Important Matters, p 42-43As we practice reading and reciting the sutra the place we are — the place in which we practice our devotion to the Lotus Sutra — is where the Three Treasures of the ultimate truth of the Buddha appear. It is also the place where the protective forces of the universe accept our offering of the nourishment of the Dharma. In fact your practice space becomes the Buddha’s Pure Land of Eternally Tranquil Light, and your body becomes awakened to the Dharma-body, the Manifest-body, and the Reward-body of the Buddha. The sutra is where the Buddhas of the past, present, and future put their mark of certification, their swearing to the truth of the highest teaching of Shakyamuni Buddha contained in the Lotus Sutra.
All posts by John Hughes
Showing Gratitude
KAIMOKU SHO
To be filial(ko) means to be high (ko); heaven is high but not at all higher than being filial. To be filial (ko) also means to be deep(ko); the earth is deep but is not any deeper than being filial. Both sages and wise men come from filial families. How much more should students of Buddhism realize the favors they receive and show gratitude for them? Disciples of the Buddha should not fail to feel grateful for the four favors received from parents, people, sovereign (of nation), and Buddhism. Show gratitude to them.
(Background : 1272, 50 years old, at Tsukahara on Sado Island, Showa Teihon p. 544)
Explanatory note
Filial piety is the fundamental moral code. It is of the highest value in society – higher than even the heaven. Its meaning in human life is deeper than anything else – deeper than even unfathomable earth. Those people who are respected as sages and wise men are filial children at home because anyone without filial piety cannot be revered and respected by the people.
Most of us know that we owe our lives not only to our parents but also to many others : all the people in the society in which we live and the ruler of the land to which we were born. So we show our gratitude to them for what we owe by trying to fulfill our duties at home, in the local community, and to our nation.
However, this is not all that is expected of us, followers and disciples of the Buddha. We are all surrounded by the boundless benevolence of the Three Treasures (the Eternal Buddha, His ultimate teaching expounded in the Lotus Sutra, and His messenger, Nichiren Shonin). It is, therefore, important for us to realize it always and show our gratitude for what we owe the Three Treasures by carrying out our duties as Nichiren Buddhists.
Rev. Hori
Phrase A DayDaily Dharma – Jan. 25, 2023
Good men! Ānanda and I resolved to aspire for Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi under the Void-King Buddha at the same time [in our previous existence]. At that time Ānanda always wished to hear much while I always practiced strenuously. Therefore, I have already attained Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi[, but he has not yet]. Now he protects my teachings.
The Buddha gives this description to those gathered to hear him teach in Chapter Nine of the Lotus Sūtra. In the story, he has just assured his cousin Ānanda that he will become a Buddha. He then explains the difference between hearing what the Buddha teaches and making it a part of our lives. It is when we practice the Buddha Dharma that we truly understand it. But even if we believe we do not have the capacity to practice, it is still important for us to hear and protect what the Buddha left for us. By giving others the opportunity to learn and do what perhaps we cannot, we help to improve their lives, and give them a chance to improve ours.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Day 22
Day 22 covers all of Chapter 17, The Variety of Merits.
Thereupon the Buddha said to Maitreya Bodhisattva-mahāsattva: “Ajita! Anyone who hears that my life is so long, and understands it by faith even at a moment’s thought, will be able to obtain innumerable merits. Suppose good men or women practiced [ the six pāramitās] except the prajñā- pāramitā, that is, the five pāramitās: the dāna-pāramitā, the śīla-pāramitā, the kṣānti-pāramitā, the vīrya-pāramitā, and the dhyāna-pāramitā, for eighty billion nayuta kalpas in order to attain Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi. These merits of the good men or women are far less than one hundredth or one thousandth of the merits of the person [who understand my longevity by faith even at a moment’s thought], or less than his merits divided by one hundred thousand billion. [The superiority of his merits to theirs] cannot be explained by any calculation or parable or simile.
It cannot be that the good man who obtained merits [by understanding my longevity by faith even at a moment’s thought] falters in walking the Way to Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi.”
Thereupon the World-Honored One, wishing to repeat what he had said, sang in gāthās:
Suppose someone practiced
The five paramitas
For eighty billion nayuta kalpas
In order to attain the wisdom of the Buddha.Throughout these kalpas he offered
Wonderful food and drink,
Excellent garments and bedding,
And monasteries made of candana
And adorned with gardens and forests
To the Buddhas,
To the cause-knowers, to the disciples,
And to the Bodhisattvas.Throughout these kalpas he made
These various and wonderful offerings
In order to attain
The enlightenment of the Buddha.He also observed the precepts,
Kept purity and faultlessness,
And sought the unsurpassed enlightenment
Extolled by the Buddhas.He was patient, gentle,
And friendly with others.
Even when many evils troubled him,
His mind was not moved.He endured all insults and disturbances
Inflicted upon him by arrogant people who thought
That they had already obtained the Dharma.He was strenuous and resolute in mind.
He concentrated his mind,
And refrained from indolence
For many hundreds of millions of kalpas.He Lived in a retired place
For innumerable kalpas.
He sat or walked to avoid drowsiness
And to concentrate his mind.By doing so, he became able to practice
Many dhyāna-concentrations.
His mind was peaceful, not distracted
For eighty billion kalpas.With these merits of concentration of his mind,
He sought unsurpassed enlightenment, saying:
“I will complete all these dhyāna-concentrations,
And obtain the knowledge of all things.”He performed
The meritorious practices
As previously stated
For hundreds of thousands of billions of kalpas.The good men or women who believe my longevity,
Of which I told you,
Even at a moment’s thought
Will be able to obtain more merits than he.Those who firmly believe [my longevity ],
And have no doubts about it
Even for a moment,
Will be able to obtain more merits [than he].The Bodhisattvas who have practiced the Way
For the past innumerable kalpas,
Will believe my longevity
When they hear of it.They will receive this sūtra on their heads,
And wish:
“May we live long and save all living beings
Just as the World-Honored One of today,
Who is the King of the Śākyas, [saves them]
By expounding the Dharma without fear
At the place of enlightenment
With [a voice like] a lion’s roar!
When we sit at the place of enlightenment,
Respected by all living beings,
May we preach that we also shall live
As long [as the World-Honored One of today]!”Those who have firm faith,
And who are pure and upright,
And who hear much and memorize all teachings,
And who understand my words
According to their meaning,
Will have no doubts [about my longevity].
The Daily Dharma from Jan. 21, 2023, offers this:
He endured all insults and disturbances
Inflicted upon him by arrogant people who thought
That they had already obtained the Dharma.
The Buddha sings these verses to Maitreya Bodhisattva in Chapter Seventeen of the Lotus Sūtra. In Chapter Two of the sūtra, five thousand people left the assembly after the Buddha declared that everything he had taught until then had been an expedient. The Buddha did not stop these people. He said they were arrogant, meaning they believed they already had reached enlightenment and could learn nothing from the Buddha. In this description of the Bodhisattva perfection of Endurance, the Buddha prepares us for the reactions of those who are too attached to their misery to hear the Buddha’s teaching. When we can anticipate this kind of reaction, rather than being shocked by it, we can more easily stay d
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
The Contents of the Title
Important Matters, p 41-42Every phrase, every character of the Lotus Sutra is contained in Myoho Renge Kyo. The five Chinese characters contain every stroke and every mark of all the 69,384 characters comprising the Lotus Sutra. All of the virtues of the entire 28 chapters of the text are all contained within the five characters of the title. Every single character within the text of the sutra contains all the virtues of the five character title. Neither is too small, nor too large. Neither is required to expand or contract to accommodate or fill the other. Every character produces virtue due to its relationship with and inclusion of all the other characters. To ignore the text or to ignore the title deprives us of the mutual benefit of the two together. I imagine this much like the relationship of beans and rice. Both contain protein yet when combined the total protein is greater than the sum of their individual proteins. That is perhaps why, even without understanding the science of protein analysis, you can find some version of a beans and rice combination food staple in cultures throughout the world. And so it is with the characters of the title of the sutra and the body text.
“Each character produces virtue just as the wish fulfilling jewel constantly rains down many other jewels. Even one jewel is enough, while 10,000 jewels are not too many. No matter the quantity what is produced in sufficient. You should know that each character and sound spreads throughout the Dharma-realm go propagate the Buddha’s teaching in the past, present, and future, bringing benefit to all beings.”
Shutei Hoyo Shiki, page 394
Precious Life
Jl RI KUYO GOSHO
Water is essential for fish to live. Soil is essential for plants to grow. Food is essential for man to live. To live is most essential for all.
(Background : 1276, 54 years old, at Minobu, Showa Teihon, p.1261)
Explanatory note
Nichiren Daishonin emphasized the importance to respect our life as well as to seek eternal life. He said, “To maintain our life is more valuable than gaining a million pieces of gold.” However, these words will be in vain if we forget to have a prayer for eternal life.
According to Buddhism, one equals all. In other words, one would contain whole things and the whole things would be attributed to one. After all, one and all are identified without hindrance. Nichiren Daishonin goes a step further and finds the absolute unity between self and others in this reality. In other parts of his teaching, he says, “The true life will be found in matters in our society.” Therefore, in our daily lives, it is necessary to make efforts to maintain our physical life as well as to seek eternal life.
The dignity of man’s life is expressed as “Not-killing” in Buddhism. Fear of wars and nuclear weapons can not be erased from our minds. We are in danger all the time as Damocles who, looking up, found a sword suspended above his head by a single hair. At this age, we must listen with attention to the important message of the Buddha “Do not kill.” At the same time, we must always be thankful for the fact that we have life in this world.
It is a common ethic throughout the world to be grateful for living on this earth. Oriental people express their gratitude through veneration, especially of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. It is called “kuyo” and it is the most essential morality of their religious lives.
Thus, we show our gratitude for the teachings of the Buddha and favors of the land, by refraining from any negative act of human dignity.
Rev. Matsuda
Phrase A DayDaily Dharma – Jan. 24, 2023
Those who come to this teacher of the Dharma
Will be able to complete the Way of Bodhisattvas quickly.
Those who follow him and study will be able to see
As many Buddhas as there are sands in the River Ganges.
The Buddha sings these verses to Medicine-King Bodhisattva in Chapter Ten of the Lotus Sūtra. By teacher of the Dharma, the Buddha means anyone who keeps, reads, recites, copies and expounds this Sūtra. As we continue on this Way, we learn to recognize the Buddha’s presence in every aspect of our experience. We learn to appreciate everything the Buddha does for us, and to show that gratitude to all those in whom we recognize the Buddha. Then we realize there is no shortage of teachers, no shortage of joy and no shortage of opportunities to benefit others.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Day 21
Day 21 covers all of Chapter 16, The Duration of the Life of the Tathāgata.
Having last month concluded Chapter 16, The Duration of the Life of the Tathāgata, we begin again consider the admonition of the Buddha to the great multitude including Bodhisattvas and others.
Thereupon the Buddha aid to the great multitude including Bodhisattvas and others, “Good men! Understand my sincere and infallible words by faith!”
He said to the great multitude again, “Understand my sincere and infallible words by faith!”He said to them once again, “Understand my sincere and infallible words by faith!”
Thereupon the great multitude of Bodhisattvas, headed by Maitreya, joined their hands together and said to the Buddha, “World-Honor done, tell us! We will receive your words by faith.”
They said this three times. Then they said once again, “Tell us! We will receive your words by faith.”
The Daily Dharma from March 31, 2021, offers this:
Thereupon the Buddha said to the great multitude including Bodhisattvas and others, “Good men! Understand my sincere and infallible words by faith!”
With these words, the Buddha prepares those gathered to hear him teach in Chapter Sixteen of the Lotus Sūtra. “Understanding by faith” can be a difficult idea for those of us who believe faith is opposed to understanding; that it means believing something even though we do not understand it. The Buddha does not ask us to set aside our curiosity or our comprehension to practice his highest teaching. But he does say that it takes more than understanding to reach the wisdom he attained. As we apprehend more of what the Buddha teaches us, our confidence in him grows. As we set aside our doubts about the benefits of the Buddha Dharma, we increase our ability to see the world for what it is.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Lessons of Devadatta and the Dragon King’s Daughter
This is another in a series of weekly blog posts comparing and contrasting the Sanskrit and Chinese Lotus Sutra translations.
In comparing Senchu Murano’s English translation of the story of Devadatta and the Dragon King’s Daughter with H. Kern’s English translation from the Sanskrit, we need to start with the fact that this chapter wasn’t translated by Kumārajīva. According to the explanation in Murano’s Introduction, Chapter 12 was translated by Fa-i in 490 CE and inserted into Kumārajīva’s version at the beginning of the sixth century. In Kern’s translation, the material doesn’t appear as a separate chapter but is instead spliced onto the end of Chapter 11, Apparition of a Stūpa.
The two translations appear even closer than the chapters translated by Kumārajīva. Take for instance the opening scene.
Kern offers:
Thereupon the Lord addressed the whole company of Bodhisattvas and the world, including gods and demons, and said: Of yore, monks, in times past I have, unwearied and without repose, sought after the Sūtra of the Lotus of the True Law, during immense, immeasurable Æons; many Æons before I have been a king, during many thousands of Æons. Having once taken the strong resolution to arrive at supreme, perfect enlightenment, my mind did not swerve from its aim. I exerted myself to fulfil the six Perfections (Pāramitās), bestowing immense alms: gold, money, gems, pearls, lapis lazuli, conch-shells, stones (?), coral, gold and silver, emerald, Musāragalva, red pearls; villages, towns, boroughs, provinces, kingdoms, royal capitals; wives, sons, daughters, slaves, male and female; elephants, horses, cars, up to the sacrifice of life and body, of limbs and members, hands, feet, head.
Murano offers:
Thereupon the Buddha said to the Bodhisattvas, gods, men and the four kinds of devotees:
“When I was a Bodhisattva] in my previous existence, I sought the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma for innumerable kalpas without indolence. I became a king [and continued to be so] for many kalpas. [Although I was a king,] I made a vow to attain unsurpassed Bodhi. I never faltered in seeking it. I practiced alms-giving in order to complete the six pāramitās. I never grudged elephants, horses, the seven treasures, countries, cities, wives, children, menservants, maidservants or attendants. I did not spare my head, eyes, marrow, brain, flesh, hands or feet. I did not spare even my life.”
The principal difference is that Murano’s translation inserts material within square brackets that he felt necessary for clarity.
Another telling similarity is the “error” concerning the direction from which the Stūpa of Treasures arrived.
At the beginning of Chapter 11, Murano has the Buddha explain that:
“The perfect body of a Tathāgata is in this stūpa of treasures. A long time ago there was a world called Treasure-Purity at the distance of many thousands of billions of asaṃkhyas of worlds to the east [of this world]. In that world lived a Buddha called Many-Treasures.”
Kern, however, says:
Thus asked, the Lord spake to Mahāpratibhāna, the Bodhisattva Mahāsattva, as follows: In this great Stūpa of precious substances, Mahāpratibhāna, the proper body of the Tathāgata is contained condensed; his is the Stūpa; it is he who causes this sound to go out. In the point of space below, Mahāpratibhāna, there are innumerable thousands of worlds. Further on is the world called Ratnaviṣuddha, there is the Tathāgata named Prabhūtaratna, the Arhat, &c.
While Many Treasures lived in the east in Chapter 11, both Murano and Kern agree that the stūpa arrived from the nadir in the story of the Dragon King’s Daughter.
Murano has:
At that time Many-Treasures, the World-Honored One, who had come from the nadir,’ was accompanied by a Bodhisattva called Accumulated-Wisdom. The Bodhisattva said to Many-Treasures Buddha, “Shall we go back to our home world?”
Kern has:
At that moment a Bodhisattva of the name of Pragñākūṭa, having come from beneath the Buddha field of the Tathāgata Prabhūtaratna, said to the Tathāgata Prabhūtaratna: Lord, let us resort to our own Buddha-field.
Next: Encouragement
The Title and the Text
Important Matters, p 41Both the title [of the Lotus Sutra] and the text are deeply connected and both are necessary. Myoho Renge Kyo is the key to open a locked door. The following 28 chapters are what is to be opened. To consider one separately from the other would be like trying to enter your home through a locked door without pulling the key out of your pocket and inserting it into the lock. While it is true that you have the key, without actually utilizing it you will have difficulty entering your home. Even in the case of my electronic lock, without either the key or my cell phone the magic of automatic entry or backup manual entry is not possible. Like my electronic door lock, which automatically unlocks when I pull into my driveway, the benefits of the Lotus Sutra come to us when we both practice and study, even without our full understanding. This is faith.