All posts by John Hughes

LS32

Day 30

Day 30 covers all of Chapter 26, Dhāraṇīs

Day 30 Text with annotationsPlay MP3

Having last month concluded Chapter 26, Dhāraṇīs, we begin again with Medicine-King Bodhisattva’s question.

Thereupon Medicine-King Bodhisattva rose front his seat, bared his right shoulder, joined his hands together towards the Buddha, and said to him:

“World-Honored One! How many merits will be given to the good men or women who keep, read, recite, understand or copy the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma?”

The Buddha said to him:

“Suppose some good men or women make offerings to eight hundred billion nayuta Buddhas, that is, as many Buddhas as there are sands in the River Ganges. What do you think of this? Are the merits given to them many or not?”

“Very many, World-Honored One!”

The Buddha said: “More merits will be given to the good men or women who keep, read or recite· even a single gāthā of four lines of this sūtra, understand the meanings of it or act according to it.”

See Dharani Spells

800years, PhraseADay

800 Years: Realizing the Buddha Land Where We Live

NYOSETSU SHUGYO SHO

When all the people under the heaven and various schools of Buddhism are all converted to the one and true vehicle, and when only the Lotus Sutra flourishes and all the people recite “Namu Myoho Renge Kyo” in unison, the howling wind will not blow on the branches, falling rain will not erode the soil, and the world will become as good as during the reigns of the Chinese Emperors Fu-hsi and Shen-nung. You will see that such times will come when the calamities cease to exist, people live long, and men and their faith become eternal, there should be no doubt about the proof of tranquility in life.

(Background : May 1273, 51 years old, at Sado, Showa Teihon, p.733)

Explanatory note

Nichiren Daishonin said that people read the Lotus Sutra with their eyes and voice, but no one read it with his body except him. People generally do not try to apply the teachings of the Lotus Sutra in daily life.

Nichiren clearly mentioned that each individual’s faith and real society are closely related. It is a foolish idea if one thinks that religion is only for comfort in his or her life. Once we are born, we are a part of a society whether we like it or not. We try to keep peace and happiness under the set rules in the society.

The aim of our faith in Nichiren Buddhism is to realize the Buddha Land where we live. It is our vow to be Nichiren’s followers. The Buddha Land will not be created in a few years nor in ten years but it surely will be realized with our firm faith in the Lotus Sutra.

Rev. Kanai

Phrase A Day

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Nov. 25, 2022

You, the World-Honored One, are our leader.
You give peace to gods and men.
Hearing that you assured us of our future Buddhahood,
We are relieved and satisfied.

These verses are sung by Maha-Prajāpatī Bhikṣuṇī, Yaśodharā Bhikṣuṇī, and their attendants in Chapter Thirteen of the Lotus Sūtra. In our lives we have many desires, some of which we may not recognize. We believe that when these desires are met, only then can we be happy and peaceful. At the foundation of these desires is the desire for liberation. These women recognize that with this desire we have to become enlightened, just knowing that it will be fulfilled is enough to bring joy.

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

LS32

Day 29

Day 29 covers all of Chapter 25, The Universal Gate of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva.

Day 29 Text with annotationsPlay MP3

Having last month considered the transformations of World-Voice-Perceiver, we consider Endless-Intent Bodhisattva’s offering to World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva.

The Endless-Intent Bodhisattva said to the Buddha, “World-Honored One! Now I will make an offering to World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva.” From around his neck, he took a necklace of many gems worth hundreds of thousands of ryo of gold, and offered it [to the Bodhisattva], saying, “Man of Virtue! Receive this necklace of wonderful treasures! I offer this to you according to the Dharma!”

World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva did not consent to receive it. Endless-Intent said to World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva again, “Man of Virtue! Receive this necklace out of your compassion towards us!”

Thereupon the Buddha said to World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva:

“Receive it out of your compassion towards this Endless-Intent Bodhisattva, towards the four kinds of devotees, and towards the other living beings including gods, dragons, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, mahoragas, men and nonhuman beings!”

Thereupon World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva received the necklace out of his compassion towards the four kinds of devotees, and towards the other living beings including gods, dragons, men and nonhuman beings. He divided [the necklace] into two parts, and offered one part of it to Śākyamuni Buddha and the other to the stupa of Many-Treasures Buddha.

See The Division of the Necklace

b4today, d29b

The Division of the Necklace

The division of the necklace into two by the Bodhisattva Regarder of the Cries of the World indicates the following: “I owe my supernatural power to the Tathāgata Śākyamuni, who taught me the truth, and to the Tathāgata Abundant Treasures, who bore witness to the truth.” The bodhisattva revealed here that he had obtained his transcendent power as the result of realizing and practicing the truth taught by the Tathāgata Śākyamuni. Since many people have lost sight of this important point, they entertain the superstitious and simplistic belief that they will be saved from their sufferings by merely keeping in mind and revering the Bodhisattva Regarder of the Cries of the World. Modern people must reject such a mistaken belief entirely.

Buddhism for Today, p382
800years, original

800 Years: By Spreading Faith in the Lotus Sūtra

Tamura [Yoshirō] acknowledges the presence of certain passages strongly suggestive of hongaku thought even in unimpeachable documents from the latter part of Nichiren’s career. Nichiren writes, for example, that “this world is the [Buddha’s] original land; the pure lands of the ten directions are defiled worlds that are its traces, or, “Śākyamuni of wondrous awakening (myōkaku) is our blood and flesh. Are not the merits of his causes (practice) and effects (enlightenment) our bones and marrow? ” However, Tamura says, on close examination such writings, “while maintaining nondual original enlightenment as their basis, in fact emerge from it.” Nichiren’s “Śākyamuni of wondrous awakening” is no mere abstract, all-pervasive Dharma-body but also encompasses the virtues of the reward-body Buddha who has traversed practice and attainment, as well as the concreteness of the manifested body, the historical Buddha who appeared in this world. Nor was Nichiren content merely to assert that this world is the Buddha’s pure land; he attempted actually to realize the pure land in this present world through bodhisattva conduct, by spreading faith in the Lotus Sūtra. As in the case of Dōgen, Nichiren’s emphasis on the concrete (ji) is not the affirmation of the phenomenal world seen in medieval Tendai hongaku thought but an emphasis on action that “restored the dynamic power of practice in the actual world.” Like Dōgen, Nichiren maintained the ontological nonduality of the Buddha and living beings as his basis, but “descended” to confront the relative distinctions of the world. (Page 91)

Original Enlightenment and the Transformation of Medieval Japanese Buddhism


Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Nov. 24, 2022

Medicine-King! Although many laymen or monks will practice the Way of Bodhisattvas, they will not be able to practice it satisfactorily, know this, unless they see, hear, read, recite, copy or keep this Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma or make offerings to it.

The Buddha gives this explanation to Medicine-King Bodhisattva in Chapter Ten of the Lotus Sūtra. For us to aspire to benefit all beings is rare and wonderful. However, without the guidance of the Buddha, our efforts to benefit others can degenerate into expectations of separate benefits for ourselves. In the Lotus Sūtra, the Buddha explains the limitations of his previous teachings, assures us of our capacity for enlightenment and how he is always helping us, and gives examples of great Bodhisattvas whose experience we can apply to our own lives.

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

LS32

Day 28

Day 28 covers all of Chapter 24, Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva, and concludes the Seventh Volume of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

Day 28 Text with annotationsPlay MP3

Having last month considered Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva’s transformations, we consider how Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva protects all living beings.

“Flower-Virtue! This Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva protects all living beings in this Sahā-World. He transforms himself into one or another of these various living beings in this Sahā World and expounds this sūtra to all living beings without reducing his supernatural powers, [his power of] transformation, and his wisdom. He illumines this Sahā World with the many [rays of light] of his wisdom, and causes all living beings to know what they should know. He also does the same in the innumerable worlds of the ten quarters, that is, in as many worlds as, there are sands in the River Ganges. He takes the shape of a Śrāvaka and expounds the Dharma to those who are to be saved by a Śrāvaka. He takes the shape of a Pratyekabuddha and expounds the Dharma to those who are to be saved by a Pratyekabuddha. He takes the shape of another Bodhisattva and expounds the Dharma to those who are to be saved by that Bodhisattva. He takes the shape of a Buddha and expounds the Dharma to those who are to be saved by a Buddha. He takes these various shapes according to the capacities of those who are to be saved. He shows his extinction to those who are to be saved by his extinction. Flower-Virtue! Such are the great supernatural powers and the power of wisdom obtained by Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva-mahāsattva.”

The Daily Dharma from July 15, 2022, offers this:

Flower-Virtue! This Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva protects all living beings in this Sahā-World. He transforms himself into one or another of these various living beings in this Sahā-World and expounds this sūtra to all living beings without reducing his supernatural powers, [his power of] transformation, and his wisdom.

The Buddha gives this explanation to Flower-Virtue Bodhisattva in Chapter Twenty-Four of the Lotus Sūtra. Like many of the Bodhisattvas, Wonderful-Voice takes on the form of countless beings to reach those whom he has vowed to lead to enlightenment. For those who can be reached by a teacher, he becomes a teacher. For those who can be reached by a child, he becomes a child. For those who can be reached by a stranger, he becomes a stranger. Understanding the innumerable forms the Bodhisattvas take on to help us, we can ask: Who in this world of conflict and suffering is not a Bodhisattva? From whom can we not learn how to 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

Blog

A Memorial Service for Caleb

Memorial Prayer, Nov. 23, 2022

Last known photo of Caleb Michael Bodine, born 11-1-1992 and died 11-23-2021

I respectfully dedicate the merits of chanting the Lotus Sutra and reciting Namu Myoho Renge Kyo in the presence of the Buddha, the Founder Nichiren Shonin, and the Three Treasures to the spirit of Caleb Bodine for whom I observe the second memorial service today.

May the sound of my recitation of the Lotus Sutra and Namu Myoho Renge Kyo permeate throughout the spiritual world! May the spirit of the deceased permeate throughout the spiritual world!

May the heart of my prayer permeate throughout the spiritual world!

May all my merits go to the deceased and increase the happiness of the deceased!

It is said in the Lotus Sutra, “Good men or women in the future who hear the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma with faithful respect caused by their pure minds, and have no doubts, will not fall into hell, region of hungry spirits, or the region of animals.

“They will be reborn before the Buddhas of the worlds of the ten directions.

“They will always hear this sutra at the places of their rebirth. Even when they are reborn among men or gods, they will be given wonderful pleasures.

“When they are reborn before the Buddhas, they will appear in lotus-flowers.”

May all sentient beings be blessed with these merits and may we all together attain Buddhahood!

Namu Myoho Renge Kyo

In addition to saying memorial prayers for Caleb morning and evening, I gathered warm clothing and delivered it to First Step Communities, an organization that creates interim housing and emergency shelter for people experiencing homelessness. I plan to make this an annual part of my memorial service during what is otherwise a time of “thanksgiving.”

800years, PhraseADay

800 Years: Vows of Faith

KAIMOKU SHO

To desert the teaching of the Lotus Sutra denotes falling into hell. I have made a vow : “Even if someone says that he would make me the ruler of Japan if I give up the Lotus Sutra and rely upon the Kammuryojukyo (Sutra of Meditation on the Buddha of Infinite Life) for my salvation in the next life, or even if someone threatens me saying that he will execute my parents if I do not say ‘Namu Amida Butsu,’ and even if many great difficulties fall upon me, I will not submit to them until a man of wisdom defeats me by reason.” Other difficulties are like dust in the wind. I will never break my vow that I shall become a pillar of Japan, I shall become the eyes of Japan, and I shall become the great vessel of Japan.

(Background : February, 1272, 50 years old, at Sado, Showa Teihon, p.601)

Explanatory note

The three great vows are stated here by Nichiren Daishonin. His salvation for all people is based on these three original oaths. Nichiren transmitted the Lord Buddha’s salvation to all people through his strong faith in the Lotus Sutra. On April 28th, 1253, at the age of thirtyone, he proclaimed his new faith which contained the fundamental principles of these vows. Because of Nichiren’s conviction concerning these oaths, he never gave up his mission even though he met countless religious persecutions. As Nichiren Buddhists seeking salvation through the teachings of the Lotus Sutra, we must understand the fundamental principles of these three vows of Nichiren. It is always true that in any religion there is no salvation without fundamental principles and diligent practice. They are the essence of Nichiren’s religion.

Rev. Kodachi

Phrase A Day