All posts by John Hughes

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Sept. 13, 2020

The Buddhas expound the Dharma
In perfect freedom.
Knowing the various desires and dispositions
Of all living beings,
They expound the Dharma
With innumerable parables
And with innumerable similes
According to their capacities.

These verses are sung by Subhūti, Mahā-Kātyāyana, Mahā-Kāśyapa, and Mahā-Maudgalyāyana in Chapter Four of the Lotus Sūtra. They show the realization by the Buddha’s disciples of why the Buddha uses different teachings for different people. For us who do not know the various desires and dispositions of all living beings, the Buddha gives this Lotus Sūtra, When we put this teaching into practice, and use it to benefit all beings, it is as if we are teaching from the Buddha’s own mind.

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

LS32

Day 8

Day 8 concludes Chapter 4, Understanding by Faith, and closes the second volume of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

Day 8 Text with annotationsPlay MP3
Having last month considered the son taking control of the storehouses but still living in a hovel, we consider how the Buddha is like the rich man.

“After a while the father noticed that his son had become more at ease and peaceful, that he wanted to improve himself, and that he felt ashamed of the thought that he was base and mean. The time of the death of the father drew near. The father told his son to call in his relatives, the king, ministers, kṣatriyas, and householders. When they all assembled, he said to them, ‘Gentlemen, know this! This is my son, my real son. He ran away from me when I lived in a certain city, and wandered with hardships for more than fifty years. His name is so-and-so; mine, so-and-so. When I was in that city, I anxiously looked for him. I happened to find him [years ago]. This is my son. I am his father. All my treasures are his. He knows what has been taken in and what has been paid out.’

“World-Honored One! At that time the poor son was very glad to hear these words of his father. He had the greatest joy that he had ever had. He thought, ‘I never dreamed of having this store of treasures myself. It has come to me unexpectedly.’

“World-Honored One! The great rich man is you. We are like [his son, that is,] your sons because you always tell us that we are your sons. World-Honored One! We once had many troubles in the world of birth and death because of the three kinds of sufferings.’ We were so distracted and so ignorant that we clung to the teachings of the Lesser Vehicle. At that time you caused us to think over all things and to clear away the dirt of fruitless discussions about them. We made strenuous efforts according to the teachings [of the Lesser Vehicle] and attained Nirvāṇa as a day’s pay. Having attained it, we had great joy, and felt satisfied [with the attainment of it]. We said, ‘We have obtained much because we made efforts according to the teachings of the Buddha.’ But when you saw that we clung to mean desires and wished to hear only the teachings of the Lesser Vehicle, you left us alone. You did not tell us that we had the treasure-store, that is, the insight of the Tathāgata. You expounded the wisdom of the Buddha[, that is, the Great Vehicle] with expedients, but we did not aspire for that vehicle because, when we had obtained the day’s pay of Nirvāṇa from the Buddha, we thought that we had already obtained enough. We did not wish to have what you had showed and expounded to the Bodhisattvas by your wisdom. You expounded the Dharma to us with expedients according to our capacities because you knew that we wished to hear the teachings of the Lesser Vehicle. We did not know that we were your sons. Now we know that you do not grudge your wisdom to anyone. Although we were your sons then as we are now, we wished to hear only the teachings of the Lesser Vehicle. If we had aspired for the teaching of the Great Vehicle, you would have already expounded it to us. Now you expound only the One Vehicle in this sūtra. You once reproached us Śrāvakas in the presence of the Bodhisattvas because we wished to hear the teachings of the Lesser Vehicle. [At that time we thought that you had taught us only the Lesser Vehicle,] but now we know that you have been teaching us the Great Vehicle from the outset. Therefore, we say that the great treasures of the King of the Dharma have come to us although we did not seek them, and that we have already obtained all that the sons of the Buddha should obtain.”

See Our Invitation to Continue to Grow in Wisdom, Compassion, and Service

LS32, d8b, stories

Our Invitation to Continue to Grow in Wisdom, Compassion, and Service

At the end of this story, the son is happy, as he has acquired great wealth, much greater wealth than he had ever imagined having. But, while it is the end of the story, we must not imagine that it is the end of the matter. We can even say that his difficulties – that is, his responsibilities – have now really only just begun. Awakening is a process – a responsibility as much as an achievement or a gift.

As the shravakas say right after the telling of this parable, we should never become complacent and satisfied with some lesser level of awakening, such as some great experience of nirvana, but always pursue the Buddha way.

Perhaps above all, this chapter is an exhortation never to be complacent with what one has achieved, an invitation to continue to grow in wisdom, compassion, and service.

That is the bodhisattva way, the bodhisattva way of becoming a buddha.

The Stories of the Lotus Sutra, p73
Lotus Seeds

The Focus of Devotion

Quote

In order to portray his insight, Nichiren Shonin inscribed the Ceremony in the Air as a mandala in Chinese calligraphy. This mandala is not some icon or external power that we ask to intercede for us. Instead, the Great Mandala concretely manifests the Focus of Devotion enabling us to more easily identify with the Eternal Buddha and realize our own Buddhahood. Of course, Nichiren Shonin was not against using statues or portraits to represent the Focus of Devotion. In most Nichiren Shu temples, the Focus of Devotion is represented by statues of Shakyamuni Buddha and Many Treasures Tathagata flanking a stupa with Namu Myoho Renge Kyo inscribed upon it. Other representations of the Focus of Devotion might feature a statue of Shakyamuni Buddha and the four great bodhisattvas who were the leaders of the bodhisattvas who emerge from beneath the earth, a simple statue of the Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha, a simple inscription of Namu Myoho Renge Kyo, or even an elaborate display of statues representing all the beings portrayed on the calligraphic mandala. The calligraphic mandala, however, is the most popular form of the Focus of Devotion for enshrinement in one’s home. No matter what form it takes, the point of the physical object or objects used to portray the Focus of Devotion is to help us become aware of, and participate fully in, the reality of the Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha at the Ceremony in the Air.

Lotus Seeds

d3b, Vasubandhu

The Four Meanings of ‘One Great Purpose’ of the Buddhas

[I]t says in the Lotus Sutra, “O Śāriputra! All the buddhas, the Blessed Ones, appear in the world for just one great purpose and reason.” The four meanings of “one great purpose” should be well understood. What are these four?

  1. The meaning of that which is unsurpassed indicates [that the tathāgatas appear in the world to show that] there is nothing else [to achieve] but the omniscient knowledge solely of the tathāgatas. Just as it says in the Lotus Sutra, “[The tathāgatas] appear in the world because they want to reveal the insight of the buddhas in order to purify the knowledge of living beings.” “The insight of the buddhas” means the tathāgatas are able to realize the profound truth with their knowledge of true reality.
  2. The meaning of sameness indicates [that the tathāgatas appear in the world to manifest] the equality of the absolute body of the disciples, the self-enlightened buddhas, and the buddhas. Just as it says in the Lotus Sutra, “[The tathāgatas] appear in the world because they want to manifest the insight of the buddhas to living beings.” “Equality of the absolute body” means that the absolute body and the buddha-nature are undifferentiated.
  3. The meaning of what is not known indicates [that the tathāgatas appear in the world to manifest what is not known] to all the disciples, self-enlightened buddhas, and others who are not able to know the real basis [of the tathāgatas]. “Not able to know the real basis” means they do not understand that there is only the ultimate, unique buddha vehicle. Just as it says in the Lotus Sutra, “[The tathāgatas] appear in the world because they want to enlighten living beings about the insight of the buddhas.”
  4. The meaning of wanting to cause [living beings] to realize an irreversible stage indicates that [the tathāgatas appear in the world because they] want to give countless acts of knowledge. Just as it says in the Lotus Sutra, “[The tathāgatas] appear in the world because they want to make living beings enter the insight of the buddhas.”

Furthermore, “to make manifest” means that [the tathāgatas] want to cause all those bodhisattvas with doubts to know a practice in accordance with the truth. Also, “to make enlightened” means to cause those who have not yet produced the thought of enlightenment to produce it, and to cause those who have already produced it to enter the truth (Dharma). Moreover, “to cause to realize” means to cause those who are following heretical systems to produce realization. Also, “to cause to enter” means to cause living beings who have attained the fruits of the Small Vehicle of the disciples to enter enlightenment.

Vasubandhu's Commentary on the Lotus Sutra, p 132-133
WONS

Inviting Disasters as Painful as Swallowing Swords

I myself am a humble man but the Lotus Sūtra is protected by the King of the Brahma Heaven, Indra, Sun Deity, Moon Deity, the Four Heavenly Kings, Goddess Amaterasu, and Great Bodhisattva Hachiman. Therefore, those who persecute the believers of the Lotus Sūtra invite disasters as painful as swallowing swords or seizing fire by bare hands. Contemplating these things, it is noble of you to further your faith. It is noble indeed.

Kubo-ama Gozen Gohenji, Response to My Lady, the Nun of Kubo, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 7, Followers II, Page 89

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Sept. 12, 2020

Needless to say, boundless will be the merits
Of the person who hears this sūtra with all his heart,
And expounds its meanings,
And acts according to its teachings.

The Buddha sings these verses to Maitreya (whom he calls Ajita – Invincible) in Chapter Eighteen of the Lotus Sutra. The merits we gain through our study and practice of the Lotus Sūtra do not make us better than any of the other beings with whom we share this world. Merits accumulate when we strip away our delusions and see the world for what it is. We sometimes focus on what we can do to change the world, thinking that merely changing how we look at the world will have little effect. It is only when we see things for what they are that we can act effectively. Otherwise we are merely reinforcing the delusions of ourselves and others.

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

LS32

Day 7

Day 7 concludes Chapter 3, A Parable, and begins Chapter 4, Understanding by Faith.

Day 7 Text with annotationsPlay MP3
Having last month concluded today’s portion of Chapter 4, Understanding by Faith, we return to the top of today’s portion of Chapter 3, A Parable, and the Buddha’s declaration that this triple world is his property and all living beings his children.

This triple world
Is my property.
All living beings therein
Are my children.
There are many sufferings
In this world.
Only I can save
[All living beings].

I told this to all living beings.
But they did not believe me
Because they were too much attached
To desires and defilements.

Therefore, I expediently expounded to them
The teaching of the Three Vehicles,
And caused them to know
The sufferings of the triple world.
I opened, showed, and expounded
The Way out of the world.

Those children who were resolute in mind
Were able to obtain
The six supernatural powers
Including the three major supernatural powers,
And to become cause-knowers
Or never-faltering Bodhisattvas.

Śāriputra!
With this parable I expounded
The teaching of the One Buddha-Vehicle
To all living beings.
All of you will be able to attain
The enlightenment of the Buddha
If you believe and receive
These words of mine.

This vehicle is
The purest and most wonderful.
This is unsurpassed by any other vehicle
In all the worlds.
This vehicle is approved with joy by the Buddhas.
All living beings should extol it.
They should make offerings to it,
And bow to it.

The powers, emancipations,
dhyāna-concentrations, wisdom,
And all the other merits [of the Buddhas],
Many hundreds of thousands of millions in number,
Are loaded in this vehicle.

I will cause all my children
To ride in this vehicle
And to enjoy themselves
Day and night for kalpas.

The Bodhisattvas and Śrāvakas
Will be able to go immediately
To the place of enlightenment
If they ride in this jeweled vehicle.

Therefore, even if you try to find another vehicle
Throughout the worlds of the ten quarters,
You will not be able to find any other one
Except those given by the Buddhas expediently.

See The Enchanting Stories of the Lotus Sutra

LS32, d7b, stories

The Enchanting Stories of the Lotus Sutra

The chief way in which the Lotus Sutra enchants is by telling stories – parables and similes, accounts of previous lives, stories of mythical events, and so forth. Though there are various ways of counting, it contains well over two dozen different stories. In the Sutra, a great many traditional Buddhist doctrines are mentioned, such as the four noble truths, the eightfold path, the three marks of the Dharma, interdependent origination, the twelve-link chain of causation, the six perfections, and more. Even one of the Sutra’s most emphasized teachings, that of the one vehicle of many skillful means, is initially presented as an explanation of why there is such a variety of teachings within Buddhism. There are plenty of teachings or doctrines in it, but if we want to approach a fuller understanding of what the Dharma Flower Sutra teaches, we had better pay attention to its stories, and not merely to propositions within them or to sentences that explain them, but also to the overall thrust and function of the stories within this very unusual Sutra.

The Stories of the Lotus Sutra, p19
d3b, Vasubandhu

An Explanation of Four Things Regarding the Tathāgata

Hereafter is shown an explanation of four things [regarding the Tathāgata]. It should be known that these [four] are: 1) [the Tathāgata’s] fixed resolve, 2) the reason for the prediction, 3) taking the prediction, and 4) giving the prediction.

The Tathāgata’s Determination

For what purpose is [the Tathāgata’s] “fixed resolve”? It eliminates the dread of those who have produced the feeling of dread. Thus it is used to benefit the two types of people. This is why the Tathāgata has “fixed resolve.” The five types of dread should be known:

  1. The “dread of loss” refers to those of the Small Vehicle who take what they have heard as the truth, criticizing [and denying the existence of] the Great Vehicle. They think, “The Tathāgata has said the fruit of arhatship is the ultimate nirvana. I have completely apprehended such a nirvana.” Thus, this is the dread that the arhats have not entered nirvana.
  2. The “dread of excessive toil” refers to those of the Great Vehicle who upon hearing about the extreme duration, which extends through numbers of world-ages, and the various difficult practices of the bodhisattva path, produce this thought: “The path of the buddhas is extremely long. For countless, immeasurable world-ages I will be carrying out the bodhisattva practice and undergoing great hardship for a long time.” Thinking of this, they feel dread. Therefore they produce the thought of taking up a different vehicle.
  3. The “dread of biased views” refers to [the fear of] consciousness that discriminates the various forms of “I” and “mine,” that the body and self are real, and that [wholesome] factors are unwholesome.
  4. The “dread of regret” refers to [those like] Venerable Śāriputra who gave rise to the thought “I should not have practiced or realized the way of the Small Vehicle.” Having recognized the compulsion for this regret, there is the feeling of dread.

  5. The “dread of being deceived” refers to the arrogant disciples who think, “Why has the Tathāgata deceived us?” It is such a dread as this. Regarding the reason for the prediction, it says in the Lotus Sutra:

    Stop, Śāriputra, I will speak no further. If I explain this, all those in the world—the living beings, the heavenly beings, and others—will become frightened.

The elucidation of his reason [for not giving an explanation] – that all beings will become frightened – has three purposes: 1) [the Tathāgata] wants to make those in the great assembly think about and seek his profound and subtle realm; 2) [the Tathāgata] wants to make those in the great assembly feel respectful and completely wish to hear what he will explain; 3) [the Tathāgata] wants to cause the arrogant disciples to depart from the religious gathering.

Vasubandhu's Commentary on the Lotus Sutra, p 129-130