All posts by John Hughes

d21b, WONS

The Buddha’s Intent Reflected Upon Clear Mirror of Scriptures

When we think of the Buddha’s intent reflected upon the clear mirror of these scriptures, we see that His appearance in this world was not for the sake of those who heard Him preach the Lotus Sūtra for eight years on Mt. Sacred Eagle. It was for those in the Ages of the True Dharma and the Semblance Dharma, and in the Latter Age of Degeneration. More precisely, it was not for the sake of those in the 2,000 years of the True Dharma and the Semblance Dharma, but for those like myself in the beginning of the Latter Age. The “sick ones” refer to the slanderers of the Lotus Sūtra after the death of Śākyamuni Buddha. It was “for those who did not perceive and accept this medicine excellent both in color and flavor” that the Buddha said he would “leave this excellent medicine.”

If we think of it this way, we can see why the bodhisattvas from underground did not appear during the Ages of the True Dharma and the Semblance Dharma. The 1,000-year Age of the True Dharma was appropriate for Hinayāna and provisional Mahāyāna Buddhism, but not fit for the preaching of the Lotus Sūtra in terms of both the “capacity” of those to be taught and the “time” for it to be preached. Therefore, four ranks of Bodhisattva-teachers (Four Reliances) preached the Hinayāna and provisional Mahāyāna teachings in order for the people to attain Buddhahood by nurturing the seed of Buddhahood that they had received during the lifetime of Śākyamuni Buddha. They did not preach the Lotus Sūtra then because they knew that if they had preached it, many people would have slandered it rendering it impossible to nurture the seed of Buddhahood. The capacity of the people for comprehension then was like that of those who listened to the Buddha preach in the first four of the five periods during His lifetime.

Kanjin Honzon-shō, A Treatise Revealing the Spiritual Contemplation and the Most Verable One, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 161

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Sept. 5, 2020

Thereupon a loud voice of praise was heard from within the stūpa of treasures: “Excellent, excellent! You, Śākyamuni, the World-Honored One, have expounded to this great multitude the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma, the Teaching of Equality, the Great Wisdom, the Dharma for Bodhisattvas, the Dharma Upheld by the Buddhas. So it is, so it is. What you, Śākyamuni, the World-Honored One, have expounded is all true.”

This declaration comes from Many-Treasures Buddha (Tahō, Prabhutaratna) at the beginning of Chapter Eleven of the Lotus Sūtra. In the story, Many-Treasures came from a world far away from this world of conflict when he heard the Buddha giving his highest teaching and appeared in a tower (stūpa) of wonderful treasures to confirm the truth of this teaching. By the Teaching of Equality, he means that all beings can become enlightened through this teaching. By the Great Wisdom, he means that the teaching is the same as the Buddha’s own mind. By the Dharma for Bodhisattvas, he means that to receive this teaching we awaken to our natures to benefit all beings. And by the Dharma Upheld by the Buddhas, he means that all Buddhas in all worlds encourage and help those who practice this sūtra.

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

Innumerable, LS32

Another Innumerable Day Before Day 1

At the start of the Sutra of Innumerable Meanings’ third chapter, Ten Beneficial Effects, the Bodhisattva Fully Composed asks a question:

“World-honored One! This sutra is beyond thought and word! I earnestly wish that the World-honored One, out of compassion and sympathy for the great assembly, would explain the profound and wondrous matters of this sutra in detail. World-honored One! What is this sutra’s origin, what is its extent, and where does it abide to accordingly possess such immeasurable, inconceivably powerful beneficial effect that it enables all to quickly achieve the full dynamic of ultimate enlightenment?”

The World-honored One then addressed the great-being bodhisattva Fully Composed, saying: “Well done, you of good intent! Well done! It is just like this; it is just as you have said. O you of good intent! I have declared that this sutra is surpassingly profound in depth, and surpassingly deep in truth. Why is this so? Because it enables all to quickly achieve the full dynamic of ultimate enlightenment, because upon hearing it one can intuit all dharmas, and because it greatly benefits all living beings—because of it they will travel the great direct route with no hardships to detain them.

“O you of good intent! You ask, “What is this sutra’s origin, what is its extent, and where does it abide?” You must hear clearly and well! O you of good intent! This sutra originally comes from within the place where buddhas dwell; it encompasses all living beings that have awakened the aspiration for enlightenment; and it abides in any place where bodhisattvas practice. O you of good intent! This sutra has such an origin, such an extent, and such a place where it abides. That is why this sutra can possess such immeasurable, inconceivably powerful beneficial effect and enable all to quickly achieve the full dynamic of ultimate enlightenment.

For the next ten months I will walk through the 10 Beneficial Effects detailed in the final chapter of the sutra.

d1b, d2b, Vasubandhu

Why the Great Assembly Relied on Mañjuśrī

Now why did the Buddha, the Blessed One, manifest this miraculous sign? He did so to explain the great Dharma; he manifested a great sign to explain the reason; he manifested a great sign to teach the Lotus Sutra. The Tathāgata manifested a great marvel in order to explain the words and passages of the incomprehensible meaning of the true Dharma (saddharma) that he had attained.

There are two explanations [for why the great assembly] esteemed and relied on Mañjuśrī. What are these two? 1) Because [Mañjuśrī] had [previously] witnessed these states (dharmas), and 2) because he was removed from the causes and conditions [that affected the great assembly] and had accomplished these states (dharmas) within his mind.

A variety of marvels were revealed in order to show various events. It should be well known that the marks of the events were [the marks of] origination, decay, subsistence, and impermanence. Since Mañjuśrī was able to recall these events, and since he had accomplished his task and the cause and the result were complete, he witnessed these states (dharmas).

There are two tasks that he had accomplished: 1) the accomplishment of merits and 2) the accomplishment of wisdom. “That the cause was complete” means he had accomplished omniscience. There is also another type of cause referred to as the condition. “That the condition was complete” means that the various signs had occurred. “That the result was complete” means that Mañjuśrī would explain the true Dharma (saddharma) [to the assembly]. It should be known that various different buddha lands were revealed in order to show the various differences and distinctions in those lands. “Pure land” means the dwelling place of living beings that have no defilements. Just as it says in the Lotus Sutra,

[The Buddha’s ray of light] illuminated all the eighteen thousand worlds in the east . . . and rendered visible the splendor of all those buddha worlds.

“The tathāgatas were foremost” since all the bodhisattvas and others take refuge in them, and since the tathāgatas are the ones who have attained self-mastery among those in the great assemblies of the [buddha] lands, just as it says in the Lotus Sutra, “And all the buddhas abiding in those lands were seen…”

Vasubandhu's Commentary on the Lotus Sutra, p 107-108
Blog, LS32

Measures of Faith

20200902_myohorengekyo-romanized_insidecover
Each PostIt arrow represents one complete recitation the 28 chapters of the Lotus Sutra in shindoku
20200902_myohorengekyo-romanized-cover
The cover of Myohorengekyo Romanized is beginning to show wear from my daily handling.

Today marks one of those artificial milestones meant to measure progress along a linear path. On this blog, it would be distance traveled in a 500 yojanas journey to a place of treasures. I have now recited the 28 chapters of the Lotus Sutra in shindoku 64 times since March 2015. There’s no real value to having reached this milestone.

Each morning I pick up Mohorengekyo Romanized and recite that day’s portion of the sutra. The eight fascicles of the sutra are divided into four parts, rendering the sutra’s 28 chapters in 32 parts.  I mark my place in the book with a PostIt Note arrow and at the end of the cycle I tape the arrow in the inside cover of my Myohorengekyo Romanized book. When I complete a row of 16 cycles – an arbitrary number that corresponds to the number of arrows that fit in a column – I dutifully comment on the occasion:

While I feel compelled to mark this milestone, I do not believe I’m on a linear journey. Having progressed this far along this path I’ve come to understand the importance of the moment – the 3000 realms in a single thought moment, the constant arising and perishing of each instant.

What I want to come back to today is that moment of faith, the step along this 500 yojanas journey. Yes, there was a first step, but each moment is another step, a confirmation of faith in the path of the One Vehicle leading to supreme perfect enlightenment.

For the past few weeks I’ve been participating in the Enkyoji Buddhist Network’s Online Class. One of the lessons concerned the topic of Faith, Practice and Study. My answer to a question about faith fits well with this discussion of moments:

In Chapter 16 of the Lotus Sutra we learn of the wise physician whose children have poisoned themselves while he was away on business. Some of these children are worse off than others. Seeing their plight the father creates a medicine to cure them. This medicine is guaranteed to look appealing, smell appetizing and taste delicious. Some of the children take the medicine immediately and are cured instantly. The other children, those so badly poisoned that they have lost their right minds, refuse to take the medicine. These children see that the medicine looks appealing and agree that it smells appetizing, but these children refuse to believe that it will taste delicious. These children lack fatih.

Faith is required in order to practice Buddhism. Faith is the initial step that begins the journey, the key that unlocks the gate leading to the path. We are not expected to blindly step off a cliff and have faith that gravity will disappear. Instead, we are asked to believe that the medicine left behind by the Eternal Buddha not only looks and smells great, but tastes good as well. Having faith, we begin our practice and as we continue our practice we validate and deepen our faith.

Each moment of faith, equal and unique, rising over and over.

WONS

Pile Up Your Faith in the Lotus Sutra

According to the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha carries on His shoulders and back men and women who have firm faith in the sutra. Tripiṭaka Master Kumārāyana is said to have been carried on the back of a wooden statue of Śākyamuni Buddha. As for myself, the Buddha took my place to save my life at Tatsunokuchi. This has always been true, today as in the past. You are my followers. How can you each fail to attain Buddhahood? No matter whom you remarry, do not follow him if he does not believe in the Lotus Sutra. Have a stronger affirmation than ever.

Ice is made of water, but it is colder than water. Blue colored cloth is colored by indigo, but it will be bluer than indigo when dyed repeatedly. In the same fashion, if you pile up your faith in the Lotus Sutra, you will be filled with more vitality and blessings than other people.

Oto Gozen Go-shōsoku, A Letter to Lady Oto, Nyonin Gosho, Letters Addressed to Female Followers, Page 122-124

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Sept. 4, 2020

He was strenuous and resolute in mind.
He concentrated his mind,
And refrained from indolence
For many hundreds of millions of kalpas.

The Buddha sings these verses to Maitreya Bodhisattva in Chapter Seventeen of the Lotus Sūtra. In this Chapter, the Buddha describes the benefits from practicing generosity, discipline, patience, perseverance, and in these verses, concentration. He then compares these benefits to those which come from understanding the ever-present nature of the Buddha, even for a time no longer than the time it takes to blink. The merits of the latter outshine the former as the sun in a clear sky outshines the stars. When we are assured of the Buddha’s constant presence, helping all of us to become enlightened, we find that we can accomplish far more than we thought possible.

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: Perspectives On The One Path

In reciting The Sutra of Contemplation of The Dharma Practice of Universal Sage Bodhisattva I was struck by a minor line early in the sutra:

“Hear me clearly! Hear me clearly, and consider this well! In the past, on Mount Vulture Peak and at other places, the Tathāgata has already expounded the one genuine path from many perspectives. And now, at this place, for the benefit of all living beings in the future who wish to follow the Supreme Way that is the Great Vehicle—and who wish to learn and follow the practice of Universal Sage,3 I will now expound the method4 for that, which I have kept in mind. Impurities, in any number, should be eliminated whether one perceives Universal Sage or not. This I will now explain to you, accordingly, in great detail.

This idea of one genuine path from many perspectives ties nicely with the Three-Fold Lotus Sutra.  Looking in book order, we have the Innumerable Meanings:

Seeing that conditioned desires are innumerable, the bodhisattva expounds the teachings in infinite ways. Because there are infinite ways of exposition, there are infinite meanings as well. The infinite meanings stem from a single dharma.

The Lotus Sutra follows with:

I know that all living beings have various desires. I also know that they have attachments deep in their minds. Therefore, I expound various teachings to them with stories of previous lives, parables, similes and discourses, that is to say, with various expedients according to their natures.

Śāriputra! I do all this for the purpose of causing them to realize the teaching of the One Buddha-Vehicle, that is, to obtain the knowledge of the equality and differences of all things. Śāriputra! There is not a second vehicle in the worlds of the ten quarters. How can there be a third?

And finally today’s reminder that what he have heard are many perspectives on the one genuine path.

d1b, Vasubandhu

The Merit Accomplished When the Tathāgata Establishes the Grounds to Teach

This merit means that he reveals an unusual, incomprehensible event to the great assembly. Seeing it, the great assembly is struck with wonder. Delighted, they want to hear about it and think: “The Tathāgata should now explain something to us.” Therefore it is called the accomplishment of a basis to explain the motive. That is why the Tathāgata emits a great ray of light that reveals various events occurring in the worlds of another direction.

The Tathāgata first displays for the great assembly external events, such as the earth quaking in six ways. Then he reveals the profound and subtle truth (Dharma) within this religious discourse that he realized by himself. He also utilizes the physical and human worlds; a variety of types and dimensions; the different defilements and purities possessed; the different buddhas, doctrines (Dharmas), and disciples in order to illustrate the Three Jewels; the different vehicles; the worlds with buddhas and those without buddhas. He causes living beings to see practitioners who have not yet attained the result [of the path] as well as those who have gained the path and attained the result. Just as it says in the Lotus Sutra, “[A]ll who had achieved the path through practice…”

“A variety of types” means various sights. Briefly expressed, there are four: 1) nourishment, 2) listening to the Dharma, 3) practice, and 4) delight. Just as it says in the Lotus Sutra:

At that moment the Buddha emitted a ray of light from the tuft of white hair between his eyebrows [which totally illuminated all of the eighteen thousand worlds in the east, down as far as the lowest hell and up as far as the highest heaven. In those lands the beings of the six destinies were completely visible. Moreover the buddhas present in those lands were seen and the Dharma they were teaching was heard. Also seen there were the monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen who had achieved the path through practice. Moreover, all the bodhisattvas, great beings, possessed of various inclinations, motives, and appearances, were seen practicing the bodhisattva path.

Furthermore all the buddhas in final nirvana (parinirvāṇa) were seen. Also seen were all the buddhas after their final nirvana], and their buddha-relic stupas made of the seven precious treasures.

It should be known that those practicing the bodhisattva path give guidance to living beings using the expedient means of the four methods of conversion. [The four methods of conversion] should be individually applied in accordance with what is taught in the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-sūtra.

Vasubandhu's Commentary on the Lotus Sutra, p 105-106
Lecture on Lotus Sutra

Teaching With Actions and Lives

When we can so fully integrate our lives with the teachings of Buddhism that every moment and every action is a Buddhist practice, then we can better propagate Buddhism. The loudest voice we manifest is the unspoken words of our actions. While it is true the voice does the work of the Buddha in that it is the means by which we can teach, it fundamentally boils down to our actions and lives are the real vehicle by which to teach Buddhism.

Lecture on the Lotus Sutra