All posts by John Hughes

WONS

Understanding the Capacity of People

For 400 years, since the reign of Emperor Kanmu, the capacity of all the people in Japan to understand and embrace the Lotus Sūtra exclusively has reached fruition. Their capacity to understand the Dharma is similar to those who heard the Lotus Sūtra expounded by Śākyamuni Buddha on Mount Sacred Eagle for eight years. (This is proven in the writings of Grand Master T’ien-t’ai, Prince Shōtoku, Venerable Chien-chên, Grand Master Dengyō, Venerables Annen and Eshin.) Those who perceive this correctly are men who understand the capacity of people.

Kyō Ki Ji Koku Shō, Treatise on the Teaching, Capacity, Time and Country, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Page 101

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – June 1, 2021

Anyone who believes and receives this sūtra
Should be considered
To have already seen the past Buddhas,
Respected them, made offerings to them,
And heard the Dharma from them
In his previous existence.

The Buddha sings these verses in Chapter Three of the Lotus Sūtra. Whatever view we may have of our past lives, we can agree that it is difficult to remember what happened in them. In these verses the Buddha reminds us that our joy in hearing his teaching in this life indicates that we have already heard and practiced what he taught, no matter how difficult it may seem to us now. This also means that by believing and receiving the Lotus Sūtra we are respecting and making offerings to all Buddhas.

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 Cloud-Thunderpeal-Star-King-Flower-Wisdom’s prediction for the king, we conclude Chapter 27, King Wonderful-Adornment as the Previous Life of a Bodhisattva.

“King Wonderful-Adornment came down from the sky and said to that Buddha [staying in the sky], ‘World-Honored One! You are exceedingly exceptional. You have merits and wisdom. Therefore, the fleshy tuft on your head shines bright. Your eyes are long, wide, and deep blue in color. The curls between your eyebrows are as white as a bright moon. Your teeth are white, regular and bright. Your lips are as red and as beautiful as the fruits of a bimba-tree.’

“Thereupon King Wonderful-Adornment, having praised the Buddha for his many hundreds of thousands of billions of merits including those previously stated, joined his hands together towards the Tathāgata, and with all his heart, said to that Buddha again, ‘World-Honored One! I have never seen anyone like you before. Your teachings have these inconceivable, wonderful merits. The practices performed according to your teachings and precepts are peaceful and pleasant. From today on, I will not act according to my own mind. I will not have wrong views, arrogance, anger or any other evil thought.’ Having aid this, he bowed to that Buddha and retired.”

The Buddha said to the great multitude:

“What do you think of this? King Wonderful-Adornment was no one but Flower-Virtue Bodhisattva of today. Queen Pure-Virtue was no one but the Light-Adornment-Appearance Bodhisattva who is now before me. She appeared in that world out of her compassion towards King Wonderful-Adornment and his attendants. The two sons were Medicine-King Bodhisattva and Medicine-Superior Bodhisattva of today. Medicine-King Bodhisattva and Medicine-Superior Bodhisattva have already obtained those great merits. Because they planted the roots of virtue under many hundreds of thousands of billions of Buddhas [in their previous existence], they obtained those inconceivable merits. All gods and men in the world should bow to those who know the names of these two Bodhisattvas.”

When the Buddha expounded this chapter of King Wonderful-Adornment as the Previous Life of a Bodhisattva, eighty-four thousand people released themselves from the dust and dirt of illusions, and had their eyes purified enough to see all teachings.

See The Perfume of Faith

b4today, LS32, d31b

The Perfume of Faith

All people are equal before the teachings of the Buddha. As the Buddha’s disciple, a commoner is equal to a great king. In terms of potential influence, however, a commoner’s resolution to attain Perfect Enlightenment cannot be compared to a king’s. Therefore the Buddha Thunder Voice Constellation King of Wisdom was delighted with King Resplendent’s resolution to seek Perfect Enlightenment and immediately predicted his Perfect Enlightenment.

A leader who has a large following should believe in a right faith. But he should not force it on those under him. If he can handle them with virtue and dignity based on his faith, his fine personality will surely have a good effect on them, just as perfume smells good to everyone in its vicinity.

Buddhism for Today, p403
Foundations

Shared Morality and the 10 Suchlike Characteristics

[A] verse on the shared morality of the Seven Buddhas says, “Do not perform any evil deeds, but practice only good deeds. Then one’s mind will spontaneously become pure. This is the teaching of all the Buddhas.”242 The appearances, nature [and so forth] of those in the four evil destinies is the referent of “evil deeds.” The appearances, nature [and so forth] of men and gods are the referent of “good deeds.” “One’s mind will spontaneously become pure” refers to the pure mind which has analyzed [reality as lacking in self-]essence. This refers to the appearances, nature [and so forth] of those of the two vehicles.

The appearances, nature [and so forth] of bodhisattvas is that of a “pure mind,” which enters conventional existence [for the purpose of saving sentient beings]. The appearances, nature [and so forth] of the Buddha realm is that of a “pure mind,” which understands the middle [way].

If one were to explain these ten [suchlike characteristics of] appearances, nature [and so forth] with reference to all the Sūtras, Sāstras, and vinaya, then [one should know that this Perfect Teaching of the supremacy of Buddhahood and the integrated nature of reality as simultaneously empty of substantial Being yet conventionally existent] completely penetrates the Tripiṭaka, Shared, and Distinct Teachings and contains all dharmas without obstruction.

Foundations of T'ien T'ai Philosophy, p 196
242
According to Chan-jan in the Fa hua hsüan i shih ch’ien [
Annotations on “The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra], this type of saying occurs often in the Āgama (Bukkyō taikei I, 611). See, for example, Ekottarāgama, T. 2, 551a13-14, which contains the verses:

Do not perform any evil.
Practice all good deeds.
Spontaneously one’s mind will become pure.
This is the teaching of all the Buddhas.
 return

Lecture on Lotus Sutra

The Whole Word Namu

Quote

On to which way is correct: Is it Nam, or Namu? First Namu is two characters, so technically there is no such word or character as nam. There is either na or namu. I won’t go into great length here to talk about some of the characteristics of spoken Japanese except to say that frequently a final vowel sound such as ‘u’ is unvoiced. I say unvoiced because Japanese speakers are adamant that the sound still exists. So, though we do not hear it, to them it doesn’t go away. It still remains. From that perspective, no matter how you end up saying it, it still remains Namu. And that is how we should hold it in our minds as well. We should never let go of the whole word Namu, regardless whether we voice the entire word or not.

Lecture on the Lotus Sutra

WONS

The Real Intention of Grand Master T’ien-t’ai’s Buddha Dharma

[R]ecent scholars of the Tendai School have lost the secret teaching inherited from Grand Master T’ien-t’ai and stored in the stone tower. And, based on their own ideas, they forged such writings as the transmission of the threefold contemplation in a single thought, put them in bags of brocade, hung them around their necks, and put them at the bottom of a box, claiming them to be invaluable. As a result, false teachings have spread throughout the nation and the real intention of Grand Master T’ien-t’ai’s Buddha Dharma has been lost, and the Wonderful Dharma of Śākyamuni Buddha has been neglected. This is solely due to Bodhidharma’s dogma of “special transmission without scriptures and preachings” and Śubhākarasimha’s assertion that the Lotus Sūtra is inferior to the Great Sun Buddha Sūtra. Therefore, they do not know anything about doctrines of the threefold contemplation in a single thought, the triple truth in a single thought and 3,000 existences contained in one thought, not to speak of the Great Concentration and Insight. Moreover, they know nothing of (such fundamental issues of the T’ien-t’ai teaching as) the essential and theoretical sections; relative subtleties and absolute subtleties; subtle contemplation of the Lotus Sūtra; three kinds of doctrinal study; provisional and true teachings; four doctrinal teachings (piṭaka, common, distinct and perfect teachings); eight teachings (four methods of teaching and four doctrinal teachings); five periods in the Buddha’s lifetime preaching; and five flavors (of milk, cream, curds, butter and ghee). Needless to say, they do not know that they should propagate the Buddhist teaching in consideration of the content of teaching, capacity of people, time and nation (and that they should propagate the Lotus Sūtra in the Latter Age of Degeneration). It is natural that (owing to distant disciples, the teaching of the Tendai School) has become inconsistent, looking like neither the true teaching, nor the provisional teachings.

Risshō Kanjō, A Treatise on Establishing the Right Way of Meditation, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 231-232

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – May 31, 2021

World-Honored One! It is by my supernatural powers, know this, that a Bodhisattva can hear these dhāraṇīs. Anyone who keeps the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma [while it is] propagated in the Jambudvīpa, should think, ‘I can keep [this sūtra] only by the supernatural powers of Universal-Sage.’

Universal-Sage Bodhisattva (Fugen, Samantabhadra) makes this declaration to the Buddha in Chapter Twenty-Eight of the Lotus Sūtra. The supernatural powers of this Bodhisattva are beyond the perception of our human senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell and thought. When we hear thunder, we know something causes it whether or not we understand that cause. In the same way, when we are practicing this Wonderful Dharma, we know it is because of the great help we receive from innumerable beings, even if we do not understand the powers they use to reach us.

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

LS32

Day 30

Day 30 covers all of Chapter 26, Dhāraṇīs

Day 30 Text with annotationsPlay MP3
Having last month conclude 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 The Great Merit for Those Who Chant the Daimoku

Lotus Seeds

The Concept of Dharma

Quote

James Baldwin wrote, “If the concept or God has any validity or use, it can only be to make us larger, freer and more loving. If God cannot do this, then it is time we got rid of him.” Buddhism’s foundation is deeply rooted in the hope of ending the suffering of all living beings. If we replace the word “God” with the word “Dharma” in the above quote it becomes something that could easily have been said by the Buddha.

Lotus Seeds