All posts by John Hughes

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Nov. 20, 2021

World-Honored One, do not worry! We will keep, read, recite and expound this sūtra after your extinction. The living beings in the evil world after [your extinction] will have less roots of good, more arrogance, more greed for offerings of worldly things, and more roots of evil. It will be difficult to teach them because they will go away from emancipation. But we will patiently read, recite, keep, expound and copy this sūtra, and make various offerings to it. We will not spare even our lives [in doing all this].

Medicine-King Bodhisattva, his attendants and other Bodhisattvas make this vow to the Buddha in Chapter Thirteen of the Lotus Sūtra. Once we awaken to our Bodhisattva nature and resolve to benefit all beings, we may still hold on to the belief that those beings should gratefully receive the teaching and and keep progressing towards enlightenment. We may even become discouraged in our practice of the Wonderful Dharma when these beings do not live up to our expectations. The vow of these great Bodhisattvas reminds us of how difficult is is for us ordinary beings to keep the Lotus Sūtra, and of the determination it takes to create benefit in the world.

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: Taking Refugee in the Three Treasures

Having last month considered the Buddha’s advice to Ānanda, we consider the participant’s taking refugee in the three treasures

When a practitioner desires to fully conform to a bodhisattva’s behavioral principles, he or she must then seek out a quiet secluded location, place palms together, pay homage universally to the buddhas of the ten directions, admit to his or her faults, and amend him- or herself of impurities. And then, in a tranquil place, the practitioner must address the buddhas of the ten directions, saying these words:

“The buddhas, the World-honored Ones, are always present in this world. Yet even though I believe in the comprehensive sutras, I am unable to clearly discern the buddhas because of my karmic encumbrances. I now take refuge in the Buddha! May you, Śākyamuni, Fully Enlightened World-honored One, please become my mentor! O Mañjuśrī, possessor of great wisdom:31 With your wisdom and understanding, please initiate me in the pure bodhisattva ways! Thereby, out of compassion for me, Maitreya Bodhisattva, the sun of surpassing mercy, will permit me to take up the bodhisattva ways; the buddhas of the ten directions will appear to bear witness for me; and the eminent bodhisattvas – those supreme great leaders who safeguard living beings, who inspire and watch over those like me – will each make themselves known by name.

“On this day I accept and embrace the comprehensive sutras! Even if I should fall into hells and suffer innumerable hardships upon reaching the end of this life, through it all I will never renounce the correct Dharma of the buddhas! By means and reason of these causes and the power of their beneficial effects, Śākyamuni Buddha now becomes my mentor and Mañjuśrī becomes my steward! O Maitreya who is to come – please impart the teachings to me! O buddhas of the ten directions – please bear witness for my assurance! O great virtuous bodhisattvas – please be my companions!

“Trusting now in the wonderful and most profound principle of the Great Vehicle sutras, I take refuge in Buddha, I take refuge in Dharma, and I take refuge in Sangha!”

The practitioner must say this three times.

See The Religious Nature of Faith in the Three Treasures

history

Making Faith Visible

Since faith is internal, it only becomes visible when expressed through some action or practice. In the case of the Lotus Sūtra, the practices that render faith in the sūtra visible are reflected in the five practices of bodhisattvas described in Chapter 10, “The Teacher of the Dharma.” These are receiving and keeping, reading aloud, reciting, expounding, and copying the Lotus Sūtra. Naturally these are not mere expressions of faith. If one believes from one’s heart the message of the Lotus Sūtra that anyone can achieve buddhahood, then one will always carry the Lotus Sūtra and memorize its words deeply in one’s heart. This is what it means “to receive and keep the sūtra” or sometimes “to memorize and keep the sūtra.”

The practices do not end there. One can help others to hear the teachings by reading aloud from the Lotus Sūtra, or by reciting what one has memorized from the sūtra. If someone who hears the words of the sūtra says he or she wants to know more about the contents, one can then expound it. Then the best way to spread the sūtra over a wide area is to produce many copies. Therefore, these five methods are practices for the benefit of others. They reflect a base of faith in the Lotus Sūtra and are the practices of a bodhisattva. Since they are the practices of a bodhisattva, they are also the actions which lead one to achieve buddhahood. That means that when one continues these practices through countless cycles, the goal of becoming a buddha awaits.

More importantly, the five practices of bodhisattvas lead others to buddhahood. By first teaching others the central theme of the Lotus Sūtra, that all can become buddhas, then implanting in them the realization that they themselves can also achieve buddhahood. Bodhisattvas embody the five practices, simultaneously working towards achieving both their own buddhahood and that of others. By extension, the five practices of bodhisattvas continuously widen the circle of these practices. In that point, we find the meaning of the practices.

History and Teachings of Nichiren Buddhism, p 74-75
WONS

The True Teaching

QUESTION: Why is the Lotus Sūtra difficult to believe and understand while other sūtras are easy to believe and understand?

ANSWER: Various sūtras other than the Lotus are easy to believe and understand because Śākyamuni preached them to suit the capacity of the people to understand without revealing His true intention. On the other hand, in the Lotus Sūtra, Śākyamuni directly revealed His state of mind without compromising with people’s ability for comprehension. Clearly it is the true teaching, which is not easily understood and believed by ordinary people.

Shokyō to Hokekyō to Nan’I no Koto, The Difficulty and Easiness in Understanding the Lotus Sūtra and Other Sūtras, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 282

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Nov. 19, 2021

Medicine-King! This sūtra is the store of the hidden core of all the Buddhas. Do not give it to others carelessly! It is protected by the Buddhas, by the World-Honored Ones. It has not been expounded explicitly. Many people hate it with jealousy even in my lifetime. Needless to say, more people will do so after my extinction.

The Buddha makes this declaration to Medicine-King Bodhisattva in Chapter Ten of the Lotus Sūtra. For us who recognize how the Buddha’s teaching transforms our lives and the world, it can be hard to imagine that anyone would reject it. However, there are beings who are so filled with fear and delusion that they mistake the Buddha’s good medicine for poison. While we are committed to leading all beings to enlightenment, we realize that we are not alone in our efforts. The protective deities and the Buddha himself are always working to benefit all beings. In our current capacities, we may not be able to reach everybody immediately. We should not let this discourage us. The least we can do is hope in our hearts for the happiness of all beings, even if they are not accessible to us.

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 Universal-Sage’s dhārāṇis spells, we consider Universal-­Sage’s promises for those who keep, read and recite this sūtra.

[He said to the Buddha:]

“World-Honored One! It is by my supernatural powers, know this, that a Bodhisattva can hear these dhārāṇis. Anyone who keeps the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma [while it is] propagated in the Jambudvipa, should think, ‘I can keep [this sūtra] only by the supernatural powers of Universal-­Sage.’ Anyone who keeps, reads and recites this sūtra, memorizes it correctly, understands the meanings of it, and acts according to it, know this, does the same practices that I do. He should be considered to have already planted deeply the roots of good under innumerable Buddhas [in his previous existence]. He will be caressed on the head by the hands of the Tathāgatas. Anyone who copies this sūtra will be reborn in the Heaven of the Trāyastriṃs̒a Gods immediately after his present life. On that occasion, eighty-four thousand goddesses will come and receive him, making many kinds of music. A crown of the seven treasures will be put on his head, and he will enjoy himself among the ladies in waiting. Needless to say, [more merits will be given to] the person who [not only copies this sūtra but also] keeps, reads and recites it, memorizes it correctly, understands the meanings of it, and acts according to it. Anyone who keeps, reads and recites this sūtra, and understands the meanings of it, will be given helping hands by one thousand Buddhas immediately after his present life. He will be fearless. He will not fall into any evil region. He will be reborn in the Tusiita Heaven. There he will go to Maitreya Bodhisattva who, adorned with the thirty-two marks, will be surrounded by great Bodhisattvas, and attended on by hundreds of thousands of billions of goddesses. He will be given the benefits of these merits. Therefore, anyone who has wisdom should copy this sūtra with all his heart, cause others to copy it, and also keep, read and recite it, memorize it correctly, and act according to it.

“World-Honored One! I will protect this sūtra with my supernatural powers so that it may be propagated and not be destroyed in the Jambudvipa after your extinction.”

The Daily Dharma from June 12, 2020, offers this:

Anyone who keeps, reads and recites this sūtra, memorizes it correctly, understands the meanings of it, and acts according to it, know this, does the same practices that I do. He should be considered to have already planted deeply the roots of good under innumerable Buddhas [in his previous existence].

Universal-Sage (Fugen, Samantabhadra) Bodhisattva makes this declaration to the Buddha in Chapter Twenty-Eight of the Lotus Sūtra. In our mundane practice of the Wonderful Dharma, it is easy to overlook our place in the world and the benefits we bring to all beings. The magnificent character of Universal-Sage reminds us that despite our feelings of insignificance, we are the result of countless lives of practice and equal in our merits to this great Bodhisattva.

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

history

Faith in the Lotus Sūtra

In the Lotus Sūtra, the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas are taught that they should walk the path of the bodhisattva, by continuing the practices of bodhisattvas. If they continued to do so into the far distant future, in some future world they could realize their dreams to become a buddha.

What are the bodhisattvas’ practices? Their foundation demands a firm faith in the Lotus Sūtra. This means that bodhisattvas must trust what the Lotus Sūtra asserts most strongly. They must believe that every person possesses the innate possibility to achieve buddhahood.

This concept is difficult to believe and difficult to understand. Śākyamuni Buddha says this to Śāriputra, the wisest of his disciples.

“Even you, Śāriputra,
Have understood this sūtra
Only by faith.
Needless to say,
The other Śrāvakas cannot do otherwise.
They will be able to follow this sūtra
Only because they believe my words,
Not because they have wisdom.”

Even Śāriputra cannot understand this concept, that all people can achieve buddhahood, only by thinking. It therefore must be much more difficult for anyone else. This fact that there is not one person who cannot become a buddha is an unmistakable truth that Śākyamuni has understood through the wisdom of the buddhas. Therefore, the message is that you can fully receive this truth only by faith.

History and Teachings of Nichiren Buddhism, p 74
WONS

Two Meanings of the Character Myō

The character myō of the Myōhō Renge Kyō (Lotus Sūtra), contains two meanings. First it is called the relative subtlety (sōdai-myō), which means that compared to all other sūtras the Lotus Sūtra is superior. In the second place, it is called the absolute subtlety (zettai-myō). It means that it opens all other sūtras and merges them into the Lotus Sūtra. Sūtras preached before and after the Lotus Sūtra preach in part to explain the relative subtlety but not at all the absolute subtlety. Nevertheless, Buddhist masters based on various sūtras other than the Lotus Sūtra insist that both the relative and absolute subtleties are preached in their sūtras by “stealing” the wisdom of T’ien-t’ai. This is like governing the country while staying in a private house. Even if they insist on the existence of the absolute subtlety, they have only the relative subtlety. Let alone with those who attach themselves solely to either the provisional or true teachings without understanding the doctrine of provisional teachings are in themselves the true teaching!

Jissōji Gosho, A Letter to Buzen-kō, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 5, Page 187

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Nov. 18, 2021

Faith is nothing special. A wife loves her husband, the husband devotes his life to her, parents do not give away their children, and children do not desert their mother. Likewise, believe in the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha Śākyamuni, the Buddha Tahō, all Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and deities. Then chant “Namu Myoho Renge Kyo.” This is faith.

Nichiren wrote this in his Letter to the Nun Myoichi (Myoichi Ama Gozen Gohenji). For many people, Buddhism can be a complicated practice requiring years of study, mastering difficult concepts, even learning new languages. In this letter, Nichiren emphasizes the simple, everyday aspects of our faith and practice. He describes how we can start from the simple love and concern we have for each other, chant “Namu Myoho Renge Kyo” to grow the seeds of faith in our Buddha nature and awaken compassion and wisdom in all beings, and find the joy of the Buddha Dharma in our everyday experience.

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 what the sons did to persuade their father, we consdider the reaction of the father.

“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.’

See Following the Truth