Important Matters, p 49When I lead Daimoku chanting at my temple I always tell people as we begin to “chant with great joy and confidence.” I do this because I’ve experienced the difference. I can feel the difference from chanting with joy and confidence deep down in my life. Even if my voice is weak, as it sometimes is now as I age, in my mind, in my heart, I hold the thought of strength, confidence, and joy.
When we can approach our practice with the thought that what we are doing is huge, it is phenomenal, it is significant, it is powerful, and we are doing this thing and we are a part of it and we are making it happen in our lives, that is when we can begin to approach the tremendous joy that the Lotus Sutra holds for us. The Lotus Sutra is there waiting for us to enter and enter in a big way.
All posts by John Hughes
Great Compassion
HO-ON JO
I, Nichiren, believe my compassion is boundless because I am devoting myself to salvation of all mankind, overcoming many persecutions. Therefore, “Namu Myoho Renge Ryo,” the teaching for the people in the Latter Age of the Declining Law, will spread forever beyond the ten-thousand-year period. It has the merit of curing the (religious) blindness of all people and blocks the way to hell. This merit is superior to those of Dengyo of Japan, T’ien-t’ai of China, Nagarjuna of India, and Kasyapa, who was the Buddha’s disciple.
Therefore, the practice for a hundred years in the peaceful Pure Land is not worth the merit of chanting Odaimoku for one day in this defiled world. Propagation of the Lotus Sutra in the two-thousand-year period following the death of the Buddha does not give benefit as much as spreading Odaimoku for a while in the Latter Age of the Declining Law. This is not due to my wisdom; it is solely due to the time of the Latter Age in which I live.
(Background ; July 21, 1276, 54 years old, at Minobu, Showa Teihon, p.1248)
Explanatory note
What is the truth of humankind? This has been a long quest in human history. The development of human society was only possible through this quest, and our ancestors had sought the fundamental truth by physical and spiritual training. In other words, the history of humankind is the history of seeking happiness. Civilization has proved that happiness could be attained not by satisfaction of one’s own self but by faith in truth.
However, the quick development of the modern science made us forget this fundamental spirit of humankind, and the civilization that our ancestors have built up is in danger of being corrupted because modern people became more selfish and forgot to work together with others in harmony.
Buddhism also has tried to find true nature of humankind which Buddha taught us. In this modern age, we, Buddhists, should not neglect to find the true spirit of Buddhism and the true mind of the Buddha Sakyamuni.
It is easy to chant “Namu Myoho Renge Kyo.” But it is difficult to understand and believe it, unless we find the true teaching and salvation of the Lotus Sutra, which the Buddha Sakyamuni revealed to us. “Namu Myoho Renge Kyo” was what the Buddha had kept deep in the sutra, and Nichiren Daishonin has revealed it for the first time in the thirteenth century. Nichiren believed that Odaimoku was the most important virtue he could leave behind for us in Buddhist history and proudly announced it to people. He said that it is most important for us to have faith in the teaching and practice in this real world, rather than to practice it in the Pure Land.
Although we read this “Ho-on Jo” quite often without thinking deeply, we must think of the true meaning of the words which Nichiren showed us.
We receive Odaimoku and preserve it in our bodies. At the same time we attain Buddhahood as a natural result of accepting and maintaining the “Namu Myoho Renge Kyo. ”
Rev. Akahoshi
Phrase A DayDaily Dharma – Jan. 30, 2023
All this while Śākyamuni Buddha sat in silence. The four kinds of devotees also kept silence for the fifty small kalpas. By his supernatural powers, however, the Buddha caused the great multitude to think that they kept silence for only half a day.
We find this description of the Buddha and his congregation in Chapter Fifteen of the Lotus Sūtra. Innumerable Bodhisattvas have sprung up from underground and come to pay their respects to the Buddha. This passage shows that in our suffering and attachment, we have a different concept of time than the Buddha. The kalpas the Lotus Sūtra uses to measure time are unimaginably long periods. When a stone a mile on each side is worn down to a pebble by a celestial being flying past it every thousand years and brushing it with her veil, a kalpa expires. When we see the world on this scale of time, rather than the limited years we have in our lives, it opens us up to the Buddha’s wisdom.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Day 27
Day 27 concludes Chapter 23, The Previous Life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva.
Having last month considered the reward promised to the woman who hears and keeps this chapter of the Previous Life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva, we conclude Chapter 23, The Previous Life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva.
“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.
“Therefore, Star-King-Flower! I will transmit this chapter of the Previous Life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva to you. Propagate this chapter throughout the Jambudvipa in the later five hundred years after my extinction lest it should be lost, and lest Mara the Evil One, the followers of Mara, gods, dragons, yakṣas, and kumbha]das should take advantage [of the weak points of the people of the Jambudvipa].
“Star-King-Flower! Protect this sūtra by your supernatural powers! Why is that? It is because this sūtra is a good medicine for the diseases of the people of the Jambudvipa. The patient who hears this sūtra will be cured of his disease at once. He will not grow old or die.
“Star-King-Flower! Strew blue lotus flowers and a bowlful of powdered incense to the person who keep this sūtra when you see him! After strewing these things [to him], you should think, ‘Before long he will collect grass [for his seat], sit at the place of enlightenment, and defeat the army of Mara. He will blow the conch-shell horn of the Dharma, beat the drum of the great Dharma, and save all living beings from the ocean of old age, disease and death.’
“In this way, those who seek the enlightenment of the Buddha should respect the keeper of this sūtra whenever they see him.”
When the Buddha expounded this chapter of the Previous Life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva, eighty-four thousand Bodhisattvas obtained the dharanis by which they could understand the words of all living beings. Many-Treasures Tathāgata in the stupa of treasures praised Star-King-Flower Bodhisattva, saying:
“Excellent, excellent, Star-King-Flower! You obtained inconceivable merits. You asked this question to Śākyamuni Buddha, and benefited innumerable living beings.”
The Daily Dharma from May 29, 2022, offers this:
Therefore, Star-King-Flower! I will transmit this Chapter of the Previous Life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva to you. Propagate this chapter throughout the Jambudvīpa in the later five hundred years after my extinction lest it should be lost, and lest Māra the Evil One, the followers of Māra, gods, dragons, yakṣas, and kumbhāṇḍas should take advantage [of the weak points of the people of the Jambudvīpa].
The Buddha gives this explanation to Star-King-Flower Bodhisattva in Chapter Twenty-Three of the Lotus Sūtra. The Jambudvīpa is the name the Buddha gives to this world of conflict and attachment in which we live. Nichiren interprets “the later five hundred years” as the time in which we are living today. The story of Medicine-King Bodhisattva is one of a being who does not spare any part of his life to benefit others. This Bodhisattva is confident that he will become enlightened, and that whatever happens to his physical body, he will always be reborn in worlds where he has the chance to benefit others and lead them by the wisdom of the Buddha. This chapter, and all those towards the end of the Lotus Sūtra, give us examples of how to bring the teachings of the Buddha to life.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Our Larger Practice
Important Matters, p 48-49Our practice … is larger, much larger, and more significant than we appreciate as we recite the sutra. We are no small speck of life in an infinite universe. We are grand and noble beings whose thoughts, voice, and actions reverberate across the cosmos, witnessed by all the Buddhas of the past, present, and future. These actions are witnessed and heard by every deity, every protective force, and even Mara King Devil. Our voice vibrates endlessly far beyond the space in which we are chanting, far beyond the walls surrounding us, far beyond the building, and even further still beyond our solar system.
When we can begin to shift our self-awareness to the grandeur of our actions as connected with and expressed toward the Lotus Sutra, then our lives begin to shift and expand. It is as if you sometimes feel like your physical body is not large enough. At times I’ve almost felt like I might explode.
Recent scientific studies exploring the effect of the mind’s thoughts on the actions being performed at the time have shown that when the mind thinks an activity is exercise and not simply work or chores, then the body burns more calories and muscles actually gain strength more so than if we hold in our mind thoughts of chores or tedium. Walking to the bathroom, an action we may do mindlessly, when thought of as walking exercise burns more calories than mindlessly walking to relieve one’s bladder. These are small things, yet show how powerful the mind is and how important framing our thoughts can be.
Propagation
SENJI-SHO
The ocean consists of water from many rivers.
Mount Sumeru consists of soil and rocks. When I, Nichiren, began to believe in the Lotus Sutra, I was like one drop of water in the ocean or a handful of soil of the mountain, compared to all people of Japan. However, if the number of the believers increases from two to three and to hundreds, thousands, millions; then, it becomes the huge Mount Sumeru of Buddhahood or the great ocean of nirvana.
(Background : June 1275, 53 years old, at Minobu, Showa Teihon, p.1054)
Explanatory note
The Nichiren Sect has traditionally held such a slogan as “Itten Shikai Kaiki Myoho,” or “Convert the entire people under the heaven within four seas to the teachings of the Lotus Sutra.” Kenji Miyazawa, a poet and follower of the Lotus Sutra, stated, “There will be no individual happiness until the whole world becomes happy.
Nichiren Daishonin’s earnest desire for the attainment of Buddhahood through the recitation of Odaimoku does not stop at the level of individual salvation. The voice of the recitation should not only penetrate the heart of the individual who recites it but should also achieve the attainment of Buddhahood for the entire people.
He had appealed his religious view to Kamakura Government three times. They were 1.) “Rissho Ankoku Ron” completed and given to the government in 1260, 2.) appeal on the occasion of his persecution at Tatsunokuchi in 1271, and 3.) the appeal to the government in 1274. They were all his frantic efforts to materialize his sincere desire. The four major persecutions and the numerous lesser persecutions all befell him around the time he made these expostulations. They served as tests of his prayer for the happiness and attainment of Buddhahood for the entire world.
He kept his composure throughout these hardships, and stated that the vast ocean consists of drops of water, and Mt. Sumeru is composed of grains of soil. That is, each individual’s voice in the prayer of the Lotus Sutra which he advocated may not reach afar, yet the voice will gain compassion in due course of time and will spread far and wide, eventually reaching the pinnacle of the absolute spiritual awakening of our original teacher, the Buddha Sakyamuni. Nichiren had no doubt that the vast ocean of absolute salvation (i.e., nirvana) would reveal itself to the world. Thus, he confidently predicted the future of propagation and spread of his teaching.
Today, we receive our salvation through the prayer of the Lotus Sutra and enjoy its protection. But we must question to what extent we have responded to Nichiren’s great compassion.
Nichiren has led us to the world of great salvation of the Lotus Sutra. We must in turn do our utmost to spread the salvation of the sutra to the numerous individuals covering the entire land. We must realize that it is the proof of our faith to help to guide the whole world to happiness and attainment of Buddhahood.
Rev. Ikuta
Phrase A DayDaily Dharma – Jan. 29, 2023
He should always make it a pleasure to sit in dhyāna. He should live in a retired place and concentrate his mind. Mañjuśrī! [A retired place] is the first thing he should approach.
The Buddha gives this explanation to Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva in Chapter Fourteen of the Lotus Sūtra in which he describes the peaceful practices of a Bodhisattva. For those who are awakening their nature as Bodhisattvas to benefit all beings, and setting aside their attachment to their own suffering, this can be a difficult transition. Our habits of engaging with the drama and delusion in the world can be too strong to overcome. This is why the Buddha emphasizes the importance of quietly reflecting on what happens around us, and our reactions to them. Through dhyāna meditation, we learn not to believe everything we think, and that we can change our understanding of the world. We also learn that allowing our minds to change is the only way we can benefit other beings.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Day 26
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 last month concluded today’s portion of Chapter 23, The Previous Life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva, we return to today’s portion of Chapter 21: The Supernatural Powers of the Tathāgatas and consider supernatural powers of the Buddhas.
Thereupon the Buddha said to the great Bodhisattvas headed by Superior-Practice:
“The supernatural powers of the Buddhas are as immeasurable, limitless, and inconceivable as previously stated. But I shall not be able to tell all the merits of this sūtra to those to whom this sūtra is to be transmitted even if I continue telling them by my supernatural powers for many hundreds of thousands of billions of asaṃkhyas of kalpas. 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! In any world where anyone keeps, reads, recites, expounds or copies this sūtra, or acts according to its teachings, or in any place where a copy of this sūtra is put, be it in a garden, in a forest, under a tree, in a monastery, in the house of a person in white robes, in a hall, in a mountain, in a valley, or in the wilderness, there should a stupa be erected and offerings be made to it because, know this, the place [where the stupa is erected] is the place of enlightenment. Here the Buddhas attained Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi. Here the Buddhas turned the wheel of the Dharma. Here the Buddhas entered into Parinirvana.”Thereupon the World-Honored One, wishing to repeat what he had said, sang in gāthās:
The Buddhas, the World-Saviors, have
Great supernatural powers.
They display their immeasurable, supernatural powers
In order to cause all living beings to rejoice.
The tips of their tongues reach the Heaven of Brahman.
Innumerable rays of light are emitted from their bodies.
For those who are seeking the enlightenment of the Buddha
The Buddhas do these things rarely to be seen.The sound of coughing of the Buddhas
And the sound of their finger-snapping
Reverberate over the worlds of the ten quarters,
And the ground [of those worlds] quakes in the six ways.The Buddhas joyfully display
Their immeasurable, supernatural powers
Because [the Bodhisattvas from underground]
[Vow to] keep this sūtra after my extinction.Even if I praise for innumerable kalpas
The keeper of this sūtra,
To whom it is to be transmitted,
I cannot praise him highly enough.His merits are as limitless,
As infinite, as boundless
As the skies of the worlds
Of the ten quarters.Anyone who keeps this sūtra
Will be able to see me. He also will be able to see
Many-Treasures Buddha,
[The Buddhas of] my replicas,
And the Bodhisattvas whom I have taught today.Anyone who keeps this sūtra will be able to cause me to rejoice.
He also will be able to bring joy
To [the Buddhas of] my replicas
And also to Many-Treasures Buddha who once passed away.He also will be able to see
The present, past and future Buddhas
Of the worlds of the ten quarters,
Make offerings to them, and cause them to rejoice.The Buddhas sat at the place of enlightenment,
And obtained the hidden core.
Anyone who keeps this sūtra will be able
To obtain the same before long.
The Daily Dharma from Sept. 23, 2022, offers this:
The Buddhas sat at the place of enlightenment,
And obtained the hidden core.
Anyone who keeps this sūtra will be able
To obtain the same before long.
The Buddha speaks these verses in Chapter Twenty-One of the Lotus Sūtra. They are his assurance to us as those who follow and practice the Lotus Sūtra that we are firmly on the path to enlightenment, no matter what challenges we find in the world.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Bowing to Wonderful
Important Matters, p 47-48“Chapter one of the Annotations on the Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra says, ‘The calling of the Wonderful Dharma is not just the main part of the sutra. All the 28 chapters together are called wonderful. That is why each chapter contains the entity and each phrase converges in the wonderful name.’ We bow to Myoho Renge Kyo, the Saddharmapuṇḍarika, in one set with 8 fascicles, 28 chapters, and 69,384 characters. Each character is a true Buddha. The preaching of a true Buddha benefits all sentient beings. Therefore, all sentient beings have already attained the Buddha Way. That is why we bow to the Lotus Sutra.”
Sutei Hoyo Shiki, page 395
When we carry out our practice of the Lotus Sutra, when we venerate the Lotus Sutra, when we bow to or lift the sutra, we are doing all of these things not simply because of the word Wonderful in the title. Everything contained within the sutra is wonderful. It is a collection of wonderfulness. Each of the 69,384 Chinese characters that comprise the text of the sutra is a Buddha and each of those Buddhas benefits us. We bow to each of them when we bow to the Lotus Sutra.
Attainment of Buddhahood
MYOICHI AMA GOZEN GOSHOSOKU
Those who believe in the Lotus Sutra are like the winter season for many hardships come incessantly. Winter is surely followed by spring. We have never heard nor seen that winter returned to fall. We have never heard that the believers in the Lotus Sutra go back to ordinary men. The Lotus Sutra says, “All people who listen to this sutra will attain Buddhahood.”
(Background : May, 1275, 53 years old, at Minobu, Showa Teihon, p.1000)
Explanatory note
Nichiren Buddhists believe tomorrow brings improvement. Nichiren Daishonin’s life was full of conStant persecutions. He had strong belief in the Lotus Sutra and believed in the Buddha’s protection; therefore, he never gave up his hope of attaining Buddhahood. His life was the practice of his belief and materialization of his faith. So he earnestly preached to us to have the same belief and hope in the sutra.
At his time, there were unseasonable weather, poor harvests, famines, epidemics, and social disorders. Nichiren sought causes of these natural disasters and social disorders in various sutras. As a result, he wrote “Rissho Ankoku Ron” which says at the end, “Ye men of little faith, turn your minds and trust yourselves at once to the unique truth of the righteous way! Then ye shall see that the triple worlds of the unenlightened will become the Buddhaland.” The disasters and disorders, he said, were caused by the people’s disbelief in the Lotus Sutra.
“Strong spirit to overcome any hardship” – this is Nichiren Daishonin’s foundation throughout his life. His strong spirit came out of “hope” which he always kept during many continuous persecutions. The hope was belief in the Eternal Lord Buddha who was watching and protecting him always.
Compared with Kamakura Era, we today are living in an unbelievably comfortable environment. But this comfortable living has many weak points as if we are standing on thin ice. It will easily melt.
Chapter 12 of the Lotus Sutra says that the Buddha Sakyamuni had accumulated merits by practising austerities in His previous lives for innumerable kalpa. To practice Buddha’s way, we must foresee our long steps to Buddhahood.
We adhere in small matters, and we are joyful or sad only for matters before our eyes. But we must open our eyes wide and keep the “hope” revealed in the Lotus Sutra deep in our minds.
Rev. Kanai
Phrase A Day