teaching by bringing it to life ourselves. As Nichiren wrote, “even if only a word or phrase, spread it to others.”

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

LS32, Universal Sage

Between Day 32 and Day 1: Rescuing Śrāvakas, Laypeople and Leaders

Having last month in the Sutra of Contemplation of Universal Sage considered the vow a practitioner expresses, we conclude the Sutra of Contemplation of Universal Sage.

Based on this, O wise one, suppose a śrāvaka practitioner repudiates his or her attitude toward the threefold taking of refuge, or toward the five behavioral principles, or toward the eight behavioral principles – or toward the behavioral principles of a monk or nun, of a novice monk or nun, of a novice nun in the final two years of training, or toward matters of dignified conduct. Numerous offenses against the behavioral principles and the rules of dignified conduct are generated by such a foolish, ignorant, unwholesome, and contrary mind. If such a person desires to eliminate and become free of faults and afflictions, and be restored as one who conforms to the rules of the renunciants, he or she must diligently follow and recite the comprehensive sutras, ponder the ultimate principle – the most profound truth of emptiness – and make discernment based on this emptiness become intrinsic to his or her mind. It should be known that this person then, lastingly and with no residue, brings all moral defilements to an end within a moment of thought.33 Such a person is recognized as one who conforms to the codes of the renunciants and fully manifests the ways of dignified conduct. He or she will become worthy of being honored and rendered service by all human and heavenly beings.

Suppose a man who is a lay follower flouts the ways of dignified conduct and does unwholesome things. To do unwholesome things means to claim that there are errors and faults in the Buddha’s teachings, to talk at length about bad things and offenses the fourfold assembly has committed, to steal, to behave licentiously, and to feel no shame. If he desires to amend himself and remove and destroy these impurities, he must diligently recite and internalize the comprehensive sutras and reflect on the ultimate principle.

Suppose kings, ministers of state, spiritual leaders, people of privilege, wealthy persons, civic leaders, and others of this kind untiringly pursue their cravings, commit the five grievous acts, speak ill of the comprehensive sutras, and embrace the ten harmful karmic actions. The consequence of these great wrongs is to fall into bitter conditions that exceed even those of a raging storm. They will most certainly fall to the Avīci Hell. If they desire to rid themselves of and destroy the encumbrances resulting from these karmic causes, they must evince shame and amend themselves of impurities. What are said to be ways of self-amendment34 for leaders and the privileged?

A way of self-amendment is that they must fundamentally maintain a pure heart and mind, not speak ill of the Three Treasures, not cause hindrances for renunciants, and not cause hardship for or act maliciously toward those who practice pure living; they must fix their thoughts on and cultivate the six manners of mindfulness; they must also support, render service to, and honor, but do not need to worship,35 those who keep faith with the Great Vehicle; and they must keep in mind the extremely profound truth that is found in the sutras – the ultimate principle of emptiness. Being mindful in this way is called practicing the first self-amendment for leaders and the privileged. A second self-amendment is to act filially toward their parents and respect their teachers and elders. This is called practicing the second way of self-amendment. A third self-amendment is to govern their domains with appropriate laws and not restrict people unjustly. This is called practicing the third self-amendment. A fourth self-amendment is to direct that all within their spheres of influence refrain from killing and observe other such specified ways during the six abstaining days of the month. This is called practicing the fourth self-amendment. A fifth self-amendment is that they must, fundamentally, deeply believe in karmic cause and effect, trust the one genuine path, and be aware of the timeless presence of the Buddha. This is called practicing the fifth self-amendment.

The Buddha spoke thus to Ānanda:

“If there are any in future worlds who pursue mastery of these methods of self-amendment as such, it should be known that they don the clothes of humility, that buddhas will watch over and inspire them, and that it will not take a long time for them to achieve the full dynamic of ultimate enlightenment.”

When these words were spoken, ten thousand heavenly beings attained the Dharma eye that clearly sees the truth of all things; and Maitreya Bodhisattva, the other eminent bodhisattvas, and Ānanda, hearing the Buddha’s teachings, rejoiced and faithfully followed them.

mappō, Nattier Decline

Once upon a Future Time: Conclusions

Our search for the origins of the three-period system has brought us, then, to the following conclusions. The notions of saddharma and saddhanna-pratirūpaka were well established in Indian Mahāyāna literature by the middle of the 2nd century CE at the latest. Meanwhile, the term Paścimakāle (“latter age”) had also entered Indian Buddhist literature, likewise in a Mahāyāna context, as a reference to the period following the death of the historical Buddha. Most often the latter term was used in contexts in which the Buddha was described as recommending the acceptance, preservation, dissemination, and so forth of the sūtra in question during the time after his death, sometimes in conjunction with a discussion of the difficulties that might attend those who do so. By the latter half of the 3rd century CE Buddhist scriptures containing all of these terms were being translated into Chinese by Dharmarakṣa, who appears to have introduced the two vital terms hsiang-fa (as a translation of saddharma-Pratirūpaka) and mo-shih (as a translation of Paścimakāle) into Chinese Buddhist discourse.

Around the same time the notion of two periods in the history of the Buddhist religion (found in such Indian texts as the Lotus Sūtra) was becoming well established in Chinese Buddhist circles. In light of this twofold time system some Chinese Buddhists began to interpret the term mo-shih, which would naturally be understood in Chinese as “final age,” as the name of a third such period. Based on this understanding, certain Buddhist translators (of whom the most influential, and probably the earliest, was Kumārajīva) began to use the term mo-fa as an occasional substitute for mo-shih, thus bringing the latter into greater symmetry with its “predecessors,” the periods of cheng-fa and hsiang-fa, respectively. Having thus entered the scriptural corpus, the term mo-fa took on a life of its own, and Chinese commentators undertook with enthusiasm the task of describing the nature and duration of this anticipated third period. That they chose for its duration the quintessentially Chinese figure of 10,000 years (with its underlying implication of “an eternity”) demonstrates that they were free from any constraints encountered in Indian documents, for while mo-shih (Skt. paścimakāle) is often described as comprising the “latter five hundred years,” the newly coined term mo-fa was subject to no such restrictions. Likewise it reveals their profound sense of optimism (or, at the very least, of wishful thinking), for in assigning to this newly created period of mo-fa a duration of 10,000 years these Chinese commentators expressed the hope that Śākyamuni’s teachings would last forever, albeit in a reduced and less accessible form.

Once Upon A Future Time, p 117-118
Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Jan.10, 2024

Sometimes he chided him, saying:
“Work hard!”
At other times he coaxed him, saying:
“I will treat you as my son.”

These verses are part of the story of the Wayward Son told by Subhūti, Mahā-Kātyāyana, Mahā-Kāśyapa, and Mahā-Maudgalyāyana in Chapter Four of the Lotus Sūtra. The son in the story has become attached to his lowly existence. The father must teach him slowly with expedients to prepare him to come into his inheritance. The story explains the disciples’ understanding of how the Buddha uses expedients to prepare us to aspire for enlightenment. The Buddha leads each of us differently, and as we progress in our wisdom, he changes how he teaches us. All this is preparation for us to come into the Buddha’s own mind and enjoy his wisdom.

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

LS32

Day 32

Day 32 covers Chapter 28, The Encouragement of Universal-Sage Bodhisattva, closing the Eighth Volume of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

Day 32 Text with annotationsPlay MP3

Having last month considered how the good men or women who live after your extinction will be able to obtain the Lotus Sutra, we consider Universal-Sage Bodhisattva’s vow to protect those who keep the Lotus Sutra.

Thereupon Universal-Sage Bodhisattva said to the Buddha:

“World-Honored One! If anyone keeps this sūtra in the defiled world in the later five hundred years after [your extinction], I will protect him so that he may be free from any trouble, that he may be peaceful, and that no one may take advantage [of his weak points]. Mara, his sons, his daughters, his subjects, his attendants, yakṣas, rākṣasas, kumbhāṇḍas, piśācakas, kṛtyas, pūtanas, vetādas or other living beings who trouble men shall not take advantage [of his weak points]. If anyone keeps, reads and recites this sūtra while he walks or stands, I will mount a kingly white elephant with six tusks, go to him together with great Bodhisattvas, show myself to him, make offerings to him, protect him, and comfort him, because I wish to make offerings to the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma. If he sits and thinks over this sūtra, I also will mount a kingly white elephant and appear before him. If he forgets a phrase or a gāthā of the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma, I will remind him of it, and read and recite it with him so that he may be able to understand it. Anyone who keeps, reads and recites the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma [after your extinction], will be able to see me with such joy that he will make more efforts. Because he sees me, he will be able to obtain samadhis and a set of dhārāṇis. The set of dhārāṇis will be the dhārāṇis by which he can memorize repetitions of teachings, the dhārāṇis by which he can memorize hundreds of thousands of billions of repetitions of teachings, and the dhārāṇis by which he can understand the expediency of the voice of the Dharma.

“World-Honored One! The bhikṣus, bhikṣunīs, upāsakās or upāsikās who seek, keep, read, recite and copy this Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma in the defiled world in the later five hundred years after [your extinction], if they wish to study and practice this sūtra, should concentrate their minds [on study and practice] strenuously for three weeks. When they complete [the study and practice of] three weeks, I will mount a white elephant with six tusks, and appear before them with my body which all living beings wish to see, together with innumerable Bodhisattvas surrounding me. I will expound the Dharma to them, show them the Way, teach them, benefit them, and cause them to rejoice. I also will give them dhārāṇi spells. If they obtain these dhārāṇis, they will not be killed by nonhuman beings or captivated by women. Also I myself will always protect them. World-Honored One! Allow me to utter these dhārāṇis spells!”

Thereupon he uttered spells before the Buddha:

“Atandai (1), tandahatai (2), tandahatei (3), tandakusharei (4), tandashudarei (5), shudarei (6), shudarahachi (7), botsudahasennei (8), sarubadarani-abatani (9), sarubabasha-abataru (10), hu­abatani (11), sōgyahabishani (12), sōgyaneku-kyadani (13), asogi (14), sōgyahagyadai. (15), teirei-ada-sōgyatorya-aratei-haratei (16), sarubasogya-sammaji-kyarandai (17), sarubadaruma­shuharisettei (18), saru-basatta-rodakyōsharya-atogyadai (19), shin-abikiridaitei (20).”

[He said to the Buddha:]

“World-Honored One! It is by my supernatural powers, know this, that a Bodhisattva can hear these dhārāṇis.

The Daily Dharma from June 17, 2023, offers this:

World-Honored One! The bhikṣus, bhikṣunīs, upāsakās or upāsikās who seek, keep, read, recite and copy this Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma in the defiled world in the later five hundred years after [your extinction], if they wish to study and practice this sūtra, should concentrate their minds [on study and practice] strenuously for three weeks. When they complete [the study and practice of] three weeks, I will mount a white elephant with six tusks, and appear before them with my body which all living beings wish to see, together with innumerable Bodhisattvas surrounding me.

Universal-Sage Bodhisattva (Fugen, Samantabhadra) makes this declaration to the Buddha in Chapter Twenty-Eight of the Lotus Sūtra. Nichiren interprets “the later five hundred years” as the time in which we live today. Universal sage describes the ways in which we can practice this Sūtra. To seek it is to find it in all aspects of our lives. To keep it is to rely on its teachings and have confidence in its ability to lead us to the Buddha’s wisdom. To read and recite it is to continue to remind ourselves and others of the details of the teachings. To copy it is to make it available to others. The merits we gain through these practices allow us to see the world for what it is and be part of making it better for everyone.

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

mappō, Nattier Decline

Once upon a Future Time: The role of Chih-i’s teacher

In light of the scenario outlined above it is no longer surprising that explicit references to a three-period system first appear not in sūtra and śāstra literature translated from Indian originals, but in 6th-century Chinese scholastic texts. For if the developed notion of three periods in the history of the Dharma indeed arose in the context of reflection on the meaning of the term mo-fa —itself a Chinese “apocryphal word” —we should expect this notion to have emerged well after the first appearances of this expression in Chinese Buddhist literature, which took place around the beginning of the 5th century CE. And this is precisely what we find, for it is Nan-yüeh Hui-ssu (515-577), best known as the teacher of T’ien-t’ai Chih-i, who is credited with having been the first to set forth in writing a three-period system based on eras of cheng-fa, hsiang-fa, and mo-fa, respectively, in a work completed in 558 CE.

But the absence of any direct evidence for the existence of a three-period system in the literature of Indian Buddhism has not stifled attempts by modern scholars (in particular, by modern Japanese scholars, in whose own religious traditions this system continues to hold a central place) to find evidence for its origins in India.

Once Upon A Future Time, p110-111
Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Jan. 9, 2024

He should expound the Dharma to them,
Wishing only two things:
To attain the enlightenment of the Buddha
And also to cause them to do the same.
This is a peaceful offering to them.
This offering will bring them a great benefit.

The Buddha sings these verses to Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva in Chapter Fourteen of the Lotus Sūtra. In our desire to benefit others, we often have expectations for how they should change in response to what we give them. The Buddha reminds us to abandon these expectations. People will make changes and progress towards enlightenment based on their own capacities rather than what we want for them. When we stay focused on the goal of awakening, both for ourselves and others, then we can keep the perspective of the Buddha and see things for what they are.

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

LS32

Day 31

Day 31 covers Chapter 27, King Wonderful-Adornment as the Previous Life of a Bodhisattva.

Day 31 Text with annotationsPlay MP3

Having last month considered the two sons’ efforts to show some wonders to their father, we consider the reaction of the father to the sons’ wonders.

“Seeing [these wonders displayed by] the supernatural powers of his sons, the father had the greatest joy that he had ever had. He joined his hands together towards his sons [staying in the sky], and said, ‘Who is your teacher? Whose disciples are you?’

“The two sons said, ‘Great King! Cloud-Thunderpeal-Star-King-Flower-Wisdom Buddha, who is now sitting on the seat of the Dharma under the Bodhi-tree of the seven treasures, is expounding the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma to all the gods and men of the world. He is our teacher. We are his disciples.

“The father said to them, ‘I also wish to see your teacher. I will go with you.’

“Thereupon the two sons descended from the sky, came to their mother, joined their hands together, and said to her, ‘Our father, the king, has now understood the Dharma by faith. He is now able to aspire for Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi. We did the work of the Buddha for the sake of our father. Mother! Allow us to renounce the world and practice the Way under that Buddha!’

“Thereupon the two sons, wishing to repeat what they had said, said to their mother in gāthās:

Mother! Allow us to renounce the world
And become śramaṇas!
It is difficult to see a Buddha.
We will follow that Buddha and study.
To see a Buddha is as difficult
As to see an udumbara[-flower ]
To avert a misfortune is also difficult.
Allow us to renounce the world!

“The mother said, ‘I allow you to renounce the world because it is difficult to see a Buddha.’

“Thereupon the [father came to them. The] two sons said to their parents, ‘Excellent, Father and Mother! Go to Cloud-Thunderpeal-Star-King-Flower-Wisdom Buddha, see him, and make offerings to him because to see a Buddha is as difficult as to see an udumbara flower or as for a one-eyed tortoise to find a hole in a floating piece of wood! We accumulated so many merits in our previous existence that we are now able to meet the teachings of the Buddha in this life of ours. Allow us to renounce the world because it is difficult to see a Buddha, and also because it is difficult to have such a good opportunity as this to see him.’

“Thereupon the eighty-four thousand people in the harem of King Wonderful-Adornment became able to keep the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

The Daily Dharma from July 3, 2023, offers this:

To see a Buddha is as difficult
As to see an udumbara[-flower].
To avert a misfortune is also difficult.

These verses are sung by two sons of a king in a story told by the Buddha in Chapter Twenty-Seven of the Lotus Sūtra. In the story, the boys have heard the Dharma from a previous Buddha and are asking permission from their parents to leave home and follow that Buddha. The legend of the udumbara flower is that it only blooms every 3000 years. Meeting a Buddha is not to be taken for granted. However, it is still important to remember the ties of our families. Rather than leaving in secret from their home, the sons’ asking permission from their parents creates more benefits. The King and Queen accompany their sons and learn the Wonderful Dharma. As Bodhisattvas it is important to use our relationships wisely as we lead all beings to enlightenment.

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

mappō, Nattier Decline

Once upon a Future Time: Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval

An examination of the contexts in which Skt. Paścimakāle and its Tibetan and Chinese counterparts are found in the Buddhist sūtra literature provides further evidence that this phrase was originally intended to be read in the sense of a “latter” or “future” age, not as a “final age” in the superlative sense. Most telling is the fact that this “latter age” is never contrasted with any earlier period other than the lifetime of the Buddha himself, where such a contrast regularly takes the …”after the death of the Tathāgata, in the latter time, in the latter period, in the latter five hundred years.” Just as the expression saddharma-pratirūpaka regularly refers simply to the duration of the Dharma after the parinirvāṇa of the Buddha, so in these instances paścimakāle (and its more extended equivalent) seems to refer simply to the period following the Buddha’s death.

Most interesting from the point of view of the historian of Buddhism, however, is the evident agenda that seems to have led to the use of this expression in sūtras produced by Mahāyāna writers. For the expression is used, in the vast majority of cases, in contexts where the Buddha is described as recommending “this sūtra” (i.e., the Mahāyāna sūtra in which the expression appears) for circulation among Buddhist believers after his death. The expression Paścimakāle serves, in other words, as a kind of “Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval,” certifying the sūtra in question for acceptance and dissemination in the latter (i.e., the post-Śākyamuni) age.

In light of this evidence it is particularly interesting to recall where the expression mo-shih does, and does not, appear in the Chinese translation literature. It does not appear (according to the Taishō index) anywhere in the Āgamas (i.e., the non-Mahāyāna sūtras) or in the abhidharma literature, and only two occurrences are registered in the vinaya texts. The overwhelming majority of appearances of the term are found in the Mahāyāna sūtras, with another sizeable group of occurrences in the mi-chiao (tantric) literature. The term seems to have been most popular, in other words, in the Mahāyāna sūtras, where—by stating explicitly that the Buddha promised vast merits to those who would accept and transmit the sūtra in question after his death —it served as a certification of their legitimacy.

This evidence concerning the motive for the use of the term, together with the fact that this “latter age” is never explicitly contrasted with any earlier period in the history of Buddhism (other than the lifetime of the Buddha himself), brings us to a rather unexpected conclusion: that the expression “in the latter age” (Skt. paścimakāle) was originally introduced into Buddhist discourse simply as a reference to the time after the death of the Buddha. Just as in the case of saddharma-pratirūpaka discussed above, it would seem that the idea of a “latter time” originally implied no periodization whatsoever within the lifetime of the Dharma after the Buddha’s Parinirvāṇa, but simply referred to this era as a whole.

Once Upon A Future Time, p108-109

It is noteworthy that a substantial proportion of the traditions in this category [external causes for the decline of Buddhism] are found in Mahāyāna texts, while those in the internal causes category are found almost exclusively in Nikāya Buddhist works. It is tempting to draw doctrinal conclusions from this asymmetry; yet the more important distinction, perhaps, is that the Mahāyāna sūtras in fact almost never predict the actual demise of the Dharma, except where they have inherited (and maintained) certain pre-Mahāyāna accounts. Even in these cases the Mahāyāna texts frequently modify these accounts, indicating that the Dharma will only appear to die out, but will not actually do so.

Once Upon A Future Time, p127, note 21
Daily Dharma, d27b

Daily Dharma – Jan. 8, 2024

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 Pratyekabuddhas, and to the Arhats, are less than the merits to be given to the person who keeps even a single gāthā of four lines of this Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

The Buddha gives this explanation to Star-King-Flower Bodhisattva in Chapter Twenty-Three of the Lotus Sūtra. Generosity is the first of the perfections of a Bodhisattva, a being who vows to delay their own enlightenment so that they can benefit others. The offering of material goods helps remove the suffering caused by our sense of self-importance, and prepares us for the Buddha’s highest teaching. By offering the Buddha’s wisdom, embodied in this Lotus Sūtra, we benefit all beings.

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