All posts by John Hughes

21days, Universal Sage

Day 3 of 21

Whether renunciant or layperson, the practitioner will not need a mentor, will not need stewards, and will not need to take vows in a ceremony because of the power of accepting, keeping faith with, reciting, and internalizing the Great Vehicle sutras, and because of All-embracing Goodness Bodhisattva’s [Fugen] encouragement to engage in this practice. This is the core of the true Way of the buddhas in the ten directions. By means and reason of this Way, the practitioner will naturally attain the five attributes of an enlightened one: perfection in behavioral principles, perfection in concentration, perfection in wisdom, perfection in emancipation, and perfection in the perspective that pertains to emancipation. Buddha tathāgatas become so by following this Way; the promise of their buddhahood is obtained in the Great Vehicle sutras.

The Sutra Expounded by the Buddha on Practice of the Way Through Contemplation of the
Bodhisattva All-Embracing Goodness
BDK English Tripitaka

Accomplished my first full cycle – Morning Shindoku reading of the Lotus Sutra, afternoon BDK English Tripitaka’s Infinite Meanings Sutra followed by the BDK’s Sutra Expounded by the Buddha on Practice of the Way through Contemplation of the Bodhisattva All-embracing Goodness and finishing with English Lotus Sutra. I am really looking forward to doing this for another 18 days.

From the start I have planned eventually to start adding quotes from my reading but had not expected to start this soon. The quote above jumped out at me today, resonating with my solitary stay-cation retreat, without mentor or stewards or vows, relying only on faith in the Great Vehicle sutras and the encouragement of All-embracing Goodness Bodhisattva [Fugen].

Shed Transformation

And when I wasn’t seated in front of my altar, I was at the Sacramento Nichiren Buddhist Church working with Rev. Kenjo Igarashi to add plywood to protect the windows of the chicken shed, so named because that is where we barbeque chicken twice a year. Earlier this year I replaced all of the plastic windows, hence the blue film, something Rev. Igarashi had wanted for years. Once I had those installed Rev. Igarashi was insistent that the windows should be protected during the 10 months of the year when the shed is unused. So there I was, painting and installing the eighth-inch plywood sheets. I consider my support of the Sacramento Nichiren Buddhist Church a major part of my practice and a suitable activity during my stay-cation retreat.

Day 2 of 21Day 4 of 21

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – July 3, 2019

Although I shall never enter into Nirvāṇa, I say to men of little virtue, ‘I shall pass away.’ I teach them with this expedient. Why is that? It is because, if they see me for a long time, they will not plant the roots of good, but become poor and base, and cling to the five desires so much that they will be caught in the nets of wrong views.

The Buddha gives this explanation in Chapter Sixteen of the Lotus Sutra. This Chapter is the first time he reveals himself as the Ever-Present Buddha who became enlightened in the far distant past and will continue to lead all beings to enlightenment into the far distant future. The Buddha uses the death of his physical body as an expedient so that those who take him for granted will make efforts to practice his teachings. When we practice the Wonderful Dharma of the Lotus Sūtra, then we learn to see the Buddha in ourselves and all beings.

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

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Day 12

Day 12 concludes Chapter 7, The Parable of the Magic City, and completes the Third Volume of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

Day 12 Text with annotationsPlay MP3

Having last month heard Great-Universal-Wisdom-Excellence Tathāgata expound the Great Vehicle called the ‘Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma, the Dharma for Bodhisattvas, the Dharma Upheld by the Buddhas,’ we consider the length of time it took to expound the sūtra and what happened afterward.

“It took the Buddha eight thousand kalpas to complete the expounding of this sūtra. During that time he did not take a rest. Having completed the expounding of this sūtra, the Buddha entered a quiet room and practiced dhyāna-concentration for eighty-four thousand kalpas. Seeing him practicing dhyāna-concentration quietly in the room, the sixteen Bodhisattva­sramaneras each sat on a seat of the Dharma, expounded the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma to the four kinds of devotees for eighty-four thousand kalpas, and saved six hundred billion nayutas of living beings, that is, as many living beings as there are sands in the River Ganges. They showed them the Way, taught them, benefited them, caused them to rejoice and to aspire for Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi.

“Having practised dhyāna-concentration for eighty-four thousand kalpas, the Buddha emerged from his samadhi, came back to his seat of the Dharma, sat quietly, and said to the great multitude, ‘These sixteen Bodhisattva-śramaṇeras are rare. Their sense organs are keen; and their wisdom, bright. In their previous existence, they already made offerings to many hundreds of thousands of billions of Buddhas, performed brahma practices under those Buddhas, kept the wisdom of those Buddhas, showed it to the living beings [of the worlds of those Buddhas], and caused them to enter into it. All of you! Approach these [Bodhisattva­sramaneras] from time to time and make offerings to them! Why is that? It is because anyone, be he a Śrāvaka or a Pratyekabuddha or a Bodhisattva, who believes this sūtra expounded by these sixteen Bodhisattvas, keeps it, and does not slander it, will be able to attain Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi, that is, the wisdom of the Tathāgata.’”

On my 21-day retreat encouraged by Universal-Sage Bodhisattva, we consider Day 2 of 21.

21days

Day 2 of 21

Originally I planned to devote just a half-hour a day on the Sutra of Innumerable Meanings and, once finished with that, the Sutra of Meditation on the Bodhisattva Universal Virtue (Fugen). After just one day I realized that was not enough. Turns out it takes just a little more than an hour to read aloud the Sutra of Innumerable Meanings and another hour to read the Sutra of Meditation on the Bodhisattva Universal Virtue (Fugen). Today, and going forward for the remaining 19 days, I plan to recite all of both sutras each day with additional daimoku between.

I have three versions of the two sutras: The Threefold Lotus Sutra, which I’m currently using in my 32-day practice; the BDK English Tripitaka’s Tiantai Lotus Texts, which includes the two sutras plus a commentary on the Lotus Sutra and A Guide to The Tiantai Fourfold Teachings; and Gene Reeves’ translation of the Lotus Sutra, which includes both the Sutra of Innumerable Meanings and the Sutra of Contemplation of the Dharma Practice of Universal Sage Bodhisattva.

Each day I’ll use a different translation. In addition, I plan to read the additional material in the BDK English Tripitaka book and the introduction to Reeves’ translation.

With my regular morning and evening practices, my hour-long walking meditation, the two sutras and some additional daimoku and reading that should come closer to filling my 21-day stay-cation retreat. The problem I anticipate is the length of time sitting. I can’t kneel; knees won’t allow it. I have a degenerative condition in my upper spine for which I where a brace, but, even with the brace, sitting for more than an hour is a challenge. Not that I’m complaining. It is important that this is not easy to do.

Day 1 of 21Day 3 of 21

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – July 2, 2019

He will be able to recognize
All the sounds and voices
Inside and outside the one thousand million Sumeru-worlds,
[Each being composed of the six regions]
Down to the Avīci Hell and up to the Highest Heaven.
And yet his organ of hearing will not be destroyed.
He will be able to recognize everything by hearing
Because his ears are sharp.

The Buddha sings these verses in Chapter Nineteen of the Lotus Sūtra about those who practice the Buddha Dharma. We may believe that a spiritual practice leads us to “otherworldly” experiences that allow us to escape the problems we find in the world around us. These verses remind us that the teachers of the Dharma become more engaged with the world around us rather than becoming separate from it. It is through our right practice of the Lotus Sūtra that we become aware of the world as it is, and our place in making it better.

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

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Day 11

Day 11 continues Chapter 7, The Parable of the Magic City

Day 11 Text with annotationsPlay MP3

Having last month concluded today’s portion of Chapter 7, The Parable of the Magic City, we return to the top and consider what happened when Great-Universal-Wisdom-Excellence Buddha finally attained Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi.

The Buddha said to the bhikṣus:
“When Great-Universal-Wisdom-Excellence Buddha attained Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi, five hundred billion Buddha-worlds in each of the ten quarters quaked in the six ways, and all those worlds, including those intercepted from the brilliant rays of light of the sun and the moon by the neighboring worlds, were illumined [by great rays of light], and the living beings of those worlds were able to see each other for the first time. They said to each other, ‘How did you appear so suddenly?’ The palaces of the gods of those worlds, including the palace of Brahmans, also quaked in the six ways. The great rays of light which illumined all those worlds were brighter than the rays of light emitted by those gods.

For the remainder of this cycle through the Lotus Sūtra, I will offer observations from my 21-day retreat encouraged by Universal-Sage Bodhisattva. Today was Day 1 of 21.

21days

Day 1 of 21

2019-day1of21
Day 1 morning walking meditation: 6391 steps, more than 1,000 daimoku. The silhouette of my samue uniform and juzu beads in my left hand.

Today I got out of bed and 5:30am, dressed in my samue, did my morning service and then struck out for my one-hour walking meditation. The video of the start was captured by my Skybell doorbell.

Wearing the samue, which I purchased for a July 2017 Seattle Choeizan Enkyoji retreat, is one way in which I am trying to make this stay-cation retreat feel a little more real.

I developed the route I am taking this winter. The goal of all that twisting and turning is to avoid crossing busy streets while consuming one hour.

IntroductionDay 2 of 21

Lecture on Lotus Sutra, d19b

Practicing With a Spirit of True Generosity

The fourth of the peaceful practices is our vow, which we should always remember is to ultimately teach others and guide others to the Lotus Sutra. The Buddha instructs us to have great loving-kindness towards practitioners and non-practitioners alike and constantly be thinking of the most skillful way, the most appropriate way to lead them to seek out the Lotus Sutra. When we can practice with a spirit of true generosity to share the teachings of the Lotus Sutra then our lives will be full of great benefit, great friends, and the protection of the entire universe.

Lecture on the Lotus Sutra

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – July 1, 2019

Anyone who not only understands
This sūtra by faith
But also keeps, reads and recites it,
And copies it, or causes others to copy it,
And strews flowers, incense,
And incense powder to a copy of it,
And lights lamps of the perfumed oil
Of sumanas, campaka, and atimuktaka
Around the copy of this sūtra
And offers the light thus produced to it,
Will be able to obtain innumerable merits.
His merits will be as limitless as the sky.

The Buddha sings these verses in Chapter Seventeen of the Lotus Sūtra. This teaching contains the Buddha’s highest wisdom, leads all beings to enlightenment, and calls us to transform our personal suffering into an aspiration to benefit all beings. The joy and clarity we gain by practicing and respecting this sūtra is beyond what we can imagine in our state of attachment and delusion.

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

LS32, WONS

Day 10

Day 10 concludes Chapter 6, Assurance of Future Buddhahood, and opens Chapter 7, The Parable of a Magic City.

Day 10 Text with annotationsPlay MP3

Having last month repeated the opening story of Great-Universal-Wisdom-Excellence Buddha in gāthās, we consider how Great-Universal-Wisdom-Excellence Buddha waited 10 kalpas for the Dharma of the Buddhas to come into his mind.

The Buddha said to the bhikṣus:

“The duration of the life of Great-Universal-Wisdom-Excellence Buddha was five hundred and forty billion nayuta kalpas. [Before he attained Buddhahood,] he sat at the place of enlightenment and defeated the army of Mara. He wished to attain Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi, but could not because the Dharma of the Buddhas had not yet come into his mind. He sat cross-legged without moving his mind and body for one to ten small kalpas. During all that time the Dharma of the Buddhas did not come into his mind.

“[Before he sat at the place of enlightenment,] the Trāyastriṃs̒a Gods prepared him a lion-like seat a yojana high under the Bodhi tree so that he might be able to attain Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi on that seat. When he sat on that seat, the Brahman-heavenly-kings rained heavenly flowers on the area extending a hundred yojanas in all directions from that seat. From time to time withered flowers were blown away by fragrant winds and new flowers were rained down. [The Brahman-heavenly-kings] continued this offering to him for fully ten small kalpas. [After he attained Buddhahood also,] they continued raining flowers until he passed away.

“[When he sat on that seat,] the four heavenly-kings beat heavenly drums, and the other gods made heavenly music and offered it to him. They continued these offerings also for fully ten small kalpas. [After he attained Buddhahood also,] they continued these offerings until he passed away.

This delay experienced by Great-Universal-Wisdom-Excellence Buddha is used by Nichiren to illustrate the importance of the right time. In his Senji-shō, Selecting the Right time, Nichiren writes:

To study Buddhism, first of all we must know the right time.

In the past, the Great Universal Wisdom Buddha appeared in the world, but he did not preach at all for as long as ten small kalpa. It is said in the Lotus Sūtra, chapter 7 on “The Parable of a Magic City”: “He sat in meditation for ten small kalpa;” and “Though begged to preach, the Buddha sat in silence because He knew the time was not yet ripe.” Our Lord Śākyamuni Buddha, did not expound the Lotus Sūtra for more than forty years. As said in the Sūtra, chapter 2 on “Expedients,” it was because “the time was not ripe.” Lao-tzu is said to have spent as long as eighty years in his mother’s womb before he was born. Bodhisattva Maitreya, future Lord Buddha of this Sahā World, is expected to stay in the inner chamber of the Tuṣita Heaven (Tōsotsu-ten) for as long as 5,670,000,000 years, waiting for the time to attain perfect enlightenment. As nightingales wait for summer to sing and roosters wait for dawn to crow, even beasts know the time. How much more should we choose the right time in practicing Buddhism?

Senji-shō, Selecting the Right time: A Tract by Nichiren, the Buddha’s Disciple, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Page 188