All posts by John Hughes

WONS

Vanishing Without a Trace

A millionaire Sudatta was the wealthiest person in India who built the Jeta Grove Monastery for Śākyamuni Buddha. However, the temple vanished without a trace in a fire. Originally, this wealthy man made his fortune through a fish-killing business. Because of this, the temple disappeared completely.

Likewise, meritorious good acts of people these days seem great in all appearances. When we inquire about their source of revenue, however, we learn that it was either from a domain granted for a glorious achievement in war or savings made by torturing people without a cause. They may look like great acts of charity (fuse) in Buddhism, but because their acts are not pure at the root, they are not only unable to attain Buddhahood, but they also cause their descendants to vanish without a trace.

Kubo-ama Gozen Gohenji, A Response to My Lady, the Nun of Kubo, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Followers II, Volume 7, Page 97-98

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Feb. 11, 2023

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

The Buddha sings these verses to Maitreya Bodhisattva in Chapter Seventeen of the Lotus Sūtra. In this Chapter, the Buddha describes the benefits from practicing generosity, discipline, patience, perseverance, and in these verses, concentration. He then compares these benefits to those which come from understanding the ever-present nature of the Buddha, even for a time no longer than the time it takes to blink. The merits of the latter outshine the former as the sun in a clear sky outshines the stars. When we are assured of the Buddha’s constant presence, helping all of us to become enlightened, we find that we can accomplish far more than we thought possible.

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

LS32

Day 5

Day 5 begins Chapter 3, A Parable

Day 5 Text with annotationsPlay MP3

Having last month considered the reaction of the four kinds of devotees; and gods, dragons, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras and mahoragas, we consider

Thereupon Śāriputra said to the Buddha:

“World-Honored One! Now my doubts are gone. You assured me of my future attainment of Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi. These twelve hundred people now have freedom of mind. When they had something more to learn, [that is to say, when they had not yet completed their study for Arhatship,] you taught them, saying, ‘My teaching is for the purpose of causing you to emancipate yourselves from birth, old age, disease, and death, and to attain Nirvāṇa.’ The [two thousand] people, including those who have something more to learn and those who have nothing more to learn, also think that they attained Nirvāṇa because they emancipated themselves from such a view as ‘I exist,’ or ‘I shall exist forever,’ or ‘I shall cease to exist.’ But [both the twelve hundred people and the two thousand people] are now quite perplexed because they have heard from you [the Dharma] which they had never heard before. World-Honored One! In order to cause the four kinds of devotees to remove their doubts, explain why you said all this to them! ”

Thereupon the Buddha said to Śāriputra:
“Did I not tell you, ‘The Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones, expound the Dharma with expedients, that is, with various stories of previous lives, with various parables, with various similes, and with various discourses only for the purpose of causing all living beings to attain Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi’? All these teachings of the Buddhas are for the purpose of teaching Bodhisattvas.

See Only Bodhisattvas

Important Matters

The Walking Buddha

We have these images of the Buddha sitting under a tree, and we think that’s all we need to do. But that’s only part of the story. Yes, the Buddha attained enlightenment or awakening, but only after defeating Mara. I believe that one of the toughest battles the Buddha waged against Mara was doubt.

The Buddha doubted he could teach people. Mara tempted him by playing to those doubts, first creating them and expanding them, and then by offering alternatives. Had the Buddha not gotten up from beneath the tree and gone to teach the Four Noble Truths, whatever awakening that was achieved would have meant nothing. The awakening would have died right there, and Mara would have won. The image for us to hold on to is not of the Buddha sitting under the tree. The image of the Buddha we should hold on to is a man who got up and walked. He walked wherever he could, and he taught whomever he could. He did not rest. Sitting under the tree is a misrepresentation of the Buddha and Buddhism. Buddhism requires you to participate, and to participate with your entire life. The more of your life that participates the more Myoho Renge Kyo will manifest because of your Namu.

When one fixes [the mind] on the Dharma-realm [as it is], then there is not a single sight nor smell that is not the Middle Way. The same goes for the realm of self, the realm of Buddha, and the realm of living beings ” Grand Master Miao-lé

Shutei Hoyo Shiki, page 399

As our Namu more fully awakens our Myoho Renge Kyo and our lives manifest the fullness and truth of the Dharma, there is no distinction or separation of self and Myoho Renge Kyo. Every bit of our lives and our experiences of life more and more take on all the truth and beauty of the Lotus Sutra.

The cool thing is that as you, the subject, and Myoho Renge Kyo, the object, become more unified, you begin to experience your world differently. You begin to smell the flavor and scent of Myoho Renge Kyo. It’s everywhere, and it’s very pleasing, sort of like Christmas cookies. The tastes, the sights, the sensations, everything and everywhere is Myoho Renge Kyo. What’s even cooler is that it was always there, you just couldn’t see it, feel it, smell it, or sense it. You aren’t transported anywhere. You stay where you are, but your eyes are opened. You become awakened.

Important Matters, p 63-64
WONS

Superior to All the Sūtras Past, Present and Future

The “Teacher of the Dharma” chapter of the Lotus Sūtra, fascicle 4, preaches, “Among the sūtras which had been preached, are now being preached, and will be preached, this Lotus Sūtra is the most difficult to embrace and perceive.” The “Peaceful Practices” chapter also states that the Lotus Sūtra is above all other sūtras. The “Medicine King Bodhisattva” chapter enumerates the ten kinds of simile to confirm the superiority of the Lotus Sūtra among all the scriptures of Buddhism. Beside the Lotus Sūtra such sūtras as the Flower Garland Sūtra, the Hōdō Sūtras, the Wisdom Sūtra, the Revealing the Profound and Secret Sūtra, the Great Cloud Sūtra, the Sūtra of Mystic Glorification, and the Sūtra of the Golden Splendor speak of the comparative superiority of sūtras. However, they claim to be supreme against Hinayāna sūtras, call the Principle of the Middle Way superior to the truth of emptiness and that of temporariness, or claim to be supreme for simply being able to explain finger signs (mudrā) and mantras. Though they make various claims to be supreme, their claims of superiority have never been as absolute as that of the Lotus Sūtra, which is said to be superior to all the sūtras preached in the past, present, and future.

Soya Jirō Nyūdō-dono Gohō, Response to Lay Priest Lord Soya Jiro, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Followers I, Volume 6, Page 68

Daily Dharma, d3b

Daily Dharma – Feb. 10, 2023

My teaching is wonderful and inconceivable.
If arrogant people hear me,
They will not respect or believe me.

The Buddha sings these verses to Śāriputra in Chapter Two of the Lotus Sūtra. We sometimes think of arrogance as acting as if we know something that we really do not. These verses contrast arrogance with respect and faith. Faith does not mean blind belief. It is still important to ask questions when we don’t understand. Respect does not mean blind obedience, but it does mean that we have confidence in what the Buddha teaches, no matter how difficult it may seem. Arrogance blocks our ability to hear the Buddha. Respect and Faith open our hearts to his enlightenment.

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

LS32

Day 4

Day 4 concludes Chapter 2, Expedients, and completes the first volume of the Sūtra of the Lotus flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

Day 4 Text with annotationsPlay MP3

Having last month considered the One Vehicle, we consider why the Buddha chose to use expedient teachings.

Seeing people of no wisdom, I thought:
“If I teach them only the Way to Buddhahood,
They will be distracted.
They will doubt my teaching, and not receive it.
I know that they did not plant
The roots of good in their previous existence.
They are deeply attached to the five desires.
They suffer because of stupidity and cravings.
Because they have many desires,
They will fall into the three evil regions,
Or go from one to another of the six regions
Only to undergo many sufferings.
Through their consecutive previous existences,
Their small embryos have continued to grow up
To become men of few virtues and merits.
They are now troubled by many sufferings.
They are in the thick forests of wrong views.
They say “Things exist,”
Or “Things do not exist.”
They are attached to sixty-two wrong views.
They are deeply attached to unreal things.
They hold them firmly, and do not give them up.
They are arrogant, self-conceited,
Liable to flatter others, and insincere.
They have never heard of the name of a Buddha
Or of his right teachings
For thousands of billions of kalpas.
It is difficult to save them.”

Therefore, Śāriputra!
I expounded an expedient teaching
In order to eliminate their sufferings.
That was the teaching of Nirvana.
The Nirvana which I expounded to them
Was not true extinction.

All things are from the outset
In the state of tranquil extinction.
The Buddhas’ sons who complete the practice of the Way
Will become Buddhas in their future lives.

I expounded the teaching of the Three Vehicles
Only as an expedient.
All the other World-Honored Ones also
Expound the teaching of the One Vehicle [with expedients].

The great multitude present here
Shall remove their doubts.
The Buddhas do not speak differently.
There is only one vehicle, not a second.

The number of the Buddhas who passed away
During the past innumerable kalpas was
Hundreds of thousands of billions,
Uncountable.

All those World-Honored Ones expounded
The truth of the reality of all things
With various stories of previous lives, parables and similes,
That is to say, with innumerable expedients.

All those World-Honored Ones expounded
The teaching of the One Vehicle,
And led innumerable living beings [with expedients]
Into the Way to Buddhahood.

All those Great Saintly Masters
Who knew the deep desires
Of the gods, men, and other living beings
Of all the worlds,
Revealed the Highest Truth
With various expedients.

The Daily Dharma from Oct. 17, 2022, offers this:

Therefore, Śāriputra!
I expounded an expedient teaching
In order to eliminate their sufferings.
That was the teaching of Nirvāṇa.
The Nirvāṇa which I expounded to them
Was not true extinction.
All things are from the outset
In the state of tranquil extinction.

The Buddha provides this explanation to his disciple Śāriputra in Chapter Two of the Lotus Sūtra. In this part of the story, the Buddha has announced that everything he had taught up until then, including the teachings of suffering and Nirvāṇa, were merely preparation for his highest teaching: the realization of the same enlightenment he reached. With the teaching of Nirvāṇa, the Buddha helps us take responsibility for our own situation rather than relying on an external force to make us happy. One problem with Nirvāṇa is that we can believe that it is something we do not have now. When we extinguish the fires of our delusion, we see the world with the Buddha’s eyes. We see the world for what it is, right here and right now.

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

Important Matters

Oneness of Namu and Myoho Renge Kyo

Our devotion and the devotional phrase are a two-part deal. One part is Myoho Renge Kyo, which we all know is the Wonderful Dharma of the Lotus Flower Sutra. Picture this as a book. The book, Myoho Renge Kyo, is sitting on the coffee table or perhaps on a bookshelf. You are on the sofa, all nice and comfy. You are Namu.

At this point you can see there is a separation between you, the subject, and the book, the object. But if you go over to the bookshelf and pick up the book and hold it and begin to read it, you and the book are connecting. Now Namu is appended to Myoho Renge Kyo. Mind you, this is only an illustration.

At this point you are more connected holding the book or holding it and reading than when you were in one place and it was in another. Suppose as you read it you become emotionally involved in some part of the sutra. Say you’re reading about this huge assembly of people watching the Buddha sit in meditation, and you are curious about this scene you’re reading. Now you are even more connected. You, Namu, have come closer to the Myoho Renge Kyo. You are nearing an experience of oneness of subject and object.

Now let’s say you’re reading the sutra and you come to the guy whose children are playing inside a dilapidated house that has burst into flame. You might be a parent yourself, and you imagine what you might feel if they were your children. At this point, you have entered the Lotus Sutra even more deeply and your Namu is even more at one with the Myoho Renge Kyo. You are closer to the unification of subject and object. You are not simply becoming the Lotus Sutra, you are beginning to feel the Lotus Sutra that is fundamentally at the core of your life.

Further along you read about some folks who pop up out of the ground and have wondrous bodies. Out of the ground they come, and they keep coming in what appears to be an impossible number. And you may realize that you too came from the earth, and you too have a desire to go to and praise the Buddha just as they did. You also realize that you have been trying to tell people about the Lotus Sutra just as they promised they would. And you begin to think you are acting as they did and fulfilling the promise they made.

You, the Namu, are now even more deeply connected to the Myoho Renge Kyo, but now it is not the book you’re holding but something deeper inside you. Perhaps it makes you feel warm, or even giddy at times. Or perhaps you simply feel at home. You may feel it’s just right; it fits. Now you begin to experience the connection of you and your Myoho Renge Kyo, which has been activated by your Namu.

Namu is you. It is your action. Namu is from the word Namaste. Namaste means devotion, reverence, respect. Namu and Namaste are action words. Being passive is not Namu. The more your devotion, your honoring, your behaviors, your thoughts, your every sense is directed to Myoho Renge Kyo, the more the Myoho Renge Kyo of your life is activated and the more of your environment becomes Myoho Renge Kyo. But you are the key. Myoho Renge Kyo is there, it always has been, it takes you to activate it. Buddhism is not a passive religion.

Important Matters, p 61-63
Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Feb. 9, 2023

He should respect the Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones,
As his unsurpassed fathers.
He should give up arrogance
So that he may expound the Dharma without hindrance.

The Buddha sings these verses in Chapter Fourteen of the Lotus Sūtra in which he describes the peaceful practices of a Bodhisattva. By arrogance, the Buddha means not only acting as if we know what we do not, but any fixed understanding of the world and the beings in it. This opening of our minds allows us to be receptive to the innumerable ways the Buddhas are teaching us, and to learn to see the world for what it is. This receptivity also allows us to see the Buddha nature in all beings, no matter how deluded they are and how much harm they create. Respect is what allows us to fully hear and be present for what the world has to offer us.

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

LS32

Day 3

Day 3 covers the first half of Chapter 2, Expedients.

Day 3 Text with annotationsPlay MP3

Having last month considered Śāriputra’s request for the Buddha to teach the Dharma, we consider the Buddha’s hesitance to preach the Dharma.

Thereupon the Buddha said to him,
“No, no, I will not. If I do, all the gods and men in the world will be frightened and perplexed.”

Śāriputra said to him again:

“World-Honored One! Explain it, explain it! The many hundreds of thousands of billions of asaṃkhyas of living beings in this congregation have active functions of mind and clear wisdom because they have seen the [past] Buddhas in their previous existence. If they hear you, they will respect and believe you.”

Thereupon Śāriputra, wishing to repeat what he had said, sang in a gāthā:

King of the Dharma, Most Honorable One!
Explain it! Do not worry!
The innumerable living beings in this congregation
Will respect and believe you.

The Buddha checked him again, saying, “No. If I do, all the gods, men and asuras in the world will be frightened and perplexed, and arrogant bhikṣus will fall into a great pit.”

Thereupon the Buddha repeated this in a gāthā:

No, no, I will not say any more.
My teaching is wonderful and inconceivable.
If arrogant people hear me,
They will not respect or believe me.

Thereupon Śāriputra said to him again:

“World-Honored One! Expound the Dharma, expound the Dharma! The hundreds of thousands of billions of living beings in this congregation like me followed the [past] Buddhas and received their teachings in their consecutive previous existences. They will respect and believe you. They will be able to have peace after the long night and obtain many benefits.”

Thereupon Śāriputra, wishing to repeat what he had said, sang in gāthās:

Most Honorable Biped!
Expound the Highest Truth!
I am your eldest son.
Expound the Dharma!

The innumerable living beings in this congregation
Will respect and believe the Dharma.
They have been taught by the [past] Buddhas
In their consecutive previous existences.
They are joining their hands together [towards you],
Wishing with all their hearts to hear and receive your words.

Expound the Dharma
To us twelve hundred men,
And also to the other people
Who are seeking Buddhahood!
We shall be very glad to hear the Dharma.
The other people will also.

The Daily Dharma from Oct. 22, 2022, offers this:

No, no, I will not say any more.
My teaching is wonderful and inconceivable.
If arrogant people hear me,
They will not respect or believe me.

The Buddha sings these verses in Chapter Two of the Lotus Sūtra. This was his response the first time Śāriputra asked to receive the Buddha’s highest teaching. The Buddha knew we must be prepared for his wisdom. We must discern clearly the difference between what we know and what we do not know. Because all things are impermanent, the truths we cling to may no longer apply. The ignorance and confusion at the root of our suffering will disappear as we set aside what is no longer true and gain wisdom.

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